MORRISTOWN — Blood and urine samples taken from a Parsippany woman accused of killing an East Hanover community leader in an alleged drunk-driving accident may be used as evidence in her trial, a Superior Court judge has ruled. Vanessa Brown, 35, is charged with aggravated manslaughter and vehicular homicide in the death of Ralph Politi Jr.,…
Parsippany Hills High School… where will the Class of 2015 continue their journey?
PARSIPPANY — Now that the school year is over, the summer is here, the Parsippany High Hills School graduates are preparing for their next journey in life. The Parsippany Hills High School Class of 2015 graduates will attend:
Adelphi University: Meera Mansuria.
Arizona State University: Christina Russo.
Artistic Academy: Ashley Sgambati.
Berkeley College: Thomas Berardo.
Brookdale Community College: Rennato Herrera and Sebastian Torres.
Bryant University: Shane Vyskocil.
Bucknell University: Amrit Nagendran.
Centenary College: Anthony Azzizzo.
Coastal Carolina University: Luke Haltigan.
Cornell University: Kristin Chen.
County College of Morris: Humza Abid, Luis Abrajan, Muhammad Ahmad, Saif Ahmed, Camila Albuquerque, Angelo Andrada, Alexandra Bakalis, Vincent Calabrese, Jessica Canales, Diego Carvajal, Guillermo Castillo, Earl Christofferson, Carter Cooper, Antonios Dedes, Margarita Dedes, Jakub Duma, Renzo Espinosa, Brett Friedensohn, Joceline Fuentes-Maya, Yashsvi Gandhi, Christopher Gardner, Angela Giradelli, Andrew Goetschkes, Juan Gomez, Sergio Gomez, Frederick Green, Andrew Greenfield, Samer Habib, Ryan Hartmann, Nicholas Hill, James Jacob, William Jacobus, Ariel Juarez, James Keyes, Daniel Kinskey-Lebeda, Kocanaogullari, Gabriella Konke, Richard Madison, Hamid Mir, Nil Mistry, Nicholas Molinaro, Jonathan Morales, Margaret Moutis, Vincent Natoli, Nicholas Neglia, Uri Nemirovsky, Luis Neyra Liviapoma, Mark Novak, Juliette Parker, Victoria Paterson, Gregory Persuad, Nicholas Pierson, James Pocelinko, Mary Rainero, Jose Reano, Christian Reyes, Justin Ricker, Sasha Rider, Thomas Riley, Matthew Roca, Cynthia Tello, Tu Tran, Kira Welenc snd David Wilton.
DeSales University: Erin Crystal.
Drew University: Caroline Ernst.
Drexel University: Anthony Kfoury and Avyaktan Srinivasan.
East Carolina University: Sonia Samtani.
Fairleigh Dickinson University: Mitchell Folan, Christian Guevara-Rodriguez, Sagar Kadakia and Rebecca Russell.
Fashion Institute of Technology: Julie Litwinsky.
Georgia Institute of Technology: Arpan Bhavsar, Jordan Gross and Nina Lyow.
Gettysburg College: John DuBose.
Indiana University at Bloomington: Alice Liang.
Ithaca College: Lauren Astor, Ambar Herrera Almestica and Annmarie Lillis.
Johnson and Wales University: Marilyn Ortiz and Christopher Pietrowicz.
Kean University: Sally Campuzano and Angelo Gallego.
Kutztown University of Pennsylvania: Michael Garcia and Matthew Joyce.
Marymount Manhattan College: Julia Rodriguez.
Misericordia University: Alexandra Walek.
Montclair State University: Mohamed Abdulla, Mariah Acree, Talia Antonacci, Nazier Burns, Collin Delade, Samir Done, Amanda Foley, Zachary Fyfe, Shivam Gandhi, Maxime Hardouin, James Joyce, John Joyce, Francesca La Spina, Justin Loder, Nicholas Lopez, Chancelevie Ngnengone Mengara, Reed Osterman, Sneha Patwardhan, Genevieve Pica, Alyssa Proietto, Madeline Sanchez, Matthew Scopellito, Veronica Serkowska, Jasmina Stojanoska, Edward Strocchia, Kaylie Vazquez, Krupa Vekaria and Dinh Vo.
Moravian College: Elizabeth Kyle-LaBell.
New Jersey Institute of Technology: Vincent Castellana, Evan Favia, Joseph Gasbarro, Alexandra Gilgorri, Jonathan Leung, Sang Nguyen and Parth Vacchani.
New York University: Derek Liu, Eshan Saran, Tiffany Wei and Varshita Yerva.
Northeastern University: Allison Leonard, Daniel Mondschein and Dang-Huy Nguyen.
Old Dominion University: Kaileigh Estler.
Pace University: Dikshant Sahay.
Pennsylvania State University (Harrisburg): Raj Patel.
Pennsylvania State University (Hazelton): Teddi White.
Pennsylvania State University (Schuylkill): Kazi Ahmed.
Pennsylvania State University (University Park): Morgan Burwell, Rebecca Ho, Ethan Levy, Dhruv Patel and Michael Wu.
Pitzer College: Alezander Wu.
Princeton University: Annie Wang.
Purdue University: Trevor Tang.
Ramapo College of New Jersey: Richard Bruno, Djanelle Lang, Lindsey Magbitang and Brianna Starke.
