We’ll just come out and say it: The Township Zoning Board of Adjustment should deny the Tawheed Dawah Center’s application to amend the previously approved plans for a house of worship on South Middlebush Road. And let’s be absolutely crystal clear: the reason is not the religion of the applicant, the beliefs of its prospective congregants nor the number of …

Graphic: Nordstrom. Construction has begun on a new Sprouts Farmers Market in Bridgewater, with the specialty grocery chain now targeting an opening during the first half of 2027.

MOST LIKELY A ‘NO’ – Members of the Open Space Advisory Committee on October 20 did not seem enthusiastic about using Open Space Trust Fund money for a project at Six Mile Run Reformed Church. Open Space Advisory Committee members were cool to a request that township tax money be used for a small construction project at Six Mile Run …

09/27/2026 A business located in the area of Franklin Square Dr. was the victim of defiant trespassing during the overnight hours. Patrol responded to a fire alarm and observed evidence of an unknown suspect(s) residing in the building. The evidence included personal items, bottles, and the odor of marijuana throughout the building. Patrol canvassed the entire building for the suspect(s) …

ONE STEP CLOSER – Environmental Commission member Stan Jaracz at the October 19 meeting convinced his fellow committee members to suggest the Township Council enact a ban on the intentional release of balloons. The Township Environmental Commission voted unanimously October 19 to recommend that the Township Council ban the intentional release of balloons, using an ordinance recently adopted by East …

GET OUT THE VOTE – Activist Larry Hamm urges attendees at the “No Kings 4 – Vote Early” rally at the township gazebo to make sure they and their friends vote in the upcoming general election. Speakers at a “No Kings 4 – Vote Early” rally Saturday urged Franklin Township residents to vote early in the Nov. 3 midterm elections …

Week ending Oct. 16, 2026 Shares of Infosys surged more than 14 percent during the week ending October 16, leading gains among U.S.-listed companies tracked by the Franklin Reporter & Advocate Market Watch, even as a technology stock selloff sent the Nasdaq to its worst weekly performance since June.

Fewer than half of the township’s cannabis businesses met the September 30 deadline to send in their fees for the recently enacted licensing program. Those eight businesses received local licenses at the October 13 Township Council meeting.

The Township Council on October 16 approved more than $600,000 in contracts for goods and services. The approvals were:

PRESSING HIS POINT – Zoning Board Chairman Robert Thomas pressed the attorney representing the Tawheed Dawah Center to lobby Somerset County for a left-turn lane into its property on South Middlebush Road if their application is approved. A proposal to build a mosque on South Middlebush Road faced another round of intense questioning from residents October 15, as the township …