A security camera in Red Bank helped police in other towns identify the suspects as Jeffrey Smith, left, and Michael D’Autorio, police said. (Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Two Ocean County men who apparently didn’t get the memo about the widespread use of home surveillance cameras were charged by police in Fair Haven, Little Silver and elsewhere with burglary this week.
Erica Lieberman and Nick Napoletano opened Ce La Vi this week in the Monmouth Street space last occupied by Lil Cutie Pops. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
Demonstrating adaptability in an increasingly competitive dining market, a Red Bank dessert shop has remade itself into a three-meals-a-day restaurant.
Also in this edition of redbankgreen‘s Retail Churn: intriguing news about a downtown liquor license, and the return of a fair-weather gourmet spot.
Olivia Diana of Marlboro High School, above, and Jack Geary of Ocean Township High were among those taking advantage of a promwear givewaway Monday at the Woman’s Club of Red Bank.
A rendering of the proposed Hampton Inn, with the former VNA building at right. (Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
In a move that could torpedo a hotly debated hotel at the northern entry to Red Bank, the planning board Monday night shot down a request by the would-be developer for more time to get the project in the ground.
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Crime and arrest reports, unedited, as provided by the Shrewsbury Police Department for the period of March 30 to April 5, 2019. For additional information, please scroll to the bottom of this post
CRIMES
Report of Theft in the area of East End Avenue on 4/2/19. Victim reports unknown subject(s) removed property. Ptl. Joseph Barnicle investigating.
Nighttime travelers along Route 35 in Red Bank and neighboring towns have encountered lane closures, detours and lots of floodlights in recent weeks.
What’s Going On Here? Read on. (Photo by John T. Ward.)
The Weather Channel app early Monday showed potentially severe storms expected to roll across the Greater Red Bank Green over a two-hour period ending at 7 a.m.
Shortly after 1 a.m., the National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for the region that includes eastern Monmouth County, with the threat also expected to end by 7 a.m. (Tornado preparation info is here.)
In addition, the NWS warned of strong winds, with gusts of up to 50 miles per hour, between noon and 10 p.m. “With the ground saturated from previous rain, trees and power lines will be more susceptible to the adverse effects of strong winds,” the NWS warned.
Any way you look at it, the forecast suggested a bumpy start to the workweek. Check out the extended forecast below.
Fire inspector Frank Woods, flanked by Mayor Pasquale Menna and Councilman Hazim Yassin, was honored for averting possible catastrophe at an apartment complex. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
A “tenacious” Red Bank employee won recognition from the borough council Wednesday night for efforts that officials said headed off a possible disaster at an apartment complex last month.
Crime and arrest reports, unedited, as provided by the Fair Haven Police Department for the month of March, 2019. For additional information, please scroll to the bottom of this post.
3/13- Thomas Moriarty, 31, Middletown was placed under arrest subsequent to a motor vehicle stop and charged with DWI. Subject was also found to be in possession of less than 50 grams of Marijuana. Mr. Moriarty was also received summonses for reckless driving, refusal to submit to breathe testing, operating a vehicle without an interlock device, failure to maintain lane and having a controlled dangerous substance in a motor vehicle. Subject was later released pending a Fair Haven Court Appearance. Ptl. Brooks Robinson was the arresting Officer.
The OceanFirst Bank headquarters was the subject of a reverse appeal case settled Wednesday. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Bombarded by criticism from the business community, the Red Bank council on Wednesday dropped a plan to pursue a new round of “reverse appeals” against commercial properties it believed to be undertaxed.
But first, the council approved the settlement of an older reverse appeal that will boost the taxable value of a downtown building by 69 percent over three years. And battles over cases filed in 2018 continue.
Former Red Bank Board of Education President Peter Noble died Tuesday night. He was 68 years old, said Mayor Pasquale Menna.
“We lost one of the best last night,” Menna said at the council’s semimonthly meeting Wednesday evening.
Nine months after it began, a road reconstruction project in Red Bank is in its final weeks, an official said last week.
What’s Going On Here? Click ‘read more’ for the answer. (Photo by John T. Ward. Rendering by Richard Arzberger. Click to enlarge.)
Crime and arrest reports, unedited, as provided by the Shrewsbury Police Department for the period of March 16 to March 29, 2019. For additional information, please scroll to the bottom of this post
CRIMES
Report of Theft in the area of Broad Street on 3/16/19. Victim reports unknown subjects removed property. Damages totaling $81.00. Ptl. Daniel DeCristofaro investigating.
A law firm hired by the borough says 8 East Front Street, which sold last year for $5.68 million, is improperly assessed at just under $3 million. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
A year after authorizing a law firm to go after owners of properties believed to be undertaxed, the Red Bank council is expected to renew its “aggressive” approach this week.
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JCP&L’s power distribution facility adjoining Mohawk Pond in Red Bank. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Red Bank officials are considering passage of a law that would automatically turn Jersey Central Power & Light customers in the borough into customers of another electricity provider unless they opt out.
A forsythia bush added a splash of vivid yellow to Rumson Place in Little Silver Sunday.
As spring colors begin popping up, the Greater Red Bank Green is in for a few days of seasonal weather, starting with possible April showers warm air Monday, according to the National Weather Service. Check out the detailed forecast below.
Riverview Medical Center as seen from the Navesink River in 2017. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
New signage marking Red Bank’s only hospital as ‘Hackensack Meridian Health Riverview Medical Center’ will include an illuminated sign on the Navesink River side of the facility, under a decision by the zoning board Thursday night.
Architect Lance Blake with a rendering of the Southbank project’s river-facing side. Below, a view from Union Street shows the slope of Boat Club Court alongside the proposed building site. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Questions about a hillside sidewalk may force revisions to a plan for luxury townhouses overlooking the Navesink River from Red Bank.
A Red Bank man is facing charges of sexual assault on one child and offenses against another.
Police Chief Darren McConnell tells redbankgreen that officers arrested Dannel Wars, 42, of Bank Street on March 12 at Riverview Medical Center, where he was visiting a patient, and charged him with invasion of the privacy of a child and child welfare endangerment.
The crime and arrest reports below were provided by the Red Bank Police Department for the month of March, 2019. This information is unedited. For additional information, please scroll to the bottom of this post.
CRIMES
Criminal Mischief: In the area of Marine Park on 03/14/19 it was reported damage was made to a restroom. The estimate for the damages are approximately $400.00. Ptl. Michael Zadlock.
Affecting the air of a thuggish gang, a group of vultures loitered outside Les Gertrude apartments on Broad Street in Red Bank Thursday morning. One enjoyed a sidewalk breakfast of fresh kill.
Any ornithologists out there who can identify these gray-headed birds? (Photo by Trish Russoniello. Click to enlarge.)
Planning board attorney Douglas Kovats, right, leads a joint swearing-in of witnesses at the February 19 hearing. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Even Fair Haven residents hopped up about a proposed Dunkin’ shop might want to fortify themselves with extra caffeine Thursday.
That’s because a zoning board hearing on the controversial plan could prove to be a seminar in arcane land use law.
The first year of the ban will focus on educating the public about the change, though repeat offenders will face fines, officials said. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Suntanning beachgoers and devotees of the summertime concerts at Sandy Hook can kiss their favorite alcoholic beverages goodbye.
Citing 328 alcohol-related incidents between 2016 and 2018, officials have banned all forms of booze from the waterfront park, the last public beach in New Jersey where it was still allowed.
The Red Bank council’s filled-to-bursting 
