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.
Colonel Patrick J. Callahan
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.
HANOVER TOWNSHIP — The Hanover Township Committee is looking to appoint residents who are interested in serving on one of the many Volunteer boards, commissions and committees which make up an important part of the Township’s local government.
The Township wants to attract residents who are genuinely interested in rolling up their sleeves and actively participate in the decision making process. No particular skill or qualification is needed-only a willingness to devote one’s time and energies.
The boards, commissions and committees listed below have vacant positions:
Two vacancies exist on the Township’s Cultural Arts Committee. Both unexpired 3 year terms of office end on December 31, 2020
Three vacancies exist on the Township’s Community Farm & Garden Advisory Committee
If you are interested in applying for any of these positions, please send a letter of interest and resume to Joe Giorgio, Business Administrator explaining your interest and why you believe you should be considered for the position. The e-mail address is: [email protected]
HANOVER TOWNSHIP — Township of Hanover is proud to announce that it is launching an all-new, HanoverTownship.com website on Monday, February 11.
In addition to a new look and feel, the updated website will allow us to communicate with Hanover Township residents, businesses, and the public at large better than before. Users will be able to quickly and easily find accurate information, forms, and news.
Additionally, users can sign up for Notify Me alerts to receive an email or text message when new information is posted to select modules. These modules include alerts, news, calendars and many more.
The Township will also be creating a new Website Usage Policy and Content Standards guide for employees to ensure that pages will be maintained uniformly, content will be updated regularly, and that the website will continue to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.
An informational demo session will be held on Wednesday, March 13 at the Whippanong Library. Bring along a tablet or laptop and learn how to use the new website’s features and sign-up for notifications. More information on this event to follow at a later date.
HANOVER TOWNSHIP – Hanover Township Chief Mark Roddy wants to advise all residents, on Friday, February 15 the Hanover Township Police Department will be conducting some maintenance on critical equipment within the building.
As a result, our phone system will have to be taken off line briefly. Between the hours of 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. you will not be able to call into any of the non-emergency lines at the police desk; however, ALL 9-1-1 calls will still be answered.
Please be patient with this brief outage and if you experience ringing with no answer, please try your call again after 2 pm. If there is an emergency do not hesitate to call 9-1-1. Thank you for your patience as we perform this much needed work.
MADISON — Miami University students who are ranked in the top twenty percent of undergraduate students within each division for first semester 2018-19 have been named to the dean’s list recognizing academic excellence.
Sophie McDonnell, a 2017 Graduate of Madison High School and Matthew Carey, a 2016 Graduate of Madison High School were ranked in the top twenty percent.
Nationally recognized as one of the most outstanding undergraduate institutions, Miami University is a public university located in Oxford, Ohio. With a student body of nearly 19,000, Miami effectively combines a wide range of strong academic programs with faculty who love to teach and the personal attention ordinarily found only at much smaller institutions.
EAST HANOVER — Bridget M. Loeffler of East Hanover, a senior majoring in zoology, earned Dean’s List recognition at SUNY Oswego for the fall 2018 semester.
Loeffler was among SUNY Oswego students who received a grade point average of 3.3 to 3.79. Oswego students receiving a GPA of 3.8 to 4.0 earn President’s List recognition.
Admission to SUNY Oswego is competitive. U.S. News Media Group counts SUNY Oswego among the top public regional universities in the North for 2019, and the Princeton Review includes Oswego in its 2019 college guidebook “The Best Northeastern Colleges” and in its national list of “Green Colleges.”
A 158-year-old comprehensive college in the State University of New York system, Oswego enrolls about 8,000 students in its College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; School of Business; School of Communication, Media and the Arts; and School of Education.
BOONTON — Woman’s Club of Boonton will be meeting on Thursday, February 7 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Town Of Boonton, 126 North Main Street.
If you are interested in community service, developing friendships, making a difference in the lives of others, and to have Fun, please join us. Open to all, and membership forms will be accepted at the meeting. A non-profit, community service organization – Guests always welcome
For more information and to RSVP by calling (973) 219-1794 or [email protected]
Come find out what a Women’s club is all about!
The Woman’s Club of Boonton was a member of the New Jersey State Federation of Women’s Clubs (NJSFWC) of GFWC, an international, non-profit community service organization, founded in 1894
