MORRIS COUNTY — The Rotary Club of Denville will be sponsoring a Blood Drive on Wednesday, June 24 at the Denville Senior Center located at 100 East Main Street
Denville from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The need for blood is urgent and blood donors can make an appointment by calling 1-800-933-BLOOD (2566) or clicking here.

Thank you for becoming a “Lifesaver”

MORRIS COUNTY —  Governor Phil Murphy has proposed cutting funding for the Senior Freeze and Homestead Benefit property tax relief programs that make it possible for many elderly residents and middle-class families to own a home in New Jersey.

Sign the Online Petition to Protect the Senior Freeze & Homestead Benefit Programs

Rather than adopt bipartisan recommendations from the Legislature to close budget shortfalls resulting from COVID-19, the governor has ignored fiscally responsible solutions and placed the burden of balancing the State budget on the backs of struggling homeowners.

The Murphy Administration already eliminated the Homestead Benefit credit from property tax bills that were due on May 1st, forcing homeowners to pay more. Now they are threatening to remove the valuable tax credit from bills due in August, November, and 2021.

Under Governor Murphy’s plan, seniors who depend on the Property Tax Reimbursement program, also known as the Senior Freeze, will not receive their July payment to help them stay in their homes.

You can tell Governor Murphy NOT to cut the Senior Freeze and Homestead Benefit programs.

CLICK HERE to sign petition urging the governor to fund these important property tax relief programs!

MORRIS COUNTY — The Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) Section of the Morris County Sheriff’s Office is the first in New Jersey to welcome an independent assessment, which concluded the section meets rigorous international quality standards.

Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon in 2019 voluntarily sought the services of Highlands Forensic Investigations & Consulting LLC for an independent and objective assessment of the agency’s CSI Section that provides crime scene and incident evidence collection and analysis to all 39 municipalities in Morris County.

The yearlong evaluation involved an onsite visit by Highlands Owner Howard Ryan and firm Assessors Laura Tramontin and James P. Molinaro, and continuous reviews of case files, training files, proficiency/competency testing and management documentation.

In 2019, CSI Section Detectives and Forensic Technicians worked on 1,291 cases, or, between three and four cases a day.

Under the leadership of Morris County Sheriff’s Office Detective Captain Denise Thornton and Detective Lieutenant Laura Flynn, and with all CSI Detectives assisting, an extensive questionnaire about practices, policies, and directives governing eight categories of CSI operations were responded to with 126 detailed and objective written proofs.

To mark the recent, successful completion of the assessment, Mr. Ryan and the assessors visited the CSI Section to present a Certificate of Conformity to the Sheriff and CSI Section  Detectives. The certificate validates the completion of a Crime Scene Unit Assessment Program that demonstrates conformity to standards promulgated by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 17020), relevant to best practices for crime scene investigations.

Assessor Molinaro is a retired New Jersey State Police Lieutenant, who later worked for and retired from the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office in the Major Crimes-Crime Scene Unit.  Assessor Tramontin has more than 20 years of crime laboratory experience and worked in multiple forensic disciplines that include drug chemistry, toxicology, trace evidence, and biology.

Highlands owner, Mr. Ryan, is a retired New Jersey State Police Lieutenant and crime scene investigation and reconstruction expert. His firm provides consulting services across the United States and Canada.

“I can’t say how proud I am of everyone in the Crime Scene Investigation Section,” Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon said.

“This independent assessment by a forensic firm that draws upon experts with more than 130 years of combined law enforcement experience strengthens the excellence, professionalism, and precision of work performed by the Morris County Sheriff’s Office CSI Section. It demonstrates the objectivity of detectives, their adherence to written procedures, and will increase their confidence while explaining and defending their analyses where it counts – in courts of law,” Sheriff Gannon said.

Chester Police Department Chief Thomas Williver, President of the Morris County Police Chiefs Association, called the CSI Section Detectives “consummate professionals.”

“The CSI Section of the Morris County Sheriff’s Office provides an invaluable resource to the municipal police departments in Morris County.  The residents of Morris County should be comforted to know that the CSI Section detectives are following the best practices and standards in Crime Scene Detection, which assists law enforcement in successful prosecution or exoneration of suspects.  The detectives are consummate professionals and we are proud to work with them,” Chief Williver said.

Mr. Ryan and the Assessors said the CSI Section was in good shape before the assessment began and now, with its strengthening, is poised to be a model for crime scene units across the state and nation, particularly as demands and expectations by the public of their law enforcement professionals increase.

