General News

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 …

Participants in a June, 2020 Juneteenth march in the township. (File photo) The Somerset County Democratic Black Caucus’s first Juneteenth Parade is set for 11 a.m. June 18, with the starting point being the Pine Grove Manor School, 130 Highland Ave. The parade will wend its way up Highland Avenue to Hamilton Street, ending at Naaman Williams Park, 42 Matilda …

Chuck Martin, a member of the Trails Advisory Committee, describes the demonstration plot program to the Environmental Commission on May 16. The Trails Advisory Committee wants to know more about the township’s native grasslands and is looking to the Open Space Advisory Committee for help. The Trails Committee wants to re-establish 10 “demonstration plots” at the Negri Nepote Grasslands Preservation …

Performance Rehabilitation & Regenerative Medicine will hold its inaugural 5K charity run/walk, “Conquer the Island,” from 10 a.m. to noon May 14 at Duke Island Park in Bridgewater. All proceeds from the event will go to the “30 Days for Clean Water” program run by  Mission Clean Water, a New Jersey-based 501c3 nonprofit that focuses on providing clean drinking water …

Applications will be accepted through June 1. Applications are now being accepted for the Franklin Township Police’s Youth Police Academy, to be held from July 14-22, 2022. The program is open to students in 8th to 12 grades. The application deadline is June 1. The academy will be held daily from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., and is open to …