General News

CLOTHING FOR A CAUSE – FHS students collect clothing donations February 8 at FMS-Sampson G. Smith campus. Dozens of bags of gently worn clothing were dropped off February 8 at the Franklin Middle School’s Sampson G. Smith campus for the semi-annual clothing drive to benefit Project Graduation. The drives are held in the Winter and Spring, and are among the …

GOING TO BAT FOR HOA – Paul Schneier, a principal with Fleet Franklin, testifies at the February 7 Zoning Board of Adjustment hearing. A township homeowners’ association was given permission by the Zoning Board of Adjustment on February 6 to not build a part of its development included in its 2019 approval. The permission came in the form of a …

RAISING QUESTIONS – Library Trustee Zachary Lichtmann spurred a conversation about “rating” library books at the Trustees’ January 22 meeting. A lengthy discussion among Franklin Township Public Library trustees at their last meeting resulted in the Trustees deciding to not pre-emptively assign “ratings” to books placed in the Children’s or Young Adult sections of township libraries. One of the reasons, …

Township Estimate Is 91 Units Smaller Than The State’s Non-Binding Recommendation EXPLAINING THE NEW SYSTEM – Township Manager Robert Vornlocker explains the new state affordable housing program during the January 28 Township Council meeting. The Township should accommodate 623 new affordable housing units in the next 10 years, according to a resolution approved by the Township Council at its January …

VET HELPING VETS – State Assemblyman Joe Damielsen (D-17) welcomes attendees at his veterans’ information program on Jan. 22. Representatives from a host of social service organizations were on hand January 22 as part of an information program for military veterans sponsored by state Assemblyman Joe Danielsen. The event, held in the Municipal Building on DeMott Lane, was the first …

KEYNOTE SPEAKER – U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman speaks to attendees at the 28th annual Franklin Township Community Breakfast, sponsored by the Franklin Township Dr. Martin Luther King Community Foundation. Efforts to erase Black history, to ban books and to stifle discussions of racism must be resisted, in the spirit of the teachings of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, …

MAKING HIS CASE – Keith Cahill, the project engineer for Onyx 789, makes a point during the January 15 Planning Board hearing. A revised plan to build a 91,000-square-foot warehouse on a tract of land between New Brunswick and Old New Brunswick roads received a chilly reception January 15 from the Planning Board. The new plan represents an attempt by …

U.S. Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman will be the keynote speaker at the 2025 Martin Luther King Foundation Community Breakfast. The breakfast is set for 8:30 a.m. January 20 at DoubleTree by Hilton, 200 Atrium Drive. The event is a fundraiser for scholarships awarded by the Foundation to Franklin Township graduating seniors. Early bird tickets, available until December 31, are $50. …

ARTIST’S RENDERING – Levin Properties wishes to raze the former Big K-Mart building in Rutgers Plaza and replace it with a 4-story, 200-unit apartment building. An application to build a 4-story, 200-unit apartment building in Rutgers Plaza on Easton Avenue has once again been delayed. Ongoing hearings on the application were scheduled for September, October and January of 2025, and …

As they have for more than 70 years, members of the Millstone Valley Volunteer Fire Department ushered Santa Claus around East Millstone and neighboring Millstone on December 21 to spread Christmas cheer. This is the second year that Grinch has accompanied Santa on his tour, which took place in the afternoon and evening. After the evening run, Santa and Grinch …