News-pourri

The Township Council next month will formally oppose a natural gas pipeline compressor station proposed for a site in Franklin Park. The decision came after a nearly four-hour special meeting Aug. 10, during which representatives from Williams-Transco – the company proposing the compressor station – were peppered with questions and comments by council members, area residents and environmental activists. The resolution …

Steep increases in their property tax bills sent a contingent of Canal Walk residents to the Aug. 9 Township Council meeting for help, but they didn’t really get any satisfaction. The residents were basically told that their beef is with the state Legislature, and the age-old process by which property taxes are calculated. They did, though, get an offer from …

A revised bill, co-sponsored by state Assemblyman Joseph Danielsen (D-17), designed to better prepare law enforcement agencies to handle racial, ethnic, religious and other diversities has been signed into law. Other co-sponsors of the bill, (A-1663), were Assembly Democrats Gary S. Schaer, Speaker Vincent Prieto, Shavonda Sumter and Gordon M. Johnson. The version signed Aug. 9 by Gov. Chris Christie incorporates suggestions …

A township woman stopped by Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick Aug. 5 for a reunion of sorts. Tamara D’Ambra, accompanied by her mother, husband and three children, wanted to say “thank you” to the hospital’s Mobile Health Services and medical staff who helped save her life in June. D’Ambra, 44, suffered a major heart attack at home …

A bill that aims to help prevent college student suicides was signed into law earlier this week. The bill, known as the “Madison Holleran Suicide Prevention Act,” was co-sponsored by state Assemblyman Joe Danielsen (D-17), as well as Assembly members Joseph Lagana, Tom Goblin and Raj Mukherji. Holleran, a track star at Northern Highlands` Regional High School in Allendale, committed suicide …

By Somerset County Freeholder Brian Levine. Crescendo. Each day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland builds in a type of crescendo as the speakers take the podium to address the delegates during the evening. In turn, each of the four days builds in a crescendo as the days progress. The finale of any national party convention culminates the crescendo …

Key people involved in the Class of 2016 graduation – the first one held at the current Franklin High School – were commended at the July 21 Board of Education meeting. “We thought it was important to recognize a few key individuals who made the graduation at Franklin High School possible,” said board president Ed Potosnak. “It was a fabulous …

A policy prohibiting discrimination against transgender students caused a minor controversy at the July 21 Board of Education meeting. Board member Pat Stanley failed to garner any support for her motion to table voting on the policy, a move she made after saying the board seemed in a rush to approve it. Under the policy, the school board “will accept a student’s …

By Somerset County Freeholder Brian Levine. I will say, up front, that I may have broken the rules. It just seemed like a good idea at the time. On Day 3 of the Republican National Convention, I arrived at our venue, The Quicken Loans Arena (known as “the Q”) as I had on the previous days. After going through security, …

By Somerset County Freeholder Brian Levine. As with most endeavors, the exciting and high intensity portions – the actual attendance at the Republic National Convention – is intense. The more mundane procedures, such as communications and logistics, are just as important. As for the latter… The RNC provided us with an app for our smart phones to keep track of …