Olivia Liu

1 week ago | app.com | Olivia Liu

ENGLISHJTOWN -- Two hours into a town hall meeting here, a man took out his phone, hands shaking, and began filming. "Are you aware that he's committed welfare fraud?" the man asked Englishtown Mayor Daniel Francisco, referring to the borough's newest councilman, John Alite, whose mob past has drawn an unusual amount of attention to this small western Monmouth County town. "He's started a new life!" a resident shouted back. "We don't want to hear any of this!" another resident declared.

1 week ago | app.com | Olivia Liu

Three-minute readGretchen McCarthy, a former Englishtown municipal clerk, was fired after refusing to complete a background check that she considered invasive. McCarthy claims she was fired for being a whistleblower, citing instances where she questioned police department practices. The police chief, Peter Cooke Jr., was paid on unpaid leave after he was charged with conspiracy to commit shoplifting and computer theft.

2 weeks ago | yahoo.com | Olivia Liu

NJ Transit is replacing the broken escalators at the Hamilton train station, one of which has been out since September 2021, an inert symbol of a chronic problem brought to light by a recent Asbury Park Press investigation. The escalators are expected to start working late spring or early summer in 2026, according to a news release from NJ Transit. That timeline is six months earlier than expected, according to notices that were posted at the train station.

2 weeks ago | app.com | Olivia Liu

Four-minute readRed Bank's planning board postponed a vote on a redevelopment plan for the NJ Transit parking lot. The plan proposes up to 400 apartments, with 20% designated as affordable units, along with commercial space. Residents and business owners debated the plan, citing concerns about rising rents, competition with existing businesses, and the town's character.

2 weeks ago | app.com | Olivia Liu

Holmdel reached an agreement with the Fair Share Housing Center to provide 106 affordable housing units over the next decade. Forty-eight of the affordable units will be included in a senior housing development planned for the former Vonage building. The senior housing project will include for-sale units, cottage units, assisted living facilities and rental units.