Gregory ‘Rocco’ Pagano passed away on March 25 at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick. He was 61. Rocco was born in a Sicilian-American family in New Brunswick and was a lifelong resident of Franklin Township. He grew up on a farm, graduated from Franklin Township High School, and was a skilled boxer in his youth, which is …

Township Councilman Shubhendu Singh was the only person to file a petition for the Ward 1 Council seat for the June primary. Singh was appointed to the seat in February. Former Councilmember Ed Potosnak resigned in January following his nomination as Commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Protection by Gov. Mikie Sherrill.

WELCOME ABOARD – Corey Cohen, the District’s new Supervisor of Elementary Special Education, and Janet Warbeck, the District’s new Supervisor of ESL and Bilingual Education, speak to the school board at the March 24 meeting. Two new educational supervisors were introduced at the March 24 Board of Education meeting.

The Franklin Township Police Department is partnering with Goya Foods and several civic organizations March 31 in a large-scale food giveaway to as many as 500 families in need. The event is set to take place from 4-6 p.m. at Franklin Middle School – Hamilton Street Campus, 415 Francis Street.

Ellen Anne Adesso of Somerset died March 22 at St. Peter’s Medical Center, New Brunswick. She was 72. Born in Manhattan, NY, Ms. Adesso resided in Somerset for most of her life. She attended St. Peter’s High School in New Brunswick, graduating in 1972. She continued her education at Rutgers University’s Douglass College, earning a BS degree in Accounting in …

02/15/2026 A Somerset resident was the victim of a theft in the area of Franklin Blvd. during the overnight hours. The unknown suspect(s) stole the victim’s motor vehicle, which was valued at $6,000. The vehicle was entered stolen into a national database. The vehicle was recovered in Philadelphia, PA a few weeks later. A Somerset resident was the victim of …

EXPLAINING THE NUMBERS – Stephen Fried, the school district’s business administrator, reviews the 2026-27n preliminary budget at the March 24 school board meeting. A $221 million general fund preliminary budget for Fiscal Year 2027 was introduced March 24 by the Board of Education. The $220,518,992 preliminary budget is powered by a $194,391,315 tax levy, an 8.3% increase over the FY …

A schematic view of the proposed Catalpa Park. It was déjà vu all over again March 24 when the Township Council went out for bids on the construction of Catalpa Park.

COMING SOON – Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen is slated to come to the Village Plaza on Easton Avenue, in the former McDonald’s space. Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen will soon call Franklin home, with a new, modern restaurant planned for the former McDonald’s location in the Village Plaza on Easton Avenue. The long-term lease was recently signed after about a year of negotiations, …

A Somerset resident is among nine Somerset County Vocational & Technical High School students who qualified for the Future Business Leaders of America national championships. Siyaa Choudhary earned the honor by placing second in the Healthcare Administration competition at the New Jersey FBLA State Leadership Conference in Atlantic City.