General News

A delegation representing Franklin Township’s Fire District No. 1 – led by State Assemblyman Joe Danelsen (D-17) and his son, Joey – on March 21 donated their hair to a childhood cancer research foundation. The team joined nearly 100 other people from throughout central New Jersey at the North Plainfield Fire Department for the head-shaving event. Danielsen’s team raised more than $39,000 …

A temporary schedule change at the Franklin Boulevard Post Office – which involved closing the office for an hour on Tuesdays – has ended, a U.S. Postal Service spokesman said. The branch had been closing for an hour on Tuesdays so the lone clerk could take lunch. “I spoke to the local postal officials and they advise the regular Mon …

A lifelong township resident was one of two new police officers sworn in at the March 10 Township Council meeting. Taking the oath were Kenneth Reid II and Patrick Nurthen. Reid, who grew up in Franklin, is a 4-year veteran and most recently served with the Rutgers police department. Police Chief Lawrence Roberts said Reid was once an intern for the …

The 14-ton weight restriction on the Amwell Road bridge must be “strictly observed” if the structure is to remain open until it can be replaced later this year, the state’s top transportation official said March 1o. The bridge, which was suddenly closed Jan. 16 for emergency repairs, is set to be reopened on March 11. Township police Sgt. Philip Rizzo …

Some of the township’s professional and amateur chili cooks squared off Feb. 20 for the Franklin Food Bank’s Chili Cook-Off. Contestants were divided into two groups, restaurants and fire houses. Participants tasted samples from each of the contestants, and then voted – with red and white beans – for their favorites in each category. When all the beans were counted, …

A settlement agreement involving a township Fire District and a former fire commissioner must be turned over to the township resident who requested it, a state Superior Court Judge ruled on Feb. 20. Judge Yolanda Ciccone, sitting in Somerville, also ruled that the Pennsylvania-based insurance company, Volunteer Fireman’s Insurance Services, Inc., must pay the to-be-determined legal fees of the resident, John Paff. …

Township drivers will continue to face detours and construction sites throughout the year. In addition to emergency work currently being done on the Delaware & Raritan Canal bridge on Amwell Road and the County Route 518 reconstruction project, a state official said bridge replacement work on Rt. 518 is slated to start later this year and road reconstruction on Route …

Americans can not let the civil rights advances of the last 50 years be whittled away by prejudice and hatred, a crowd of more than 300 people was told Jan. 19 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Somerset. The speaker was Randal Pinkett, and the event was the 18th annual Franklin Township Community Breakfast, held to honor the memory and mission of the …

Editor’s Note: From time to time, the Franklin Reporter & Advocate will present stories of community advocacy campaigns. A plan that surfaced last spring to cut the hours of the East Millstone Post Office on Market Street was soon abandoned after village residents protested. Somerset Postmaster Ionie Anglin devised the plan to reduce the number of the post office’s operational hours …

A raccoon killed on Shelly Drive has tested positive for rabies. The case is the second in the past month in the township. A township resident’s dog killed the raccoon sometime around Dec. 12, according to a press release from the Somerset County Health Department. Rabies was confirmed on Dec. 18. The dog did not have a current vaccination against …