MORRIS COUNTY — Project Homeless Connect, a daylong, consumer focused, one-stop event designed to provide an array of resources and support to those experiencing homelessness in our Morris County community, will be held on Thursday, January 24 at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 70 Maple Avenue, in Morristown.

An Opening Ceremony is planned for 9:00 a.m. with doors opening at 10:00 a.m.  The event runs until 2:00 p.m.

“Project Homeless Connect is a county-wide partnership designed to provide some of our community’s most adversely affected individuals with resources, referrals and support,” said Bob Davison, Chief Executive Officer of the Mental Health Association of Essex and Morris, which is the lead agency coordinating the event.

“It is important for people facing such basic challenges as not having a roof over your head or knowing where your next meal is going to come from to be welcomed and treated with dignity and respect,” he added.

Project Homeless Connect began in 2004, when the city of San Francisco organized a special day dedicated to providing necessary services to the homeless. The Morris County Project Homeless Connect event began in 2008 under the leadership of the Mental Health Association and typically serves about 200 people each year.

Some 43 community-based service providers will participate in the upcoming Morris County event and provide resources free of charge to all who attend. Project Homeless Connect guests can obtain mental health information, substance abuse treatment, health screenings, housing information and veteran’s resources.

Agencies collected donations throughout the year and many goods will be given out at the event including clothing, coats, hygiene products, backpacks, gift cards, food and more. Other services will include free haircuts, skincare with Mary Kay and medical services including free flu shots and health screenings for homeless residents.

“We strongly support this program and also strongly back the efforts by our Human Services team, the Mental Health Association and other nonprofit agencies in Morris County to help county residents find appropriate housing,” said Morris County Freeholder Kathy DeFillippo, who is the county governing board’s liaison on social services.

“It’s an especially important issue during this time of year, when some of our less-fortunate residents without homes spend bitterly cold nights at our Code Blue warming centers.”

This year Morris County also is launching Everyday Connect, a project that offers a way for services to come to those who need them throughout the year instead of just at one annual event.  Service providers will be visiting the Dover and Morristown drop in centers, Edna’s Haven and Our Promise on a rotating basis throughout the year. This will allow homeless individuals to access services at locations they visit daily without an appointment, instead of having consumers seek out services.

A Point in Time Count also will take place during Project Homeless Connect. It is a street and shelter count to determine the number of people experiencing homelessness within Morris County.

In 2018, NJCounts found 9,303 homeless men, women and children (300 in Morris County) in 6,982 households across New Jersey. This number increased by 771 persons, or nine percent, from 2017. Click here for the NJCounts 2018 reports and the Morris County report.

“This count is important to us because it helps us to know how many people are in need. Once we know the homeless population we can create programs to address their needs to lift them out of homelessness,” said Danielle Pera, who is director of the Mental Health Association’s PATH program, which provides direct outreach to homeless individuals.

“In the past, we’ve seen veterans, chronically homeless individuals with undiagnosed medical issues and even entire families take advantage of the resources available during the event. Homelessness is very real and can affect anyone so we hope to send that message and let them know help is available.”

“We may not be able to provide each of our attendees with an immediate solution to their problems, but we can let them know that Morris County is a community with a myriad of available resources and compassionate service providers who are there to assist them, not just on Project Homeless Connect Day, but throughout the year,” Davison said.

To learn more about Project Homeless Connect, residents can contact Danielle Pera at (973) 334-3496.

MORRIS COUNTY — Auditions for MPAC’s 7th annual Spring Musical, Grease, will take place beginning February 10 at the Theatre.

MPAC is seeking musical talented and diverse performers ages 15-25 for Principle roles and Ensemble. Performers should be excellent actors who sing and dance.

Grease will be directed by MPAC Education Director Cathy Roy. Charles Santoro will serve as Musical Director. Performance dates are May 31-June 2. Tickets will go on sale in April.

Individuals interested in auditioning should prepare 16-32 bars of a song in the style of the show. Musical Theatre, Pop or Rock and Roll songs are acceptable. Please bring sheet music in the appropriate key, hole punched, double sided and in a binder for the accompanist. All lyrics must be memorized. If you do not have sheet music, you can purchase music online at www.musicnotes.com or www.sheetmusicplus.com. ABSOLUTELY NO ACAPELLA SINGING. **If you have an audition book, please bring it in case you’re asked for another selection. If you have one, please bring a copy of your headshot/picture and resume.

