SOLEMN REMEMBRANCE – Bill Cullen, former Chief of the Elizabeth Avenue Volunteer Fire Department, lead the annual ceremony. Firefighters from across Franklin Township gathered at St. Matthias Catholic Church on September 11 for the 25th annual first responder commemoration service, where the names of every emergency worker killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were read aloud.

By Bill Connell. I have gone down this road before in this space but I feel I need to repeat myself. 

A schematic view of the proposed Catalpa Park. After more than a decade of false starts, redesigns, and bids that came in too high, the Township Council on Sept. 8 took the votes that will finally lead to a Catalpa Park.

LEGAL ADVICE – Township Attorney Lou Rainone told the Township Council on September 8 that it would be “in the public interest” to settle the Williams-TRANSCO eminent domain matter. The Township Council has agreed to accept a total of $600,000 from Williams-Transco for a township-owned easement the Houston-based natural gas company needs to construct a planned natural gas compressor station, …

Friday, Sept. 11 First Responder 9-11Memorial Mass, St. Matthias Church, 168 John F. Kennedy Blvd., Somerset. 5:30-6:30 p.m. Somerset Patriots vs. Hartford Yard Goats, TD Bank Ballpark, Bridgewater, 6:35 p.m. Pregame 25th anniversary tribute with speakers and a video presentation; the club donated more than 2,000 tickets to first responders and their families. Andrew Schulz, Stress Factory Comedy Club, New …

Here is the latest on the various street projects going on around town. Please note due to extreme heat and weather conditions these dates are subject to change.

ON THE FENCE ON FLOCK – Mayor Phil Kramer said during the September 8 Township Council meeting that he was “not sold” on the Flock Safety cameras in use by the Township. Franklin Township residents renewed their call for the Township Council to cancel its contract with surveillance camera vendor Flock Safety during the public comment portion of the council’s …

Three students at high schools in the township are among more than 16,000 semifinalists in the 72nd annual National Merit Scholarship Program the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced on September 9. The semifinalists are Huda Dabaa of Franklin High School and Benjamin Lee and Mahadev Menon of Rutgers Preparatory School, according to a press release from the organization.

SOLEMN REMEMBRANCE – Mayor Phil Kramer speaks during the Township’s commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Township officials and clergy gathered at Franklin Township’s 9-11 Memorial on September 8 for the annual commemoration of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, with speaker after speaker using the 25th anniversary to ask …

FUNDRAISER HONORED – Ava Golchha accepts a commendation from Deputy Mayor Alex Kharazi at the September 8 Township Council meeting. Golchha was honored for raising $175 for the Franklin Township Animal Shelter. The Township Council issued three proclamations and commendations at its Sept. 8 meeting, declaring September as Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, honoring a young resident who has donated her …