Category: Independent News

  • Suspects in drug network indicted

    Rumson man faces charges for buying cocaine Two Long Branch men and one Rumson man are among 24 individuals facing various offenses after a yearlong investigation into a cocaine distribution network. On Oct. 29, a Monmouth County grand jury returned a 28-count indictment that charged 24 individuals with various offenses, including the first-degree crimes of…

  • Native American history needs retelling

    Thanksgiving portrays stereotypes that some find offensive BY LINDA DeNICOLA Correspondent November is American Indian Heritage Month and also the month when people across the country remember the Native Americans who are part of the Thanksgiving story. But some Native Americans are not happy about Thanksgiving because the stereotypes of their people are often caricatures…

  • Evocative images at Middletown Arts Center

    Aphotography exhibit by Jay Hochheiser will be featured in the main gallery of the Middletown Arts Center through Dec. 2. “Grand Canyon” “Looking West – A New Direction in Fine Art Photography,” includes nearly 80 images by the Middletown photographer, many of which were processed using an old and seldom used printing method known as…

  • Photo

    ERIC SUCAR staff Kindergartners Victoria Wicklund (l-r), Jack MacCutchen, Sam Fox and Austin Fehley check on their kettle of simmering cranberries, one of the handson activities for students at a Native American Day celebration held at Ravine Drive School in Matawan Nov. 16.

  • Azzolina put political clout behind Dems

    Local officials dubious on effect of anti-GOP mailing BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a pamphlet distributed township-wide in Middletown is worth $6,000, and may even have cost a Republican Township Committee seat. Joseph Azzolina Former GOP state Sen. and state Assemblyman Joseph Azzolina sent out more…

  • Grant to fund upgrades in North Middletown

    Twp. gets $125K in state funds for revitalization plan BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer Middletown received a grant Oct. 7 that will be used for revitalization projects around North Middletown. The $125,000 award from the state Department of Community Affairs (DCA) is part of the Neighborhood Preservation Program (NPP), a program set up in 1975…

  • Middletown bond rating remains high

    Mayor credits sound financial management BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer MIDDLETOWN – When it comes to bond ratings in Middletown, the township receives straight A’s. Double A’s to be exact. Standard & Poor’s has reaffirmed Middletown Township’s bond rating of AA, with an outlook listed as stable. The Standard and Poor’s assessment of Middletown’s finances…

  • Scoutmaster’s legacy: 50 years, 1,000 Scouts

    Leader of Troop 110 in Lincroft passes on his duties BY PATRICIA YOCZIS Correspondent Andy Lennert poses with 33 of the 179 Eagle Scouts he mentored during his 50 years as a scoutmaster. MIDDLETOWN – Andrew Lennert has a new title and is proud of it as he leaves his post of 50 years as…

  • Uninvited roommates move in … and they bite

    Senior complex deals with bedbug infestation BY MELISSA KARSH Staff Writer RED BANK – The saying “Don’t let the bedbugs bite” has taken on a new meaning for seniors living in a Wall Street housing complex. Residents living at Wesleyan Arms, a six-story complex with 60 one-bedroom apartments for seniors, have encountered a menacing problem…