HANOVER — Mosquito spraying is scheduled for portions of Hanover on Thursday night due to an increase in adult mosquito populations.
Weather permitting, the Morris County Division of Mosquito Control will conduct truck-mounted spraying between 8:30 p.m. Thursday, September 3, and 1 a.m. Friday, September 4.
The following streets are scheduled for treatment: Manger Road, Cypress Drive, Hickory Place, Slope Drive, McNab Avenue, Parker Avenue, Larch Road, Sycamore Terrace, Poplar Drive, Countrywood Drive, Laurel Lane, Locust Drive, Peach Street, Forest Way, Waterview Court, Hendricks Drive, South Belair Avenue, North Belair Avenue, Spruce Street, Summit Avenue, Mountain Avenue, Cedar Run and Chestnut Road.
Officials said crews will use either Anvil 2+2, which contains the active ingredient sumithrin, or Zenivex E4, which contains etofenprox.
Residents with questions about the mosquito control program or scheduled treatments can contact the Morris County Division of Mosquito Control at (973) 285-6450.
A ribbon cutting ceremony officially opened the Pompton Valley Rail Trail in May 2025. From left, Morris County Commissioner Deputy Director Stephen Shaw, who is also secretary of the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, Passaic County Commissioner John Bartlett, Morris County Commissioner and liaison to the Morris County Park Commission Doug Cabana, Pequannock Council members Melissa Florance-Lynch and David Kohle, Morris County Park Commissioner Betty Cass-Schmidt, Pequannock Mayor John Driesse, Morris County Commissioner Director Tayfun Selen, and Chris Vitz, Morris County Engineer and Director of the Department of Public Works.
MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County residents and trail users are being asked to help identify gaps and barriers in the region’s trail network through an online survey by the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority, known as NJTPA.
The online survey seeks input from people who walk, bike, or roll in Morris, Passaic, and Union counties, including feedback on where connections between trails and nearby destinations could be made safer, easier, and more comfortable.
Responses will help inform recommendations being developed through NJTPA studies of the Pompton Valley Rail Trail and the Traction Line Recreation Trail.
“Whether you walk or bike these trails regularly or just enjoy them from time to time, we want to hear from you. Your knowledge and experience of our trails helps us identify opportunities to improve safety and make our trail network even better,” said Morris County Commissioner Stephen H. Shaw, Third Vice Chair of the NJTPA Board of Trustees. “We encourage everyone to take a few minutes to complete the survey and share your ideas.”
The NJTPA is also seeking input from residents who would like to walk or bike more but encounter barriers that make those trips difficult. Survey responses can help identify locations where missing connections, crossings, or other conditions prevent people from comfortably continuing their trips.
Improving connections between existing trails can make them more useful for both recreation and everyday travel, providing better access to neighborhoods, parks, open spaces, transit, and other destinations.
The survey is part of two NJTPA studies exploring potential improvements to the Pompton Valley Rail Trail and the Traction Line Recreation Trail. The Pompton Valley Rail Trail Extension Study is exploring ways to connect the northern end of the trail in Pequannock Township and the southern end of the Highlands Rail Trail in Wanaque Borough, as well as connecting the trail to the Mountain View Train Station in Wayne. The Traction Line Recreation Trail Extension Study is exploring options for connecting the Traction Line to Patriot’s Path and the Rahway Valley Rail Trail.
The studies are being conducted in partnership with the North Jersey Trail Network initiative, led by the New Jersey Bike and Walk Coalition and Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.
Residents can take the survey online. The survey will remain open through Monday, September 7. More information about the trail studies is available on NJTPA’s website.
MADISON — Bottle Hill Day, Madison’s signature annual street festival, will return on Saturday, October 3, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., marking the event’s fifty-first year.
This year’s celebration will carry the theme “Celebrating America’s 250th.”
Founded in 1974 by Mayor Elizabeth Baumgartner to promote Madison’s business district, Bottle Hill Day takes its name from the village of “Bottle Hill,” established in Madison in 1715. The event has grown steadily since its founding and now draws between ten thousand and twenty thousand visitors to downtown Madison each fall.
The rain-or-shine festival spans more than six blocks following an expansion onto Kings Road several years ago. This year’s event will feature sidewalk sales, four stages of live music, three amusement areas, food vendors, and more than two hundred twenty-five vendors, including nonprofit organizations, crafters, and retail businesses.
Music will be a central focus of the day, with four stages positioned throughout the festival footprint offering family-friendly live performances beginning at 10:00 a.m. and continuing throughout the event. Organizers said the stages are intended to showcase the depth of musical and performing arts talent based in Madison, with local artists returning each year to perform for the community.
