MORRIS COUNTY — Meet Earl! Named after a relaxing cup of tea, his name says a lot about his personality!

Earl is nine years old and was recently rescued from an inner-city municipal shelter after they found him as a stray tied to a fence. Don’t let that make you sad though, this happy senior is now ready to find his forever family!

At only 47 lbs, he is a pint-sized cup of goodness. His tail NEVER stops wagging and he absolutely loves everyone he meets. While he is a more ~distinguished~ gentleman, he is still full of life and energy. Earl loves going for walks, eating bully sticks, and giving lots of kisses during snuggle time. He’s a great mix of fun and cuddly!

Earl would be great in a home with young children as he is tolerant and very easygoing. He’d prefer a home without cats but he can live with another doggy (or two!). He is potty-trained, crate-trained, and walks great on leash.

Earl suffers from IBD but not the kind that makes him have to go to the bathroom more than other dogs. His body doesn’t absorb the nutrients from his food and therefore he is a bit underweight and his skin isn’t in great shape. Earl is currently on new meds and is improving every day! He is also deaf but doesn’t let that stop him at all! He does not get spooked or scared due to his deafness and, since he is always right by his foster’s side, it’s easy to get his attention.

If you’re looking for a sweet, relaxed guy who’d love to spend his golden years pleasing and loving you, apply to adopt Earl today!

If you are interested in adopting Earl, please fill out an application by clicking here.

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MORRIS COUNTY — Maria Aprile, of Randolph, recently was appointed to the Board of Trustees at County College of Morris.

Appointed by the Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders, Aprile, a CPA and certified fraud examiner, retired from CohnReznick on February 1, following a long and successful career. She was a partner at the firm, which is one of the largest accounting firms in the nation. At CohnReznick, she worked with businesses in real estate trades, hedge fund management companies and high net worth individuals.

Prior to joining CohnReznick, she worked at Glickman and Company CPAs and with no prior public accounting experience was invited to become a partner. Her other previous positions include serving as an accounting manager at Staten Island Cable TV Company and as an analyst for Barclay’s Bank International in New York.

She has served on numerous nonprofit boards including the National Association of Women Business Owners, Industrial and Commercial Real Estate Women, and the Academy of Holy Angels. She is a former president of Executive Women Golf, Northern New Jersey Chapter.

Aprile earned her B.S. in Accounting from St. John’s University and her MBA from the University of Phoenix.

BOONTON — Legislation providing for the installation of panic buttons and emergency lights in public schools to alert authorities in the case of attacks and emergencies was signed by Governor Phil Murphy today.

The bill (A764) is named in honor of Alyssa Alhadeff, a 14-year-old killed in the Parkland High School shooting last year.  She and her family lived in Bergen County until a few years ago.

“This is simply about making schools safer and saving lives,” said Assemblyman Anthony M. Bucco (R-Morris). “With the push of a button, teachers or administrators can immediately report an incident to law enforcement.”

The alarm, which would not be audible within the school building, must be directly linked to local law enforcement and immediately transmit a signal or message to the authorities upon activation.

“The amount of time it takes to report and respond to an emergency can mean the difference between life and death,” continued Bucco. “The sooner police are notified, the quicker they can respond.”

PARSIPPANY — The Office of Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill is now accepting intern applicants for the Spring 2019 semester. Responsibilities may include greeting constituents, processing constituent correspondence, tracking legislation, attending hearings/briefings, and conducting research. Candidates should have strong research and writing skills.

Applicants must be full-time undergraduate or graduate students who are able to receive course credit for the internship, and available for 15 to 20 hours a week.

Internships are available in both the Parsippany and Washington offices and will start the week of February 18.

All interested individuals should submit an application by clicking here.

Internships for Summer 2019 will follow at a later date.

NEW JERSEY — Colonel Patrick Callahan and the New Jersey State Police participated in the global initiative, Safer Internet Day, which is a campaign aimed to raise awareness about the dangers posed to children by online predators.

The New Jersey Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC) is 1 of 61 task forces nationwide, which are comprised of more than 4,500 federal, state, and local agencies. The N.J. ICAC Task Force consists of more than 60 law enforcement partners including the Office of the Attorney General.

Over the last three years, New Jersey has experienced a dramatic increase in child-exploitation related incidents:

• • Investigations increased from 855 to 1700
  • CyberTipline complaints (the mechanism the public uses to report ICAC incidents) increased from 2,352 to 4,158
  • Arrests increased from 143 to 300
  • Internet safety presentations increased from 170 to 350

“Safer Internet Day is an important opportunity to remind parents to speak openly with their children about the hidden dangers of the internet,” said Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal. “Parents need to warn their children that the people they encounter on social media, gaming sites and chat apps may not be who they seem. Child predators are increasingly using these media platforms to locate and groom children for their sinister purposes, and parents must teach their children not to share personal information or pictures with strangers online.”

“In the past, parents would have to educate their children about the dangers of talking to strangers while walking to school or playing at parks or playgrounds, but unfortunately today’s predators can reach children while they are seemingly safe inside their home,” said Colonel Patrick Callahan of the New Jersey State Police. “The N.J. ICAC Task Force will never cease to aggressively root out online predators, but they cannot do it alone. Parents need to monitor the online activity of their children and educate them about the dangers that social media, games and other computer applications pose.”

Here are some tips for parents according to “Social Media and Teen Anxiety” from the Harvard School of Education:

• • • Be mindful that through likes and follows, teens are getting actual data on how much people like them and their appearance
    • Social media-induced stressors:Seeing people posting about events to which you haven’t been invited
      Feeling pressure to post positive and attractive content about yourself
      Feeling pressure to get comments and likes on your posts
      Having someone post things about you that you cannot change or control
    • Parents need to keep in mind that it’s probably not just social media that’s making their teens anxious — it’s the normal social stressors that these platforms facilitate, albeit at a different size and scale
    • If your teen seems irritable or overwhelmed by social media, pay attention to what specifically is causing those feelings

  For more information, parents can visit www.missingkids.com for resources and can call the New Jersey State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Unit at (609) 584-5051 ext. 5624.