FROM ACTING TO PERMANENT – Lloyd Fredericks, who will be appointed the township’s next Public Safety Director on February 25, speaks to the Township Council at its February 24 meeting. Acting Public Safety Director Lloyd Fredericks will be formally appointed to the post on February 25. Township Manager Robert Vornlocker made the announcement at the February 24 Township Council meeting. …

AIRING HER COMPLAINTS – Township resident Deborah Inman told the Township Council that they need to closely monitor the contractors hired to plow township streets. A township resident’s dissatisfaction with how snow from the recent storm was plowed on her street led to a shouting match between her and a Township Councilman at the February 24 Township Council meeting. The …

EXPLAINING RESOLUTION – Mayor Phil Kramer talks about the proposed resolution banning federal immigration enforcement actions on Township property at the February 24 Township Council meeting. Federal immigration authorities are banned from conducting civil immigration enforcement actions on Township property under a resolution approved by the Township Council at its February 24 meeting. The resolution bans the immigration enforcement actions …

Pearl Levitan, 93, of Spotswood, passed away peacefully on February 20 with her family at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick. Born on December 17, 1932 in East Brunswick, Pearl was the beloved daughter of the late Walter Smith and Laura (Anders) Smith. She was raised in East Brunswick and graduated from Woodbridge High School in 1950. After …

THE BIG DUMP – As much as 18 inches of snow fell in the township from February 22-23, according to the state Climatologist. The snowstorm that dumped between 14 inches and 18 inches of snow in the township from February 22-23 was “formidable,” but did not even crack the top 10 in terms of total snowfall, the state Climatologist said. …

FOR THE BUCKET – Junior Aleah Sunkins goes up for two of her game-leading 21 points February 21 during the Somerset County Tournament finals against Rutgers Prep at Montgomery High School. It took them a few minutes to get themselves settled, but the Rutgers Prep Argonauts soon established their dominance over the Franklin Township Lady Warriors basketball team February 21 …

STREETS CLOSED – Police on February 18 blocked part of Girard Avenue and Clinton Street, as well as Lenox Place, during a three-hour standoff with a Lenox Place man wanted since May 2025. A 34-year-old Somerset man wanted since the summer of 2025 was arrested February 18 while hiding in an unoccupied home on Girard Avenue, police said. The man, …

ENGINEERING TESTIMONY – Mitchell Ardman, the engineer for Tahweed Dahwah Center Masjid, testifies at the February 19 Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting. Zoning Board of Adjustment hearings on a proposal to build a 19,000-square-foot mosque on a 16-acre South Middlebush Road tract resumed on February 19, and all indications are that this will not be a smooth process. The project’s …

GALA PERFORMANCE – Franklin High School alumna Kailah Johnson sings during the inaugural Franklin Township Warrior Educational Foundation gala and fundraiser. Seven years of grant-making to township schools, and the achievements of three district alumni, were celebrated February 19 at the inaugural Franklin Township Warrior Education Foundation gala. The event served as both a celebration and fundraising opportunity for the …

01/19/2026 A Somerset resident was the victim of criminal mischief in the area of Canterbury Cir. during the overnight hours. The unknown suspect(s) scratched the victim’s vehicle. The damage was valued at $1,000. Don’t Miss Out! No other media outlet covering Franklin Township brings you the depth of information presented by the Franklin Reporter & Advocate. Period. We are the …