RED BANK: DUNKIN’ CONTINUES SLOW DRIP

A rendering of the new Shell station and Dunkin’ shop at Newman Springs Road and Shrewsbury Avenue. (Drawing by Dynamic Engineering PC. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj After an 11-week lull, the owner of a Red Bank gas station continued his bid to build a Dunkin’ shop for Parkway-bound commuters Thursday night with a revised plan.

This one shrinks the proposed coffee shop, eliminates interior seating and adds more space for vehicles to use the drive-thru service.

March 22, 2019 - 9:25 am | Comments ()

LITTLE SILVER: SPORTS CUTS SPARK OUTRAGE

Heavy turnout forced the relocation of the RBR board meeting to the media center, above. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj Red Bank Regional students and parents packed a board of ed meeting Wednesday night in a bid to save the ice hockey and golf programs from a budgetary axe.

With a preliminary spending plan calling for a 6.5-percent tax increase, board members defended the cuts as necessary before parents appeared to coalesce around a plan to save the sports through outside fundraisers.

March 21, 2019 - 12:30 pm | Comments ()

LITTLE SIVER: RBR TEACHERS BLAST MOORE

Superintendent Lou Moore at Wednesday’s RBR board meeting. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj The union representing teachers at Red Bank Regional accused Superintendent Lou Moore Wednesday night of running the three-town high school district with an “authoritarian” approach and a “general lack of integrity.”

The bombshell accusations were made at a board of ed meeting hours after the Red Bank Regional Education Association’s members “overwhelmingly” cast a no-confidence vote against Moore, said math teacher Sunny Lenhard.

March 21, 2019 - 1:17 am | Comments ()

FAIR HAVEN: HOUSING PLAN DRAWS FIRE

A new overlay zone centered on the western business district would encourage development of low- and moderate-income housing, officials said. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj Fair Haven residents packed a hearing on zoning changes written to show “the right gestures” toward providing 370 new homes for low- and moderate-income earners Tuesday night.

But the planning board board’s determination to immediately vote on a complex proposal it had just unveiled irked many who sat through the three-hour session as much as the substance of the changes.

March 20, 2019 - 10:30 am | Comments ()

SHREWSBURY: CRIMES AND ARRESTS

Crime and arrest reports, unedited, as provided by the Shrewsbury Police Department for the period of March 9 to March 15, 2019. For additional information, please scroll to the bottom of this post

CRIMES

Report of Theft in the area of Dorchester Way on 3/9/19. Victim reports unknown subject(s) removed property. Ptl. Derek Myers investigating.

March 19, 2019 - 12:00 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: OFFICES WITH CAR LIFTS OK’D

A schematic of the proposed structure with the underground vehicle storage racks visible. (Drawing by Bob Van Remoortel. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj A proposed office building that would transform a prominent corner of Red Bank’s Washington Street Historic District won planning board approval Monday night.

The project comes with a first for the town: a valet-operated parking system that can store up to 92 cars in underground racks.

March 19, 2019 - 8:15 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: CONSERVATORY AT HOME AT LAST

The Monmouth Conservatory of Music’s new home, at 65 Chestnut Street, features a giant mural on the facade. Below, violin teacher Bettina Forbes in the new building. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Having completed its absorption of the Monmouth Conservatory of Music, the Count Basie Center for the Arts gave the classical-music school its own home in Red Bank Monday.

March 18, 2019 - 3:45 pm | Comments ()

LITTLE SILVER: BAG & STRAW BAN PENDING

The Carvel store on Prospect Avenue would be the first in the chain to drop plastic straws and cups, says owner Jessica Newman. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj With a recycling problem taking hold across America, Little Silver appears set to become the first town on the Greater Red Bank Green to ban plastic straws and store bags.

An ordinance introduced last week has the reluctant support of local retailers, borough officials say.

March 18, 2019 - 11:45 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: (ITALIAN) ICE FORECAST

A sure sign that spring is nigh: Strollo’s Lighthouse in Red Bank opened Friday for another season of serving Italian ice and other frozen treats. A good time to get in line might be 5:58 p.m. Wednesday, the official start of spring.

Meantime, the Greater Red Bank Green is in for some mild weather, according to the National Weather Service. Check out the extended forecast below. (Photo by Trish Russoniello. Click to enlarge.) Read More »

March 18, 2019 - 5:50 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: VETERANS’ ART TO GET SPOTLIGHT

Korean war vet George Weiss of Sea Bright at Ani Art Academy. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj Returning home after a year’s service in Vietnam, Jim Black remembers landing on American soil after midnight. There was no welcoming committee, no formal expression of gratitude. U.S. authorities made sure the repatriations took place under cover of darkness, in part to shield soldiers from war protesters, he said.

It left Black and others other veterans feeling slighted, he said. It wasn’t that he and his fellow soldiers wanted a parade, but “just don’t hate me,” he said, choking up a bit.

That’s why a free art school for military veterans in Red Bank means so much to him: it makes him and other vets feel “welcomed” at last, he told redbankgreen Friday.

March 15, 2019 - 3:00 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: SILENCE BY ALL ON HARASSMENT

Business Administrator Ziad Shehady, left, chatting with borough resident Stephen Hecht last May. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj Red Bank’s elected officials closed the books Wednesday night on a harassment complaint filed against borough Business Administrator Ziad Shehady.

