Crash claims H.S. North student, 16 Car carrying three Middletown girls left road, struck pole BY BRIAN DONAHUE & JAMIE ROMM Staff Writers       A16-year-old Middletown girl died and another was critically injured Saturday night after the car they were passengers in went off the road and struck a light stanchion behind the Brunswick Square Mall. More ...       (From left) Agnus Reid, of Red Bank, Trudy and Heidi Daniels, both of Aberdeen, and Sue Geruasio, of Hazlet, peruse some used books during Oktoberfest held at the Faith Reformed Church of Hazlet on Saturday. More ... Four vie for two seats in Middletown With first Dem win in decades last year, party majority now at stake BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer       Open space and tax relief are two of the top issues being debated in the race for two seats in this year's Middletown Township Committee election. Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger and Committeeman Thomas Hall's seats will be up for grabs on Nov. 6, with Hall not seeking reelection. More ... A good cause for purrs and paws Max Weinberg's family to host fundraiser for Monmouth County SPCA BY JANE MEGGITT Staff Writer       Becky Weinberg has a mission. The wife of E Street Band drummer and "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" show bandleader Max Weinberg is dedicated to furthering the cause of the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MCSPCA). More ... Shelter still $1.5M shy of costs for renovations       Oshelters still needs to raise $1.5 million to have the ability to continue to help save the lives of hundreds of animals each year. In 1999, the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MCSPCA) decided it would no longer euthanize adoptable animals. More ... Matawan may lease court space elsewhere Council considers $221K estimate for mandated upgrades too high BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer       MATAWAN - It will cost approximately $221,000 to complete the statemandated upgrades to the courtroom at the community municipal center, a figure borough officials are unwilling to pay. On Oct. More ... Redevelopment among top issues in Keyport Pair of Republicans hope to break Democrats' full control of council BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer       KEYPORT - Election day is right around the corner and the campaigns in Keyport are heating up. This year the big issues include redevelopment designations, the future of Aeromarine, and the ongoing debate over what to do with the waterfront. More ... Councilman troubled by report's disappearance Group commissioned study on revitalization of Matawan's downtown BY KAREN E. BOWES Staff Writer       MATAWAN - Although completed back in February, a pricey study concerning ways to revitalize downtown Matawan was never delivered to the majority of the Borough Council. On Oct. More ... Mayor: Towns can lead fight vs. climate change Middletown enlists help of Stockton professor on twp.'s Green Initiative BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer       MIDDLETOWN - Al Gore would have been proud. Mayor Gerard Scharfenberger hosted the National Conversation on Climate Control at the Middletown Arts Center on Thursday, using the occasion to discuss his Green Initiative for the township. More ... Grant finances underage drinking enforcement BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer       MIDDLETOWN - Teenagers, beware. The Middletown Police Department has just received an $8,000 grant from the state to enforce underage drinking laws. The Cops in Shops program has been cracking down on the purchase and consumption of alcoholic beverages by people under the age of 21, and recently... More ... Library exhibit focuses on changes at Jersey Shore       MANALAPAN - When historians consider the Jersey Shore in Monmouth County, they tend to think first about the 1870s and 1880s. That's when the Jersey Shore, along with Newport, R.I., and Saratoga, N.Y., became one of the most popular vacation destinations on the eastern seaboard, due in part to t... More ... Sgt. named employee of year       MIDDLETOWN - Sgt. Richard Deickmann has been named Middletown's Employee of the Year for his successful negotiating with a man who was contemplating suicide in his driveway with a shotgun. On May 1, Middletown received a 911 call that a 60-year-old man was sitting in a vehicle in his own drivewa... More ... Ex-officer hurt at gun range       MIDDLETOWN - A man taking part in a routine qualification exercise with the Retired Officers Association at a township firing range accidentally fired a bullet in his own leg. G. Kevin Calogera, 54, was holstering his weapon on Friday when he accidentally left his finger inside the trigger guard... More ... Contract awarded for new lighting at Oakshades Park       ABERDEEN - The Township Council has awarded a contract for the replacement of sports lighting at Oakshades Park's Fireman's Field. The contract was awarded to Quality Electric, of West Keansburg, following the submission of bids from four New Jersey companies, with Quality Electric submitting th... More ... OMG, MCAC finds a gr8 way 2 K.I.T. w/teens Arts council uses new media to connect teens with the arts BY KATHY HALL Correspondent       Anyone who spends time around teenagers "cn c" that they communicate differently from the rest of us. More ... Wheel-a-thon, memorial walk Oct. 20 at Brookdale       MIDDLETOWN - The first Ryan Bell Memorial Walk and Wheel-A-Thon will be held Oct. 20 at Brookdale Community College, Lincroft. Ryan was a student at the Schroth School of LADACIN Network for seven years, where he received education, therapy, and other services. More ... Middletown lauded for exemplary planning       FREEHOLD - Four separate projects from around the county, including two from Middletown, received awards last week at the 54th Monmouth County Planning Board Awards Dinner. At the dinner, held in Freehold, awards were given to highlight projects that serve as examples of exemplary planning. More ... From the Vault       Michael White, 10, of Matawan, catches some air off a ramp set up on the basketball court at Clinton Street Park in Matawan. The photo appeared in the Aug. 9, 1989, Independent. More ...