STREETS CLOSED – Police on February 18 blocked part of Girard Avenue and Clinton Street, as well as Lenox Place, during a three-hour standoff with a Lenox Place man wanted since May 2025. A 34-year-old Somerset man wanted since the summer of 2025 was arrested February 18 while hiding in an unoccupied home on Girard Avenue, police said. The man, …

ENGINEERING TESTIMONY – Mitchell Ardman, the engineer for Tahweed Dahwah Center Masjid, testifies at the February 19 Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting. Zoning Board of Adjustment hearings on a proposal to build a 19,000-square-foot mosque on a 16-acre South Middlebush Road tract resumed on February 19, and all indications are that this will not be a smooth process. The project’s …

GALA PERFORMANCE – Franklin High School alumna Kailah Johnson sings during the inaugural Franklin Township Warrior Educational Foundation gala and fundraiser. Seven years of grant-making to township schools, and the achievements of three district alumni, were celebrated February 19 at the inaugural Franklin Township Warrior Education Foundation gala. The event served as both a celebration and fundraising opportunity for the …

01/19/2026 A Somerset resident was the victim of criminal mischief in the area of Canterbury Cir. during the overnight hours. The unknown suspect(s) scratched the victim’s vehicle. The damage was valued at $1,000. 01/20/2026 A Somerset resident was the victim of theft by deception on 12/31/25. The victim received a notification from her bank requesting confirmation of a $600 transaction …

The Township police officers who took part in resuscitating a man who had collapsed while shoveling snow last month will be honored at the February 24 Township Council meeting. Police said that two officers – Officer Martin Ragaie and Officer Edmond Neequaye, who is currently in field training – on January 19 responded to a 9-1-1 call at about 10:27 …

Raymond Albert Fischer, 81, passed away peacefully on February 17 at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick. Born on August 10, 1944, in Somerville, Raymond was the son of the late Raymond Albert Fischer and Sarah Louise Hall. He was raised in Martinsville and attended Somerville High School. In 1961, Raymond joined the United States Army. He proudly …

PREPARING THE SHOT – Sophomore Sean Duncan prepares to take a foul shot during the Warriors’ February 17 game against College Achieve Asbury Park. The Franklin High School Warriors basketball team let slip a 20-point lead against College Achieve Asbury Park on February 17, eventually falling to the Knights 75-72. Although they managed to cut seven points off the 20-point …

Kathleen R. Murphy of Somerset passed away on February 14 at home. She was 96. Born and raised in Bayonne, she lived in Point Pleasant, Robbinsville and Hamilton before moving to Somerset more than 12 years ago. She worked as a Registered Nurse for many years at Bayonne Hospital, Christ Hospital and the Jersey City Medical Center before becoming a …

John B. McGuinness of Somerset passed away on February 12 at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick. He was 89. Born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio, he lived in Rochester, New York before moving to Somerset in 1974. John served in the US Navy toward the end of the Korean War into the late 1950s. He worked …

CEREMONIAL LIGHTING – Township Councilwoman Shepa Uddin, mayor Phil Kramer, Deputy Mayor Alex Kharazi, and Township Councilmen Shubhendu Singh and Ram Anbarasan (left to right) after the ceremonial Moon Crescent was lit at the Township’s annual Ramadan Lighting ceremony. More than 150 people gathered at the Franklin Township Senior/Community Center February 15 for the township’s annual Ramadan Lighting of the …