News-pourri

Former state Assemblyman Upendra Chivukula was the recipient of two proclamations at the Feb. 3 Township Council meeting. Chivukula, who last year was appointed to the state Board of Public Utilities, was given a proclamation by the council and by the state Assembly.

Students who refuse to take next month’s computerized PARCC tests run the risk of being marked absent from school. Or do they?

The Franklin Township Municipal Youth Services Commission was recently awarded a $5,000 grant from the Somerset County Freeholders. The money will be used for the commission’s Youth Council, Franklin Youth Prevention and Empowerment and Boys Council programs, according to a release about the award.

A number of township residents have formed a group with the stated goal of helping the Board of Education. The group, called “Student Achievement Through Collaborative Partnership,” was announced at the Jan. 22 school board meeting by one of its founders, Alex Kharazi.

Americans can not let the civil rights advances of the last 50 years be whittled away by prejudice and hatred, a crowd of more than 300 people was told Jan. 19 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Somerset. The speaker was Randal Pinkett, and the event was the 18th annual Franklin Township Community Breakfast, held to honor the memory and mission of the …

Editor’s Note: From time to time, the Franklin Reporter & Advocate will present stories of community advocacy campaigns. A plan that surfaced last spring to cut the hours of the East Millstone Post Office on Market Street was soon abandoned after village residents protested.

He’s a triathlete, a pastry chef and now, a mayor. Township native Chris Kelly was sworn in as mayor at the Jan. 13 Township Council meeting, replacing Brian Levine, who has moved on to the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

Township Republicans have submitted three candidates to the Township Council to fill out the one-year unexpired term of former Mayor Brian Levine. Levine is now a Somerset County Freeholder.

Township Councilwoman Kimberly Francois (D-At Large) was unanimously elected Deputy Mayor at the Jan. 6 reorganization meeting. Francois will lead council meetings until a replacement is picked for former Mayor Brian Levine, who is now a Somerset County Freeholder.

  Franklin Township officially lost its mayor at 3:10 p.m. on Jan. 6.