Category: Independent News
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Middletown neighbors applaud zoning change
BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer BY KAREN E. BOWESStaff Writer MIDDLETOWN — Signed petition in hand, Dean Nichols spoke up on behalf of his neighbors. “We don’t like the idea of a people coming in and doing a whole lot of building,” said Nichols at a hearing during the Aug. 1 Township Committee meeting.…
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Mid’town has area’s lowest crime rate
BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer BY KAREN E. BOWESStaff Writer MIDDLETOWN — The township now boasts the lowest crime rate of any community of its size in Monmouth and Ocean counties. According to the annual Uniform Crime Report (UCR) prepared by the state police, Middletown’s crime rate is down from 12.8 percent to 11.5…
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Any day she can paint is a good day
Some of artist BY LINDA DeNICOLA Staff Writer BY LINDA DeNICOLAStaff Writer “Midas Touch” When artist Susan Osterweil Weber was still in high school and thinking about what to do with her life, she was told she was too sensitive to work in the highly competitive commercial art field. She knew there was some truth…
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Hazlet adopts sex offender ordinance
BY DAN NEWMAN Staff Writer BY DAN NEWMANStaff Writer HAZLET — With nearby municipalities such as Holmdel, Keyport and Matawan having already adopted “pedophile-free zones,” Hazlet took its turn last week. The ordinance was introduced at the June 28 Township Committee meeting and was unanimously adopted at the meeting last week. “I support the ordinance…
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SCOTT PILLING staff Spectators take a look inside the engine of Frank Tarantino’s 1964 Plymouth Barracuda at the Keyport Classic Car Show, held July 30.
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$225K state aid offsets tax hike in Keyport
BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer BY KAREN E. BOWESStaff Writer KEYPORT — The borough was awarded $225,000 in state aid last week to be used to lower rising property taxes. As a result, the municipal tax rate for Keyport will rise to $1.22, according to Chief Financial Officer Thomas Fallon. For a home assessed…
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Baykeeper applauds beach access court ruling
BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer BY KAREN E. BOWESStaff Writer KEYPORT — To the delight of NY/NJ Baykeeper, the public’s right to access privately owned beaches was recently reaffirmed. “The Supreme Court today held what Baykeeper has been advocating for 15 years, that the public has an unassailable right to access the shoreline for…
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Hazlet to consider ethics reform package
BY DAN NEWMAN Staff Writer BY DAN NEWMANStaff Writer Hazlet HAZLET — In light of the recent Monmouth County corruption scandal, Hazlet may soon join the list of area government agencies that have put stronger ethics reform laws on the books. With Hazlet’s own former mayor, Paul Coughlin, arrested in February on bribery charges, Committeeman…
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Middletown boy a ‘Kid Who Rocks’
MIDDLETOWN — The Township Committee recently recognized 10-year-old Roman DeSimone for recently being named a “Kid Who Rocks” by WRAT 95.9 FM. The 11-week program, co-sponsored by High Point Insurance and Monmouth Mall, recognized children ages 8-16 who have done extraordinary things for their families and communities. Last summer, Roman, who lives in the New…
