The Board of Education voted to retain its top leadership, and the three winners in the November election were sworn in to their seats at the Jan. 7 reorganization meeting. Included in the swearing in was newest board member Laurie Merris, who won the seat vacated by former board member Betty Whalen. Also sworn in were returning board members Margaret …

The Franklin Township Municipal Youth Services Commission was recently awarded two grants totaling $7,500 by the Somerset County Freeholders. The money was part of $90,000 in grants awarded by the Freeholders to 14 youth services commissions representing all 21 Somerset County towns according to a press release on the awards.

For the second time in seven years, an application to turn a vacant building on Old New Brunswick Road into a retail center has been approved by the Planning Board. The board unanimously approved the application of Onyx, LLC to turn the 53,000-square-foot building at 785 Old New Brunswick Road into a strip center. The center would be located next …

A tip to the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office led to the arrest of a 20-year-old township man on a gun charge, but not before the man crashed his car into two other vehicles while trying to elude police, authorities said. Police charged Donte Dowdell with 2nd Degree Unlawful Possession of a Weapon and 2nd Degree Eluding Jan. 4, after Dowdell allegedly tried …

Submitted by Terry Ladd, Rutgers Prep. On Tuesday, January 5, Rutgers Preparatory School (founded in 1766) commemorated the first day of school in its 250th Anniversary year with an all school assembly in the Upper Gymnasium.

Submitted by Ana V. Kelly, St. Matthias School. A St. Matthias School 8th Grader received an award for her efforts during a Model United Nations Conference at Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft.

Bridgewater, NJ – The Somerset Patriots have announced that single game tickets for the 2016 season are now on sale.  

The Horticulture Department of the Somerset County Park Commission is accepting reservations for wedding ceremonies and photos at the following locations: Colonial Park Gardens, namely the Arboretum, the Perennial Garden, and the Rudolf W. van der Goot Rose Garden (for wedding photos only). The Leonard J. Buck Garden is accepting reservations for wedding photography only. The fee for each garden …

Unity Bank and its employees have donated a total of $15,000 to 15 food pantries in Central New Jersey and Pennsylvania, including to the Franklin Township Food Bank. Donations were made to one service organization for each Unity branch, according to a press release from the bank. The funds were donated by Unity Bank employees and matched by the bank …

By Bill Connell, Somerset. I was out holiday shopping and saw a t-shirt in a store. It was chess pieces on a treadmill. The Rook was trying to tell the Knight, just walk straight on the treadmill. I laughed at first, but it put me in a spiritual mood. How often is our first mistake assuming people see things the …