ERIC SUCAR staff Hopefuls Kerilyn Acer ( l-r) and Michelle Budzyna, both Middletown, practice a dance routine prior to auditioning for roles in Disney's "High School Musical" at Phoenix Productions' rehearsal studio in Red Bank May 5. More ... O'port council fails to agree on budget Stalled by dissent over position of boro administrator BY CHRISTINE VARNO Staff Writer       The Oceanport Borough Council failed for a second time to approve the 2007 municipal spending plan at a special meeting held last week. At the May 3 meeting a motion was made by Councilwoman Ellynn Kahle to adopt an amended budget resolution that reflected reductions from the origin... More ... Panter: Military housing plans pose security issues Tinton Falls sees impact on school district BY LINDA DENICOLA Staff Writer       Mix together economics, housing, children and their education, and you get one combustible mess. Add a terrorism bust in New Jersey focused on a military facility, and boom! … clarity. According to Assemblyman Michael Panter (D-12), the terrorism plot disclosed earlier this w... More ... Planning Board almost done with master plan Hearing on housing plan component May 9 BY LINDA DeNICOLA Staff Writer       TINTON FALLS - The last piece in the master plan process before the Planning Board is about to fall into place. A public hearing on the housing plan element of the master plan was to be held May 9. According to Joel Davies, Planning Board chairman, the housing plan element primari... More ... New committee focuses on fort infrastructure Maclearie: Info will support master planner BY LINDA DeNICOLA Staff Writer       TINTON FALLS - - A 12-member committee has begun the work of analyzing the infrastructure needs of the 1,126-acre Fort Monmouth property. The second meeting of the Infrastructure Advisory Committee of the Fort Monmouth Economic Revitalization Planning Authority (FMERPA) was held Ma... More ...      ERIC SUCAR staff A group of 2007 junior debutantes stand in line prior to performing a dance in front of the large crowd gathered at the Monmouth County Cotillion Committee's 57th Scholarship Ball. More ... Earth Day cleanup      N.J. Community Water Watch held an Earth Day cleanup April 21, when volunteers cleaned areas including an old dumpsite in the Poricy Ravine, Count Basie Park in Red Bank, and dead ends on the west side of Red Bank where the Navesink and Swimming rivers meet. More ... Tinton Falls mayor to ride in annual MS fundraiser       Tinton Falls Mayor Peter Maclearie will once again be riding in the 170-mile "Coast the Coast" bike tour benefiting the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and its Mid-Jersey Chapter. He will be riding as a team with his 17-year-old daughter, Jaqueline, and his neighbors, John and Deidr... More ...      PHOTOSBYERICSUCAR staff Above: A 2007 debutante presents herself with a deep curtsy while her escort watches at the Monmouth County Cotillion Committee's 57th Scholarship Ball held at Convention Hall in Asbury Park on May 5. Below: The debutantes perform a dance at the Cotillion. More ...      Choreographer Kelly Gemellaro (far right) shows a group of kids from area towns the dance routine they need to learn to audition for Disney's 'High School Musical' at the Phoenix Rehearsal Studio in Red Bank, May 5. More than 200 children and young adults showed up for the auditions. More ... Notes       Red Bank Elks Lodge 233, 40 W. Front St., will host a Mother's Day Breakfast Sunday, May 13, from 8.30 a.m. to 1 p.m., featuring "Butch's Attic" flea market. Admission is $8, children under 10 free. Proceeds benefit Elks programs for children with disabilities. More ... Cabinet takes budget on the road to Red Bank Menna invites state officials back for summer forum BY SARAH KLEPNER Staff Writer       RED BANK - - Gov. Jon Corzine's cabinet gathered here last week to answer questions from the public about the state budget. Red Bank Mayor Pasquale Menna, in a nod to the late journalist David Halberstram, called the officials the "Best and the Brightest. More ...      SARAHKLEPNER Red Bank Mayor Pat Menna and N.J. Treasurer Bradley Abelow speak at the state budget meeting in Red Bank recently. More ... New Jersey OKs lower summer speed limit 35 mph limit on main stretch May-September BY LIZ SHEEHAN Correspondent       SEA BRIGHT - The borough has received permission from the state Department of Transportation (DOT) to drop the speed limit from 40 mph to 35 mph from May 15 to Sept. 15 on portions of Route 36, the state-owned highway that runs along the oceanfront and is known locally as Ocean Avenue. More ... Celebrating sculpture       Veruska Cantelli of the Human Kinetic Movement Dance troupe performs a slow-moving dance on the Pier Village boardwalk in Long Branch May 5 as part of a citywide sculpture event, "Sculptoure," presented by the Shore Institute of the Contemporary Arts. More ... Zoning Board, residents query RBC expansion Congestion, green space, enrollment are concerns BY SARAH KLEPNER Staff Writer       RED BANK - - Traffic concerns continue to be at the forefront of discussion about Red Bank Catholic High School's proposed student center. RBC's attorney, Martin McGann, presented an overview of the plan and explained the layout of the building at a meeting of the Red Bank Zoning B... More ... Zoning Board denies Westside Ave. project Scaled-down plan fails to gain board approval       RED BANK - Despite being downsized, a residential development proposed for the borough's west side failed to gain the approval of the Zoning Board of Adjustment last week. The Zoning Board held its final public hearing May 3 regarding the proposed project on West Westside Avenue, wh... More ... Controversy over tree ordinance to be aired Walrath announces resignation from Borough Council BY LIZ SHEEHAN Correspondent       FAIR HAVEN - Residents will have a chance to express their opinions about a controversial ordinance that would regulate tree removal on their properties at the Borough Council meeting June 11 when a public hearing on the ordinance will be held. More ... So much brush, so little time BY LINDA DeNICOLA Staff Writer       TINTON FALLS - Driving around Tinton Falls, it is hard to miss areas where there are still branches, twigs and brush on the sides of the road. Council President Brendan Tobin said that he has received several inquires on the need for brush pickup in the borough and the perception th... More ... Boro averts 1.8-cent tax increase Council offsets increase by tapping surplus BY LINDA DeNICOLA Staff Writer       TINTON FALLS - Last week the Borough Council introduced an amended budget that will use a small portion of the surplus to offset a proposed tax increase. The council voted unanimously to hold taxes at a figure close to the 2006 rate. More ...