MORRIS COUNTY — Who doesn’t love a good Tater Tot?? Tater Tot is a five-year-old Pug mix who, true to his name, is a compact couch potato!

Tater Tot is a total sweetheart with a calm relaxed soul. He wants nothing more than to curl up right next you and nap.

He is housebroken and crate trained. Tater Tot is great with dogs, male or female, and he loves to play in the yard with his foster siblings!

While Tater Tot enjoys roaming the backyard, he is also great on the leash and wants to follow you wherever you go! He has a great disposition and we think he can also live with young children!

If you’re looking for a cute potato, apply to adopt him today!

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

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MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp, Prosecutor’s Office Acting Chief of Investigations Chris Kimker, and Morris Plains Police Chief Jason Kohn announce the implementation of a joint Driving While Intoxicated checkpoint at a not-to-be-disclosed location in Morris Plains on Saturday, October 26 and Sunday, October 27.

Law enforcement personnel from the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office and the Morris Plains Police Department will conduct the checkpoint.
DWI checkpoints are funded by grants received by the Prosecutor’s Office from the State Division of Highway Traffic Safety to establish checkpoints in cooperation with municipal police departments throughout Morris County.

The Prosecutor’s Office has set up sobriety checks in the past two years in Chester, Morris Plains, Mount Olive, Parsippany, Roxbury, and previously in Washington Township.

Further DWI checkpoint dates and locations will be announced in the future.

MORRIS COUNTY — United Scenic Artists 829, a union representing the entertainment and decorative arts industries, has endorsed Democratic challenger Cara Parmigiani for Morris County Freeholder.

The United Scenic Artists 829, IATSE, is a labor union and professional association of designers, artists, craftspeople and department coordinators organized to protect craft standards, working conditions and wages in the entertainment and decorative arts industries. Members work in film, theater, television, opera, ballet, commercials, industrial shows and exhibitions.

“The artists who produce our theater, film and entertainment experiences are exceptionally skilled and talented professionals who use their gifts to bring so much joy and enrichment to our lives,” Parmigiani said. “I am incredibly honored to have their support. I stand firmly behind efforts to protect workers from injury, illness and death in unsafe work environments on the set of these artistic endeavors and everywhere work happens,” she said.

“Morris County offers residents some wonderful opportunities to enjoy stage and theater productions here at home,” Parmigiani said. “I’d like to work to expand those opportunities across the county, especially to make arts programming more accessible to our youth and seniors,” she said.

Cara has appeared as an attorney in 15 New Jersey counties in most divisions of the Superior Court. She has also appeared before various planning boards, zoning boards and municipal courts. Cara provided guidance for a Municipal Master Plan re-evaluation and served on her local Affordable Housing Advisory Committee. Cara represents patients in psychiatric facilities across the state. Cara is a graduate of Rutgers University and Seton Hall Law School. She lives with her wife and daughter in Morris Plains.

MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp, Acting Chief of Investigations Christoph Kimker, and Morris Township Police Chief Mark DiCarlo announce the arrest of Thomas H. Meier, 35, of Mount Arlington.

Meier has been charged with one count of Sexual Assault (Second Degree) and one count of Endangering the Welfare of a Child (Second Degree).

Meier was employed at Head Start of Morris County as a teacher.

On Tuesday, October 8, a coworker observed Meier engaged in an act of sexual contact upon a three year old child. Thereafter, the matter was reported to staff and law enforcement.

The defendant was lodged in the Morris County Correctional Facility pending a court appearance. The investigation was conducted by the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Sex Crimes/Child Endangerment Unit and the Morris Township Police Detective Bureau with assistance from the Mount Arlington Police Department.

Anyone with information relating to this incident is asked to call Detective Supervisor Carolina Moreno of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office at (973) 285-6200 or Detective Rob Dombrowski of the Morris Township Police Department at (973) 326-7480.

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 — One of New Jersey’s fastest-growing churches and ranked #56 in Outreach Magazine’s 2019 list of the Top 100 Fastest-Growing Churches In America, Liquid Church is raising awareness and funds for its signature Clean Water Cause by hosting the first-ever Run For Rwanda 5K & 1.5 Mile Fun Run on Saturday, October 19 in Parsippany. The 5K begins at 9:30 a.m. and the 1.5 Mile Fun Run begins at 10:30 a.m.

“Rwanda is a country with an ambitious goal – to be the first in Africa with 100% access to clean water and at Liquid Church, we’re committed to helping Rwandans reach this milestone,” said Tim Lucas, lead pastor and founder of Liquid Church. “Right now 25% of Rwandans have no other choice but to drink dirty water that carries water borne diseases and makes families ill. Globally, 2,300 children die each day from drinking unsafe water. The clean water crisis is a global epidemic and by hosting Run For Rwanda, we’re not only drawing attention to the crisis, but we’re raising funds that can be used to effect real change.”

Liquid and its overseas partner Living Water International have been working together in Rwanda since 2015, when Liquid donated a $250,000 high-speed drill rig capable of reaching and drilling wells in remote villages. To date, Liquid has helped to open 153 clean water wells throughout the Ruhango district of Rwanda. Funds raised through the Run For Rwanda will help to complete the WASH program (water access, sanitation, hygiene) in the Ruhango district, while positioning the church to help new families in another region of the country – Busasamana.

“Whether people join us to run, walk, or stroll, I want them to know that their participation in the Run For Rwanda is helping to bring clean water to the thirsty. They are having a real impact,” added Lucas. “For the millions of thirsty people in Rwanda, safe water can ultimately transform their health, safety, education, and livelihoods!”

