CHRIS KELLY staff Shelly Rahmey, Brooklyn, N.Y., and Camille Greenberg, Long Branch, enjoy a morning stroll on the boardwalk in Long Branch Aug. 28. More ... Steelman School sale requires zone change Group would use building as private girls H.S. BY AMANDA BELING Correspondent       The pending sale of the Fred G. Steelman School will require amending Eatontown's master plan to permit its use as a private school and has highlighted its historical significance. The Borough Council approved a motion to introduce an amended zoning ordinance 23-2007 at the council meeting Aug. ... More ... Dept. of Ed. says city schools making progress Some middle & high school students fail to meet NCLB goals BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer       Two Long Branch schools failed to meet the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) benchmarks this year, but a spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Education (DOE) said the city's schools are making progress. The DOE released its annual NCLB Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) report Aug. More ... Ocean Twp. completes acquisition of golf course Grant funds sought for $4.5M purchase of Colonial Terrace BY LORI ANNE OLIWA Correspondent       OCEAN TOWNSHIP - - The Ocean Township Council announced Aug. 15 that purchase of the Colonial Terrace Golf Course had been completed. "My fellow council members and I are extremely proud to have been part of the preservation of this significant open space parcel," stated Mayor William F. Larkin. More ...      CHRIS KELLY staff A runner and his shadow stride on the West End boardwalk in Long Branch on a sunny Aug. 24 morning. More ... FanFest will lead up to Breeders' Cup Events seek to involve community in race festivities BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer       OCEANPORT - - As Monmouth Park Racetrack is readied to host one of the world's top thoroughbred races this fall, the Borough of Oceanport is gearing up for a week's worth of local festivities to support the big event. More ... New high school building awaits start of school year Circa 1926 building will house special needs students BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer       LONG BRANCH - The new state-ofthe art $70 million Long Branch High School building will open for students this September at its new Indiana Avenue location. The new building was constructed on a 47-acre campus that now encompasses both the high school and middle school, according to Superintend... More ... Holt advocates equal pay for equal work House passes bill that counters recent Supreme Court ruling BY LORI ANNE OLIWA Correspondent       U.S. Rep. Rush Holt, D-12, a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor, recently expressed his support for women in the workplace by his sponsorship of H.R. 2831, the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007. The House of Representatives passed the bill July 31 by a vote of 225-199. More ... Driving back the hands of time      PHOTOS BY TINA COLELLA The Rumson Country Club provided a pastoral background for the Monmouth Coaching Invitational Aug. 24. Antique coaches, teams of magnificent horses, whips, grooms and elegantly dressed passengers converged on the Rumson and Navesink areas from all points for the three-day even... More ... Driving back the hands of time 19th-century coaches support 21st-century land conservation BY JANE MEGGITT Staff Writer       Was it 2007 or 1907? The lower field of Aulde House on Cooper Road in Middletown was filled with late-model automobiles on Aug. 25, but anyone gazing at the upper field that night would have witnessed a scene from the early years of the last century. More ... L.B. jazz fest takes place Sept. 1       LONG BRANCH - The 2007 Long Branch Jazz & Blues Festival (formerly known as Beachfest) will take place Saturday, Sept. 1, from 1-10 p.m. on the Great Lawn/Promenade. More ... Walk/run to benefit brain tumor research       OCEANPORT - - The Second Annual "Kortney's Challenge" 2-mile fun run and walk will be held at Blackberry Bay Park in Oceanport Sept. 8. Pre-registration check-in and sameday registration starts at 2 p.m. with the race to follow at 3 p.m. Rain date is Sept. 9. More ... NOTES       Thomas Bistocchi, of Ocean Township, was recently named a member of the board of commissioners of The Middle States Association Commission on Secondary Schools. Bistocchi currently serves as superintendent of schools for Union County vocational-technical schools. More ... Nathan Fishman       The Long Branch Public Library honored Nathan Fishman in a surprise reception at the Elberon Branch Library on July 26. In attendance was Mayor Adam Schneider, who presented Fishman with a City Council proclamation declaring July 26 as Nathan Fishman Day in Long Branch. More ... Walk for Long Branch Day       The city of Long Branch, in collaboration with the Broadway Arts Center is sponsoring "Walk A Mile for Long Branch" as part of the annual Long Branch Day festivities. The event will be held Sept. 8 beginning at 10 a.m. in Jerry Morgan Park on Liberty Street. Proceeds will benefit the city's recrea... More ... Boro man sentenced for robbery       MONMOUTH BEACH - A borough man was sentenced to 120 months in prison Aug. 21 for robbing a Monmouth County bank of $8,050 on Aug. 29, 2006. U.S. District Judge Freda L. Wolfson also ordered Martin N. Racioppi, 42, to pay $1,360 in restitution (the amount of stolen money not recovered) and to ser... More ... Residents oppose 24/7 super Wawa Planning Board hearing continues Oct. 8 at 7:30 p.m. BY AMANDA BELING Staff Writer       EATONTOWN - At the borough Planning Board meeting Aug. 27, residents voiced their opposition to the proposed 24- hour Wawa convenience store and gas station proposed for the site of the Eatontown Roller Rink on Route 35. More ... Former Ocean Twp. mayor gets 58-month prison term       NEWARK - Terrance D. Weldon, former mayor of Ocean Township and the city manager for Asbury Park, was sentenced Aug. 27 to 58 months in federal prison for extorting more than $60,000 in cash bribes from three developers between 1998 and 2001, U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Christie announced. More ...