News-pourri

Township Councilman Ted Chase has decided not to seek re-election, setting the stage for a primary fight among his potential Democratic Party successors. (File photo). The Ward 1 Township Council seat currently held by the retiring Ted Chase is the target of a challenge in the upcoming Township Council primary election. The township Democratic Party has chosen current Board of …

Artist’s rendering of the proposed Hamilton Street apartment building. The Hamilton Street Business District re-imagining continued on April 1, with the approval by the Zoning Board of Adjustment of a three-story, nine-unit apartment building. But unlike other apartment buildings approved in the District, this one will not feature retail space on the first floor.

Chart compiled by Mayor Phil Kramer shows the beginning of a “third wave” of coronavirus infections in Franklin. The number of township residents testing positive for the coronavirus shows that Franklin is an active part of the “third wave” of virus infections recently declared by state officials. That’s the word from Mayor Phil Kramer, who has been tracking data behind …

A $10,000 Verragio diamond engagement ring is waiting for one lucky couple at Venus Jewelers, Rutgers Plaza, Easton Avenue. The ring is the prize in the store’s “Amazing Ring Race,” planned for May 2.

The Howe Farmstead in Colonial Park is set to be restored and historically preserved. (Photo: Somerset County Historical Society.) The Somerset County Historical Society is seeking financial and labor contributions to the restoration and historical preservation work at the Howe Farmstead in Colonial Park. This is the first time a historic property is being restored as an all-original venue for …

The Arbor Day give-away and the Rose Day Festival at Colonial Park have been cancelled this year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Somerset County Park Commission made the decision to cancel those two events, plus the Fourth of July celebration which usually occurs at North Branch Park, until 2022, according to a press release from the Somerset County Park Commission.

The Council has decided to support all of the potential licenses for the state’s new marijuana industry. The Township Council on March 23 gave the high sign to supporting all six of the licenses that will be available for the budding legal marijuana industry in New Jersey. Council members unanimously supported a motion made by Councilwoman Kimberly Francois (D-At Large) …

Township Councilman Ted Chase will not run for re-election. Longtime Township Councilman Ted Chase has decided to keep his hat out of the ring for re-election this year, capping a 12-year Council career. The township Democrats hope to replace Chase, who represents Ward 1, with current Board of Education member Ed Potosnak.

Work will be done on South Middlebush Road this Spring, according to the Somerset County Public Works Department. The County is scheduled to install ADA-compliant curb ramps on the road from March 24 to April 2.

Schools Superintendent John Ravally, center, co-authored a letter to parents with Assistant Superintendent Daniel Loughran calling on township residents to reject hate. The killing of six Asian women and two others in Atlanta on March 16 has spurred the top two school district administrators to speak up. In a letter to parents posted on the district’s web site, school Superintendent …