PARSIPPANY — Meet Benji! The sweetest dog on the block! This 12-year-old Sheltie mix loves to give you and all the dogs on his walks a kiss. He’s a real ladies man 🙂

Benji is a special needs pup who needs a home experienced with the medical care of dogs. Benji needs to be on a couple of medications for his intestines and particular dog food for the rest of his life. Once he has completed some more B12 treatments in the rescue, we are hoping he can have the dental he really needs. Benji takes his pills like a champ–just mix them in with his food and he’ll very happily scoff them down.

Benji is good with other dogs, but can only live with a female dog as he gets over-excited with males and may try to hump. You’ll often hear him being complimented on how chill he is, and he has nothing but love for everyone he meets. We think he’d do well in a home with another dog to keep him company. He can also live with children 13+.

Who said you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? This month Benji has learned to sit, paw, beg, lie down, rollover, and wait! He’s eager to please, walks very well on a leash, and listens well. He’s the best fluff ever!

Benji enjoys short walks, is great in car rides, and is happy to find a spot to lie down and chill wherever you take him. Benji loves his doggy bed and spends most of his days lying in it. He is definitely a more laidback dog who would love a quiet, relaxed home.

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

If you’re interested in helping a senior live out the best of his days, apply to adopt Benji today!

MORRIS COUNTY — New Jersey Division Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) has delayed its June 29 reopening of agencies for in-person transactions for another week. Road testing, however, will resume at licensing centers, and inspections stations will be fully operational on Monday, June 29. Vehicle Centers and Licensing Centers will open to the public Tuesday, July 7.

MVC Chief Administrator Sue Fulton explained that the one-week delay is needed to perform final testing of its new text notification system, which is intended to reduce the number of people waiting at agencies while their transactions are being processed.

“We intended to rely on our new text notification system to check people in, then allow them to leave the building and go elsewhere. Unfortunately, this new system requires further testing, so we will not be able to open as fully as we anticipated on June 29,” Fulton said in a statement. “Without the text notification system, the number of people waiting for transactions who will need to be on-site will far exceed capacity limitations. We have said that the health and safety of our customers and employees is our first priority; therefore, we cannot put people in this situation.”

While road testing will be conducted on June 29, those who successfully complete the test will have to wait to get their new licenses until July 7 — when they will be given access to “Road Test” express lanes at every licensing center, Fulton said.

In addition, during July, agencies will be closed on Monday to allow for “health and safety assessments” of its facilities as they continue to expand their services, she said.

Starting July 7, designated “licensing centers” will be processing new licenses and permits, out-of-state transfers, and Real ID for those whose appointments were canceled.

Starting July 7, designated “vehicle centers” will be adding individual registration and title transactions.

Click here for a list of the 23 licensing centers and 16 vehicle centers, including the types of transactions handled at each type of facility.

Most licenses, IDs, registrations and other documents scheduled to expire between March 13 and July 6 have been extended to July 31 or later. Transactions that can be done online will not be available in person until further notice.

For more information on MVC, services click here.

MORRIS COUNTY — Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation (S2437) which places limits on service fees charged to restaurants by third-party delivery applications and websites during a state of emergencies declared by the Governor in response to COVID-19. The legislation provides much-needed relief to restaurants across New Jersey that have faced excessive fees while being limited to takeout and delivery service.

“By following public health guidelines, restaurants across New Jersey have contributed to flattening the curve and to the enormous progress we have made against COVID-19,” said Governor Phil Murphy. “Through this legislation, now law, dining establishments throughout our state will receive much-needed relief from excessive service fees if public health necessitates the return of dine-in restrictions.”

The legislation prohibits third-party food takeout and delivery service applications and websites from charging service fees greater than 20 percent of the cost of the individual order or greater than 10 percent of the cost of the individual order when the order is delivered by an employee of the restaurant or an independent contractor with whom the restaurant has contracted directly. The limits are in effect during a state of emergency and until the first day of the third month following any state of emergency declared by the Governor in response to COVID-19 that restricts restaurant dine-in service to less than 25% of the maximum capacity allowed by law.

Primary sponsors of this legislation include Senators Vin Gopal and Joseph Cryan and Assemblymembers Annette Quijano, Serena DiMaso, and Aura Dunn.

“Some of these so-called service fees for food delivery are just way out of line,” said Senator Joe Cryan. “Restaurants have been some of the hardest-hit businesses in the shutdown and they face an uphill struggle as we gradually reopen. For now, they are relying on takeout to try to keep their businesses alive. It is unconscionable to take advantage of this crisis by charging them with inflated fees for delivery service. We need to support local businesses and work together to get through these hard times.”

“During this crisis, many struggling restaurants have turned to third-party deliveries to make ends meet, but some bad actors have taken advantage of them with unaffordable fees,” said Senator Vin Gopal. “I’m proud to sponsor this new law, which will protect these restaurants as they work hard to feed our communities and families while weathering this pandemic.”

“Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, restaurants have been limited to offering takeout and delivery options to customers,” said Assemblywoman Annette Quijano. “As a result, customers have been turning to food takeout and delivery apps to simplify the process of ordering food from their favorite restaurant. It’s likely many don’t know that the restaurant they are trying to support is actually paying an enormous fee to the app they’re ordering from. There’s no reason for apps to be charging outlandish fees to restaurants during the middle of a global public health emergency. Apps can be a vital tool in helping restaurants stay in business, but that won’t be the case if they are charging unreasonable fees. It’s time we put a stop to this unfair practice and ensure restaurants will only be responsible for a fair fee per order.”

