Bridgewater, NJ- The Somerset Patriots defeated the Long Island Ducks 3-2 in 15 innings before 7,080 fans at TD Bank Ballpark on Friday night to open the 2014 season.

Students throughout the school district celebrated Arbor Day and, belatedly, Earth Day on April 25. New trees were planted and tree saplings were given away at MacAfee Road School and Pine Grove Manor School, where students also read compositions about the importance of Arbor Day and trees in general.

Repaving of New Brunswick Road between John F. Kennedy Boulevard and DeMott Lane is expected to start about May 15. The Township Council at its April 22 meeting awarded a $384,381.78 contract for the work to Sayreville-based Z Brothers Concrete Contractors.

The school district’s roughly 150 substitute teachers will be working for a Cherry Hill-based company starting next year, for a little more money and better benefits. The Board of Education at its April 24 meeting voted unanimously to privatize the substitute teachers, awarding a $1.4 million contract to Source4Teachers.

Township students in grades 8 through 12 have until May 15 to apply for the next Youth Leadership Somerset program. The 9-month program will begin in September. Sessions are held one Saturday each month for between four and six hours.

Thomas Edison EnergySmart Charter School 3rd Grade robotics team is competing through April 25 at the Junior FIRST Lego League World Expo. The league is for students in grades Kindergarten through 3rd to show off their talents in building a Lego creation that moves.

Six candidates for an unexpired term will be interviewed April 25 during a special Board of Education meeting. The candidates hope to fill the seat of Robert Trautmann, who left in February midway through his first term.

The two brothers charged with murdering a New Brunswick man in a Somerset hair salon have been indicted by a Somerset County Grand Jury. Zaire Cromedy, 21, of New Brunswick and Antwan Cromedy, 29, of Bound Brook, were indicted April 24 on charges of 1st Degree Murder, 2nd Degree Possession of a Firearm for an Unlawful Purpose and 2nd Degree …

A water main shutdown by the South Brunswick water utility from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 30 will interrupt water service for some Franklin residents. According to a notice released by the township, the shutdown will affect all water services south of Princeton Highlands Boulevard (Allston Road) on Routes 27 and 518 will be interrupted.

As it has for the past several years, the Township Council has declared April 27 as “Sierra Leone Day” in Franklin. The proclamation designating the day was approved at the council’s April 22 meeting.