In honor of National Teacher Appreciation Week, Patch put a call out to people to pour praise on their favorite teachers — those who they feel have guided them or their children. Ocean Avenue School mom Holly Morgan stepped right up to the plate with the following letter of appreciation: I am located in the North Middletown section of Middletown. I just want to let you know what a great bunch of teachers we have at the Ocean Avenue School. My daughter is in Miss Langhans' kindergarten class. Alexis has a long school life ahead of her and Miss Langhans has started that in such a positive and …
A release from the Lincroft Village Green Association: Finally a bridge, make that two bridges, to somewhere — from the Lincroft section of Middletown to Holmdel and back again. The long sought completion of the 4.4 mile Thompson Park Loop was realized this year. No longer does the jogger, biker or avid walker enjoying the bucolic surroundings of lovely Thompson Park have to detour to the dangerous roadway to continue their journey. The two bridges that complete the loop will be dedicated by the Monmouth County Park System on Saturday, April 21, at 11 a.m. in Thompson Park at Longbridge Road…
Since January 2012, a core group of concerned citizens resolved to do what was right for the families and the community of Middletown joined in the heartfelt belief that saving the township pool was essential. Though we locked horns at times with the members of the Middletown Township Committee, we now walk away with a new appreciation of what goes into running a wonderful town like Middletown. We would like to thank the mayor, committee and township administration for listening and working endless hours to preserve this community asset and for keeping the swim club a vibrant place of …
Thank you to all the environmentally concerned community who attended the Feb. 27 lecture by Clyde MacKenzie at Brookdale Community College. The standing room only presentation on our declining coastal ecosystem was clearly of vital interest to our shore communities and beyond. The event was part of a continuing Environmental Lecture Series and just one way that Brookdale Community College is promoting the college’s mission to apprise students and the community about current environmental issues. Next in the lecture series will be the March 26 focus on rain gardens and we have additional …
They can’t fit 10 pounds of White Castle in a 2-pound bag. That is what the Columbus, Ohio-based fast-food chain is trying to do in Middletown. As some of the residents of Port Monmouth are becoming aware with White Castle’s fourth attempt to gain approval from the township planning board scheduled for March 7, 2012. With each planning board meeting, the laundry list of problems grows and grows. I and many other homeowners in the immediate area have attended the meetings in opposition of this type of over development in our community. The property White Castle plans to build a 2000-square-…
The following is a letter Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. recently wrote to National Park Service Director Jon Jarvis requesting more information about the difference in fees collected at other National Parks in Gateway National Recreation Area and his objection to the proposed hike in fees at Sandy Hook. For more information on this issue, click here for the full story. Dear Director Jarvis: I am writing concerning the proposed fee changes at the Sandy Hook Unit of Gateway National Recreation Area. I have previously expressed my opposition to the fee increases and asked that …
On Wednesday, July 20, 2011, The Middletown Board of Education voted to remove Dr. Anthony Shallop as principal of Middletown High School South, and return him to the classroom. Obviously, as a staunch supporter of Dr. Shallop, I found the events of that evening to be terribly sad, and yet inspiring at the same time. To see so many people wait hours in the heat, just for a chance to speak up for someone who needed their help, was truly amazing. I was so proud of our community, because, in spite of the mid-summer timing and the stifling heat, we witnessed an unprecedented outpouring of …
Action on the following issue is expected to be taken at tonight's Middletown Board of Education meeting at 8 p.m. at the High School North library, Tindall Road. An open letter to the Middletown Township Board of Education and Interim Superintendent Patrick Houston: As a parent and PFA Board member, I was shocked to learn that the Middletown Board of Education and Interim Superintendent Patrick Houston have suddenly decided to remove Dr. Anthony Shallop as Middletown High South's Principal, and return him to the classroom. The justification for Dr. Shallop's reassignment is allegedly due to…
Yes, in our back yard! Monmouth County has a terrible shortage of homes that are safe, decent and affordable. We need homes for folks with low-to-moderate incomes: entry-level police and firefighters, nurses and teachers, service and restaurant workers, plus our own children, parents and ourselves, if and when our circumstances change. Finding reasonably priced homes is a great burden for many, who have to commute long distances (at $4 a gallon of gas!) to work in our area. I am a member of a local church advocacy group (New Creations in Christ), with over twenty member churches. We …
The Lincroft Village Green Association (LVGA) and many of the residents of Lincroft Village are strongly opposed to the Four Ponds Redevelopment plan as is currently proposed. We have serious concerns this large scale housing development will bring negative change to our neighborhoods and adversely affect residents’ safety and quality of life. Our specific concerns for opposing this development are as follows: Density and Type of Housing The plan proposes to build 270 townhouse and 72 flats, with 68 of the flats being COAH affordable housing rental units. This represents an approximate 16% …
Make Your Voice Heard on Your Local Schools: Vote on April 27 On Wednesday, April 27, citizens throughout New Jersey will have a voice in charting the direction of their hometown schools. That is the date of this year's annual schools elections, when voters in more than 90 percent of New Jersey school districts will select among 2,222 candidates vying for 1,612 school board seats. In addition, voters will decide whether to approve their local school board's proposed operating budget for the year. New Jersey is one of the few states that afford its citizens the opportunity to vote on their …
It was said sarcastically, but only slightly so. Everyone on this line outside of the office building knew it to be true here at 7:45 a.m., with the snow up to our ankles and the queue already 20 people deep. It opened at 8:30, but woe to you if you chose to arrive at that last minute. For your laziness, you would likely be the thirtieth person to speak to the Unemployment Office representative. And each person before you had an issue that required at least a half-hour’s worth of investigation. What I said was, "You know, there’d be less people unemployed if the Unemployment Office would hire…
It’s a real human-interest story. It’s a recipe with two basic ingredients. Take one church community suffering from too much turnover in pastoral leadership in recent years. Add one teddy-bear pastor who moved all the way from South Dakota to Middletown after hearing of our painful circumstances. The finished product … a congregation experiencing a much-needed revival beyond what we could have ever hoped for. Yes, we are a congregation once again filled with happy, smiling, HOPEFUL faces. We are once again eager to attend Sunday service, knowing that the sermon will be uplifting, filled …
I used to be one of them. Brookdale Community College is some place were high school screw-ups go, using the whole 'its cheaper than a four-year school' plan. Yup, I used to think that, too. In high school, I honestly didn't care for much. I would do my homework, sure, but it was a struggle to keep a 'C' average in most classes, simply because I didn't want to put forth the work in class. While my teachers frowned upon it, they always told me Brookdale would be a good option for me. Certainly, none of those teachers would hold any future expectations for me, especially at Brookdale. Heck, …
Recent news articles have reported on the National Park Service (NPS) information meetings for proposed Management Plans for Sandy Hook, our local national recreation area located in Middletown. The online link for the NPS comment period, ending Tuesday, March 15 is here. To assure that all NPS designated representatives are duly aware of the public's concerns, submitted comments should be cc'd to the following people: Linda_Canzanelli@nps.gov, Helen_Mahan@nps.gov, Raina_Williams@nps.gov, and Suzanne_McCarthy@nps.gov. At the public information sessions held on Feb. 22 in Monmouth Beach, and…
