January 9, 2015
To the Reader
Our mission is clear – to report the local news that matters as well as news that will entertain, inspire and instruct you. Our pages also show the deep philanthropic commitment of the community.
That’s our sole mission: to be the best source of local news and news of local interest. Period.
An explosion rocked Broad Street in Red Bank this week, forcing the closing of Red Bank Catholic and St. James School and disrupting businesses. We used our website, tworivertimes.com and our news pages to report the story, in a timely manner and then deepen it in our news pages. As promised, beginning Jan. 5, our website and our Facebook Page, Two River Times, are improved to interact with our readers on every platform. You’ve heard us, now we’d like to hear from you in our newspaper and on our website.
Gateway National Park is increasing its fees from $15 to $20 per car. The public hearing attracted only Congressman Frank Pallone and two residents on a chilly, wind-blown evening on Sandy Hook. The increase may not seem substantial, but if you go to the beach alone, that’s a hefty price tag. The Park Service maintains it’s in keeping with other local beaches. But, which beaches? You can park free in Long Branch, Bradley Beach, Avon or Belmar and the daily beach badges are nowhere near that amount.
Should a taxpayer who is already supporting the National Park Service really be spending that much money to simply go to the beach? I doubt it. We’d like to hear your opinion on any platform you choose.
Peter Locasio, a beloved municipal court judge in Atlantic Highlands and Highlands passed away and hundreds of residents came to his wake and funeral to show his family how much the community respected their lost family member.
If you’d like to say anything about him, please write us a letter or drop us a line on our website.
A longstanding treasure, M. Claire French, is retiring as the county clerk, a position she has held for 18 years. Claire founded so many resident assistance programs and made them, not her office, the centric part of her life. Claire has helped so many residents find their critical, but often times difficult to find, records and is known as a helpful and cheerful arm of government – a rare definition these days.
We wish her a fond farewell and hope she continues to play a role in the county she has very much helped define as a place people want to live.
Care to say thanks to Claire? Drop us a letter or a line online.
Please meet Caitlin Brown, our new media manager and reporter. Caitlin comes with a deep expertise in media reporting and her mission is to report on all platforms, including our newspaper pages. That remains the soul of our organization.
As always, I look forward to your invitations to simply hear your ideas.
Let’s have coffee.
Jody Calendar
Executive Editor/Publisher
jcalendar@tworivertimes.com
732-219-5788