Rider University: Olivia Dauber and Shayne Kelly.
Roger Williams University: Brendan Shanahan.
Rowan University: Amanda Davis, Caitlyn De Vre, Daniel Eyerman, Simone Russo, Ryan Shaw and Laila Tlack.
Rutgers University: Kimberly Aldana, Saddaf Ashgar, Gregory Bollman, Jeevat Chhatwal, Rishi Desai, Carissa Ganihong, Jasper Gates, Meredith Giovanelli, Daniel Haddad, Zohair Hasan, Nina Indyke, Xavier La Rosa, Tin Le, Grace Lee, Matthew Lee, Muhammad Malik, Tracey Miller, Marina Mitrakos, Bishal Mondal, Catherine Mow, Karl Mulligan, Chandni. Patel, Harshkumar Patel, Kishan Patel, Krupa Patel, Meesha Patel, Neil A. Patel, Neil B. Patel, Priyal Patel, Reema Shah, Brittney Stark, Agni Thadikonda, Priya Thakar, Jeeba Thomas, Vishwa Vyas, Ashley Wang and Marion White.
Sacred Heart University: Kaitlyn Murphy.
Saint Joseph’s University: Connor Fahy and Madeleine Pochettino.
Savannah College of Art and Design: Brianna Dance.
School of Visual Arts: Deanna Iancu.
Seton Hall University: Neena Andican, Pooja Banker, Christian Buitrago, Sheikh Elahi-Siddiqui, Vannesa Martinez, Gianna Pallis, Dominic Paraan, Niki Patel and Grace Petinakis.
Stockton University: Matthew Long.
State University of New York (SUNY) at Brockport: Victoria Eng.
Susquehanna University: Alison Cerri.
The College of New Jersey: Benjamin Frigeri, Thomas Molloy and Nicole Poccia.
The Ohio State University: Kyle McGinley and Ryan Ziobro.
The University of Alabama: Anthony Barlotta.
The University of Scranton: Melissa Agostinho, Andre Fernandes and Ryan Stensgaard.
The University of Tampa: Cassandra Przyhocki and Jasmine Schroeder.
Universal Technical Institute: Rennato Herrera.
University of California, Berkeley: Neha Zahid.
University of Colorado at Boulder: Michael Ginsberg.
University of Delaware: Johnna Brooks, Curtis Curlo, Nicholas Davis, Matthew DeBenedette, Amanda Farkas, Parker Kerrigan and Adam Pollack.
University of Hartford: Jason Byrne.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: David Zhong.
University of Maryland: Stephanie Datri.
University of Massachusetts: Ashwin Balani, Ryan Blake and Emily Cerri.
University of Nevada, Las Vegas: Megan Willson.
University of New Haven: Cassandra Fahy, Madeline Skovronek and Katelyn Zicker.
Villanova University: Eva Cavanaugh.
Virginia State University: Ajanee McConnell.
Washington University in St. Louis: Rohan Gupta.
Wellesley College: Catherine Chen.
William Paterson University of New Jersey: Olivia Arcilla, DaiJanae Bryant, Het Desai, William Foote, Isabela Manzano, Chelsea Mcknight, Erin Paris and Yesh Patel.
York College of Pennsylvania: Jason Marin.
Township Council investigation into Barberio, Inglesino, Aurora, inches forward
MORRISTOWN — The Parsippany Township Council and Mayor James Barberio were back in Superior Court on Friday, July 10. At issue, a resolution which the Council had passed in 2014. The resolution authorized the hiring of an attorney to aid in the Council’s investigation of Barberio and the prosecution of township attorney John Inglesino over their refusal to turn over unredacted bills from his law firm as well as to investigate the unilateral hiring of computer expert Aurora Information and Security Risk. Aurora had previously invoiced the township upwards of $1 million. The hiring of all township contactors require Council approval for amounts over $17,500.
Barberio contends that Councilmen Carifi and Valori were conflicted from voting on matters relating to Inglesino, a conflict both Councilmen deny.
The Council retained attorney Wilfredo J. Ortiz II to lead the investigation of Barberio and Inglesino, but Barberio’s refusal to allow an investigation to go forward has left the decision with Judge Minkowitz, who replaced Judge Weisenbeck in early June.
Morristown Township attorney Vijayant Pawar, a close associate of Inglesino (who serves as planning board attorney and Special Redevelopment Counsel for Morristown in addition to being Parsippany’s town attorney) is representing Barberio. Pawar argued today that Ortiz cannot represent both the entire Council in compelling Barberio to retain a prosecuting attorney while also representing Carifi and Valori in the mayor’s cross-claim that both are conflicted from investigating Barberio and Inglesino.
Although no ruling was made, Judge Minkowitz suggested that the Council choose from a yet to be determined list of approved attorneys as it’s counsel in the matter while Ortiz remains on as counsel to Carifi and Valori in Barberio’s counter-claim.
If Barberio does not consent to an attorney from the pre-approved list, oral arguments will begin on July 24.
Valley National Bank at “Staples Business Showcase”
PARSIPPANY — The Parsippany Area Chamber of Commerce (PACC) and Parsippany Staples have teamed up in an exciting program to showcase local businesses.
Frank Cahill, Executive Board Member, said “This is a great opportunity for chamber members to display their goods and services to the customers of Staples and to increase their brand awareness.”
