The Independent's top news stories of 2007 1 Some ascended to higher office while others headed for the slammer - the year 2007 offered up a study in contrasts for Bayshore dwellers. Added to the mix were a wily coyote and a wilier monk. There were highs and lows: a dead-heat election, restoration, preservation, all tempered by the double tragedies of the deaths of two young people. A year of contrasts. 1. Did the punishment fit Merla's crime? By the time you read this, John Merla will likely be in jail. The former mayor of Keyport will have begun serving a 22-month sentence in a federal penitentiary. But opinions vary on whether his sentence is enough. Merla was sentenced on Oct. 23, 2007, three years after his arrest for accepting $23,000 in bribes from undercover FBI informants. He admitted to the crime last January and was sentenced in May. "I accept responsibility for what I've done," Merla said, while fighting back tears. In addition to 22 months in a federal prison, Merla is subject to three years' probation and a $20,000 fine. He was scheduled to report to begin his sentence on Jan. 8. (Oct. 31) 2. Judge orders O'Grady to begin sentenceJan. 22 Raymond O'Grady Merla is just about a year behind former Middletown Committeeman Raymond O'Grady, who began serving a 43-month jail sentence last January. O'Grady was convicted in June 2006 on five corruption-related charges as part of the FBI's Operation Bid Rig investigation. The one-time director of the Monmouth County Central Motor Pool was found guilty of accepting at least $8,000 in cash bribes in exchange for official favors through his position in county government. O'Grady's attorney, Kevin Roe, appealed the October 2006 conviction, arguing that O'Grady's trial was unfair because of the suicide attempt of the FBI's star witness. O'Grady lost the appeal and was ordered to begin his sentence on Jan. 22. Anthony Palughi, a former friend of O'Grady's and the former superintendent of the Division of Bridges for Monmouth County, wore a wire for the FBI to record conversations with O'Grady and others. O'Grady was sentenced to 43 months in prison by Judge Martini on Oct. 11, 2006. Palughi pleaded guilty before Judge Martini to soliciting corrupt payments for influencing other public officials in their official capacity and was sentenced Oct. 31 to eight months in federal prison for accepting $12,500 in corrupt payments and for his role in delivering bribes to various other county officials. (Jan. 10) 3. Two dead, dozens arrested at Ozzfest Following the deaths of two people and the arrest of more than 80 others at an Aug. 16 Ozzfest concert, the tap was turned off on alcohol consumption in the parking lot of the PNC Bank Arts Center. Alcohol was banned for tailgaters regardless of age. A crackdown on underage drinking at the 17,500-seat Holmdel venue began after a concert that saw dozens of arrests and more than 10 underage people sent to local hospitals because of alcohol-related illnesses. In the two concerts prior to Ozzfest, nearly 150 people were arrested. State police announced a ban on alcohol at the Holmdel arena parking lots following the Aug. 16 Ozzfest show, where 83 people were charged with various crimes, 59 of which were for underage drinking. Two men, ages 24 and 26, passed out at the concert and later suffered cardiac arrest and died. On Aug. 18, the night after the ban went into effect, 62 arrests were made, 39 of which were for underage drinking, at WKTU's Beatstock event. Later that month, state Sen. Joseph Kyrillos (R-Monmouth/ Middlesex) called on a Senate committee to review operations at the 17,500-seat venue in an effort to make events there more family friendly. (Aug. 22) 4. Authorities remain on the lookout for coyote After a coyote attacked a 20- month-old boy April 6 near Naval Weapons Station Earle in Middletown, township and state officials were looking for the animal's whereabouts. The coyote was spotted off Kings Highway East, near Chapel Hill Road. It wandered into a backyard, where the toddler and other youngsters were playing. "Apparently, the little boy was lagging behind the others in the yard and that's when the coyote tried to drag the little boy," Township Administrator Robert Czech said. "The child resisted, and that's when his 11-year-old uncle chased the coyote away and started screaming at it." Czech reported that the boy did incur some scratches, but was otherwise unharmed. He was treated at Riverview Medical Center, Red