MORRIS COUNTY — Mary Waller has been named the 2020 Grand Marshal of the Morris County St. Patrick’s Day Parade to be held in Morristown on Saturday, March 14.

The trustees of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade of Morris County selected their Grand Marshal, Mary Waller. Mary is a member of the Irish American Association of Northwest Jersey, the Parade Committee Secretary and is on the Board of Trustees. Mary has been a loyal volunteer on various parade committees over the years and her contributions are endless. Everyone please congratulate Mary and wish her well for her big day leading New Jersey’s best St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The parade will be held in Morristown on Saturday, March 14, stepping off at noon.

Mary Waller was born in 1938 in Jersey City, the daughter of Mary and Maurice O’Connell and the oldest of four girls: Mary, Eileen, Sheila and Patricia. Her father is a first generation and her mother is a third generation Irish American. Her paternal grandparents were born in Tullig, Dingle, Ireland and Macroon, Cork, Ireland and her maternal grandparents family is from Drumcliffe, Sligo, Ireland.

She attended A. Harry Moore School and St. Aloysius High School. She married Kenneth Waller in 1958 and traveled to Berkeley, California, while Kenneth served in the U.S. Army at the Nike Ajax Site.

When Kenneth was discharged from the U.S. Army, they returned to Hudson County and had five children: Kenneth, Elizabeth Halbach, Jeffrey, Terence and Mary Anna Waller Strid and she has been blessed with twelve grandchildren: Erin, Jack, Molly, Donald, Kylie, Ceili, Matthew, Michaela, Fiona, Zoe, Declan and Elin. Kenneth was diagnosed with atherosclerosis at an early age and a role reversal was required.

Mary found employment at the Secaucus Town Hall with the help of the Secaucus Fire Department where her husband had volunteered. She furthered her education in Public Administration by attending Hudson County Community College and Jersey City State College. Mary married John Zaremba in 1996. She retired as Chief Legislative Aide for the State of New Jersey in 2001 and relocated to Lake Mohawk. After the death of her second husband, she became a more active volunteer and in 2017 moved to Long Valley.

Mary’s Irish heritage and upbringing have provided her with the strength, perseverance, humor and understanding that we are all a product of our life’s experiences. She had been fortunate to receive help and guidance from family and others throughout her life and upon retiring had the opportunity to give back to others.

Through the years Mary has volunteered her services to many causes:

Immaculate Conception School in Secaucus
Hudson County Assoc. for Retarded Citizens’ Board Member
Secaucus Housing Authority Chairman
Atlantic Health System Newton Medical Center 2009 to present
President of Auxiliary, Advisory Board Member, Sparta Cancer Center Volunteer, former Foundation Board Member
Irish American Assoc. NW NJ – Served as Second Vice President, Feis General Manager and Publicity
Morris County Saint Patrick’s Day Parade – 2009 to Present – Parade Committee Secretary, Pre-Parade Entertainment Committee
Mary enjoyed the Céilithe and being part of other events.
She immersed herself in her Irish Heritage by taking lesson in Irish Dance, Music and Language.

MORRIS COUNTY — Senator Joe Pennacchio said a ban on single-use bags approved by the New Jersey Senate is bad public policy that will inconvenience consumers and put their health at risk.

“The bag ban is bad policy,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “It creates a major inconvenience for consumers, raises costs, has dubious environmental benefits, and raises serious health concerns.”

The legislation, S-864, prohibits the provision or sale of single-use plastic carryout bags, single-use paper carryout bags, and polystyrene foam food service products, and limits the provision of single-use plastic straws.

A recent article posted by NPR highlighted some of the environmental concerns, including that people who often reuse plastic grocery bags for garbage or pet waste still have to buy plastic trash bags, which are often thicker and use even more plastic.

Similarly, an opinion piece posted by the Wall Street Journal last month effectively countered the oft-repeated claim that plastic bags from the United States end up in the world’s oceans.

Regarding health concerns, a study conducted by the University of Arizona that tested reusable grocery bags carried by shoppers found that more than half of the bags had high levels of dangerous bacteria, including E. Coli. Further, the study found that 97% of those interviewed never washed, bleached, or sanitized their reusable bags.

“The ban on plastic and paper bags is a feel-good measure that might not have New Jersey families feeling so good when their reusable bags make them sick,” added Pennacchio. “The simple fact is that an increasing number of studies are pointing out the many ways that these ill-conceived bag bans cause more harm than they prevent.”

MORRIS COUNTY — Time marches ahead Sunday morning with the start of Daylight Saving Time. The change occurs at 2:00 a.m. Sunday, March 8 across most of the United States, so set your clocks an hour ahead before going to bed Saturday night.

The century-old practice will give us an extra hour of sunlight in the evening.

Most clocks, such as those on cell phones and computers will update automatically overnight, moving forward from 2:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. But other household clocks such as those on alarm clocks, microwaves, stoves and car radios have to be manually updated.

No time change is observed in Hawaii, most of Arizona, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Marianas.

Standard time returns November 1.