News-pourri

Embattled schools Superintendent Edward Seto used his porti0n of the Oct. 17 Board of Education meeting to fire back at his detractors. The school board in September voted to not offer Seto another contract when his expires at the end of this school year. Seto, reading from a prepared statement, answered some of his critics and defended his record. “While …

A plan to provide for tractor-trailer parking at a Clyde Road warehouse – including the removal of about 900 trees from the property – won Planning Board approval at its Oct. 16 meeting. The 40-year-old warehouse at 60 Clyde Road needs tractor-trailer parking to remain competitive, the applicant’s attorney, Peter Lanfrit, told the board. “He’s trying to establish long-term tenancy …

A proposal to build a two-story, 22,000-square-foot medical office building on Veronica Avenue won Planning Board approval at the Oct. 16 meeting. The proposal, submitted by Dr. Didier Demesmin of University Pain Medicine Center, sparked some conversation by the board members over the proposed number of parking spaces before it won approval. Demesmin’s plan is to close his existing office …

Following is a statement by U.S. Rep. Rush Holt, D-NJ 12, released after his vote to end the government shutdown: “This bill ends an unnecessary, self-induced crisis.  It fails to end sequestration’s painful cuts in government services.  It fails to invest in creating new jobs.  It follows costly weeks of government shutdown and unnerving the financial world.  It sets up …

With the Oct. 16 special U.S. Senate election looming, Democrat Cory Booker has increased his lead over Republican Steve Lonegan, according to the latest Rutgers-Eagleton poll. The poll shows the Newark mayor with a 58 percent to 36 percent lead over the former Bogota mayor in the race to succeed the late Frank Lautenberg. The poll found that 43 percent …

Well, the Health Insurance Marketplace opened up this morning, and it looks like they still have a few bugs to work out in the application system. Personally, I’ve tried to sign up about six times, but always get stuck at the “Security Questions” section. What’s been your experience? Have you been able to register? Share your stories with us in …

Rep. Rush Holt, D-NJ, released the following statement at about 12:30 a.m., some 45 minutes after President Obama ordered the federal government to begin shutting down: “To pass a law, our Constitution says that you need the approval of the House, the Senate, and the President. “The Tea Party doesn’t control the Senate, the presidency, or even a majority of …

It was billed as a debate between the two state Senate candidates for the 17th Legislative District, but it ended up being more of a policy discussion. To be sure, there were differences in the stands taken by Democratic incumbent Sen. Robert Smith and his Republican challenger, township Mayor Brian Levine, but there was none of the fireworks one might …

Two years after it was swept away by the remnants of Hurricane Irene, the D&R Canal Towpath access bridge off DeMott Lane in Somerset is getting some attention. But it’s still going to be nearly another year before the bridge will once again allow access to the towpath. The state Department of Environmental Protection expects to go out to bid …

Rep. Rush Holt, D-NJ, represents the 12th Congressional District of New Jersey. Franklin Township is the largest Somerset County town in that district. This is the first of what we plan to be regular conversations with the Congressman about issues of interest to Franklin residents. This first installment deals with the United States’ reaction to the Syrian civil war, and …