Franklin Township spent $62,888.98 in opioid settlement money over the past fiscal year on four programs, led by a summer job-readiness course for young people and a new peer-support initiative for residents in recovery, according to the Township’s annual report on the funds. The report, included in Somerset County’s 2026 Opioid Abatement Report, covers July 1, 2025, through June 30, …

Thomas Edison EnergySmart Charter School has struck a Friendship Agreement with a middle school group in China. The agreement with Beijing Fengtai No. 2 Middle School Group will create new opportunities for students and educators to connect, collaborate, and exchange ideas across cultures, according to a press release from the school.

BALLOON BAN? – Members of the Environmental Commission on October 5 agreed to review bans on the intentional release of balloons at its next meeting. Could a ban on the intentional release of balloons in the Township be in the offing?

Hundreds of revelers gathered October 3 in Franklin High School’s activities lobby for the annual celebration of Diwali. The Festival of Diwali, which occurs over five days in the Fall, is celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs, and some Buddhists.

Police cruisers, ambulances, utility trucks and a medical helicopter filled the Franklin Middle School Hamilton Street campus on October 3 as the Franklin Township Police Department’s Community Relations Bureau hosted its second Touch-a-Truck event. The event gave children a hands-on look at vehicles they rarely see up close, according to Franklin Township Police Officer Ken Reid, the event’s organizer

A 56-year-old New Brunswick man faces multiple charges connected to an October 2 house fire that displaced three families and killed a dog and a cat. Police received a call about the fire in the four-family house on Home Street at about 3:45 p.m., according to a press release from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.

NEW BEGINNING – Approved Fire Protection & Safety CEO Diane Pein reacts after cutting the ribbon October 2 at the company headquarters’ grand opening. Approved Fire Protection & Safety cut the ribbon on its new Commerce Drive building Oct. 2, marking the 90-year-old company’s move to Franklin from its longtime headquarters in South Plainfield.

By Frank Sciara. How did a petition with 750 signatures in July, turn into a tense Flocktober clash with the Township Council? 

Lillian Thomas, 96, passed away peacefully on October 1 at her longtime home in Somerset. Lillian was born in Perth Amboy to the late Peter Kara and Anna Horvath. She was raised in the New Brunswick area and attended local schools before graduating from St. Peter’s School of Nursing in 1951. It was during this time that Lillian met her …

Cindy S. Zins, of North Brunswick and formerly of Somerset, passed away on Wednesday, September 30th at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick. She fought a strong battle against many illnesses and was fortunate enough to pass beside her loved ones. She recently turned 60. Born in Jaffa, Israel, she immigrated with her parents to the United …