The city council at its meeting last week approved amendments to the municipal budget prompted by changes in state aid numbers. After the amendments, the budget bears a 3.6-percent tax levy increase, city manager Terence Reidy [above] said, which translates to an increase of 11.5 cents per $100 of assessed property valuation. The average household […]

Chief financial officer Juan Uribe resigned after Wednesday night’s council meeting, according to city manager Terence Reidy. Reidy said Uribe handed him his letter of resignation at that time, with an effective date of August 16. City treasurer Christine Paulin will serve as acting CFO until a replacement is found, Reidy said. Uribe “didn’t elaborate […]

A sit-down between leaders of the gay and Methodist communities in Ocean Grove caught the attention of the New York Times today. In an A section story by Chadwick Moore entitled “In Methodist stronghold, a dialogue on gay rights”, the Times reported on how these two groups — at odds over same-sex marriage and the […]

Workers are installing new street lights on Cookman Avenue as part of a streetscape program designed to better link the waterfront and downtown business district. The streetscape project started in the spring. Waterfront redeveloper Asbury Partners is paying for the improvements, with the goal of making this barren stretch of Cookman more pedestrian-friendly. Installing the […]

Mayor Ed Johnson announced this morning that he will not seek reelection for another four-year term in next year’s May council election. “Just as Asbury Park has embarked on a new era, so must I,” Johnson said in a statement posted on his website. “It is time for me to take pause from my civic […]

Downtown Asbury restaurants took a hit for a second consecutive night on Saturday as the Bamboozle music festival chased business away. The peak dinner hour around 8:00 p.m. was just like the night before, with some dining rooms close to empty, and others almost half-full at best. Normally, a Saturday night in May with clear […]

The second day of the Bamboozle music festival is set to open at 2:00 p.m. today, with estimates for attendance double last night’s crowd. According to Asbury Park city manager Terry Reidy, approximately 23,000 were on hand Friday. That exceeded the projections of Bamboozle promoter LiveNation which predicted 20,000. LiveNation predicts 40,000 today in Asbury […]

After declaring the case closed, city police have reopened their investigation into the theft of 27 antique copper panels that once hung on the side of Convention Hall, according to a report in the Coaster newspaper. The panels — which had been removed for maintenance work on the building — were reported stolen on Aug. […]

In one week, downtown Asbury Park will have a new attraction whose aim is to draw people who appreciate locally-grown produce and homemade products. A farmer’s market called “Asbury Fresh Saturday Market” will debut on Saturday, May 5 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Kennedy Park on Cookman Avenue. The market will be open […]

The Arthur Pryor band shell above the Sunset Avenue pavilion has been stripped down to its steel shell, as the wood on the structure was rotting and becoming a safety hazard, according to officials of the city and boardwalk redeveloper Madison Marquette. Asbury Park director of planning and redevelopment Donald Sammet, who confirmed that the […]