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The first snow storm of 2014 has come and gone and all that’s left are the memories and the frozen slush. Residents throughout the villages spent part of Jan. 3 digging out, and the rest of the day and Jan. 4 dealing with the Arctic blast that sent temperatures into the single digits. Over the past two days, we asked …

It was still snowing in the villages as of about 9 a.m. Jan. 3. According to the National Weather Service, Franklin averaged about 6.2 inches, with 7 inches reported in Somerset.. Schools are closed, the municipal offices are open and Somerset County offices were scheduled to open at 10 a.m. As of about 10 a.m., Public Service Electric & Gas …

A local couple is spreading the love … one picture at a time. Somerset resident and businessman Frank Resta and Celeste Amann of Flemington on Jan. 1 will start the next round of their charitable giving campaign, “Love … Everywhere.” Participants take photographs of anything having a “love” theme and post it to the campaign’s Facebook page. At the end …

QUAIL BROOK SENIOR CENTER 625 New Brunswick Rd., Somerset, NJ (732) 563-4213 Open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (Check monthly calendar for schedule updates.) Bingo Tournament – Every Thursday Caram – Daily (East Indian Game Similar to Billiards) Chair Exercises – Every Wednesday, 10:30 a.m. Computer Instruction – Every Monday through Friday, 9 a.m.to 1 p.m. Advance registration required. …

  When did this madness begin? According to an undated article by Yale College student Brian Murray, The modern American Christmas light tradition is perhaps the most visible way our culture has dealt with an increasingly technological and impersonal world. Drawing on traditions first brought to the United States by German immigrants in the nineteenth century as well as a …

With four days left until Christmas, Santa Claus made some last-minute appearances in the township on Dec. 21. Pet parents were able to take their furry children to Sampson G. Smith School for “Santa Paws” pictures in a fundraiser that benefited Second Chance for Animals, the organization that funds the Franklin Township Animal Shelter. And kids were given the chance …

Ask Sue Degrassi of Somerset what she looks for in a Christmas tree, and she’s quick to answer. “I like one that’s full,” she said, as she and her husband, Giuliano, picked out a tree in a lot in Rutgers Plaza, Easton Avenue. The lot – operated by former township Mayor and radio host Bruce Williams, is one of two …

Following are the December events scheduled by the Quail Brook Senior Center, 625 New Brunswick Rd. in Somerset. The center is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, call (732) 563-4213. Bingo Tournament – Every Thursday Caram – Daily (East Indian Game Similar to Billiards) Chair Exercises – Every Wednesday, 10:30 a.m. Computer Instruction – Every …

There were some atypical members of the public at the Nov. 26 Township Council meeting; a contingent from Boy Scout Troop 113. The Scouts were on hand to fulfill a scouting Merit Badge requirement. The handful of Scouts were there  to get credit toward their “Citizenship in the Community” merit badge, said Tom Gale, the troop’s merit badge counselor. The …

Organizations within Franklin Township and in the greater Somerset County area offer opportunities for holiday donations. Most immediately, the First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens, 771 Somerset St., Somerset, will hold a food collection on Nov. 24. Non-perishable food items whose “use by” date has not passed can be dropped off in specially labelled bins in the church’s lobby. The …