Joyce Shamy passed away on December 28 at Penn Medicine Princeton Health in Plainsboro. She was 85 years old. Mrs. Shamy was born in Detroit and lived there as a young girl. She attended high school in Miami and was married shortly thereafter. She and her husband, Edward moved to the Somerset section of Franklin Township where the young couple …

Donna Hutchinson passed away on December 27 at JFK Medical Center in Edison. She was 61. Mrs. Hutchinson was born in New Brunswick and resided for many years in Franklin Township. She also lived in Perth Amboy, Woodbridge and Parlin . Mrs. Hutchinson enjoyed trips to Myrtle Beach and Atlantic City with her husband. She was the true matriarch of …

Positive coronavirus test results were reported for another 202 Franklin residents, the Township Office of Emergency Management said on December 30. That brings to 8,891 the number of Franklin residents who have tested positive for the virus since mid-March 2020, the township Office of Emergency Management reported. The deaths of 219 Franklin residents have been attributed to the virus, OEM …

Township officials hope that the new Franklin Township Youth Center will soon be bustling with activity. There are still some final touches to be applied, equipment to be mounted and other last-minute details to be attended to, but the new Franklin Township Youth Center is nearly ready for its close-up. The 24,000-square-foot, $9.8 million youth center on Lewis Street will …

By Mayor Phil Kramer, MD. Yesterday, December 28, the Franklin Township Council passed a mandate to wear masks when indoors at places of business to save lives by helping reduce the spread of COVID-19 and the two predominant variants, Delta and Omicron.

Positive coronavirus test results were reported for another 238 Franklin residents, the Township Office of Emergency Management said on December 29. That brings to 8,689 the number of Franklin residents who have tested positive for the virus since mid-March 2020, the township Office of Emergency Management reported. The deaths of 219 Franklin residents have been attributed to the virus, OEM …

By Rob Petersen. Dear Mayor Kramer,

By Bill Connell. Some of the negative comments regarding the local township mask mandate got me thinking about other unlawful mandates in my life.  Putting the toilet seat down is not a law. I have just as much right to leave it up, as the female of the species has a right to have it down. I am starting today.

The Council’s decision was not unanimous. Masks must be worn in indoor public places in the township if a 6-foot distance cannot be maintained, according to a resolution passed by the Township Council in a December 28 special meeting. The mandate applies to those aged 2 years and older, and exempts those with medical issues precluding them from wearing a …

Patricia Rantkowski of Somerset passed away on December 26 after a 9-month battle with cancer. Pat was born on Staten Island, NY to Joseph and Nancy Malta Rantkowski. She graduated from St Mary of the Assumption High School in Elizabeth, and received a Bachelor of Science degree from Rutgers University in New Brunswick. Pat‘s chosen profession was Human Resources, which …