Bank, and was released. Since the incident, local and state officials tried their best to capture the animal, but had no success. Czech said the township is trying to ascertain if the attack was linked to about six incidents involving small pets that were attacked in the area of the Earle Naval Weapons Station. A Chihuahua belonging to a Middletown woman was killed by a coyote on May 29 at Kunkel Park, and on May 21 around 8:15 p.m., a coyote attacked a 5- year-old boy playing in a neighbor's yard, causing a wound that required 50 stitches to his head. April 18, May 31 5. Monk or bunk? Middletown Township ordered a self-described Greek Orthodox monk to remove a large front lawn sign declaring his home a monastery. Last June, Archimandrite Ephraem Bertolette, 63, said he received notice from the township June 18 giving him 14 days to remove the sign. Ephraem, who calls his David Court split-level ranch the Greek Orthodox Monastery of St. Barbara, said he was the victim of religious discrimination. According to Township Attorney Bernard Reilly, at issue was a 4-by-6-foot sign. "You can't just put a sign up in a residential neighborhood," Reilly said. "From a zoning point of view, you can't simply convert a house into a monastery or a church. There are zoning requirements before you can declare your house a place of worship." Ephraem maintained it was against his religion to take down the sign, which he called sacred. The sign stated "Residence of the Metropolitan of New Jersey." He also had been fighting for property tax exemption for about four years. "Without getting into all the legal back and forth, the tax assessor's assessment says it does not qualify for a tax exemption," Reilly said. "Basically, you cannot just declare your house a monastery." "We are reviewing the situation," Reilly said in August. "He's gotten himself an attorney, and there's been some discussion about a compromise or a relocation of the sign or a blocking of the sign." (June 20) 6. In wake of tragedy, a show of Pryde Middletown residents gathered at a vigil to reflect on the loss of one of their own in the April 16 shootings at Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, Va. The ceremony honored the life of 2001 Middletown High School North graduate Julia Pryde, one of the 32 people killed in the shootings. A few hundred people turned out for the memorial for Pryde, a 23-year-old graduate student at the university. Among the many speakers who shared their memories of Pryde at the ceremony was Principal Patricia Vari-Cartier, who said: "I knew Julia since she was born, and she was always a wonderful person and one that was always willing to take on a challenge." (April. 25) 7. Crash claims H.S. North student, 16 A 16-year-old Middletown girl died and another was critically injured Oct. 6 after the car they were passengers in went off the road and struck a light stanchion in East Brunswick. Dana Centanni, a resident of the township's Port Monmouth section, was pronounced dead at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, New Brunswick, shortly after the accident, which occurred at 8:20 p.m. Centanni attended Middletown High School North. Lindsay Capatasto, also 16, of the Belford section of Middletown, suffered internal injuries, and was listed in serious condition. The driver of the four-door 2003 Toyota, who lost control of the vehicle, and two other passengers were also hospitalized, but were later discharged. Centanni was in the back seat of the vehicle at the time of the accident, which was one of several involving young drivers. The incidents have led to widespread discussion on how to protect young drivers. (Oct. 10) Mary Aufseeser 8. Special election in Matawan Jan. 15 Paul Buccellato A special mayoral runoff election for Matawan is scheduled for Jan. 15 after a recount by Monmouth County Board of Elections officials resulted in a tie between the two mayoral candidates - Republican Paul Buccellato, a councilman since 2001, and Democratic incumbent Mary Aufseeser, who is currently serving as mayor. Buccellato, who had requested the recount, was awarded one more vote than had been recorded on Election Day. The extra vote came from a provisional ballot, which was completed incorrectly. The voting machine rejected the vote, but recount officials deemed the ballot was valid. The recount verified 947 votes for each candidate. Aufseeser will remain in office until the winner of the special election is declared