City seeks $220K for Broadway UEZ Jones: Funds would be used to market, attract business BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer       LONG BRANCH - - The City Council has asked the state Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) board to authorize funds for a business development project in the downtown Broadway area. The council approved resolution 21-07 at the Jan. 23 municipal meeting to adopt the local UEZ project aimed at... More ... Siperstein's opens at new location       LONG BRANCH - Siperstein's Paint & Decorating Center is open for business at its new location at 700 Route 36 in the former site of Brunswick Lanes. Siperstein's in Long Branch has been operating at its downtown location on Broadway for more than four decades and has relocated to make... More ... Seashore Day Camp & School to offer new theater camp       This summer, Seashore Day Camp & School in Long Branch will give children interested in the performing arts a chance to spend summer days "On Broadway." Seashore will offer a specialty camp called "On Broadway" in its new theater, which happens to be on Broadway in Long Branch. More ... Boro swears in new officer       The West Long Branch Police Department sworn in its 21st police officer Jan. 17 Borough Council meeting. Brian C. Burton, 22, of Colts Neck, began his police career as a Class II Special Law Enforcement Officer in June of 2005 for the Borough of Belmar. More ... 'Give Kids a Smile Day'       LONG BRANCH - Monmouth Medical Center's Dental Residency Program hosted "Give Kids a Smile Day" for the third year at the Monmouth Family Health Center Dental Center. The program provides free dental care to underserved children. Dental center residents, staff and faculty provided fre... More ... Auction will benefit Michael's Feat BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer       WEST LONG BRANCH - The Student Government Association of Monmouth University is hosting its sixth annual charity auction Feb. 13 at 7:30 p.m. in Anacon Hall. All proceeds from the auction will benefit the Michael Gerard Puharic Memorial Foundation, also known as Michael's Feat. More ... A lifetime of friends rally around injured resident Friends and family of Carl Lawson will host fundraiser March 3 BY LAYLI WHYTE Staff Writer       EATONTOWN - Following a catastrophic accident in the life of one of the borough's hometown sons, the community is rallying to the aid of Carl Lawson and his family. Lawson, 44, suffered a spinal cord injury last September while riding his mountain bike with a friend in Allaire Stat... More ... Notes       The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Children's Festival was held Jan. 30 at the Rebecca Stafford Student Center at Monmouth University in West Long Branch. The Children's Festival coordinates with area schools to have local children visit the campus and learn about the legacy of Dr. Ki... More ... ANF seeks to serve community       The Long Branch-based All Neighbors Foundation (ANF) nonprofit organization held its first meeting on Jan. 17 at the Brookdale Community College Learning Center on Broadway. Director and founder Marco Diaz said ANF was created in March 2004 under its original name, "Children Are Our Fut... More ... Holy Trinity hosts dinner for needy       LONG BRANCH - The St. Vincent de Paul Society of Holy Trinity Church, Exchange Place in Long Branch, will host a Christmas in February Feast on Feb. 18 at 1 p.m. in the Parish Hall. The dinner, held with the assistance of St. Benedict's Church of Holmdel, is free to all families and in... More ... Court to DEP- how much beach? Judge rejects beach clubs' motion to dismiss access suit BY LIZ SHEEHAN Correspondent       SEA BRIGHT - - A judge has ordered the state Department of Environmental (DEP) Protection to provide more information to the nine Sea Bright beach clubs it is suing to force them to provide more public access to their beaches. More ... Family Friends program helps special-needs kids       The Epilepsy Foundation of New Jersey (EFNJ) will implement Family Friends, a service program established in 1984 by the National Council on the Aging (NCOA). The Family Friends program will supplement and expand the services of EFN's former program known as Helping Hands. More ... Coastal study unveiled to local stakeholders County study divides region into four subgroups BY LAYLI WHYTE Staff Writer       WEST LONG BRANCH - A planning study divides the Monmouth County's Coastal Region into four sub-regions and focuses on the commonalities among those subregions, according to the project's supervising planner, Joseph Barris. More ... Oceanport opposes bill to end RCAs Chaump: Bill would undermine affordable housing BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer       The Oceanport Borough Council is opposing a proposed reform that would end the practice of municipalities transferring their fair share housing obligations to towns outside their towns' borders. At the Jan. 25 meeting, the council unanimously adopted a resolution opposing a bill int... More ... Man found critically injured in city Prosecutor, police investigate cause of WLB man's injuries BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer       LONG BRANCH - The Mon-mouth County Prosecutor's Office is investigating the circumstances that left a West Long Branch man in critical condition on Chelsea Avenue last week. On Feb. 2, at approximately 4:11 a.m., Long Branch police received a report that a man was injured and lyi... More ... Resident: Access to beaches is inadequate Cites lack of access points for seniors, those with disabilities BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer       LONG BRANCH - Redevelopment of the city oceanfront has not brought improved access to beaches for people with disabilities and the elderly, according to a resident. At the Jan. More ... Polar-icing      CHRIS KELLY staff SueAnn Ng, Old Bridge, reacts to the frigid waters, while Pennsylvanian Sarrin Goldman wades into the ocean during the first annual Long Branch Polar Plunge Feb. 3. More ... City's ratable base more than doubles Average assessment jumps to $469K from $248K BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer       A county-ordered reassessment of all taxable properties in Long Branch has resulted in a doubling of the city's ratable base, according to the city tax assessor. The reassessment concluded at the end of January, according to Tax Assessor William Fitzpatrick, who said it was carried ... More ...