A 19-year-old township man has been charged with the Jan. 4 attempted burglary of a Cheshire Court home. Edward A. Rowe Jr. was charged with 3rd Degree Attempted Burglary and Criminal Mischief, according to a press release from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.

Weddings officiated this year by Mayor Phillip Kramer have been a boon to the Franklin Township Animal Shelter and the organization that funds it, Second Chance for Animals. That’s because the wedding fee – $50 each – goes to the group through a trust fund established by the township.

Update: A 31-year-old man was injured in a shooting on Dewald Avenue the evening of Jan. 3, according to teh Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office. The man, who was not identified, was found outside a Dewald Ave home with a non-life-threatening gunshot to one leg, according to a press release from the prosecutor.

High school and college graduates looking to learn a vocation have another choice in the township. The American Institute formally opened its doors with a Jan. 4 ribbon-cutting at its new school, located at 80 Cottontail Lane.

Bridgewater, NJ- The Somerset Patriots have announced that right-handed pitcher Jim Miller has been signed by the Minnesota Twins.  

Five township Eagle Scouts were acknowledged by the Township Council at the Jan. 3 reorganization meeting. The scouts, all members of Troop 154, received their Eagle classification over the past two years.

Fourth Ward Councilman Carl Wright, a 7-year veteran of the governing body, was chosen Jan. 3 to be the township’s Deputy Mayor for 2017. The council also voted on a number of other positions, including township attorney, municipal court judge, and township prosecutors and public defender at its annual reorganization meeting.

Submitted by Somerset County Park Commission. Reservations for wedding ceremonies and photographs at several gardens in Colonial Park are now being accepted by the Horticulture Department of the Somerset County Park Commission.

Submitted by Raritan Valley Habitat for Humanity. High-quality lighting fixtures, chandeliers, ceiling fans and more will be offered at heavily discounted prices to support Raritan Valley Habitat for Humanity on Jan. 14-15 at 89 Route 206 North, Somerville.

Mary Hutt, formerly of Somerset, passed away on Jan. 1 at the Bartley Health Care Center in Jackson. She was 95 years old. Mrs. Hutt was born in Scotland and came to the United States as a child in 1923. She trained at Juilliard School in both voice and dance, was a Coloratura Soprano and once sang at Carnegie Hall. …