RED BANK: FIRST LESSONS OF NEW YEAR

Day one of the new school year at Red Bank Middle School began with several lessons before students even reached their classrooms Monday.

Among them: stand six feet apart while waiting your turn to enter the building. Then, stand on the red dot while a touchless scanner takes your temperature.

With in-person instruction at 50-percent capacity, four days a week, “we feel confident we can provide a safe environment” in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Superintendent Jared Rumage said at a board of ed meeting last month. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

September 14, 2020 - 9:00 am | Comments ()

FAIR HAVEN: ‘TRANSITION’ CUSTOM ROLLS ON

Delayed three months by the COVID-19 pandemic, Fair Haven’s ‘Transition Day’ rolled down Third Street Thursday afternoon.

As per custom in the borough, where an estimated 75 percent of kids regularly bike to school, a group of rising fifth-graders and teachers from the Knollwood Middle School rode across town to Viola Sickles elementary. There, they picked up the incoming fourth-grade class and rode back, parade-style, for an orientation.

Along the way, the riders – including a suit-wearing Superintendent Sean McNeil – were cheered and showered with streamers and confetti.

“It’s the best,” McNeil told redbankgreen. “I think this was exactly what we needed right now, because everybody’s got these tricky school openings, and so it’s nice to get to a place of normalcy and remember what we’re doing this for.”

See more photos below. (Photos by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

September 4, 2020 - 6:00 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: KNIGHTS SEEK COAT DRIVE FUNDS

Red Bank Primary School nurse Cathy Reardon with coats donated in 2018. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

red bank, nj, done good,

Expecting its “most demanding year year yet,” the Red Bank-based Knights of Columbus council #525 is seeking community support for a four-year-old Coats for Kids program.

Under a national Knights of Columbus program, the Red Bank-based council acquires new winter coats at a deep discount.

August 27, 2020 - 12:00 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: SCHOOLS ‘READY TO ROLL’

The traffic flow at the middle school will be reversed to enhance social distancing during student drop-off and pick-up, Rumage said. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj While some 180 school districts throughout New Jersey are pursuing plans for all-virtual instruction, Red Bank’s is on track to open September 14 under a plan that puts students into classrooms two days a week, Superintendent Jared Rumage said Tuesday.

August 26, 2020 - 12:00 am | Comments ()

RED BANK: SCHOOL REOPENING PLANS AIRED

Students would receive in-school instruction just two days a week under the plan unveiled Wednesday. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

hot topic red bank nj Red Bank school officials have begun nailing down a COVID-19-era reopening plan while “standing on shifting ground,” in the words of a board of education member.

On Wednesday, the district unveiled “the most likely scenario for September” in the form of a plan that calls for a mix of classroom and at-home learning.

July 29, 2020 - 6:00 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: GOOD STUDY-AT-HOME WEATHER

<span data-mce-type="bookmark" style="display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;" class="mce_SELRES_start"></span>In this video posted on YouTube Sunday, Red Bank public school teachers and staffers offer upbeat reminders to students to wash their hands and check their emails for class assignments and other updates.

The weather outlook for the Greater Red Bank Green isn’t as upbeat, with gray skies and cool temperatures expected Monday. Then again, conditions for focussing on school work should be ideal. Check out the extended National Weather Service forecast below.

April 20, 2020 - 6:55 am | Comments ()

VIRUS UPDATE: DEATHS SOAR AS CASES EASE

A woman with her face covered by a scarf speaks with a motorist on Elm Place in Red Bank Tuesday. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

[See UPDATE below]

By JOHN T. WARD

redbankgreen hot topic An awful “paradox” was evident as deaths from COVID-19 soared and the number of new cases continued to ease in New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy said Wednesday.

April 8, 2020 - 2:55 pm | Comments ()

VIRUS UPDATE: ‘FLATTENING’ SIGNS SEEN

Governor Phil Murphy removes a protective mask at the start of his daily crisis briefing Tuesday. (YouTube screengrab. Click to enlarge.)

[See UPDATE below]

By JOHN T. WARD

redbankgreen hot topic After a two-day lull, the deaths of another 232 New Jersey residents have been attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Phil Murphy said Tuesday.

