MORRIS COUNTY — On Sunday, June 28, 2020, a 20-year-old black man was found dead as a result of hanging in Lewis Morris Park in Morristown. He was later identified as Amani Kildea, a resident of Washington Township. Less than 72 hours after finding the hanging body, the Morris County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Amani’s death a suicide without further investigation of the circumstances.

MORRIS COUNTY — Today, Independence Day, when we celebrate the separation of the 13 Colonies from the tyranny of British rule, it seems sensible to reflect on both past and present.  Out of this separation, we arrived at a Constitution of the United States and Constitution of individual States.  These Constitutions defined the rights of the people as ultimate and limited the representatives of the people to such powers as granted by the people and their representatives.  

Here in New Jersey, there is a constitution that begins with “We the people of the State of New Jersey, grateful to Almighty God for the civil and religious liberty” …sets forth the rights and privileges of the citizens of our state.  
 
Article I is titled “Rights and Privileges” and pertains to the people.  Paragraph 2(a) of Article I sets forth the edict “All political power is inherent in the people….and they have the right at all times to alter or reform the same, whenever the public good may require it.”  Paragraph 2(b) reserves the right to recall any elected official in this State or representing this State in the  United States Congress.  Paragraph 3 affords the people the right to worship in the manner of their own choosing and freedom from being taxed to support the religious ideals of others or religious ideals contrary to the tenets of their own religion.  Paragraph 5 specifies “no person shall be denied the enjoyment of any civil right or military right, nor be discriminated against in the exercise of any civil or military right…”

Article V charges the Governor to “take care that the laws be faithfully executed” and grants him the power to enforce, through proceedings in the courts, “to enforce compliance with any legislative mandate”.  
 
Upon assuming office, pursuant to N.J.S.A. 52:15-2 the Governor swears to “…faithfully and to the best of [his] knowledge, execute the said office in  conformity with the powers delegated to [him]…promote the peace and prosperity and maintain the lawful rights of the said state…”  In light of recent statements in the media, he is not actually charged with upholding certain documents but is charged with upholding the laws and rights granted under the constitution and established or modified by the legislature.
 
The Governor of New Jersey, in creating and extending his executive orders has cited the New Jersey Civilian Defense and Disaster Control Act.  The following are definitions under the Act:
 

The following words and phrases as used in this act shall have the following meanings:

“Disaster” shall mean any unusual incident resulting from natural or unnatural causes which endangers the health, safety or resources of the residents of one or more municipalities of the State, and which is or may become too large in scope or unusual in type to be handled in its entirety by regular municipal operating services.
“Local disaster emergency” shall mean and include any disaster, or the imminence thereof, resulting from natural or unnatural causes other than enemy attack and limited to the extent that action by the Governor under this act is not required.

“War emergency” shall mean and include any disaster occurring anywhere within the State as the result of enemy attack or the imminent danger thereof.
“Emergency” shall mean and include “disaster” and “war emergency” as above in this section defined. 
None of these seems to be applicable at this time and, if “disaster” was stretched into applicability at the onset of Covid-19, according to the data we are provided, it seems that, at least for the moment, it is inapplicable.

The Governor has also pointed to the “Emergency Health Powers Act”, enacted by the Legislature in 2005, as giving him the authority to usurp total and unilateral control of the State and all law enforcement bodies therein.  Under the Act, “Public health emergency” means an occurrence or imminent threat of an occurrence that: a. is caused or is reasonably believed to be caused by any of the following: (1) bioterrorism or an accidental release of one or more biological agents; (2) the appearance of a novel or previously controlled or eradicated biological agent; (3) a natural disaster; (4) a chemical attack or accidental release of toxic chemicals; or (5) a nuclear attack or nuclear accident; and b. poses a high probability of any of the following harms: (1) a large number of deaths, illness or injury in the affected population; (2) a large number of serious or long-term impairments in the affected population; or (3) exposure to a biological agent or chemical that poses a significant risk of substantial future harm to a large number of people in the affected population. 

In the event of any of the above, pursuant to paragraph 3(a) “The Governor, in consultation with the commissioner and the Director of the State Office of Emergency Management, may declare a public health emergency. In declaring a public health emergency, the Governor shall issue an order that specifies: (1) the nature of the public health emergency; (2) the geographic area subject to the declaration; (3) the conditions that have brought about the public health emergency to the extent known; and (4) the expected duration of the state of a public health emergency, if less than 30 days. Such order may also prescribe necessary actions or countermeasures to protect the public’s health.”

According to paragraph 3(b) “Any public health emergency declared pursuant to this act shall be terminated automatically after 30 days unless renewed by the Governor under the same standards and procedures set forth in subsection a”, which no longer appears to exist, nor have existed for some appreciable time, according to the definitions set forth within the Act, to the degree necessary to vest the Governor with temporary absolute power under the Act.

Rather than concluding, I choose the readers of this post to decide whether their rights are being illegally usurped or whether they believe that the Governor is justified in exercising absolute control over your lives, for a period of three and one-half months, during which he has continually raised the bar for the recission of his personal absolute power and during which many citizens of the State of New Jersey, for different reasons and in different ways, have been subjectively disenfranchised of their rights pursuant to our Constitution.

