Scarpelli replacement expected after new year GOP council president wants time to interview Dem candidates BY PATRICIA A. MILLER Staff Writer       Council President Anthony Matthews wants to keep the selection process for a new mayor as nonpartisan as possible. So Matthews, a Republican, has proposed a subcommittee of him and Councilwomen Ruthanne Scaturro and Kathy Russell to interview the three people whose names were submit... More ...       Justine Magnusson, 18, Brick, loads a Christmas tree into the wrapper for a customer who visited the Herbertsville Fire Company’s open house on Saturday. More ... Police look for witnesses to pedestrian’s death The ‘coupon king’ is mourned by many vets BY PATRICIA A. MILLER Staff Writer       An elderly Shore Acres man was killed recently when he was struck by a car while trying to cross Hooper Avenue near the Kennedy Mall, police said. William H. Reeves, 77, died at Ocean Medical Center, Brick, from head injuries a little more than an hour after the Dec. 13 accident, po... More ... Attorneys spar over Havens Cove project Planning Board has concerns over flooding issues BY PATRICIA A. MILLER Staff Writer       The land in back of Lynn Wittman’s home on Cumberland Drive is far removed from the strip malls and traffic-choked highways just a few miles away on Brick Boulevard. Wittman’s view is woods and wetlands. A vernal pond in the middle is ringed by holly, swamp maples, sweetgum and oak ... More ... Scarpelli’s name never mentioned at meeting BY PATRICIA A. MILLER Staff Writer       BRICK TOWNSHIP — Township Council President Anthony Matthews had a simple request for residents who attended a recent council meeting. Don’t talk about Joe Scarpelli. He made the comments shortly after Township Clerk Virginia Lampman was sworn in as acting mayor at the beginning... More ... Downtown traffic eases, thanks to new bridge BY PATRICIA A. MILLER Staff Writer       TOMS RIVER — It’s been over a week since the major traffic pattern changes went into effect downtown. And Ocean County Engineer Ronald A. Lotrecchio is a happy man. “I think things are going better than I expected,” he said. “We were expecting a 20 percent improvement. But I see very ... More ... Say cheese       Brick Township’s Kyle Lucas, 6, Jake Lucas, 2, and Santa are seen through a camera’s viewfinder as they pose for a picture at the Herbertsville Fire Company’s open house last Saturday. More ... Surplus law hurts school district, officials say BY DANIELLE MEDINA Correspondent       BRICK TOWNSHIP — The school district has one-tenth of the surplus it had a year ago, according to a recent audit of the 2005-06 budget. It’s a number that school officials aren’t happy about. “I’m resigned to the fact that we’re at 2 percent,” Superintendent Thomas L. Seidenberg... More ... Sparky and friend       Abbey Christensen, 5, Brick, gives Sparky the Fire Dog a big hug at the Herbertsville Fire Company’s open house on Saturday. More ... T.R. woman injured in crash with police car       BRICK TOWNSHIP — A Toms River woman suffered multiple injuries when her Harley-Davidson motorcycle collided with a Brick Township police car Sunday, according to police reports. Gale E. Maynard, 61, was traveling west on Winding River Road near Herbertsville Road when the accident happe... More ...