58°F light rain

THREE LOCALS ARRESTED IN GAMBLING BUST

Men from Little Silver, Sea Bright and Shrewsbury Township were among 22 arrested in recent days as part of “a well-organized gambling enterprise” that grossed $1 million a week, authorities said Tuesday morning.

An 18-month investigation dubbed “Operation Shore Bet” culminated Monday with the arrest of 22 suspects, the seizure of a dozen vehicles, more than $500,000 in cash, and the freezing of financial accounts used to facilitate the illegal activity, according to an announcement by Acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

The enterprise, allegedly run by men in Monmouth Beach and Hillsborough, extended from Monmouth County into New York State, and allegedly used “sophisticated electronic resources – including websites to track illegal wagering and record profits and losses,” as well as money-laundering schemes, Gramiccioni said.

More →

SEA BRIGHT: NO BRIDGE WORK ON WEEKENDS

Repairs on the Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge may take up to two weeks longer to complete than previously anticipated, but will allow for traffic flows on weekends. (Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

A compromise to a widely criticized plan to shut down the Rumson-Sea Bright Bridge for three weeks starting this weekend January 28 was reached Tuesday, town officials said.

Under the compromise, repair work on the bridge will be halted on Friday afternoons and resume on Monday mornings, with the Shrewsbury River span remaining open to traffic throughout the weekends.

“It’s a win-win-win,” said an ecstatic Chris Wood, whose restaurant, Woody’s Ocean Grille, is scheduled to reopen for business Wednesday for the first time since Hurricane Sandy slammed into the shore, wiping out every business in town.

More →

RE-REGRADING A PROBLEM CROSSROADS

rumson-bingham-121311A paving machine lays down a fresh layer of asphalt at the intersection of Rumson Road and Bingham Avenue Tuesday morning. (Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

Just a year after a re-engineering aimed at reducing accidents, a dangerous Rumson intersection is getting another reworking.

This time, though, it’s a fix-job that won’t cost taxpayers anything, says Monmouth County Engineer Joe Ettore.

More →