The fire began in mulch ignited by a discarded cigarette or match at the 12-unit Oakland Square apartments, officials said. The top of a smoking pole is visible at right. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
A discarded cigarette or match appears to have ignited a blaze that sent two people to the hospital and left 12 families without a home Sunday morning, officials said.
Red Bank firefighters on the roof of Oakland Square, as seen from the rear parking lot, above, and Oakland Street, below. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Fire heavily damaged a two-year-old affordable-housing apartment building in Red Bank Sunday morning.
Ninety minutes after the first alarm at 9:05 a.m., firefighters remained on the scene at Oakland Square, where fire had burned through the roof above the third floor.
Buildings along Front Street have blocked views of the Navesink River from Broad Street for more than a century. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Is there, at last, a well-capitalized Broad-to-the-river plan for Red Bank in the works?
Not in his office, says developer Steve Denholtz, whose multi-state empire has been devouring borough properties — including three that would fit in nicely with a project offering panoramic Navesink River views from downtown.
Then again, that doesn’t mean one might not happen, Denholtz tells redbankgreen.
Rules would be modified for streets where parking is now prohibited on one side, such as Spring Street, to allow for alternate-side parking, officials said. (Photo by Trish Russoniello. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
A pending alternate-side parking law for Red Bank won’t be enforced until the borough has an online streetsweeper-tracker up and running, an official said Wednesday night.
Still, the plan to mandate one-side-only parking throughout the town twice a week ran into objections.
Shopping center principal Dan Hughes listens as objector Tracy Cole speaks. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
After a four-month detour over legal issues, a hearing on a plan to open a Dunkin’ coffee shop in Fair Haven resumed Tuesday night, just as hot as before.
For three hours, opponents predicted traffic and safety problems at the Acme-anchored shopping center on River Road where the shop would operate. The site’s principal owner called that scenario “ridiculous.”
A pickup truck plows through the flooded, and newly rebuilt, intersection of East Bergen Place and Hudson Avenue in Red Bank Tuesday evening.
The heavy downpour caused “major” plumbing and drainage issues during the opening act at the Count Basie Basie Center for the Arts, prompting the cancellation of a concert by bluesman Buddy Guy, said a venue spokesman. The show was rescheduled for November 11.
More heavy rain looms as a possibility Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. Check out the extended forecast below. (Photo by Trish Russoniello. Click to enlarge.)
The track at Count Basie Fields would be replaced under a plan up for adoption by the council. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
A proposed alternate-side parking ordinance is up for consideration at the Red Bank council’s only regular session this month.
Also on the agenda as the council moves into its summer meeting schedule: taxes, a new track for Count Basie Fields, the settlement of a disputed records request and more. Read More
Runners and walkers, young and old, completed the 5-kilometer distance. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
Much like the first, the second annual edition of the Red Bank Classic 5K once again ran under blue skies Saturday.
Organized by the Red Bank Business Alliance and the Red Family YMCA, the 3.1-mile event attracted more than 1,200 runners, walkers and a smattering of canines.
Were you in it, or do you know someone who was? See our photos below — and check out the guy who put on a great show for redbankgreen as he neared the finish line. Race results are here.
The crime and arrest reports below were provided by the Red Bank Police Department for the month of May, 2019. This information is unedited. For additional information, please scroll to the bottom of this post.
CRIMES
Theft: On 05/14/19 a walk in report was made for a theft that occurred from a locker in the area of W Front St. $280.00 cash was taken from a wallet leaving $40.00 behind. Ptl. Luke Cahill.
Criminal Mischief: Unknown individuals broke a window on a parked vehicle during a scuffle they were having in the area on W Front St during the early morning of 05/18/19. The damage is estimated to be approximately $1000.00. Ptl. Luke Cahill.
Runners warm up before last year’s inaugural race. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
The Red Bank Classic, which last year revived a downtown footrace tradition after a three-year absence, is set to run (and walk) its second edition Saturday.
Here’s what you need to know:
First came a ban on booze. Now, the entire series of summer beach concerts at Sandy Hook has been cancelled to protect the piping plovers. And no, that’s not the name of a band. Read More
A Florida motorcyclist was injured after colliding with a car while riding in Red Bank Tuesday evening, police Chief Darren McConnell tells redbankgreen.
John Yarusi risked a summons when he parked his Johnny’s Pork Roll truck on Wallace Street in a short-lived experiment test of borough law in 2013. (Photo by Jim Willis. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
Is Red Bank ready at last to unlock the gates that keep out food trucks?
The idea of easing restrictions on food truck operations came up at last week’s borough council workshop meeting, as it has in the past. But this time, it’s not being summarily rejected by the agency that promotes the downtown business district.
Fire officials were investigating the cause of small electrical fire in a home on Seven Bridges Road in Little Silver Tuesday afternoon.
Crime and arrest reports, unedited, as provided by the Shrewsbury Police Department for the period of May 25 to June 7, 2019. For additional information, please scroll to the bottom of this post
CRIMES
Report of Shoplifting in the area of Shrewsbury Avenue on 5/27/19. Victim reports unknown subject(s) removed merchandise. Ptl. Mary Ellen Rumola investigating.
A detail from the front page of the Red Bank Register’s June 15, 1939 edition. (Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
It was a day unlike any ever seen before or since in Red Bank, turning hordes of area residents and visitors into Anglophiles, at least for a late-spring morning.
Imagine: an estimated 200,000 people jamming downtown Red Bank and the roadways through Little Silver, Fair Haven, Rumson and Sea Bright to catch a glimpse of king and queen of England.
Borough officials said more intersections may get the bold-paint treatment used at Drs. Parker Boulevard and Bridge Avenue. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
A month after the roadway at a Red Bank intersection was painted over with a giant, vivid sun on a field of turquoise, officials gathered there this week to explain and defend it.
A concept drawing of the proposed basement jazz bar. (Rendering by George Fett. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
A food market and jazz bar proposed for downtown Red Bank won praise from the business community and approval by the zoning board Thursday night.
Jersey Central Power & Light’s outage map showed electricity out for up to 100 Red Bank customers Friday following an early-morning incident in which two utility poles on Maple Avenue snapped.
Red Bank is showing its pride this week, with a repainting of the crosswalk at Broad and Monmouth streets in the colors of the LGBTQ rainbow flag.
On Saturday, the Parks & Rec department hosts a Pride event in Riverside Gardens Park, featuring live music, family activities and more in celebration of LGBTQ pride. Check out details here. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
After almost a year, a dusty and bumpy road rebuilding project in Red Bank is on track for completion this week, the borough’s consulting engineer said Wednesday.
The former Agostino antique store space at 21 Broad Street, vacant for seven years, is the site of a proposed food market and ‘speakeasy.’ (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
On Thursday’s Red Bank busy zoning board agenda: a proposal for a downtown food market and speakeasy, plus a plan to build a new house on the site of a devastating fire, and changes outside the Two River Theater.
Mayor Bob Neff embraces his wife and twin daughters as early results were announced at a backyard party. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Little Silver Mayor Bob Neff easily won the first, not to mention oddest, Republican primary the borough has seen in decades Tuesday.
By more than a 2-1 margin, Neff held off a challenge from first-time candidate Rick Brandt in a race in that saw Brandt banned from firehouses and schools over his campaign’s unauthorized use of photos.
Perhaps there was some logic to installing a pedestrian crossing switch in the middle of a sidewalk, in front of a senior-living complex no less. Because that’s just what the New Jersey Department Transportation did recently on Riverside Avenue in Red Bank as part of its Route 35 makeover project.
What’s Going On Here? Read on. (Photo by Trish Russoniello. Click to enlarge.)