PARSIPPANY — Life is so very precious and fleeting. We are only on this earth for a short time and the time of our departure is generally unknown. We try to make the most of our lives during the time we have – to love, to cry, to hope, to dream. Unfortunately, there are times when the end of life is not a natural one.

The death of George Floyd is one such death. This despicable and heinous taking of life by the arresting police officer and the inaction of those other officers who could have stopped it, are not acceptable in our society and are not representative of the majority of the law enforcement officers who protect and serve within our communities. Regardless of your politics, this blatant disregard for the life of one of God’s Beloved children is unacceptable.

We are better than this. Our country must be better than this. When we see injustice we must act swiftly and with informed precision to address, dismantle, and redress its inequities.  We cannot remain silent or simply offer gratuitous platitudes time and again in hope that things will change, nor in our anger and frustration, must we use violence and unlawfulness to respond in-kind. We must find a way to heal through open and honest dialogue – together, as one people. I stand firm in my belief that as difficult as it may be, we can, and will find a way.

PARSIPPANY — Parsippany-Troy Hills Public Library Adult YouTube Channel.

June 1:  Join us this Monday for our poetry readings by one of our Library Staff. This week we will feature readings from Joyce Kilmer and Christopher Marlowe

June 2: 9:00 a.m. Tech Tips from our Tech Guru, Valerie Smith
10:00 a.m. Yoga for Seniors through Zoom.

June 3: 10:00 a.m. Historical Romance- Scottish Style Book Bundle goes live.

June 4: 9:00 a.m. This week on Presentation Thursday join us for the Levins and their Poe Preview show-Music and fun!

June 5: Fridays are for fun. Fun Fitness for all ages with Miss Karen. STEAM programs with Miss Corinne. From Reference Librarian Vera Borum- a how-to for using Novelist – Media Mention

Click here and enjoy!

PARSIPPANY — The Parsippany-Troy Hills Library book drops are now open! You can return your items at any time. Fines and fees have been waived until Tuesday, June 30.

The library cannot accept books or media donations at this time. Due to current public health considerations, donations left at the Library will be quickly discarded.

MORRIS COUNTY — Senator Joe Pennacchio introduced a Senate resolution urging the United States Congress to pass legislation to help hundreds of thousands of businesses struggling to survive the coronavirus pandemic.

The resolution (SR-69) seeks federal action to assist commercial tenants and landlords as businesses remain closed and lease payments become due.

“We want to prevent a domino effect that could do irreparable damage to local economies,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “Companies can’t conduct business, employees lose their jobs, lease payments are missed, and landlords can’t make their mortgage payments. This resolution, as is my bill (S-2460) in the New Jersey legislature, provides a safety net to prevent businesses from closing forever and landlords from facing bank foreclosures.”

The resolution asks Congress to allow commercial property owners who voluntarily offer rental forgiveness to business tenants to claim a portion of the lost rent as a tax deduction. Landlords who forgive rent during the COVID crisis would be eligible to claim a portion of the discount, up to $15,000 as a deduction against their federal income tax under Pennacchio’s initiative.

“Our recovery from this fiscal calamity requires unconventional considerations,” said Pennacchio. “There is a lot of benefit with this plan, and no new bureaucracy. When businesses lock their doors forever and valuable real estate sits vacant and abandoned, it has a devastating impact on neighborhoods and entire regions.”

Unlike Senator Pennacchio’s state legislation, S-2460, which would allow a New Jersey income tax credit of up to $5,000 to landlords who voluntarily forgive any or all of a business rent up to $15,000, the federal resolution calls for a tax deduction.

Pennacchio noted the net dollar amounts between using credit for the state and a federal deduction for those in the 30 percent federal tax bracket are very similar.

PARSIPPANY — A message from Mayor Michael Soriano:

This past Monday, on a solemn day, meant to honor those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for this country, we were all exposed to a horrifying and disturbing video across news platforms and social media sites.

The shock and condemnation of George Floyd’s murder in broad daylight has been strong, swift, and nearly universal. And yet it seems that the underlying issues that have led to his and so many other needless deaths have yet to be addressed.

I cannot help but feel that, given the wrong time and place, I could have been George Floyd. I have been profiled several times in my life. While walking in the neighborhood I grew up in I was slammed onto the hood of a police car with a loaded service pistol pointed to my head, I sometimes wonder if things may have turned out worse that evening if I wasn’t wearing my Boy Scout uniform under my jacket. I still recall the horror I felt when I saw how badly my little brother’s face was beaten when he was in custody while handcuffed. Any of those incidents could have ended the same way – and without a camera to record it.

At the same time, I remember the compassion of the police officers that consoled my mother when my little brother passed. I have worked with police officers as a member of advisory boards, civic associations, and as Mayor. I studied Criminal Justice in college. I know and respect so many police officers. I have friends and family in law enforcement, and I worry about them, and I pray for all of those serving in law enforcement to return home safely after their shifts. But that doesn’t ease the pain I’ve felt with so many other people of color this week and so many other weeks in the past.

I have not known what to say since watching that video in horror several days ago. So many questions are raised that I do not have answers to. How can you push your knee into his neck for 8 minutes? How can the other officers just stand there? What if this wasn’t being filmed? Will we ever learn?

There is so much to be done at the federal and state levels across this country. Here in Parsippany, since taking office at a time when the Parsippany Police did not utilize body cameras, our department is now partially outfitted with them, with a full and complete rollout coming soon.

