People

The 19th annual edition of the Sister 2 Sister 5K Run/Walk for Life was held under sunny skies in Colonial Park on October 5. Hundreds of walkers and runners – spanning the age gap from child to senior citizen – showed up to show their support for the 24-year-old organization headquartered on Hamilton Street. Sister 2 Sister’s mission is to …

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 …

More than 100 runners and walkers showed up at Colonial Park on a rainy October 7 morning determined to accomplish what they signed up to do: raise money for the Sister2Sister organization and help women suffering from breast cancer. This was the 18th running of the organization’s Run/Walk 4 Life, which is always held on the first Saturday of October, …

What may become an annual tradition kicked off September 30 in the Municipal Building on DeMott Lane. Called the “Not Quite Wine and Cheese Art Opening,” the event featured artworks in a variety of media created by nearly two dozen township residents. The idea for the art show was broached by Mayor Phil Kramer, who said that as he goes …

The body of a former township first responder and, most recently, Virginia police officer returned home December 28, escorted by a caravan that began at the start of the New Jersey Turnpike. Brian Kanterman, 25, died Christmas morning in Stafford, Va., where he was a Deputy Sheriff and a Certified Correctional Officer. Kanterman suffered a heart attack, according to a …

After more than 40 years as a pharmacist, Jim Forino is finally putting away his mortar and pestle. The Somerset father of three spent the bulk of his career at the Somerset Park Pharmacy on Easton Avenue before moving on to the Shop Rite on Elizabeth Avenue, ending at the Shop Rite location in Stirling. His last day is Dec. …

Submitted by Raritan Valley Community College. A township resident has been named to the Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) Foundation Board of Directors. Jeffrey Brenner of Somerset, Managing Director of MidCap Advisors and CFO Advisory Services, was named to the position earlier this summer. Brenner founded CFO Advisory Services, a New Jersey-based accounting and operations consulting company that serves start-up, …

Firefighters and EMS personnel from around the township gathered the evening of Sept. 11 to honor their comrades killed in the terrorist attacks. The service featured a special acknowledgement of former township resident John Collins, a New York City firefighter killed in the attacks, and the reading of the names of firefighters and EMS personnel killed that day.