DAVID BEALES Amelia Steelman (l) and Emily Ragle perform Piebald's "The King" at the Ocean Township High School's Cacophonous Coffee House on March 12. The event is held twice a year to fund the publication of the school's student arts magazine. More ... Councilwoman calls for boro library to be closed Rau: Residents prefer to use the Monmouth County Library BY DANIEL HOWLEY Staff Writer       Acouncilwoman is proposing that the Eatontown Public Library on Broad Street be closed permanently to create additional space for borough employees. More ... Bilski to appeal guilty verdict in sex abuse case Ocean Twp. resident Clement Bilski faces 1,940-year prison term BY DANIEL HOWLEY Staff Writer       An attorney said he plans to appeal the recent jury verdict that found an Ocean Township handyman guilty on 143 counts of sexual abuse to a young girl. Clement Bilski was convicted on March 12 by a 12-member jury in Superior Court in Freehold and faces 1,940 years behind bars if the maximum penal... More ... Boro to go out to bid for Husky Brook park Park to be constructed on 10-acre site on Grant Avenue BY DANIEL HOWLEY Staff Writer       EATONTOWN - Construction on the first phase of a new borough park at a Grant Avenue site is expected to start as early as this summer. The estimated $825,000 Husky Brook Park project will be constructed on a 10-acre site and will include amultipurpose field, playground, covered pavilion, bathroo... More ... In tune      DAVID BEALES Kristina Wotton (l) and Denny Zane perform Bon Jovi's "Who Says You Can't Go Home" at the Ocean Township High School's Cacophonous Coffee House event on March 12. More ... Police hunt for suspects in fatal boro shooting       EATONTOWN - Borough police are searching for suspects in the shooting death of a man in his Route 35 apartment last week. Police found Nathaniel LouisWiggins, 23, shot and bleeding on the floor in his second-floor apartment on March 11, according to police reports. More ... Conservation group offers scholarships       The Freehold Soil Conservation District has announced it will award three $2,000 scholarships in the summer of 2008. More ... Council pulls measure to reopen Ocean Ave. Unger: Some facts of case should be revealed to public for input BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer       LONG BRANCH - The City Council removed a resolution from last week's agenda that called for reopening a section of old Ocean Avenue north. More ... NAACP: Resident must say 'sorry' for racial slur Calling councilman an 'Uncle Tom' has 'polarized' the city BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer       LONG BRANCH- Community leaders are asking that city resident Vincent Lepore apologize after calling Councilman David Brown an "Uncle Tom" at a council meeting last month. Lorenzo W. More ... Cty. 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 ... Attempted murder charge in shootings Charges could draw sentence of up to 120 years BY MELISSA KARSH Staff Writer       RED BANK - The 19-year-old male arrested for allegedly shooting two men in the borough has been charged with attempted murder, according to the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office. Anthony J. Sims, of Eatontown, was apprehended by Highlands police Feb. 2. He had been evading capture since the No... More ... RSVP by March 20 for wine, tequila tasting       Jewish Federation of Monmouth County will sponsor a wine and tequila tasting March 27 from 7:30-9:30 p.m. at the Ruth Hyman Jewish Community Center, 100 Grant Ave., Deal. The event will include a wine pairing seminar, and tips and history from wine experts. There will also be various cheeses, cra... More ... Kids have eggs-elent time      CHRIS KELLY staff Oakhurst's Shannon Flannigan tries to introduce Dean, 5, and Craig, 3, to the Easter Bunny at a breakfast event at the Oakhurst Fire House on March 9. More ... Alcohol awareness session at MU April 29       Prevention First and the Underage Drinking Coalition of Monmouth County will sponsor an alcohol awareness session April 29 from 7-8:30 p.m. during Alcohol Awareness Month. The free event is open to the public and will be at Monmouth University, Magill Commons, 400 Cedar Ave., West Long Branch. More ... Flotilla to offer boating course in April, May       Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 2-3, Fort Monmouth, Eatontown, will hold America's boating courseApril 5,May 3 or May 17 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Boat operators born in 1949 or later must have a N.J. More ... Red Cross urges renters to consider fire safety       Fires that occur inmulti-unit apartment buildings and high-rise units are especially injurious and cause more damage than all other structure fires, according to the National Fire Protection Association. To compound the issue, renters are often confused about whose responsibility it is to install ... More ... City agrees to build ramp at Matilda Terrace Cost of constructing ramp on the oceanfront not to exceed $130,000 BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer       LONG BRANCH - The city has agreed to construct an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant ramp at Matilda Terrace to better public access along the oceanfront. The city entered into an agreement last week with 81-year-old Ocean Boulevard resident Austin Gelzer that calls for the cost of ... More ... Police charge 14 with underage drinking       OCEAN TOWNSHIP - Township police are charging 14 partygoers with underage drinking after receiving a report of a loud party at a Springhouse Road residence. At approximately 1:16 a.m. on March 9, police received complaints of loud noise coming from a party at a home in a residential neighborhood... More ... Italian-American Assoc. plans July trip to Italy       The Italian-American Association of Monmouth County is sponsoring a 10-day trip to Italy July 21. The cost of the trip includes airfare, hotel, two meals per day and all entrance fees. All are welcome to attend. For more information or for reservations, call (732) 972-5651. More ... Rosebud gala deemed a success       LADACIN Network held its 27th annual Rosebud Gala Dinner Dance, a "Celebration of Joy," on March 8 at the Sheraton Eatontown Hotel. The gala raised nearly $184,000 to benefit the 2,500 infants, children and adults with developmental and multiple physical disabilities that LADACIN Network serves in... More ... In the Service       United States Marine Corps Pvt. Dino K. Houlis, recently completed 12 weeks of basic training at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island, S.C. He is the son of Joann Mendez of Long Branch. Army Pvt. Jose A. Medina has graduated from Basic Combat training at Fort Sill, Lawton, Okla. He is a ... More ... Beyond: Visions of Planetary Landscapes       View the planets in a Smithsonian Traveling Exhibition at the Monmouth Museum through May 4. "Beyond: Visions of Planetary Landscapes" paints a rarely seen and mesmerizing portrait of our solar system's planets and their moons. More ... NOTES AROUND TOWN       The Monmouth Beach PTA, in coordination with the Jersey Shore Running Club, is hosting its 14th annual three-mile run onMay 10 at 9 a.m. The run is inmemory ShanaWasserman, who died in December 2006 at the age of 19 of bacterial meningitis. More ...