HANOVER — JLL Capital Markets has brokered the $46 million sale of a 133,276-square-foot shopping center and two nearby restaurants located in Hanover and Parsippany.
Jose Cruz, Kevin O’Hearn, Michael Oliver, Steve Simonelli, J.B. Bruno, and Nicholas Stefans of JLL represented the seller, Mack-Cali Realty Corp., and the undisclosed buyer in the transaction.
Panera Bread cafe with a drive-through is located in the Wegmans Shopping Center
Wegmans Retail Center was completed in phases in 2017 and 2020. The center is home to tenants including Wegmans Food Markets and Panera Bread. 24 Hour Fitness was also a tenant in the center, but closed at the beginning of the pandemic, within a year of its opening at the center. The retail center is located on Sylvan Way.
The recent grand opening of Capital Grille
The two recently developed restaurants included in the sale are leased to Capital Grille and Seasons 52. Capital Grille, located on Dryden Way in Parsippany, and Seasons 52 is located on Route 10 Hanover.
Seasons 52
Capital Grille opened in April of 2021 while Seasons 52 opened in May 2021. Both restaurants are part of Darden Restaurants.
In September 2020, a joint venture led by Onyx Equities has closed on its $158 million purchase of a 10-building, 1.5 million-square-foot office portfolio in Parsippany and Madison from Mack-Cali Realty Corp. The new addition to their portfolio includes:
1, 3, 5, and 7 Sylvan Way in Parsippany
4, 6, and 8 Campus Drive in Parsippany
2 Dryden Way in Parsippany
2 Hilton Court in Parsippany
1 Giralda Farms in Madison
Two Campus Drive will be demolished to make room for multi-unit housing
Mack-Cali has received approval from the Parsippany Planning Board to construct 172 Units and 35 Affordable Housing Units at 2 and 4 Campus Drive and 238 Units and 48 Affordable Housing Units at 1 and 3 Campus Drive. (Click here to read related story)
MOUNTAIN LAKES — The Mountain Lakes Recreation Commission’s mission is to offer quality, affordable, and diverse recreational and cultural programs to the residents of Mountain Lakes of all ages and abilities.
The Commission consists of nine members that are appointed by the Borough Council.
If you are interested in being considered for membership on the Recreation Commission, please submit your name and qualifications to the Borough Clerk. The Committee meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 7:30 p.m.
More information about the Recreation Commission is available on the borough website by clicking here.
BOONTON — While you are shopping for your new school supplies, please consider buying some extra items for those who are less fortunate. The GFWC Woman’s Club of Boonton has set up some collection sites around town to help make your donation easy! All donations will be distributed to local students through the town social service agency.
Items that have been requested should be new and include; black Sharpies, colored pencils, 1 & 3 subject spiral notebooks, 3 ring binders, 2 pocket folders, 5” scissors, hard pencil cases, 3” x 3” post-it notes, blue & red pens, highlighters, 24 ct. Crayola crayons, glue sticks, marble composition books.
The school supplies can be dropped off through August 6 at the following Boonton locations:
Boonton Coffee Co., 516 Main Street
Boonton Holmes Public Library, 621 Main Street
46 West Hair Studio, 929 Main Street
Lakeland Bank 321 West Main Street
Scoop House 813 Main Street
The GFWC Woman’s Club of Boonton is a nonprofit, community service organization that is supporting the people of Boonton through volunteer service and charitable endeavors. The club is a member of the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s clubs (NJSFWC), a statewide community service organization dedicated to making a difference in the lives of others, one project at a time. Visit their website at njsfwc.org.
The club meets monthly, and any woman interested in making a difference and having fun is welcome to join! Email the club at [email protected].
PARSIPPANY — Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) will hold a telephone town hall meeting on Wednesday, July 7 at 5:00 p.m, to discuss pandemic recovery efforts, including the American Rescue Plan, the upcoming infrastructure package, repealing the SALT cap, and other recovery-related topics. Rep. Sherrill will be joined by local economic, municipal, and medical experts who will help answer questions from residents.
