By Barbara A. Preston | Posted November 13, 2025 Chris Getz awoke to a disaster. His small home on Opossum Road and Thiemarx Terrace in Skillman was on fire at 4 am on Friday, November 7. His disabled mother, JoAnn, and his brother James were asleep in their rooms, as their two Beagles were pacing. “I heard a popping noise. I opened the front door and found our front porch was completely engulfed in flames. We had 30 seconds to get out of the house,” Chris recalls. “I was in

Montgomery Township, NJ — Shivani Popat of Montgomery transitioned from a job as a senior consultant with Deloitte Consulting, representing the Mumbai Metropolitan region, to opening her own business that allows her creativity to flow. Called Magical Skye, the business specializes in producing one-of-a-kind keepsakes, party favors, and hand-painted greeting cards.

The Montgomery Township NJ School Board narrowly approved a free program at its September meeting to help students who experience mental health issues and to prevent teen suicide. The program, Hope Squad, was endorsed by multiple district educators. And, a Belle Mead resident who is helping to fund the program, spoke about her niece’s experience with depression and how this program may have saved her.

About 20 residents made public comments urging Montgomery Township governing officials to pass a resolution supporting the NJ Immigrant Trust Act (ITA), which they say will protect undocumented residents and allow them to access essential services without fear of ICE involvement. They were the only people in the audience, and at the podium, at Thursday night's Township Committee meeting.