PARSIPPANY — Meet Paco, an 11-year-old Schnauzer mix coming in at just 39 pounds. Don’t let his age fool you though, he’s ready to go for walks, play, and snuggle up with you!
This senior cutie is well-behaved, potty-trained, and looking for a retirement home to spoil and love him for the rest of his days. He loves to play with toys, run around in the yard, and is very intelligent.
Paco has previously lived with other dogs and children and is living with dogs right now. He’s very friendly and happy! We think he would be happy in a home with other pups and children 10+.
If you’re interested in adding Paco to your pack, apply today!
If you are interested in adopting, please fill out an application by clicking here.
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Drew Blind, franchise owner of the new Chick-fil-A on Route 10, Morris Plains
MORRIS PLAINS — Chick-fil-A has selected Drew Blind as the local franchise owner of the chain’s Morris Plains restaurant as hiring of up to 125 new Team Members is under way in preparation for the projected June grand opening.
When Blind’s stand-alone Chick-fil-A location opens at 1711 Route 10 East it will be a homecoming for the New Jersey native who is relocating from the chain’s location inside Garden State Plaza in Paramus.
Blind, who grew up in Morris County, is excited to return to his hometown where numerous family members reside and where his Chick-fil-A career began. A Team Member at the chain’s location in Howell, Blind worked at Chick-fil-A as a teen and during breaks while attending college at Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania.
After graduating with a degree in business management, Blind and his wife, Colleen, moved to South Carolina where he worked on the leadership team at a Charleston Chick-fil-A restaurant until his wife’s career brought them back to Pennsylvania.
Blind knew early on that Chick-fil-A’s focus of freshly prepared food, genuine hospitality and having a positive impact on the communities it serves matched his entrepreneurial goals. Blind became director of operations at the chain’s location in Nazareth and began his pursuit of owning his own restaurant while also serving on corporate teams helping open new locations around the country. His dream of owning his own restaurant was realized when he was selected to operate Paramus location in 2015.
Drew Blind
The new 4,700-square-foot Chick-fil-A location in Morris Plains will offer indoor seating for 102 and patio seating for 20 as well as a two-story playground for children. The interior will feature the chain’s heritage restaurant interior design that showcases handmade, authentic materials for a vintage-inspired interior, including subway tiles, large windows to let in natural light and a large gathering table made from reclaimed wood. A single drive-thru ordering lane will divide into two lanes for ordering to enhance the chain’s award-winning drive-thru service before merging back into a single lane for pickup. The new restaurant will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Like all Chick-fil-A restaurants, it will be closed on Sunday.
Blind has begun hiring as many as 125 Team Members as he builds his Morris Plains staff. He is filling full-time and part-time positions in all areas of the restaurant, including leadership development, hospitality, catering, training, and marketing. Each position will include benefits such as scholarships for continuing education. In addition, Chick-fil-A restaurant team members appreciate having Sundays off, flexible schedules, and the family atmosphere fostered at the restaurant.
Named one of the “best places to work” by Glassdoor, Chick-fil-A is known for hiring and retaining talent and offering a supportive workplace with opportunities for leadership development, respect for work-life balance and competitive wages.
Chick-fil-A Team Members are eligible for the chain’s initiative, Remarkable Futures. In 2019, more than 6,000 Team Members will be awarded with $15.3 million in scholarships, one of the highest unrestricted per employee scholarship investments in the industry. Team Members, who are beginning or continuing their higher education, are awarded scholarships in the amount of $2,500 or $25,000 which can be applied to any area of study at any accredited institution. In addition, Team Members have access to tuition discounts and other educational benefits at more than 100 colleges and universities nationwide.
Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A, Inc. is a family owned and privately held restaurant company founded in 1967 by S. Truett Cathy. Devoted to serving the local communities in which its franchised restaurants operate, and known for its original chicken sandwich, Chick-fil-A serves freshly prepared food in more than 2,428 restaurants in 47 states and Washington, D.C. Chick-fil-A reported more than $10 billion in revenue in 2018, which marks 51 consecutive years of sales growth. A leader in customer service satisfaction, consumers voted Chick-fil-A, Inc. fourth in Harris Poll’s annual corporate reputation survey, ranking the company fourth out of 100 in 2018. Chick-fil-A was also recognized for customer experience again in the 2018 Temkin Experience Ratings survey, was named “Best Franchise Brand” in 2018 by Airport Revenue News and was named one of the top 100 best places to work by Glassdoor in 2017. Continuing its founder’s legacy of generosity and service, in 2019 Chick-fil-A’s Remarkable Futures initiative awarded $15.3 million in scholarships to restaurant Team Members nationwide. In 2018 the company’s philanthropic Chick-fil-A Foundation awarded $1.23 million to 22 not-for-profit organizations across 18 states through the True Inspiration Awards. More information on Chick-fil-A is available at www.chick-fil-a.com.
