BOONTON — Luke Warbeck, 17, Lincoln Park, died tragically in an accident with his father Jon, on Tuesday, February 19.  Luke was a junior at Boonton High School with plans to graduate in 2020.

Luke was born on December 20, 2001, and it’s fair to say that when he entered the world, things would never be the same. Luke’s parents were amazed at his curiosity about how all things mechanical worked. It was not long before he was taking apart engines to test his ability to get them back together. Luke was a gregarious and mischievous kid most of the time, but always respectful of others. Besides being so mechanically inclined, his favorite class in school was woodshop. One teacher described him as a very talented woodworker. Luke had a very special relationship with his father. They spent more time together than many fathers and sons and they shared so many common interests. Luke’s dream was to someday have his own construction company like his father did and he surely would have been a great success. Luke was always enterprising. From mowing lawns to clearing snow, he always found a way to earn some extra money.

As a young kid, Luke was on the Lincoln Park Swim Team, and he was also a Boy Scout, reaching the rank of Life Scout. He also fell in love with riding dirt bikes and quads since the early age of five. After construction, riding became his second passion. As a young boy he learned to run heavy construction equipment while working with his father. He was a natural in any machine and could run many of them like a pro. Since getting his driver’s license in December, he had fun plowing snow as well. He simply loved to work and was good at whatever he set his mind to.

As just about any teenage boy should understand, Luke fell in love with his first truck: a 2003 Dodge Ram 2500 with a Cummins diesel. He loved it so much that he slept in it for three days when he first got it. He just couldn’t get enough of that truck. Nothing could wipe the smile off of his face and he was just so proud.  He had always enjoyed monster trucks as a little boy, and now he had his own to drive around in.  He had big plans to customize it and make it ‘his’ in every way.

Luke is survived by his heartbroken mom; Gina Warbeck of Lincoln Park, his grandpa; Frank Elefante of Lincoln Park, his grandmother; Patricia Warbeck (nee Kayser) of Carlstadt, aunts and uncles; Joseph Elefante of Pompton Plains, James Elefante and his wife Debbie of Lincoln Park, Andrew Elefante and his wife Donna of Lincoln Park, Toni Smith and her husband Rich of Lincoln Park, Kimberly Warbeck of Elizabeth, Linda Riveros and her husband Henry of Carlstadt, and Dana Pereira and her husband Jeff of Oakland, and his many cousins.  Luke was predeceased by his grandmother Vivian Elefante in 2007, and by his grandfather; John Warbeck in 2016.

Friends may visit with the family from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 24, at Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne.  Funeral services will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 24 at the funeral home, following the visiting hours.

Those wishing to make a donation in Luke’s memory are asked to consider the Pequannock Animal Shelter, 11 Washington Street, Pompton Plains, New Jersey 07444.

WAYNE — Jon Warbeck, age 50, of Fair Lawn passed away tragically along with his son Luke Warbeck age 17, on Tuesday, February 19, 2019.

PARSIPPANY — A story of survival during wartime – not from cannons and bullets – but of life itself. The women who are left at home without adequate means of support and must provide the basic necessities of food and shelter and still impart their values to their children.

New Jersey’s own Cornelia Hancock, rejected as a nurse by Dorothea Dix because she is too pretty, defies her, and goes to Gettysburg to assist the wounded soldiers and stays throughout the Civil War.  Mary Ann Bickerdyke, who defies army red tape to care for <em>her boys, </em>the wounded, setting up hospitals and kitchens, even following Gen. Sherman through the mountains of Georgia on the way to Atlanta.  Sara Pryor, living through the privation and destruction of the south, still has the courage to defy military authorities and demand rations for the starving women and children in her community.

Rich Rosenthal, a Parsippany resident, is the president of the North Jersey Civil War Round Table and has lectured on numerous historical subjects.

This event will be held on Thursday, March 21 from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Parsippany Library, 449 Halsey Road, Parsippany. Reservation required. Email: <a href=”mailto:[email protected]”>[email protected]</a>.

For more information on North Jersey Civil War Round Table <a href=”https://www.njhistoryroundtables.org” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”>click here</a>.

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TRENTON — Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal today joined California and 14 other states in suing over President Trump’s decision to fund a border wall by declaring a national emergency and annexing billions of federal dollars earmarked for military construction projects and law enforcement drug interdiction efforts.

“The real national emergency is a President who refuses to adhere to the rule of law,” said Attorney General Grewal. “In its effort to cater to a select few on the right, this Administration is trampling on our Constitution and circumventing the will of Congress. As the chief law enforcement officer for New Jersey, I have a duty to stand up for New Jersey’s residents – including our immigrant community – and so I’m joining states across the country in challenging this emergency declaration in court.”

