RED BANK: THE YARD, THROUGH PINHOLES

A pinhole camera image from Jay Sullivan’s ‘Out of the Box’ exhibit at Red Bank Frameworks. (Jay Sullivan photo. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

After completing a project about his father that took a heavy emotional toll, Red Bank photographer Jay Sullivan “decided to do something lighter” for his next series of pictures.

“Something lighter” turned out to be images from his backyard taken over the next seven years with a camera made from a hexagonal hatbox.

July 26, 2021 - 12:00 pm | Comments ()

ON THE GREEN: TAX DUE DATES EXTENDED

By JOHN T. WARD

red bank taxes Red Bank and Fair Haven property owners who pay their taxes directly, rather than through an escrow account, can hold off on pulling out their checkbooks for a few more weeks.

Bills have yet to be sent out for taxes normally due August 1.

July 26, 2021 - 6:30 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: MURAL LINKS HOMESTEAD TO PAST

Doug Booton, center, and Anthony Jude Setaro with artist Maria Chamra and her mural of Sassano, Italy. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Before they began resettling in Red Bank in 1895, Anthony Jude Setaro and Doug Booton’s ancestors lived for at least 400 years in Sassano, a village in Italy’s Campania region.

Now, a bay window at the family’s Oakland Street homestead frames an idyllic vision of a faraway place that to the new owners still qualifies as home.

July 23, 2021 - 11:00 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: PILGRIM HOLDS BIBLE CAMP

Pilgrim Baptist Church of Red Bank recently held its Vacation Bible School & Bible Fitness Boot Camp for children/youth in grades K thru 12.

July 23, 2021 - 9:40 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: CENTER PLANS TO COST $96K

Costs associated with planned repairs to the shuttered Senior Center delayed adoption of the borough budget. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

red bank taxes Construction plans for repairs to Red Bank’s water-damaged and long-closed Senior Center will cost $96,000, borough officials said Wednesday.

Accommodating that expense into the municipal budget will require a budget amendment and special meeting of the council. But they won’t slow the repair efforts, said acting Business Administrator Darren McConnell.

July 23, 2021 - 7:40 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: ROUNTREE OK’D OVER OBJECTIONS

Cherron Rountree, bottom left, during the Redevelopment Agency’s June 22 meeting Tuesday. (Zoom screengrab. Click to enlarge)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj Red Bank’s council hired a new executive director for the borough redevelopment agency Wednesday night over objections based on her inclusion in a sexual harassment lawsuit.

The dispute highlighted competing interpretations of who should get the benefit of doubt in a so-called “me-too” case.

July 22, 2021 - 1:15 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: FARMER DEFENDS PRODUCE TOSS

Kurt Poehler at the Red Bank Farmer’s Market in May, 2020. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj The farmer who trigged a backlash over disposed produce at the Red Bank Farmer’s Market Sunday defended the practice as a normal result of sorting Wednesday.

In addition, an organization that puts surplus produce into the hands of those who need it backed him for donating carloads of fruit and vegetables weekly, including Sunday.

July 22, 2021 - 7:15 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: LUNCH BREAK REOPENS ITS DOORS

Lunch Break’s kitchen staff stands ready to again serve in-person guests. (Lunch Break photo. Click to enlarge.)

(Press release from Lunch Break)

red bank, nj, done good, After 15 months of operating as a take-away facility because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Red Bank’s Lunch Break is again offering its guests seated meals onsite, the food security and social services resource announced Wednesday.

July 21, 2021 - 11:50 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: SPEED, POT & BUDGET ON AGENDA

The speed limit on the full length of Front Street/River Road through town would be reduced to 25 miles per hour under a Monmouth County proposal. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj A ban on fireworks, a new executive director for the redevelopment agency, a reduced speed limit and more crowd a busy agenda when the Red Bank council holds its only regular session of July Wednesday night.

July 21, 2021 - 7:53 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: STORMS TO CLEAR WILDFIRE HAZE

Devastating wildfires in Oregon have cast a blanket of haze that’s impacting even the Greater Red Bank Green, as seen in Tuesday’s unusual sunrise over the Navesink River in Red Bank, above, and sunset viewed from the GooseNeck Bridge over the Shrewsbury, at right.

The haze is expected to linger until about noon Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. “Severe” evening thunderstorms, which may bring damaging wind gusts and large hail, will help further rid the atmosphere of smoke, the agency reported early Wednesday.

Check out the extended forecast below. (Photos by Trish Russoniello. Click to enlarge.)

July 21, 2021 - 5:15 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: DUMPED PRODUCE STUNS SHOPPERS

Customers of the Red Bank Farmer’s Market were alarmed to see good produce tossed into a dumpster Sunday.

July 20, 2021 - 7:30 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: LUNCH BREAK PLANS $12M PROJECT

Additional facilities and parking would be created on lots adjacent to Lunch Break’s home on Drs. James Parker Boulevard. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Lunch Break, the food security and social services resource, announced the start of a $12 million capital campaign to fund an expansion of its Red Bank home Monday.

An addition to its facilities at at 121 Drs. James Park Boulevard is needed “to accommodate the growing needs of the community,” the nonprofit said in an announcement.

July 19, 2021 - 10:45 am | Comments ()

LITTLE SILVER: O’SCANLON DEMANDS APOLOGY

State Senator Declan O’Scanlon in Red Bank in May. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

New Jersey state Senator Declan O’Scanlon accused Twitter of “Orwellian” behavior after the social media giant banned him over a three-week-old tweet Saturday.

