Week in News: Lawsuit Quells Tradition of Peanuts in Bar

Barnacle Bill's Tradition: Is it 'Peanuts'?

Rumson- For decades, the comforting crunch of peanut shells underfoot, a table with a riverfront view and a standing appetizer of mindless shelling, munching and good company is what many people in the Rumson-Fair Haven area have counted on from Barnacle Bill’s.

Going through those auto-pilot motions of walking in to a place where old friends meet, scooping up those peanuts, cracking and catching up is something that has been known to soothe the local soul like hot chicken soup on a cold day.

Read more on Rumson-Fair Haven Patch.

Hulafrog: By Moms, for Moms

Red Bank- In an unassuming office space above a newsstand advertising tobacco and lottery tickets, an internet empire takes form.

The concept was formed when Kerry Bowbliss and Sherry Lombardi, both mothers to two young children and neighbors living just three blocks away from each other, separately envisioned an online space for women like them. What they needed, and what they couldn’t find, they said, was a place for parents to find local events, activities, listings and reviews.

Read more on Red Bank Patch.

Assemblyman Kean Wants To Kill Red Light Program

Brick- Assemblyman Sean Kean wants to kill the Red Light Camera Program and has requested to sign on to a bill that would do just that, along with another that would significantly alter the program that has installed cameras at some traffic lights throughout the state designed to nab red-light runners.

The bill, sponsored by fellow Republican Declan O’Scanlon, is in the Transportation, Public Works and Independent Authorities Committee. It has not yet had a hearing.

Read more on Brick Patch.

Little Silver Artist Loses Job and Thrives

Little Silver- For Carol Bruno of Little Silver, everything happens for a reason.

For 30 years, she worked alongside a dentist focusing on the patient in the chair until "out-of-the-blue," she was told that her services as a dental assistant were no longer needed 18 months ago.

"That was very traumatic," Bruno recalled, perched on a stool around her tiled kitchen island on a recent afternoon. "It took a long time to get over it," she said, adding that ultimately she made the decision to move on for good.

Read more on Little Silver Patch.

Anti-Obama Store Owner Says He's Not a Racist

Spring Lake- The Skuby & Co. clothing store in Spring Lake Wednesday morning was humming. 

Bill Skuby, the store's owner who made regional fame Tuesday for a controversial window display featuring President Barack Obama portrayed as a witch doctor, was answering the phone, which rang every minute or two, with a warning to callers that he'd be happy to talk so long as they were friendly. 

Skuby said he opened shop that morning with dozens of messages — some supportive, others somewhat profane — on the store's answering machine because of a politically-charged Halloween display some have accused of being racist. 

Read more on Manasquan-Belmar Patch.

Ex-Hazlet Transportation Manager Charged With Stealing $229K From School District

Hazlet - A former employee of the Hazlet Township and Piscataway School Districts was arrested yesterday by the state police, and charged with stealing approximately $565,772 from both districts. 

According to police, former Transportation Manager/Supervisor Michelle Pumilia, 39, of Union Beach authorized payments to fictitious bus companies for transportation services that were never provided to the districts, Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa said. 

Read more in the Holmdel-Hazlet Patch. 

Trinity Hall All-Girls School Is Considering Middletown Site

At its first public event in Lincroft, the founders of the all-girls school Trinity Hall announced they are engaged in discussions with Middletown officials about potentially opening their school on a site within the township in fall 2013.

The founders made the announcement before 150 people at an International Day of the Girl event held Thursday night at Christian Brothers Academy.

On the advice of the school's attorney, Gmelich said she could not reveal the exact location of the Middletown site, because negotiations are ongoing.

Read more in the Middletown-NJ Patch

Somerset Development Signs Contract for Alcatel-Lucent Property in Holmdel

Somerset Development has entered into a contract with Alcatel-Lucent to purchase the 473-acre Crawfords Corner Road property in Holmdel for an undisclosed price, Mayor Patrick Impreveduto said Wednesday night. The closing date is Dec. 31.

Somerset will develop the property in accordance with the township's Redevelopment Plan adopted in May if the deal is sealed. 

Read more in the Holmdel-Hazlet Patch