The township is getting ready to auction off the farming rights for a number of plots. The Township Council at the Jan 24 meeting set at $8 per acre the minimum auction price for 414 total acres, 261 of which are tillable. The price is the same as it was in 2013, the last time the council set the minimum …

A bill guaranteeing financial support for workers who are attacked while supervising inmates or detainees awaits final approval before the state General Assembly. The bill, A-3422, is co-sponsored by Assemblyman Joe Danielsen (D-17). Under the legislation, a compensation program would be established that would allow state corrections officers, juvenile corrections officers, juvenile detention officers, parole officers and probation officers who …

Victoria Seamon of Somerset has been named to Alvernia University’s Dean’s List for the fall 2016 semester. Seamon studied Occupational Therapy at Alvernia and is a graduate of Franklin High School. To be eligible for the Dean’s List, students must carry a semester GPA of 3.5 or better and take a minimum of 12 credits. Alvernia is a Franciscan university, …

A $4,000 donation to Second Chance for Animals and commendations for a township man’s good works and the former deputy mayor kicked off the Jan. 24 Township Council meeting. Mayor Phil Kramer in 2016 donated all of the fees he would have collected for performing marriages to Second Chance for Animals the organization that funds the Franklin Township Animal Shelter. …

A bill that would establish a public awareness campaign about opioid addiction has been cleared by a state Assembly committee. The bill, known as the “Heroin and OPIOD Drug Public Education (HOPE) Intiative,” is co-sponsored by Assemblyman Joe Danielsen (D-17.) The bill would require the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services in the Department of Human Services to establish …

A New Brunswick man has pleaded guilty to drug-related charges stemming from a 2015 arrest in the township. Elvin Guzman-Rodriguez, a.k.a. Joel Matos-Santiago, 38, pleaded guilty to 1st Degree possession of five ounces or more of cocaine with intent to distribute and 2nd Degree eluding, according to a press release from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office. In exchange for his …

Bridgewater, NJ – The Somerset Patriots have announced the signing of infielder Alfredo Rodriguez for the 2017 season.   “I am extremely excited to come to the Patriots. I have heard nothing but great things about everything over here,” said Rodriguez. “The Atlantic League will be a challenge, but that is what I am really looking forward to.”   Rodriguez …

625 New Brunswick Rd., Somerset, NJ 08873 (732) 563-4213 Open Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. All programs begin at 11:00 a.m. unless otherwise listed. (NEW) Table Tennis (Ping Pong) – Monday – Friday. Take a ‘shot’ at being a tournament master by playing Single or Doubles games. This competitive game has been an Olympic sport since 1988 …

Bridgewater, NJ – The Somerset Patriots have announced that individual tickets to the 2017 Atlantic League All-Star Game will go on sale Monday, February 6th at 10:00 a.m. The game will take place at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, New Jersey on Wednesday, July 12th at 7:05 p.m.   Tickets will be made available for purchase online at www.somersetpatriots.com and …

Heralding the start of what officials hope will be a district-wide program, Sampson G. Smith School 5th Graders should be taking home their school computers by the end of March. By the 2017-18 school year, all SGS students will be taking home their laptop computers, if all goes as planned. That was the prediction from Edward Ward, the school district’s …