The Madison Chamber of Commerce and Madison Police Benevolent Association Number 92 will again host their annual Madison Car Show in conjunction with the festival.
Food options will include a Food Court on Cook Avenue, additional food vendors throughout the festival grounds, participating local restaurants, and a Food Truck Court on Kings Road.
The Bottle Hill Day Beer Garden, sponsored by the Downtown Development Commission, will return for its thirteenth year, located on Kings Road between Prospect Street and Maple Avenue, featuring a selection of draft beers, wine, and specialty items.
Family activities and rides will be provided by Seashore Amusements at Dodge Field, located at the intersection of Central Avenue and Kings Road.
A park-and-ride shuttle will be available for visitors, running in a continuous loop between the parking lot at the Madison Community Pool and the center of town from 9:15 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
The following streets will be closed for the event: Waverly Place; Central Avenue from Main Street to Brittin Street; Kings Road from Prospect Street to Green Avenue; and Green Village Road from Main Street to Kings Road. Main Street will remain open to traffic throughout the day.
Parking will be available in the municipal lots at Waverly Green, Cook Avenue, and Elmer Street. Additional parking will be available in the Madison Junior School parking lots, accessible from Brittin Street behind the school, as well as in the Kings Road parking lot behind the Public Safety Building and the Prospect Street parking lot. Street parking will also be available where permitted.
Bottle Hill Day is free and open to the public. Vendor applications, food vendor health and fire department applications, and sponsorship packets are available through the Downtown Development Commission. For more information, contact the Downtown Development Commission by email at [email protected].
FLORHAM PARK — Mosquito control treatments are scheduled Wednesday in Florham Park following an increase in adult mosquito populations, according to the Morris County Division of Mosquito Control.
Weather permitting, crews will treat wooded areas using all-terrain vehicles from 4 to 6 a.m. Wednesday, September 2, along Elm Street, including Emmett Field and Volunteers Memorial Park.
Crews will use either Anvil 2+2, which contains the active ingredient sumithrin, or Zenivex E4, which contains the active ingredient etofenprox.
Residents with questions about the mosquito control program or scheduled treatments can contact the Morris County Division of Mosquito Control at (973) 285-6450.
Additional information, including pesticide product labels, is available through the Morris County Division of Mosquito Control website.
Stephanie Kaulfers holds the bible during the swearing in of new Councilwoman Yvonne Ioffredo
JEFFERSON — Three candidates will appear on the ballot this November for one seat on the Jefferson Township Council.
The candidates, listed in alphabetical order, are Yvonne Ioffredo (Republican), Christopher A. Peters (Democrat) and Alejandro Torres (Independent).
The winner will serve the remainder of the term vacated by former Councilman Dan Schultz, who resigned from the council in July. The unexpired term runs through December 2028.
Melissa Senatore and Thomas Galfo will run unopposed for the two other open council seats after winning the Republican primary election in June.
RANDOLPH — County College of Morris, in partnership with Table of Hope, a program of the Spring Street Community Development Corporation, hosted a backpack giveaway to help Morris County families in need prepare for the school year.
With the help of state and local officials, generous sponsors and a large team of volunteers, including County College of Morris employees and student athletes, backpacks filled with school supplies and produce donated by Alstede Farms were provided to hundreds of Morris County families.
Elected officials on hand included Assemblyman Michael Inganamort, Morris County Sheriff John Ambrose, Morris County Surrogate Heather Darling, Chester Borough Mayor Janet Hoven, Randolph Township Councilman Joe Hathaway, Morristown Councilman Chris Russo and former Dover Mayor Carolyn Blackman.
Also participating were County College of Morris Board of Trustees Chair Paul Licitra, Vice Chair Lauren Inganamort, and Trustees Justin Lash and Hector Mislavsky.
Organizers also thanked the Parsippany-Troy Hills Office of Emergency Management, the Morris County Sheriff’s Office and the Morris County Council of Education Associations for their support of the event.
A blood donor gives the gift of life during a community blood drive.
JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP — The Milton First Aid Squad will hold a blood drive on Saturday, September 12, from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at its squad building, 45 Milton Road in Oak Ridge.
Appointments are strongly recommended, though walk-ins will be accommodated if space is available. Appointments can be made using the QR code on the event flyer or by visiting vitalant.org using blood drive code XMFAS. Those interested may also call (877) 258-4825.
Donors will receive a Halloween T-shirt and will be automatically entered for a chance to win one of two $10,000 gift cards, pending opt-in to Vitalant’s Donor Rewards program. More information is available at vitalant.org/HalloweenTee and vitalant.org/FallGiveaway.
