General News

Dogs of all sizes and shapes gathered May 4 at Colonial Park for the 7th Annual “Paws for a Cause” fundraiser for Second Chance for Animals. The organization supplies volunteers for and funds the Franklin Township Animal Shelter on DeMott Lane. Event organizer Tom Young said he was happy with the turnout, even though the numbers might have been suppressed by …

As it has for the past several years, the Township Council has declared April 27 as “Sierra Leone Day” in Franklin. The proclamation designating the day was approved at the council’s April 22 meeting. April 27 is the African nation’s independence day. Mayor Brian Levine (R) noted that the township has one of the largest Sierra Leonean communities in the …

A township military couple wed by Mayor Brian Levine in 2011 surprised the Mayor at the April 22 Township Council meeting with a commemorative plaque from Afghanistan. Army Sgt. Santos Avilez and his wife, Air Force Sgt. Grisselle Avilez, presented Levine with the plaque during the meeting’s public portion. The plaque includes a flag flown in a combat mission over …

Gov. Chris Christie called for an end to realty transfer fees and limits on campaign spending in a town hall meeting held April 15 at the N.J. National Guard Armory on Hamilton Street. This was the third time Christie has visited the township during his two terms as governor. Christie spoke to the several hundred people gathered at the armory …

The township will be flushing fire hydrants from now until April 25, according to a notice from the Department of Public Works. The flushing will occur between 8 p.m. and midnight. Residents may notice that their tap water is discolored the morning after a flush, but that will soon dissipate, the department said. Residents with questions can call (732) 249-7800.

James E. Fair, the first black member of the Millstone Valley Fire Department, was remembered April 5 as a man of great integrity and love for his community. Fair eventually rose to become chief of the department which refused him when he first applied in the 1970s. Fair, 67, died Christmas Day 2013 at The Villages Hospital in The Villages, …

The township Historic Preservation Advisory Commission held two informal hearings at its March 4 meeting, one of which dealt with a building raising and another which dealt with a proposed new home. Joachim Messing of Neuville Drive told the commission that he wants to tear down a garage on property he owns next to his house and build another home. …

UPDATE 2: The Manville Causeway bridge is now closed,  according to a state Department of Transportation spokesman. Repairs to the Manville Causeway bridge and part of Route 518 will mean road closures and detours into the summer. Rehabilitation of the causeway bridge – which traverses the Delaware & Raritan Canal and connects Weston Canal Road with Wilhousky Street in Manville …

“Several” summonses for not obeying the township’s law regarding sidewalk cleanups after snow storms have been handed out by police since the Valentine’s Day weekend storms, a police spokesman said. Several storms spanning from Feb. 12 to Feb. 18 dumped as much as 20 inches of snow on Franklin Township, according to the New Jersey State Climatologist. The township’s ordinance …

The DeForest B. Soaries Jr. Senior Residences at Somerset building was officially opened on Jan. 28. Located at 630 Franklin Blvd., the 64-unit building is geared toward senior citizens and veterans. “Twenty years ago we embarked upon the mission of revitalizing the neighborhood along the Route 27 corridor south of the St. Peter’s cemetery,” said the Rev. DeForest Soaries, after …