Category: Independent News

  • Holmdel OKs sex offender ordinance

    Citing weaknesses, officials hope to create stronger version BY MICHELLE ROSENBERG Staff Writer Holmdel formally created a pedophile-free zone last week, but officials have already announced their intentions to expand it. The Township Committee voted unanimously July 25 to adopt the ordinance that was introduced last month, which limits convicted sex offenders from living within…

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    SCOTT PILLING staff Ten-year-old Emily Luttman flies past 8-year-old Cate Gallagher in the second annual Keyport Soapbox Derby race July 30.

  • Township declares public areas smoke-free

    Arts Center, 4 bars in Holmdel are made exceptions – for now BY MICHELLE ROSENBERG Staff Writer Smokers will need to pay attention to where they are the next time they light up in Holmdel. The Township Committee unanimously voted on July 25 to adopt an ordinance prohibiting smoking in certain areas throughout the township.…

  • Sandy Hook tour shines a light on the past

    BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer BY KAREN E. BOWESStaff Writer PHOTOSBY KAREN BOWES Clockwise from top left: The Sandy Hook Lighthouse, built in the late 18th century, is one of only five lighthouses in the U.S. that dates from pre-Revolutionary War times. The bayside view from the lighthouse shows a row of officers’ houses…

  • Church group tries weight loss as a team

    BY MICHELLE ROSENBERG Staff Writer BY MICHELLE ROSENBERGStaff Writer PHOTOSBY MIGUEL JUAREZ staff Personal trainer Eddie Hernandez gives some advice to Darren Harris following a speech he made to members of the Community Bible Fellowship Church, Aberdeen, who are participating in a 12-week health challenge. ABERDEEN — Twenty-nine people are teaming up to take it…

  • Middletown man admits to money laundering

    BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer BY KAREN E. BOWESStaff Writer NEWARK — A 55-year-old Middletown man pleaded guilty last week to laundering more than $100,000 during July and August of last year. James Ingram, owner of JBI Limousine Inc., admitted in U.S. District Court on July 26 that he made deals with an individual…

  • Softball game to raise money for nonprofit

    BY MICHELLE ROSENBERG Staff Writer BY MICHELLE ROSENBERGStaff Writer Matawan MATAWAN — It’s time to play ball. On Saturday, a local man and his family are hosting a charity softball game at Gravelly Brook Park to raise money for the American Lung Association. Matthew Schoffel and his family began holding annual softball games to raise…

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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.

  • $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…