Donors are asked to bring photo identification with proof of age.
The Marcella Community Club will hold its fourth annual Tricky Tray
MORRIS COUNTY — The Marcella Community Club will hold its fourth annual Tricky Tray on Saturday, September 12, an evening of prizes, raffles and community fundraising.
Doors open at 4:00 p.m., with calling beginning at 6:00 p.m., at the club, located at 831 Green Pond Road in Rockaway.
Pre-sale admission is $20 and must be purchased by September 6, either at the club or online at www.marcellacommunityclub.com. Admission at the door is $25. All admissions include one sheet of 25 tickets. Attendees must be 21 or older, and seating is limited.
The event will feature a lottery apron, a basket of cheer, super prizes and a cash bar. Guests are welcome to bring their own snacks and food, and water will be provided free of charge.
State Senator Anthony Bucco emcees Morris County's 25th International Overdose Awareness Day ceremony, leading a tribute to longtime advocate Carol Egan and honoring families affected by the overdose crisis.
MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County officials joined families who lost loved ones to overdose, people in recovery, and community service providers outside the Morris County Human Services Complex in Parsippany Township to observe the twenty-fifth International Overdose Awareness Day.
Morris County Commissioner Christine Myers speaks at the county’s 25th International Overdose Awareness Day ceremony, honoring advocate Carol Egan and renewing the county’s commitment to preventing future overdose deaths.
The ceremony, organized by the Morris County Division of Community and Behavioral Health Services, marked the seventh consecutive year the county has held the observance at the Human Services Complex. Surrounded by photos of those who died, attendees renewed the county’s commitment to preventing future overdose deaths while paying tribute to longtime advocate Carol Egan, who died earlier this year.
Morris County Sheriff James Gannon joins Hope One team members and community partners at the county’s Overdose Awareness Day ceremony, highlighting the mobile outreach program’s role in connecting residents to treatment and lifesaving naloxone training.
“Carol was here from the beginning, and she stood on this very spot to lead the remembrance of those that we have lost,” said Morris County Commissioner Christine Myers. “She gave families remarkable hope and the courage to grieve together. The best way we can honor her memory is to continue what she started, to show up, to serve, to never stop believing that recovery is possible for every person.”
Morris County’s Department of Human Services’ Navigating Hope team, from left: Katelyn Rivera, Jacquelyn Fennell, Naomi Cherisme, Maria Fischel, Ana Garcia, Rewaida Muheisen (Outreach Supervisor), Cynthia Castor and Ty Moreno.
State Senator Anthony Bucco, who sponsored the legislation designating August 31 as Overdose Awareness Day in New Jersey, emceed the ceremony and led a tribute to Egan. He noted that Egan worked alongside Kathleen Hyland for more than three decades, together helping establish New Jersey’s first Municipal Alliance in 1990 and developing substance prevention programs in Morris Township and Morristown.
Maria Stoker, recalls the day she lost her son, Thomas, to overdose on July 12, 2023.
Chloe Finnerty, now seventeen, spoke at the ceremony. She was seven years old when her brother, Justin, died of an overdose in 2016, and stood beside her mother at the county’s first Overdose Awareness Day ceremony in 2020. “Addiction doesn’t define who you are,” Finnerty said. “There’s so much more to people than their struggles.”
A Decline in Overdose Deaths, But Continued Concern
New Jersey continues to see a significant decline in fatal drug overdoses. The state recorded 1,312 suspected overdose deaths in 2025, a 27 percent decrease from 2024 and more than a 50 percent decrease from the pandemic-era peak of 3,047 in 2021, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Fatal drug overdoses in Morris County are declining. This is worth celebrating,” said Morris County Sheriff James Gannon. “It tells us that our collective efforts, education, outreach, treatment and support are making a difference. But it also reminds us that our work is far from over, and every single loss is one too many.”
The county has responded to the crisis through programs including Hope One, Hope Hub, Community Connections, the Hope Wing at the Morris County Correctional Facility, and Navigating Hope, a mobile outreach partnership between the county’s Department of Human Services and Family Promise of Morris County. Since launching in 2017, Hope One has made approximately 77,000 community contacts and provided nearly 15,000 trainings on the emergency use of naloxone to reverse opioid overdoses. Gannon said the program has recorded 196 lives saved through those trainings and generated more than 2,300 referrals to services, and has since been replicated in nine other New Jersey counties.
Assistant Prosecutor Matthew Kelly, representing the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office, described the office’s two-pronged approach of connecting people struggling with addiction to treatment while pursuing those who distribute dangerous narcotics, including through the Morris County Recovery Court program.
