News-pourri

Schools Superintendent John Ravally said on September 24 that the district may not send student-athletes to Hunterdon Central Regional High School for sports contests. Franklin High School athletes may not travel to Hunterdon Central Regional High School for games this year, the schools Superintendent said on September 24. Superintendent John Ravally said published reports of Hunterdon Central students mocking the …

Board of Education members Pat Stanley and Walter Jackson during the September 24 Board meeting. Sparks flew on Elizabeth Avenue during the September 24 Board of Education meeting as long-simmering tensions among some members exploded into public view, culminating with one Board member calling another a bigot. Tensions between board member Pat Stanley and other members, including board president Nancy …

Christine Danielsen has returned to the Board of Education, albeit only for a few months. Former Board of Education member Christine Danielsen was brought out of “retirement” on September 24 to serve out the remainder of an unexpired term. Danielsen will fill out the term left by Michelle Shelton, who resigned in August after moving out of the township. Shelton’s …

Township Councilman Carl Wright made emotional comments about gun violence at the September 22 virtual Township Council meeting. Saying that township youth are being killed for “stupid” reasons, Township Councilman Carl Wright on September 22 made a plea for an end to the violence. Wright (D-Ward 4), who made his statement during the Township Council’s “Council Member comment” period, was …

Prolonged squabbling over whether notices announcing a hearing on a proposed temple on South Middlebush Road forced the Zoning Board of Adjustment to postpone hearing the application until October. The Board has a standing rule that no new testimony will be heard after 10 p.m. The Board heard two applications prior to the temple’s, which didn’t begin until after 9 …

A bill that would allow authorities to fine people who did not wear face masks in stores was voted out of a state Assembly committee on September 17. Township resident and state Assemblyman Joe Danielsen (D-17) was one of the bill’s co-sponsors. Under the bill (A-4453), an individual could be fined anywhere from $50 to $500 for entering or remaining …

Dennis Hopkins and Christine Danielsen were interviewed September 17 for an open seat on the Board of Education. A newcomer and a former school board member are contending to fill a short-term vacancy on the Board of Education. The Board of Education interviewed the two – newcomer Dennis Hopkins and former board member Christine Danielsen – at a special meeting …

SOMERVILLE – Applications for the 2020 Somerset County Office on Aging and Disability Services’ Disability Advocates Awards are being accepted through October 2, 2020. The awards are for individuals, organizations and businesses in Somerset County that are exemplary advocates for adults and children with disabilities. Nominees must demonstrate exceptional support for empowering individuals with disabilities to freely live independently, exercise …

An artist’s rendering of the proposed Trimandir temple, targeted for a 16-acre tract on South Middlebush Road. An application for a 21,000-square-foot temple on South Middlebush Road, adjacent to Snyder’s Farm, is set to be heard at the September 17 Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting. The temple has been in the works for at least the past five years. A …

Elizabeth Avenue School vice-principal Greg Romero, Canal Walk Mask Makers Joan Klimpl, Kathy Caragher, Susan Hoffman and Art Hoffman, and EAS principal John Haney after the Canal Walk group donated face masks to the school’s students and staff. Students and staff of Elizabeth Avenue School will have a surprise waiting for them when (if?) they return to school for in-person …