This monthly event, “Staples Business Showcase” is available to all PACC members and local non-profit groups.
If you are interested in participating, contact Frank Cahill at (973) 402-6400.
Pictured above is Ildiko Peluso, Valley National Bank, with Robert Weaver, Assistant Store Manager, Staples Parsippany, participated in the program during July.
Peluso covers the Parsippany area for Valley National Bank and you can call her directly with any questions at (201) 280-5652.
Valley National Bank has three convenient offices in Parsippany, 320 New Road, 800 Route 46 – Arlington Shopping Plaza and 51 Gibraltar Drive.
Freeholders Approve $3.5 million in Morris County Historic Preservation Grants
MORRIS COUNTY — The Morris County Freeholders approved spending $3.5 million from the historic preservation portion of the county’s Preservation Trust Fund to help preserve 32 historic sites and resources in 17 towns across the county.
The freeholders approved the grants, ranging from $4,151 to $300,000, during their public meeting on July 8 based on the recommendation of the county’s Historic Preservation Trust Fund Review Board.
Parsippany-Troy Hills received two grants totalling $188,376.00. The first grant was to Craftsman Farms for Window Restoration in the amount of $150,000 and the second grant was for Smith-Baldwin House – Preservation Plan in the amount of $38,376.
Of the 33 approved grants, 26 are for construction or restoration projects and 7 are for acquisition of historic sites or development of plans for preservation or construction documents. The largest number of awards were approved for historic projects in Morristown, Pequannock and Roxbury.
Grants also were approved for projects in Parsippany, Denville, Florham Park, Harding, Kinnelon, Madison, Mine Hill, Mountain Lakes, Morris Township, Mount Olive, Netcong, Rockaway Borough, Washington Township, and Wharton.
“This money will help finance the vitally important task of preserving and sustaining our county’s heritage. Restoring and protecting these historic buildings and sites maintains links to the past showing how this county developed over time,’’ said Freeholder Director Kathy DeFillippo.
“The historic restoration work done with the help of these grants will allow future generations to fully enjoy and treasure these historic sites, which enhance the quality of life for all residents of Morris County,’’ added Freeholder John Cesaro.
“The grant recipients are not only dedicated to preserving these historic sites and structures but also to preserving and sharing information and stories of significant persons and events associated with those sites and structures,’’ said Ray Chang, Historic Preservation Program Coordinator for Morris County. “Their efforts, which ensure that our county’s heritage and architectural legacies sustained deserve our thanks.”
Awards are made for projects that offer significant contributions to the advancement of historic preservation; restorations, rehabilitations, and adaptive use plans of historic buildings and cultural landscapes.
Grants are also awarded for establishing innovative documentation of our historic resources which contribute to the knowledge of the county’s past; and pioneering inventive efforts to preserve communities, buildings, archaeological sites, and other types of historic resources
Morris County voters in 2002 approved an amendment to the county’s Preservation Trust Fund to include the acquisition and preservation of historic sites and facilities.
Since 2003, when the first grants were awarded, 85 sites or resources in 32 Morris County municipalities have received funding assistance.
To view the full list of 2015 Historic Preservation grants, click here.
Melissa Etheridge to perform at MPAC
MORRISTOWN — Academy Award and GRAMMY-winning artist Melissa Etheridge will performs songs from her album, This is M.E., as well as some of her greatest hits like “Come to My Window,” “I’m The Only One” and “I Want To Come Over.” Known for her iconic voice, profound lyrics and riveting stage presence, Melissa will share personal stories about her remarkable journey through life and the inspiration behind some of her most beloved songs, at Mayor Performing Arts Center on Thursday, October 1 at 8:00 p.m.
Purchase tickets by clicking here.
Littleton Girl Scout Brownie Troop 95610 hosts ice cream social
PARSIPPANY — Littleton 3rd Grade Girl Scout Brownie Troop 95610 hosted the first ever, town-wide, Daisies and Brownies Ice Cream Social in the Littleton Gym on Friday, June 19.
Educational presentation: “Protecting Seniors’ Assets”
PARSIPPANY — The Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills is offering a free educational program entitled ”Protecting Seniors’ Assets,” presented by Robert Bernstein, Esq.
This information filled program will be held on Tuesday, July 28 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the Parsippany Community Center, 1130 Knoll Road, Lake Hiawatha.
Light refreshments will be served.
Mr. Bernstein has developed an outstanding professional reputation in his field and is known as a person of high integrity and trust. His specialty is in reducing very complicated legal issues to simple terms which his clients can understand. Mr. Bernstein believes in educating his clients on the various aspects of the law dealing with their particular matter and having them participate in decisions as to how a matter should be structured based upon the education he has imparted to them.
Mr. Bernstein is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and a member of the Elder Law and Disability Section of the New Jersey State Bar Association. He specializes in counseling clients with respect to providing for their retirement, and managing their assets in order to protect themselves from creditors in the event of unforeseen health issues which may arise as they age. His focus is always on protecting the client and making certain they are secure. Too often Mr. Bernstein has seen assets transferred to parties such as children without providing the protection needed for the parents as they age. Mr. Bernstein is known for establishing a plan which balances the needs of the aging parent as well as providing for the security of the adult children. Oftentimes this will involve setting up special Trusts in order to protect the parents and the children. He is familiar with dealing with Medicaid issues and making certain that the parents and family members do not take actions which violate the Medicaid Laws. He stresses to the clients the need to do advance planning in these areas as making plans when a crisis suddenly arises often creates insurmountable problems for family members.
