March 30, 2006 RSS feed / Front Page

Grants to fund various borough improvements

HELMETTA - The borough has received three grants totaling $70,000 for park improvements, borough hall renovations and the purchase of equipment for the Public Works Department. More...

Larson hopes to make a difference for seniors

E. Brunswick resident will lead New Jersey chapter of AARP

EAST BRUNSWICK - Local senior citizens and dignitaries gathered Saturday at the East Brunswick Chateau to honor one of their own. More...

Businesses burglarized in Summerhill Road plaza

EAST BRUNSWICK - Police are investigating the burglaries of five businesses in a Summerhill Road strip mall. More...

Greater Media Inc. to observe 50th

Greater Media Inc., Boston, will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in broadcasting throughout 2006. Owned by the Bordes family, the company was originally founded in 1956 by Yale classmates Peter A. Bordes and Joseph Rosenmiller. More...

Monroe set to rezone mostly developed areas

MONROE - Township officials are amending the master plan with the stated goal of benefiting several homeowners and easing potential drainage issues. More...

Bill would require signs on proposed building sites

Towns would post signs about construction plans at builders' expense

A state assemblyman from Middlesex County wants to require towns to erect signs notifying residents of proposed building applications. More...

Crafty

Ernestine Ilcken, of East Brunswick, displays her craft at the Lap Tapestry Club booth during the recent Community Day at Brunswick Square Mall, Route 18. More...

Scientists put PCB risks in perspective

Expert says PCBs are 'everywhere,' even in food

Are you at risk?With 11 sites now confirmed to have received concrete from the former Ford Motor Co. More...

Sudan's chaos sparks long walk to D.C.

Deng wants to raise awareness of what has happened to his country More...

Library love

Lisa Steinfeld, of East Brunswick, sorts the many books she was buying at the 32nd annual Bargain Book and Media Sale last week. The weeklong sale was sponsored by the East Brunswick Friends of the Library and held at the Brunswick Square Mall. More...

Residents critique three designs for J&J property

NORTH BRUNSWICK - The idea behind "the more, the merrier" definitely applied last Thursday night as roughly 85 residents had the opportunity to overlook and critique three preliminary design layouts for the Johnson & Johnson property as formulated by More...

Rape counselor: Teen girls most at risk

Counselor tells students alcohol, binge drinking often lead to assault

Women between the ages of 15 and 19 are four times more likely to become victims of sexual assault than women in any other age group, according to Ellen Bloom, acting coordinator of a rape care program. More...

County gives builder 10 days on roadwork

Township ceases issuance of permits, COs at Woodhaven

OLD BRIDGE - The clock is ticking. More...

Man beaten; car taken by unknown suspects

OLD BRIDGE - A township man was injured Friday night in a carjacking that took place near Route 18. More...

Fire destroys boro home

SAYREVILLE - An early morning fire March 18 destroyed a borough home and resulted in the death of a house pet. More...

Four races will comprise first Brunswick Cup

Let the county be your treadmill.The Brunswick Cup, a series of four 5K races, will celebrate its first year with runs scheduled in North, South, East and New Brunswick through October. More...

Planners reverse warehouse decision

Company to pay $100K for study on developments' effects

The South Brunswick Planning Board has reversed a Feb. 15 decision that denied a developer permission to build a 1.8 million-square-foot warehouse complex on Davidsons Mill Road amid concerns over flooding and traffic. More...

Letters

Letters

Upset by audience comments at council meeting

After watching the Milltown Borough Council meeting on March 15, I was appalled at the audience comments that were directed at the council. Most had to do with the vote on the vacant seat for which John Collins was nominated. More...

Opinion

Community grieves in unity for crash victims

March 22 brought a tragedy of near unprecedented proportions to the region. More...

Coyote was just taking a nice walk in the park

Coda

I was listening to the folks on National Public Radio last Wednesday morning, talking about the poor coyote that authorities were chasing around New York%27s Central Park with helicopters, tranquilizer darts and the like, and I wondered why they just More...

Sports

It's a new season for BCC's national champs

Jersey Blues off to another fast start this spring

For the Brookdale Community College women%27s softball team, the 2006 season isn%27t about anything but this year. More...

Falcons hope to return to championship form

METUCHEN - The St. Joseph High School boys volleyball team opens the 2006 season with a 3:45 p.m. home game Tuesday against Edison. More...

Knights hope to be in the mix for Red Division title

Four key seniors - two pitchers and two middle infielders - return to lead the Old Bridge High School baseball team as it looks to improve upon last year%27s 14-12 mark. More...

Monroe in mourning

Victims of tour bus accident recalled as friendly, vibrant

Initial shock and disbelief gave way to sadness and prayer over the past week as Monroe Township mourned the tragic deaths of 10 residents of The Ponds adult community. More...

Memorial fund, service set up to honor victims

MONROE - In response to the tragic accident that took the lives of 10 residents of The Ponds, two local Jewish centers have launched a help center and a memorial fund. More...

