MORRIS COUNTY — Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority has decided to CANCEL the Household Hazardous Waste disposal event scheduled for May 16 at the Morris County Public Safety Training Academy in Parsippany.

The event is being canceled out of an abundance of caution to protect the health of county residents and MUA staff, while adhering to state and federal social distancing and gathering guidelines.

The MUA also is announcing that the scheduled June 13 Household Hazardous Waste event will be moved from the County College of Morris in Randolph to the Morris County Public Safety Training Academy in Parsippany.

For residents who planned to attend the May event, it is recommended that you safely store any materials and dispose of them in June.

“While we have come to know how important events such as these are to the public, we believe this decision is in everyone’s best interest in order to take the necessary precautions to ensure everyone’s safety. I hope you will all join me at our next disposal event in June,” said MUA Executive Director Larry Gindoff.

Two Household Hazardous Waste events planned for the fall remain scheduled at this time. These two events are currently set for Saturday, September 12, at the Morris County Public Safety Training Academy, and Saturday, October 10, at Chatham High School.

Click here to visit the MCMUA website for additional updates regarding Household Hazardous Waste and other programs.

MORRIS COUNTY — In a heartfelt, emotional showing of support, several members of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office PBA Local 327 participated in a parade on May 7 to recognize Nurses Week. The event was organized by the Morris County St. Patrick’s Day Committee, Finance Chairman Ryan Dawson, and Grand Marshall Mary Waller. The Parade of Our Heroes proceeded from Morristown Town Hall parking lot to Morristown Medical Center. Many nurses and other healthcare workers watched as a caravan of Police, Fire and Emergency Services vehicles saluted them with flashing lights, sirens and honking horns. Several bagpipers also accompanied the caravan of vehicles.

Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp and Acting Chief of Investigations Christoph Kimker applauded the agency’s role in the festive event: “The nurses and other healthcare workers have put their lives on the line for our protection. We are proud to salute their service on this special day.”

MORRIS COUNTY — New Jersey Attorney General Grewal announced that the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) issued charges against numerous bars, restaurants, breweries and liquor stores for violating executive orders related to COVID-19. All of the establishments face suspension of their liquor licenses for at least ten days. Two other establishments were issued fines for lesser COVID-19 related infractions.

Under executive orders issued by Governor Murphy, businesses licensed to sell alcohol in the state are permitted to remain open during the COVID-19 state-of-emergency, but only for take-out or delivery services of food and alcohol. No table or bar service is permitted, on-premise alcohol consumption is prohibited, and alcoholic beverages “to go” must be in sealed original containers.

Among the establishments facing suspension for violating the orders are:

• Rail’s Steak House in Towaco
• Randolph Diner in Randolph
• Riviera Maya in Rockaway
• Taphouse 15 in Wharton
• Lina’s Restaurant in Bloomingdale

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 — Morris Catholic High School held a Contact-Free Food Drive for Catholic Charities. After hearing that the Father English Center was running dangerously low on food supplies.

They moved swiftly to organize a school-wide Food Drive. Their goal was to fill a trunkload, but managed to fill the entire Catholic Charities van! All were respectful of the drive up, drop off, and drive away policy adapted to make this program run safely. They are so grateful to all who donated during this most difficult time.

They would like to acknowledge: Whitney DuBose, mother of three alumni who helped coordinate the drive with a local parish, Saint Catherine of Siena, Howard’s Mission in Cedar Knolls, and our girl’s lacrosse team who donated their snack money from a lost season to buy goods for those in need. Together we all made a difference.

At Morris Catholic – every student matters, and on Saturday we learned – every donation matters!

Morris Catholic is located at 200 Morris Avenue, Denville.

MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp, Acting Chief of Investigations Christoph Kimker, and Pequannock Township Police Chief Brian C. Spring announce the sentencing of Philip N. McGrantham, 70, of Little Falls.

On December 20, 2019, McGrantham pled guilty to first-degree Robbery and second-degree Robbery in connection with two bank robberies that occurred in September of 2019.

On Friday, May 8, 2020, the Honorable Robert M. Hanna, J.S.C. sentenced McGrantham to an aggregate sentence of five years New Jersey State Prison. McGrantham must serve eighty-five of this term before he is eligible for parole. McGrantham was also ordered to pay restitution for unrecovered proceeds from the Pequannock Township robbery.

This prosecution stemmed from two (2) separate bank robberies committed by McGrantham in September of 2019. On September 26, 2019, the defendant entered the Wells Fargo Bank, located at 523 Route 23, in Pequannock Township, Morris County, and demanded money from the teller. After being provided a sum of money, he fled the scene. Four days later, on September 30, the defendant entered the TD Bank, located at 280 Valley Road, in Wayne Township, Passaic County, and again demanded money. In addition, the defendant threatened the teller that he would detonate an explosive if money was not provided. The defendant was apprehended at his home in Little Falls later that afternoon. He was found in possession of proceeds from the TD Bank robbery.

Assistant Prosecutor Tara Wang of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office and Assistant Prosecutor Steven Bollenbach of the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office represented the State during the prosecution and sentencing. Prosecutor Knapp said “Multiple county, local and federal law enforcement agencies were responsible for the successful prosecution of this defendant. Their collaborative work is a model for future investigations.”