July 19, 2021 - 7:45 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: LUXURY CAR RENTAL CLUB OK’D

The proposed luxury car rental showroom would occupy the storefront at 21 East Front Street. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Need a Lamborghini for a day? A luxury car club approved for space in downtown Red Bank Thursday night will rent you one for just $1,300 per.

Also OK’d by the zoning board: a personal training gym in a residential neighborhood.

July 16, 2021 - 11:15 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: COAT DRIVE FACES BIG DEMAND

Red Bank Schools Superintendent Jared Rumage helps unload coats donated in 2018. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

Press release from Red Bank-based Knights of Columbus council #525

red bank, nj, done good, In 2017 our Council kicked off the first ever ‘Coats for Kids’ program in the Red Bank area. In our fifth year of the program program we have provided hundreds of kids across the community who do not have the means to purchase a new or appropriate jacket for the harsh winter weather we experience.

July 16, 2021 - 10:30 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: REVISED CORNER PLAN AIRED

The site, at the corner of West Front Street and Maple Avenue, was cleared for construction last October. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Zoning board hearings on a new plan to redevelop property next door to the Red Bank Public Library got underway without conclusion Thursday night.

July 16, 2021 - 7:10 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: WEEKEND FORECAST MIXED

A Navesink River Rowing launch boat heads out from Maple Cove in Red Bank Thursday morning.

Heading into the mid-summer weekend, the Greater Red Bank Green is looking at a mix of weather conditions. Heat and humidity will make it feel like 102 degrees Friday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. Heavy rain may follow a sunshiney day Saturday; Sunday is shaping up as mostly cloudy with rain possible in the afternoon.

Check out the extended forecast below. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

July 16, 2021 - 6:00 am | Comments ()

LITTLE SILVER: COVID SHUTS WEIGHT ROOM

After a Red Bank Regional High School student tested positive for COVID-19 this week, the Little Silver school’s weight room was closed for additional cleaning, an official told players and parents Thursday.

July 15, 2021 - 3:40 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: COFFEE SHOP JAZZES UP CORNER

A customer checks her email at one of the new seating areas at Coffee Corral. (Photo by Chris Ern. Click to enlarge.)

By CHRIS ERN

It’s a warm summer night as Jessica Olszewski relaxes in an Adirondack chair while her wife and young daughter dance to live jazz under glimmering lights outside the Coffee Corral in in Red Bank.

A new, post-pandemic vibe has captured the attention of locals at the busy corner of Shrewsbury Avenue and Drs. James Parker Boulevard. There, owners Courtlyn Crosson and Erich Reulbach have developed their business into what Reulbach said is now “more than just a coffee shop on the corner.”

“It’s family-friendly. I have my wife and daughter here, and she’s able to run around and enjoy the live music,” says Olszewski, of Tinton Falls. “It’s a lot of what we couldn’t do for so long.”

July 14, 2021 - 4:45 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: RAIL PROJECT NEARS COMPLETION

red bank what's going on here A view of the Rail project from Chestnut Street, with the existing office building at right and the new residential portion at left. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By CHRIS ERN

For nearly four years, it’s been slowly emerging from the ground alongside the Red Bank train station. Now, most of the block bounded by Bridge Avenue, Chestnut and Oakland streets is a teeming site of construction activity.

So What’s Going On Here? Here’s the latest.

July 14, 2021 - 7:30 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: TURTLES & PLANTS SETTLE IN

Creating the turtle habitat at Bellhaven involved trucking in a special blend of sand. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

Red Bank’s Environmental Commission has debuted a pair of completed projects spotlighting turtles and water conservation in recent weeks.

July 9, 2021 - 3:31 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: STORM KNOCKS HUNDREDS OFFLINE

JCP&L reported 303 Red Bank homes and businesses remained without electrical service Friday morning following a storm Thursday afternoon.

According to police Chief Darren McConnell, winds from Tropical Storm Elsa took down trees on on Leighton Avenue (above) and River, Tilton, Catherine, High and McClaren streets, bringing down power lines. Several landed on homes, but none caused severe damage, he said.

As of 6:30 a.m. Friday, JCP&L estimated all customers in the borough to be back online by 8:30, according to its outage map.

Check out the extended forecast here. (Photo by Ben Forest. Click to enlarge.)

July 9, 2021 - 6:40 am | Comments ()

FAIR HAVEN: STORM TO SOAK GREATER GREEN

It was smooth sailing in sultry weather for junior sailers in the Fair Haven-based River Rats program Thursday morning. But Tropical Storm Elsa threatened to keep the vessels docked Friday.

In a statement, the National Weather Service warned of heavy rainfall resulting in flash flooding and tropical storm-force winds, especially near the coast. Two to four inches of rainfall are expected Thursday afternoon into Friday morning, with locally higher amounts possible.

Check out the extended forecast below. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

July 8, 2021 - 2:15 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: COUNCIL TO HOSE FIREWORKS

“If you can hear it, and you can see it over the trees in your backyard, it’s not permitted,” said Fire Marshal Tommy Welsh. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj Days after a booming Fourth of July weekend, Red Bank officials said they’re ready to enforce a ban on unauthorized fireworks.

At their monthly workshop session Wednesday night, Mayor Pasquale Menna and council members outlined a proposed ordinance aimed at boosting enforcement of state law.

July 8, 2021 - 7:55 am | Comments ()

SHREWSBURY: YMCA TAPS NAPPI FOR CHAIR

Ted Nappi, below, is a former member of the board of managers of the Y’s Red Bank facility, above.

[Press release from the YMCA of Greater Monmouth County]

The YMCA of Greater Monmouth County Board of Directors recently appointed Colts Neck resident Ted Nappi as its new board chairman and chief volunteer officer.

July 7, 2021 - 8:45 am | Comments ()