Category: Independent News

  • What’s in a name?

    Roadways and bridges are named for the famous BY KAREN L. KESTEN Staff Writer You’re stuck in traffic again and you turn on the traffic report. You hear the names of bridges and roads over and over, but who are these people, and why do they have their own bridge? Spanning the Raritan River, the…

  • Firefighters March part of Belmar St. Patrick’s Day parade

    Firefighters from Monmouth and Ocean counties and throughout the state are being invited to join the Firefighters March in the Belmar St. Patrick’s Day parade on Sunday, March 7. The march continues a memorial tradition begun following the Sept. 11, 2001, deaths of 343 members of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY). The Firefighters…

  • Why do these people have a rest area on the New Jersey Turnpike?

    • Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross and a nurse in the Civil War, was a teacher and founded the first public school in New Jersey (1821-1912). Rest area is in Oldmans Township. • Grover Cleveland, 22nd and 24th president of the United States, was born in Caldwell (1837-1908). Rest area is in…

  • Advocacy group to host Beach Sweeps forum Mar. 13

    MIDDLETOWN — Clean Ocean Action (COA) will celebrate a milestone in its Beach Sweeps program by hosting the first Beach Sweep 25! Symposium: A Generation of Action Against Beach Litter on Saturday, March 13, at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft. The symposium will begin at 9 a.m. and end at 3:30 p.m., followed by a…

  • Birth of a town

    BY KATHY CHANG & KAREN L. KESTEN Staff Writers Ever wonder how a place, a township, a borough, a school, a park, a lake, a river, a bridge or a street got its name? The Murray House in Poricy Park in Middletown. FILE PHOTO Greater Media Newspapers recently delved into this topic to find answers…

  • Purim festivities

    Juggler Keith Leaf spins a plate on a pole at the Holmdel Firehouse during Purim on Fire, a celebration hosted by The Chabad Jewish Center of Holmdel on Feb. 28. LAUREN CASSELBERRY

  • Deadline extended for Aberdeen developments

    Changes in COAH could affect applications BY JACQUELINE HLAVENKA Staff Writer ABERDEEN — The Aberdeen Zoning Board passed a motion to extend the deadline for two applications from RCM Developers LLC on Feb. 25. Based on a recommendation from the township, the developer requested an extension to continue negotiations with the governing body about its…

  • Matawan appoints police commission

    Police department will report to new commission BY JACQUELINE HLAVENKA Staff Writer MATAWAN — The Borough Council unanimously passed an ordinance Feb. 2 creating a commission that will have oversight of the Matawan Police Department. The ordinance, which amends the code of the Matawan Police Department, states the department will be under direct control of…

  • Slocum murder trial topic of March 8 meeting

    SHREWSBURY — Questions persist about an infamous murder that occurred in what is now West Long Branch in 1863. Peter Slocum, descendant of a prominent Monmouth County family, was found guilty of the murder of his wife and was hanged, but debate about his guilt continues today. On Monday, March 8, the Shrewsbury Towne-Monmouth Chapter…