MORRIS COUNTY — Summer fun kicks off at the Morris County 4-H Fair at Chubb Park in Chester next week, from July 18-21. Fair hours are 4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Thursday, 10:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Sunday. Download the daily schedule here.  Admission is free, but a parking donation of $5.00 per vehicle is requested.  Friday evening, parking donation request is $10.00 to cover the cost of fireworks.

A wide variety of activities are lined up, including pony and hay rides, watermelon eating and cake decorating contests, demonstrations by nonprofits and youth groups, Dress-a-Pet and Dress-a-Cage contests, Cow Pie Bingo, wood carving demonstrations, archery, dunk tank, games, live entertainment and food concessions. Animal displays include dogs, horses, goats, poultry, rabbits, and other small animals.

A special $15.00 pay-one-price for all kiddie rides is scheduled for Friday from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m., and a $30.00 pay-one-price for all amusement rides will be offered on Thursday from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Thursday night will officially start the Fair with the Parade of Clubs and a ribbon cutting ceremony.

Friday will feature fireworks, after the 4-H Graduation Ceremony, and 4-H Talent Show.

Highlights on Saturday include the popular goat races, Canine Nosework Demonstration and Sled Dog Demonstration.  Fairgoers can take hot air balloon rides from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. for $10.00, weather permitting.

Sunday highlights include the Radical RC 4-H Racers, open pet show and the 4-H Awards Ceremony.

Dogs may be brought to the Fair on a 6-foot leash.  Retractable leashes are not permitted.

The Fair is sponsored by the Morris County 4-H Association in support of the 4-H Youth Development Program of Rutgers Cooperative Extension.

For more information about the Fair, 4-H clubs, or becoming a 4-H volunteer click here or contact the 4-H office (973) 285-8301 or email 4hmorris@njaes.rutgers.edu.

MORRIS COUNTY — Looking for that magical puff to appear with everything you’ve wanted in life and more? Look no further, Puff will bring it all.

Puff is a ten-year old Maltese Chihuahua mix. He is a lovable, loyal companion once you break open his shell.

He was surrendered to a municipal shelter and was found shaking in his kennel. He is scared at first greetings but quickly warms up once you gain his trust.

One of the fastest ways to Puff’s heart is through food! This little senior will do anything if treats are involved! He also enjoys taking peaceful strolls in the grass and sunbathing.

Puff is a softie who enjoys being held and pet. He will quickly bond with you this way. Once he does, he will become your little shadow and want to go everywhere with you!

Puff needs a quiet home where he feels safe and comfortable. He prefers not to be around children since he becomes stressed. He enjoys the company of dogs who are relaxed and independent. He would be fine in a home with cats.

With patience and time, Puff will provide someone with an abundance of love. He needs a family who will understand his rough past and work towards bringing out his amazing qualities!

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

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MORRIS COUNTY — “School districts shouldn’t have to choose between funding special education programs or providing services to other students,” Pennacchio said. “With extraordinary special education costing enormous amount of dollars, we must ensure every child has an equal educational opportunity without negatively impacting a school’s budget. My proposal would make certain that our most vulnerable students, regardless of their zip code, are provided with the resources they need to succeed.”

Pennacchio’s bipartisan legislation, S-3758, would shift special education costs away from school districts and to the State.

If a school district anticipates that the cost of providing special education and related services included in a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) will exceed $55,000, that student would be considered to require a high needs placement. A school district would forward the IEP to the newly created Office of High Needs Placement Funding within the Department of Education. That office would be responsible for entering into contracts with, and making payments to, providers of the special education and related services for these students.

The bill establishes a High Needs Placement Committee in the Office of High Needs Placement Funding. The committee members will include the commissioner and State Treasurer, or their designees, and 15 public members.

Under current law, extraordinary special education costs aid is awarded to school districts as a reimbursement of costs incurred in the prior school year in educating individual special education students whose costs exceed certain thresholds. Unfortunately, the State has not been reliable in fulfilling this important responsibility, and the program is only 65% funded in the current fiscal year. This bill eliminates this category of State aid, instead making the State responsible for 100% of these extraordinary special education costs and making it impossible to shirk their responsibility.

According to the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs, more than half of a New Jersey homeowner’s property tax bill supports their local school districts. Senator Pennacchio believes that this legislation will provide providing significant relief to property taxpayers.

“The property tax crisis that many rural and suburban homeowners face is the result of a flawed school aid formula that provides little state aid to many of those school districts,” Pennacchio added. “Enacting this reform will lower property taxes, improve the quality of education, and protect New Jersey’s special education children. It truly begins the process of funding all of our children the same regardless of their zip code.”

This legislation is also part of a comprehensive and bipartisan “Path to Progress” bill package aimed at implementing essential fiscal reforms that will help to hold the line on spending and taxes. This Legislature took a first step in in this year’s budget by appropriating an additional $55 million dollars to reimburse a greater portion of the extraordinary special education costs incurred by school districts.

“I want to thank Senate President Sweeney for his commitment to help our most vulnerable students,” Pennacchio added. “I look forward to this bill passing the Legislature and becoming law this fall, and towards that, I look forward to working with my Senate colleagues, the Assembly, the Murphy Administration, and special education advocates to ensure that this bill is done right – truly protecting our most vulnerable children.”

