ERIC SUCAR staff Two Union soldiers take some time for drumming exercises during a Civil War re-enactment at the Havens Homestead Museum grounds off Herbertsville Road on Saturday. For story, see page 3. More ... Council puts freeze on Ice Palace referendum Final cost of improvements would be 'staggering,' mayor says BY PATRICIA A. MILLER Staff Writer       No way.That sums up the reaction of GOP Brick Township Council members to Mayor Daniel J. Kelly's request for a November ballot question on the $5.4 million purchase of the Ocean Ice Palace property on Chambers Bridge Road. "We're talking about a facility that right now, yeah, it ne... More ... Wiesel to speak in Lakewood       LAKEWOOD - Georgian Court University, the Strand Theater and the Jewish Federation of Ocean County will present "Against Indifference," an afternoon with Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel on Nov. 4 at 1:30 p.m. at the Strand Theater. More ... OceanFirst Bank launches calendar contest       Representatives of OceanFirst Bank are kicking off the 2008 annual calendar contest and are looking for photographers to submit original photographs to be displayed in the 2008 community calendar. More than 11,500 calendars are distributed among OceanFirst customers and the genera... More ... New stores will join Raceway Mall lineup       Renovation is inspiring new retail locations at the Freehold Raceway Mall, Route 9, Freehold Township. From Abercrombie & Fitch's newest concept to the latest fashion eyewear, six new stores have signed on to join the more than 200 retailers that comprise the Freeway Raceway Mall this fall, i... More ... Civil War never ends for these Union soldiers BY PATRICIA A. MILLER Staff Writer       BRICK TOWNSHIP - The cool winds that blew through the fields and woods of the Havens Homestead were a welcome change for the Union soldiers who set up camp last Friday night. They had spent much of that day before the cold front swept in wiping off sweat, a byproduct of wearing wool ... More ... Brick to stay with current electrical firm BY PATRICIA A. MILLER Staff Writer       BRICK TOWNSHIP - - A contractor whose business went bankrupt because of problems with the state Schools Construction Corp. can't bid on any Brick projects for the next two years. Richard Janson, Little Egg Harbor, asked Township Council members at the Aug. More ... Keeping watch      ERIC SUCAR staff Ethan Passinent, 10, a member of the Brick Boy Scouts Pack 30, joins a re-enactment of a wartime gunfight during an encampment at the Havens Homestead Museum grounds last weekend. More ... An old city is new again History of Jersey City looks at past and today BY KATHY HALL Correspondent       While some view old photographs as mere aids to nostalgia, Monmouth County historian Randall Gabrielan sees them as essential components of his popular local histories. More ... Family histories told in unique biographies Attorney leaves firm after 5 years to start unique creative venture BY LAURA KOSS Correspondent       Matthew Litt has done what many people spend countless hours at their desks daydreaming about. This 29-year-old Manalapan native stopped dreaming and left his career as a Manhattan attorney to start his own business, Bridge Biography. More ... Master Composter training program coming       The Ocean County Master Composter program is now accepting applications for fall 2007 training. The 12-hour training program will be held, subject to demand, at the Ocean County Recycling Center at the county's Northern Recycling Center in Lakewood. More ... DEP revising rule on access to waterfront Proposed regulations would govern private, public properties BY LORI ANNE OLIWA Correspondent       Public fallout continues over new rules proposed by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to regulate public access to New Jersey's waterfront. The new Public Trust Rights Rule will apply to both commercial and residential properties along the Raritan and Sandy Hoo... More ... Residents sound off on Ice Palace purchase BY PATRICIA A. MILLER Staff Writer       BRICK TOWNSHIP - The price isn't right. While most Township Council members think the Ocean Ice Palace is too good a deal to pass up, some residents have their doubts. And they let council members know it at the Aug. 7 council meeting. More ... Walter C. Allen family donates research library       The Allen family of Brick has donated their father, Walter C. Allen's, complete library of materials to the Fletcher Henderson Museum. Walter C. Allen was a jazz historian at the Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C., and was considered an expert on the career of Fletcher Henderson. H... More ...