Christine McKenna with her daughter, Kayla, and Mayor-elect Pasquale Menna on election night 2006, at left; at right, with Kayla at a sendoff for her husband the following month. Christine McKenna, the wife of former Red Bank Mayor Ed McKenna,...

The Red Bank station would be the northern terminus of a new commuter line from Lakehurst, linking central Ocean County to the North Jersey Coast Line. Over the vehement objections of Red Bank officials, proponents of a new commuter rail...

The City Centre strip mall at Maple Avenue and West Front Street is one of five properties under common ownership that will see lower tax bills. The Red Bank Council last night greenlighted settlements of five tax appeal lawsuits, but...

Buona Sera's outdoor dining arrangement on Maple Avenue, as seen from the corner of Monmouth Street. They're back, this time with the blessing of the Red Bank mayor and council. We're talking about new outdoor tables at Buona Sera Ristorante,...

Red Bank's municipal budget for the coming fiscal year sailed to approval Monday night despite the misgivings of several residents. Kim Senkeleski of John Street questioned increases in salary and health insurance costs. Harrison Avenue's Jim Willis bemoaned the "increasing...

Contractors working on the midfield at Count Basie Fields earlier this week raked out contaminated soil from the same loads used at East Side Park, borough officials confirmed. Playing fields at Red Bank's East Side Park, where soil containing shards...

Neighbors Marc Dostie, left, and Mark Halloran show off some of the debris found in soil laid down recently at East Side Park. Evidence of glass and ceramic shards in fill dirt installed recently in Red Bank's East Side Park...

The action commences at 7:30p at borough hall. Red Bank's proposed spending plan for the coming fiscal year is slated for introduction at tonight's bimonthly council meeting. Also on the agenda: approval of a deal to start a community center...

No, I insist — after you: access holes to the Chestnut Street tanks are only about 16 inches wide. Red Bank officials are racing this month for a piece of the federal stimulus dole as a way of reducing the...

John Ross addressing the Red Bank Council last night. A decision on whether the borough can shut down Best Liquors may not come from the state Alcoholic Beverage Control division before the end of February, assistant borough attorney Tom Hall...

First place: The Ferreri residence at 53 South Street. Mayor Pasquale Menna announced the winners of Red Bank's first (in recent memory, at least) holiday home decoration contest Monday night. Only nine homeowners nominated themselves or were nominated by others,...

Grace Cangemi at her final appearance as a council member last night. Republican Grace Cangemi closed out her 21-month tenure on the Red Bank Council last night with pointed attacks on Democratics for "behind the curtain" decision-making. In her final...

George Kolber speaks; Councilman Art Murphy listens. Throwing a possible speed bump in the path of the Boys and Girls Club of Monmouth County, the owners of the recently repurposed former PS 5 on Drs. James Parker Boulevard last night...

Cindy Burnham confers with engineer Christine Ballard of T&M Associates about the Maple Street riverfront lot after Monday night's council meeting. A scaled-down version of a proposed plastic bag recycling law was tabled, and plans for a community center moved...

An empty storefront on West Front Street. Spurred by surging unemployment and dwindling consumer sales, Red Bank officials are organizing an an economic "summit" of sorts for business owners and residents to brainstorm ideas to help the borough buck the...

A stray bag flutters along Monmouth Street in September. Six weeks after it was tabled amid concerns about its financial impacts on stores, a proposed ban on plastic shopping bags is back before the Red Bank Council tonight. The law,...

Voters exit the Hook & Ladder Fire House on Mechanic Street, site of the district 1 polling station, after casting their ballots Tuesday. Long an island of aqua in a red county, Red Bank went inky blue this year, throwing...

Here's a recap of Monday night's Red Bank Borough Council meeting. (Follow along with the agenda, if you like.) • Mayor Pasquale Menna accepted a $162,975 dividend payment to the borough from the Central Jersey Health Insurance Fund, the shared-services...

Wanted for a proposed center at this borough-owned building: a management entity. A task force formed earlier this year to suss out the potential costs of a Red Bank community center got a green light last night from the borough...

Almost a year after it was first proposed, a ban on plastic bags remains hung up. It's on tonight's agenda for a public hearing and adoption vote. But a proposed ban on the distribution of plastic grocery bags, repeatedly tugged...