MORRIS COUNTY — Senator Joe Pennacchio reacted to word that the Senate Democrats will launch a special legislative committee to review delays with legal marijuana sales in the state, reiterating calls for a Senate Select Committee investigation of nursing home deaths during the pandemic.

“The Legislature is going to get to the bottom of legal pot paralysis. While we’re at it, let’s get rolling with a bipartisan panel to examine the policies and decisions that may have contributed to 10,000 COVID-related nursing home deaths,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “Prioritizing an investigation into the shortcomings of legal marijuana in New Jersey is an insult to the souls lost in nursing homes and their loved ones. It makes no sense.

“It shouldn’t be ‘either/or.’ The horrible loss of life in senior care facilities across the state reflects the heart-breaking failure of a system intended to protect our most vulnerable citizens,” Pennacchio continued.

Since May 11, 2020, when he announced his resolution to form a bipartisan investigative Senate Select Oversight Committee, Pennacchio has pressed Democrats to consider the factors behind the nursing home carnage, including a directive from the Administration requiring facilities to admit patients with COVID and prohibiting them from testing residents for the virus.

“We need to understand what was going on inside the nursing homes, and how directives from the Administration impacted the level of patient care and the spread of the virus inside locked-down, isolated facilities. There’s no reason the Senate can’t scrutinize both issues,” said Pennacchio.

“The families who lost loved ones during the pandemic are desperate for answers. With bipartisan support, we can address their questions and take steps to prevent similar tragedies in the future,” the Senator concluded.

MORRIS COUNTY — Early voting for the 2022 Primary Election begins Friday, June 3. There will be early voting machines throughout Morris County. All registered voters in Morris County are eligible to vote early.

Starting on Friday, June 3 (from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.), Saturday, June 4 (from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.) and Sunday, June 5 (10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.), Parsippany residents can go to any of the eight sites and vote on a voting machine. Voters may also mail in their ballots or use the drop boxes located in Morris County.

The locations in Morris County are:

• Morris Plains – Central Park of Morris County; 2 Executive Drive
• Boonton – The Boonton Township Municipal Building; 155 Powerville Road
• Denville – Denville Town Hall Community Room; 1 St. Mary’s Place
• Whippany – Hanover Community Center; 15 North Jefferson Road
• Madison – Madison Hartly Dodge Memorial; 50 Kings Road
• Morristown – Morristown Municipal Building; 200 South Street
• Mount Arlington – Mount Arlington Civic/Senior Center; 18 North Glen Avenue
• Mount Olive – Mount Olive Municipal Building; 204 Flanders-Drakestown Road, Budd Lake

Click here for detailed information.

Can I still choose other voting options?

• Apply for a vote-by-mail ballot and return it one of the following ways:
  1. Mail: It must be postmarked on or before 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, June 7, and be received by your county’s Board of Elections on or before Monday, June 13.
  2. Secure Ballot Drop Box: Place it in one of the county’s secure ballot drop boxes by 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 7.
  3. Board of Elections Office: Deliver it in person to the county’s Board of Elections Office by 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, June 7.

• Or, vote in person at your polling place, from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Election Day, June 7. Accommodations will be made for voters with disabilities.
• Party Change Deadline- April 13, 2022
• Voter Registration Deadline – Tuesday, May 17, 2022
• Election Day – Tuesday, June 7, 2022

NOTE: Vote-by-mail ballots CAN NOT be returned to your polling place for this election.

MORRIS COUNTY — Food banks and community pantries could continue using single-use plastic and paper bags for an additional six months under a bill sponsored by Assemblywoman Aura Dunn and passed by the Assembly and Senate on Thursday.

New Jersey’s strictest-in-the-nation single-use bag ban goes into effect on May 4. Stores and food service businesses will be prohibited from selling or providing single-use plastic or paper carryout bags to customers. Dunn’s bill (A2065) gives food banks until November to come into compliance with the law.

“People who cannot afford food also can’t afford to pay for a bag to carry the donations they rely on to feed their families. As costs rise due to inflation, people are making sacrifices, but feeding your family shouldn’t be one of those,” Dunn (R-Morris) said.

Under the bill, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection is required to proportionally distribute 500,000 reusable bags to food banks and pantries like soup kitchens throughout the state.

“This bill prevents the plastic and paper bag ban from having unintended, but negative impacts on those who are struggling. Examining the real-world consequences of our laws is imperative to find a solution that supports these nonprofits and the communities they serve,” Dunn added.