“It’s not an easy endeavor to open the door to scrutiny but the Morris County Sheriff’s Office CSI Section did that, 100 percent,” Mr. Ryan said.

Assessors Tramontin and Molinaro said the CSI Detectives were fully committed to ensuring that all their work, no matter how minute or routine, was backed up by a directive, policy, or procedure.   By the end of the assessment, the CSI Section’s conforming policies and procedures were compiled in a volume entitled “Morris County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Manual.”

“The end product is phenomenal,” Mr. Molinaro said.

The conformity assessment required the CSI Section to provide 126 objective written proofs, and in some cases to demonstrate skills in the categories of Facilities, Vehicles, Equipment and Supplies; Investigative Activities; Evidence and Property Control; Training and Professional Development; Ethics; Safety; and Reporting and Records Management.

The scope of questions ranged from inquiries about the equipment used in processing activities, to evidence control, to the documentation of shooting scenes to verification of reagents and processing powders prior to use.

“The facility is second to none and the people of Morris County should be very proud of the Crime Scene Investigation Section. The level of enthusiasm is high and everyone in the unit is thrilled to be there,” Mr. Ryan said.

MORRIS COUNTY — The Assembly passed legislation Monday sponsored by Assemblywomen Serena DiMaso and Aura Dunn capping the fees charged by delivery services like Grubhub and Uber Eats during the public health crisis.

“It’s a margin killer for many of our Main Street businesses,” said DiMaso (R-Monmouth). “They’re keeping 32 percent of the order payment in a restaurant business where margins are maybe 15 or 20 percent.”

The sponsors worked with N.J. Restaurant and Hospitality Association and leading food delivery apps Uber Eats and DoorDash.

Fees would be capped at 20 percent of the order under the bill (A3978); or 10 percent if a third-party is not actually making the delivery, and it’s instead done by a restaurant worker or independent contractor.

The caps would remain effective during any state of emergency longer than seven days and would supersede any local caps already in place.

“Third-party services are no longer fringe experiments, but rather a mainstream piece of the restaurant business,” said Dunn (R-Morris). “For all their hard work to keep afloat, this cap helps those restaurants stay in business.”

MORRIS COUNTY — New Jersey First Lady Tammy Snyder Murphy will be joining Table of Hope, local officials and scores of volunteers who are gathering together for a free mobile food distribution event at County College of Morris (CCM) on Tuesday, June 23, to assist residents during this time of crisis.

The food distribution, consisting of canned goods, meat, dairy, vegetables, and other groceries, will take place in Parking Lot 1 on the CCM campus starting at 10:00 a.m. and running until 12:00 Noon. Welcoming remarks from the First Lady and others will take place at 9:45 a.m. All are welcome to attend. Visitors are asked to use the college’s Dover Chester Road entrance. Face coverings are required for everyone who visits the campus.

The distribution will operate as a contactless drive-through event with cars stopping at different food stations categorized by food type where volunteers will place bags or boxes into automobile trunks.

Shortly after COVID-19 struck, Rev. Dr. Sidney Williams, pastor of Bethel Church in Morristown, converted the Table of Hope bus that was used to pick up food so it could be utilized for mobile food distribution. Williams is the founder of the Spring Street Community Development Corporation that operates Table of Hope and other programs to improve the lives of individuals and families in Morris County.

“COVID-19 has had an unprecedented impact on the region, state, and nation and resulted in massive unemployment and also additional challenges for those who already were struggling,” notes CCM President Anthony J. Iacono. “As the community’s college, we are honored to partner with Table of Hope and others to assist Morris County residents. I am so proud to be part of this county where people pull together to help one another.”

Assisting with the event are Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon, a CCM graduate, the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders, the Morris County Chamber of Commerce, Alstede Farms, and approximately 40 volunteers, including numerous CCM employees. The Morris County Council of Education Associations also contributed $5,000 to purchase food for the event.

“This is a powerful testament of the heart of the Morris County community,” says Williams.

“The great work being done by Table of Hope and other food pantries in Morris County has been exemplary,” says Freeholder Kathy DeFillippo, liaison to the county’s Human Services agencies. “Without their dedication during this public health crisis, many people in our county, who have lost their jobs due to COVID-19, would be hard-pressed to feed their families. We thank Table of Hope and strongly support these organizations.”