and certified by the county. (Dec. 12)  Robert Czech 9. Czech named to county's top post Middletown Township Administrator Robert Czech has a new job. At the Monmouth County Board of Chosen Freeholders meeting on Nov. 21, Czech was appointed the new Monmouth County administrator, replacing Louis Paparozzi, who retired on Aug. 1. Czech, 53, was unanimously elected to a three-year term and began his new job on Dec. 3. As county administrator, Czech will oversee an annual operating budget of more than $450 million and the day-to-day operations of county government comprised of 3,500 county employees in more than 60 departments. The Township Committee is seeking an experienced professional to replace him as administrator. (Nov. 28) 10. Peters begins a new full-time job After serving Middletown for 18 years as a mayor, deputy mayor and committeewoman, Rosemarie Peters Rosemarie Peters was sworn in as the new Monmouth County surrogate last January. The county surrogate serves as the custodian of records for estates, wills, guardianships and adoptions. The surrogate's office also hears cases involving disputed estates or incompetency proceedings. Peters, whose term as surrogate runs five years, won the vacant seat in the previous November elections. "I will certainly miss the people I worked with in the township," said Peters. "If at all possible, I will try to be involved any way that I can." (Jan. 10) 11. Paint finally dries on twp. arts center The new Middletown Arts Center was unveiled last March. The 23,000-squarefoot former Banfield Moving and Storage warehouse was converted into the township's first new indoor recreational facility in over 25 years. The township broke ground on the facility in 2002, with the project being completed in two phases. First came various site improvements, including a 9,000-square-foot addition to the 14,000-square-foot warehouse, a new roof, and the exterior facade. The second part was the completion of the building's interior. The arts center also includes a large space suitable for performances, exhibits and other events, a gallery, classrooms and an art studio. (March 7) 12. County awards contract for new visitor center The crown jewel of the Monmouth County Park System, Thompson Park Visitor Center in Middletown, which was destroyed by a fire in February 2006, will begin its rebuilding phase. M&M Construction, Union, submitted the lowest of nine qualified bids to rebuild the 20,000-square-foot, 110-yearold Colonial revival mansion. The Monmouth County Board of Recreation Commissioners awarded a $7.1 million contract Nov. 5 to M&M Construction that will be covered by a November 2006 insurance settlement between the Hartford Fire Insurance Co. and the Board of Chosen Freeholders. The new visitor center will be rebuilt on the original mansion site and will have similar architecture. (Nov. 14) 13. Bell Labs placed on top 10 'most endangered' list The iconic building once home to Bell Labs was listed among the state's top 10 most endangered historic sites last spring. Preservation New Jersey, a nonprofit historic preservation advocacy group, made the announcement May 16 at a press conference in Trenton. Holmdel's famed landmark was built between the years 1959 and 1962, and the six-story research lab is considered valuable because it was designed by world-renowned architect Eero Saarinen. The facility, situated on 472 acres of pastoral landscape, is Saarinen's only New Jersey work. The site of many important scientific breakthroughs, the lab was used in gathering critical evidence in support of the big bang theory of creation of the universe, a finding that earned two Bell Labs radio astronomers the 1979 Nobel Prize in physics. Recently, Lucent Technologies occupied the structure. In March 2006, the property was acquired by Preferred Real Estate Investments, a Pennsylvania-based firm interested in developing the site. (May 31) 14. Officials give F&F preservation an 'A' A ceremony was held in October commemorating the entrance of F&F Nurseries, Crawfords Corner and Roberts roads in Holmdel, into the state's Farmland Preservation Program. Holmdel purchased the 93-acre farm in January 2005 for approximately $7 million. Last fall, the town sold the development rights to Monmouth County to preserve roughly 60 acres of the parcel under the program. F&F Nurseries, a wholesale grower of flowering trees, shade trees, evergreens and shrubs, has operated at the Holmdel site since 1954. (Oct. 24)