CHRIS KELLY staff Pete Shutt, Point Pleasant, pulls a live Christmas tree from a netting machine for the Margotta family - Sue, Mary and Anthony - at the Herbertsville Fire Department on Dec. 15. More ... Judge nixes probation, gives Scarpelli jail time Former four-term mayor headed to federal prison next month BY PATRICIA A. MILLER Staff Writer       Former Mayor Joseph C. Scarpelli will be spending the next year and a half in jail starting on Jan. 28. That's the day Scarpelli has to turn himself in to the federal Bureau of Prisons to serve his term on corruption charges at a yet-undetermined federal prison. Until then, he is free on $50,000 ... More ...      CHRIS KELLY staff Pete Schutt, Point Pleasant, trims the base of a live Christmas tree with a chainsaw at the Herbertsville Fire Department's annual Christmas tree sale on Dec. 15. More ... New property values to be on books in fall '08 Upgraded kitchens, bathrooms, pools, water views jack up values BY PATRICIA A. MILLER Staff Writer       BRICK TOWNSHIP - Homeowners and business owners here will get their first look at how much their property values may have changed by next fall. That's when Appraisal Systems Inc. - the company the township hired in 2006 to conduct a revaluation - will post the preliminary new values on the com... More ... Violence and vandalism report has mixed results State requires school districts to keep track of incidents each year BY DANIELLE MEDINA Correspondent       BRICK TOWNSHIP - Violence was up and vandalism was slightly down in Brick schools during the 2006-07 school year, according to a report recently released by the Board of Education. "Of course I would like to see zero incidents, but that would be a perfect world," said Interim Superintendent Meli... More ...      CHRIS KELLY staff Pete Shutt, Point Pleasant, shows Sue (l-r) and Mary Margotta, Brick, a live Christmas tree at the Herbertsville Fire Department on Dec. 15. More ... DeLuca trades Board of Ed. seat for Township Council BY DANIELLE MEDINA Correspondent       BRICK TOWNSHIP - Board of Education Vice President Cynthia McCarthy will become interim president when Brian DeLuca officially resigns next week to take his seat on the Township Council. DeLuca announced at the Dec. 12 board meeting that McCarthy will temporarily take the helm at the board from ... More ... Nydam's sentence date may or may not come off BY PATRICIA A. MILLER Staff Writer       BRICK TOWNSHIP - Former public works director John H. (Jack) Nydam's latest sentencing date is set for Jan. 11 before state Superior Court Judge James A. Citta, sitting in Toms River. But don't count on it coming off. "I just don't know if it will go forward on that date," Assistant County Pros... More ... 'I Am Legend' lives up to its name BY CHRIS GAETANO Movie Critic       Warner Bros. Pictures release Di rected by: Francis Lawrence Starring: Will Smith, Alice Braga, Dash Mihok, Charlie Tahan, Abbey Running time: 110 minutes Classified: R It is fairly safe to say that at this point, the genome has replaced the atom as the ultimate symbol of humanity's collecti... More ... Adopt a Pet       Jersey Shore Animal Shelter 185 Brick Boulevard (732) 920-1600 www.jerseyshoreanimalcenter.org More ...      CHRIS KELLY staff Brick police dispatcher Anne Reuter put in a final day's work on Nov. 30, after 30 years in the police department. More ...