The township on Sept. 10 held its annual Patriot Day Memorial Ceremony, remembering the six Franklin residents who died in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The event was held at the township’s 9-11 Memorial Garden, next to the main branch of the township library. Speakers included Rabbi Eli Garfinkel of Temple Beth El, Mayor Phil Kramer, Somerset County Freeholder …

Fire fighters respond to a house fire on Ray Street on Sept. 10. Photo: Franklin Township Police Department. No one was injured in an early afternoon house fire on Ray Street Sept. 10, authorities said. But the house was heavily damaged and declared uninhabitable, forcing its occupants to find another place to stay, according to a press release from the …

A 32-year-old New Brunswick man was arrested on a drug charge Aug. 29 on Hamilton Street. Members of the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Organized Crime and Narcotics Task Force and the Franklin Township Police Department Crime Suppression Unit were conducting a “quality of life” detail in the area when they saw Marcelino Ortiz, of Harvey Street, talking to several people …

The interim priest serving the Catholic Community of St. Matthias will stay on until the criminal probe involving the church’s former spiritual leader is concluded. It was originally thought that Fr. Abraham Orapankal, who assumed the temporary leadership position near the end of 2018 – after the resignation of Fr. Douglas Haefner – would only serve through the summer of …

Mrs. Olga Yusko passed away on September 9 at her home in Somerset, surrounded by her family. Olga was born in La Lima, Honduras, Central America, and came to the United States in 1951. She graduated from St. Mary’s High School in Ossining, NY and earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Rider University. In 1959, Olga worked at Johnson and Johnson …

Klara Elizabeth Deak of Somerset was named to The University of Alabama Dean’s List for summer 2019. A total of 477 students enrolled during the 2019 summer term at UA were named to the Dean’s List with an academic record of 3.5 or above or the President’s List with an academic record of 4.0 (all A’s). Shellann Worthen of Somerset …

Photo: Lincoln University. Former Franklin High School Warrior Keenan Reid, now playing for Lincoln University, made a big impact during the team’s Sept. 5 season opener against Lock Haven University. Reid, a junior, was named the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association’s Defensive Back of the Week for his performance. According to a press release from the college, Reid, a defensive back, …

Left to right, Mike Mesaros, Dennis Diken, Marshall Crenshaw and Jim Babjak, the Smithereens, performed Sept. 7 at a benefit for the Franklin Food Bank. In what its organizer hopes will become an annual event, a township farm resonated with the sound of rock ‘n roll on Sept. 7 to raise money for the Franklin Food Bank. The inaugural concert …

By Bill Connell, Somerset. I use this Speak Out forum liberally, sometimes to express an opinion on a matter or sometimes to encourage something like volunteerism. Volunteerism I believe to be the important quiet engine of Franklin, as for opinions, you know what they say about those, we all have one …. John Felix, my friend, also uses this forum …

Richard C. Benner, 78, of Somerset died unexpectedly at work on Sept. 5. Born in Jersey City, he was the son of Eleanor (Klase) and George Benner of Dunellen, N.J. Richard was a proud graduate of Dunellen High School and Stevens Institute School of Engineering in Hoboken, where he received both his Bachelor and Masters degrees in Mechanical Engineering. His …