But the public may never know the details of the case, or the recommendations that followed an investigation.

March 14, 2019 - 1:45 pm | Comments ()

SHREWSBURY: CRIMES AND ARRESTS

Crime and arrest reports, unedited, as provided by the Shrewsbury Police Department for the period of March 2 to March 8, 2019. For additional information, please scroll to the bottom of this post

CRIMES

Report of Theft in the area of Obre Place on 3/2/19. Victim reports unknown subject(s) removed property. Ptl. Daniel DeCristofaro investigating.

March 14, 2019 - 8:00 am | Comments ()

LITTLE SILVER: BRANDT ON THE OUTS WITH FD

Rick Brandt on the scene of a June, 2017 condo fire in Little Silver. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

ELECTION 2019 A Republican candidate for mayor in Little Silver is in hot water with the volunteer fire department in which he’s a member.

Rick Brandt, who’s challenging incumbent Mayor Bob Neff in the GOP primary, is under suspension by the department for improper use of imagery, redbankgreen has learned.

March 13, 2019 - 2:00 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: WRAPS COME OFF NEW BUILDING

The scaffolding came down Tuesday, revealing the facade of a brand-new building in downtown Red Bank.

What’s Going On Here? Read on for the answer. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

Read More »

March 13, 2019 - 9:30 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: TRIO GUILTY OF TEACHER’S MURDER

Red Bank teacher Jonelle Melton was slain in her Netpune City apartment in 2009.

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj Almost a decade after the death of Red Bank Middle School teacher Jonelle Melton, three men were found guilty Tuesday of her vicious torture and murder.

A jury in Freehold found the trio guilty of all charges in the case, according to a Twitter announcement early Tuesday afternoon from the office of Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni.

March 12, 2019 - 2:45 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: NO INJURIES IN CAR FIRE

The driver and occupants, if any, of car that caught fire while being driven on Maple Avenue in Red Bank escaped without injury shortly after midnight Tuesday. The vehicle, a Mercedes, was destroyed. Further details weren’t immediately available. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

March 12, 2019 - 1:15 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: HARASSMENT REPORT ON AGENDA

Business Administrator Ziad Shehady in December, above. Below, the council plans to advance plans for the redevelopment of the former VNA headquarters at 176 Riverside Avenue. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

A report on a claim of workplace discrimination and a step toward the building of what could become one of Red Bank’s largest residential projects are on the borough council’s agenda for Wednesday night.

March 11, 2019 - 11:35 am | Comments ()

SHREWSBURY: AILING OWL GETTING CARE

A young owl found cowering against a storefront in the Grove at Shrewsbury was headed to an animal hospital for treatment Friday morning.

Read More »

March 8, 2019 - 9:30 am | Comments ()

FAIR HAVEN: DUNKIN’ PLAN UNDER APPEAL

The Dunkin’ shop would occupy space alongside a new breezeway in the Acme shopping center. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj The spillover crowd that was treated to an hour of arcane legal arguments over a proposed Dunkin’ Donuts in Fair Haven last month may soon get a free refill.

Lawyers for two objectors have filed appeals over whether the planning board has jurisdiction to hear the coffee shop’s application, leading to a detour in the case, redbankgreen has confirmed.

March 8, 2019 - 5:25 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: MARINE PARK PLAN UNVEILED

The plan calls for a new parking area on the current site of tennis courts, shown at upper left, and a new entry plaza, at lower left. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj Red Bank’s Marine Park would lose its clay tennis courts to a parking lot in exchange for new green space under a concept plan informally adopted by the council Wednesday night.

Read More »

March 7, 2019 - 10:00 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: DPU UPDATES PICKUP SCHEDULES

When is recycling picked up again? How do we get rid of that old sofa in the basement?

Answers to these and similar questions are available to Red Bank residents in the form of a new bulletin from the Department of Public Works. It covers everything from Christmas tree to hazardous waste disposal, including brush and trash pickup schedules for 2019.

Downloadable and printable versions in English and Spanish are available online. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

March 6, 2019 - 12:50 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: BUNDLE UP FOR WIND CHILL

A cold and breezy Wenesday is in store for the Greater Red Bank Green, with highs in the mid-to-upper 20s and wind chill readings in the single digits, according to the National Weather Service.

Check out the extended forecast below. (NWS image. Click to enlarge.) Read More »

March 6, 2019 - 6:00 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: CRIMES AND ARRESTS

The crime and arrest reports below were provided by the Red Bank Police Department for the month of February, 2019. This information is unedited. For additional information, please scroll to the bottom of this post.

CRIMES

Criminal Mischief: On 02/05/19 in the area of W Bergen Pl it was reported a brick was thrown through the rear passenger side window of a parked vehicle. The estimated damages for the broken window are approximately $350.00. Ptl. Gary Watson.

March 5, 2019 - 2:20 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: MARINE PARK PLAN READY TO DROP

A consultant hired last year by Red Bank to reimagine the future of Marine Park is scheduled to unveil a new concept plan Wednesday night. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

Read More »

March 5, 2019 - 11:30 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: BUILDING CHANGES APPROVED

After a hearing that lasted just 10 minutes, Denholtz Associates won unanimous planning board approval for an exterior makeover of the office building at 116-120 Chestnut Street in Red Bank Monday night.

Read More »

March 5, 2019 - 6:45 am | Comments ()