Central Jersey Blood Center, Shrewsbury, has announced the following local blood drive: + Feb. 19 from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Monmouth Medical Center, 300 Second Ave., Long Branch. The donation process takes about an hour. Donors must also complete a medical history interview and have a mini-physical (temperature, iron, pulse and blood pressure screening). More...

Each February, Americans celebrate and observe matters of the heart in many ways, including with chocolate, cards, roses and St. Valentine's Day. For the American Heart Association, February is American Heart Month, a time to educate Americans about other matters of the heart. More...

Watching President George W. Bush on television last week reminded me of the story we learned in Bible class about Daniel and the Lions' Den. I'm kind of working from memory here, but as I recall, Daniel was a high-level bureaucrat in the administration of King Darius the Mede, who had just taken over in Babylon. More...

Allen Chapel's 'Letters … to the ancestors' to be presented Feb. 4 BY LINDA DeNICOLA Staff Writer Letter writing really is a dying art, and that's too bad because letters can be revealing in what they convey of personal feelings and the life and times of the letter writer. More...

Viola T. Basilice Fantasia Mrs. Fantasia, 82, of Hazlet, died Jan. 17, 2007, at Bayshore Health Care, Holmdel. Born in Hoboken, she resided in Jersey City prior to relocating to Bethany Towers, Hazlet. She was a homemaker, and a factory worker at various area factories. She was predeceased by her husband, Albert K. Fantasia in 1993; and eight siblings. More...

PHOTOS BY CHRIS KELLY staff Clockwise from left: Ryan Davis, a student at Long Branch High School, fills out a college application on a computer, while his mother, Shireen Davis, and Karen Archambault, of Brookdale Community College, look over financial aid forms during College Goal Sunday held Jan. 28 at the high school. More...

Take a look at the top high school wrestling programs in the state and you'll notice that they all have at least one thing in common: strong feeder programs. More...