ERIC SUCAR staff Karen Sulzmann (l-r), Nick Marinello, Susan Marinello and Michael Ellis walk through the halls of the pediatric wing at Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch Dec. 13 singing Christmas carols. More ... Wawa application will be carried into new year Plans for 24/7 convenience store and gas station to be heard in Feb. BY DANIEL HOWLEY Staff Writer       Testimony on the 24-hour Wawa and gas station proposed at the former site of the Eatontown Roller Rink on Route 35 will continue in the new year. Monday night marked the sixth Planning Board meeting held this year on the application and a seventh meeting has been scheduled in February. More ... County sheriff-elect steps down from boro post Borough officials to appoint new member within next 30 days BY DANIEL HOWLEY Staff Writer       MONMOUTH BEACH - A tearful farewell to the borough she served marked Commissioner Kimberly Guadagno's final Borough Commission meeting before being sworn in as Monmouth County's first female sheriff. "I'm not going to cry," said Guadagno fighting back tears as she thanked her fellow borough offi... More ... Outstanding community leaders recognized       Bette Ivory, volunteer for Lunch Break in Red Bank, is among the community leaders who will be honored by The Brookdale Community College Foundation. Ivory will receive the Community Service Award, as one of the exceptional Jersey Shore community leaders feted at the Friday, March 14, annual Wilb... More ... Five members, attorney retire from zoning board Borough Council to appoint new zoning members Jan. 1 BY DANIEL HOWLEY Staff Writer       WEST LONG BRANCH - Five members of the borough's Zoning Board, as well as the board attorney, announced that they will be stepping down from their posts at the end of the year. More ...      ALEX TOWLE Gabrielle Amoretti, 4, of Howell, gets a hug from Santa while her 11-month-old brother, John, sits on Mrs. Claus' lap at the Italian American Memorial Association's "Breakfast with Santa" event Dec. 16. More ... City plans to build a ramp on the oceanfront Senior citizen asks city to comply with ADA for beach access BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer       LONG BRANCH - City officials are working with a concerned resident on plans to construct a ramp along the oceanfront to bring Long Branch into compliance with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). More ... Boro to pay $250K for mobile home upgrades At least 100 units at Pine Tree to be considered affordable housing BY DANIEL HOWLEY Staff Writer       EATONTOWN - The Borough Council was expected to vote on a measure last night that if approved, will support a preservation project at the Pine Tree Mobile Home Park. A resolution was planned to appear on the Dec. 19 council agenda that calls for the borough to commit $250,000 for upgrades at the... More ... Kay retires from authority       John Kay, a Monmouth County Improvement Authority (MCIA) commissioner since 1993, has retired from that position. Kay served as the MCIA chairman for 10 years, relinquishing that role to current Chairman Al Rosenthal last year, according to a press release from the authority. More ...      The Ocean Township Pop Warner Junior Pee Wee team finished this season by clinching the A North Division and Shore Conference, winning the title of A North Division and Shore Conference Champions. The team was undefeated in the regular season and made it to the regional playoffs, where they lost the... More ... Artist's creations will fill Beatles hotel Howell resident known worldwide for works of Fab Four BY AMY ROSEN Staff Writer       When the Beatles came to America in 1964, they rocked our world, literally. To this day Beatlemania is still running rampant across the country. With the 40th anniversary of the release of the Beatles' "Sgt. More ... Man points gun at Applebee's employee Police looking for a man suspected of assaulting a woman in Ocean Twp. BY DANIEL HOWLEY Staff Writer       OCEAN TOWNSHIP - Police are searching for the man responsible for pointing a gun at an Ocean Township Applebee's Restaurant employee and then assaulting a woman in the business' parking lot this month. Police received a report of a man with a gun outside of the Applebee's Restaurant on Route 66 ... More ...      ERIC SUCAR staff Laurie Wooley (l-r) Susan Marinello, Sue Rinaldi and Michael Ellis sing Christmas carols as they walk the halls of Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch Dec. 13. More ...