Soriano Demands Action by JCP&L

Frank L. Cahill
-
0
Soriano Demands Action by JCP&L

PARSIPPANY — In a letter dated August 11, 2020, to Charles E. Jones, Chief Executive Officer, First Energy Corp. demanding that they make

  • Food reimbursements
  • Medicine reimbursements
  • Infrastructure upgrades
  • Actionable state legislation

“About 70% of Parsippany residents lost power as a result of Tropical Storm Isaias. Over half of our township was out of power for at least two days, and thousands of residences and businesses did not see their power restored for four, five, or even six days,” Soriano said.

“This occurred during the course of a global pandemic that has left many residents dependent on household power to work, conduct business, educate their children, and care for their loved ones. Our society has never been more dependent on stable, reliable electricity than in the year 2020. This outage, more than any other in recent memory, has brought into focus the need to change the way we think about utility operations and infrastructure moving forward.”

“Earlier this week, Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco called on PSE&G, which serves his region, to reimburse customers for the cost of food, medication, and other perishables for both residences and businesses which lost power for 48 hours or more during last week’s storm. He further called on the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to make this a requirement in the case of future outages,” he continued.

As one of the few electricians serving as a Mayor in New Jersey, I would also like to offer my constructive thoughts on improvements to our power grid. This is not a comprehensive plan, but a few key suggestions to start mitigating the number of outages we experience and the length of time before restoration.

• Accelerate the installation of “TripSaver” smart reset devices. TripSavers can save time, equipment costs, and labor costs. After the initial investment, labor and repair costs will decrease substantially, as will the time it takes for customers to be restored to power.
• Make our substations more resilient to extreme weather conditions. My understanding for the first few days of the outage was that extensive damage to substations delayed the response to neighborhood outages. As hubs of power generation, a more resistant class of substations will leave more customers with power following major storms, and accelerate restoration times for those who do lose power.
• Installation of smart utility poles: Samuel Morse installed the first utility poles in the 1840s. Other than weather treatment, this system has seen little change since that time. Smart utility poles will both accelerate the trouble-shooting process and vastly improve monitoring capabilities over the grid.

Click here to download the complete letter.

Updated Quarantine Advisory Issued for Individuals Traveling to New Jersey

Frank L. Cahill
-
0
Updated Quarantine Advisory Issued for Individuals Traveling to New Jersey

NEW JERSEY — Governor Phil Murphy advised individuals traveling to New Jersey from states or territories with significant community spread of COVID-19 to quarantine for a 14-day period from the time of the last contact within the identified state or territory. In addition to the Virgin Islands, the updated advisory includes two additional states Hawaii and South Dakota – with Alaska, New Mexico, Ohio, and Rhode Island removed from the list, bringing the total to 33 states and territories. The travel advisory applies to any person arriving from a state or territory with a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents or a state with a 10 percent or higher positivity rate over a 7-day rolling average.

As of Tuesday, August 11, there are currently 33 states and territories that meet the criteria stated above: Alabama; Arkansas; Arizona; California; Florida; Georgia; Hawaii; Iowa; Idaho; Indiana; Illinois; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Maryland; Minnesota; Missouri; Mississippi; Montana; North Carolina; North Dakota; Nebraska; Nevada; Oklahoma; Puerto Rico; South Carolina; South Dakota; Tennessee; Texas; Utah; Virginia; Virgin Islands; and Wisconsin.

“To protect the steady progress we’ve made on our road back, we need everyone who has traveled to one of these impacted states or territories to practice self-responsibility,” said Governor Murphy. “I strongly encourage all individuals arriving from a hotspot to proactively get a COVID-19 test and self-quarantine to reduce transmission across our state.”

Travelers and those residents who are returning from impacted states should self-quarantine at their home, hotel, or other temporary lodgings. Individuals should leave the place of self-quarantine only to seek medical care/treatment or to obtain food and other essential items.

It is expected that individuals will follow the public health advisory to self-quarantine. The list of states will be updated on a rolling basis and is accessible by clicking here.