Joe Nametko, the mayor of Netcong, says the town’s community food bank provides meals and supplies to 150 to 175 people on average each week since the second week of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Kiwanis Clubs in Northern New Jersey, including Parsippany, Roxbury, and Rockaway have been supplying food since COVID-19 and have distributed 478,400 pounds of food serving 11,980 families, 23,121 children with a retail value of over $800,000.

“During weeks leading up to holidays, the number of meals we provide in the way of pre-bagged food items goes much higher,” Nametko said. “Currently, residents who can afford to purchase their own food are kind enough to bring their used plastic bags to our foodbank where they are inspected and eventually re-used. As a member of the Morris County Solid Waste Advisory, I do my best to ensure packaging that finds its way to our foodbank is recycled, reused, or repurposed. This measure gives us the gift of time to adopt new ways to ensure our operations are not only meeting the law, but our community needs.”

PARSIPPANY — There was not an empty seat in the trattoria at the March monthly meeting of the Sons of Italy as members came out in force to celebrate the swearing-in of Lodge 2561’s new slate of Officers for 2022-2024. The Lodge was honored to have in attendance the National Financial Secretary and Past State President, Lou Santoro, and N.J. State Trustee, Joe Saetta, who together administered the Oath of Office to all the newly elected Lodge Officials.

Assuming the reins of Office from Immediate Past President, John Lonero, was long time Lodge member and Parsippany resident, Robert Adamo. President Lonero, who was credited with a highly productive term of office commented, “It’s been an honor to serve as Sons of Italy President for the past two years.  COVID 19 presented challenges, but I’m proud of how our Lodge stepped up and raised funds for the charities we support.”

The slate of new Officers include:
Robert Adamo – President
Joseph Jannarone, Jr. – First Vice President
Michael Fazzio – Second Vice President
Michael Zambito – Treasurer
Nicholas Jannarone – Recording Secretary
Sean Clark – Sargent at Arms
Philip Parziale – Orator

Trustees: James Torsiello, John Gangone, Frank Campisano, Robert Wilhalme, and Edgard Mercado.

Committee Chairs include Michael dePierro, Scholarships; Louis Amato, Food/Special Events;  Joseph Jannarone, Jr., Fundraising/Philanthropic; James Torsiello, Golf Outing; and Patrick Minutillo, social media.

On a local level, Lodge 2561 is an affiliated member of the Supreme Lodge of the Order of the Sons of Italy in America, the largest and longest established Italian American organization in the United States, founded in 1905 in Little Italy, NYC as a support system to assist Italian immigrants assimilating into their new Country. Today the organization has over 600,000 current members and supporters throughout the Country.

Morris County’s Lodge, one of 29 Lodges in N.J., is a non-profit organization that proudly contributes thousands of dollars to worthwhile local charities and families in need. Among the causes that Lodge 2561 supports are; The Parsippany Food Pantry, St. Peter’s Church, St. Ann’s Church, Battered Woman’s Shelter of Morris County, High School Scholarships, The Valerie Fund, Parsippany Day Care Center, Cooley’s Anemia, and St. Jude’s, among others. The Lodge regularly purchases and dispenses gift cards from locations such as Shop Rite and Walmart to assist families in need.  The group, with some great Italian Chefs, is also known to generously prepare several delicious Italian-style dinners each year to assist local causes.

Lodge 2561 currently boasts approximately 100 community-minded members and meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month at a local restaurant, where lodge business and upcoming charitable endeavors and needs of the community are addressed.

The organization’s National Headquarters is located near Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., with a mission to preserve Italian culture in the United States, while identifying solutions to the problems and issues facing Italian Americans today. The charitable arm of the organization has invested more than $164 million in scholarships, medical research, cultural preservation, disaster relief, and other causes.

To learn more about Lodge 2561 and their upcoming events, visit their website by clicking here or “Like” their Facebook page at Order Sons of Italy in America ~ Lodge 2561.

MORRIS COUNTY — Enrollment for the 9th Annual Morris County Public Safety Youth Academy has opened, with limited space available for the intensive week-long course for young Morris County women and men entering grades 9-12.

The deadline to apply is April 18, 2022. Click here for the application.

The academy will be held from July 25 to July 29 at the Morris County Public Safety Training Academy, Parsippany.

The program, run by the Morris County Department of Law & Public Safety/Office of Emergency Management, in partnership with the Morris County Sheriff’s Office and Morris County Park Police, and funded by the Morris County Board of Commissioners, is a five-day program that is open to all Morris County students who are enrolled in Grades 9-12 in the fall of 2022.

The program is free of charge to the cadets and their families.

The Academy is a uniquely designed program that provides high school students exposure to and a better understanding of the various facets within the field of public safety. This program has been designed to target Morris County’s young adults at a time when they are making decisions regarding their future education and careers.

