57°F clear sky

RED BANK: CRIME & ARREST REPORTS

The crime and arrest reports below were provided by the Red Bank Police Department for May, 2023. This information is unedited; see below for additional information.

CRIMES

Theft: On 05/01/2023 a patrol unit took a report of theft. In the area of Spring St., the victim reported the theft of an engagement ring from a residence. The ring was valued at $2500.00. Ptl. Piero Vescio.

Criminal Mischief: On 05/02/2023 a patrol unit reported graffiti on a stop sign in the area of Maple Av. Ptl. Ashon Lovick.

More →

RED BANK: IN THE CLOUD

Smoke from distant forest fires smothered Red Bank and much of the Northeastern United States in an otherworldly haze Wednesday.

Funneled south from Canada, the smoke turned the air “very unhealthy,” according to the federal Environmental Protection Administration’s AirNow website. That designation continued Thursday morning.

Check out the forecast below, as well as redbankgreen‘s photos of the eerie atmosphere. (Photos by John T. Ward and Max Saltman. Click to enlarge.)

More →

RED BANK: BOARD NIXES CENTER SUBDIVISION

An aerial view of the Senior Center property. (Photo from Google Maps. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank njRed Bank’s planning board rejected a proposed subdivision of the borough’s riverfront Senior Center property Monday night.

Board members said the plan would cede too much control of the riverfront site to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, when other conservation tools would not.

More →

RED BANK: COUNCIL MUM ON BODYCAM FEE

The borough has been “flooded” with requests for bodycam video of DWI arrests, said the police chief. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank njThe Red Bank council rejected, without comment, a police department request to set fees for providing bodycam videos sought by the public Wednesday night.

Adoption would have helped cops reduce a “flood” of demands from requesters who simply want to monetize footage on social media, said Chief Darren McConnell. More →

RED BANK: NOT QUITE ALL-IN ON SUMMER

A determined sunbather found a garage at the Madison Commons condos on South Street in Red Bank provided adequate exposure earlier this week.

Nature, however, appears to be less than fully committed to providing sunshine for the first weekend of June, according to the National Weather Service. Check out the extended forecast for the Greater Red Bank Green below. (Photo by John T. Ward.  Click to enlarge.)

More →

RED BANK: FLIP OK’D ON MAYOR’S TIEBREAKER

The change will shift parking from the west side of Spring Street (at left above) to the east, and set time limits. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank njRed Bank’s council narrowly approved a plan to flip parking from one side of Spring Street to the other Wednesday night.

The action was enabled by Mayor Billy Portman‘s first tiebreaker vote since he took office in January.

More →

RED BANK: BOROUGH MARKS MEMORIAL DAY

The Red Bank Primary School Choir sang “God Bless the USA.” Below, Scouts troops 67 and 965 led the pledge of allegiance. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Americans should should “remember those people who gave all so you could have the life you have,” a keynote speaker told about 125 area residents assembled in Red Bank for a Memorial Day ceremony Monday.

“They made a sacrifice so that we could all be here and have the ability to live the lives that we do,” Army Colonel Bill Putnam told the gathering, at the Veterans Monument on Monmouth Street at Drummond Place.

Check out redbankgreen‘s event photos below.

More →

RED BANK: RUMAGE NAMED SUPER OF THE YEAR

Superintendent Jared Rumage, second from left, with board members. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

Press release by the Red Bank Borough Public Schools Board of Education

The Red Bank Borough Public Schools Board of Education is proud to announce that Dr. Jared J. Rumage, Superintendent of Schools, has been selected as the 2023 Monmouth County Superintendent of the Year.

Annually, superintendents from each of the nearly 60 school districts in Monmouth County nominate a superintendent who embodies the spirit of district leadership. This year, Dr. Rumage was recognized with this distinction by his colleagues during the monthly Monmouth County Superintendents’ Roundtable on Friday, March 24, 2023.

More →

RED BANK: MAN STABBED WITH BBQ FORK

A dispute over money ended with a Long Branch man stabbed in the chest with a barbecue fork in Red Bank Saturday, police said.

According to Captain Mike Frazee, police responded to Riverview Medical Center’s emergency room at 1:14 p.m. on a report of a patient who sought medical treatment for a stab wound.

