The home page for Monmouth County and Ocean County, NJ: breaking and in-depth local news, sports, business, obituaries, multimedia, databases, weather, Jersey Shore events, classifieds and more. Continue reading →

BELMAR — Does a flash mob cease to be a flash mob when it is promoted? When a crowd gathers to watch it before it begins?Such existential questions did not seem to cloud the minds of the dozens of people who took to the foggy Belmar boardwalk on Thursday to groove to a choreographed dance to �Shake Se�,� by Pitbull, Sean Paul and T-Pain.�I can now check �flash mob� off my bucket list,� said Heather Brown, a former cheerleader who learned the routine off an online video in less than 20 minutes. �It was pretty intense, but not too, too hard, either.�Organized by the Jersey Shore Convention and Visitors Bureau, Thursday�s event was done to help promote the Jersey Shore as the summer beach season ... Continue reading →

Long Branch resident Warren West saw his belongings go up in flames when his Brighton Avenue apartment � along with part of the block � burned in February.�Everything I ever had, pretty much,� said West, 36, describing the scope of the loss. �The only thing I had was the stuff in my car. Everything else is gone, so you start all over.�The Feb. 13 fire raced through three buildings in Long Branch�s west end, destroying 14 apartments and 10 businesses.Somewhere among the ashes and debris was West�s furniture and clothes. His girlfriend�s belongings were destroyed too. Other losses include three pieces of property belonging to Comcast Cable: a high-definition digital video recorder box, a digital cable box and a cable modem.Now West, a bartender, has ... Continue reading →

As the author of the biography Cronkite (Harper, $34.99, on sale Tuesday), Brinkley has logged countless hours viewing such tapes. But he says he never tires of watching "the most trusted man in America," as Cronkite was crowned in a poll.On the screen, it's Nov. 22, 1963. Cronkite is 46, in his second year as anchor. He's in shirtsleeves. His hair is slightly tousled. CBS Radio already has broadcast an unconfirmed report from Dallas that the president is dead.Cronkite, however, holds off until he's handed a note. "We just have a report from our correspondent Dan Rather in Dallas," Cronkite tells viewers. "He has confirmed that President Kennedy is dead."But in that distinctive and deliberate voice — "flue-cured Southern with the drawl trimmed off," as ... Continue reading →

CAIRO – On a road lined with buildings plastered by posters of presidential hopefuls, most passersby ignore the shiny, decorative pyramids and models of the Sphinx at a knickknack shop near Tahrir Square.Business at Helmi Saqr's store has diminished since protests erupted in the square last year, a common lament from Egyptians hurt by the decline in tourism.Many people just want stability in politics and the economy, he says, which is why he says he'll vote in presidential elections today and Thursday for Ahmed Shafiq, a prominent figure of the regime Egyptians toppled in February 2011."In the beginning, I was with the revolution, but after that, I wasn't, because of the chaos," he said. "Most people want stability. I have pity for my country for ... Continue reading →

NEW YORK (AP) -- The price of oil has dropped below $90 for the first time in nearly seven months as U.S. supplies continue to grow. Benchmark U.S. crude fell to $89.92 per barrel around noon Eastern time in New York. The price hadn't been below $90 per barrel since Nov. 1. It's now at $90.07, down $1.78, or about 2 percent. Oil fell after the U.S. said that oil supplies grew last week to the highest level since 1990. The price tends to fall as more supplies become available. Oil has been falling this month on expectations that the European economy will keep slowing down, cutting into what's expected to be record growth in world demand. Analysts also say Iran may avoid an oil ... Continue reading →