The city of Long Branch unlawfully ceded its power of eminent domain to a private developer, according to a brief filed by attorneys representing a group of Long Branch homeowners. That is one of the challenges being made in an appeal of a court ruling that gave the city the right to condemn the homes in an oceanfront neighborhood for a private redevelopment project. More...

LONG BRANCH - - As runners gather at the Long Branch shore Sunday to take on the challenge of the Long Branch Marathon, one man will be running the race for another reason - to celebrate his life. Tim Ragan, 32, of Manasquan, is living with brain cancer and since being diagnosed with a brain tumor almost four years ago, he has embraced running as a way to cope with the illness. More...

Local mayors helped prepare a meal for mothers and children living at Spring House, a transitional home in Eatontown, April 19. Top to bottom: April Ellis, (l-r) Nekida Duncan and Eatontown Mayor Gerald Tarantolo follow a recipe for an entree they are preparing at Suzanne's Kitchen in Eatontown, a make-and-take culinary kitchen that has formed a fund-raising partnership with Spring House. Tarantolo and Ellis measure ingredients for the meal. Holmdel Mayor Serena DiMaso watches as her kitchen partners mix ingredients for the meal at the kick-off benefit for Spring House. More...