Housing, hotel, retail plans go back to board Hearings on Alfieri's Metropark South continue next week BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer       Developer Michael Alfieri is back before the Old Bridge Zoning Board of Adjustment, hoping to win approval for a 22-year-old plan that calls for housing, offices and a hotel. The board in February refused to grant Alfieri an extension to his general development plan (GDP) approval f... More ...       Cheyenne Rodriguez, 7, and fellow Girl Scouts work on a garden outside M. Scott Carpenter School in Old Bridge last week. Scouts who attend the school are holding a ceremony today to dedicate the garden to school Principal John R. Phillips, the faculty, students and families at the school. More ... Steel mill will give tour to concerned residents Ameristeel also will arrange for testing at nearby properties BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer       Residents concerned about emissions from the Gerdau Ameristeel mill will be able to tour the facility this weekend. More than 20 residents attended Monday's meeting of the Sayreville Environmental Commission to learn more about the plant's response to their concerns about "black dus... More ... Historical group seeks names, items of value       Society builds database of those who have contributed to Sayreville BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer SAYREVILLE - The borough's Historical Society is seeking information on outstanding individuals from the borough's past and present. More ... County seeks high school, college students for corps       Middlesex County teenagers interested in working to improve and preserve area parks this summer can apply now for positions with the Middlesex County Youth Conservation Corps. The corps, which was established last year by county officials, uses youth employment to work on the more than ... More ... Task force to look at nightclub violence Council forms group to evaluate clubs¿ operations, security BY MICHAEL ACKER Staff Writer       SAYREVILLE - A task force is being formed to look at ways of cracking down on the continuing incidents of violence and criminal activity at borough nightclubs. Council President Thomas V. Pollando announced plans for the creation of a task force at Monday's council meeting. More ... Town, firm working on golf course lease Lambertson house, to be near the 8th hole, may be used for storage BY JESSICA SMITH Staff Writer       OLD BRIDGE - With lease negotiations well under way, the township is one step closer to teeing off at the proposed municipal golf course. For several years, township officials have been planning for the course and working to enter into a partnership with a firm that will create the... More ... 'Make the World a Better Place'       Some 53 Girl Scouts who attend M. Scott Carpenter School in Old Bridge planted flowers and a dogwood tree, all donated by various businesses, in a new garden outside the school. The program was titled "Make the World a Better Place." More ... Middlesex bird population an example of diversity Report: county is home to 308 species of birds, some rare, endangered BY TOM CAIAZZA Staff Writer       It turns out, the human population isn't the only thing that is diverse in Middlesex County. According to a report released by the Edison Wetlands Association, an Edison-based grassroots environmental organization, Middlesex county is the home to more than 308 different species of b... More ... Locks of Love       Mary Ellen Redmond, 9, a fourth-grader at Raymond Voorhees School in Old Bridge, recently cut 12 inches of her hair, which she'd been growing out since the age of 3, for donation to Locks of Love. The youngster, who is a travel soccer player and Junior Girl Scout, wanted her hair to be used t... More ... Library wins nat'l award for its Teen Tech Week       OLD BRIDGE - The township's public library has a won a visit from popular young adult author Lauren Myracle as a prize from the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). The library was chosen for the award after producing the program that best exemplified "Get Connected," the ... More ... Speaker will give history of state's earliest people       JAMESBURG - Local residents will have the opportunity to learn about the life of the state's native people from an enrolled member of the Delaware Lenape tribe this weekend. Cathy Chadwick-Ciccone, of the Six Nations Reserve in Canada, will present the "Daily Life of the Lenape" durin... More ... Earth Day deeds      Above: James Faczak, resource specialist at Cheesequake State Park in Old Bridge, teaches children about the types of trees they will be planting in the park as part of an Arbor Day celebration April 28. The members of Brownie Troop 729, who are working toward badges in ecology and planting, took pa... More ... Sobering reminder       Above: Mike Galvin, a police Explorer, sets a stake in the ground where a wrecked car sits as a reminder of the dangers of driving drunk in front of the Sayreville War Memorial High School. Below: Police Explorers, who are between the ages of 14 and 18, watch as the wrecked car is lowered on ... More ...