More →

RED BANK: TOUCH-A-TRUCK ROLLS SATURDAY


What is it about trucks that make kids lose their minds in delight?
Find out Saturday, when the 11th annual Monmouth Day Care Center Touch-a-Truck fundraiser rolls into the parking lot of the Red Bank Middle School.

Steer your way here for details. (redbankgreen archive photos. Click to enlarge.)

RED BANK: BASIE AWARDS DRAW PACKED HOUSE

A selection from Middletown High School North’s awards-dominating production of Les Miserables, performed onstage at the Count Basie Center Wednesday night.

Press release from the Count Basie Center for the Arts

The 18th annual Basie Awards, honoring excellence and achievement in Monmouth County high school theatre, drew a capacity crowd to  historic Count Basie Center for the Arts in Red Bank Wednesday night.

More →

RED BANK: BROADWALK BOLLARDS GO BIG

Red Bank officials this week began to address one of the foremost complaints about the downtown Broadwalk zone: the presence of “ugly” orange safety barrels used to supplement steel bollards installed last year.

More →

RED BANK: PORTMAN ‘LISTENING’ TO MANDATE

Mayor Billy Portman meeting with a borough resident during his weekly open hours Monday night. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank njComing off a slam-dunk win in the May 9 election, Red Bank Mayor Billy Portman says he and his council running mates are gearing up to use the ‘mandate’ given them by voters.

That includes setting new priorities, he told redbankgreen in an interview Monday night.

More →

RED BANK: PORTMAN SLATE’S WIN OFFICIAL

Incumbents Billy Portman and Kate Triggiano led a slate that swept all seven offices on the ballot. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

It’s official: incumbent mayor Billy Portman won re-election with nearly 61 percent of the vote in Red Bank’s May 9 election.

Borough Clerk Laura Reinertsen certified the win by Portman and his Red Bank’s Ready slate of council candidates Wednesday.

Riverview Medical Center President Tim Hogan garnered just 38.5 percent of the vote, marking Portman’s third consecutive victory since getting into politics 13 months ago.

More →

RED BANK: URBAN OUTFITTERS BUILDING SOLD

hot topicOne of Red Bank’s landmark commercial buildings has a new owner, redbankgreen has learned.

Two other downtown buildings have also changed hands recently.

More →

RED BANK: PORTMAN SLATE SWEEPS RACES

Billy Portman, with mic, and the Red Bank’s Ready slate celebrating victory at Triumph Brewing Company. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Incumbent mayor Billy Portman and his slate of council candidates sailed to victory in Red Bank’s history-making election Tuesday.

Portman’s “Red Bank’s Ready” team met little resistance, crushing a lineup led by Riverview Medical Center President Tim Hogan, as well as a council bid by independent candidate Suzanne Viscomi.

More →

RED BANK: CRIME & ARREST REPORTS

The crime and arrest reports below were provided by the Red Bank Police Department for April, 2023. This information is unedited; see below for additional information.

CRIMES

Theft: On 04/03/2023 a patrol unit took a report of theft from a vehicle. In the area of Leighton Av., the owner of a vehicle reported a key was stolen from the vehicle. The key was valued at $5.00. Ptl. Jhonatan Quispe.

Theft: In the area of Newman Springs Rd. a patrol unit took a report of theft from a vehicle. On 04/03/2023 the owner of a vehicle reported US Currency in the amount of $800.00 was stolen from a vehicle. Ptl. Ashon Lovick.

More →

RED BANK: SPRING STREET FLIP RETURNS

Vehicle parking would be allowed only on the east side of Spring Street for several blocks if the proposed change passes. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank njA plan to flip parking from one side of Spring Street to the other returns when the Red Bank council holds its semimonthly meeting Wednesday night.

Also on the agenda: a new four-way traffic stop, an expansion of a lead-pipe replacement program, and the installation of a $4-per-transaction automated teller machine in borough hall.

More →

RED BANK: GARDENS TAKE ROOT ON BROAD

Danielle Boyle and her crew planting flowers on Broad Street Friday morning. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topicAny day now, perhaps in time for Mothers’ Day, peonies as big as softballs will be blooming on Broad Street in Red Bank.

In coming months, downtown visitors will also be treated to bursts of color provided by hydrangea vanilla sundae, whirling butterfly and other plantings, thanks to a RiverCenter project utilizing the talents of a highly regarded gardener.

More →