Residents are invited to register to call in the telephone town hall at sherrill.house.gov/live. The town hall will also stream live at 5:00 p.m. directly on Representative Sherrill’s website. To submit a question ahead of the event, please click here.
DETAILS:
WHAT: Representative Sherrill Telephone Town Hall WHEN: Wednesday, July 7, 2021 TIME: 5:00 p.m. LOCATION: sherrill.house.gov/live
HANOVER — Three lucky tickets matched all five numbers drawn splitting the $841,017 Jersey Cash 5 jackpot from the Friday, July 2, drawing. Each ticket is worth $280,339. The winning numbers were: 02, 09, 11, 23, and 27, and the XTRA number was: 02. The retailers will receive a bonus check for $2,000 for each winning ticket sold. Those tickets were sold at the following locations:
Up Thai Restaurant is located at 981 Tabor Road, Morris Plains, NJ 07950. (973) 998-8536; www.upthainj.com.
PARSIPPANY — Imagine, if you will, a meal that will stimulate all your taste sensations, consisting of substantial food that is distinct with its fresh, strong, diverse flavors, and is healthy, hearty, tasty, and robust? Sounds surprisingly good, doesn’t it? If that piques your interest, you might just want to plan a visit to Up Thai, located in a relatively small strip mall right on Tabor Road in (Parsippany) Morris Plains.
Interior
Thai food with its authentic balance of sweet, bitter, sour, creamy, spicy, and salty flavors, along with generous use of fresh vegetables, herbs, and spices makes this cuisine something special, that will surely wake up your palate and provide a wonderful dining experience. In general, this cuisine which is associated with being hot and spicy can be easily modified to accommodate your personal heat level so you can still enjoy a wide variety of dishes. As for me, I love spicy, hot food. Each dish, as is customary in Thai tradition, is carefully plated to be as visually attractive and enticing as possible. That along with all those aromatic herbs, spices, sauces, as well as many other exotic ingredients common to this cuisine is what I am talking about when I referred earlier to food to stimulate your senses.
Thai cuisine is essentially a marriage of centuries-old Eastern and Western influences harmoniously combined into something uniquely Thai. Going back to the 13th Century, Thailand’s complex cuisine was heavily influenced by many surrounding countries, including China (noodles and wok), India (spices and flavors), Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Burma, and Malaysia. Today Thai cooking is considered one of the fastest-growing and most popular cuisines in the world.
Up Thai, which opened in June of 2019, is another one of those small storefront places, located on the side of a small strip mall off Tabor Road. It may have only 9 or 10 tables, but it certainly packs a punch. Cozy, comfortable, inviting, impeccably clean, and welcoming, it is a great place for a relaxing lunch or dinner. It is also great for takeout, which was obvious by the ongoing stream of customers coming in to pick up their orders throughout the entire time I was there. The interior, nicely lit by the large storefront window, is nicely decorated with warm, rustic-looking wood paneling covering the walls, tile floors, attractive Thai-related paintings adorning the walls, along with Asian-style lanterns overhanging the wooden tables which are placed along the walls. A good part of the interior is comprised of a customer counter outside the kitchen area to accommodate those outgoing orders.
Hostess Tanya Padilla and Patrick Minutillo
The service is attentive, friendly, and prompt. Our affable hostess, Tanya Padilla, could not have been more accommodating, cordial, and helpful. Our waitress was equally pleasant and made sure to check on our table throughout the meal, in addition to keeping our water glasses topped off, which can come in handy as you dig into those no joke Thai chili dishes. Important note: they will prepare your dish to suit your heat level, even to the point there is no spicy heat at all, so do not worry about those stories you have heard about “make your head explode” spicy food. Personally, I always prefer to kick my food up a bit with a little extra heat, but that is just me.
