Middletown Man Indicted on Vehicular Homicide Charge in Fatal Boat Crash

George Harrington was operating the boat involved in a collision on the Navesink River in July 2011.

Shellfish Beds Open in Navesink, Shrewsbury Rivers

Testing showed no issues with contamination, DEP says

Shellfish beds in the Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers are open effective at sunrise today. Bob Martin, the commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection, signed an order Friday after he said water monitoring and tissue sampling found no issue with contamination from bacteria or viruses following superstorm Sandy. “So much of our coastline and our fishing industry took significant hits from the storm, so we are pleased to reopen these additional shellfish beds and get people back to work in areas affected by the storm,” Martin said. “Tests also show that our ocean water quality is excellent.” The DEP closed all New Jersey shellfish beds to commercial and recreational harvesting on October 29 in preparation for Hurricane Sandy, …

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Beached Dolphin Dies

Despite volunteer efforts, mammal doesn't survive wait for expert help

Ever since dolphins were spotted a few years ago romping in the Navesink River, the mammals' sporadic migration to the Jersey Shore area has been intriguing to many the Middletown area.  Word spread quicky when a dolphin sighting turned into a rescue attempt on a beach a bit further south.    The dolpin died on the Belmar beach Saturday afternoon after beachgoers pulled ashore the struggling mammal. It didn't survive the wait for a team of experts to arrive from southern New Jersey, witnesses and officials said.  According to witnesses, surfers spotted the dolphin at about 2 p.m. just off 17th Avenue beach and soon realized something was awry. The surfers and several beachgoers, in contact with the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in …

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Over the River for Music, Improv, 'In This House'

Check out what's happening in the Count Basie and Two River theaters over the Navesink River in Red Bank this weekend.

Over the Navesink River from Middletown, in Red Bank, there is an eclectic mix of entertainment options at both the Count Basie and the Two River theaters this week, including improv comedy, the sound stylings of Eastern Europe, the jams of the 1980's, and a homegrown musical developed in a Two River Theater Company workshop. Do you remember Whose Line is it Anyway? The short form improvisational television comedy originated in England before eventually finding its way to the United States, where it ran for eight seasons. For the eighth time, on Friday, stars of the show are bringing the same style of comedy to Basie stage. Promising plenty of laughs but with none of the script, Colin Mochrie and Brad Sherwood, Whose Line show regulars, …

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Otters at the Shore, in the Navesink

The North American river otter has made a comeback in the U.S., and Shore residents can often spot them along coastal rivers and estuaries

A playful, social animal, the river otter is not an uncommon sight along the Jersey Shore, especially in winter. What they are: Otters are mustelids, belonging to a group of mammals that includes weasels, mink and badgers. They’re specially adapted for life in and near lakes, rivers and estuaries, with long, streamlined bodies, a thick, insulated coat of fur and webbed feet on short legs. The species we see locally, the North American river otter, is light brown to black and can be between 2 and 3.5 feet long, weighing in between 10 and 30 pounds. A long, tapered tail makes up a third of an adult’s length. They have dark eyes and thick, long whiskers that help them sense their surroundings. A river otter’s diet consists mostly of fish, …

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2012 KaBoom! Fireworks Canceled

The annual fireworks show, a staple on the banks of the Navesink River for decades, has been canceled this year due to rising costs.

Faced with the ever-rising costs associated with putting on a fireworks show that attracts more than 100,000 people annually, the KaBoom executive committee has made the decision to cancel this year's July 3rd fireworks show. According to a release from the KaBoom committee, the "inability to meet soaring security costs and insurance premiums as well as the difficulty of monitoring public safety" are the prime reasons for the show's cancelation. The first fireworks show over the Navesink was held in Red Bank in 1959 and has been an annual tradition ever since. In recent years, however, as the number of attendees has swelled, so too has the cost. For the past few years, the show has cost the KaBoom committee, a non-profit that has relied …

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Lou DeGeorge

6:25 am on Thursday, February 16, 2012

I agree with you Sue ,   more ›

Those Dirty Environmentalists, at it Again on the Navesink

Join the Baykeeper Sunday for a clean-up of the Navesink River.

Fall clean-up isn't just for your backyard that's full of twigs and leaves. It's for your neighborhood waterways full of, well, you'll see. Join Baykeeper, in partnership with the Red Bank Environmental Commission and the Bayshore Regional Watershed Council, in a cleanup of the Navesink River. Volunteers will meet on Sunday, November 6 at noon at 222 River St. in Red Bank. Clean-up ends at 2 p.m. Come prepared to get dirty. Trash bags and gloves will be provided. Think of it is as a deposit on next year's summer fun.  If you can attend, RSVP to Amy Testa at Testa@nynjbaykeeper.org or 732-888-9870 ext 6.

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No Crossing: Oceanic Bridge to Close Monday

The drawbridge that connects Middletown and Rumson will be closed for repairs on its bascule span until just before Memorial Day.

News on the Oceanic Bridge situation from Monmouth County: On Monday, Oct. 17, Monmouth County will close the Oceanic Bridge (S-31) over the Navesink River to motor vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian traffic for repair work to rehabilitate the bridge’s 100-foot, center bascule span. To accommodate marine traffic, one section of the bridge’s double-leaf bascule span will be kept in the upright position. The work requires the bridge to be closed to all other traffic until the work is completed by Memorial Day weekend 2012. The rehabilitation work on the double-leaf bascule span includes the removal of the existing grid deck and construction of a new grid deck. The work also will include the rehabilitation or removal and replacement of stringers…

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'Paddle the Navesink' a Success

Hundreds turned out at the second annual event of fun on the Navesink River.

Saturday was a day of water fun on the Navesink River; and a Middletown resident was one of the first up the river with a paddle. Children and adults placed their barefeet on paddle boats or sat their backsides in kayaks on a windy and somewhat sunny Saturday on the river for the 2nd Paddle the Navesink River Day event. At the starting point — Maple Cove at the foot of Maple Avenue, Red Bank — an instructor made sure attendees wore life vests. Then they guided them into the river and off they went in their kayaks and paddle boats. Kevin Moedt, 17, of Middletown was one of the first out into the river with a paddle boat provided by Jersey Paddler of Brick Township and Eastern Mountain Sports of Eatontown. Next in line on a sandy pathway …

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Have Your Say: Oceanic Bridge Revamp

Public comment sessions scheduled on the pending reconstruction of the drawbridge that connects Middletown and Rumson over the Navesink River.

If you have something to say about the coming reconstruction of the Oceanic Bridge, your opportunity is approaching. The following is a released statement on the subject from Middletown Township ... Monmouth County Division of Engineering, in cooperation with the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, the New Jersey Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration, will be holding Public Information Centers to discuss the replacement alternatives for the Oceanic Bridge (CR 8A, Bingham Avenue–Locust Point Road Bridge S-31) over Navesink River located between the Borough of Rumson and the Township of Middletown. The purpose of the Public Information Center is to inform the public of the alternatives and to solicit…

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