MORRIS COUNTY — Surrogate Heather Darling delivered a webinar covering the first round of enhancements to her e Probate online process.

The one-hour webinar was designed specifically for the attorneys that work with probate and administration of estates in Morris County. Since its roll-out in November of 2020, significant improvements have been integrated with e Probate to enhance the client experience, making it more efficient and convenient to complete the probate and administration process for an estate online.

The Surrogate’s office has processed over 700 e Probate cases since its introduction in November of 2020, in addition to in-person appointments and mail processing. The details of the current e Probate application were discussed and Surrogate Darling had an exchange of ideas with the many participating attorneys regarding their experience and future enhancements that will be forthcoming.

This service was developed out of an idea Surrogate Darling presented when running for the Office of Surrogate. She said, “As an attorney practicing in the Surrogate’s Court, it was apparent to me that a significant segment of the clients this office serves is subject to mobility issues of varying degrees.” Darling went on to say, “When I originally forecasted the need, no one would have foreseen the additional urgent need for this service which was brought on by COVID.” A video of the webinar is available online at the Surrogate’s website click here.

PARSIPPANY — Music is seeking a patient owner who will build trust with him. He can be frightened at times so he would benefit from a quiet household. Kids age 16 or older are preferred.

Yes, Music can be shy at first greeting but once he gets to know them he does not mind their company. Music gets along with cats. Music is crate trained and enjoys spending time in the crate. Music will have occasional accidents but has been improving as he adjusts to a routine.

Music walks perfectly on the leash!

Prepare your laps for this bundle of love! Music is a snuggle bug who could spend all day in your company. When he is not cuddling with you, he is playing with his toys! He takes pride in showing off his toy collection and leaves you with the honor of picking them up. He enjoys going on walks around the neighborhood. Music takes time to become comfortable with new people and his surroundings, but once he acclimates, he will show you all the love he has to offer!

Music was surrendered to Wise at no fault of his own. His previous owner got a new job and no longer had the time to care for him. He is looking forward to his new journey of finding a forever family!

If you are interested in adopting, please click here to fill out an application.

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MORRIS COUNTY — On Monday Governor Phil Murphy announced that we should expect to see children wearing masks at school in the fall. Assemblyman Brian Bergen called the announcement a “joke.”

In a session of the state Assembly on May 20, Bergen put Democrats on notice to start doing their jobs and stop acting as the governor’s “lapdog.”

“I think the governor is dreaming if he plans to have the unilateral authority to mask our children in schools this fall,” said Bergen (R-Morris). “If he does have that much authority, and our state Legislature is still sitting on their hands, I would be shocked. I mean, how long can Democrats in the legislature tolerate being completely irrelevant?”

Bergen introduced legislation to rein in the governor’s executive order authority. His bill (A4147) would require legislative oversight and would force all executive orders to expire after 14 days without an extension granted by the Legislature. It has been brought up for votes three times in the Assembly and twice in the Senate, each time voted down by the Democrats.

“Let’s be clear, if the governor is still acting unilaterally in the fall, then there is no one else to blame besides the Assembly and Senate Democrats. More specifically, the leadership in both houses.”

Bergen has also indicated he is tired of those responsible hiding behind their party.

“It’s time we name the individuals who are making these bad decisions and hold them directly accountable. Enough of the generalizations. We know who they are and we need to hold their feet to the fire at every opportunity.”

MORRIS COUNTY — The announcement that masks will not be required indoors comes about a week after Murphy rejected similar mask guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, saying he wanted “more time on the clock” for people to get vaccinated.

Businesses can still require masks:

-Murphy said businesses and entities overseeing indoor spaces may continue to require face masks for employees, customers, and/or guests

Masks will also still be required in:

-Health care settings, correctional facilities, and homeless shelters

-On airplanes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation

-In transportation hubs such as airports and stations

-Public-facing state offices, such as NJ MVC agencies

-Worksites that are closed to the public, including warehousing and manufacturing facilities

-Child care centers and facilities

Those who are not fully vaccinated are still “strongly encouraged” to follow CDC guidance and wear a face mask in any indoor setting.

“Please be responsible and do the right thing – for your own safety and your community’s safety,” Murphy said.

Also on Friday, the state is lifting the requirement for maintaining six feet at all indoor and outdoor businesses such as restaurants, retail stores, gyms, and casinos.

Also on Friday, May 28:

-Requirement for maintaining six feet of social distancing in indoor and outdoor settings will be lifted, but businesses can still require social distancing if they choose

-Prohibition on dance floors at bars and restaurants will be lifted

-Prohibition on ordering and eating/drinking while standing at bars and restaurants will be lifted

Effective June 4:

-State will remove all indoor gathering limits.

-State will also lift the 30% limit on large indoor venues with a fixed seating capacity of 1,000 or greater.

“The steps we’ve announced today are the clearest signs of our commitment to carefully and deliberately reopening our state,” Murphy said. “We continue to trend in the right direction with every indicator and our vaccination numbers have increased dramatically over the last two weeks.”

-Youth summer camps

-Public, private, or parochial preschool program premises

-Elementary and secondary schools, including charter and renaissance schools

Nearly 4.1 million New Jersey residents have been vaccinated. That’s nearly half of the state’s population.