Category: Suburban Opinion

  • After storm column, some readers ask, ‘Where funny?’

    Coda • GREG BEAN I’ll say this for myself: when I make a mistake, it’s a doozy. Regular readers will remember that last week, I spent a lot of time making fun of the hysterical media build-up to the storm they were calling the “Snowpocalypse,” which turned out to be kind of a dud, at…

  • Harold J. Velsor

    Mr. Velsor, 83, of East Brunswick, died Jan. 19, 2010, in Saint Peter’s University Hospital, New Brunswick. He was predeceased by a brother, Jack Velsor. Surviving are his wife, Frances Keskonis Velsor; five children, Janet Mc- Carron, and her husband, John, and Barbara Friedrich, and her husband William, all of Evanston, Ill., Carol Hampton of…

  • ‘Helping Hands for Haiti’

    Sayreville Middle School raised $451 for the American Red Cross in its recent “Helping Hands for Haiti” campaign. Students, teachers and staff paid $1 each to trace their hands and write a message of support and encouragement to the Haitian people. Student volunteers including sixth-graders Jessica Hernandez (l) and Hilda Bastos took payments, cut out…

  • John Mangano

    Mr. Mangano, 89, of Freehold, formerly of Old Bridge, died Jan. 23, 2010, at home. He retired as a Preston truck driver for 40 years with the Teamsters Local, Jersey City. In retirement, Mr. Mangano, along with his family, owned and operated Mangano’s Hair Design, Manalapan. He also drove deliveries for Tuscany Food, Manalapan. Surviving…

  • Open-house events set at Goddard schools

    Open houses are set for 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Feb. 15-19 at the Goddard schools of Old Bridge, 300 Belchase Court and 1480 Englishtown Road; Sayreville, 3079 Bordentown Ave.; Spotswood, 206 Summerhill Road; Manalapan, 22 Wilson Ave.; and Freehold, 350 Pond Road. All are welcome to attend the free events. Children are invited to join a…

  • William F. Vargo Sr.

    Mr. Vargo, 75, of South River, formerly of East Brunswick, died Jan. 30, 2010, at home. Prior to his retirement, he was the owner of A.E.I. Generator Exchange, Spotswood. Surviving are his wife, Margaret Lesko Vargo; a son, William F. Vargo Jr., and his fiancée, Beth Dey, of South River; a daughter, Debra Holman, and…

  • Looks like we survived the ‘storm of the decade’

    Coda • GREG BEAN By the time this column sees print, the Great Blizzard of 2010, nicknamed “Snowpocalypse” by some creative member of the national press, will just be a memory. You know, before we moved to the East Coast, I used to believe that folks out here were scared of only one thing, and…

  • Carmine A. Alfano

    Mr. Alfano, 80, of Old Bridge, died Jan. 15, 2010, at home. Prior to his retirement, he was a foreman with Castrol Oil Co., Edison. He was predeceased by four brothers and two sisters. Surviving are his wife, Marianne Esposito Alfano; a son, Lawrence Alfano of New York City; a daughter, Sharon Carroll of Morristown;…

  • Brenda Araneo-Paskitti

    Mrs. Araneo-Paskitti, 49, of Jackson, formerly of Old Bridge, died Jan. 13, 2010. Surviving are her husband, Bob; her children, Katie, Rachel and Bobby; her father, William of Jackson; a brother, Bill, of Nyack, N.Y.; and a sister, Suzanne of Aberdeen. Funeral services were held at Calvary Chapel, Old Bridge, under the direction of the…