News-pourri

EXPLAINING THE PLAN – Schools Superintendent John Ravally explains the plan to use the former Middlebush School as a pre-school center to offer universal, free, pre-school to District children. The Board of Education on February 22 took the first step in reclaiming the former Middlebush School building as a school. The Board agreed to give district administrators the authority to …

COUNTY TAKES OVER – Somerset County will renovate Guglielmo Marconi Memorial Park after officials stopped unauthorized work being done by the Franklin Township Marconi Foundation. Plans by a private organization to refurbish the Guglielmo Marconi Memorial Park at Easton Avenue and JFK Boulevard have been scuttled by Somerset County officials, about two months after the Township ordered that work on …

MAKING THE CASE – Township Manager Robert Vornlocker told the Open Space Advisory Committee on February 20 that the Meadows Foundation needs help in paying some of its bills. The Open Space Committee on February 20 voted to recommend that some of its money be used to help the cash-strapped Meadows Foundation pay some of its bills. The recommendation will …

Tips on staying safe in the wake of an uptick statewide of car thefts and home burglaries were given during a virtual town hall meeting February 15. The town hall was hosted by Mayor Phil Kramer and Public Safety Director Quovella Maeweather. During the roughly 50-minute session, Maeweather reviewed a number of steps residents can take to keep their properties …

ASKING FOR HELP – Shani Madaminova, co-owner of the Leaf Haus cannabis dispensary on Easton Avenue, told the Township Council on February 13 that her business is suffering because of the Township’s current signage regulations. A plea from a local small business owner at the February 13 Township Council meeting spurred the governing body to create an ad hoc committee …

GIVING THANKS – Franklin Food Bank Executive Director Derek Smith thanks those in attendance at the inaugural “Love They Neighbor” fundraiser, sponsored by The Marigold catering hall. The Marigold catering hall was the scene February 13 of a special fundraiser for the Franklin Food Bank. The “Love They Neighbor” event was sponsored by the catering hall itself, and probably won’t …

On January 27th, 2024, the LEO Multiple District 16 State Cabinet hosted a successful series of professional development workshops with 55+ students representing over 50 clubs in the state at Sayreville War Memorial High School. The LEO Leadership Conference (LLC) was an eight-hour event where cabinet members facilitatedworkshop trainings and discussion sessions around leadership development, volunteerism, publicspeaking, and service hour …

TIRED OF THE FIGHT – Planning Board member Robert Thomas said he just didn’t care any longer about a house of worship’s plans to construct an arch on their driveway on Cedar Grove Lane without realigning the driveway with one across the street. It took about eight months, but the Jain Center on Cedar Grove Lane won approval for a …

THE MAYOR SPEAKS – Newark Mayor Ras Baraka speaks during the Somerset County Democratic Committee’s Black Caucus’ celebration of Black History Month on February 3. Speaking to a cheering audience in the Township Senior/Community Center, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka on February 3 delivered a fiery speech honoring “champions of justice” in the African-American community and extolling those in attendance to …

The Township Council on January 23 approved a contract with senior department heads that will extend through the end of 2025. The contract, with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, covers senior department heads and is retroactive to January 1, 2021. Township Manager Robert Vornlocker said that negotiations on a new contract were sidelined mainly because of …