Steamed Chicken Dumplings
I brought my sister-in-law along since she eats Thai cuisine two or three times a week and absolutely loves it. I wanted to get her insight as a Thai enthusiast. For appetizers We started with Steamed Chicken Dumplings, which were served with a garlic soy sauce; Satay, savory chicken marinated in yellow curry powder and coconut milk, which came with a memorable homemade peanut sauce, as well as a cucumber vinaigrette dipping sauce; and Curry Puffs, fried puff pastry stuffed with minced chicken, potato, caramelized onion, carrot, and yellow curry, which was served with cucumber relish. Everything was savory, fresh, and delicious, plus as we were about to find out, Up Thai is very generous with its portion sizes. Quite frankly, these three appetizers were a fantastic meal in themselves.
Curry Puffs
The menu is enticing and extensive with one delicious choice after another. I was tempted by many of those choices, with plenty of meat, chicken, fish, and vegetable selections to choose from, but I decided to go with Thai’s most popular dish, their Authentic Old School Pad Thai. I understand there are numerous ways to make Pad Thai in Thailand, but it would be hard to beat Up Thai’s version of this delectable noodle dish. Featuring stir-fried thin rice noodles, mixed with a tangy tamarind sauce, combined with egg, tofu, scallion, bean sprouts, and ground peanut, with my choice of beef (you can choose chicken, beef, shrimp, or tofu).
Drunken Noodles
This was one rich and flavorful entree, not spicy, and a great introduction if you are new to Thai cuisine. Of course, you know I had to try a variety of dishes, so I also ordered Drunken Noodles; stir-fried flat noodles, with chicken, shrimp, egg, fresh chili, garlic, onion, carrot, pepper, tomato, and Thai basil. This is listed as a spicy dish, and I requested it medium hot as I was not familiar with the heat level at Up Thai. The dish did possess a nice palatable kick and had a reasonable heat level to it (as I said I do like spicy food) and would in all probability suit most diners who prefer that bit of heat. Again, the dish was delicious, satisfying, and filling.
Spicy Chilli Shrimp
We also split the Spicy Chili Shrimp; crispy large-sized fried shrimp topped with chili sauce, garlic, lemongrass, onion, pepper, tamarind juice, and Thai basil. The shrimp were crisp, juicy, and blended harmoniously with the tangy spicy chili sauce to create a taste sensation. It came with a side of Jasmine rice, which served as a great compliment to the spiciness of the dish. This was one of those “eyes bigger than your stomach” situations, but everything was so tasty you did not want to stop. By the way, did I mention that Up Thai is a BYOB restaurant? I brought along some cold Yanjing beer, which turned out to be a good call.
Patrick Minutillo checking out the desserts
By now, a reasonable person would have been done, but I had to try Up Thai’s desserts. We split the Black Sticky Rice with Fresh Mangos and their Banana Nutella Cake. Fresh, new, decadent tastes I have not had before, but I would not hesitate to order either one of them again. Not too sweet and just the right ending to a very flavorful meal.
If you are new to Thai food, Up Thai I would highly recommend this restaurant if you were looking for something different, a bit exotic, and something very affordable. If you are already a fan of Thai food, I feel confident you will be adding Up Thai is one of your go-to places. So, hop on board for an exciting gastronomical adventure, and if you have not done so yet, give Thai a try. I really think you will become a fan.
I almost forgot, my Thai loving sister-in-law thought it was fantastic. Two thumbs up!!
MORRIS COUNTY — Governor Phil Murphy has signed A5820 enabling the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency that had been in place since March 9, 2020.
Immediately following the signing of the legislation, Murphy signed Executive Order No. 244 (2021), ending the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency. Under the legislation, the majority of executive orders issued that relied on the existence of the Public Health Emergency expire as of July 4, 2021, with exceptions specified in the legislation.
The legislation keeps the following 14 executive orders in place until January 1, 2022, though they can be modified or rescinded prior to that date by the Governor:
Because Executive Order No. 192 (2020) is not specified in the legislation as continuing beyond July 4, 2021, masking, social distancing, and other health and safety protocols originally set forth in the EO will no longer be mandatory across businesses and facilities, regardless if they are open to the public or not. Though these protocols are no longer required by the State, employers, and entities overseeing worksites and other facilities are permitted to craft more restrictive policies that require masking and social distancing, and which continue the implementation of health and safety protocols.