The Run For Rwanda is a chip-timed race, and all ages, stages, and abilities are welcome to lace up and join the 5K or 1.5 Mile Fun Run that will take place on the wide open roads surrounding Liquid Church’s offices at 299 Webro Road in Parsippany, New Jersey. Participants are invited to sign-up as individuals or create and join teams.

“We’re seeing some incredible team names that certainly put a smile on my face; ‘Run Like The Winded,’ ‘Runnin’ On a Prayer,’ and ‘Grace For My Pace’ to name a few. We want people to have fun and to rally their family, friends, and neighbors to join them on the racecourse in order to multiply their impact. Together we can bring hope and healing to families in East Africa,” said Lucas.

Participants are encouraged to register in advance for Run For Rwanda – registration forms and race details can be found at www.RunForRwanda.com. The 5K begins at 9:30am and the 1.5 Mile Fun Run begins at 10:30am. Additional activities include an Outdoor Expo and Indoor Family-Friendly Funtivities such as African Drumming, a Water Walk, A Rwandan Village Sensory Experience, and Imigongo Tattoos. The event will wrap-up with a 5K Awards Presentation.

To learn more about Run For Rwanda click here. To get answers to Frequently Asked Questions, click here, and to learn more about the Clean Water Cause click here.

Liquid Church is one of New Jersey’s fastest-growing Christian churches. Officially launched in 2007 by Lead Pastor Tim Lucas, the church’s vision and mission is to “Saturate the State with the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” with seven campuses in Essex, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Somerset, and Union Counties. Each week, over 5,000 people experience Liquid Church’s worship services in New Jersey and around the globe through Church Online. As part of its global outreach, Liquid provides clean drinking water to those in need, with hundreds of completed wells around the world, including El Salvador and Nicaragua – and most recently, Rwanda! Liquid Church’s innovative approaches to outreach and ministry have been spotlighted by CNN, FOX News, and The Today Show. For more information click here.

TRENTON — First Lady Tammy Murphy announced her initiative to incorporate climate change education into New Jersey’s K-12 academic standards. Over the past several months, the First Lady has met with the over 130 educators from across the state who have been charged with reviewing and revising the existing student learning standards, a process that occurs every five years. During these meetings, First Lady Murphy, in partnership with the New Jersey Department of Education, has implored these educators to incorporate climate change education into all nine content areas — 21st Century Life and Careers, Comprehensive Health and Physical Education, English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Technology, Visual and Performing Arts, and World Languages.

“We have already begun to feel the effects of climate change here in New Jersey.” said First Lady Tammy Murphy. “Our shorelines are disappearing, rain comes in torrential downpours, and our summers are blazing hot. But, it is not enough to understand climate change from solely a scientific perspective. We have an obligation to our kids to prepare them for the reality that awaits them as adults—and that reality will include the effects of climate change across almost every aspect of their lives.”

Since Spring 2019, the First Lady has visited elementary, middle, and high schools across the state that have already implemented strong climate change education and sustainability initiatives. These schools include Mount Arlington Public School, Whitehouse Elementary School, Millbridge Elementary School, George L. Catrambone School, and Delran High School. The First Lady will continue her tour of schools this fall with stops at Valleyview Middle School, J.V.B. Wicoff Elementary School, Egg Harbor Township High School, and Alder Middle School, with more to come. All of these schools participate in the Sustainable Jersey for Schools program.

“We are already a national leader in education, but we have the opportunity to become the first state in the country to incorporate climate change into all of our core content areas,” continued First Lady Tammy Murphy. “As our students graduate and go on to become artists, economists, activists, and more, they will be prepared to report findings, write grant proposals, develop plans, advocate, communicate ideas, and innovate throughout every sector of our economy as climate literate professionals.”

Advocating for the incorporation of climate change into our student learning standards also supports Governor Murphy’s current work to put New Jersey on a path to 100 percent clean energy by 2050. As a long-time advocate for policies that combat climate change, the First Lady acknowledges that educating our youth is the next step toward securing a clean future.

“Last week’s Climate Strike and Greta Thunberg’s call to action dramatically illustrate the responsibility that current leaders have to future generations,” said New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Catherine R. McCabe. “We stand with students and recognize it is up to all of us to provide them with the education and tools they need to help lead New Jersey and its response to climate change in the years ahead. The First Lady has long been a climate change champion and the DEP is thrilled to join her in our shared goal of reducing and responding to climate change.”

“The Department of Education thanks the First Lady for her involvement with the standards review teams over the past year,” said Education Commissioner Lamont O. Repollet. “Our goal is to design standards that continue to ensure New Jersey students are prepared to think critically, analyze data, and work collaboratively as effective stewards of the Earth’s natural resources.”

MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp, Sheriff James M. Gannon, and Montville Police Chief Andrew Caggiano announce an investigation into a double fatal accident that occurred Friday evening.

On Friday, October 11, at 7:29 p.m., Montville Police responded to the intersection of Route 202 and Heritage Court on a report of a motor vehicle accident with injuries. The investigation revealed east of the intersection, a 2009 Saab and 2016 Nissan collided.

The rear seat passenger of a Saab, a 93-year old female from Hallandale, Florida, was pronounced dead at the scene. The two other occupants of the Saab were injured and transported to Morristown Medical Center.

The two occupants of the Nissan were transported to Morristown Medical Center. A passenger of the Nissan, an 85-year old male from Totowa, was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

The accident is under investigation by Montville Township Police Department Traffic Bureau, Morris County Prosecutor’s Office and Morris County Sheriff’s Office.