Category: Independent Opinion

  • Middletown residents, beware

    Middletown should think twice about permitting a Home Depot to locate in the former Bradlees store in a shopping center on Route 35 south just past town hall. Township officials are discussing the possibility of permitting the "big box" store to locate there, provided it would agree not to sell lumber or Sheetrock. "We definitely…

  • Guest Column Harry Tucker Some advice for biking along the Henry Hudson Trail

    Guest Column Harry Tucker Some advice for biking along the Henry Hudson Trail I am writing this letter as a member of the "Saved by the Bell Club." To be a member of this club, you must have survived a bicycle accident, where your bike helmet played a significant role in saving your life or…

  • Ministerium offers services to local families

    The Keyport Ministerium Food Pantry is sponsored by 10 or more Bayshore area churches, namely Calvary United Methodist Church, Reformed Church of Keyport, Gethsemane Lutheran Church, St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, St. John’s United Methodist Church, Faith Reformed Church of Hazlet, First Baptist Church of Keyport, Grace United Methodist Church of Union Beach and Second Baptist…

  • Residents urged to show more support of Holmdel Fire Department

    I recently read an article in the paper by Ron Pontrelli, fire chief of the Holmdel Volunteer Fire Department, and was shocked again with the residents of Holmdel. The article explains the expenses of the fire department and the need for fire districts in our town, which will mean our taxes will be increased once…

  • Difficult days for parents

    Hopefully when Middle-town school parents woke up this morning, they were greeted by news of a settlement between the Middletown Township Education Association and the Middletown Board of Education. While some may have joked about it, maybe to relieve the stress, no parents want the uncertainty of not knowing whether their child will have school…

  • Guest Column Mary Ann Kiernan The average property owner deserves a return, too

    Guest Column Mary Ann Kiernan The average property owner deserves a return, too As a member of the historic preservation community, at the local, county and state levels, I am quite familiar with the arguments presented by developers when they meet the slightest bit of opposition to their development plans. Unfortunately, the developers’ argument against…

  • Soccer League thanks supporters for field

    The Aberdeen-Matawan Soccer League (AMSL) is pleased to announce that on Saturday, Sept. 8 at 9 a.m. the Strathmore Elementary School soccer field will be dedicated. This past spring, the league kicked off its inaugural game at the new Matawan Regional High School soccer field. These two soccer facilities help to alleviate a shortage of…

  • Merchant, Orsini offer enthusiasm and fresh ideas

    A rally to protest the new Lowe’s superstore was held Aug. 25 at Holmdel Meadows, a neighborhood opposite the construction site. Organized by Democratic candidates for Township Committee, Monisha Merchant and Tony Orsini, rally participants decried the impact of the new Lowe’s on their lives — increased traffic, noise, pollution, all-night deliveries with 18-wheeler trucks…

  • Matawan Downtown Celebration enjoyed by more than 2,000

    Thank you to everyone who helped make Matawan’s recent fifth annual Downtown Celebration and Night Out Against Crime a huge success. The efforts of local volunteers, the borough of Matawan, the Matawan Police Department and many local businesses including Sultan’s Palace Restaurant, Commerce Bank, Bayshore Community Health Services, Cifelli Disposal, Community Bank of N.J., Lionetti…