Community Building

The township’s annual “Patriots’ Day” observance of the September 11 terrorist attacks will be held virtually this year. (File photo.) The official township observance of the September 11 terrorist attacks will be held virtually this year, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement was made by Township Manager Robert Vornlocker during the Township Council’s September 8 meeting. In …

The Franklin Township Police department started a three-day celebration of its new Hamilton Street Community Relations Bureau on September 1. Helping out with the celebration was FTPD PBA Local 145 and the Week of The People organization, which partnered to give local students school supplies in backpacks. The new bureau is located at 935 Hamilton Street, which at its opening …

One of the classic cars that participated in Somerset Woods’ Classic Car Parade. Residents at the Somerset Woods Rehabilitation and Nursing Center and Canal Walk development received a treat on August 21: a rolling classic car show. Owners of more than two dozen classic cars – including a few from the 1920s – participated in the car parade which started …

The 13th annual RCDCU ride to fight prostate cancer will be virtual this year. (File photo.) The annual Renaissance Cyclists Defeating Cancer United “Bike to Fight Prostate Cancer” will be held virtually on September 19 and 20. Money raised by the ride, which offers cyclists 10-, 30- and 50-mile routes through the township and its environs, will be donated to …

Franklin High School’s Class of 2020 will be honored with “Vote N’ Vibe Summer Kickback” from 5-7 p.m. Aug. 15 at FHS’s Warriors Stadium. The event is sponsored by the Franklin-based non-profit, Clued Up. Vote N’ Vibe was organized with the intent of providing this year’s FHS graduates a chance to collectively celebrate their accomplishments while receiving important information for …

Submitted by Sister2Sister. On Saturday, October 3, 2020, Sister2Sister (S2S) will host a Virtual 5K Breast Cancer Run/Walk 4Life from 8 a.m. till 5 p.m. This event is designed to raise funds, educate and bring awareness to the fight against breast cancer, celebrate survivorship; and to honor the lives of those who lost their battle.  Funds raised will help support …

Jada Bethea. Photo: Emma Richter. Submitted by Emma Richter, FHS Class of 2018. Someone I used to spend most of my time with at Franklin High School, running up and down the field hockey field with, rooting for each other on the sidelines, is also the same person who is standing up for change in Franklin right now. Jada Bethea, …

Marchers take their message from Middlebush Park to the Public Safety Building on June 26. Close to 100 people gathered June 26 at Middlebush Park for a march for justice to the Public Safety Building on DeMott Lane. The march was to honor people of color who have been killed by police. Once at the Public Safety Building, which houses …

Franklin residents celebrating Juneteenth took to the streets June 20 with a loud, joyful celebration of Black emancipation. Juneteenth celebrates the day in 1865 – June 19 – when Union Gen. Gordon Granger read aloud in Galveston, Texas, General Order No. 3, which announced the emancipation of slaves. The Emancipation Proclamation had been issued by Pres. Abraham Lincoln nearly 2 …

Township police officers mustered in front of the Public Safety Building on June 16 to publicly reaffirm their Oath of Honor to the community. The officers also heard from a number of the township’s faith leaders, all of whom expressed their support for the FTPD and offered their services if needed. The event comes during a time when police and …