A borough in need of rehabilitation? Keyport council denies designation in lieu of a public hearing BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer       In an effort to gain more control over housing developers, Keyport officials are considering turning the entire borough into an area in need of rehabilitation, a new designation that would give the borough, not property owners, final jurisdiction over what is built on private property. More ... Face to face       Vassilios Hontos, Keyport, takes a load off at the annual All-Keyport Art Show, held Dec. 9 at the Mitchell-Sanborn Gallery, West Front Street, Keyport. More ... Feral cats on the rise near Keyport waterfront Expert warns public not to feed the animals BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer       KEYPORT — Feral cats: are they pets or pests? In Keyport, the question is up for debate. Dozens of the wild cats have found a home at marinas on the southern end of town. And while some residents find joy in feeding the strays, others want them gone. More ... Newly hired A.D. excited to get to work BY DAN NEWMAN Staff Writer       HOLMDEL — Following an exhaustive search, the township Board of Education recently found its new athletic director. Randy Westrol, who currently serves as an assistant principal at J.P. Stevens High School in Edison, will take over the position of supervisor of physical education, hea... More ... Mendelsohn roasts rivals in farewell speech Councilman has feuded with party since primary loss BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer       MATAWAN — Lame duck Councilman Neil Mendelsohn decided to go out with a bang last week, calling the mayor “repugnant” and comparing the Matawan political scene to “The Wizard of Oz.” Mendelsohn didn’t pull any punches at Thursday’s Borough Council meeting. More ... RAINE annual auction fundraiser tomorrow Hazlet organization seeks to provide meals, toys to those in need BY DAN NEWMAN Staff Writer       HAZLET — With a little ... OK, with a lot of help, Patti Dickens and her nonprofit organization, RAINE (Reaching All In Need Everyday) were able to assist nearly 200 people during the 2005 holiday season by providing meals and gifts to those in the Bayshore area who were less fortunate. More ... Local police plan DWI crackdown BY DAN NEWMAN Staff Writer       MIDDLETOWN — In an effort to curb drinking and driving during the holiday season, local police departments will be participating in the “You Drink and Drive, You Lose 2006 Year End Crackdown.” Holmdel, Aberdeen and Middletown townships are three of the 54 police departments statewide ... More ... Witmer hearing postponed       MIDDLETOWN — The latest chapter of the administrative hearing of township Schools Superintendent Dr. David Witmer has been postponed until at least January. The hearing was slated to resume on Monday, with Witmer, who has been suspended by the township’s Board of Education since Jan. 3... More ... Deputy steps in for longtime tax assessor BY DAN NEWMAN Staff Writer       HAZLET — All it takes is one call to Elizabeth Cusumano’s office to figure out that she’s busy. Really busy. “I just started recently and there’s nobody else around this office,” Cusumano said. “Whenever the phone rings I have to pick it up. Or when something needs to be done, it’s a... More ... Sounds of Ireland       The Burrowes Mansion, Main Street , Matawan, played host to the Irish band Trinity during the mansion’s annual Christmas concert, Dec. 10. More ... Bringing poetry to life through puppets Paper Moon Puppet Theatre animates classic fairy tales BY KATHY HALL Correspondent       Puppets are more than cloth, strings and wood to James Racioppi, artistic and stage director of the Paper Moon Puppet Theatre. “Puppets are a distillation of life — it’s like poetry to me,” said Racioppi, whose puppet theater is based at First Avenue Playhouse in Atlantic Highlands... More ... One From the Vault       A young Keyport Councilman John Merla braves the cold to point out a group of troublesome pigeons atop the old Bucket of Blood, a lower Broad Street bar now home to the Passport, also a bar. This photo originally appeared in the Independent in January 1988. More ... County engineer: Oceanic Bridge should remain low State will have final say on height of replacement span BY LAYLI WHYTE Staff Writer       County officials have recommended that the new span built to replace the Oceanic Bridge, Rumson, remain a low-level, moveable bridge rather than a higher, fixed span. Monmouth County Engineer Joseph M. Ettore has recommended against replacing the Oceanic Bridge, which is a drawbridg... More ... NPS super to DEP: Replace Route 36 bridge Urges state officials to consider safety of 74-year-old drawbridge       SEA BRIGHT — Public safety, not historic value, ought to be the state’s priority in deciding the future of the Highlands-Sea Bright Bridge, according to a federal representative of Gateway National Park’s Sandy Hook unit. In an Oct. 23 letter to New Jersey Department of Environmental ... More ...