Littletown Day      ERIC SUCAR staff Students pull rickshaws as they enact life in a small town in Japan during Littletown Day at Oak Hill Academy in Lincroft March 12. More photos, page 30. More ... 40 yrs. later: A young girl's murder is news Zarinsky denies guilt at court arraignment BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer       Feelings of anger, hatred and memories of a lost loved one took control of a courtroom in Freehold last week, replacing feelings of anticipation and frustration as the hourlong wait for convicted murderer Robert Zarinsky to arrive ended. More ... Self-defense 101: Women learn how to stay safe Detectives preach awareness, teach attack strategies BY ERIN O. STATTEL Staff Writer       ABERDEEN - Area women participating in a recent self-defense class walked away with not only major moves, but with lifelong guidance from two veteran police detectives. More ... Swimming River Road closed for utility work       As ofMarch 10, sections of Swimming River Road in Middletown and Route 520 in Marlboro have been closed to traffic from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, asNew JerseyNatural Gas (NJNG) is installing 20-inch transmission mains. More ... County to hold hearing on missed revaluation BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer       MIDDLETOWN - The Monmouth County Tax Board is considering whether to take disciplinary action against the township tax assessor for missing the deadline for submitting data from a property revaluation. According to county TaxAdministrator Matthew S. Clark, the hearing will take place on April 9 ... More ... Holmdel BOE budget up $2.1M Spending plan calls for 4-cent increase over last year BY ERIN O. STATTEL Staff Writer       HOLMDEL- The Board of Education has approved a $50,051,557 budget for 2008-09, an increase of $2.1 million over last year's budget. The board approved the budget at the March 12 meeting. There will be a public hearing on the budget March 26 at 8 p.m. in the library at the Satz School. More ... Mat-Ab OKs $63.3M BOE budget School budget up 3.9 percent over 2007-08 plan BY ERIN O. STATTEL Staff Writer       ABERDEEN - The Matawan-Aberdeen Regional Board of Education unanimously adopted a $63,356,016 2008-09 school budget at the special meeting March 4. The budget represents an increase of 3.9 percent from last year. The district spending plan calls for a tax levy of $46,805,204, up 2 percent from l... More ... Middletown officials take gov't on the road Park, flooding issues aired at community forum BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer       MIDDLETOWN - Any issue, no matter how big or small, was open for discussion at the first of four neighborhood meetings held at Fairview Elementary School on March 13. More ... 2 sentenced for armed robbery BY ERIN O. STATTEL Staff Writer       MATAWAN- Twomen convicted of the armed robbery of the Sun National Bank on Main Street and two other banks were recently sentenced to federal prison. According to U.S.Attorney Christopher Christie, on Feb. More ... District officials aim to build support for budget Lowest increase in decade proposed after two years of defeat BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer       HAZLET - The district's proposed school budget increase is the lowest in nine years and school officials are telling anybody who will listen. "We came here tonight to speak to the people that we do not speak to at every Board of Education meeting," Hazlet School District SuperintendentWilliam O.... More ... Roadwork will mean detours for drivers BY ERIN O. STATTEL Staff Writer       HOLMDEL - Drivers will experience some detours due to road improvements and alterations currently under way around the access points to the Garden State Parkway. Monmouth County Engineer Joseph Ettore and his staffwere present at theMarch 6 Township Committee meeting to outline the ongoing roadw... More ... 2 indicted on theft charges BY ERIN O. STATTEL Staff Writer       MATAWAN- Alocal man has been indicted on multiple counts of theft by deception, identity theft, deceptive business practices and defrauding secured creditors, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office. Salvatore Rivello, 56, ofMatawan, and Michael Kouvaras, 55, of Maplewood, were indic... More ... Ambulance, auto involved in crash       HOLMDEL -- Bethany Road was closed off on March 13 for approximately an hour and a half while a motor vehicle accident was being investigated. At approximately 7 p.m., Holmdel Township police were dispatched to a motor vehicle accident at the intersection of Bethany Road and Old Manor Road invol... More ... Crash leads to arrest       ABERDEEN- Township police arrested aCliffwoodBeachman after he allegedly fled the scene of a motor vehicle accident on Route 35. According to police, on March 12 at approximately 3:15 p.m. More ... 180 Turning Lives Around realigns focus Amanda's Easel, safe home to expand; help line to go statewide BY JAMIE ROMM Staff Writer       HAZLET - 180 Turning Lives Around announced recently that itwill expand some programs, including its teen telephone help line and acclaimed art therapy program, to better meet the needs of the community. More ... Park wins two awards       The Monmouth County Park System received two awards at the New Jersey Recreation and ParksAssociation (NJRPA) annual meeting March 4 in Atlantic City. More ... Award winners in EyeSights       Local fine art photographers dominate the list of award winners at Eye- Sights 2008, the fifth annual open juried photography show currently on exhibit at the Guild of CreativeArt in Shrewsbury. Jesse Craft, Red Bank, won Best in Show with "Frankfurt Bahnhof," an image taken at a train station in... More ... 38th annual Monmouth Festival of the Arts       The 38th annualMonmouth Festival of the Arts, New Jersey's largest art invitational, will take placeApril 5-9 at Monmouth ReformTemple, 332HanceAve., Tinton Falls. The event will begin with the Artists Gala Reception at 7:30 p.m.April 5- an opportunity tomeet the artists, enjoy a catered cocktail... More ... Shore gardeners score at N.J. Garden & Flower Show       The Garden Club of New Jersey held a standard flower show, "Entertaining All Around the World," as part of the sixth N.J. Flower & Garden Show at the N.J. Convention & Expo Center in Edison. Renee Waite, of Tinton Falls, chaired the event, which ran Feb. 14-17. More ... IN THE ARTS Compiled by Gloria Stravelli Designed by Eileen Russell Gerber       Eatontown Playhouse will hold auditions for "Pride and Prejudice" Thursday, March 20, from 7-10 p.m. The play is adapted from the witty and romantic 1813 novel by Jane Austen. Needed are: three females, five to six males for roles including:Mr. andMrs. More ... Teen Arts Festival March 18, 19       The Monmouth County Arts Council's 2008 Teen Arts Festival is an opportunity for teens ages 13-19 to experience all disciplines of the arts and to participate in workshops, performances, exhibits and critiques. More ... County gang task force sweep nets 40 arrests Prosecutor: Long Branch resident is a known member of the Bloods       FREEHOLD - A Monmouth Countywide investigation into the Bloods street gang resulted in the arrest of 40 individuals, including a resident of Long Branch. On March 4, the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office's Gang Task Force conducted a sweep, targeting reputed gang members and associates involve... More ... NOTES AROUND TOWN       The Aberdeen Policemen's Benevolent Association Local 163 will host a spaghetti dinner at Matawan Regional High School on Friday, April 11, 5-8 p.m. There will also be a gift auction. The dinnerwill benefit the Bayshore Jointure Commission, a school for children on the Autism spectrum. More ... Four locals charged in alleged mortgage scheme       On March 13, detectives from the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office arrested four individuals as a result of an investigation into a mortgage fraud scheme they say cost mortgage lenders over $4 million in bad loans. More ... Police investigate copper thefts from job sites       MIDDLETOWN - The Middletown Township Police Department is investigating four incidents of the theft of copper from two residential job sites in the Belford area of the township, according to a press release from the police department. More ...