For more information, please Mr. Bernstein at (973) 263-7351.
Par-Troy East Senior All Stars take home State Sectional 1 Title
PARSIPPANY — The Par-Troy East Senior All Stars 2015 beat Triboro 8-4 in seven innings on Tuesday at Gallo Field behind Alivia Mercuro, who collected three hits. With the win PTE won the NJ Section 1 title and advanced to the NJ State Final 4, starting Tuesday, July 14.
She singled in the first, fourth, and sixth innings. Caitlin Brennan recorded the win for PTE Seniors All Stars 2015. She allowed four runs over seven innings. Brennan struck out five, walked four and gave up six hits. In her 4 district and sectional games she has a 1.29 ERA with 36 strikeouts in 27 innings.
Radner ended up on the wrong side of the pitching decision, charged with the loss. She allowed seven runs in six innings, walked one and struck out two.
The top of the first saw Triboro take an early lead, 2-0. Cavanaugh singled to ignite Triboro’s offense. A single by Monahan then moved Cavanaugh from first to third. The scoreboard lit up again for Triboro when Monahan scored on an RBI single by Vandergoot.
PTE scored one run in the first inning, and then followed it up with one more in the sixth. In the first, PTE scored on an RBI single by Mercuro, plating Meg Leitner.
PTE never trailed after scoring three runs in the second on three singles.
PTE tacked on another two runs in the fourth. A ground out scored Julz Del Viscio to get PTE on the board in the inning. That was followed up by Mercuro’s single, scoring Luisa Barone.
One run in the top of the seventh helped Triboro close its deficit to 8-4. An error set off Triboro rally. Brennan ended the game by getting Radner to ground out on a tremendous play by right fielder Alyssa Feola throwing out Radner at 1st base.
Par-Troy East moves on to the State Final 4 on Tuesday, July 14.
They will face the Section 2 winner at 5:30 p.m. at Lodi Little League. Middletown, the section 3 winner will face the Section 4 winner at 8:00 p.m. Winners and Losers on Tuesday will face each other on Wednesday, July 15 at Lodi Little Leauge at 5:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Correctional Facility remains in complete compliance under Sheriff Rochford
The New Jersey Department of Corrections conducted an inspection of the Morris County Correctional Facility on Thursday, June 25 and Friday, June 26.
The inspection revealed that the Correctional Facility remains in complete compliance with all regulations and requirements as set forth under New Jersey law as well as administrative code and practices.
According to a letter dated Tuesday, July 7 from Director Marcus Hicks of the NJ Department of Corrections Office of County Services “Sheriff Rochford and his staff are to be congratulated on this achievement and are to be commended for the efforts and preparation for this inspection. The hard work and dedication by the staff of your facility was evident.”
This came just after the American Correctional Association (ACA) gave the correctional facility a score of 98.6%, making this the twelfth year in a row the correctional facility was nationally accredited. The review was conducted by three out-of-state independent correctional professionals. This accreditation is one of prestige as only 160 jails of the over 3,000 in the United States have ever accomplished this feat. These two national accreditations finish up the three essential national assessments, earning the Morris County Sheriff’s Office the Triple Crown Award for the 11th year in a row. The Triple Crown Award’s distinction have only been earned by 36 of the 3,083 Sheriff’s Offices nationwide. This also comes on the heels of just having received reaccreditation from The National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) with a perfect score of 100% for all essential standards and a 94% in the non-essential standards.
Sheriff Edward Rochford congratulates the men and women of the Morris County Sheriff’s Office Bureau of Corrections for their continued outstanding work.
BY THE NUMBERS: THE MORRIS COUNTY JAIL (2014 stats)
Inmate capacity: 524 (452 males, 72 females)
Prisoners during June 2015 inspection: 264 (221 male, 43 female)
Average daily prisoner count for 12 month period: 300 (260 male, 40 female)
Highest one-day count during that same period: 355 (301 male, 54 female)
Average bookings per month: 283 (262 male, 21 female)
The largest number of inmates, 135 (119 male, 16 female), were awaiting trial.
The next-largest group, 56 (46 male, 10 female) were sentenced by the county.
The third-largest group, 45 (36 male, 9 female) were pre-sentenced.
The staff count was 202, according to the county.
In 2014, two staff members were assaulted by inmates. One incident involved inmates assaulting each other.
“Forced moves” — when inmates had to be relocated from their cells for disciplinary reasons– were reported 73 times in 2014.
Chemical agents were use 39 times by jail staff.
The emergency response team was used 39 times to respond to fights and emergencies.
Strip searches were conducted based on “reasonable suspicion” 1232 times, until the jail staff halted the practice in response to legal challenges elsewhere, according to Undersheriff William Schievella.
No escapes were attempted.
Some 93 grievances were reported; one was substantiated, involving food service.
There were 8 suicide attempts (5 hanging, 2 slashing, 1 “other”), but no deaths at the jail in 2014.
AARP Driver Safety Debuts a New Refresher Course
PARSIPPANY — In 1979, AARP founded “55 Alive” to help keep older drivers independent, safe and confident while on the road. While its mission hasn’t changed since then, many other things have, including the program name.
