NEW BOARD PRESIDENT – Ardaman Singh reacts after she was voted in as school board president at the Board’s January 4 reorganization meeting. Board of Education members Ardaman Singh and Sami Shaban were chosen by their colleagues as Board president and vice-president, respectively, at the January 4 reorganization meeting. Also at the meeting, Board newcomers Erica Inocencio and Jimmie Parker …
Read More »Township Council Reorganizes; Potosnak Named Deputy Mayor
TAKING THE OATH – Mayor Phil Kramer takes the Oath of Office while his wife, Laurie, looks on. Councilmember Ed Potosnak was voted in as Deputy Mayor at the January 2 Township Council reorganization meeting. Also at the meeting, re-elected At-Large Councilmembers Kimberly Francois and Ram Anbarasan and newcomer Alex Kharazi and Mayor Phil Kramer were sworn in. The Council …
Read More »FR&A Man Of The Year: Derek Smith, Franklin Food Bank Executive Director
MAN OF THE YEAR – Derek Smith took over the reins of the Franklin Food Bank in mid-2022. “Public servant” is usually a moniker reserved for elected officials. But a person doesn’t necessarily have to win an election to serve the public, as exemplified by the Franklin Food Bank’s Executive Director, Derek Smith, who the Franklin Reporter & Advocate is …
Read More »Board Of Education Honors Warrior For Life Foundation
GROUP HONORED – Warrior For Life co-founder Adrian Plummer speaks to the Board of Education at the December 21 meeting. The co-founders of the Warrior For Life Scholarship Foundation were honored at the Board of Education’s last 2023 meeting. The group, whose founding in 2017 was led by four Franklin residents – Nicholas and Rebekah Solomon and Daryn and Adrian …
Read More »Merry Christmas!
Wishing our readers, advertisers and friends the Happiest of Christmases. May the day be filled with meaning and joy!
Read More »School Board Says Goodbye To Outgoing Members
SAYING GOODBYE – Nishita Desai and Michael Smith said their goodbyes at the December 21 Board of Education meeting. The Board of Education December 21 said goodbye to two of its members who did not seek re-election in November. Nishita Desai and Michael Smith were first elected to the Board in 2017. Schools Superintendent John Ravally said that he wanted …
Read More »Martin Luther King Community Foundation Sets Annual Breakfast
MLK BREAKFAST – The annual Dr. Martin Luther King Community Breakfast is always well-attended. (File Photo.) The 2024 Annual Franklin Township Dr. Martin Luther King Community Breakfast is set for 8:30 a.m. January 15, 2024 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Somerset. Francine Conway, Chancellor of Rutgers University – New Brunswick, will be the event’s keynote speaker. Rutgers has …
Read More »New FPS VP, Elementary Math Coordinator Named By School Board
NEW MATH COORDINATOR – Gaye McGee, former Franklin Park School vice-principal and now the district’s Math Coordinator for elementary schools, speaks to the school board at the December 21 meeting. Two new district administrators were appointed December 21 by the Board of Education. Jessica Young was named vice-principal at Franklin Park School, while the woman she replaced, Gaye McGee, was …
Read More »Somerset County Park Commission to Offer Free Christmas Tree Recycling
(Submitted by the Somerset County Public Information Office) Help save the environment by recycling a Christmas tree at the Somerset County Park Commission’s free, annual Christmas Tree Recycling Program from Tuesday, Dec. 26, 2023, to Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024. Residents can drop off their trees at Colonial Park Gardens or North Branch Park. Free mulch will be available at the drop-off …
Read More »It’s Back: Levin Resubmits Apartment Building Plan For Rutgers Plaza
TRYING AGAIN – The owner of Rutgers Plaza on Easton Avenue is once again applying to the Township for approval to raze the former Big Kmart building and construct a 200-unit apartment complex in its place. The Levin Company has resubmitted its plan to turn the former Big Kmart building into a 200-unit apartment building. Plans were submitted to the …
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