Hanover Township Little League catchers take a photo with Bayer's Ray Kerins and Wegmans' Tim Lockwood, who threw out the first pitches on Little League Opening Day and joined Mayor Ron Francioli in announcing the business neighbors' August 10th softball charity rematch to benefit the Interfaith Food Pantry. From left to right: Lily Pecora, who caught Kerin's pitch, Ray Kerins, Mike Halibej, HTLL President, Tim Lockwood, and Luke Ench, who caught Lockwood's pitch
HANOVER TOWNSHIP — During the Hanover Township Little League (HTLL) April 27 opening day ceremony, it was “Game On!” as Mayor Ron Francioli announced this year’s “Annual Charity Classic,” a softball rematch between Bayer and Wegmans, Saturday, August 10 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Malapardis Park in Cedar Knolls.
Both companies’ employees stepped up to the plate last year for seven innings of competitive fun that ended with a Wegmans’ victory, all for a great cause – a $5,000.00 donation from each business to the Interfaith Food Pantry.
The non-profit organization, which feeds Morris County families struggling financially, will again be this year’s beneficiary.
Hanover Township Little League catchers take a photo with Bayer’s Ray Kerins and Wegmans’ Tim Lockwood, who threw out the first pitches on Little League Opening Day and joined Mayor Ron Francioli when he announced the business neighbors’ August 10th softball charity rematch to benefit the Interfaith Food Pantry. From left to right: Lily Pecora, who caught Ray Kerins’ pitch, Ray Kerins, Tim Lockwood, and Luke Ench, who caught Lockwood’s pitch
Joining Francioli to make the announcement were Mike Halibej, HTLL President, Ray Kerins, Bayer’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs, and Tim Lockwood, Hanover Wegmans’ Store Manager. The HTLL, whose members will play a significant role in this year’s Charity Classic, honored Kerins and Lockwood by asking them to throw out the first Little League Opening Day pitches.
The friendly rivals gladly obliged, and viewed the opportunity as a fitting prelude to the August softball skirmish.
Bayer’s Ray Kerins (left) and Wegmans’ Tim Lockwood (right) pause for a photo with Mayor Ron Francioli at Hanover Township’s Little League Opening Day just after the Mayor announced the second Annual Charity Classic, which will see the two business neighbors step up to the plate again for a softball rematch benefitting the Interfaith Food Pantry
“We look forward to successfully defending our title against Bayer,” stated Lockwood, “and are thankful to work with such a great community supporter as our friends at Bayer.”
“Actually, the Bayer team is ready to win the rematch. But the real winners will be the members of our community who will benefit from the Bayer-Wegman’s partnership supporting the great work of the Interfaith Food Pantry,” said Kerins.
Mayor Francioli applauded Bayer and Wegmans for their ongoing, strong community support, and lauded the civic groups, volunteers, and other non-profits who will be partnering with the municipality to make the second Charity Classic an even greater success than last year’s. “With the Rotary, Knights of Columbus, Whippanong Library, Fire Departments, and Little League helping, we’re envisioning a truly dynamic event,” noted Francioli.
“We’re adding some things to make it even more fun-filled and family oriented. There’ll be free giveaways, photo ops with Wegmans’ Ready for Prime Time Produce Players and Recreation’s Sting the Bee, and a concert following the game at 4:00 p.m. by The Shots with the Bergen County Firefighters Bagpipes.”
From left to right: Ray Kerins, Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs for Bayer, and Tim Lockwood, Hanover Wegmans’ Store Manager look on as Mayor Ron Francioli announces August 10th Charity Classic softball rematch between the two business neighbors during the Hanover Township Little League Opening Day ceremony
Members of the public are urged to save the August 10 date (rain date August 11) and to check the Hanover Township website, by clicking here, the Hanover Township Recreation Facebook page, and local newspapers for future Charity Classic updates.
Admission to the event is free, but it is requested that attendees help their Morris County neighbors in need by bringing a canned good or other non-perishable food item that will join a collection to be used by the Interfaith Food Pantry in feeding hungry families.
MORRIS COUNTY — Following the arrest of Elmwood Park’s Mayor Frank Caramagna on election fraud charges, a group of Republican lawmakers sent a letter to Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal requesting his office provide guidelines that would allow the N.J. Division of Elections to issue rules to county superintendents of elections for the purpose of ensuring a secure vote-by-mail process.
Caramagna, who was forced to resign, is accused of filling in vote-by-mail ballots of other registered voters during the 2017 election. Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi and Assemblyman Robert Auth, of the 39th Legislative District, and Assemblymen Kevin J. Rooney and Christopher DePhillips, of the 40th Legislative District, cited this incident and several others in the letter.
“Voting is a linchpin of democracy, and protecting the rights of our voters and the integrity of our elections must be resolved promptly and fairly,” they wrote.