Slight tax increase carried in '06 budget

SPOTSWOOD - Residents would see an increase of 6 cents per $100 of assessed valuation as part of a 2006 municipal budget introduced by the Borough Council. More...

Beck calls on Assembly speaker to post tax bills

Monmouth rep. says Legislature is failing to address key issue

State Assemblywoman Jennifer Beck is making property tax relief her main focus by sponsoring 25 bills that she said would ease the tax burden for New Jersey residents. More...

Capital budget allocates Heavenly Farms funds

EAST BRUNSWICK - The township%27s capital budget for 2006 is slated to cost about $5.9 million, including money for more work at Heavenly Farms. More...

In the Service

Mark D. Gicherman, formerly of Monroe, recently was promoted to staff sergeant with the U.S. Army, active duty. He is stationed at Fort Drum, N.Y., as part of the 10th Mountain Division. More...

New officers elected to hospital positions

OLD BRIDGE - Walter J. Brasch, of Little Silver, has been elected chairman of the board at Raritan Bay Medical Center. More...

On Campus

Tim Capanna, son of Terry Capanna of South River, was named to the dean%27s list for the fall semester at Ramapo College of New Jersey, Mahwah, where he is a communications major and a member of Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity. More...

Pistol range construction to start in early summer

WOODBRIDGE - A $1.2 million county-funded pistol range will be built in Keasbey later this year, township officials said. More...

PCB probe is a 'charged issue,' state official says

Crowd not happy with DEP's explanations at special meeting last week

And then there were eleven.Officials have revealed several more sites have been determined to contain fill with small levels of PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) including the construction site of a planned Fairfield Inn on New Durham Road, Edison. More...

This flu doesn't give a darn about flu shots

Are We There Yet?

My good friend, Trixie, called the other day to report that her family had the flu. More...

Retirement series to begin April 26

The East Brunswick Commission on Aging, in conjunction with the East Brunswick Department on Aging and the Friends of the Senior Center, will present "Mapping Out a Journey," a five-week retirement series set for 7-9 p.m. More...

Oral histories offer a look at Metuchen's past

METUCHEN - Charlie Butler told it like it was. "The United States treated me like an unfaithful woman," he said. "Somebody you love, love, love, but they don%27t love you." More...

Middlesex County buys medical examiner's building

NORTH BRUNSWICK - On March 16, Middlesex County completed its purchase of the 17,990-square-foot facility on Livingston Avenue that houses the new Medical Examiner%27s Office, according to a press release from the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Fre More...

Movie career beckons Manalapan graduate

Film with Michael Dean to be shown April 1 at Asbury Park fest

A Manalapan High School graduate is making his way up the industry ladder after landing a feature role in a family film. More...

Builder, Sayreville get busy on National Lead effort

LNR plan splits redevelopment project into five districts

With the builder now in place, negotiations will get under way on an agreement to redevelop Sayreville%27s National Lead site. More...

IRS cautions taxpayers on identity theft scams

The Internal Revenue Service has issued several warnings for taxpayers to watch out for scams and cons that become more common as the filing deadline draws near, including two new scams that have begun making themselves prevalent this year. More...

No injuries in fire at Whittingham

MONROE - Police and fire officials are investigating the cause of a house fire that damaged a residence in a local retirement community. More...

Bulletin Board

Fundraisers

March 30 + Cell Phones for Soldiers Drive, ongoing, at Liberty Tax Service, 723 Route 18, at Racetrack Road, East Brunswick. Donations of used cell phones are sought. More...

Community Bulletin Board

Exhibits scheduled at Zimmerli Art Museum

The schedule for current and upcoming exhibits at the Jane Voorhees Zimmerli Art Museum, 71 Hamilton St., New Brunswick, is as follows: More...

Community Bulletin Board

Darfur genocide DVD to be shown at library

Save Darfur, Central New Jersey Chapter, will screen a DVD titled "A 21st-Century Genocide" at 7 p.m. on April 5 at the East Brunswick Public Library, Jean Walling Civic Center. More...

Obituaries

Obituaries

Warren W. Gaal Mr. Gaal, 70, of North Brunswick, died March 27 at home. Born in New York City, he resided in Queens, N.Y., before moving to North Brunswick 41 years ago. Mr. More...

Schools

Construction begins on $106.1M project

Elementary, middle school overcrowding to be addressed

A years-in-the-making plan to bring additions to East Brunswick schools and ease elementary and middle school overcrowding is finally under way. More...

Public hearing set for $122M school budget

E.B. officials say 2006-07 budget funds necessities, little else

EAST BRUNSWICK - The last five years have presented an unwelcome challenge for the Board of Education. More...

School tab includes tax hike, position cuts

Spotswood board does away with auto class, instructional aides

SPOTSWOOD - The tax rate would go up 10 cents under a 2006-07 school budget adopted Tuesday night by the Board of Education. More...