Dover Man Charged with Attempted Sexual Assault of a Minor and Endangering the Welfare of a Child

Frank L. Cahill
-
0
Dover Man Charged with Attempted Sexual Assault of a Minor and Endangering the Welfare of a Child

MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp, Acting Chief of Investigations Christoph Kimker, and Deputy Chief Jonathan Delaney of the Dover Police Department announce the arrest of Michael A. Holdnak, 30, Dover.

Holdnak has been charged with Attempted Sexual Assault in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:5-1a/2C:14-2c, a crime of the second degree; and Endangering the Welfare of a Child in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C:24-4a (1), a crime of the third degree.

It is alleged that between July 12 and July 28 this defendant engaged the 15-year-old male victim in sexual conversations via telephone and social media. It is alleged that on two occasions, the defendant engaged in these conversations while he was outside of the victim’s residence.  The defendant was charged by warrant-complaint on August 10 and is currently lodged at the Morris County Correctional Facility in accordance with Criminal Justice Reform.

Prosecutor Knapp would like to thank the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office’s Sex Crimes/Child Endangerment Unit and the Dover Police Department, whose efforts contributed to the investigation and charges filed in this matter.

Anyone with information relating to these incidents is asked to call Detective Lydia Negron of the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office at (973) 285-6213 or Det. Raziel Aragon of the Dover Police Department at (973) 366-2200 ext. 4203.

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.

Rosemary Becchi challenges Mikie Sherrill to Three Debates and Calls Live Debates

Frank L. Cahill
-
0
Rosemary Becchi challenges Mikie Sherrill to Three Debates and Calls Live Debates

MORRIS COUNTY — Rosemary Becchi, the Republican challenger in the 11th Congressional District in New Jersey, issued a letter challenging Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill to three debates to be held across the district, beginning in September and ending in mid-October.

“With record unemployment and an economy destroyed by the pandemic, too many people are staying awake at night worrying about how they are going to pay their bills and put food on the table.,” said Becchi. “This election might be the most important election of our lifetime and I believe the voters deserve to hear directly from the candidates on what they plan to do to responsibly reopen and get Jersey back to work.

In a letter sent directly to Representative Sherrill, Rosemary Becchi shared the urgency of live debates, citing “There are unprecedented challenges facing New Jersey right now and the next Congresswoman from Congressional District 11 will be required to make tough decisions.”

Becchi expanded on this point, “In this district, we have a history of elected officials standing before the voters, sharing their opinions, and challenging each other on the issues. Given the pandemic, it may be necessary to adjust the format and hold tv-only debates or even zoom debates. Now more than ever, I believe it is our duty to continue the important tradition to uphold the integrity of the democratic process.”

The debates should give both candidates the opportunity to share their platforms, expand on their stance on issues, and describe their vision for the future. They should cover a variety of topics, be spread out across the district, and provide an opportunity for voters to ask questions. The debates should be moderated by third parties without a political agenda or platform.

Rosemary Becchi went on to explain that she has been talking to voters throughout the district who are tired of politics and just want to know where the candidates stand on the issues. They want elected officials who will put people ahead of politics. Becchi shared that she hopes the Congresswoman will respond quickly to her invitation to debate.

Freeholders Target Undercounted Morris Towns in 2020 Census

Frank L. Cahill
-
0
Freeholders Target Undercounted Morris Towns in 2020 Census

PARSIPPANY — Morris County’s response to the 2020 Census count has been one of the strongest in the state, with Morris second only to Hunterdon County.

However, there are pockets of the population across the county where Census response has been underwhelming, especially in sections of Florham Park, Boonton, Harding, and Parsippany.

Township Council Rescheduled to August 11

Frank L. Cahill
-
0
Township Council Rescheduled to August 11

PARSIPPANY — The Township Council of the Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills rescheduled the Council Meeting of Tuesday, August 4 to Tuesday, August 11.  The meeting will be held virtually via WebEx. The Agenda meeting will begin at 7:00 p.m. Formal action may or not be taken.