In August 2018, Governor Murphy signed a new vote-by-mail law that caused confusion because the state did not provide proper guidance on interpretation and implementation prior to it going into effect. Under the law, voters who signed up for and got mail-in ballots for the 2016 general election will continue to be sent those ballots for all future elections unless they opt-out in writing to their respective county clerks. If they don’t opt-out, they are required to vote by mail or fill out a provisional ballot at the polls.
“Vote-by-mail ballots provide easy opportunities for fraud and hastily implemented changes have only lead to more confusion for officials and voters,” the lawmakers wrote. “It is imperative that rules are prepared and distributed to county superintendents of elections to prevent this from happening during the 2019 primary and general elections.”
In addition to securing the integrity of the vote-by-mail process, the lawmakers called for a thorough investigation of any alleged voter fraud, which is consistent with the attorney general’s initiative to combat corruption and increase confidence in government in the newly created Office of Public Integrity & Accountability (OPIA).
Gabriel Lukijaniuk, of Hackettstown, won third place in the individual competition at the 16th Annual New Jersey Undergraduate Mathematics Competition. Sofiia Shvaiko, of Livingston, won the highest-ranking individual score overall and the highest-ranking female score. Together, the two won first place for the highest-ranking team from a two-year institution
MORRIS COUNTY — Two County College of Morris (CCM) freshmen won top prizes at the 16th Annual New Jersey Undergraduate Mathematics Competition (NJUMC) recently held at Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg.
A total of 84 participants from two- and four-year colleges across the state competed individually and as teams. Sofiia Shvaiko, of Livingston, won the highest-ranking individual score overall and the highest-ranking female score. Her teammate, Gabriel Lukijaniuk, of Hackettstown, won third place in the individual competition. Together, they won first place for the highest-ranking team from a two-year institution.
Shvaiko is an international student from Kharkiv, Ukraine and has competed in several math competitions in Eastern Europe. Still, the computer science major was not certain she could win the top spot in the NJUMC. “My family was proud of me that I proved my knowledge outside of my country and had the skill to compete,” she says. When she graduates from CCM, she hopes to complete her bachelor’s degree at Rutgers University and become a software developer.
“Winning at the competition was strange,” Lukijaniuk says. “I wasn’t sure how I compared to other people who majored in math and had the same passion and studying habits as me. So I was actually quite surprised when I had found that I placed that high.”
Like his teammate, he prepared for the competition by going to the NJUMC website and taking tests from past competitions. He says the tips and techniques he learned from his math classes at CCM gave him an edge. He hopes to complete his bachelor’s degree at Rutgers University. His ideal job would be a combination of math professor and math researcher.
“Our thanks go out to the entire mathematics faculty for supporting these students throughout their academic journey, as well as to Don Phelps, director of Campus Life, and the Math Club for funding the competition,” says Associate Professor Kelly Fitzpatrick, advisor to the team. “These wins are truly impressive results.”
Following the competition, students enjoyed the day viewing poster presentations, listening to student talks and hearing from major companies about job opportunities for math majors in actuarial science, analytics and data science.
MORRIS COUNTY — Boys and girls in grades K-4 who are not yet Cub Scouts are invited to the Robert Tunnell Memorial Fishing Tournament at Winnebago Scout Reservation in Rockaway on Saturday, May 11 from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Registration fee is $5.00 per youth in grades K-4 and $30.00 for older youth and adults.
Prizes will be awarded. Bagels at 7:30 a.m. and hamburger/hot dog lunch is included. A limited number of camp boats are available or bring your own boat. Only row boats with oars or electric motors are allowed.
Attendees will receive information for joining the Cub Scout pack in their town.
Winnebago Scout Reservation is at 102 Timberbrook Road.
To register, contact Patriots” Path Council, BSA membership executive Al Thomas, al.thomas@scouting.org by noon on May 9.
MORRIS COUNTY — At approximately 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 2, the Parsippany-Troy Hills Police Department’s Communication Center received a 911 call reporting an officer accidentally shot himself in the leg at the Morris County Public Safety Training Academy Firing Range.
The injured officer from the Department of Human Services Police Department, received immediate medical assistance from fellow officers and academy staff.
Par-Troy EMS arrived on scene and transported the officer to Morristown Medical Center with minor non-life threatening injuries.
Parsippany-Troy Hills Police Officers who also responded to the incident were advised that the officer was in the process of completing weapons qualifications when his weapon fired causing a minor injury to his thigh. No other injuries were reported.
MORRIS COUNTY — The Joey Bella Memorial Fund, Inc. will host their annual fundraisers in early July. The Fund has been in existence for 30 years and has collected over one million dollars in donations which have been used to assist nearly 60 families with children who are affected with catastrophic illness in Denville and surrounding areas including Mt. Tabor, Rainbow Lakes, Boonton Township, Randolph, Morris Plains, Rockaway Boro and Rockaway Township.