MORRIS COUNTY — Senator Joe Pennacchio (R-26) has been honored with the prestigious “Award for Conservative Achievement” by the American Conservative Union in recognition of his legislative voting record in 2018.

“I am honored to receive this recognition by the oldest grassroots conservative organization in the United States,” Pennacchio said. “I’ve always believed that overtaxed and vulnerable New Jerseyans deserve to have a fighting voice in Trenton. This award proves it is possible to be fiscally conservative and maintain a social conscience at the same time.”

The American Conservative Union Foundation is the nation’s largest and oldest grassroots conservative organization. Pennacchio received the “Award for Conservative Achievement” for his votes on key legislation during the 2018 legislative session. To obtain this designation, a legislator must score an 80% or higher on the ACU’s scorecard. Pennacchio has a lifetime average of 92%. In order to determine who receives this award, the ACU Foundation researches voting records and compiles a rating list for every state legislature in the country.

While Senator Pennacchio has been recognized as a strong fiscal conservative, throughout his tenure in the New Jersey Legislature, Pennacchio has also been a strong advocate for homeowners, families, and the state’s most vulnerable residents.

Earlier this year, Pennacchio introduced “Mallory’s Law,” legislation that strengthens and standardizes New Jersey’s anti-bullying laws. “Mallory’s Law” is named in honor of Mallory Rose Grossman, a 12-year-old Rockaway student who committed suicide after being the victim of relentless bullying.

Pennacchio has also led the effort to create a pathway to justice for those wrongfully convicted. His bipartisan legislation would create the “New Jersey Innocence Study and Review Commission,” which would review all aspects of criminal cases involving wrongful conviction in New Jersey and recommend reforms to reduce the likelihood of wrongful conviction occurring in the future.

“While I am humbled to earn this honor from the ACU, representing and serving the great people of New Jersey continues to be the greatest privilege bestowed upon me,” Pennacchio added. “No matter if I am fighting the good fight to lower taxes, or sponsoring landmark legislation to give a voice to the vulnerable, I always have the best interest of New Jerseyans at heart.”

MORRIS COUNTY — County College of Morris (CCM), recognized as a leader in the education of employees for advanced manufacturing, has been awarded a $4 million grant from the United States Department of Labor (USDOL) to expand apprenticeship programs for the industry.

The USDOL’s Scaling Apprenticeship Through Sector-Based Strategies grant program focuses on advancing the development of apprenticeship programs in three areas: advanced manufacturing, information technology and health care. The program supports partnerships among educational institutions and the private and public sectors. These partnerships will create apprenticeship models to close the skills gap by providing key training and job placement opportunities and strengthening pathways into the workforce.

As a grant recipient, CCM will lead a consortium of New Jersey community colleges to build a network of apprenticeship programs in advanced manufacturing as part of a project called Career Advance USA. CCM was one of only 23 academic institutions nationwide to receive the USDOL grant.

“With more than 7,000 manufacturers in New Jersey, the apprenticeship program will help bridge the gap to create a skilled workforce in entering a critically important industry in New Jersey,” said CCM President Anthony J. Iacono. “The USDOL grant further supports and strengthens our mission to be one of New Jersey’s major economic engines.”

“This grant award to support manufacturing apprenticeships is a great step forward for New Jersey’s knowledge economy,” said New Jersey Secretary of Higher Education Zakiya Smith Ellis. “The apprenticeship model offers a unique opportunity to blend classroom learning with direct workplace experience in a mutually reinforcing fashion, and we are excited about the possibilities of the consortium of community colleges led by County College of Morris in partnership with the leading manufacturing firms convened by the German American Chamber of Commerce.”

The German American Chamber of Commerce is a central partner in the CCM grant and will bring extensive experience and expertise with the German model of apprenticeship training to the consortium’s efforts.

Last year, Iacono, along with 11 other education and workforce officials from across the country, toured Germany to examine its apprenticeship programs. Funded by the Transatlantic Outreach Program, the tour focused on how the United States might make use of the German model to expand experiential leaning opportunities for students with the support of industry.

The CCM consortium includes Bergen Community College, Camden County College, Hudson County College, Mercer County Community College, Middlesex County College, Raritan Valley Community College and Rowan College at Gloucester. Together, they will work with national industry partners including Arconic, Glenbrook Technologies, Norwalt Design, Rosenberger, Siemens, UPS and other leading firms in New Jersey.

Enrollment for the apprenticeship program will target both traditional and underrepresented populations, including the unemployed, veterans, transitioning military, women and people of color. At least 1,600 individuals are to be trained through the program.

The USDOL grant is perfectly timed with CCM’s construction of a 31,500-square-foot Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering Center slated to open in 2020 to meet the needs of those key industries.

Additionally, CCM will be receiving approximately $500,000 as a consortium partner in the same USDOL grant program to develop apprenticeship programs in health care. That project is being led by Bergen Community College.

“Not only are these grants an historic occasion for CCM but also for New Jersey and the New Jersey Council of County Colleges, which also is partnering in the apprenticeship programs,” said Iacono.