A Somerset man wanted in two other towns was arrested Sept. 20 after police said he was seen trying to leave K-Mart on Easton Avenue with nearly $300 in merchandise. John Highland, 46, was allegedly seen by a store security guard putting $196 worth of Red Bull energy drinks and $98 in miscellaneous clothing items in a shopping cart, then …

The deadline for aspiring playwrights to submit their scripts to the Villagers New Playwrights Series is Oct.15. Selected straight plays will be presented as staged readings in the Zaidi Black Box Theatre from February to March, 2014, according to the program’s Web site. The series is intended to “provide playwrights with an opportunity to glimpse the performance potential of their …

The sights and sounds of the Renaissance Community Development Credit Union’s 6th Annual Bke-a-Thon for prostate cancer awareness, which attracted more than 100 riders Sept. 21. Several courses, up to 50 miles, were offered The ride is done in conjunction with Robert Wood Johnson University Medical Center. Participants could go on a 3-mile walk/ride through Colonial Park, or bike rides …

A program supporters say was designed to help ease the transition of freshmen into high school came under fire at the Sept. 19 Board of Education meeting. The program, called Freshman Focus, was started at the high school this year, principal James Bevere told the school board during a 15-minute presentation. Although Bevere spoke highly of the program – which …

A Somerset man faces theft and criminal mischief charges for allegedly stealing jewelry worth more than $6,000 at a Cedar Brook Drive home. Archie Ashley, 26, was arrested after he was seen on surveillance tapes removing items from the home, according to an affidavit filed in Superior Court, Somerville by Franklin Det. Kenneth Daly. Daly wrote that police were notified …

A Somerset County Grand Jury returned indictments against several township residents on Sept. 19. Oliver Fields, 43, of Somerset was indicted on charge of endangering the welfare of a child. Authorities allege that between April 10, 2013 and July 5, 2013, Fields possessed “film and/or a computer program” depicting a child in prohibited sexual acts. Ashis Ashish-Sharma, 22; Trevor Dawes, …

More than $300 in cash and items was stolen from a car owned by Sheliza Bacchus of John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Somerset. Bacchus told police that she discovered the burglary at about 8:44 a.m. Sept. 19. Police said Bacchus told them she did not lock the car. Stolen was an iPod Touch valued at $150, a GPS navigation system valued …

Elizabeth A. Kuhn of Somerset was cited Sept. 18 for careless driving after she was involved in an accident on Hamilton Street. Kuhn told police that she was adjusting her car’s radio while she was driving and did not see that a car ahead of hers, driven by Amit Kalra of Hillsborough, had stopped at the Berry Street intersection. § …

A resolution to not renew the contract of schools Superintendent Edward Seto will be on next week’s Board of Education agenda. Judging by the vote at the Sept. 19 workshop session to add the resolution – 5-2, with two abstentions – the measure stands a good chance of passing. The vote to add the resolution to next week’s agenda came …

Christopher B. Bannon, 41, died Sept. 13, 2013. Born in Edison, he lived in Metuchen for more than 20 years before moving to Somerset. He was predeceased by his father, Brian Bannon, in 2004. Surviving are his two daughters, Devon and Taylor, of Somerset; his mother, Suzanne Nosworthy and step-father David, of Somerset; two brothers, Brian Bannon and his wife, …