Per the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Order, masks are required on planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation traveling into, within, or out of the U.S. and in transportation hubs such as airports and stations. Travelers are not required to wear a mask in outdoor areas of a conveyance. Masking requirements also remain in effect in certain state-regulated settings, including child care facilities, camps, long-term care facilities, other healthcare settings, homeless shelters, and prisons. These masking requirements, which are consistent with CDC guidance, are included in Executive Order No. 242 (2021), which remains in effect under Section 1(14) of P.L.2021, c.103.
The majority of State offices open to the public, including NJ Motor Vehicle Commission locations, continue to require masking of staff and visitors. Individuals should review setting-specific requirements in advance of arrival. Agency directives and guidance documents can be found at the links below:
Tyson Foods is recalling approximately 8,492,832 pounds of ready-to-eat chicken products
Tyson Foods is recalling approximately 8,492,832 pounds of ready-to-eat chicken products that may be adulterated with Listeria monocytogenes, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced.
The frozen, fully cooked chicken products were produced between December 26, 2020, and April 13, 2021. Click here for a list of products that are subject to recall. Click here to view the product labels.
The products subject to recall bear establishment number “EST. P-7089” on the product bag or inside the USDA mark of inspection. These items were shipped nationwide to retailers and institutions, including hospitals, nursing facilities, restaurants, schools, and Department of Defense locations.
On June 9, 2021, FSIS was notified of two persons ill with listeriosis. Working in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state public health partners, FSIS determined there is evidence linking the Listeria monocytogenes illnesses to pre-cooked chicken produced at Tyson Foods Inc. The epidemiologic investigation identified three listeriosis illnesses, including one death, between April 6, 2021 and June 5, 2021. During routine sample collection, FSIS collected two precooked chicken samples from two establishments that are closely related genetically to Listeria monocytogenes from ill people. One of the samples was collected at Tyson Foods Inc. FSIS is continuing to work with federal and state public health partners to determine if there are additional illnesses linked to these products.
Additional information on the investigation may be found on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
Consumption of food contaminated with L. monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a serious infection that primarily affects older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women and their newborns. Less commonly, persons outside these risk groups are affected.
Listeriosis can cause fever, muscle aches, headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, and convulsions sometimes preceded by diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms. An invasive infection spreads beyond the gastrointestinal tract. In pregnant women, the infection can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, premature delivery, or life-threatening infection of the newborn. In addition, serious and sometimes fatal infections in older adults and persons with weakened immune systems. Listeriosis is treated with antibiotics. Persons in the higher-risk categories who experience flu-like symptoms within two months after eating contaminated food should seek medical care and tell the health care provider about eating the contaminated food.
FSIS is concerned that some products may be in consumer and institutional freezers. Consumers should not eat these products. Institutions should not serve these products. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.
FSIS routinely conducts recall effectiveness checks to verify recalling firms notify their customers of the recall and that steps are taken to make certain that the product is no longer available to consumers. When available, the retail distribution list(s) will be posted on the FSIS website by clicking here.
Volunteers Dover Police Officer and Kiwanis Member Ilmi Bojkovic, Tyler Brookes, Chris Sorrentino, Kylie Mastropolo, Austyn Brookes, Byrce Brookes, and Dylan Brookes distributing the food to residents at Birchwood School
MORRIS COUNTY — On Saturday, June 26 at Birchwood Elementary School, 1 Art Street, Rockaway, Kiwanis Club of Rockaway Valley, along with other surroundings Kiwanis clubs, carried out Operation: Feeding Morris County.
With the help of surrounding Kiwanis clubs, over 75 volunteers, multiple sponsors, and many more, they were able to distribute over 20,000 pounds of food to over 500 families in need.
