News-pourri

The Franklin Township Democratic Municipal Committee elected Ronald Jordan as Municipal Chair at its annual reorganization meeting on June 26 during a meeting at the Doubletree Hotel, Somerset. Also elected to serve were Linda Montgomery Williams, First Vice-Chair; Edward  Potosnak, Second Vice-Chair; Shepa Uddin, Third Vice-Chair; Damianty Chivukula, Recording Secretary, and Phyllis Beals, Corresponding Secretary.  Recently elected Democratic Committee persons …

Doris Lin, of the Animal Protection League of New Jersey, discusses nonlethal methods of deer control at the Open Space Advisory Committee’s June 21 meeting. The township Open Space Advisory Committee could not be called an anti-hunting group, but nonetheless its members listened politely to an animal advocate who tried to convince them of the merits of nonlethal deer control. …

Bob Chilton of Gabel Associates explains an aspect of clean energy aggregation during a special Township Council meeting on June 20. The pros and cons of clean energy aggregation were discussed at a special Township Council meeting on June 20. The meeting was necessitated by the submission of petitions requesting that a question be placed on the November ballot asking …

The Township Council handed out a variety of commendations and proclamations at its June 14 meeting. Four Franklin youth who recently medaled in a national Tae Kwon Do tournament were recognized, as well as St. Matthias Church on the occasion of its 60th anniversary. The Council also recognized LGBTQ+ Pride Month and Juneteenth, which is now a federal holiday. Students …

Floats, speeches and music were on tap for the Juneteenth parade and festival held in the township on June 18. Sponsored by the Somerset County Democratic Black Caucus and Week of the People, the parade featured marchers and floats making their way up Highland Avenue and down a stretch of Hamilton Street before turning on to Matilda Avenue and into …

Quiyon Peters is the school district’s new K-12 counselor supervisor. The Board of Education once again reached into the district to fill a top supervisory post, tapping an eight-year veteran to be the new Supervisor of School Counseling. Quiyon Peters, currently a guidance counselor at Franklin Middle School – Hamilton Street campus, will start her new $105,000-a-year position on July …

Zufall’s Frances Palm describes the health clinic that is planned for Hillcrest Elementary School. The student health clinic that is a partnership between the school district and Zufall Health Services is set to start operations on July 14 at Hillcrest Elementary School. Frances Palm, Zufall’s COO, stopped by the June 16 Board of Education meeting to give the Board and …

Mayor Phil Kramer said the Township is looking at ways that warehouses can be reined in in Franklin. (File photo). Township officials are studying ways to limit the effects the warehouse boom is having on Franklin, Mayor Phil Kramer said at the June 14 Township Council meeting. The Mayor’s announcement came after the Council heard about an hour’s worth of …

The recipients of the 2022 Warrior4Life Foundation scholarships were honored at a special ceremony June 12 at the Cultural Arts Gazebo in the Municipal Complex. The Warrior4Life Foundation on June 12 held a special ceremony at the township Cultural Arts Gazebo on DeMott Lane to award its latest round of college scholarships. A total of $9,500 was awarded to 10 …

Celebrate the summer season and revel in the beauty of roses at the Rose Day Festival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. June 11 at Colonial Park’s Rudolf W. van der Goot Rose Garden, 156 Mettlers Road, Parking Lot A. The festival, hosted by the Somerset County Park Commission and Park Foundation, is free.  More than 325 varieties of roses …