EQUITY AND INCLUSION UPDATE – Daryn Plummer, the school district’s Supervisor of Equity and Inclusion, discusses the four-year District Equity Plan at the November 21 Board of Education meeting. A four-pronged, four-year plan to ensure equity in education for Franklin Township students was unveiled at the November 21 Board of Education meeting. The so-called District Equity Plan “signifies a dedication …

Stage 3 fire restrictions have been lifted by the state Department of Environmental Protection, but authorities urge caution. Drought conditions persist, so safety tips should be followed, according to a press release from Franklin Township.

QUAIL BROOK SENIOR CENTER 625 New Brunswick Road

Florence Hart, of Somerset, passed away on November 22 at the Spring Hills Assisted Living in Somerset. She was 97. Born in Jersey City and raised in Lyndhurst, she lived in Newark then the Morgan section of Sayreville for more than 50 years before moving to New Bern, North Carolina. She has lived in Somerset for the past 12 years. …

ENROLLMENT PROJECTIONS GIVEN – Schools Superintendent John Ravally told the Board of Education on November 21 that the District expects pre-Kindergarten enrollment to be near 800 students by the 2025-26 school year. The township school district plans to enroll nearly 800 pre-Kindergarten students in the 2025-26 school year, the Board of Education was told at its November 21 meeting. Schools …

A total of $337,537 in goods and services was contracted by the Board of Education at its November 21 meeting. Awarded by the Board were:

A DUTCH TRADITION – The annual Sinterklaas celebration returns to the Meadows Foundation on December 8. (File photo.) The annual Sinterklaas celebration will once again be held this year, but at a new location. The Dutch holiday event is set for 1-3 p.m. December 8 at the Van Liew-Suydam House, 280 South Middlebush Road.

AND THEY’RE OFF – Runners take off at the start of the 5th Annual Tom O’Reilly Memorial Turkey Trot in Colonial Park on November 23. More than 200 runners from around the region gathered at Colonial Park on a crisp Autumnal November 23 morning to take part in what has become an annual Fall ritual: The Tom O’Reilly Memorial Turkey …

Joe Danielsen. A bill that would require employers to advertise employment openings to employees in the relevant department before making a hiring decision was recently signed into law by Gov. Phil Murphy. The bill’s primary General Assembly sponsor was Assemblyman Joe Danielsen (D-17.)

The Colonial Park park ranger station on Mettlers Road is among the many locations where residents can drop off donations for the 2024 Toys for Tots campaign. This year, the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office has partnered with the Somerset County Park Commission to collect donations.