Community Building

A clinic designed to help people with expunging criminal convictions from their record is set for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. October 1 at First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens, 771 Somerset Street. The clinic, entitled “Clean Slate,” is sponsored by the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender, FBCLG, state Assemblyman Joe Danielsen (D-17) and Somerset County. During the …

READY, SET, SCHOOL! – Students in Grades 6-12 were given a back-to-school celebration September 7 at the Franklin Youth Center. Members of the Franklin Township Youth Center were treated to a special event on September 7: A Back-To-School festival. The students, in grades 6 through 12, were offered activities such as laser tag in the gym and computer games, and …

GETTING SET FOR SCHOOL – Nearly 1,000 backpacks filled with school supplies were distributed August 18 at the Community Day Festival at First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens. More than 1,200 people showed up to the First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens on Route 27 Agust 18 for what has become an end-of-summer tradition. The Zakee Bowser Enrichment Foundation and …

HUSAIN DAY MESSAGE – Amir Ahmed Atozai, representative of the Pakistani Consulate, delivers his message during the Husain Day commemoration at Masjid-e-Ali mosque. Muslims from around the region gathered at Masjid-e-Ali on Cedar Grove lane August 10 for their annual commemoration of Husain Day. The day memorializes Imam Husain, the grandson of the Muslim Prophet Muhammad, who was killed along …

More than 30 ICNA Relief USA volunteers have packed 1,200 backpacks full of school supplies. The backpacks were filled during the organization’s 2024 Back2School Mega event with pencils, notebooks, and folders at the organization’s Somerset office. The backpacks will be distributed to underserved school children at various locations across New Jersey, including Somerset, Edison, Atlantic City, Jersey City, Elizabeth, and …

VOLUNTEERS AT WORK – Volunteers at the Food Bank’s warehouse on Churchill Avenue. (Photo: Franklin Food Bank.) The Franklin Food Bank recently received a $15,000 grant from Bank of America. The grant will help the Franklin Food Bank further its mission of serving neighbors in need, while improving economic mobility in greater Somerset County. Between 2022 and 2023, the Franklin …

There was music, food trucks and, of course, fireworks. Mother Nature smiled down on the township July 3, providing beautiful weather for the annual celebration that has been hit with foul weather at times over the past few years. Hundreds of people gathered at the Municipal Complex off DeMott Lane to hear evening performances by the Franklin Township Community Band …

SSP Architects and FirstBank announce the 4th annual “Tee Up for Teachers” golf outing, hosted at the Heron Glen Golf Course in Ringoes on June 24. This event, organized to benefit the Franklin Township Warrior Education Foundation (FTWEF), aims to provide vital grants to educators of Franklin Township Public School District, fostering innovative educational programs beyond traditional budget constraints. Reflecting …

STREET WOES – Township Councilman James Vassanella said that he’s noticed that since Covid, overall conditions on the Easton Avenue corridor have declined. Some short-term “fixes” to Easton Avenue traffic issues my be put in place before major reconstruction work is set to begin later this decade. That was the upshot from a May 20 forum on safety issues with …

State Assemblyman Joe Danielsen (D-17) will bring his mobile office to two township library branches in June. The mobile office will be at the library’s Franklin Park branch at 64 Clover Place from 1-4 p.m. on June 10 and at the main branch, 485 DeMott Lane, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on June 18. Constituents can meet with a …