Personal Stories of Loss and Recovery
The ceremony included memorial banners displaying the names and photographs of Morris County residents who died from overdose, drawn from the Drug Epidemic Memorial, a virtual international wall whose creation was spearheaded by Egan.
Maria Stoker, whose son Thomas died from an overdose in 2023, shared her experience of losing a child to addiction. Carmine Pizzo, a recovering addict who now works with Market Street Mission, spoke about his path from addiction and homelessness to recovery. Timothy Gulick, a certified peer recovery specialist with Prevention Is Key, spoke about the effects of stigma on those struggling with addiction, recalling a line from another speaker at a past ceremony: “My brother did not die from an overdose; he died from shame.”
The program opened with a prayer from Rabbi Inna Serebro-Litvak of Temple Shalom in Roxbury Township and closed with a prayer from Pastor Chuck Corradino of Butler Church of the Nazarene.
The first Morris County Overdose Awareness Day ceremony was held in 2020, when the county planted a weeping cherry tree at the site in honor of lives lost to addiction and overdose. “Each year, as the cherry tree blossoms and grows, it reminds us that renewal is possible,” Myers said. “There is life after loss, and the work we do together matters.”
Morris County Sheriff’s Office Plaque Presentation, Sheriff James M. Gannon (left) & Chief McNally.
MORRIS COUNTY — Chief of Detectives Robert “Bob” McNally of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office is retiring after more than 30 years in law enforcement, marked Friday with a walkout ceremony at the Morris County Administration and Records Building.
The ceremony was attended by Morris County Prosecutor Robert Carroll, First Assistant Prosecutor Maggie Calderwood, Morris County Sheriff James Gannon, members of the Prosecutor’s Office and Sheriff’s Office, the Morris County Police Chiefs Association, local police departments and other colleagues. Commissioner Director Stephen Shaw presented McNally with a framed Resolution of Honor on behalf of the Morris County Board of County Commissioners, recognizing his law enforcement career and his service to the United States as a Marine.
Presentation of Retirement Credentials. From left, Prosecutor Robert Carroll, Chief Bob McNally & First Assistant Prosecutor Maggie Calderwood.
“Since being appointed Chief of Detectives in 2023, Chief McNally has led the entire investigative division, keeping our county safe while managing state and federal partnerships,” Shaw said, also noting McNally’s role with the Police Pipes and Drums of Morris County. “On behalf of the Board of County Commissioners and a deeply grateful community, we thank him for his extraordinary lifetime of service.”
Carroll called McNally’s career one of “achievement, dedication and integrity,” saying his knowledge of violent crime investigations and complex cases earned him recognition as a leader respected across law enforcement.
A Career Spanning Federal and County Law Enforcement
McNally began his law enforcement career in 1996 with the United States Customs Service in Newark following his honorable discharge from the United States Marine Corps, where he served as a sniper team leader and completed three deployments. As a federal officer, he made numerous arrests and seizures involving narcotics and currency violations, including a $1 million currency seizure tied to narcotics smuggling.
Morris County Commissioner Director Stephen Shaw (left) presents the framed Resolution of Honor to Chief Bob McNally.
He joined the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office in 2003 as a detective, serving in the Intelligence and Professional Standards and Internal Affairs units before transferring to the Major Crimes Unit. Over roughly 12 years there, he investigated homicides, bank robberies, suspicious deaths, fatal fires and police-involved shootings. In 2007, he was named Morris County Detective of the Year by the Morris County Detectives Association for his work as lead detective on a homicide investigation involving human remains discovered in a remote part of the county.
McNally rose through the ranks as sergeant, lieutenant, captain and deputy chief of investigations before Carroll appointed him chief of detectives in February 2023. In that role, he led the office’s investigative division and served as a point of contact for Morris County’s 37 police departments, the Sheriff’s Office, the New Jersey State Police and federal partners.
“Bob has always been a talented, dedicated detective whose work made the Morris County community safer and brought closure to countless victims of crime and their families,” said Calderwood, who worked alongside McNally for 23 years.
Throughout his career, McNally served as a firearms instructor, hostage and crisis negotiator, and a member of the Tactical Narcotics Team. He completed the West Point Command and Leadership Program, FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association courses, and Crisis Mental Health Intervention Training, among other programs.
Sheriff Gannon praised McNally’s professionalism and integrity, saying his expertise in major crime investigations “set a benchmark for excellence.”
A longtime member of the Morris County Police Pipes and Drums, McNally has regularly performed at the county’s Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies. He is married to Sarah, a longtime employee of the Prosecutor’s Office, and they have three sons.
