Mat-Ab troubled by bus aide's arrest Man accused of giving Middletown teen drug also served district BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer      The school bus aide who allegedly supplied a vial of methadone to a 15-year-old Middletown student last month also rode the bus with special needs students from the Matawan-Aberdeen Regional School District. More ...      Watoto, a children's choir from Uganda, Africa, performs at St. John's United Methodist Church in Hazlet on Nov. 22. The children, who danced and sang in traditional Uganda style, have all lost one or both parents to AIDS or war. More ... Residents propose ideas to ease Rt. 520 traffic BY DAN NEWMAN Staff Writer      MIDDLETOWN - Following a recent traffic accident that claimed the lives of two young people, local residents are now asking township officials to help make the Route 520 corridor safer to drive. More ... Federal judge postpones O'Grady imprisonment 'Bid Rig' update: Merla trial moved to Dec. 12; Coughlin now serving BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer      NEWARK - Former Middletown Committeeman Raymond O'Grady was granted an emergency appeal last week, allowing him to stay out of jail for at least another week. More ... Town center developer plans to appeal ruling BY DAN NEWMAN Staff Writer      MIDDLETOWN - After a recent ruling upholding the township's decision to rezone an 87-acre tract on Route 35 from being primarily commercial to an active adult residential zone, Mountain Hill LLC's attorney has said that his client still hopes to build the town center and will file an appeal. More ... Kara Homes bankruptcy means end of condo plan Mystic at Keyport plan called for 14 units at W. Front and Beers streets BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer      KEYPORT - Now that Kara Homes has filed for bankruptcy, the condo development slated for the corner of West Front and Beers streets has been scrapped. More ... $300K sewer connection fee may lead to law change BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer      KEYPORT - A Laundromat owner charged a $300,000 water and sewer connection fee has inspired the borough to alter the law. More ... South teacher writes two off-Broadway plays BY DAN NEWMAN Staff Writer      MIDDLETOWN - As if putting in a long day teaching students and commuting back and forth from Jersey City isn't enough, Alexis Kozak is also going to be producing two of his one-act plays off-Broadway. More ... Dec. 10 concert to feature holiday songs, local soprano      HOLMDEL - The third annual benefit concert of the Chamber Music Players of the New Jersey State Youth Orchestra (NJSYO) will take place Dec. 10 at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Holmdel. The concert will benefit Little Lambs School, which is housed in Good Shepherd Church. More ... On the run      Second-grader Kevin HIggins, 7, sprints to the finish line during the Middletown Village Elementary School annual "Turkey Trot for the Kids" races last week. More ... New rail cars accommodate more riders, and comfortably Multilevel commuter train cars to be in operation mid-Dec BY TOM CAIAZZA Staff Writer      The commute to New York-Penn Station may become just a little easier for riders of the Northeast Corridor this December and other NJ Transit lines, including the North Jersey Coast Line, by 2008. More ... In the Service      Dwayne M. Butler has been promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army. A speechwriter to the Army Chief of Staff, he is assigned to Headquarters Department of the Army at the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. A 1986 graduate of Middletown High School North, Butler received his master's degree More ... Middletown OEM official named coordinator of year      MIDDLETOWN - Township Emergency Management Coordinator Charles W. Rogers III has been named the 2006 Emergency Management Coordinator of the Year by the New Jersey Emergency Management Association. More ... Holy Toledo, Batman ... it's 'American Comic's Creators' Exhibit at SICA celebrates comics as an American art form      An exhibit celebrating the artistic contributions of the creators of comic books and comic strips opens Friday at the Shore Institute of the Contemporary Arts in Long Branch. More ... The race is on      Clockwise from top: Krista Wiegs, Kaitlyn Gwiacdlwski and Shannon Teehan cross the finish line in the girls' first-grade race during the annual Fairview Elementary School turkey trot last week in Middletown. Jenna Reid wins the girls' second-grade race. Jennifer Cimmino and daughter Abigail, 4, welc... More ... County donates $25,000 to state WWII memorial      FREEHOLD - Recognizing the sacrifices made by World War II veterans, particularly those who lost their lives to preserve freedom, the Monmouth County Board of Freeholders has donated $25,000 toward the fundraising effort to build a memorial in New Jersey. More ... Cheer team headed to Disney      KEYPORT - Cheerful young girls packed borough hall last week, showing off their trophies and hometown pride. More ... 16 graduate from fire academy      MIDDLETOWN - Sixteen local residents graduated from the Middletown Fire Academy Nov. 18, and are now expected to provide firefighting services in five area municipalities, including the township. More ... Police: Watch out for deer      MIDDLETOWN - The Police Department Traffic Safety Bureau reminds motorists to watch for deer, particularly from dusk to dawn, on rural and suburban roads, and during fall mating season from October to December. More ... Scholarships available for communications students      The Jersey Shore Public Relations and Advertising Association announces its 2006 James R. McCormick Memorial Scholarship Awards program, open to students residing in Ocean County or Monmouth County studying communications. More ... On Campus      The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, announced the following local student who received a degree at the summer commencement exercises: More ...