PARSIPPANY — Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) released the following statement regarding the President’s decision to ban U.S. imports of Russian oil as gas prices continue to rise:

“I remain unwavering in my support of Ukraine and its people in their fight for freedom, the preservation of their democracy, and their ability to remain a sovereign nation free from coercion by Putin’s Russia. A few weeks ago, I visited Ukraine, spoke with President Zelensky, and have since been in close contact with the large Ukrainian American community in my district. They are united in their calls for the United States and the international community to continue to put pressure on Russia to end their unprovoked invasion, remove their troops from Ukraine’s borders, and end the humanitarian crisis.

“And while we must do everything we can to stand up to Putin as Russia continues to wage a premeditated, unprovoked war on a fragile democracy, I am also fighting hard to address affordability here at home. That’s why as we end all importation of Russian oil, I am calling for a gas tax holiday to ease prices at the pump.

“While stepping up our sanctions on Russia is necessary to preserve freedom and democracy abroad, I deeply understand Americans’ real and legitimate concerns about the potential effect this could have on gas prices. I will continue to push for additional steps our country can take to further bring down gas prices. We can do so by releasing more of our Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which is stored for exactly this sort of crisis and will also lead to a prompt decrease in fuel prices, examine ways to increase production in the short term, and take aggressive steps to secure our energy independence by accelerating our transition to clean energy, so that we are never again dependent on hostile foreign powers for our fuel. Energy independence is a matter of national security and I will continue my efforts to make sure we can rely on energy that is produced in America, often with technology that is developed and manufactured in North Jersey.”

Rep. Sherrill is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and served in the Navy for almost 10 years as a helicopter pilot and Russian policy officer. As a Russian policy officer, she worked on the implementation of our nuclear treaty obligations and oversaw the relationship between the US Navy and Russian Federation Navy. She now serves on the House Armed Services Committee, where she serves as the Vice-Chair of the Tactical Air and Land Forces Subcommittee.

Rep. Sherrill traveled to Kyiv, Ukraine in January to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky, and other top Ukrainian officials. She is a member of the bipartisan Congressional Ukrainian Caucus and hosted former Randolph mayor and leader in the NJ-11 Ukrainian American community Roman Hirniak to be her virtual State of the Union guest. The Congresswoman is an original co-sponsor of the Ban Russian Energy Imports Act, which codifies the ban on Russian exports, as well as the Gas Prices Relief Act to put into place a gas tax holiday.

PARSIPPANY — Saint Ann’s Annual Fish and Chips Dinner will be held at the Parish Center, 781 Smith Road, Parsippany, on Friday, March 25.  Take-out dinners will be available from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Sit-down dinners will be from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Advance sale tickets will cost $18.00 (Children $10.00).  Tickets are available after Mass on March 12, 13, 19, and 20 and at the Church Office.  Only limited tickets will be available on the day of the event, so please purchase tickets early.

Proceeds from the dinner will be used to aid the people in Ukraine.

Please call (973) 884-1986 for more information.

PARSIPPANY — After taking office only 54 days ago, Mayor James Barberio held a fundraiser to a packed house attracting local residents, politicians, and friends.

The fundraiser was held at Barka’s Restaurant, Mountain Lakes.

Barberio unseated Former Mayor Michael Soriano (D) by winning 8,467 votes to 7,673.

James R. Barberio served as Mayor of the Township of Parsippany for eight years from 2010-2017. Prior to that, he served as a Councilman from 2002–2005 and 2008-2009. Barberio is a proud product of Parsippany, having graduated from Parsippany Hills High School in 1979. He has lived in Parsippany virtually his entire life.

PARSIPPANY — Building on the success of its inaugural NFT (non-fungible tokens) launch in late January, the Morris County Republican Committee has introduced a limited, convention-themed NFT prior to its Spring Nominating Convention on Friday, March 4.

In addition to its novelty and historic relevance, the Convention NFT provides investors with admission to the Convention and entry into contests for prizes at the Convention, said Laura Marie Ali, the MCRC Chairwoman. The Convention NFT also provides post-convention perks, including an invitation to breakfast with elected officials and candidates. More NFT ownership perks will be announced shortly, said Ali.

“This special MCRC Convention NFT is limited in quantity and represents the convention that will likely be responsible for selecting the candidates who will unseat congressional Democrats and put House seats back in Republican hands,” said Ali, noting that the Morris Republican County Committee will be selecting congressional candidates for CD7 and CD11.

An NFT is a non-fungible token, meaning that it is unique and authenticated via the Blockchain. NFTs are an exclusive form of digital asset that has been experiencing record-setting growth for the past year. An NFT can be resold since it is an asset belonging to the person who purchased it. The Morris County Republican Committee is the first Republican Committee in the country to launch NFTs as part of its digital marketing strategy.

For more information or to purchase a Morris County Republican NFT, click here.

PARSIPPANY — “Everything You Need to Know About Buying Your First Home” will be presented at Parsippany-Troy Hills Main Library, 449 Halsey Road, Parsippany, on Wednesday, March 2 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The meeting will take place in Meeting Room A.

The goal is to get you ready and EXCITED to buy your first house.

Chirag Mehta Esq. will present on Real Estate Law and the Attorney Review process.

Joe Grasso from North Pointe Bank will present on getting set up with a mortgage and all things finance.

Anthony Coppola of Two Rivers Title Company will provide information on title and escrow topics.

David Blinder from eXp Realty will present on Real Estate Trends and select the very best home.

To register for the event click here.

MORRIS COUNTY — Assemblyman Brian Bergen said he is disappointed that the mask mandate will remain in effect at the statehouse.

At its Tuesday meeting, the eight-member State Capitol Joint Management Commission dropped all Covid-19 mitigation measures, save masking. Everyone entering the statehouse must continue to wear a cloth face-covering in public areas or be denied entry.

The updated rules take effect on February 25.

“The Republican conference stood firm against these discriminatory and illogical policies when they were adopted late last year by the Democrat-controlled commission,” Bergen (R-Morris) said. “While I’m pleased the commission dropped most of the rules, I’m disappointed they are clinging to the masking theater. Let’s free our faces! Personally, I miss seeing Speaker Coughlin’s smile.”

Even as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention continues to recommend indoor masking for anyone ages 2 and older, most states that had mask mandates have dropped or are in the process of dropping them, even in schools. Gov. Phil Murphy announced on February 7, 2022, that school districts would be permitted to drop masking in early March.

While masks inside the statehouse have been required since summer 2020, the commission did not require proof of vaccination or negative Covid-19 tests to enter the building until December 2021. Republicans pushed back, arguing that the policy discriminated against the unvaccinated since vaccinated persons could still catch and spread the virus. Democrats eventually capitulated and required all legislators, employees, and visitors to provide a negative test to enter the Assembly and Senate chambers. Many Republican legislators, including Bergen, also chose to go maskless inside the statehouse.

“Let me be clear: no one should be shamed for their masking choices. But I firmly believe masking should not be mandated but left up to the individual,” Bergen added. “Besides, we’ve been safely unmasked in restaurants, shopping malls, fitness centers, and very soon, schools. What makes the statehouse particularly unsafe still?”