The planning board last night voted to grant Johnny Mac House of Sprits owner John McGillion permission to begin construction on a large-scale project that includes a beer garden, mezzanine structure and a new bar atop the current Bistro Olé restaurant. The vote passed 4-1. Planning board member Robert Feinstein voted no. It was McGillion’s fourth […]

The city’s Charter Study Commission has tentatively approved change-of-government recommendations to submit to Asbury voters on the November ballot. The commission voted last night on the tentative recommendations which will be made into a formal report, according to commissioners Michelle Maguire, Rita Marano and Duanne Small. A final report must be approved by the commission, […]

A 24-year-old Neptune man and a 25-year-old Lakewood man were shot while riding their bikes in Asbury Park early Saturday morning. The incident occurred on the 1500 block of Summerfield Avenue, between DeWitt and Ridge avenues, around 1:30 a.m., according to Captain Anthony Salerno. The Neptune man was shot three times in the leg and […]

Using a free social network designed to get real-life neighbors to connect on the internet, Asbury Park residents have created an online neighborhood through Nextdoor.com. Nextdoor’s mission is “to bring back a sense of community to the neighborhood,” according to Nextdoor.com’s main site. The Asbury site was started with the idea to be able to […]

After 15 years of service to the city of Asbury Park, Ed Johnson will continue his service-oriented work in a new role. The former mayor [above with the late Senator Frank Lautenberg] is now the president and founder of private consulting firm Ed Johnson Asbury Park. “It’s a story that’s been in the making for […]

Porta on Kingsley Street received the highest rating in a New York Times restaurant review appearing in today’s Sunday Metropolitan section. Reviewer Fran Schumer singled out for praise executive chef Grace Crossman [right photo] and head pizzaiola Fredrica Vilardi [top photo at right]. Schumer ate at Porta on both a busy Saturday night and a […]

The building once housing the Fast Lane nightclub is scheduled to be torn down this week. Waterfront redeveloper iStar Financial owns the property, and the company will be conducting the demolition, according to Brian Cheripka, iStar’s vice president for land. Cheripka also confirmed the plan to demolish the structure this week. The building [above at […]

In a landmark decision, the United States Supreme Court last week struck down the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act [DOMA], reversing the federal government’s refusal to recognize same-sex marriages as legal. The ruling opened the door for same-sex couples in “lawful marriages” to receive the same federal benefits as any other married couple, but what […]

From June 26 to July 2 the Asbury Park Police Department made the following arrests: JUNE 26 • A 24-year-old male from Long Branch was arrested and charged with possession of a syringe in the 10 block of Borden Avenue. • A 26-year-old male from Neptune was arrested and charged with possession of controlled dangerous […]

A second hearing date of July 16 has been scheduled to decide if uncounted ballots in the May 14 Asbury Park city council election should be opened. Daniel Harris III, an unsuccessful candidate on the A-Team slate, last month filed a challenge to the election results. His petition seeks to count 332 vote-by-mail [VBM] ballots […]