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CogniLocal

Eatontown

Your Community, More Completely.
October 7 · Youth Committee meetingOctober 13 · Voter registration deadlineOctober 16 · Children's Halloween partyOctober 24 · Early voting begins
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Today in Eatontown

Schools close to students Friday, October 9, and to students and staff Monday, October 12.
The Youth Committee for grades 6 to 12 starts monthly meetings Wednesday, October 7.
The voter-registration deadline for the November 3 general election is Tuesday, October 13.
A $65,000 county open space grant funds Phase II of the Bliss Price Arboretum bridge replacement.
The Meadowbrook School auxiliary parking lot is open, with a right-turn-only exit.
Winter recreation basketball registration closes November 25.

NEW: newly reported developments or upcoming opportunities. UPDATE: later substantive information on a covered story. ONGOING: continuing useful information. RESOLVED: the reported issue has ended. BACKGROUND: dated historical context, not a new development or confirmation of current availability. UNCONFIRMED: a story, continuing story or detail that could not be confirmed against its cited source on the edition date; the note under the headline says what is not confirmed. Today and countdown lines carry "(unconfirmed)" for the same reason. All local times are Eastern Daylight Time.

Borough & Schools

ONGOING

School closure notice separates October 9 from October 12

Eatontown Public Schools announced September 30 that students will be off Friday, October 9, while staff have a professional in-service day. Schools and district offices will close Monday, October 12, for Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples’ Day, and all schools reopen Tuesday, October 13. The notice does not say whether district offices are open October 9.

NEW

Meadowbrook School auxiliary parking lot opens with a right-turn-only exit

The auxiliary parking lot next to Meadowbrook School is substantially complete and open to families, Superintendent Scott McCue said in a September 21 letter. He credited a partnership between the Board of Education and the borough’s mayor and council, and said a few steps remain before the project is finished.

Drivers enter through the existing entrance and leave through a new exit on the opposite side, where only right turns are allowed. Drivers are asked to follow the painted lines and use designated spaces; the lot has two accessible spaces and is monitored by school security cameras.

Parks, Housing & Jobs

ONGOING

County grant supports next arboretum phase

Monmouth County awarded Eatontown $65,000 for Phase II of the bridge replacement at the F. Bliss Price Arboretum and Wildlife Sanctuary. The money comes from the county’s 2026 Municipal Open Space Grant program, which the Board of County Commissioners announced September 29 as $9.15 million in grants to 27 municipalities.

Patch reported September 30 that the borough also received $161,370 from the county in 2025 for the same bridge. The grant is a funding award; it does not show that the bridge has been built or that a construction contract has been awarded.

Community, Food & Recreation

ONGOING

Borough directory lists two local pantries and a regional food bank

Eatontown’s food-resource directory lists the Eatontown Food Co-op at 15 Meridian Drive, off Industrial Way (732-547-8359), and Saint Dorothea’s Pantry at 240 Broad Street (732-542-0148). It also points to Fulfill of Monmouth and Ocean Counties, whose Neptune facility can be reached at 732-918-2600.

The directory does not give distribution hours or eligibility details, so call ahead for the current schedule.

  • Source: Eatontown: local food-resource locations and contacts
ONGOING

October 16 children’s party requires an accompanying adult

Eatontown Recreation’s annual Halloween Celebration is Friday, October 16, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Meadowbrook School. It is free for Eatontown residents ages 3 to 11 and includes costume contests, games, candy and a DJ dance party.

Registration is for children only and is encouraged; every child must be accompanied by an adult.

ONGOING

Youth Committee begins monthly meetings October 7

The Eatontown Youth Committee meets Wednesday, October 7, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Eatontown Community Center, 72 Broad Street. It is open to students in grades 6 through 12 and is free for residents, with registration through Eatontown Recreation.

Meetings continue the first Wednesday of each month through May 5, 2027.

NEW

Winter recreation basketball registration closes November 25

Eatontown Recreation’s winter basketball league has a November 25 registration deadline. Player evaluations are set for the week of December 1, practices start the week of December 7 and the seven-game season begins the week of January 11, 2027. The resident fee is $95.

Divisions run from a kindergarten and first-grade Bitty group through sixth- to eighth-grade boys and fifth- to eighth-grade girls, with games and practices at Memorial, Woodmere and Meadowbrook schools. Late registrations are handled case by case with a late fee, and the league is seeking volunteer coaches.

Elections

ONGOING

New Jersey registration deadline is October 13

The New Jersey Division of Elections lists Tuesday, October 13, as the voter-registration deadline for the November 3 general election. Its FAQ links to online registration and to a page where voters can check their status.

In-person early voting runs October 24 through November 1 at county-designated sites, and Election Day polls are open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.

AI in Your Community

ONGOING

Monmouth Regional handbook sets rules for classroom AI

Monmouth Regional’s 2026-27 student handbook allows students to use AI, when teachers permit it, as an aid for brainstorming, clarifying concepts and improving understanding. Students are expected to cite AI-generated content and be open about using it, and teachers must clarify whether AI is barred on an assignment.

The handbook bars sharing confidential or personally identifiable information with AI tools and says AI detection results cannot be the sole basis for an academic-integrity finding. It directs the administration to inform families about AI use in the curriculum. It does not list specific AI products used in classrooms.

Still Developing

The latest confirmed movement, the open question and the next checkpoint.

OPEN

Police plate-reader record does not identify the current vendor

The Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Atlas of Surveillance lists an Eatontown Police automated license-plate-reader program, citing a New Jersey State Police audit released in July 2025. The inventory does not identify a vendor or establish current camera counts, retention or sharing settings. A borough policy, contract or accessible audit is still needed.

First covered October 1, 2026.

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