ERIC SUCAR staff An authentic tea ceremony was held at the Georgian Court University community chapel in Lakewood on March 28 during which five ceremonies explaining the art and essence of a Japanese tea were demonstrated by tea master Fumiko Nakao and her students. According to the Internet Web sit... More ... Board revises school budget figures Projected increase in tax rate drops from 7.74 to 5.34 cents BY DAVE BENJAMIN Staff Writer       The Jackson Board of Education has revised its 2008-09 school budget figures and will ask voters to support a lower than anticipated local tax levy in the April 15 school election. Polls will be open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. A public hearing on the budget for the upcoming school year was held on Ma... More ... Public hearing on $525K grant scheduled for April 8       PLUMSTED - Residents, property owners and business owners are invited to attend a public hearing onApril 8 at 7 p.m. in theWelcome Center, 31Main St., to provide comments on the $525,000 Neighborhood Preservation Program grant obtained by the Plumsted Township Committee in preparation of the 2008... More ... President salutes effort of credit counseling agencies Visit to Freehold Twp. highlights Hope Now national program       FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP - President George W. Bush came to Freehold Township onMarch 28 to visitNovadebt, a credit counseling agency that is working with consumers who have run into mortgage payments that they no longer can afford. More ... Lakewood gets one bid for building BY MARK ROSMAN Staff Writer       LAKEWOOD - One bid has been received by the Lakewood Board of Education from representatives of an institution which is interested in buying the school district's administrative headquarters. More ... In the Service       Army Staff Sgt. Kevin J.Mestey, the brother of Erina Mestey of Lakewood, has returned to Alaska after being deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The soldier is assigned to the 725th Brigade Support Battalion, a subordinate unit of the 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th In... More ... For the Record       State aid to Jackson for the coming year was cut by $443,000, not $43,000 as stated in a March 20 Tri-Town News article, "Spraying Will Be Limited to One Time in Jackson." More ... Congressman lauds school for pupils' caring attitude RACER program at Goetz Middle School teaches character BY DAVE BENJAMIN Staff Writer       JACKSON - RACER, the character education program at Jackson's Goetz Middle School, has drawn the attention of New Jersey Congressman Christopher Smith. Smith, whose district includes Jackson, visited the school recently to observe and support the RACER program. More ... Volunteers will help clear Jackson's streets of litter       JACKSON - On April 12 more than 400 volunteers, all members of several Jackson nonprofit organizations, will participate in Jackson's community cleanup day. The event's theme is "Litter Free, You and Me" and is sponsored by the New Jersey Clean Communities Grant and Mayor Mark Seda. More ... Police seek Lakewood resident, 19, in robbery Howell detective says suspect may have left New Jersey BY KATHY BARATTA Staff Writer       HOWELL - Police have issued an arrest warrant for a Lakewood man who they believe robbed a Howell jewelry story in February. The suspect remains at large. Howell police Detective Eileen Dodd said Reich Jewelers, on Route 9 south in the Grebow shopping center, was robbed on Feb. 17 by a man wield... More ... Protesters urge Bush to end war, invest in America BY JENNIFER KOHLHEPP Staff Writer       Hundreds of protesters chanted, "Bring the troops home, end the war now" as President George W. Bush touched down in Freehold aboard Marine One last week. Local individuals and families joined New Jersey Citizen Action (NJCA), Democracy ForAmerica, the Coalition For Peace Action, the Solidarity S... More ... Boost in state aid helps stabilize FRHSD taxes Voters will be asked to OK $110.9M tax levy in April 15 election BY TOYNETT HALL Staff Writer       The Freehold Regional High School District Board of Education has adopted a $174.6 million budget for the 2008-09 school year. A public hearing on the budget was held onMarch 19 at the FRHSD offices in Englishtown. On April 15, residents of the district's eight sending municipalities will be aske... More ... Women recount road to professional success BY TOYNETT HALL Staff Writer       HOWELL - Jean Holtz and Michelle Lilley, two professional working women, recently shared the stories of their career success with about 100 Howell High School students. Their presentation was part of Women's History Month, which was recognized in March. More ... Writer discovers what it means to be free Reporter flies like Peter Pan as Strand prepares popular tale BY TOYNETT HALL Staff Writer       LAKEWOOD - Hoisted 18 feet in the air with only a very tight single-point harness holding me, I flew like Peter Pan and experienced a brief moment of freedom. With my legs dangling and my body swinging, I stretched my arms out like a bird and was swung on cables by two strong men, dressed in blac... More ... Strand Theater will host annual summer workshops for young people       LAKEWOOD - The Strand Theater will host its fifth summer theater youth workshop program in July. This year the workshop has been broken down into two separate two-week sessions. Each twoweek session will offer a trip to New York City to see a Broadway matinee. More ... New church is rising to serve growing parish St. Aloysius in Jackson has a membership of about 6,000 families BY DAVE BENJAMIN Staff Writer       JACKSON- Parishioners at St. Aloysius Church, Bennetts Mills Road, will have a new church and sanctuary by the end of this year. The Rev. Scott Shaffer, who has been at the 40-year-old parish for eight years, said membership now numbers more than 6,000 families. More ... McGuire Air Force Base to host air expo May 31, June 1       The 305th Air Mobility Wing at McGuire Air Force Base in Wrightstown will host the 2008 McGuire Air Expo. The special event, which is free and open to the public, will take place on May 31 and June 1. Base officials expect more than 300,000 guests to attend. More ...