Gov. Phil Murphy wants to borrow $4 billion. Lawmakers point to revenue forecasts saying more money may be coming than he expects.

This story was written and produced by NJ Spotlight. It is being republished under a special NJ News Commons content-sharing agreement related to COVID-19 coverage. To read more, visit njspotlight.com.

Just how much New Jersey will borrow to prop up the ...

TRENTON, NJ – Sue Fulton read a recent tweet from a man who had arrived at his local Motor Vehicle Commission agency site and, in short time, gleefully walked away with his new license plates.

Even Fulton, the head of the much-maligned and often-mocked state department, had to admit that such words of praise are few and far between these days.

Amid a storm of complaints of long lines ...

SOMERVILLE, NJ - Somerset County Freeholder Director Shanel Robinson, joined by her colleagues and other county officials, honored the memory of 39 county residents killed in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks during an observance on the grounds of the Historic Somerset County Courthouse Friday morning.

One-by-one, the names of the 39 victims were read aloud by the freeholders on the steps ...

FRANKLIN, NJ – The Elizabeth Avenue School (EAS) on Sept. 10 received a generous donation from the Canal Walk Mask Makers. The community group presented school officials with close to 600 fabric masks in a variety of colors and patterns to help keep students and staff healthy and safe when they return for in-person instruction later this fall. 

READ: Enter ...

EVANSTON, ILL.- Two students from Franklin Township, New Jersey have qualified as semifinalists in the 66th annual National Merit Scholarship Program

Officials of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced the names of 16,000 Semifinalists on Wednesday.

Franklin High School student Janine Yanes, and homeschooled student Elizabeth Williams, Elizabeth made the ...

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ – It wasn’t coincidence that Antoinette Moss chose the 281st anniversary of the Stono slave rebellion in South Carolina to gather 25 or so community leaders, clergy and others.

Nor was it chance that they were standing in Feaster Park, just a few hundred yards from where Barry Deloatch was shot and killed in 2011.

Moss, the pastor at Trinity United Methodist ...

SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ --  Fabiana Pierre-Louis, a member of Union Catholic’s Class of 1998, is now just one step away from becoming the first black female Supreme Court Justice ever in New Jersey.

On Thursday, the state Senate voted 39-0 to confirm the 39-year-old Pierre-Louis to become the newest member of New Jersey’s highest court.

Pierre-Louis now needs only to be sworn in ...

PATERSON, NJ – Joined by legislators, faith leaders, and others, Gov. Phil Murphy held a press event in Paterson to promote his "Baby Bonds" initiative that would provide a $1,000 deposit into an account for every baby born into a New Jersey household with income less than 500% of the Federal Poverty Level ($131,000 for a family of four) in 2021. The plan, which ...

Here's a look at some of the municipal, business and recreational events going on this week in the Township of Franklin.

Email the editor at FranklinTownship@tapinto.net with local event suggestions.

Tuesday, Sept. 8

Franklin Township Public Schools

First Day for Students Grades K-12. Good luck to all the students! 

Township Council Work Session/Regular Virtual ...

TRENTON, NJ — Marking the milestone of six months since the confirmation of the first coronavirus case in New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy kicked off the holiday weekend by signing an Executive Order to allow for the resumption of indoor dining, albeit at 25 percent capacity. The order also allows for movie theaters and other indoor entertainment businesses to open, limited to 25 percent ...

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ – Authorities have identified the victims of Sunday morning’s shooting on Delafield Street.

Anthony Robinson 23, of New Brunswick, and Lionel Macauley, 28, of Franklin, have been identified as the two male victims who were taken to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital and died from the injuries they sustained in the shooting, according to Middlesex County ...

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ – A chilling video shows four men emerging from a car with guns drawn and unleashing a hail of bullets that left two dead and six injured early Sunday morning.

In the video provided to TAPinto New Brunswick, the shooters can be seen emerging from the four-door sedan with hoods pulled down in front of their faces. They open fire in the direction of 32 Delafield Street, ...

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ - Two men were killed and six others injured in an early morning shooting at a party on Delafield Street, police said.

The New Brunswick Police responded to the area of 32 Delafield St. at about 1:18 am this morning and found eight people suffering from apparent gunshot wounds, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Director Anthony A. Caputo of the New ...

SOMERVILLE, NJ - The Somerset County Department of Health on Saturday reported a total of 5,033 cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus, an increase of 16 cases overnight, along with 494 deaths since the first case was reported March 8.

Somerset County has seen double-digit increases in the number of new cases in eight of the past 10 days.

Franklin has a total of ...

FRANKLIN, NJ – Over the past few months, non-essential businesses throughout the Garden State have been slowly reopening their doors, implementing both large and small changes to adapt to muted demand, operational challenges, and health and safety concerns. 

On a local front, several small and independently owned and run establishments in the Franklin and Somerset communities are ...

SOMERVILLE, NJ - The Somerset County Department of Health on Tuesday reported a total of 4,951 cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus, an increase of 17 cases overnight, along with 493 deaths since the first case was reported March 8.

Franklin has a total of 1,502 COVID-19 cases an increase of zero overnight, and 141 deaths since the pandemic hit New Jersey ...

SOMERVILLE, NJ - Somerset County Freeholder Director Shanel Robinson, joined by her colleagues and other county officials, honored the memory of 39 county residents killed in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks during an observance on the grounds of the Historic Somerset County Courthouse Friday morning.

One-by-one, the names of the 39 victims were read aloud by the freeholders on the steps ...

SOMERVILLE, NJ – The Somerset County Board of Freeholders will hold a virtual ceremony at 8:46 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 11, to commemorate the 19th anniversary of the terrorist attacks which killed over 3,000 Americans, including dozens from Somerset County, and residents of other countries.

The ceremony can be viewed on the county’s website ...

SOMERVILLE, NJ - The owners of a four-story, 88-unit apartment building gutted by fire just one month prior to leasing will donate $18,000 to the borough's volunteer firefighters for their efforts in keeping the Aug. 21 fire from spreading to a second building on the property.

Abe Strulovich, a partner in A&A Somerville LLC, owner of Somerville Parc off Fairview Avenue, will make a ...

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ - The brother of George Floyd is coming to help lead a rally in New Brunswick.

Terrence Floyd will be in the Hub City for the event on Sunday, Sept. 20, organizer Tormel Pittman has told TAPinto New Brunswick.

Floyd has spread a message of peace and anti-gun violence at several protests and other events he has attended since his brother's death in Minneapolis on May ...