ERIC SUCAR staff Aberdeen Township Community Emergency Response Team members Neil Olufsen (l-r) and Ofer Elshten evaluate the condition of Joe Fox, posing as an injured victim, during training exercises held at the Fire Training Grounds in Aberdeen Jan. 12. More photos, page 7 More ... Advocate for disabled loses human rights post Schwebel says ADA lawsuit held against her BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer       The Middletown Township Town Hall meeting room was filled with people newly appointed to volunteer positions on Jan. 6, but that's not why Carolyn Schwebel was in attendance. More ... Bilbao in line for Mid'town schools chief Board and interim super in contract negotiations BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer       Karen Bilbao may soon be able to take a word out of her position title, and that word is "interim." Bilbao, 55, has been the interim superintendent for theMiddletown School District since Feb. 16, 2006, and on Jan. 7 of this year was offered the position of superintendent by the Board of Educatio... More ... Adopt a Pet       Adoption fees: Adult dogs - $100; puppies up to 4 months - $140; adult cats - $60, or two for $90; kittens up to 4 months - $120; purebred adult dogs and cats - $150; purebred puppies and kittens - $180 (All fees include: spay/neuter, ear cleaning, nail clippers, More ... Holmdel reaches out to U.S. troops in Iraq Township, schools keep letters, packages arriving overseas BY ERIN O. STATTEL Correspondent       HOLMDEL - Members of Alpha Company, 1st Battalion Special Troops Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, serving with the U.S. Army in Iraq, have found friends in the township. Holmdel Township and the Holmdel Board of Education have adopted Alpha Company in an effort to support fellow Americans who ar... More ... Merla serving time at prison camp - in khakis       Forget the grim prison movies with prisoners cooped up behind bars in cellblocks crammed with convicts suited up in drab uniforms. For today's convicted felons like former Keyport mayor John J. Merla, prison has taken on a whole new look. More ... Doering: State school aid formula skewed District to receive only 2 percent more in state aid BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer       MIDDLETOWN - Middletown School DistrictBusinessAdministratorWilliamDoering feels like he is standing on a soapbox when it comes to discussing the state school aid formula. Doering said that theMiddletown School District could stand to lose more than $12 million under the new school funding formu... More ... CERT-ified volunteers      PHOTOS BY ERIC SUCAR staff Top to bottom: The Aberdeen Community Emergency Response Team graduated its fourth class on Saturday, Jan. 12, after final training exercises. CERT volunteers Neil Olufsen (l-r), Ofer Elshten and Mike Flatley discuss the best way to enter a building. Team members carry "in... More ... $564K federal grant will fund 180's programs BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer       HAZLET - The nonprofit 180 Turning Lives Around now has 564,000 more ways to help end domestic violence and sexual assault in the community. More ... Annual King breakfast Jan. 21       On the morning of Jan. 21, local residents and friends of the YMCA will join together in celebration of the life ofDr.Martin Luther King Jr. Hosted annually by The Community YMCA, Red Bank, and the YMCA of WesternMonmouth County, Freehold Township, the 19th annual Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. More ... Blessing of Navesink waters begins centennial St. Nicholas Church to host 100th anniversary kickoff Jan. 19       RED BANK- On Jan. 19, the small 98- year-old Russian Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas on Pearl Streetwill have the honor of hosting the first event inaugurating the city's centennial celebrations. According to the old-style Julian calendar, on Jan. 19 the Orthodox world will celebrate the feast of... More ... Congressmen secure funds to advance rail line study       The U.S. House of Representatives passed funding for the Monmouth, Ocean, Middlesex (MOM) passenger rail line onDec. 19, said Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Congressman Jim Saxton (R-NJ), who had worked throughout the year to have the money included in the 2008 federal budget. More ... A walk in the park spoiled by hunting Resident: Hunting closes parkland to recreational use BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer       MIDDLETOWN - Joy Gamache was simply taking a walk through Tatum Park when she saw sign after sign stating "Deer Hunting: Area Closed". "I had tried to go for a walk in Tatum Park over the holiday; that is when I found that my favorite section of the park would be closed for most of the winter," ... More ... Approval sought for 19-home development Planning Board hearing carried to March 5 BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer       MIDDLETOWN - An hour of testimony and questioning about an application to construct 19 single-family homes on a tract off Chapel Hill Road was sidetracked last week by a discussion on cluster housing. The application seeks preliminary and final major subdivision approval to create 19 residential... More ... Libraries launch historic archival resource Joint project puts Red Bank Register archive online       MIDDLETOWN - With the application of the latest digital technology, and the efforts of many individuals, users of the information superhighway will be able to view online the entire archive of the Middletown/Red Bank community newspaper The Red Bank Register, which published from 1871 through 199... More ...      ALEX TOWLE Strong winds knocked down a tree branch that cut a power line, sparking a fire in the dry leaves along a road in Holmdel. More ... Monmouth Museum exhibitions and events       The new year at the Monmouth Museum opens with "Dorn's Classic Images," which runs through Feb. 3. The exhibit showcases vintage historical photographs from the Dorn photo archive, curated by Kathy Dorn Severini. The Monmouth County Arts Council's 29th annual Juried Exhibition and Sale will take ... More ... Jersey Syndicate hopes to follow initial success First year gives band, audiences good feelings as group gets rolling BY AMY ROSEN Staff Writer       Mike Sasso has always believed that you should never burn bridges because the people you deal with may be able to help you in the future. That has proved to be a good strategy for Sasso and his band mates in The Jersey Syndicate, who had the rare opportunity to open for Twisted Sister in the band'... More ...