News-pourri

VETERANS’ DAY OBSERVANCE – One of the many township veterans who attended the annual Veterans’ Day observance at the Municipal Complex on November 11. The Township Council chamber and veterans Memorial Park in the municipal complex were once again the venues for the annual Veterans Day celebration on November 11. Featured speakers during the ceremony were Army veteran Shirley Pietrucha, …

A potential multi-year improvement project along Easton Avenue from Franklin Boulevard to Worlds Fair Drive has entered its first phase, and officials are looking for public input. The Local Concept Development Study for the Easton Avenue corridor, conducted by Somerset County, the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority and the state Department of Transportation is designed to investigate options for improving …

Student proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Science, and Math are approaching pre-pandemic levels, but there still are some gaps that need to be addressed, school district officials said recently. Proficiency rates took a hit from the 2019-2020 school year – the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic – through the 2020-2021 school year when all students were learning at home …

CHECKING THE NUMBERS – Board of Education candidates Bill Grippo and Erica Inocencio check the tally board at Par2Play on November 7. The Democratic Mayoral and Township Council slate, and a slate of Board of Education candidates which includes an incumbent, appear to be on the road to victory in the November 7 General Election. The candidates enjoyed leads in …

CLASS PICTURE – Members of the Leadership Somerset class of 2022 at Patriots’ Ball Park. (Photo: Leadership Somerset.) Adults aged 18 years and older who live or work in Somerset County and would like to make a positive impact in their community through the Leadership Somerset program have until November 11 to apply. Programs such as Leadership Somerset “build skills …

FALL CLEAN-UP – Volunteers help a Somerset County senior prep their yard for another winter during Somerset County’s Annual Volunteer Fall Clean-Up. (Photo: Somerset County Office of Volunteer Services.) Senior and disabled homeowners who need help with annual fall leaf-raking and other yard work should contact the Somerset County Office of Volunteer Services at (908) 704-6301 or email JDambeck@co.somerset.nj.us by November 9. …

DEFENDING HIS RECORD – Republican Mayoral Candidate Brian Levine says information about past legal difficulties released recently by Somerset County Democrats is just a “diversion.” (File photo). The Republican candidate for Township Mayor has denounced as a “smear campaign” and a “mountain out of a molehill” the revelation by Somerset County Democrats that he had been removed as executor of …

BAN THE TRUCKS – Planning Board member Robert Thomas convinced the Planning Board to ask Somerset County to look into banning trucks from some County roads. In the latest salvo against the widespread development of warehouses and their attendant truck traffic, the Township Planning Board wants Somerset County to disallow the big rigs on all or parts of some County …

The Howe House in Colonial Park is one of four historic sites receiving nearly $1 million through Somerset County’s Historic Preservation Grant Program. Organizations received grant money for the stabilization, rehabilitation, restoration, and/or preservation of historic sites. The funds were made possible by the Somerset County Board of County Commissioners through the Somerset County Open Space, Recreation, Farmland and Historic Preservation …

Goblins and ghouls and Taylor Swifts were spotted throughout the township in the days leading up to, and including, Halloween. As has been the practice for the past number of years, “Trunk or Treats” events were held in multiple locations. Don’t Miss Out! No other media outlet covering Franklin Township brings you the depth of information presented by the Franklin …