Child victims of Bronx fire laid to rest in Millstone Hundreds of mourners come to area to support Magassas BY JANE MEGGITT Staff Writer       Route 33 was backed up for miles to the New Jersey Turnpike on Monday afternoon as hundreds of mourners paid their respects to victims of a Bronx, N.Y., fire. Five young children were laid to rest in the Makbarat as-Salaam cemetery in Millstone, a Muslim cemetery located on Conover ... More ... Budget offers kids more space, teachers, supplies Boro faces 6-cent tax hike; U.F. looks at 4-cent increase BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP Staff Writer       The Upper Freehold Regional School District's proposed $16.6 million budget would raise taxes but would also address overcrowding and student development issues. The Board of Education unanimously voted to adopt the preliminary budget at its March 7 meeting. The board will conduct a... More ... N.J. still sorting out legal details of civil unions Whether institution is recognized elsewhere varies from state to state BY CHRIS GAETANO Staff Writer       Same-sex couples all over New Jersey applied for civil union licenses when a new law that allows them to took effect on Feb. 20. While the moment was seen by rights groups as a step forward, it was also seen as a sharp reminder that gay and lesbian couples still cannot technically g... More ... Two seek Allentown seats on regional board Referendum and overcrowding top issues in school district BY JANE MEGGITT Staff Writer       Two candidates are seeking election to the two open Allentown seats on the Upper Freehold Regional Board of Education. Douglas Anthony, 41, has registered to seek the one three-year term Allentown seat, and Elizabeth Trent, 52, registered to take on the one-year left in an unexpired... More ... County freeholders adopt $286M budget Homeowners would pay $41 more this year       FREEHOLD - Following a number of public hearings, the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders eliminated 18 vacant positions before adopting the 2007 spending plan by a 3-2 vote. The $471,854,000 budget, adopted March 8, limits the county tax levy increase to 2.9 percent, which m... More ... Three to vie for two U.F. seats on regional board Bressi, Murphy decide not to seek re-election BY JANE MEGGITT Staff Writer       ALLENTOWN - Voters will choose two of three candidates on April 17 to fill the open seats on the Upper Freehold Regional Board of Education. Current Upper Freehold board members Jeanette Bressi and Stephen Murphy decided not to run for re-election to the board. Ken Caitano, 40, Jos... More ... Millstone cuts fire budget, reducing its tax impact BY JANE MEGGITT Staff Writer       MILLSTONE -The Township Committee unanimously approved a $1.1 million budget for the fire district at its March 7 meeting. Most of the fire company members attended the meeting in uniform, and a firetruck was parked outside the municipal building in case there were any emergency call... More ... Board looks beyond new referendum BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP Staff Writer       ALLENTOWN - The Upper Freehold Regional Board of Education has yet to formally discuss what would happen if the April 17 referendum fails with voters, but a flier shows that they are thinking about it. Voters will decide whether to allot an additional $13. More ... EDC feels detached from land use planning in U.F. Group wants master plan revisions to focus on developing business BY JANE MEGGITT Staff Writer       UPPER FREEHOLD - The township's Economic Development Committee (EDC) wants to tighten its relationships with other municipal bodies and officials. At the committee's March 5 meeting, EDC Vice Chairman Thomas Frascella, who ran the meeting in Chairman Tim Lizura's absence, said he w... More ... U.F. nursery to sprout 51 new houses BY JANE MEGGITT Staff Writer       UPPER FREEHOLD - The Planning Board approved the construction of 51 new single-family dwellings last week. The Hidden Lakes I and Hidden Lakes II subdivisions both received final approval at the board's March 8 meeting. Hidden Lakes I consists of nine lots on 76 acres off Meirs... More ... Third BOE seat up for grabs in Millstone Twp. Winecoff, Qutub and Morrone decide not to run again BY JANE MEGGITT Staff Writer       MILLSTONE - Only two candidates have filed to run for the three available seats on the Millstone Township Board of Education. When asked how the third slot would be filled, Superintendent of Schools Mary Anne Donahue explained that the write-in candidate with the most votes in the ... More ... Planners OK Breza Road as school site BY JANE MEGGITT Staff Writer       UPPER FREEHOLD - Building a school on Breza Road would be consistent with the township's master plan. The Planning Board agreed at its March 8 meeting to give the Upper Freehold Regional Board of Education a statutory letter affirming that the new proposed site for the middle school ... More ... Two men perish under the ice in the Assunpink BY JANE MEGGIT and JENNIFER KOHLHEPP Staff Writers       Upper Freehold - Two men drowned in the Assunpink Lake on Friday. Lawrenceville's Bryan Eaton, 45, and his father, George, 82, who were ice fishing on the lake on the afternoon of March 9, reportedly fell through the ice and drowned in the freezing water of the lake, according to the... More ... Walnford to host second country 5K Run will benefit individuals with disabilities       ALLENTOWN - Get set to run to help disabled citizens in the community. Allies Inc. will hold its second annual Country Roads 5K run at Historic Walnford Park on April 28. Allies Inc. is an independent nonprofit organization that helps individuals with disabilities lead fulfilli... More ...       A senator, college football players and even a couple of dogs helped share local students' enthusiasm for reading on March 6. The Millstone Township School District celebrated Read Across America with many activities and guest readers who visited the elementary and middle schools to ... More ... Nominations sought for awards       FREEHOLD - The Monmouth County Historical Commission is seeking nominations for the 2007 Monmouth County Preservation Awards. Anyone, including a property owner, may nominate a structure that has historic value and has undergone preservation work that was substantially completed in 200... More ... Spina bifida benefit seeks volunteers       There are more than 700 adults and children in the tri-state area living with spina bifida, according to the Spina Bifida Association. More ... Growers of exceptional plants highlighted in book       On Thursday, April 12, lawyer, garden writer and well-known lecturer Ruah Donnelly will speak to the Allentown Garden Club on how to acquire unusual varieties of plants in the New York/New Jersey area. More ... Case made for building a school on Breza Road Voters to decide $13.2M referendum for project April 17 BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP Staff Writer       Upper Freehold Regional School District Board of Education President Joseph Stampe sees Breza Road as the quickest path to getting a new middle school built. Hill International, the construction manager for the new middle school project, informed the Board of Education at its Jan. More ... Holt bill would demand paper record of votes BY CHRIS GAETANO Staff Writer       A new bill put forth by U.S. Rep. Rush Holt (D-12)) would mandate that all electronic voting machines produce a voter-verified paper trail, but some critics have voiced concern over security and funding. The bill itself, HR811, was originally proposed and defeated by the Republican-co... More ... Photographic genius evident in Brookdale collection 'Brookdale Collects' will run through April 22 at Monmouth Museum BY LINDA DeNICOLA Staff Writer       A photography exhibit at Monmouth Museum and Cultural Center promises to be a visual experience and a sociology lesson at the same time. Four newly acquired photographs by a New Jersey photographer will be included in the upcoming exhibition, "Brookdale Collects: Photographs from ... More ...