“They are in the process of making educational and life commitments that could potentially impact their careers, their character, and their communities,” said Morris County Commissioner Doug Cabana. “We want to give them a chance to see if public safety might be a way for them to go.”

“This is an investment in the youth of our county, and a chance to interest some of the brightest young people who live in Morris County to consider being future leaders in our vitally important public safety team,”’ said Morris County Commissioner Tom Mastrangelo, who is the county governing board’s co-liaison to the Department of Law and Public Safety.

MORRIS COUNTY — RainbowWeddingNetwork.com, a national LGBTQ+ wedding resource, hosted a wedding expo at Hyatt Regency Morristown. The wedding expo featured dozens of gay-friendly wedding vendors including photographers, florists, caterers, jewelers, and DJs showcasing their services and products.

The event also showcased the wedding opportunities available at Hyatt Regency Morristown, which recently completed a multi-million-dollar renovation.

About RainbowWeddingNetwork: In May 2004, Cindy Sproul addressed a crowd of three hundred fifty at the Sheraton Commander Hotel in Cambridge, MA, inviting them to mark the moment by raising a glass to toast the passage of the landmark Goodridge Decision. The crowd, gathered for the auspicious occasion at the first annual ‘Same Love, Same Rights’TM LGBTQ Wedding Expo that afternoon, was joyful, attentive and many clung to handkerchiefs: Dozens of couples and wedding professionals alike were teary-eyed and struck with disbelief that the day had finally arrived when same-gender couples would be legally permitted to marry in the Bay State.

Just four and a half years earlier, Sproul and her partner Marianne Puechl had co-founded RainbowWeddingNetwork.com, the first wedding gift registry ever specifically dedicated to the Gay and Lesbian community. The women, planning their own commitment ceremony, saw the need for a website dedicated to LGBTQ unions: having encountered awkwardness themselves as they approached wedding vendors, they decided it would be a wonderful & productive resource to screen vendors so that other LGBTQ couples would not have to experience discrimination.\

MORRIS COUNTY — The ongoing quest for the next great Parsippany dining experience continued as my foodie friends and I ventured out to Shan Shan Noodles.  I had been to Shan Shan Noodles before, and I loved it, but it has been closed for indoor dining for most of the last two years because of the pandemic, so when I found out that the restaurant had resumed indoor dining a couple of months ago, I was anxious for a return visit.

Shan Shan Noodles, which opened in 2014, is another one of those nondescript, unassuming, humble-looking little storefront eateries, located in the small Pacific Pavilion strip mall, right off Route 46 East and Edwards Road.  I have learned long ago that these simple, unpretentious, little locations can truly reveal one of those “hidden gems” people talk about.  Shan Shan Noodles is one of those gems.

The moment we entered the restaurant we were immediately and warmly welcomed by our hostess, Lili Lu, mother of owner Shan Lu.  The personable, enthusiastic, and genial persona of Ms. Lu immediately made one feel comfortable and at home. Our group was immediately seated, like menus, water, tea, and chopsticks arrived (and for a couple of our group, forks were requested).  Shan Lu also made it a point to come over to welcome us to her restaurant; you knew we were in for a pleasant dining experience.

I should mention that Shan Shan Noodles is a family-owned and operated business that specializes in the authentic food of Northwestern China, specifically the Xinjiang Province, where Shan and her mother, Lili, were born.  The food prepared and served at Shan Shan reflects that region of China and is unique due to the various cultural influences that together make Shan Shan’s food so special.

Shan Shan is a comfortable, homey, exceptionally clean, and organized eatery.  Though the dining room is small, with seven, four-person booths along both the sidewalls and five or six glass-covered, wood-grained tables thoughtfully placed around the room, one gets the feeling that it is more spacious.  I did notice immediately that the interior had been renovated since 2019, and now offers diners a more modern, bright, and sleek appearance.  The attractive Chinese-themed mural still covers one wall, and diners can still enjoy Chef Kegong Zhang (AKA John) pulling, stretching, and flapping freshly made noodles through a large window.  That show alone is worth the visit, and you can see that the Chef enjoys what he is doing.  Chef Zhang explained to me that he makes a variety of different shaped hand-pulled noodles that can vary in thickness to accommodate the variety of dishes served at the restaurant.  The noodles range from “Skinny”, “Angel’s Hair”, “Regular”, “Second Skinny (Woodon)”, “Flat”, and “Belt” (AKA Biangbiang noodles); and each type of noodle marries perfectly with the accompanying dish.

The rest of the interior is simple, with a casual, relaxing vibe, with two wall TVs (on quiet), and soft mood music playing in the background.  Reminds me of a Chinese restaurant I used to visit on Mott Street in New York City, and that is a compliment.