The AARP Driver Safety refresher course will bring you up to speed on changes to roads and cars.
Today, AARP Driver Safety continues to meet the needs of older drivers through educational programs led by more than 4,000 volunteers and myriad resources. But they aren’t the same programs and resources that were available nearly 35 years ago. AARP Driver Safety has continued to evolve with the times, delivering on AARP’s goal to promote the independence of older Americans and enhance their quality of life.
A lot has changed since AARP Driver Safety first began as “55 Alive.” The roads have changed. Cars and the technology inside them have changed. Even the people behind the wheel have changed. As drivers, if we don’t keep up with those changes we put others and ourselves at risk.
Refresh your driving skills with the AARP smart driver course to be held in Parsippany on Wednesday, August 5 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The course will be taught by instructor Martin Karasick. You can contact Marty directly at (973) 402-6466.
You will learn defensive driving techniques, proven safety strategies, new traffic laws and rules of the road. There are no tests to pass. You simply sign up and learn. Upon completion you could receive a multi-year discount on your car insurance.
This course will be held at Parsippany Community Center, 1130 Knoll Road, Lake Hiawatha.
Classroom course cost $15.00 for AARP members, and $20.00 for non members.
Participants, please don’t forget to bring lunch.
For more information click here. Registration is required. Call Gloria or Colleen at (973) 263-7352. Please make check or money order payable to: AARP and be sure to bring your AARP membership card with you to get the member rate for participation in this course.
Fall Festival returns on Sunday, September 20
PARSIPPANY — The Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills announced the annual Fall Festival will take place this year on Sunday, September 20 from 12:00 Noon to 5:00 p.m. on North Beverwyck Road.
The town-wide celebration not only provides an opportunity to highlight township programs, services, organizations and businesses, but also encourages community spirit.
The generosity of the business community has played a large role in the success of the past festivals. For those businesses and organizations wanting to participate click here and print a registration form. Please be sure to submit your forms as soon as possible.
For businesses looking for sponsorship opportunities please contact Michelle Sylvin at (973) 263-4256 for more information. The Townshup is hoping to count on your support in exchange for being recognized in press releases, advertisements and social media outlets
What is the next journey for Parsippany High School graduates?
PARSIPPANY — Now that the school year is over, the summer is here, the Parsippany High School graduates are preparing for their next journey in life. Of the 223 graduates, 72% will be attending a Four Year College or University (161 graduates); 50 graduates or 22% are attending Two Year Colleges; 5 graduates or 2% are attending career education; 2 graduates or 1% will be an apprenticeship; 1 graduate or 1% will be joining the Military; and 4 graduates or 2% will be going directly into employment.
The Parsippany High School Class of 2015 graduates will attend:
Arcadia University: William Snell;
Centenary College: Amber Moore.
County College of Morris: Eric Abanfo, Ahmed Abdelkader, Sohaib Ahmed, Christopher Aldana-Garcia, Caitlyn Bednarz, James Brennan, D’Angelo Brown, Daniel Campbell, Hayden Cerrato, Travis Cicalese, Jonathan Croat, Brianna D’Alessio, Gabriella Davino, Omar Dawud, Nicolas Freeman, Joseph Gatto, Kasey Hart, Jacob Helmlinger, Christian Hulse-Carr, Marla Jamna, Brandon Jones, William Leys, John Loaiza, Samantha Natoli, Rishi Parmar, Shalin Patel, Ganesh Persaud, Martin Louis Poblete, Sasha Ramnarine, Matthew Rodriguez, Kaitlyn Scannazzo, Ashley Shandra, Jennifer Smith, Ivana Srbljanovic, Elizabeth Stumpf, Emily Tom, Malcolm Udoh, John Unyuruten, Heather Van Syckel, Nicolette Villopoto, Marvin Vivanco and Sencm Yavuz.
Drew University: Kinza l’vlalik.
Mishal Varghese Drexel University: Saumya Ma lkani.
Shymn Naik East Carolina University: John Bucciarelli.
East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania: Katherine De Marco, Malik Francis and Gabriela Rachmaciej.
Fairfield University: Lauren Durborow.
Fairleigh Dickinson University: Alexandra Cancino and Jinchin Yuan.
Fashion Institute of Technology: Nicolas Galvis.
Fiorello H. La Guardia Community College of CUNY: Vijaya Pandey.
Florida State University: Michael Michalik.
Indiana University at Bloomington: Winston Yeh.
Indiana University of Pennsylvania: Kayleigh Byrne.
John Jay College of Criminal Justice of CUNY: Gloria Seales.
Johns Hopkins University: Viren Lad.
Johnson & Wales University: Jessica Chapman.
Kean University: Marline Agenor, Brittany Birth and Rania Sawalhi.
Long Island University, Brooklyn: Caroline Curiel.
Manhattan College: Seema Shah.
Marist College: Kaila M igliazza.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Emily Weng.
Monmouth University: Danielle Jannarone, Jessica Murray and Phoebe Nelson.
Montclair State University: Kristina Olio, Alexyss Panfile, Kaitlynn Pinero, Jonathan Rose, Victorin Rossi, Matthew Ruggiero, Brittany Scannelli, Andrew Smith and Abraham Yaqoobi.