Kiwanis Club purchased 20,000 pounds of food to feed over 500 families in needBoxes of food, packed by volunteers to be distributed at Birchwood SchoolPlenty of gallons of milk were includedPallets of food being loaded off the tractor-trailer
Kiwanis Club of Rockaway Valley, a new Kiwanis Club being formed to serve Rockaway Township, Rockaway Borough, Wharton, and Dover, is sponsored by Kiwanis Club of Greater Roxbury.
Local Kiwanis clubs included Kiwanis Club of Greater Roxbury, Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany, Tri-Town Kiwanis Club, and Kiwanis Club of South Orange/Maplewood. With the help of these clubs, the towns that we’re able to hold food pick-up locations included Roxbury, Rockaway, South Orange, and Maplewood.
Scattered throughout all locations were over 75 volunteers, including Kiwanis Member and Dover Police Officer Ilmi Bojkovic. People who donated their time to help the people who need it most throughout their communities. The day started at 5:30 a.m., volunteers showed up at the St. Therese parking lot, in Succasunna. Volunteers helped assemble boxes, organize food as it came off the 18-wheeler, fill boxes with food, load the transport truck to take food boxes to other pick-up locations, load cars with food that were in line, clean up, and so much more.
Rockaway Township Mayor Michael Puzio and Volunteer Dylan Brookes placing food in a vehicle
“I want to personally thank all the amazing volunteers that took time out of their busy schedules to come to help us. They are what made the event be able to run as smoothly as it did, and they truly make the event come to life,” said Valerie Kuglin, a local Rockaway resident and a new member of the Kiwanis Club of Rockaway Valley.
“Many people may feel like they need to humble themselves because they are asking for help, so we try to alleviate any feelings like that they might have.” Frank Cahill, Lt. Governor Division 9, New Jersey Kiwanis. To date, Kiwanis Club has distributed over 169,000 pounds of food to over 4,200 families with a retail value of over $425,000.
The crew of volunteers helping with the food distribution at Birchwood Elementary School
While we ask for families to register online, this is only for a rough estimate of how much food we need to purchase. The only person who can see that list is the club president. On the day of the distributions, families simply pull up, say if they are registered or not, then a volunteer opens either the trunk or back seat of their car, puts the box of food in, closes the door, and drives off.
Dover Police Officer and Kiwanis member Ilmi Bojkovic at Birchwood Elementary School where the food distribution took place in Rockaway
“We want people to feel as comfortable as possible. We want them to know that Kiwanis is here to help,” said Ilmi Bojkovic, who spent his day volunteering. “The economic damage brought by mass layoffs and business closures is expected to persist long after vaccines become widely available and that means demand for food assistance will remain at the current high level for months or years to come.” Cahill says, “So long as there’s a need, we will continue to do the food distributions every month.”
Bojkovic is one of the many volunteers who helped during the past few months. Senator Anthony Bucco, Morris County Sheriff James Gannon, Surrogate Heather Darling as well as other police officers, firemen, EMS workers participated in one of our locations. This is definitely a community project.
If you are interested in joining the Kiwanis Club contact Frank Cahill at (862) 346-5100 for additional information.
PARSIPPANY — Neemoe, Chihuahua mix, 12 years old, weighs six pounds is looking for his forever home.
Neemoe will need an owner who can accommodate his current and future medical needs. A quiet home would let this sweet gentleman spend his days in relaxation.
Neemoe has trouble walking with his weak back legs but manages to get around. WISE is going to fit Neemoe for a wheelchair which will ease his trouble!
Children are ok but above the age of 16.
Neemoe would do best with dogs who share his low energy temperament. He will happily co-exist with them. Neemoe also likes cats. He prefers to have free roam of the house when left alone. He is house trained.
Neemoe is the love bug you need! He loves to cuddle and receive pets! His small size makes him the perfect lap dog! He is a couch potato and perfectly content spending the whole day laying next to you. He will let you carry him wherever you go. He is easy to please and very well behaved! His tail never stops wagging when he goes on his short walks outside.
Neemoe was rescued from an overcrowded shelter in NYC. He is now ready for a fresh start! Will you be the Dory to his Neemoe?
If you are interested in adopting Neemoe click here.
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