MORRIS COUNTY —Morris County Library which had been operating on a truncated schedule due to COVID-19, will resume full hours of operation starting Monday, May 2!

Stop in to help commemorate the Morris County Library’s Centennial and enjoy in-person events:

Both floors and all sections of the Hanover Avenue facility in Whippany will be open for public use. No restrictions will be in place regarding social distancing or mask-wearing; although both will be left to the discretion and comfort level of staff and patrons.

Library hours will be 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

The library was shuttered from March to June 2020 at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Curbside service with modified hours of operations was offered by July 2020, and the public was permitted back into the building in October 2020, however with capacity limits and other restrictions.

“By June 2021, the public was allowed full access to all areas of the building, and Saturday hours resumed. It has been a slow but steady climb to successfully resuming full hours of operation. Many thanks to our faithful public for their support during these two years of struggle,” said Director of Library Services Darren O’Neill,

The library is urging visitors to stop in to help commemorate the Morris County Library’s Centennial, 1922 to 2022!

“We have many, in-person programs and classes planned over the course of the year. Please check our website and social media pages for more information,” said O’Neill.

Two music performances in recognition of the Morris County Library Centennial Celebration already are planned prior to the full opening.

GLENN CRYTZER QUINTET

Saturday, April 23 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Glenn Crytzer specializes in music from the Jazz Age and Swing Era. His orchestra was named “best group” in the 2017 NYC Jazz Awards, and his recordings have appeared in dozens of TV shows and films. Along with his quintet – featuring trumpet, trombone, clarinet, banjo, and piano – he will present a concert of songs composed in 1922 in honor of the library’s centennial.

SONGS OF SPAIN

Aleksandra Durin Aleksandra Durin, soprano
Darren O’Neill, classical/terz guitars

Saturday, April 30 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The “Morris County Library Centennial Concert Series” continues with an afternoon of Spanish classics for voice and guitar. Rising star and soprano extraordinaire, Aleksandra Durin, will be joined by Library Director and guitarist, Darren O’Neill, for an inspiring performance of music by Federico Moretti, Ramon Carnicer, Joaquin Rodrigo, and Federico Garcia Lorca.

Performances will be held in the Public Meeting Room and will be free of charge.

Doors will open thirty minutes before curtain time.

Seating is LIMITED TO 40 AUDIENCE MEMBERS and is on a FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVED basis.

Performances will be live-streamed through the library website via Zoom. Please contact (973) 285-6934 for more information.

MORRIS COUNTY — New Jersey’s utility shutoff moratorium ended on March 15, but some residential customers with overdue utility bills can receive an extension to June 15.

A new law requires local authorities, municipal or public utilities, and rural electric cooperatives to continue providing electric, gas, sewer, or water service to residential customers who have submitted an application for utility assistance prior to June 15 but have not yet received a decision on their application.

To receive the extension, you need to apply for assistance. One easy way to apply is by clicking here to visit the DCAid Service Portal hosted by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.

MORRIS COUNTY — Parsippany-based manufacturer Ferrero has voluntarily recalled two products because of concerns that the candy might be contaminated with salmonella bacteria.

The products, Kinder Mix Chocolate Treats Basket and Kinder Happy Moments Milk Chocolate and Crispy Wafers Assortment, were manufactured in a facility in Belgium where salmonella was detected.

Ferrero USA is located at 7 Sylvan Way.

So far, no reports of illnesses in the U.S. have been linked to the products, Ferrero said in its announcement on Thursday on the Food and Drug Administration’s website. The European Food Safety Authority detected 134 salmonella cases from January 7 to Tuesday, April 5 most of them among children under ten. The agency said that “specific chocolate products have been identified as the likely route of infection.”

The candy is being recalled as many families stock up on treats less than a week before Easter.

“Ferrero deeply regrets this situation,” the company said. “We take food safety extremely seriously and every step we have taken has been guided by our commitment to consumer care. We will continue to work cooperatively with the Food and Drug Administration to address this matter.”

Salmonella infections can cause fever, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain in healthy people, and they may result in more serious cases among those who are very young, old, or immunocompromised.

The recalled Kinder Happy Moments assortments were sold at BJ’s Wholesale Club stores across the U.S. and in Costco stores in the San Francisco Bay Area and northern Nevada. The lot codes of those batches — 48RUP334, 48RUP335, 48RUP336, and 48RUP337 — can be found on the back panel. The products have a “best by” date of July 18, 2022.

“FDA is aware of the recall in the EU market and we are analyzing shipment data to determine if the impacted product was imported into the United States. At this time we have no further details to provide,” an FDA spokesperson said. “When a company announces a recall, market withdrawal or safety alert, the FDA posts the company’s announcement as a public service.”

MORRIS COUNTY — Put on your cowboy boots and get ready for some fun by reserving your place at the County College of Morris (CCM) Foundation Better in Blue Jeans Ball, held in person on Friday, May 13, at Alstede Farms in Chester.

Better in Blue Jeans is going to be packed with lots of activity and enjoyment — live bluegrass, bourbon tasting, line dancing, games, special photo opportunities, and a buffet dinner. All proceeds from this fundraising event support student scholarships and educational programs. The event begins at 6:00 p.m. with a cocktail hour and tricky tray, followed by dinner at 7:30 p.m. and then dancing and s’mores by the fire.

“As we emerge from COVID and delightfully begin to attend live in-person gatherings, Alstede offered us the perfect setting to have some fun, while supporting our students, with its open barn door facility,” says Katie Olsen, executive director of the CCM Foundation. “The event is taking place outside and in Alstede’s charming and rustic Harvest Hall.”

This year at the ball, four significant members of the community are to be honored.

According to Olsen, the honorees were selected for excellence in service in their professional lives and service to the community. Barbara Capsouras, a CCM graduate and now-retired director of Alumni Affairs at the college and Randolph resident, will be presented with the Alumna of the Year Award. Wilson and Maria Vasquez, proprietors of the Sabor Latino Restaurant in Dover, will receive the Community Ambassador Award. Sparta residents Roy and Karen McDonald, longtime donors to the CCM Foundation, will receive the Philanthropy Award. Dr. Bette Simmons, vice president of Student Development & Enrollment Management at CCM, will be presented with the Dr. Edward J. Yaw Leadership Award.

Individual tickets are $225.00 and $400.00 for a pair. Guests are encouraged to wear country-western attire and boots, spurs optional. Alstede Farms is located at 1 Alstede Farms Lane in Chester, off Route 24.

Corporate tables, sponsorships, and ads in the dinner journal also are available by clicking here. For additional information, call the CCM Foundation Office at (973) 328-5060.

MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Surrogate Heather Darling announced a further enhancement to the Surrogate’s Court operations to provide convenience and ease of use for transactions with her office.

The new credit card application was designed to further enhance the e Probate option for both Probate and Administration of estates at the Morris County Surrogate’s Court.

Surrogate Darling first introduced e Probate in the fall of 2020 allowing clients to file online and complete the process at their convenience from anywhere at any time, not having to travel to her office.

Historically, paying fees by credit or debit card has not been an option for clients who currently pay by cash or check. When filing, online, paper payment methods have slowed the process.

Now, with this new card option, which is made available to those willing to pay a small convenience fee to the vendor with the transaction, the process of probating an estate is faster and more convenient. “Since becoming Surrogate, my focus has been to streamline our practices and bring a more customer-centric approach to our services, providing convenience and ease of use,” said Surrogate Darling.

She went on to say, “I look forward to introducing further enhancements to our processes in the coming months as we continue to pursue our objective of the highest level of customer service and convenience.” For more information on e Probate and the Morris County Surrogate’s office, please click here.