Category: Independent Opinion

  • Help put stop to teen dating violence

    Congress has proclaimed the week of Feb. 5-9 as National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week. One out of three high school students will be involved in an abusive relationship. Each year, 180 Turning Lives Around Inc. educates more than 5,000 Monmouth County students about dating violence and prevention through our school-based abuse prevention…

  • Criticism of hard-working cheerleaders was out of line

    Every Wednesday when I get in from work, the Independent is waiting for me. Usually the first section I turn to is the opinion section, and a part of me always hopes that there is no letter signed by anyone from my hometown, Hazlet. It seems that whenever I read any of these letters –…

  • Matawan first aid member commends special officers

    As a member of the Matawan First Aid and Rescue Squad, I have the opportunity to work very closely with our police department. I am repeatedly impressed by the level of care that they offer the residents of our town. Often times when we arrive on the scene, O2, bandaging, and TLC are already being…

  • Obituaries

    Mary Pearson Mrs. Pearson, 85, of Freehold Township, died Jan. 21, 2007, at home. Born in Jersey City, she had lived in Old Bridge for 38 years before moving to Freehold Township three years ago. Prior to retiring in 1989, she was a cup tester at the former Lily Tulip paper-cup company, Holmdel, for 10…

  • Removing Merla’s name will not change the past

    Keyport Councilman George Walling’s proposal to remove former Mayor John Merla’s name from outside borough hall is understandable, but it’s a move that won’t realistically accomplish anything. The fact that Merla was the mayor at the time the building was dedicated is history that can’t be changed by altering a plaque. After two years of…

  • For the Record

    Dee Sockol-Frye, the children’s department manager at Barnes & Noble, Holmdel, used to own bookstores in Cranbury and Matawan. Information regarding that fact was incorrect in the Jan. 24 story “Children connect with stories through theatrics.”

  • Your Turn

    Public urged to voice their opinions before Merla’s sentencing Joseph Wedick Guest Column Joseph WedickGuest Column It was 1987 when Raymond Donovan, the former U.S secretary of labor under President Ronald Reagan, asked, “Where do I go to get my reputation back?” after being acquitted of charges that included larceny and fraud in connection with…

  • Coda

    In this parable, let’s all just root for the lions Greg Bean Watching President George W. Bush on television last week reminded me of the story we learned in Bible class about Daniel and the Lions’ Den. I’m kind of working from memory here, but as I recall, Daniel was a high-level bureaucrat in the…

  • Park’s trails needed for county’s disabled

    Your Jan. 26 article reported that Holmdel Township Committee members called the new trails at Holmdel Park “offensive.” I assure them that it is more offensive to be a person with a disability who is being discriminated against by inaccessible parks! Freeholder Lillian Burry is accurate that the changes were made to comply with the…