MPAC Spring musicals present a unique opportunity for young performers to participate in a fully professional production in which they work with a professional crew and guest Equity artists. Previous MPAC Spring productions have included Shrek the Musical (2018), West Side Story (2017), Mary Poppins (2016), Les Miserables (2015), Hairspray (2014) and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (2013).

For more information about the musical, auditions, roles and a show synopsis, click here.

HANOVER TOWNSHIP — IHOP, located at 102 East Hanover Avenue, recently donated $1,000 to the Morris Plains Fire Department. IHOP also made a donation to the Cedar Knolls Fire Department.

Accepting the check from IHOP Manager Mariella Mendiola was Chief Kevin Rongo and Assistant Chief John Downs.

IHOP donated to the Morris Plains Volunteer Fire Department and Cedar Knolls Fire Department for their quick in responding to a kitchen fire that occurred at the newly opened restaurant.

Owner Sobhy Abdelhady said “We wanted to show our appreciation to the volunteer fire department for the job they did in putting out our kitchen fire, and kept damage to a minimum. If it weren’t for their quick response, the damage could have been much worse. We are very thankful for our volunteers.”

A kitchen fire at the Cedar Knolls IHOP occurred on Friday, November 23. IHOP. Mutual Aid departments assisted with response and manpower.

There were no injuries and everyone was evacuated safely by restaurant management.

MORRIS COUNTY — Meet Brandi! Brandi unfortunately came into rescue when her dad’s dementia progressed and he could no longer care for her.

Brandi is an 8½-year-old Pug/Beagle mix (often referred to as a puggle). Her family describes her as very affectionate and that she gets along well with everyone. Her favorite activities include playing with her toys, having her belly rubbed, and snuggling up on the couch. Brandi knows basic commands, is potty-trained, and gets along well with other pets!

Brandi has diabetes which is well-controlled by just two insulin shots a day. This doesn’t slow her down one bit though! She loves going for walks around the neighborhood and running around in her backyard.

Brandi likes her special treats a lot and doesn’t like to give them away so it’d be best if she lived with children 16+. Other than her fondness of her bones and food, Brandi is a sweet, sweet girl who would make any house a home!

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

Follow Wise Animal Rescue on Instagram by clicking here.
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MORRIS COUNTY — New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) officials today issued a Winter Weather Congestion Alert and are implementing the Department’s Business Day Protocol based on the forecast for expected snow and freezing rain overnight tonight and into the morning commute tomorrow, Friday, January 18, which may result in difficult driving conditions.

NJDOT will be deploying the necessary resources in advance of the storm and is coordinating its response with NJ Transit and the toll road authorities to ensure the best response for New Jerseyans.

In order for NJDOT and our regional and local transportation partners to safely and efficiently clear roadways of snow and ice, motorists need to Clear the Roads so We Can Clear the Roads.

The Department and our transportation and law enforcement partners are recommending motorists:

• Avoid Unnecessary Travel during the storm
• Consider Telecommuting, if possible
• If you are driving, plan extra travel time
• During the morning commute it may be best to leave later to give crews more time to clear roads and to spread traffic out over a longer period of time
• If you are driving and road conditions deteriorate, PULL OFF somewhere safe and wait it out
• Always STAY CLEAR of plowing and spreading trucks.  If they are behind you, let them pass
• DO NOT pass between trucks that are in a plow formation
• Be patient and use caution

NJDOT will be using Variable Message Signs throughout the storm to provide updates. Once conditions improve, NJDOT will lift the Winter Weather Congestion Alert.

Motorists are encouraged to check NJDOT’s traffic information website by clicking here for real-time travel information and for NJDOT news and updates follow us on the NJDOT Facebook page or on Twitter @NJDOT_info.

PARSIPPANY — Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill has postponed her town hall until Sunday, January 27, as Congress will be called back into session next week to address the government shutdown. The town hall will now be held at the Parsippany PAL, 33 Baldwin Road.

Please note that the town hall is still subject to additional changes if the shutdown remains in effect by the January 27.