TRENTON – Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation (A4132) which would modify the State’s shared work program and change eligibility for the State’s unemployment insurance program. Earlier this week the bill was returned to the Legislature with recommended changes necessary to facilitate furloughs in lieu of layoffs. The Legislature today concurred with the Governor’s conditional veto.

“The revisions sent back to the Legislature strengthen this legislation by taking advantage of existing programs to ensure cost savings for the State while still protecting our workforce,” said Governor Murphy.

The recommendations outlined in the conditional veto include eliminating changes to UI law included in the bill, which would shift the cost of covering workers from the federal government to the State. Under the CARES Act, individuals who are not eligible for State unemployment benefits can receive up to 39 weeks of unemployment benefits until December 31, 2020, ensuring that they are covered.

The conditional veto also makes other revisions necessary to facilitate the furlough in lieu of layoffs of public employees. These revisions will ensure that pension, health benefits, and civil service rights are maintained during the period of any furlough taken during the State’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The revisions also allow schools that are providing virtual instruction to participate in furlough programs. The Murphy Administration has already pursued furlough agreements including last week’s agreement with the Communications Workers of America (CWA).

MORRIS COUNTY — Students have been named to the University of Delaware Dean’s List for the Spring 2020 semester.

Kimberly Begley of Morris Plains
Nicole Caracciolo of East Hanover
Jilliana Carille of East Hanover
Olivia Cashen of Cedar Knolls
Michael Cerri of Parsippany
Noel Chambers of Parsippany
Aidan Chao of Morris Plains
Sara Coppola of Madison
Gianna DeMassi of East Hanover
Marco Diaz of Morris Plains
Ariana DiFilippo of Parsippany
Olivia Duffy of Florham Park
Jenna Ficuciello of Florham Park
Lia Ficuciello of Florham Park
Daniela Galhofo of East Hanover
Lauren Genoese of Florham Park
Emily Gill of Parsippany
Andrew Hicks of Morris Plains
Kelly Hilden of Florham Park
Jessica Iandiorio of Florham Park
Marin Imhoff of Madison
Kayla Johnson of Parsippany
Ruth Kowalski of Parsippany
Sabrina Lepore of Florham Park
Kristina Longo of East Hanover
Robert Lotito of Cedar Knolls
Paul Lozaw of Boonton
Francesca Madera of East Hanover
Kaitlin Michels of Parsippany
Madeline Mocko of Madison
Brittany Monahan of East Hanover
Alexandra Morace of Florham Park
Lindsay O’Hara of Boonton
Christopher Peterson of Madison
Rene Peterson of Florham Park
Kelly Pierson of East Hanover
Samantha Randis of East Hanover
Abhigna Rao of Morris Plains
Cindy Rullo of East Hanover
Sydney Schreck of Madison
Haley Scrivo of East Hanover
Emily Seymour of East Hanover
Connor Shortall of Boonton
Jacqueline Siino of Mountain Lakes
John Sincak of Parsippany
Samantha Traum of Morris Plains
Reagan Tripucka of Boonton
Theodore Vogtman of Morris Plains
Ashley Walsh of Madison
Stephanie Ward of Morris Plains
Michael Willis of Parsippany
Isabella Zangari of East Hanover

To meet eligibility requirements for the Dean’s List, a student must be enrolled full-time and earn a GPA of 3.5 or above (on a 4.0 scale) for the semester.

MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp and Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Acting Chief of Investigations Christoph Kimker issue an updated statement on the discovery of a body in Lewis Morris Park in Morristown on Sunday, June 28.

The deceased has been identified as Amani Kildea, 20, of Washington Township. Amani was found an hour away from where he lives.

The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office has continued the ongoing investigation into the tragic death of Mr. Kildea since the office was first notified on June 28.

Prosecutor Knapp said “Contrary to the statements made in social media and elsewhere, the investigation remains open and has not concluded. Our initial statement by this office was intended to preliminarily and expeditiously inform the public that we and multiple other law enforcement agencies, including the Morris County Park Police, Morris County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit and Morris County Medical Examiner’s Office, have been working with the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit to investigate the circumstances of Mr. Kildea’s death.”

“As of this time, no evidence of a criminal act has yet been found, however, our efforts to determine what occurred remain very active. We have followed and continue to follow all investigative leads and will go where the evidence takes us.”

“The publication of the Morris County Medical Examiner’s determination as to the manner of Mr. Kildea’s death was disclosed publicly to provide as much transparency on this investigation as possible. However, we cannot disclose all investigative steps we have taken or that we will be pursuing, so as not to compromise our investigation. The Morris County Medical Examiner is a medical doctor who does not work for the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office. Rather, the Office of the Medical Examiner is under the Morris County Department of Law and Public Safety, which is totally independent of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office. We are guided by the Medical Examiner’s findings, however, that does not mean that our investigation has concluded.”

“The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office is committed to the thorough, appropriate, professional, and prompt investigation of any suspicious and/or unnatural deaths. There will be no further comment on this investigation at this time out of respect for Mr. Kildea’s family.”

