A number of homes on Drake Road were evacuated April 12 after a live hand grenade was found in one of them. Police said the grenade was later found to be inert and not in danger of exploding. Police said they received a call at about 9:42 a.m. from a man who said he was going through his parents’ things, …

Bridgewater, NJ- The Somerset Patriots have invited left-handed pitcher J.D. Reichenbach and infielder Scott Kelly to join the team at Spring Training from their open player tryouts held at TD Bank Ballpark on Saturday, April 12th. Reichenbach has experience in the Cleveland Indians organization, reaching the Triple-A level briefly in 2011. He spent most of last season in Carolina, Cleveland’s …

About 40 people gathered the morning of April 12 at the rear of Somerset Village on Easton Avenue to help clean up Seeley’s Brook. Led by the John Clyde, Township Councilman Ted Chase (D-Ward 1), the township Environmental Commission and the Stony Brook-Millstone Watershed Alliance, the group – which included Brownies from Troop 60607 – climbed up and down the …

Five township-based organizations have won Community Box seats for various games at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater for the 2014 Somerset Patriots season. The winning organizations, picked by Somerset County Freeholder Director Patrick Scaglione in a drawing, are: Elizabeth Avenue Volunteer Fire Company Station 26, Cub Scout Pack 113, Boy Scout Troop 195, Canal Walk Home Owners Association and the …

Actor and author Hill Harper will be the keynote speaker for the “Arts in the Afternoon” program presented at 1 p.m. April 13 at the First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens, 771 Somerset St. in Somerset. Hill will do a book signing of his latest release, “Letters to an Incarcerated Brother” during the program, which is sponsored by the church’s …

Several groups hoping to get Community Development Block Grant funding for projects ranging from helping homeowners who are facing foreclosure to renovating kitchens in a senior residence made their pitches April 8 before the Township Council. The council’s finance committee will review all 14 grant applications and make its recommendations at a later date. The township received $254,170 in CDBG …

In a fast meeting April 8, the Board of Education selected Illinois-based ECRA Group to lead a search for the new schools Superintendent. The company, which has an office in Jersey City, will charge the district an $18,500 basic consultation fee for the search, plus expenses. Those expenses – which in an extreme case could add another $17,000 to the …

Bridgewater, NJ – The Somerset Patriots have announced the signings of left-handed pitcher Zach Kroenke and Matt Zielinski and utility player Dennis Raben. Kroenke has Major League experience with the Arizona Diamondbacks, where he pitched in seven games in 2010 and 2011. In addition to his Major League time, Kroenke has six seasons of Triple-A experience with the New York …

Ankit Modi, the owner of the new 7-11 convenience store at Franklin Boulevard and Hamilton Street, said April 11 that he was “overwhelmed” by the response to his grand opening celebration. Modi, who has owned the Exxon station and the store for a number of years, switched from a Tiger Mart to 7-11 several months ago. The grand opening celebration …

Hillcrest School students got a reprieve from their regular curriculum April 9 to spend the day learning about financial literacy. The lessons were provided by Franklin High School’s Future Business Leaders of America Club and members of Rutgers University’s Phi Beta Lambda organization, under the auspices of the Junior Achievement program. “This is the first time we’re connecting Rutgers University …