Township resident Daryl Kipnis will kick off his 2017 state Senate campaign with a Jan. 5, 2017 reception at The Imperia, 1714 east Ave. Kipnis, an attorney, hopes to win the Republican nomination to challenge incumbent and presumptive Democratic nominee state Sen. Bob Smith for the 17th District seat, which represents Franklin, Milltown, New Brunswick, North Brunswick and Piscataway.

Mary “Dolly” Varga passed away late Friday evening at her daughter’s home in Franklin Park. She was 85 years old. Mrs. Varga was born in New Brunswick to Andrew and Mary Juhasz. She lived in Dayton for many years and resided in Franklin Park for over 60 years. She was a founding parishioner of St. Augustine of Canterbury Church in …

Dec. 8 Someone stole a Goodyear tire valued at $300 from a People’s Line Road home. A 2006 Honda Accord parked off Easton Avenue was burglarized. Four men “dined and dashed” at the Somerset Diner, Easton Avenue. The men skipped on a $42 tab. A Reler Lane resident told police that early in the morning, she heard someone jiggling the …

Santa Claus once again made an early appearance in Middlebush on Dec. 17, but unlike past years, this time it was indoors. The annual Santa in the Park, hosted by the Middlebush Volunteer Fire Department, had to be moved inside the  company’s Olcott Street fire house because of the slushy remnants of an early morning snowfall.

Lillian Thomas, 82, entered eternal rest on Dec. 15, 2016 at McCarrick Care Center in Somerset. Mrs. Thomas was born September 20, 1934 in Oak City, N.C. to the late Mead and Agnes (Baker) Manning. She was one of 13 children. She lived in South River for many years before settling in North Brunswick. Lillian was a faithful member of …

Dennis Almeida passed away early Friday at St. Peters University hospital in New Brunswick at the age of 57. Dennis was born in Brooklyn but lived for many years in Franklin Township. He was a longtime member of the Laborers Local 77. Dennis was an avid sports fan who always made sure to bet on his Mets or take a …

By Bill Connell, Somerset. About a year or so ago I called the Stage House restaurant and asked the hostess if I could make a song request. “You’ve lost that loving feeling.” I said “I really love that song.” Being polite she put me on hold and asked the manager. She came back on and said she could not honor …

More than 100 members of a township mosque gathered there Dec. 17 to celebrate the birthday of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad. The faithful gathered at the Masjid-e-Ali mosque on Cedar Grove Lane to hear several speakers talk about Muhammad, and equate his life to the present day.

Nearly one in every 10 township school-aged child lived in poverty in 2015, a figure that is 41 percent higher than in all of Somerset County. In its annual Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates for 2015, released Dec. 14, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 9.4 percent of children aged 5 to 17 years in the township live below …

The 2016 winners of an annual poster contest for the township’s school children were celebrated at the Dec. 13 Township Council meeting. The contest is sponsored by the township Municipal Alliance for the Prevention of Substance Abuse. This year’s theme was “We Can Be Above The Influence And Still be Influenced.”