Twp. teachers rally at schools for contract School employees to negotiate cost of health-care premiums BY DANIEL HOWLEY Staff Writer       Teachers of the Ocean Township school district held rallies outside several schools last week after working for several months without a contract in place. A rally was held outside the Ocean Township High School prior to the start of the school day, and rallies were held outside the elementary sc... More ... Boro plans celebrations for 100-year anniversary Centennial events to kick off on Jan. 1 at reorganization meeting BY DANIEL HOWLEY Staff Writer       With the start of a new year comes time to reflect on memories of years past, and this year the borough of West Long Branch will be looking back on milestones and events of the past 100 years. On Jan. 1, West Long Branch will begin a yearlong centennial celebration to commemorate its incorporatio... More ... Planning Bd. revises preservation ordinance Council to discuss measure to save historic structures and sites BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer       LONG BRANCH - The City Planning Board has made changes to a proposed measure aimed to preserve historic structures and sites in the town. The revised historic preservation ordinance is expected to appear before the City Council next month for final consideration, according to Carl Turner, assist... More ... Program for at-risk new moms comes to city VNACJ opens Healthy Families program at Broadway location BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer       LONG BRANCH - The Visiting Nurse Association of Central Jersey (VNACJ) has begun operating one of its programs out of a Long Branch building in order to cater to atrisk first-time moms in the area. Healthy Families was started by the VNACJ in the 1980s, but it is "brand new" to Long Branch, Maur... More ... Council members say farewell to borough Three GOP members to be sworn in to office at Jan. 1 meeting BY DANIEL HOWLEY Staff Writer       EATONTOWN - Mayor Gerald Tarantolo and the council honored borough officials and police officers at the Dec. 19 council meeting. Last week marked the last council meeting for council President Theodore F. Lewis and Councilwoman Joyce Englehart whose successors will take office on Jan. 1. More ... City man suspected of selling imitation clothes A 66-year-old Long Branch resident faces up to 10 years in jail       LONG BRANCH - A Long Branch man is being charged with selling counterfeit clothing out of a Fourth Avenue business. On Dec. 13, members of the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, the New Jersey State Police and the Long Branch Police Department arrested Melvin Stanger, 66, on a complaint chargi... More ... Three men suspected of drug crimes       LONG BRANCH - Two Long Branch men and a Neptune man are facing several drug charges after an investigation by the Long Branch Police Department's Street Crimes Unit. More ... Long Branch groups bring food to needy       The Long Branch Public Schools and the Long Branch Rotary Club partnered during the holiday season to help the less fortunate in the community. Over the Thanksgiving holiday, the group distributed 328 baskets to families in need, and on Dec. 21 they were expected to distribute another 375 baskets... More ... Exxon Mobil to seek LNG facility off Jersey coast COA opposes offshore gas terminal BY MELISSA KARSH Staff Writer       SEA BRIGHT - After Exxon Mobil Corp. announced plans to seek regulatory approval for a floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal off the coast of New Jersey Dec. 11, state officials and local activists are speaking out against the plan. More ...      First-graders at Yeshiva at the Jersey Shore in Deal Park receive their first siddurs, or Hebrew prayer books, at a special ceremony at the Axelrod Performing Arts Center. More ... SICA calls for photos for book, exhibit       The Shore Institute of the Contemporary Arts in Long Branch is announcing a two-part call to artists for photographic submissions for two projects. The first is a planned publication titled "Roadside Sculptures and Topiary Delights [as created by the Utility Companies]. More ... Bridging the gap between the haves and have-nots Church outreach brings food, clothing and comfort to homeless BY LINDA DeNICOLA Correspondent       Robert Frost, in one of his poems, said, "Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in." Home is supposed to be a safe haven, but for some unfortunate people, home is just a word. They are homeless. More ...