ORDINANCE DEFEATED – An ordinance that would have removed a 2,000-foot distance requirement between liquor stores, promoted by Mayor Phil Kramer, was defeated after facing stiff opposition from township liquor store owners. An ordinance that would have eliminated the requirement that liquor stores be located at least 2,000 feet from each other was defeated at the April 9 Township Council …

SUPPORTING THE PROGRAM – Deputy Mayor Ed Potosnak said he now supported the Council contributing $300,000 to a construction trades program for Franklin High School students. With an enrollment-based “guardrail” in place, the Township Council on April 9 voted to partner with the Board of Education to offer some Franklin High School students training in the construction trades. The Council …

TRYING TO MAKE HIS CASE – Sidney Singer, vice president of leasing for Levin Properties, testifies before the Zoning Board on April 4. Township residents packed the Council Chamber on April 4 for the first of what promises to be several Zoning Board of Adjustment hearings on a proposal to convert the former K-Mart building in Rutgers Plaza into a …

Today at 10:23 AM Franklin Township experienced an earthquake which was centered in Lebanon NJ with a magnitude of 4.8. About 18 miles from our municipal complex.  I have contacted our public safety director Quovella Maeweather who indicated the state, which obviously includes Lebanon, has activated the office of emergency management but Somerset County and Franklin have not. There are …

The township is on track to once again have a discount furniture store. Levin Management, the leasing and management agent for Hamilton Street Center, 712 Hamilton Street, announced on April 4 that Red Tag Furniture Outlet has committed to a 5,750-square-foot space in that plaza.

The Franklin Food Bank’s 35th Annual Tour de Franklin Charity Bike Ride is set for April 28 at Franklin High School. The Tour de Franklin is the Franklin Food Bank’s largest annual fundraising event, attracting up to 800 cyclists to provide critical funding for the Food Bank’s operations. It has also grown into a Spring tradition in Franklin Township, when …

PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT – An artist’s rendering of the proposed 4-story, 200-apartment building targeted for the former K-Mart building in Rutgers Plaza. The developer of a proposed 4-story apartment building targeted for Rutgers Plaza was told by the township Historic Preservation Advisory Commission to “soften up” their building’s styling at the April 2 Commission meeting. Representatives from Levin Properties appeared before …

DETOURS – Detours for the Cortelyous Lane bridge replacement project are posted along neighboring streets. (Graphic: Somerset County Engineering Department). The second of two Somerset County sponsored bridge replacements in the township began April 1 with the closure of Cortelyous Lane, a closure expected to last up to 70 days. The first bridge replaced in the $1.7 million dollar project …

Submitted by Somerset County Park Commission. The Colonial Park Tennis Center is now open daily, offering courts for tennis and pickleball.

A 61-year-old Highland Park man was arrested March 26 for attempted murder and other charges related to the stabbing of a New Brunswick resident on Hamilton Street. Police received a call shortly after 8 p.m. March 24 from employees at an unnamed hospital, reporting that a patient told them they had been stabbed on Hamilton Street.