General News

Reenactor John Koopman as George Washington at last year’s Walk and Roll event, as local residents walk and bicycle on Canal Road. (Photo: Millstone Valley Preseervation Coalition.) Submitted by the Millstone Valley Preservation Coalition. Reenactors of General George Washington and his valet, Billy Lee, will ride on horseback along Canal Road on August 28, 241 years after the American and …

The 2022 class of the Franklin Township Police Department Youth Academy. A week of physical training, classroom learning and once-in-a-lifetime experiences was capped off at the July 22 Franklin Township Police Department Youth Academy Cadet graduation. The 15 cadets – down from 22 when the program started – were led into the Franklin Middle School – Sampson G. Smith campus …

With oppressive heat in the immediate forecast beginning July 20, the Township has established cooling centers in the Municipal Complex off DeMott Lane. A cooling center in the main branch of the Franklin Township Public Library will be open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and …

Mark Healey, the township’s Director of Planning, discusses the proposed warehouse ordinance at a recent Planning Board meeting. (File photo). A lawsuit could be in the offing if the Township Council, as expected, adopts on July 19 an ordinance that will limit where future warehouses can be built within Franklin. Michael Mandelbaum, manager of 5 Belmont Associates, objected to the …

Township Councilmember Ed Potosnak describes the “genderless bathroom” ordinance at the June 28 Council meeting. An ordinance that would require the establishment of single-occupancy, all-gender bathrooms in some public places within Franklin was introduced June 28 by the Township Council. The ordinance is championed by Councilmember Ed Potosnak (D-Ward 1), the Council’s first openly gay member. Potosnak said the ordinance …

Franklin Township renters received the most aid of any in the county. Township renters received about $2.9 million in federal aid through a one-time program to prevent Covid-related evictions. The township was one of 18 Somerset County towns which received a total of nearly $9 million in renters aid to prevent evictions of renters who had fallen behind in their …

The township’s Memorial Day Parade and observance returned on May 30 after a two-year Covid-19 hiatus. Marchers paraded up DeMott Lane from New Brunswick Road to the Veterans Memorial Park at the Municipal Complex. The Franklin Reporter & Advocate live streamed the parade and the observance at Veterans Memorial Park: Here are some scenes from the day: The event was …

Somerset County officials are releasing few details about the May 24 ransomware attack that crippled County computers. Somerset County officials are releasing few details about the May 24 ransomware attack that crippled County computers. Alternate email addresses have been assigned to “critical” County employees, such as the County Clerk, Surrogate and Sheriff, according to a press release from the County. …

Part of Amwell Road, between John F. Kennedy Boulevard and DeMott Lane, will close at night for the next several days for paving. Amwell Road between J.F.K. Boulevard and DeMott Lane will be closed tonight and at least through thee end of the week for repaving work. The work will be conducted from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Traffic will …

A call has gone out for aid for a township woman whose 2-year-old daughter drowned in a pool on May 13. Nilda Sanchez’s daughter, Alani, was at her babysitter’s house in Somerset when teh little girl fell into the pool and drowned. Sanchez is the sole wage earner in her family and has two other daughters, Angel, who attends MacAfee …