Prosecutor Knapp would like to acknowledge the contributions of various agencies, including the Pequannock Township Police Department, the Wayne Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI), the Morris County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit, the Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Unit.  The exceptional collaboration between these agencies led to the positive identification and successful prosecution of McGrantham.

MORRIS COUNTY — Rutgers’ RUCDR Infinite Biologics received an amended emergency use authorization from the FDA late Thursday for the first SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus test that will allow people to collect their own saliva at home and send to a lab for results.

The decision follows the FDA’s recent emergency approval to RUCDR Infinite Biologics for the first saliva-based test, which involves health care workers collecting saliva from individuals at testing sites.

The new at-home saliva self-collection assay, developed by RUCDR in partnership with Spectrum Solutions and Accurate Diagnostic Labs, allows for broader screening than through the standard method using nose and throat swabs at a healthcare facility or testing location that requires a physical interaction with a healthcare professional.

“The impact of this approval means that not only do we no longer have to put healthcare professionals at risk for infection by performing nasopharyngeal or oropharyngeal collections, we can now preserve precious PPE for use in patient care instead of testing and can significantly increase the number of people collected each and every day in places other than a healthcare setting,” said Andrew Brooks, chief operating officer and director of technology development at RUCDR, who also is a professor in the School of Arts and Sciences Department of Genetics at Rutgers University-New Brunswick.

“This will enable testing for people that do not have the means to get to a collection center and/or are at home because they are sick, quarantined, at increased risk for infection, or simply concerned about exposing themselves by traveling to a collection site. This approach will have a significant impact on helping people in New Jersey and across the United States get back to work as we will be able to monitor large numbers of people in a variety of locations.”

MORRIS COUNTY — Governor Phil Murphy announced the formation of a statewide council of leaders to advise on New Jersey’s restart and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Governor’s Restart and Recovery Advisory Council will work in conjunction with the commission named last week and will bring together leaders from various industry, community, and faith-based groups and institutions across New Jersey to advise state leadership on economic issues impacted by the pandemic.

“As we begin the difficult task of restarting New Jersey’s economy and recovering from the damaging effects of COVID-19, this advisory council brings together leaders from all walks of New Jersey life,” said Governor Murphy. “This group will not only help us gather the local intelligence we need to get our economy running again, but also will help us create the framework for coping with our new long-term economic realities.”

In addition to focusing on issues surrounding the short-term restarting of New Jersey’s economy, this council also will begin the task of positioning the economy and creating a framework for the long-term recovery.

The council will be co-chaired by New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education, Dr. Zakiya Smith Ellis, New Jersey Economic Development Authority CEO Tim Sullivan, and Choose New Jersey President and CEO Jose Lozano. The council will have nine subcommittees, each of which will be chaired by a council co-chair.

“The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has impacted every facet of life and every sector of our economy in some way. As we plan for how we can ensure New Jersey remains a place where opportunity meets innovation, I am honored to join many of our state’s most talented thought leaders, as well as my state colleagues, to ensure we are not overlooking any aspect of a successful recovery,” said Dr. Zakiya Smith Ellis, Secretary of Higher Education. “The work of this council will complement a group of higher education leaders who will consider the role of higher education in the state’s restart and recovery efforts.”
“COVID-19 is first and foremost a public health crisis, but it’s also an economic crisis on a scale that outpaces anything in recent memory. Restarting and then driving a recovery of our economy will require comprehensive input from a wide spectrum of economic and community stakeholders, and Governor Murphy has assembled an extraordinary group of New Jerseyans to help guide these efforts via this council,” EDA CEO Tim Sullivan said. “I’m honored to join Zakiya, Jose and the Governor’s Office to help lead this effort to build a stronger, fairer, and more resilient economic future for New Jersey.”

“I look forward to working with New Jersey Higher Education Secretary Dr. Zakiya Smith Ellis and NJ Economic Development Authority CEO Tim Sullivan to co-chair the Governor’s Restart and Recovery Advisory Council, as well as various industry leaders and community members, to rebuild our economy in the wake of the worst pandemic of our lifetime,” said Jose Lozano, CEO of Choose New Jersey. “It is critical that we engage our state’s business community and help them every step of the way on the road to recovery. As a blueprint for restarting New Jersey’s economy is developed, we’ll look to the council to advise on short and long-term considerations and opportunities. I look forward to working with committee members to ensure New Jersey rebuilds stronger than ever from this crisis.”

The advisory council subcommittees will begin virtual meetings next week. The nine subcommittees are Facilities and Construction; Government; Health Care; Main Street; Manufacturing and Supply Chain; Professional Services; Social Services and Faith; Tourism and Entertainment; and Transportation and Infrastructure.

While the commission named by Governor Murphy last week will focus on national, state, and macroeconomic issues surrounding the restarting, the advisory council will take a microeconomic view of the recovery, determining the individual challenges that each sector faces. The advisory council is expected to remain empaneled for as long as necessary to advise the Governor on the state’s recovery.

“We understand that we need a smart, granular approach to recovery. How you reopen a restaurant at the shore is different from how you restart a factory in South Jersey,” Governor Murphy noted. “This council will also be guided by our core principle of building a New Jersey that is stronger and fairer and works for every family.”

Members of the council and their respective committees can be found by clicking here.