At the same time, recent data suggest a possible “flattening” of new coronavirus cases, he said.

April 7, 2020 - 3:00 pm | Comments ()

VIRUS UPDATE: COUNTY DEATH TOLL EASES

Monmouth County’s COVID-19 death toll nearly tripled last week, but has slowed in recent days. (Graph by Voro.com. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

redbankgreen hot topic New Jersey’s losses in the COVID-19 pandemic rose again Sunday, when the monthlong death toll surpassed 1,000, Governor Phil Murphy reported Monday.

He and a top law enforcement official also blasted attendees of a Rumson lawn concert held Saturday for alleged “vile” comments directed at police.

April 6, 2020 - 4:00 pm | Comments ()

VIRUS UPDATE: FEWER DEATHS REPORTED

By JOHN T. WARD

redbankgreen hot topic Governor Phil Murphy’s administration reported 71 new deaths of New Jersey residents in the COVID-19 pandemic Sunday, a sharp drop from the 200 reported a day earlier.

The death toll also continued to ease in Monmouth County, the state reported.

April 5, 2020 - 2:00 pm | Comments ()

VIRUS UPDATE: 200 MORE DEATHS REPORTED

Mask-wearers lined up for free meals at Lunch Break in Red Bank Friday. Murphy singled out Lunch Break for praise in the crisis. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

redbankgreen hot topic

Governor Phil Murphy paused for a moment of silence Saturday after announcing another 200 New Jersey deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic.

April 4, 2020 - 2:15 pm | Comments ()

VIRUS UPDATE: COVID-19 CARNAGE CONTINUES

Surgical masks and improvised face coverings were a common sight Friday, as here on Prospect Avenue in Little Silver. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

[See UPDATE below]

By JOHN T. WARD

redbankgreen hot topic

Flags across New Jersey were ordered lowered “immediately and indefinitely” as the carnage of COVID-19 claimed another 113 state residents, Governor Phil Murphy said Friday.

The symbolic gesture will serve as a “constant memorial” during “one of the greatest tragedies” in the state’s history, Murphy said at his daily briefing on the crisis.

April 3, 2020 - 2:00 pm | Comments ()

VIRUS UPDATE: NEW JERSEY DEATHS HIT 537

A socially-distanced boat heads out onto our beautiful Navesink River off Red Bank Thursday. (Click to enlarge.)

[See UPDATE below]

By JOHN T. WARD

redbankgreen hot topic

New Jersey added 182 more deaths to the COVID-19 toll as the number of state residents known to be infected blew past 25,000, Governor Phil Murphy said Thursday.

April 2, 2020 - 2:30 pm | Comments ()

VIRUS UPDATE: COVID-19 DEATH TOLL SPIKES

A new month begins with a lovely sunrise over our beautiful Navesink River, as seen from the Route 35 bridge Wednesday morning. (Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

redbankgreen hot topic

With COVID-19-related death and infection rates rising faster than ever, “we’re beginning to feel the real strain on the critical care” segment of the healthcare system in the northern part of New Jersey, state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said Wednesday.

April 1, 2020 - 3:00 pm | Comments ()

VIRUS UPDATE: STATE DEATH TOLL UP SHARPLY

A hospital use projection for New Jersey by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation shows an anticipated surge in the first half of April. Projections assume continued social distancing and other protective measures. To view the methods used to produce the projection, click here. (Graphic by IHME. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

redbankgreen hot topic

Sixty-nine New Jerseyans died Monday as the global COVID-19 contagion continued its tear through the state, Governor Phil Murphy said Tuesday.

Of 267 resident deaths so far in the crisis, 223 have occurred in the last seven days, with the toll accelerating sharply from Monday’s report of 37 deaths.

March 31, 2020 - 3:15 pm | Comments ()

VIRUS UPDATE: NEW JERSEY TOLL SOARS

Charts used by the Murphy administration Monday show the surge in cases with no social distancing, left, and partial compliance, right. (Graphs by NJ.gov. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

redbankgreen hot topic New Jersey’s daily death toll and COVID-19 caseload had soared since Sunday, Governor Phil Murphy reported Monday.

With 37 more fatalities and 3,347 more patients testing positive for the coronavirus, Murphy continued to hammer home his message that residents need to “stay home” until the crisis eases.

