Speak Out!

By Rabbi Eli Garfinkel of Temple Beth-El. Here is what I have to say about October 7th: October 7th is a grim day and will always be one. Speaking only for myself, my emotions are a strange chili of anger, fear, hope, and pride.I am angry at Hamas for starting a needless war that has resulted in mass death. I am …

By Kiki Anastasakos, Ph.D. As the Presidential Election approaches, it is important to remember to vote for all positions on the ballot, especially Municipal and County candidates. Our local government makes decisions that affect our lives directly and profoundly. From public transportation to funding for public schools and public parks to traffic congestion, preservation of open space and support for local businesses, …

By Donna Clott. The candidates for Somerset County Commissioner met on the evening of September 19 at the Canal Walk clubhouse for a Candidates Forum for residents, moderated by the League of Women Voters. The current County Commissioners, Shanel Robinson and Sara Sooy, joined challengers, businessmen Nick Cuozzo and Rocky Ganta, for an evening of questions and answers. All four …

From the Franklin Township Environmental Commission. Earlier this year, the Franklin Township Environmental Commission launched the Save the Mow Till Earth Day (SMTED) campaign to raise awareness of the importance of pollinators in our ecosystem and agriculture. Residents were asked to delay their first mowing until April 22nd, Earth Day. Delaying the first mow allows various beneficial flowers to bloom, …

By Bill Connell. I just finished a Speak Out piece on how I think the Board of Education’s messaging is disconnected from what it really should be focused on. The world yawned.   However, when I harassed Assemblyman Joe Danielsen, everyone really enjoyed it. Well Joe didn’t, that’s for sure!!  I’m going to test his sense  of humor again with …

By Bill Connell. I was on vacation when the Board of Education goals came out. I opened my laptop, rolled my eyes and closed the laptop. I usually toss off an opinion over a cup of coffee for Speak Out, but this is too important to just riff so I have been thinking about it since then. I don’t think …

By Valerie Juzwiak. I’ve always thought that THE sign in the front yard of a DeMott Lane home only served to indicate the resident’s anger and accomplished nothing else. But now it has attracted someone with as much or more anger who performed a dangerous act. Could the sign be considered an attractive nuisance? It would be neighborly and a …

By Michael Steinbruck. This is an open letter to the Franklin Community… with deep appreciation and gratitude. Thank you and congratulations on your resilience to tolerate such a crude public offense for so very long. Gratitude is especially due to those who endured it on a daily basis… the neighbors and commuters who lived in line of sight. No one …

By Rev. and Mrs. Kashinsky. On the morning of September 7, the party of tolerance and joy revealed their violent hypocrisy in Franklin. A peaceful and loving individual was so triggered by speech they disagreed with that they committed a crime of vandalism and violence in setting fire to private property. We are so thankful to the kind gentleman driving past who rang …

By Rohan Kalidas. AI is rapidly becoming a problem in the modern world. While there are numerous benefits to AI such as automating time-consuming processes and reducing human error, there is also a grave side to the newest tech innovation. At first, it was OpenAI’s Chat GPT. The door was opened with this tool that now allows students to cheat …