“Table of Hope, the Interfaith Food Pantry, the Community Food Bank, Alstede Farms and other charitable organizations have stepped up at a time when the lives of many families were upended by the COVID 19 healthcare crisis,” said Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon. “Their work reflects the finest qualities in people who care about their neighbors and the well-being of others during grim times. Table of Hope Mobile Food Pantry and CCM, for hosting this event, have all my gratitude and admiration.”

In March, Table of Hope began operating weekly mobile food distribution programs in Morristown, Parsippany, and Dover, along with additional grocery supply events in other Morris County communities. Prior to COVID-19, its pantry in Morristown served about 65 people weekly. The number now being served each week at each mobile distribution event averages 500 to 600, reports Teresa Williams, executive director of the Spring Street Community Development Center. To date, more than 9,000 individuals and families have been helped and more than 220 tons of food has been distributed. Table of Hope also operates a soup kitchen that during the pandemic has continued to provide dinners as take-out service.

Table of Hope receives food from the Community Food Bank of New Jersey in Hillside, local farms, and foodservice companies. To volunteer or make a donation, visit the Spring Street CDC website by clicking here.

Along with Table of Hope, numerous other services are available to assist residents in Morris County’s 39 municipalities who are in need of food during these difficult times. A list of available food services, including food pantries, volunteer shopper organizations, meal delivery services, and take-out meal services, can be found by clicking here.

PARSIPPANY — Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce (District 26NJ) today organized a Zoom meeting with state, county, and local officials to outline the difficulties people with disabilities face in accessing Internet information about the COVID19 pandemic — and she is leading by example by making her own website more accessible.

The simple website upgrade launched by the Assemblywoman allows people with varied abilities to view and/or navigate her website, AswDeCroceNJ26.com, much more easily while using screen readers and other assistive technology devices created for people with disabilities to access the Internet. The Assemblywoman noted that while the State of New Jersey has made advances in rendering some government websites more accessible, the sites of many other agencies, officials, and local governments remain difficult to access for people with disabilities.

“Most elected leaders are trying to help guide people through the complex requirements of the pandemic shutdown by posting alerts to their websites. But for people with disabilities, navigating the webpages can be almost impossible unless the sites include the proper technology to interface with screen readers and other assistive devices. The update on my site made it far more friendly to people with disabilities,” said Assemblywoman DeCroce.

The Assemblywoman upgraded her website through User1st, a Washington, D.C. company developing and using innovative technologies to make the Internet accessible for persons with varied and changing abilities. John Incantalupo, her digital consultant and a partner at the digital strategy firm DIGITALBRILLIANT LLC, noted the change did not require the Assemblywoman to relinquish control of the website and, aside from an “accessibility” button in the top left corner of the webpage, there was no change to the appearance of the website for other visitors.

“This is a dilemma not widely known by the general public, and yet there are simple technological solutions available that can enhance website access for people with disabilities without changing the look or operation of a website. It only helps people with disabilities, and I seriously urge my elected colleagues on the local, county, and state levels of government to join me by employing these upgrades,” said Assemblywoman DeCroce.

“User1st is thrilled to work with Assemblywoman DeCroce in leading the way for New Jersey to provide constituents with disabilities and varied abilities the information and services they need through digital accessibility,” said Walter Arnold, COO at User1st.  “Although reopening has begun, people within vulnerable populations may need to continue sheltering in place. User1st can help government resources make greater digital accommodations for people with disabilities.”

The Zoom meeting also was joined by Mike Marotta of Disability Rights New Jersey, a RESNA Certified Assistive Technology Professional and Director at Richard West Assistive Technology Advocacy Center at DRNJ. The center serves as New Jersey’s federally funded assistive technology project through a subcontract with New Jersey’s Department of Labor and Workforce Development, assisting people in overcoming barriers in the system and making assistive technology more accessible to individuals with disabilities.

“As the world becomes more digital, we must ensure people with disabilities are provided equal access to electronic information in order to be fully included members of our community,” said Marotta.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1 in 4, or roughly 61 million Americans, “have a disability that impacts major life activities.” It reflects the situation in New Jersey, where 24.6 percent of the adult population has some form of disability. Data released by the Kessler Foundation also suggested that the disability community was disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak, with the number of employed people with disabilities has decreased by nearly one million workers from March to April of this year.

People with disabilities also make up 8 million of the small business owners throughout the nation who have had to overcome different state lockdown orders that are forcing many to go out of business.

To learn more about assistive technology and what DRNJ does click here.

To learn more about Assemblywoman DeCroce click here.