Muhlenberg College: Emily Davis.
New Jersey Institute of Technology: Maire Burder, Parth Chokshi, Matthew De Jesus, Jaydin Jennings, Nikhil Kanoor, Kishan Patel, Shivan Patel and Tej Patel.
New York University: Varun Chopra, Phyllis Chou, Jordan Imp, Aleena Kazmi and Katie Lau.
Northeastem University: Melissa Palacios.
Passaic County Community College: Kefaya Rabah, Mamoon Rabah and Othman Rabah.
Purdue University: Kyle Ting.
Ramapo College of New Jersey: Brian Carter, John Lips, Joshua Lustig, Joanne Veloz, and Nicholas Verillo.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: Kentaro Hansen.
Roger Wil liams University: Lauren Calabrese.
Rowan University: De’Andre Fils-Aime, Emmanuel Gaya, Maria Glodzik, Katherine Lips, Jenna Scalzo and Veronica Shaw.
Rutgers University: Jennifer Atherton, Jessica Bajwa, Gulseren Bayrak, Tulsi Bulsara, Volodymyr Busko, Amanda Chan, Anna Chandra, Sarah Chen, Jenna Chung, Komal Desai, Jonathan Di Pippa, Heenal Gandhi, Natalie Hall, Najma Hassan, Ashley Jankovic, Nikhil Jiju, So Young Jung, Navjot Kaur, Shreya Khajuria, Linh Le, Joon Lee, Tameem Maqsudi, Melissa Mohammed, Drashti Parekh, Jaltej Patel, Jayati Patel, Sahil Patel, Shymn Patel, Kevin Reshamwala, Asra Siddiqi, Ronald Tudorache, Zahra Wallizadeh, Joshua Wong, Samuel Wu and Sarha Yaqoobi.
Seton Hall University: Erin Hoffman, Mohammad Jaman, Julianna Kadian, Joseph Kloss, Masood Tvfohayya and Keshal Patel.
Springfield College: Aarin Feliz.
St. John’s University: Kayla Rodriguez.
St. Joseph’s College: Jane Ooi.
State University of New York at Albany: Maya Rudolph.
Stevens Institute of Technology: Zachary Kovacs.
Stonehill College: Taylor Auletto.
Stony Brook University: Alexander Bamert and Samir Gandhi.
Syracuse University: Erick Abinader.
Temple University: Evan Shoshan.
The College of New Jersey: Omar Bokhari, Niharika Mami, llapalli Shrecvidya Nallan, Rick Santana and Henry Shen.
Ohio State University: Christopher Yang.
Towson University:Giancarlo Colasuonno.
United States Air Force Academy: Joshua Fortes.
University of Delaware: David Aloisio, Amanda Angulo, Jennifer Chang, David Patracuolla, Brian Rodrigues, Valery Salinas and Nicole Scarmazzo.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Christopher Tang.
Emily Tsai University of Massachusetts: Taylor Lewis.
University of New Haven: Sarah Ferguson.
University of Pennsylvania: Lilian Peng and Elizabeth Tu.
University of Rhode lsland: Joseph Zolla.
Spencer Savings Bank Awards Annual Scholarships
PARSIPPANY — Spencer Savings Bank, a community bank headquartered in Elmwood Park, once again awarded scholarships as part of an annual initiative to support promising young students in the region.
On June 24, an awards ceremony was held at the bank where two local students received scholarships. Parsippany High School student Priyal Patel was presented with a $1,000 scholarship.
In addition, Parsippany Central Middle School student Andrew Lie received a $500 scholarship in the form of a Coverdell Education Savings Account.
In total, 31 local students received $23,500 in scholarships this year. Through the program, 16 high school students each received a $1,000 scholarship, along with 15 middle school students who each received a $500 Coverdell Education Savings Account. The Bank’s annual scholarship program is designed to recognize and encourage those with academic potential as they plan their future educational endeavors.
“Investing in our community starts with helping secure an education for our children,” says José B. Guerrero, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Spencer Savings Bank. “Education is expensive and much needed for a bright future. We are so proud to support these young scholars in their academic pursuits, hopes and dreams.”
Since the inception of the Spencer Scholarship Program in 2002, a total amount of $315,500 has been awarded to students from the Bank’s service area, including Clifton, Cranford, Elizabeth, Elmwood Park, Garfield, Garwood, Lodi, Lyndhurst, North Caldwell, Nutley, Parsippany, Saddle Brook, Union, Wallington, Wayne and Wood-Ridge. In addition to the scholarship program, Spencer also hosts financial education programs in area schools.
“Being able to continue our long-running scholarship program is one of the greatest privileges and responsibilities of Spencer Savings Bank,” Mr. Guerrero says. “Our children are our legacy and we are very proud to support these local students in our community and to celebrate their accomplishments.”
Gusty thunderstorms may cause flash floods Thursday in N.J.