If anyone has any information they wish to provide concerning this matter, please call the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit at (973) 285-6200.

A formal statement will be issued when our investigation has concluded.

It has been reported that Amani Kildea’s family adopted him in 2005 from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. From the age of five, he resided in Washington Township. Amani graduated from the Army Reserves Basic Training in February 2020 and was to become a Military Policeman. He planned to further his education at James Madison University in the fall of 2020. Amani will be remembered as a “beautiful young man” with a sensitive soul, an endearing sense of humor, and a daring and courageous character.

Amani planned to finish his education and work in special operations for the FBI or CIA. Despite being only 20-years-old, he did not wait to pursue his dream of serving the community and began setting up sting operations to find and expose pedophiles in New Jersey with his friends, akin to the show “To Catch A Predator.” Through this work, they have exposed at least 30 pedophiles in Morris County and other surrounding areas. This work has led to multiple arrests.

MORRIS COUNTY — Governor Phil Murphy ordered that the U.S. and New Jersey flags be returned to full staff on Friday, July 3, having been at half-staff since Friday, April 3, in recognition and mourning of all those who have lost their lives and been affected by COVID-19. The flags will return to full staff as a symbol of New Jersey’s recovery and continued resolve.

“As a result of the hard sacrifices made by all New Jerseyans, we have made immense progress in the fight against COVID-19,” said Governor Murphy. “As we approach Independence Day, it is the appropriate time to recognize the resilience of the people of our state and our country, and remind us all that much like other difficult periods in our history, we will eventually make it through.”

EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 160 read:

WHEREAS, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread around the globe, with some reports indicating that there are now over 10,357,000 cases of COVID-19 worldwide and over 2,624,000 cases in the United States; and

WHEREAS, New Jersey has been particularly hard-hit by COVID-19, with over 171,000 residents testing positive for COVID-19 and at least 13,224 of our fellow New Jerseyans losing their lives; and

WHEREAS, these individuals were family, friends, colleagues, and neighbors, and include healthcare workers, first responders, and others who gave their lives working bravely and tirelessly on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic; and

WHEREAS, each and every life lost to COVID-19 is a profound tragedy for us all; and

WHEREAS, at the beginning of this pandemic, social gatherings were prohibited to prevent further spread of the virus and loss of life, which prevented funerals and memorial services from going forward in the manner that they would under normal circumstances; and

WHEREAS, as a gesture of our collective mourning, I signed Executive Order No. 114 on April 3, 2020, which lowered flags to half-staff indefinitely as a reminder of the awful human toll that this pandemic has inflicted upon this State, our nation, and the world; and

WHEREAS, the number of New Jersey residents who have died from COVID-19 is now greater than the number of New Jersey residents who died in World War II, which was the deadliest armed conflict in the history of our State and nation; and

WHEREAS, despite this unfathomable loss of life, because of the enormous progress that we have made in the fight against COVID-19, we have been able to raise the limits on gatherings considerably,
2 which has allowed many funerals and memorial services to go forward; and

WHEREAS, as of July 3, 2020, our flags will have been lowered for exactly three months, an unprecedented gesture of mourning for an unprecedented tragedy in the history of New Jersey; and

WHEREAS, while we continue to mourn all those who have lost their lives and keep their families in our thoughts and prayers, raising the flags at this time can serve as a symbol of our recovery and continued resolve, and will allow our flags to fly at full staff for Independence Day;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, PHILIP D. MURPHY, Governor of the State of New Jersey, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and by the Statutes of this State, do hereby ORDER and DIRECT:

1. The flag of the United States of America and the flag of New Jersey shall fly at full staff at all State departments, offices, agencies, and instrumentalities, starting on Friday, July 3, 2020.
2. As of Friday, July 3, 2020, Executive Order No. 114 (2020) is no longer in effect.

GIVEN, under my hand and seal this 2nd day of July, Two Thousand and Twenty, and of the Independence of the United States, the Two Hundred and Forty-Fourth.

Philip D. Murphy, Governor

MORRIS COUNTY — Morris Catholic High School’s Fine Arts Department is so excited and proud to announce our 9th-grade student, Lindsey Mei Alvarez, as the second-place winner in this year’s Annual 11th District Congressional Art Competition and as such, her piece entitled “Mind” will hang in the Capitol in Washington, DC, in Mikie Sherrill’s Congressional office, for the next year.

“We are beyond proud and so honored to have Lindsey’s piece represent Morris Catholic in Washington. She is a very focused and talented student and I am excited to see her talent continue to grow over the next four years.” said her visual arts teacher, Arlene Sullivan.

Due to the pandemic, this year’s exhibit was almost canceled but instead, the Congressional Art Competition was re-imagined for these unprecedented times.

They moved forward on a virtual competition that allowed all high school students in the 11th Congressional District to submit ONE piece of art for consideration with no limit on participants per school.

“We are thankful for this opportunity for our art students, there are very few opportunities for our students to let their talent shine as it is, this was the only one that took place this year,” said Sullivan.