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Want to get the word out about your expertise in a certain area? Do you have a passion for local sports or other community events? Or the inside happenings concerning bird watching in town? Maybe you want to write about the latest gadget and how it helps you with your day-to-day? How about the history of your home town? Whatever the area of interest, as long as it revolves around local, community news and events, Patch wants to hear from you!   Patch is currently seeking new or experienced bloggers to join our growing team of writers. We are looking for anybody and everybody with insider knowledge on things going on, or related to, your home town. Examples of blogs we are looking for are numerous and include: sports, fitness, food, …

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Tell Us: Should Rice's Behavior at Rutgers Keep Him From Coaching Kids?

The former coach, fired for abusive behavior towards his basketball players, was spotted coaching a seventh grade girls basketball league this weekend.

Mike Rice was fired for hurling basketballs at his players and unleashing insulting homophobic rants, but the former Rutgers mens basketball coach was spotted over the weekend coaching a seventh grade girls AAU team in Holmdel. Deadspin.com reported that Rice, who lives in Little Silver, was seen coaching a 12-year-old girls  basketball team at Holmdel High School on Saturday night. The article cites tweets by contributor Brian Geltzeiler of hoopscritic.com reporting that Rice was acting "crazy as ever yelling @ both refs and kids." Geltzeiler posted in a follow up tweet, "Just to clarify. I'm not joking. Mike Rice is actually coaching a 7th grade girls AAU team today and he's still acting like a mad man." The news elicited a number of …

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Three Middletown Stores Get 5-Stars From Readers; Bagel Shop, 1-Star

Middletown-NJ Patch readers share their experiences and opinions about local businesses.

Update: Since publication on noon on Jan. 27, several new reviews have been posted on Patch about some of these businesses.  Did you know you can rate and review hundreds of Middletown, NJ-area businesses and restaurants in our directory? Businesses are rated on a scale of one to five with five stars being excellent and one star indicating a poor rating. Here are excerpts from a few of the recent reviews posted in January, 2013 by Middletown-NJ Patch readers: Five star ratings "Bought a washer, it was delivered the next day i found a leak, the owner came out and found that the leak was in my wall, Thank you for all your help!" - Read more reviews, good and bad, posted by customers of Community Appliance on Route 35, just past Kane's Lane…

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Hurricane Sandy

'Homeless in Seaside Park' Frustrated With Red Tape

Former Ocean County Director of Human Services upset with confusing mandates, insurance delays

  An open letter to: President Obama, All the members of Congress, Governor Christie and members of New Jersey Senate and Assembly and to local mayors and council members MY DESCENT INTO MADNESS BY WAY OF THE RABBIT HOLE Super Storm Sandy has displaced seven people in my family. We all lived in Seaside Park, New Jersey. We are no different from the thousands of people who are facing what seems like insurmountable obstacles towards rebuilding our homes, our lives and our communities. During the height of the storm our local rescue workers, emergency personal and police were heroic in their efforts to save lives and mitigate damages. The weeks following the storm were also filled with countless stories of families, neighbors, friends and …

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Poll: Should the U.S. Ban High-Capacity Ammo Magazines?

U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg will ask Congress to approve a ban on ammunition magazines of more than 10 rounds. Do you agree with his proposed bill?

In the wake of the mass shooting in Newtown, CT, U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) announced plans to reintroduce high-capacity magazine ban legislation in the 113th Congress. Lautenberg’s bill, the Large Capacity Ammunition Feeding Device Act, would prohibit the manufacture and sale of ammunition magazines with a capacity of more than 10 rounds. It also would ban ammunition magazines that could be readily converted to accept more than 10 rounds. “In light of yet another horrific shooting tragedy, it is clearer than ever that there is no place in our communities for deadly high-capacity gun magazines and I will keep working to pass my bill to reinstate the ban on them,” Lautenberg said in a statement. “If we don't pass a high-capacity …

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Devilsfan

10:52 pm on Monday, December 17, 2012

And I'm Santa Claus   more ›

NJNG: How to Winterize After a Hurricane

Gas company explains what to do

In a statement released by New Jersey Natural Gas public relations staff, the utility company explains the steps to winterize a home after a natural disaster: NJNG and local officials discussed the need for homeowners to begin planning to winterize their homes prior to the arrival of freezing weather. Local officials are advising that homeowners should contact qualified contractors or plumbers and get their homes on waiting lists, so that when they are able to regain access to their homes, they are ready to go. Preparing your home for the winter involves several steps, and these steps may vary depending on whether you will reside in the home during the winter. The steps are summarized below, but each home may be different: Basic steps to …

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Though Location Unsure, Special Olympics Planning 2013 Polar Bear Plunge

Hurricane Sandy damaged the traditional plunge site: Seaside Heights

An announcement as released by the Special Olympics New Jersey:       In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, we hope that everyone is now safe and meeting the many challenges they face with help and support from friends and family. Our thoughts are with all of those who experienced a loss of any kind and we wish everyone the very best in the weeks and months ahead. Special Olympics New Jersey is moving forward with the organization and planning of the 20th Annual Seaside Heights Polar Bear Plunge. While we will face challenges with the location of this year’s event, we are prepared to make the necessary adjustments to ensure that we do conduct this year's plunge and at the same time make every effort to support the economy and restoration of …

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Hurricane Sandy

A Storm Refugee Looks Back On Hurricane Sandy

The new normal is hard to take

  I knew even before I called my next door neighbor the news was probably bad. "How is it?" I asked. "You don't know?" he replied. My heart sank. We had fled our sweet little Bayville home near the Toms River at noon on Monday, the deadline for the mandatory evacuation order. We headed for my son and daughter-in-law's house in Toms River. A Bayville fireman knocked on our front door about 9 p.m the Friday night before Hurricane Sandy. He smiled, then stepped into our cozy living room lit with harvest lights. We had to sign a paper acknowledging that we understood if we stayed and got into trouble, no one would be able to help us at the height of the storm. And so began preparations for the exodus. I filled zippered plastic bags with water …

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Barnacle Bill's to Stop Serving Peanuts

The longtime tradition at the Rumson bar and grill of serving peanuts has come to an end over lawsuits and allergies.

For decades, the comforting crunch of peanut shells underfoot, a table with a riverfront view and a standing appetizer of mindless shelling, munching and good company is what many people in the Rumson-Fair Haven area have counted on from Barnacle Bill’s. Going through those auto-pilot motions of walking in to a place where old friends meet, scooping up those peanuts, cracking and catching up is something that has been known to soothe the local soul like hot chicken soup on a cold day.  Granted, some people don’t even like chicken soup, but if it’s what’s been passed on to them as a staple comfort, it’s what brings them back to that good, warm feeling inside — like those peanuts at Barnacle Bill’s. It’s pretty simple. It’s a tradition. Call…

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Letter: Middletown Needs To Ensure a Harassment-Free Environment for All Employees

Carolyn Schwebel says the township must strengthen the Middletown Human Rights Commission to avoid future costly lawsuits.

To the Editor: Middletown recently settled a racial harassment discrimination lawsuit by one of its own police officers for $300,000 dollars, of which the town must pay $70,000. The township attorney stated that the officials would be reviewing their discrimination policies and procedures. There was an earlier sexual harassment settlement for a township employee who was harassed by the then-mayor. A few years ago, while chairperson of the Human Rights Commission, I experienced disability discrimination by the township. As part of my settlement the township was supposed to review discrimination policies and train employees. It is way past time for Middletown officials to take serious action to ensure a harassment-free environment for all …

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