It appears New Jerseyans will finally get a break from the rain Friday but first another day of drenching showers is in the forecast. Gusty thunderstorms this afternoon have the potential for flash flooding in the Garden State into Thursday night. The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook in the state for the…
Chase Bank to abandon debt collections against 34K Jersey consumers
TRENTON — Chase Bank will abandon credit card debt collection efforts against more than 34,000 New Jersey consumers to settle allegations it used “robo-signed” affidavits and made calculation errors in seeking court judgments, state authorities said Wednesday. As part of the settlement, the bank and Chase Bankcard Services will pay $136 million to 47 states, the…
GOP chief arrested on drunken driving charge
JERSEY CITY — The head of Hudson County’s Republican Party was arrested early this morning after cops say he was driving drunk in Downtown Jersey City, had trouble speaking and stumbled while getting out of his car, according to the Port Authority. Jose Arango, 57, of West New York, was driving westbound on 14th Street at…
Doctor Sentenced to 63 Months in Prison
PARSIPPANY — A Boonton doctor was sentenced to 63 months in prison for accepting $1.8 million in bribes to refer millions of dollars in business to Biodiagnostic Laboratory Services LLC (BLS), of Parsippany, as part of a long-running scheme operated by the lab, its president, and numerous associates, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Frank Santangelo, 45, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Stanley R. Chesler to an information charging him with violating the Travel Act, money laundering and failing to file tax returns. Judge Chesler imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
“Santangelo admitted he violated the trust of his patients, who should be able to count on their doctors’ prescribing only tests that are necessary and recommending providers based solely on their qualifications,” U.S. Attorney Fishman said. “This type of fraud compromises patient care and drives up the cost of health care.”
“Today’s sentencing of Frank Santangelo is the result of a long-term, multi-agency investigation into a complex health care fraud scheme which involved millions of dollars,” Richard M. Frankel, FBI Special Agent in Charge, Newark Division, said. “Santangelo’s arrest and sentencing send the message the FBI and its law enforcement partners will continue to zealously investigate these fraud and abuse schemes, which divert critical resources from of our already overburdened health care system and contribute exponentially to the rising cost of health care.”
Including Santangelo, 38 people – 26 of them doctors – have pleaded guilty in connection with the bribery scheme, which its organizers have admitted involved millions of dollars in bribes and resulted in more than $100 million in payments to BLS from Medicare and various private insurance companies.
According to documents filed in this and other cases and statements made in court:
Santangelo, with offices in Montville and Wayne received more than $1.8 million in bribe payments from BLS for referrals for which the lab was paid more than $6 million by Medicare and various insurance companies. After receiving more than $800,000 from BLS through sham lease agreements and sham service agreements between 2006 and 2010, Santangelo began receiving bribes from BLS through a third party – often tens of thousands of dollars a month – totaling more than $1 million between 2010 and his arrest in April 2013.
Santangelo acknowledged the authenticity of text messages between himself and BLS president and part owner David Nicoll in which Santangelo referred to ordering unnecessary tests to increase referrals to BLS in exchange for bribes. In one text message conversation, Santangelo said he and another doctor had “put our heads together and added a significant amount of testing…. The testing is 90 percent legit.” Santangelo detailed his plan to send $1 million per month in blood testing referrals to BLS by increasing the number of blood tests being ordered, including medically unnecessary tests.
In another text message conversation, David Nicoll wrote to Santangelo about the status of their referral agreement, stating that BLS “really can’t afford the 40-50,000 [dollars] a month if the girls aren’t going to be drawing any blood,” to which Santangelo responded by stating, “U no u can count on me!” and “I never let u down!”
He also pleaded guilty to money laundering, admitting that he used another individual in an attempt to hide the bribes from BLS, and to failing to file tax returns from 2009-2011 and pay taxes owed during that time period.
On April 9, 2013, federal agents arrested David Nicoll, 41, of Mountain Lakes; Scott Nicoll, 34, of Wayne, a senior BLS employee and David Nicoll’s brother; and Craig Nordman, 36, of Whippany, a BLS employee and the CEO of Advantech Sales LLC – an entity used by BLS to make illegal payments. They were charged by federal complaint with the bribery conspiracy, along with the BLS company and Santangelo. David and Scott Nicoll and Nordman are awaiting sentencing.
“Physicians who accept kickbacks in exchange for patient referrals and ordering medically unnecessary blood tests undermine the public’s faith in the medical profession and the financial stability of Medicare,” said Special Agent in Charge Scott J. Lampert, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. “OIG will continue to protect both taxpayers and patients by holding physicians accountable for such wrongdoing.”
In addition to the prison term, Judge Chesler sentenced Santangelo to three years of supervised release and fined him $6,250. Santangelo must also forfeit more than $1.8 million as part of his plea agreement. The investigation has so far recovered more than $11.5 million through forfeiture.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Richard M. Frankel; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Scott J. Lampert; IRS–Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jonathan D. Larsen, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Inspector in Charge Maria L. Kelokates, with the ongoing investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Senior Litigation Counsel Andrew Leven, Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Minish, and Jacob T. Elberg, Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office Health Care and Government Fraud Unit in Newark, as well as Assistant U.S. Attorney Barbara Ward of the office’s Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Unit.
U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman reorganized the health care fraud practice at the New Jersey U.S. Attorney’s Office shortly after taking office, including creating a stand-alone Health Care and Government Fraud Unit to handle both criminal and civil investigations and prosecutions of health care fraud offenses. Since 2010, the office has recovered more than $635 million in health care fraud and government fraud settlements, judgments, fines, restitution and forfeiture under the False Claims Act, the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and other statutes.
Letter to the editor: Kirkbride Building has now been so thoroughly degraded
Dear Editor:
By now many of you have seen the Daily Record article (click here).
