MORRIS COUNTY — County College of Morris (CCM) is providing students with a number of options for how they can take their courses this Spring Semester so they can keep moving forward with their higher education.

The college currently is enrolling students for the spring and has built-in a high level of flexibility to make it easier for them to pursue their goals. Students enrolling this spring will be able to select courses that are being offered in one of three formats: hybrid, remote, and online.

Hybrid Courses consist of a combination of traditional face-to-face instruction and remote or online sessions. This may include some on-campus labs with remote lectures, reduced in-classroom time, or other instructional designs that meet the needs of the course materials.

Remote Courses are similar to those taught in a classroom in that they require students to meet online with their professor on specific days and times.

Online Courses do not require students to log in on specific days and times, allowing them to set their own schedule for performing their classwork.

To limit the number of people on campus, the majority of classes are being offered in online and remote formats.

Students enrolling this spring also can select from a number of terms, ranging from 2 Week to 15 Week sessions. Students can search for courses and the format they prefer by clicking here. Use the Advanced Search feature to select one of the terms being offered this spring:

• 15 Week – January 20 – May 11
• Early Start 2 Week – January 20 – February 2
• Early Finish 7 Week – January 20 – March 9
• Mid Start 2 Week – February 3 – February 16
• 13 Week – February 3 – May 11
• Late Start 2 Week – February 17 – March 2
• Late Start 7 – March 24 – May 11

New students first need to apply to the college before registering for classes. For more information click here.

MORRIS COUNTY — County College of Morris (CCM) has both federal and state grant funds for students to help them stay on track with their higher education.

Federal CARES dollars are available for students, who are currently registered at CCM, to cover a wide range of expenses so they can move forward with a high-quality education. Those dollars can be used by those impacted by the pandemic to cover such expenses as tuition, technology, housing, child care, and more. Those who previously received CARES funds also may apply again due to continued pandemic related hardship. To review eligibility requirements and to apply click here.

Along with those funds, CCM each year awards approximately $26 million in financial aid and scholarships to its students allowing them to pursue a high-quality college education at an affordable price. Included among those funds is the Community College Opportunity Grant, provided by the State of New Jersey, which offers free tuition to eligible students. To find out more about the funding provided through the Office of Financial Aid and CCM Foundation click here.

“Given the amount of money CCM has available to help with a higher education, there has never been a better time to go to college,” said Dr. Bette Simmons, vice president of Student Development and Enrollment Management. “We like to tell students this is not the time for a gap year but a time to take advantage of the funding we have so they can keep moving forward to realize their dreams for a better future.”

CCM is currently enrolling for the 2021 Spring Semester. As with the 2020 Fall Semester, classes in the spring are being held in three formats: hybrid with some on-campus time and the rest online, remote classes with set days and times to log in, and online classes where students can pick the days and times to do their classwork. For more information on the Sprint Semester click here.

Transfer or Gain Employment Upon Graduation
At CCM, students can choose from 100 programs of study. A number of programs, such as those in computer science, engineering, and hospitality, and culinary science, are designed so students can seek employment immediately upon graduation. Numerous others are specifically designed so students can transfer their credits to earn a bachelor’s degree. CCM holds more than 165 agreements with colleges and universities across New Jersey and the nation to simplify the transfer process. A listing of those agreements can be found by clicking here.

PARSIPPANY — Rosemary Becchi responded swiftly to the Sherrill campaign’s criticism of the report that she sent to the U.S. Attorney’s Office which included the first-hand reports of eleven New Jersey residents who volunteered to oversee the election process in Essex County.

“I am shocked by the blatant disregard for the legal process – especially by a former US Prosecutor. It appears that the U.S Attorney’s Office is taking the claims in the report seriously, and I hope that Congresswoman Sherrill and her campaign will do the same. I call on Mikie Sherrill to join our mission of insisting that the election process is fair and honest in Essex County for future elections.

I appreciate the work of volunteers on election day – and their dedication to the integrity of the election process. These eleven volunteers put their names on statements provided to the authorities and I appreciate their commitment to the democratic process. Voters in New Jersey deserve to have their votes counted in a fair manner, that’s all we are saying” emphasized Becchi.

MORRIS COUNTY — Acting Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, Acting Chief of Investigations Christoph Kimker, and Chief Marc Palanchi of the Township of Roxbury Police Department announce the arrest of Richard A. Ziegler, date of birth July 8, 1950, of Oneida, Tennessee.

