Families honor couple's memory, one year later Parents support bill, start scholarship fund in memory of victims BY MARY ANNE ROSS Correspondent       Expressions of affection usually found in high school yearbooks are scrawled across two crosses that mark the East Brunswick site where Jon Mustafa, 18, and Lesley Carness, 16, died on April 8, 2007: "We had amazing times," "Best friends always," "Love you forever," "I'll never forget you. More ... Spotswood land spared from 12 planned homes County doles out $2.4M for purchase of nearly 5 acres BY VINCENT TODARO Staff Writer       Spotswood has received its first open space grant from Middlesex County, and it's a big one, at $2.4 million. The grant will be used to purchase a nearly 5-acre property near the corner of Old Stage Road and New Brunswick Avenue that is slated to be developed with 12 homes. A builder, Zigga Homes... More ... Hole-in-one      PHOTOS BY JEFF GRANIT staff Left to right: At hole 15 on theminiature golf course,Mike Cann helps daughter Danielle, 4, with her putt. Curtis Holick, 7, gets a close look at the Crime Scene Hole, one of 18 set up in the social hall at St. Paul's Church in Milltown for a fundraising event April 4. Th... More ... Council trashes plan for privatizing service Hundreds of residents turn out to oppose garbage proposal BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer       South River officials scrapped a plan to privatize the borough's garbage service after several hundred residents voiced their opposition to it Monday. Residents packed into the high school auditorium after word spread about a proposal to have Central Jersey Waste & Recycling Inc. More ... E.B. schools wins appeal in Borden case       Editor's note: Ruling was made on deadline for this issue. For full coverage, see next week's edition of the Sentinel. EAST BRUNSWICK - An appeals court ruled Tuesday in favor of the school district's policy that prohibits football coach Marcus Borden from participating in prayer with stude... More ... Court rules in bank's favor on Forney House BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer       MILLTOWN- A Superior Court judge's decision has brought Valley National Bank one step closer to replacing the historic Forney House with a bank branch. A group trying to save the structure is saying the fight is not over, however. More ... Helmetta's Lake Ave. to get $200K makeover BY BRIAN DONAHUE Staff Writer       HELMETTA- The borough will receive $185,000 from the state to help fund the reconstruction of Lake Avenue. Potholes, cracks and uneven surface pavement make for unsafe driving conditions on the road, according to a project description provided by borough engineer Terry Vogt, of Remington, Vernick... More ... Jamesburg native wins Emmy for work on TV Jennifer Emens can be heard nightly on numerous shows BY VINCENT TODARO Staff Writer       JAMESBURG - Those who don't know Jennifer Emens, a borough native, probably know her voice. Emens, who now lives in Brooklyn, does voiceover work that can be heard nightly on New York City TV, Channel 25, which is available throughout New Jersey, Connecticut and New York. And she does it well, a... More ... Officials scrutinize budget with nearly $300 tax hike State aid, other revenues down in '08 municipal tab BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer       MILLTOWN - Borough officials are working to make additional cuts to a proposed budget that would hit the average taxpayer up for close to an additional $300 this year. "We're going over that budget line by line by line by line, seeing where we can cut it," Mayor Gloria Bradford said. "We'reworki... More ... Comedy club event set to benefit E. Bruns. man, 18       EAST BRUNSWICK - A series of fundraisers to help Tommie Lukowski, an 18-year-old township resident recovering from cancer treatments, will begin with an April 27 comedy show at the Stress Factory in New Brunswick. Those interested in obtaining more information about the fundraising events should... More ... Special-needs school gets lesson in matzah baking       EAST BRUNSWICK - While many youngsters enjoy a good pizza pie, young adults from central New Jersey's specialneeds program, Jacob'sHands, got together to bake a very different kind of pie: a handbaked, round matzah pie. More ... Newspaper group takes home 30 awards in NJPA contest       Greater Media Newspapers received 30 awards from the New Jersey Press Association for excellence in writing, photography and advertising in the NJPA's Better Newspaper Contest for 2007. More ... Survey to gather info on Jewish population Demographic study to help groups address social service needs BY MARY ANNE ROSS Correspondent       Alocal group that supports Jewish humanitarian needs is hoping to garner more information about the area's Jewish population through a telephone survey commencing this June. More ... Museum improvements stress interactivity, community Plans for Menlo Park Museum expansion presented to residents BY CHRIS GAETANO Staff Writer       Plans for a vast expansion to theMenlo Park Museum in Edison, which is dedicated to the life and work of famed inventor and township namesake Thomas Alva Edison, were introduced to the public during anApril 3 meeting at the municipal building. More ... Annual Sgt. Pat's 5K Run      CHRIS KELLY staff Rob Ballon, of South River, participates in the 19th annual Sgt. Pat's 5K Run recently on the Long Branch oceanfront in Monmouth County. The event pays tribute to the memory of slain Long Branch Police Sgt. Patrick King. More ... Officials review variety of areas in $64M budget BY VINCENT TODARO Staff Writer       EAST BRUNSWICK - Township officials continue to mull over this year's municipal budget, assessing everything from the township's new commuter facility to its swimming pool. Council members continued asking questions at aMarch 31 budget workshop, the second of three that have been planned since M... More ... Martial arts family helps police with free training Certified instructors offer quarterly seminars at Black Belt academies BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer       A local family is using its knowledge of martial arts to give back to the police who protect their communities. The McInerney family opened its first martial arts school in the Parlin section of Sayreville about 20 years ago and has since expanded McInerney's ATA Black Belt Academy to include two... More ...