UPDATED DETAILS: NJ-11 TOWN HALL

NEW DATE: Sunday, January 27th
NEW TIME: 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
NEW LOCATION: Parsippany PAL, 33 Baldwin Road, Parsippany

MORRIS COUNTY — Clad in Kevlar-lined or protective suits, law enforcement K-9 officers this week offered their arms and legs as bite-bait to learn advanced techniques from Morris County Sheriff’s Office K-9 experts on partnering with their dogs to apprehend dangerous criminals.

The week-long Morris County Sheriff’s Office K-9 Academy Decoy Seminar at the Morristown Armory provided intensive instruction and real-life scenarios to 15 K-9 handlers from around the state, including New Jersey State Police and officers from Deal, Mahwah, Jersey City, Hillsborough, and the Essex and Passaic County Sheriff’s Offices.

“The seminar was a vital opportunity for K-9 teams to learn from premier leaders how to deploy K-9s under specific scenarios to stop suspected violent offenders while keeping the community, themselves and their dogs safe,” Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon said.

The seminar was taught by Sheriff’s Office Detective Sgt. Aaron Tomasini, Detective Cpl.  Michael McMahon and a K-9 officer from the Passaic County Sheriff’s Office.

The seminar focused on training officers to be decoys skilled at drawing out behaviors in the dogs that hone their abilities to apprehend and hold suspects. The decoys, protected by their bulky padded suits, played the role of suspects trying to flee while other officers and handlers deployed the dogs with commands.  Handlers do not act as decoys to their own dogs.

Since decoy work is physically taxing on the officer, the seminar also provided instruction to officers on how to avoid injuries to themselves and the pursuing K-9.

“For the dog, apprehension is the reward. The decoy is a big toy they get to possess and obtain,” Tomasini said.

Tomasini said K-9s very rarely are commanded in Morris County to chase and bite suspects, and only after verbal warnings are first given to a suspect. But K-9 deployment is an important tool for use against non-compliant criminal suspects and all commands to the dogs to apprehend and hold come from their handlers who are trained in proper use of force, Tomasini said.

“We have a tool we may utilize for the safety of fellow officers, as well as the community, that’s able to stop the threat,” he said.

Morris County Sheriff’s Officers assigned to the K-9 section use Belgian Malinois, German and Dutch shepherds in their work that can involve responses to multiple calls in one day. The section is a shared service, available to all municipalities and law enforcement agencies in the county.

In 2018, the K-9 section logged 854 calls and sweeps. The statistics include 518 callouts for narcotics, bomb, arson, patrol, and search and rescue endeavors, and 336 protective sweeps of Morris County facilities.

The dogs are so highly trained they hear and obey only their handler’s voice commands while working, with the ability to block out noises or words that may be uttered by a fleeing suspect, Tomasini said.

MORRIS COUNTY — The Morris County Park Commission, which manages 20,197 acres consisting of 38 facilities, 244.3 miles of trails, including 73.3 miles of Patriots’ Path trail, recently announced a No Smoking Policy to conform with the New Jersey State’s Chapter Law 64 of prohibition of smoking at public parks and beaches.

The smoking prohibition policy of the Morris County Park Commission bans smoking in any park, forest, beach, arboreta, historic site, recreation facility, arena, reservation, marina, trail, greenway, education facility under the park Commission’s stewardship responsibility.

This policy, as adopted by the Commissioners, will provide a smoke-free environment for everyone, including children, to enjoy their experience at these public facilities. The policy will be strictly enforced and applies to both the public, as well as employees. Any person not compliant with posted smoking rules shall first be given verbal notification; if upon such notification the person fails to comply with the posted rules, the Supervisor of the area may deny services.

Smoking is defined as the burning of, inhaling from, exhaling the smoke from, or the possession of lighted cigar, cigarette, pipe or any other mater of substance which contains tobacco or any other matter that can be smoked, or the inhaling or exhaling of smoke or vapor from an electronic smoking device.

Further, the policy states that electronic smoking device means an electronic device that can be used to deliver nicotine or other substances to the person inhaling from the device, including, but not limited to, an electronic cigarette, cigar, cigarillo, or pipe.

The Park Commission has determined that, Berkshire Valley Golf Course, Flanders Valley Golf Course, Pinch Brook Golf Course, and Sunset Valley Golf Course are the only park facilities where smoking is to be permitted by the public.  Smoking is only permitted on turf play areas, excluding designated practice area, including driving ranges.