Shan Shan’s menu is not too extensive as Shan Lu prefers to concentrate on quality food, service, and keeping her customers happy. Though the menu might be considered limited by some, each dish seems more tempting than the next, and it was nice of both Shan and Lili Lu to walk us through the assorted items, and on our request offer some helpful recommendations. The menu does offer appetizers, Chef Specials, sauteed noodles and dishes, fried rice, cold plates, and hand-pulled noodle soup.

After some fun conversation and bantering with our hosts, we finally decided to begin our meal with a selection of shared appetizers. We went with the Beef Pancake, Spicy Wonton, Scallion Pancake, and Pot Stickers.  Both the beef and scallion pancakes were freshly and perfectly cooked to a golden brown; savory, light, chewy crepes that were nicely enhanced with the sauces that they were served with. Chinese pancakes are one of the quintessential popular snack foods found throughout China.

The Pot Stickers, basically Chinese dumplings; lightly browned, golden crispy, folded, and pleated bundles looked as good as they tasted.  Wonderful taste sensation as they melted in your mouth.  They came eight to a serving, which is a lot of stickers.  Our final appetizer was the Spicy Wonton.  Wonton’s, another type of dumpling, sits in an oil-based hot sauce, well rounded with the flavorings developed from a myriad of herbs and spices. A sophisticated, flavorful broth that I was not ashamed to slurp down to the last drop.

For an entrée I ordered the Shredded Pork with Hot Pepper over Hand-Pulled Noodle, others in the group chose the Black Bean Sauce over Hand-Pulled Noodle, (Ground pork, with black bean sauce), Cold Hand-Pulled Noodle with Hot and Spicy Chicken, Seafood with Fried Hand-Pulled Noodle, (Shrimp, fish ball, imitation crab meat), and the Pork with Fried Hand-Pulled Noodle.  My dish of shredded spicy pork paired perfectly with the homemade hand-pulled noodles.  A visually beautiful dish filled with tender pork, fresh ingredients and seasoned perfectly.  This delectable dish had a nice mouthfeel to it, was not overly spicy hot, and the fusion of textures, spices, and flavors, along with the luscious, freshly made springy and satisfying noodles made for a memorable meal. A wonderful fusion of meat, noodles, and broth; I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Part of what makes eating this cuisine fun is that is comes with a pair of scissors so you can cut your very lengthy noodles to a manageable size.  While I prefer to cut my own noodles while I devour my meal, others didn’t mind letting Lili Lu guide them on how to master this eating technique.  There’s also chili oil and black vinegar on the table should you want to enhance the flavors of your meal.  Personally, I didn’t need it. This dish also went well with my Beijing-based Yanjing beer, which I brought along as Shan Shan is BYOB.

The consensus of the group was that everyone thoroughly enjoyed their individual meals and that Shan Shan Noodles was definitely a standout, and a location to add to our “must return” list.

We ended this culinary feast with a variety of Asian desserts from Shan Shan Noodles’ own bakery, Sweet Sensations, which is a separate store located just a few doors down from the restaurant and which specializes in cakes, desserts, bubble teas, and more. The desserts we tried were very light, fluffy, not overly sweet, and very fresh.  I found out that this style of Asian dessert, from the Xinjiang Province in Northwestern China, only uses fresh whipped cream (no buttercream) and is very health-conscious, diabetic-friendly, and unlike the heavy sweetness that is usually found in desserts here in America.

Naturally, this led to a tour of Sweet Shansations by Shan Lu.  Sparkling clean, attractive bakery with an interesting selection of tantalizing Asian baked goods.  All those in my group enjoyed the education they received on the unfamiliar items and based on how delicious our desserts were everyone walked out with a bag full of tasty treats to take home with them.  They also offer a choice of special occasion cakes if that is your interest.  If you have not yet tried authentic Asian desserts, I would strongly suggest giving Sweet Shansations a try.

Shan Shan Noodles is a true culinary treasure right here in Parsippany.  Delicious cuisine, very reasonable prices, generous portions, wonderful family atmosphere, professional service, and a family that truly cares about their customers.  Shan Shan Noodles is not one of your familiar run-of-the-mill Chinese eateries. Next time you are seeking out a different type of Chinese restaurant, do yourself a favor and give Shan Shan a try, and while you are at it, stop in at Sweet Shansations for dessert.

Shan Shan Noodles is located at 333 Route 46 East, Parsippany. (973) 287-7399.  Click here for the website. BYOB – No Reservations. Hours: 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. – Closed Mondays. Parking Lot.