The Franklin Food Bank recently received an $810 donation from the Somerset County Adopt-A-Family program. In all, $18,434 was raised and donated to needy Somerset County families, according to a press release about the program.

We at the Franklin Reporter & Advocate would like to take a moment to wish all of our readers and advertisers the most joyous of holidays during this festive season.

School district substitute nurses will receive an 82 percent pay hike in 2017, in a move that district officials say will save money in the long-run. The substitute nurses’ per day rate will be increased from the current $110 to $200. The Board of Education approved the increase at its Dec. 22 meeting.

Updates on a number of construction projects connected with the “One Less Move” referendum were given at the Dec. 22 Board OF Education meeting. The updates were provided by board member Christine Danielsen in her facilities committee report.

Board of Education member Julia Presley said good-bye to her colleagues Dec. 22, as she prepared to leave the seat she’s held for the past six years. Presley, a former school board vice president and president, declined to seek re-election this year. Her seat was won by newcomer Ardaman Singh.

The company wishing to build a gas compressor station in Franklin initially eyed six potential locations in the township and South Brunswick, a federal filing shows. The Williams Companies’ Transco affiliate is planning to build the 32,000-horsepower natural gas-powered station on a 52-acre parcel near the intersection of Routes 27 and 518. The controversial application has run into opposition from …

Dec. 12 Xbox accessories valued at $710 were stolen from a Skipton Place home. Stolen were an Xbox One, valued at $450; two Xbox One controllers, valued at $50 each; an Xbox video game, valued at $50, and a pair of virtual reality goggles valued at $100. Dec. 15

A 52-acre parcel near the intersection of Routes 27 and 518 has been selected as the location for the Williams-Transco gas compressor station project. The site was selected over another option because it minimizes the effects of the compressor station on the environment and on nearby residents by about 80 percent, a company spokesman said.

Mr. James “Mickey” Hague passed away Dec. 20 at the Arbor Glenn Care Center in Bridgewater. He was 73 years old. Born in Somerville, Mr. Hague lived throughout Somerset County before settling in East Millstone 44 years ago. He worked on the assembly line of the Ford Motor Company in Edison for 31 years. Mr. Hague had a second career …

Submitted by Franklin Food Bank. Stop & Shop has donated hundreds of holiday boxes to the Franklin Food Bank. When Food Bank clients came for their monthly food package, they received a holiday package which included a chicken, turkey, or ham, as well as a Nature’s Promise holiday box of side dishes – everything a family needed for a holiday …