“I am very concerned with President Trump’s decision to declare an emergency to build his ineffective and unnecessary wall. His decision to circumvent Congress is not only fiscally reckless, but constitutionally dubious,” said Governor Phil Murphy.

Claiming that an influx of immigrants from Central America created a national security threat, President Trump Friday declared an emergency at the U.S. border with Mexico. In doing so, the President said he would forge ahead with plans for construction of a massive, multi-billion-dollar border wall that Congress refused to support.

As the Complaint lays out, the Administration will rely on its declaring of a national emergency to divert up to $3.6 billion budgeted for military construction projects to the border wall effort. As the Complaint further describes, the Administration also plans to annex up to $2.5 billion from counter-narcotics programs and to draw another $601 million from a Treasury Department asset forfeiture fund.

As the Complaint explains, the Administration’s actions violate the U.S. Constitution by funding a border wall for which Congress has refused to appropriate funding, and by using money that Congress specifically appropriated for other purposes.

At the same time, the Administration’s actions are ultra vires because the Administration failed to satisfy the strict criteria laid out in the National Emergencies Act for declaring an emergency and diverting funding.

Indeed, while past Presidents have invoked a national emergency declaration to expend money without Congressional approval, those actions have typically involved shifting military funds in the service of military goals – such as in 2001, when President George W. Bush declared an emergency in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.

“President Trump admitted Friday that he didn’t have to issue this declaration, which is proof enough that this crisis is manufactured,” added Attorney General Grewal. “And the Administration is diverting billions of dollars away from projects where it really is sorely needed – including to improve military installations and support state and local anti-narcotics law enforcement efforts. Worst of all, the Administration is doing this in an effort to serve an ideological agenda and keep immigrants and asylum seekers out. New Jersey deserves better.”

Click here to download a copy of the complaint.

NORTH JERSEY — New Jersey Transit Engineer Anthony Fuzuman saw a dog on the tracks eastbound near Newark. The engineer stopped the train, picked up the dog and brought the dog to Secaucus station where he is safe and warm with station management. The dog was then safely delivered to Secaucus Animal Shelter (which is a no-kill shelter). The shelter requires proof of ownership before they release the dog.

UPDATE: The dog was microchipped and the Secaucus Animal Shelter was able to make contact with the family based on the information from the chip.

The dog, identified as a nine year old Shih Tzu named Daisie, was reunited with the owner, Celeste Zayas, Newark.

The dog was chipped and the shelter contacted the family via the personal info they found.

While at the Secaucus Animal Shelter, the dog had an injury when they found it; The shelter took dog to the vet had it patched up.

MORRIS COUNTY — The New Jersey Department of Human Services awarded NewBridge Services $75,000 to teach older adults about alternatives to using opioids for pain management. The money is part of $1.4 million in grants announced yesterday to stem the opioid epidemic.

NewBridge Services will conduct free group workshops and one-on-one sessions for Morris County residents age 60 and over, and expects to reach 500 people over 12 months. Participants will learn about the risks of prescription painkillers and the array of evidence-based pain management options that don’t involve addictive opioids.

“This initiative is a great fit for us,” NewBridge Chief Operating Officer Michelle Borden said.

NewBridge has been helping seniors maximize their independence since 1987 through NewBridge Senior Assistance for Independent Living (SAIL). NewBridge@Home provides in-home counseling for homebound seniors and respite for caregivers. And NewBridge has a decades-long track record of educating the community about various health and wellness topics.

NewBridge’s goal is to educate 500 seniors, caregivers, and staff from organizations that serve seniors by June 30, 2020, Borden said. The nonprofit will make use of its longstanding partnerships with other senior service providers and Morris County, she noted.

The county has 110,500 residents age 60 and over — 22 percent of the population, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. NewBridge’s clients mirror that statistic.

A higher percentage of older adults fill opioid prescriptions than other age groups. About 17 percent of opioid overdose deaths in New Jersey in 2017 were people age 55 and over, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

NewBridge will provide group workshops at nutrition and senior centers, senior housing, assisted living residences, churches, libraries, and its service center in Parsippany.

There is growing evidence that exercise, acupuncture, yoga, meditation, physical therapy, biofeedback and chiropractic care can help manage pain, often in combination with medications like acetaminophen and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

NewBridge was one of five nonprofits to receive funding to provide programming on alternatives to opioids for pain management. “These contracts will go a long way in helping us reach the people who need help the most, enabling them to get the type of help they need,” Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services Assistant Commissioner Valerie Mielke said.