March 30, 2020 - 3:15 pm | Comments ()

VIRUS UPDATE: DEATH TOLL EASES

By JOHN T. WARD

redbankgreen hot topic After a weeklong climb, New Jersey’s daily death toll from the COVID-19 virus eased Saturday, Governor Phil Murphy’s administration reported Sunday.

At the same time, more than 2,300 state residents tested positive for the virus. Read More »

March 29, 2020 - 3:55 pm | Comments ()

VIRUS UPDATE: ILLNESS, DEATH COUNTS SOAR

Normally bustling, downtown Red Bank was people-free and quiet at 9 p.m. Friday under the governor’s week-old “stay-home” order. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

redbankgreen hot topic Thirty-two more New Jersey residents died as the the COVID-19 contagion tightened its grip on the state, Governor Phil Murphy said Saturday.

With the state’s death toll now at 140, the pandemic “is a pass/fail test,” Murphy said at his daily pandemic briefing on the crisis. “This is life or death.”

March 28, 2020 - 1:50 pm | Comments ()

VIRUS UPDATE: DEATH TOLL RISES TO 108

[See UPDATE below]

By JOHN T. WARD

redbankgreen hot topic New Jersey’s death toll the in the COVID-19 pandemic crossed into the triple digits as families lost 27 more loved ones, Governor Phil Murphy said in his daily briefing Friday.

March 27, 2020 - 2:55 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: IS SCHOOL REOPENING IN SIGHT?

Red Bank’s schools have been closed since March 16. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Are Red Bank’s schools going to reopen April 20?

A district posting Thursday afternoon appeared to suggest they might, just an hour or so after Governor Phil Murphy threw cold water on talk that an end to his indefinite school shutdown order might be in sight.

March 26, 2020 - 4:35 pm | Comments ()

VIRUS UPDATE: PANDEMIC TOLL CLIMBS

With blood supplies running low because of the pandemic’s impact on regular drives, about 50 people made appointments for well-spaced donations at Red Bank’s YMCA Thursday. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

[See UPDATE below]

By JOHN T. WARD

redbankgreen hot topic COVID-19 continued to ravage New Jersey, with 19 more deaths from the global pandemic reported Thursday.

The number of state residents who have tested positive for the coronavirus soared to 6,876, an increase of 2,492 from Wednesday, Governor Phil Murphy said in his daily briefing.

March 26, 2020 - 3:00 pm | Comments ()

VIRUS UPDATE: COVID-19 DEATHS UP AGAIN

[See UPDATE below]

By JOHN T. WARD

redbankgreen hot topic With the deaths of 17 more New Jersey residents over 24 hours, Governor Phil Murphy “can now give you 44 reasons” in support of unprecedented and wide-ranging restrictions he’s imposed in the face of the COVID-19 crisis, he said Tuesday.

That was the highest single-day statewide tally of fatalities in the global coronavirus pandemic, he said.

March 24, 2020 - 3:05 pm | Comments ()

RED BANK: FIRINGS ANGER CHARTER PARENTS

Alison Weiler and Nicole Navarrete, center, speak with well-wishers Tuesday night. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Red Bank Charter School parents packed a board meeting Tuesday night to protest the firings of two teachers who briefly left a sleeping child behind during a fire drill earlier this month.

February 19, 2020 - 8:00 am | Comments ()

FAIR HAVEN: VOTERS APPROVE SCHOOLS PLAN

An addition to the Sickles School will create room for all-day kindergarten. (Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Fair Haven voters overwhelmingly approved a $15.6 million plan to create classrooms and improve security at the borough’s two schools in a special election Tuesday.

September 24, 2019 - 8:46 pm | Comments ()

FAIR HAVEN: VOTERS TO DECIDE $15.6M PLAN

Architectural renderings of the proposed additions to the Knollwood School (above) and Sickles School. (Click to enlarge.)

By JOHN T. WARD

Fair Haven residents are scheduled to vote Tuesday on a $15.6 million plan to create classrooms and improve security at the borough’s two schools.

But first, they’ve got to go to the right polling station.

September 24, 2019 - 6:20 am | Comments ()

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