CHRIS KELLY staff Members of the St. John Vianney girls basketball team celebrate their NJSIAA Girls Non-Public A State Championship, after defeating Morris Catholic High School at the Ritacco Center, Toms River, on March 8. More ... Dems: Party poised to take majority on freeholder bd. Mason and Mallet will run in primary for two open seats BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer       After over 20 years of Republican domination of the Board of Chosen Freeholders, Monmouth County Democrats think their time has come. Glenn Mason and Amy Mallet were selected as the Democratic nominees to run for the two open seats on the five-member Freeholder board in the June primary. More ... Matawan will turn out lights for Earth Hour Worldwidemovement March 29 demonstrates energy conservation BY ERIN O. STATTEL Staff Writer       On March 29, Matawan residents will find themselves in the dark, but for a good cause. By a resolution of the Borough Council approved at the March 3 meeting, the borough will be a participant in the World Wildlife Fund's Earth Hour. More ... DPW head to fill in as manager       ABERDEEN - Public Works Director James Lauro has been named interimtownship manager. Lauro will serve as manager while the township searches for a replacement for former manager Stuart Brown. "I am just filling in until they can find someone," said Lauro, who has been an employee of Aberdeen To... More ... Hazlet sets public forum on zoning for March 19 Committee will air issues involved in rezoning tract BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer       HAZLET - Residents looking for answers regarding the controversial rezoning of a property on Poole Avenue can expect to get them on March 19. At the Township Committee's March 4 meeting, Mayor James DiNardo announced that a special meeting would be held at 7 p.m. More ... Middletown gives update on new COAH rules BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer       MIDDLETOWN - On March 6, the Township Committee and the Planning Board held a joint meeting at the Middletown Arts Center to discuss the township's affordable housing issues. Township Planner Anthony Mercantante and special Mount Laurel counsel Jeffrey Surenian spoke about the revised affordable... More ... Tailgating ban set for acts that draw younger crowd Public forum set for March 18 on underage drinking at arts center BY ERIN O. STATTEL Staff Writer       HOLMDEL- Consumption of alcohol while tailgating at the PNC Bank Arts Center will be limited to older crowds during this summer's concert series. According to Joe Orlando, spokesman for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, which owns and operates the PNC Bank Arts Center, tailgating will be comple... More ... Planner seeks solutions to Wawa traffic issues Mercantante looks at methods to calm traffic near site BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer       MIDDLETOWN - Township Planner Anthony Mercantante is looking for ways to alleviate traffic congestion in the area of a proposed Wawa on Route 35. Mercantante's search for solutions was initiated by the Township Committee, which referred residents' objections to the proposedWawa gas station to th... More ... Boro to repeat selection process BY ERIN O. STATTEL Staff Writer       MATAWAN - Members of the Borough Council will be sifting through a new pile of proposals from professionals who want to provide services to the borough. The council will be reviewing the most recent proposals because a resolution, approved at the Borough Council meeting Feb. 19, rejected the pre... More ... New softball field contract awarded BY ERIN O. STATTEL Staff Writer       MATAWAN - The Borough Council passed a resolution awarding a contract to build a girls softball field by a 5-1 vote at the March 4 Borough Council meeting. Antuofermo Landscaping of Old Bridge was awarded the contract to build the softball field that will be located adjacent to the existing base... More ... Swedish pancakes, culture on lodge breakfast menu       TINTON FALLS - Swedish pancakes with lingonberries (Swedish cranberries) and whipped cream will be some of the traditional fare served for breakfast at an open house hosted by the Dalahast Lodge on Saturday, April 12, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. More ... Hearing continues on Chapel Hill development Attny. says planners' request for cluster housing not consistent BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer       MIDDLETOWN - Two months ago the Planning Board told attorney John Giunco, representing the developer of a tract on Chapel Hill Road, to come back with ideas involving cluster housing on the site. Two months later on March 5, Giunco, along with civil engineer Brian Decina, brought three concepts ... More ... $25M available for home heating       U.S.Health andHuman Services Secretary Mike Leavitt announced the release of $25,251,481 to help eligible low-income homeowners and renters in New Jersey meet home energy costs. The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program(LIHEAP) fundswill provide states, territories, tribal areas and the Distr... More ... Committee split over sewer project Fink argues project has negative impact on the environment BY ERIN O. STATTEL Staff Writer       HOLMDEL - The debate surrounding the Country Woods sewer project continued at the March 6 Township Committee meeting. At the Feb. 21 meeting, the committee voted to authorize interim Township Administrator Joseph Annecharico to prepare a bond ordinance for the proposed $4.1 million sewer install... More ... Loyal following makes band the people's choice Freehold resident Jim Garcia brings fun to Nerds shows BY AMY ROSEN Staff Writer       Jim Garcia seems like a typical family man living in Freehold Township. But onAug. 15, 1985, something happened that changed his life. Ever since that day, whenever he goes to work he becomes - a Nerd! And his family couldn't be prouder. More ... Day of art at Dearborn Farms April 5       Dearborn Farms in Holmdel will host "A Day of Art" in the retail greenhouse on Saturday, April 5, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Enjoy strolling though beautiful displays of spring blooms while watching artists at work. All proceeds from the sale of art go directly to the artists. More ... Chorus to hold scholarship auditions       The Monmouth Civic Chorus will hold its annual vocal scholarship auditions for New Jersey high school seniors planning to pursue higher education. Auditions will be held by appointment on Saturday afternoon, April 12, at the United Methodist Church, 247 Broad St., Red Bank. More ... Beyond: Visions of Planetary Landscapes       View the planets in a Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition at the Monmouth Museum through May 4. "Beyond: Visions of Planetary Landscapes" paints a rarely seen and mesmerizing portrait of our solar system's planets and their moons. More ... The Boss at the Basie: Let the bidding begin       So you had a dream that you got into a bidding war for a pair of tickets to a Bruce Springsteen concert. The guy you were bidding against kept upping the ante, but you weren't about to be outdone and you finally trumped him and snared the elusive tickets. What if you weren't dreaming, would you bi... More ... Artists look at impacts of sprawl       The Shore Institute of the Contemporary Arts (SICA) in Long Branch is hosting an exhibition titled "Sprawling" through April 4.T h e show highlights artists whose work investigates the changes that occur on the social, political, economic, ecological and geographic levels when a populated area st... More ... Blithely spring forward!       Long ago and far away, almost every living room in our little Bavarian town had a plant called "Zimmer Linde." These Abutilon hybrids, a hibiscus relative, are nowundergoing a renaissance in the garden.Newbreeding has thembursting out all over. Heat- and humidity-tolerant, they add a newdimension... More ...