The Tricky Tray is on Tuesday, July 2 “under the tent” at Gardner Field, Savage Road and Route 46W in Denville. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. and calling begins at 8:00 p.m. $15.00 per person includes one sheet of tickets and light refreshments. No one admitted under 18 years–no infants permitted.
Please contact (973) 768-6487 for more information or to make a donation. Tickets sold at the door only.
Band Beer Beefsteak will be held on Wednesday, July 3 “under the tent” at Gardner Field, Savage Road and Route 46 West, Denville. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $60.00 per person and include an all-you-can-eat Beefsteak Dinner served by Giresi Caterers and 16+ microbrew beers.
Entertainment provided by The Benjamins. Buy your tickets online by clicking here. For more information, email info@joeybella.org.
MORRIS COUNTY — The N.J. Police Community Affairs Officers Association held the Spring 2019 Graduation Ceremony for its Law Enforcement Career Development Course.
This session hosted by the Bergen County Sheriffs & Prosecutors Offices graduated diverse students from more than 30 colleges and universities. These students completed 10 weeks of intense preparation to become law enforcement officers.
This is the 10th year running the program throughout the region. To date they have graduated more than 800 college students who have attended this free training.
Their goal is to prepare an educated, professional, diverse workforce for the future of law enforcement.
Law Enforcement partners of the program include the N.J. State Police, NJ Attorney General, NJ Department of Corrections, National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), NJ Asian American Law Enforcement Officers Association, Hispanic American Law Enforcement Association, Blacks in Law Enforcement Serving the Community (BLESC), Port Authority Police Hispanic Officers Society, Port Authority Police BiState Coalition, Italian American Police Society of N.J., international Council of Women in Law Enforcement along with a number of local, state and county law enforcement agencies.
For more information on N.J. Police Community Affairs Officers Association call (973) 298-0746.
BOONTON Assemblyman Anthony Bucco announced that his re-election campaign has received endorsements from well over 100 State, County and Municipal elected officials across the 25th district.
Former 11th District Congressman Rodney Frelinghuysen, Morris County Sheriff James Gannon, the entire Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders, Morris County Clerk Ann Grossi and the Somerset County Republican Organization join over 100 Republican municipal elected officials in their district-wide endorsement
“I am humbled and honored to receive endorsements from so many of our hardworking public servants here in the 25th district,” said Bucco. “Since taking office, my goal has been simple – work tirelessly on behalf of the people who elected me to represent them. I believe I have done just that. I have had over 100 bills from school safety to tax relief passed through the legislature and signed into law.”
“But none of these accomplishments would be possible without our local officials, whom I can always count on to stand by my side. I appreciate their support and they know I will always work tirelessly for their municipalities.”
Here’s what 25th District officials are saying about Anthony:
James Gannon, Morris County Sheriff
“I’ve known Anthony since we were children growing up in Boonton. He is a man of honor whose sole desire is to work for the people of the 25th district. As Sheriff, I’ve often gone to Anthony for help dealing with any number of local issues that arise and have been met with nothing but grace, class and a tireless work ethic. I couldn’t imagine working side-by-side with anyone but Anthony – he has my full-throated endorsement for re-election this year.”
Steve Shaw, Morris County Freeholder
“Tony is a tireless public servant who is available anytime day or night to help residents, elected officials, and businesses solve problems in New Jersey. As a small business owner and Freeholder, we need to make NJ more affordable and inviting to create jobs and private investment. Tony understands this and his efforts to grow our economy, provide a small business SALT workaround and his actions to cut spending have put us on the right path. Governor Murphy is trying to turn back that progress. We need Anthony in the legislature fighting for us and our families.
Bob DeFillippo, Roxbury Mayor
“Tony is a strong advocate for his district. He’s always available to listen to our concerns and is relentless as our representative in Trenton. He works hard to pass common sense legislation, like his bills signed into law just this year to protect our schools. Tony deserves our support. He has mine.”
Matt Murello, Washington Township Mayor
“Ever since he took office, Anthony has been an enormous help to the Township and me. He’s always just a call away when we need him. Particularly, he’s leading the charge against Governor Murphy’s brutal tax and spend policies including the State’s unfair cuts to school funding in the Township. These cuts will penalize our students and increase our property taxes. Anthony’s never voted for a tax increase. We need to re-elect him to the Assembly.”
Jim Loveys, Randolph Mayor
“It is reassuring to know that Assemblyman Anthony Bucco is representing us in Trenton. Anthony is always present at our township events and is responsive to any community concerns. He’s down to earth, approachable, and his strong, common sense leadership is a true asset to Randolph Township.”
Their goal is to prepare an educated, professional, diverse workforce for the future of law enforcement.