The defendant has been charged with Aggravated Sexual Assault in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2a(1) and (2), crimes of the first degree; three counts of Sexual Assault in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:14-2b, crimes of the second degree; Aggravated Criminal Sexual Contact in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:14-3a, a crime of the third degree; and two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4a (1), crimes of the second degree.

It is alleged that between December 1, 1981, and May 31, 1987, in the Township of Roxbury, the defendant engaged in multiple sexual acts with two separate victims. One victim was between the ages of 10 and 12 when the acts occurred, and the other victim was between the ages of 10 and 15.  It is further alleged that at the time of the assaults, the defendant had been living with the victims and had assumed responsibility for the care of them.

The defendant was recently located in Oneida, Tennessee, by the Tennessee Highway Patrol -Criminal Investigations Division. Their investigation alleged that the defendant had falsified documents to obtain a Driver’s License in Tennessee under an assumed identity. During the investigation into the defendant’s identity, Tennessee officials became aware of the allegations against the defendant for sexual assault in New Jersey and notified the Township of Roxbury Police Department and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.  The defendant was charged in Tennessee with Aggravated Perjury, a Class D felony, and Driver’s License Fraud, a Class A misdemeanor.

Acting Prosecutor Carroll would like to thank the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office’s Sex Crimes/Child Endangerment Unit, the Township of Roxbury Police Department, and the Tennessee Highway Patrol – Criminal Investigations Division whose efforts contributed to the investigation and charges filed in Tennessee and New Jersey.  Prosecutor Carroll expressed his appreciation for this type of law enforcement cooperation, which he cited as an outstanding model of excellent inter-agency police work to identify and arrest this individual who evaded prosecution for over three decades.

Prosecutor Carroll especially commends Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Sergeant Anne-Marie Truppo, Roxbury Twp. PD Detective William Manisa, and Tennessee Highway Patrol Sergeant Jonathan Scott for their tenacious efforts in bringing this defendant to justice. Extradition proceedings will be commenced in the near future in Tennessee to return the defendant to face these criminal charges in New Jersey.

Anyone with information relating to these incidents or any related incident is asked to call Sergeant Anne-Marie Truppo of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office at (973) 285-6291 or Detective William Manisa of the Township of Roxbury Police Department at (973) 448-2050.

Editor’s Note: An arrest or the signing of a criminal complaint is merely an accusation.  Despite this accusation, the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until he or she has been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

MORRIS COUNTY — Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) announced that Prevention is Key, Inc. (PIK), located in Randolph, was awarded a $600,000 grant to fund a mentoring program for children in Morris and Passaic Counties who have been exposed to opioid misuse through their own experience or that of a family member. The grant is funded through the Mentoring Opportunities Youth Initiative at the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

“PIK’s work on substance abuse prevention and recovery helps our community with critical programs like peer recovery support, Narcan training, and partnering on Hope One,” said Representative Sherrill. “This mentoring program for children impacted by opioid misuse is just another example of PIK’s proactive approach to ensuring that those most in need of support receive it. I am thrilled that the DOJ awarded the federal grant funding to support this much-needed program, and I look forward to following its progress.”

“We are thrilled to have been awarded the OJJDP grant to provide Mentoring to Youth Impacted by Opioids and Drug Addiction in Morris and Passaic Counties,” said PIK Executive Director Chris Goeke. “The demand for youth mentoring among this underserved population has never been greater than it is today. The social isolation created by the pandemic has made the need even more critical. Prevention Is Key remains fully engaged in supporting our communities as they strive to live healthier lives throughout our great state.”

PIK will use this grant funding from DOJ’s Mentoring Opportunities Youth Initiative to support the creation of a mentoring program for one hundred children ages 11 to 17. This will include children who are currently misusing or have misused opioids, as well as those with family members who are using or have misused opioids. The three-year program will provide mentees with positive mentoring support to supplement treatment programs. It will build resiliency by providing participants with social and emotional support, and helping them develop the skills to build their own informal support systems.

About the Department of Justice Mentoring Opportunities for Youth Initiative
The Mentoring Opportunities for Youth Initiative at the Department of Justice supports youth mentoring organizations that have a demonstrated partnership with a public or private substance abuse treatment agency. The program focuses on providing mentoring services as a part of prevention and treatment to support children affected by opioids and drug addiction.

About Prevention is Key
Prevention is Key (PIK) is a 501(c)3 organization that has successfully delivered culturally competent, evidence-based prevention services in Morris County and the surrounding counties for 30 years. The agency was founded in 1989 to coordinate substance abuse prevention in Morris County.  For more information click here.