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting will be held via a web conferencing program named WebEx. This program will allow the public to listen in to the meeting and to participate during the public portion session only. This program uses a “raise hand” button in the software to address those who wish to speak during the public portion.

Please be advised that in order for a member of the public to speak during the public portion, they will need to provide their first name, last name, email address, address, and city accurately. Anyone not using their real name and address will not be allowed to speak during the public portion.

Click here to access the meeting.
Click here to download the agenda.

Parsippany Resident Charged After Leaving Children in Hot Car While Shopping

Frank L. Cahill
-
0
Parsippany Resident Charged After Leaving Children in Hot Car While Shopping

HANOVER TOWNSHIP — Mr. Paul Michel, 34, Lake Hiawatha, was charged with abandonment and disorderly conduct in connection with the incident, Hanover Police Chief Mark D. Roddy said today.

He was also issued township ordinances for leaving a child unattended in a vehicle and was issued a motor vehicle summons for failing to secure his children in a child restraint seat.

Temperatures were hovering around 90 degrees July 5, when a 4-year-old girl and 6-year-old boy were found profusely sweating and crying locked inside a car at Wegmans on Sylvan Way around 6:30 p.m.

Officers brought the kids into their patrol cars as store employees made announcements seeking their father. Michel came outside after twenty minutes, authorities said. The children were turned over to their mother.

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.

Central Middle School Eighth Grade Awards Ceremony

Frank L. Cahill
-
0
Central Middle School Eighth Grade Awards Ceremony

PARSIPPANY — Central Middle School Awards 2020

Parsippany Library Story Time: Mix it Up and Lines that Wiggle

Frank L. Cahill
-
0
Parsippany Library Story Time: Mix it Up and Lines that Wiggle

PARSIPPANY — Ms. Kristen reads Mix It Up! by Herve Tullet and Lines That Wiggle by Candace Whitman.

Eric S. Westenberger, 47; Passed; Senior In-house Litigation Counsel at PBF Energy

Frank L. Cahill
-
0
Eric S. Westenberger, 47; Passed; Senior In-house Litigation Counsel at PBF Energy

BOONTON TOWNSHIP — Eric S. Westenberger, 47, of Boonton Township, died Saturday, August 8, 2020, at St. Clare’s Hospital in Denville, where he was born.

Eric S. Westenberger, 47

Eric was the son of the late George and Lois Westenberger, Jr. He was married to the love of his life Cindy A. (Mac Neal) Westenberger and together they raised their three boys in Boonton Township.

Eric graduated with a BA from NYU and a Juris Doctorate from Brooklyn Law School. Following law school, he clerked in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of NY.

Eric was an accomplished litigator with a legal practice focused on mass torts, product liability, and complex litigation. He first rose to the level of partner at Patton Boggs LLP and was subsequently a partner at other well-respected area law firms including Sills, Cummis & Gross P.C., and Locke Lorde LLP. Previously he was associated with Latham & Watkins. He recently transitioned to the role of senior in-house litigation counsel at PBF Energy in Parsippany.

He is survived by his beloved wife, Cindy, devoted sons; Will, Jake, and Luke Westenberger, loving sisters; Susan Bonanni, Karen Westenberger, Kristine Westenberger, and Michelle Errante; dear brothers, George, III, Robert, and John Westenberger; also many nieces and nephews.

Eric S. Westenberger

A walkthrough visitation will be held at the Codey & Mackey Funeral Home, 107 Essex Avenue, Boonton, on Thursday, August 13 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Please wear a mask. A Graveside Service will be held on Friday, August 14 at 10:00 am in Rockaway Valley Cemetery, Valley Road, Boonton Township.

In lieu of flowers, Eric’s friends have established a fund to help provide for his children. For all desiring to do click here to make a donation.

As Eric would say, “See ya at JT’s!”

1...361362363...1,167Page 362 of 1,167