My heart aches for George Floyd’s family, which has grown to include millions of people this week, and I worry about those that are peacefully protesting each day and I pray that they return home safely. We have been thrust into a time of national mourning, and we are deeply in need of national healing. I hope you’ll join me in continuing to reflect on the events in Minneapolis and listening to those who have been most impacted by this violence. Please stay safe, take care of each other, and may God bless you.

-Mayor Michael Soriano

PARSIPPANY — Gourmet Cafe will be donating 10% of all orders to purchase a Shop Rite Gift Cards to supply to the Parsippany Food Pantry. It’s a win-win situation. Great meal for you and your family while supporting local families in need!

Gourmet Cafe is located at 136 Baldwin Road.  Click here to view their website.

Currently, they are operating under special hours, open from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. seven days a week.

PARSIPPANY — Assemblyman Brian Bergen signed on as a prime sponsor to an Assembly resolution urging Congress to fully re-establish the state and local tax deductions, commonly known as SALT, that homeowners were permitted when filing their federal tax returns until a cap was imposed by federal law. The resolution notes the devastating impact Covid-19 has had on the Garden State population and its economy and requests the homeowner tax deduction be restored for the 2019 federal tax filings due July 15.

“People in New Jersey are already taxed more than residents in almost every other state and they have suffered more from the pandemic than residents of almost every other state,” said Bergen. “Reinstating the SALT deduction for this tax season would go a long way toward helping Garden State families get through this crisis.”

Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce introduced AR163, noting the state’s economy was already sputtering prior to the COVID-19 crisis and that residents of New Jersey need tax relief immediately.

The resolution asks Congress to waive the $10,000 cap imposed by the federal tax cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 on the amount of state and local taxes homeowners can deduct from their federal tax bill. High cost-of-living states, such as New Jersey, were uniquely impacted by the cap because combined state and local taxes incurred annually by many Garden State homeowners easily exceed $10,000.

MORRIS COUNTY — Montville Reformed Church will be holding a drive-up food drive for Fishes & Loaves Food Pantry on Saturday, June 6, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Montville Reformed Church is located at 9 Church Lane, Montville.

They are in desperate need of Rice (max 3-pound size), Shelf Life Milk, Canned Chicken or Turkey, Pancake syrup, Ketchup and Mayonnaise, Salad Dressings, Juice, Cold Cereal, Coffee, Tea, Sugar, Flour/Baking Items and Evaporated Milk. Personal Products: Shampoo, Bar Soap, Diapers, sizes 4, 5 & 6, and Baby Wipes.

Fishes & Loaves Food Pantry is located on the ground level of the First Presbyterian Church of Boonton. Access from the parking lot at 513 Birch Street, Boonton NJ 07005. Open to all those with food insecurities in Boonton and surrounding communities. Loaves and Fishes Pantry hours are Wednesday from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturday 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

MORRIS COUNTY — Senator Joe Pennacchio today said more serious questions have been raised at the New Jersey Department of Health and “the lack of leadership has been glaring at the highest levels of state government during the COVID crisis.”

Pennacchio’s comments come after a published report of heated arguments between the health commissioner and high-level staffers on the Governor’s team, and an attempt to sign a $500,000 contract with a politically-connected consultant firm for four weeks of work with nursing homes.

“These are serious issues – 6,000 souls died in state-regulated nursing homes,” said Pennacchio (R-26). “The state forced the virus into these long-term nursing facilities while keeping their loved ones out. A pandemic is devastating the state economy and has killed 12,000 state residents, half of the seniors in long-term care.

“Leadership is most evident in the midst of a crisis, and the pandemic has exposed damning weaknesses at upper levels of the state’s chain of command,” Pennacchio said. “The very people New Jerseyans relied on to keep them safe have repeatedly shown they were overwhelmed and under-qualified.”

A day earlier, another story reported the termination of the assistant commissioner of Public Health Infrastructure, Laboratories & Emergency Preparedness who oversaw emergency medical services and the state office of disaster resilience within the Department of Health.

Christopher Neuwirth claimed in a Facebook post that he “was blatantly scapegoated and fired.”

“These issues, coupled with the loss of 6,000 residents in nursing homes that were forgotten by the Administration and abandoned by state inspectors, demand answers,” said Pennacchio.

“The problems may have been worse than we imagined. The Senate should immediately convene a special committee with subpoena power to investigate the pandemic response and get to the bottom of this mess. If these were traffic issues on the George Washington Bridge, subpoenas would already have been issued,” concluded Pennacchio.

PARSIPPANY — Effective June 1 the Recycling Center will reopen FOR RESIDENTS ONLY with the following changes:

1. The number of people allowed in the recycling center at a time will be reduced. They do expect this to cause delays getting into the center, please be patient and wait in line in your vehicle. Please have your driver’s license readily available for verification.

2. Face coverings and social distancing are required. For the health and safety of our employees and residents while in the recycling center please wear a face covering (such as; non-medical masks, bandanas, scarves, cloth) and keep six feet apart.

3. No commercial vehicles, contractors, or trailers will be allowed until further notice.

4. Please review your Township calendar or the Township webpage for what material is acceptable. Should you have unacceptable material in your vehicle, you will NOT be allowed to enter the Recycling Yard.

The Recycling Center will be open regular hours Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. and on Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.

More information on acceptable materials to recycle, guidelines, and neighborhood pickup schedules can be found by clicking here.