“It’s a margin killer for many of our Main Street businesses,” said Assemblywoman Serena DiMaso. “They’re keeping 32 percent of the order payment in a restaurant business where margins are maybe 15 or 20 percent.”

“Third-party services are no longer fringe experiments, but rather a mainstream piece of the restaurant business,” said Assemblywoman Aura Dunn. “For all their hard work to keep afloat, this cap helps those restaurants stay in business.”

PARSIPPANY — Representative Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) and Representative Kevin Hern (OK-01) introduced the bipartisan Protect Telehealth Access Act to build on telehealth’s proven success during the COVID-19 pandemic by codifying Medicare reimbursements for telehealth services.

The Protect Telehealth Access Act removes the requirement that
(1) an individual receiving telehealth services must be located in a rural area or health professional shortage area, and
(2) an individual may only receive telehealth services at home in certain limited circumstances.

“We’ve seen the benefits of expanded telehealth services during the COVID-19 pandemic and the importance of making sure access to care is available if patients have to stay at home,” said Rep. Sherrill. “That value won’t go away when the pandemic ends. I’m working with Representative Hern to ensure Medicare beneficiaries do not lose access to these important services.”

“Almost overnight, Americans became reliant on teleservices this spring,” said Rep. Hern. “For health services, telehealth provides a whole new range of care for rural communities and people who are unable to leave home. These services will be necessary long after coronavirus is neutralized, and it’s a bipartisan priority to ensure it will be available to those who need it. I’m proud to introduce this legislation with Rep. Sherrill and show what can happen when we come together for bipartisan victories.”

During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency, CMS has issued an array of temporary regulatory waivers and new rules to equip the American healthcare system with the flexibility to respond to the pandemic. These actions have, among other things, increased access to telehealth in Medicare to ensure patients have access to physicians and other clinicians while staying safe at home.

Before COVID-19, Medicare beneficiaries could only receive coverage for telehealth visits under specific or unique circumstances — for example, if a patient living in a rural area far from a doctor’s office. However, federal policy changes during the COVID-19 pandemic have allowed Medicare recipients to increase access to necessary health services. The use of telehealth services during this crisis has further exhibited the pivotal role technology can play in improving health equity — for vulnerable populations, this type of access to health care can be a lifeline.

MORRIS COUNTY — “Project Yellowstone,” an academic interdisciplinary program at County College of Morris (CCM) was one of 82 organizations statewide to receive a New Jersey Council for the Humanities (NJCH) COVID-19 Response grant.

The award-winning “Project Yellowstone” is part of a CCM Community and Civic Engagement initiative that offers high-impact, interdisciplinary programs.  “Project Yellowstone” brings together the academic disciplines of history, journalism, and biology to enhance student learning and community engagement. Programs offered on and off-campus focus on environmental history and conservation via the lens of the National Park system and has served over 500 students each year.

“This NJCH grant means ‘Project Yellowstone’ will be able to continue with programming that allows for student and community engagement of the public humanities at a critical time.” said Dr. Michelle Iden, History and Political Science Department and “Project Yellowstone” faculty member at CCM.

Three years ago Iden, Professor Samantha Gigliotti, biology and chemistry, Dr. Maria Isaza, biology and chemistry, and Professor John Soltes, communication, developed and implemented “Project Yellowstone.”  For the past two years, they have traveled to Yellowstone National Park to create greater awareness about conservation and protected lands and to share their experiences with CCM students and the public.  In October 2020, the team had scheduled an experience of a lifetime for six CCM students for an educational and exploratory trip to Yellowstone National Park. Due to COVID-19, the educational trip was indefinitely postponed. They are hoping to travel to the National Park in May 2021.

“This award is a testament to the quality of the program and the hard work of a very creative group of faculty.  Students are learning about the natural environment from several perspectives and coming to understand how different academic disciplines work together,” said John Marlin, vice president of Academic Affairs at CCM.

According to NJCH, CARES Act funding, allocated through the NEH, allowed NJCH to build a brand new COVID-19 Response Grant program. Funds were made available as operational and programmatic support for nonprofit organizations that provide humanities programming to public audiences and who are facing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NJCH grant will help “Project Yellowstone” programming scheduled for Fall Semester 2020 and Spring Semester 2021.  In September, a guided tour of the Great Swamp in Morristown will be given by Professor Samantha Gigliotti via a video-conferencing tool. A public book discussion of John Krakauer’s “Into the Wild” will occur in October. Dr. Shane Doyle, Native American Scholar and member of the Crow nation will give a public zoom presentation. Rounding out the Fall Semester programming will be a faculty and staff book discussion of “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.” Complete details of other “Project Yellowstone” programming will be forthcoming when adjustments are decided upon corresponding to the pandemic.

PARSIPPANY — Next week’s Mobile Food Delivery (Friday, July 3) will be postponed until Friday, July 10, as we observe the Fourth of July holiday.

If you are in immediate need of food assistance, please contact the Parsippany Food Pantry at (973) 263-7163, which is available to Parsippany residents.

PARSIPPANY — Please be advised that the Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills has a permanent lawn watering ordinance in place which restricts lawn watering from June 1st thru September 30. The limits on lawn watering are listed below.

Residential Lawn Watering

• Properties having an EVEN number street address are only permitted to water on EVEN number days from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
• Residential properties having an ODD number street address are only permitted to water on ODD number days from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
• No watering is permitted on Fridays or on the 31st day of the month.

Non-Residential Lawn Watering

• Watering is permitted only on Mondays and Thursdays, from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
• No watering is permitted on the 31st day of the month.

If you have any questions you can call the Parsippany Water Department at (973) 263-7099.