I regret to inform you that the CenterMain section of the Kirkbride Building has now been so thoroughly degraded that any hope for its re-use has been lost, and there will be no adaptive re-use of the Greystone Kirkbride Building whatsoever.
And so ends our mission of advocacy.
Once its days as a hospital ended, there was a golden opportunity to bring this treasure forward into contemporary relevance, and to define a positive new role for it in our community. Numerous examples exist of Kirkbride Buildings in other states (some of lower quality, and in far worse shape than our Greystone) that now serve as community centers, mixed use commercial/residential villages, and wildly popular tourist destinations. They were revitalized without any expenditure of taxpayer money.
But there will be no second act for our Kirkbride Building.
Nor third, nor fourth.
Greystone is public property, literally common ground. It has been an enormous presence in the community – for a long, long time. Answering the question of what to do with it is a conversation that should have taken place publicly. All stakeholders should have had the opportunity to voice their aspirations for this public heirloom, and to voice their concerns for how different adaptive re-uses might impact the community, now and for future generations.
Unfortunately, Greystone’s fate was deliberated behind closed doors, by an insular collection of public officials who will not account for their actions in this matter. No plausible explanation has been given for the decisions that were made. The silence of our local officials on this issue is deafening, and the story promulgated by the State – that it would cost too much to re-use the building – is nonsense. Numerous private firms came forward with the money and expertise to put the building to good use. But the State wouldn’t talk to them.
To say that these officials failed to manage our assets wisely, or even responsibly, is an understatement. They turned down over $100M in private investment, borrowed $50M, and actively destroyed an irreplaceable public heirloom that was built to last forever – an irretrievable loss for this generation and countless future ones, and an affront to the generation that built it.
I heartily commend the foresight and collaborative action being taken by all those working to rescue iconic pieces of the façade. It is sincerely hoped that these will indeed comprise part of a future memorial on the site. But a memorial, no matter how important, no matter how thoughtful or beautiful, cannot mitigate this fiscal, cultural and environmental disaster.
I want to thank you all for your attention, and commend you all once again for your active participation and support for good public policy. If you took the time to send a postcard, plant a lawnsign, attend a rally, call your legislator, or simply talked to your neighbors about Greystone, you were engaged in an important act of citizenship. If you demanded answers, you were sending a message. No matter the outcome, these actions are vitally important to the health of our democracy. Sunshine is the best disinfectant, and an informed, engaged, and vocal citizenry is the best antidote to bad government.
John Huebner
President, Preserve Greystone 501c3
Summit Housing Authority sued for public meeting and records violations
SUMMIT — The New Jersey Foundation for Open Government (NJFOG) on May 29 filed suit in Union County Superior Court against the Summit Housing Authority and its Custodian of Records alleging violations of the Open Public Records Act (OPRA) and Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA).
A hearing to address the OPRA counts in the case (Docket No. UNN-L-1927-15) is scheduled for Friday, July 10 at 10:00 a.m. before Judge James Hely, J.S.C. OPMA counts will be addressed at a later date.
The lawsuit is the latest installment of NJFOG’s “affirmative litigation” initiative, begun in 2014, intended to give teeth to the State’s open public meetings and records laws and to increase compliance by public agencies statewide.
“OPMA and OPRA violations are commonplace, unfortunately. Citizens are often hesitant to bring suit to enforce the law, especially for OPMA violations, because, until reform is passed by the Legislature, there’s no mandate requiring a court to award legal fees in an OPMA case. Few people can bear the financial burden of bringing a lawsuit, so there is a need for an organization like NJFOG to step in – to do what individuals can’t – in order to protect the rights of the public,” said NJFOG President Walter Luers.
The suit stems from an April 9, 2015 OPRA request filed by NJFOG Treasurer and Affirmative Litigation Committee member John Paff seeking the minutes of the Housing Authority’s three most recent non-public (closed or executive) session meetings, the motions or resolutions authorizing those three closed sessions, and motions or resolutions for any closed sessions held subsequently. (Note: Prior to excluding the public from a meeting, a public body must pass a written resolution or oral motion to enter into executive session.)
In a short response dated April 17, 2015 that included no records, Joseph M. Billy, Jr., Executive Director of the Housing Authority and its Records Custodian, stated that the Authority’s board motions and votes to enter executive session as needed but that no written resolutions are prepared. He went on to state, rather incredulously, that “minutes of executive sessions are not maintained and therefore are unavailable.”
NJFOG was able to find records from 2010, including 1) a written resolution to enter executive session on May 26, 2010, and 2) minutes for an executive session held on October 27, 2010.
What’s interesting is that this shows the agency kept minutes of their closed session meetings as recently as four or five years ago.
The Authority’s website includes another salient detail — minutes for the public portion of a meeting on September 17, 2014 show that the board entered into executive session at that meeting. No minutes exist for that closed session, apparently.
In its June 24 answer to the complaint, the Housing Authority states that Mr. Billy had interpreted Paff’s OPRA request to be only for records of meetings held since Billy became Executive Director on April 1, 2013.
Paff’s request was both clear and concise, however, and mentions no time frame.
While admitting it should have prepared minutes for its executive sessions and didn’t during Billy’s tenure as director, the Authority argues that it didn’t violate OPRA by not providing the records in response to Paff’s request because the statute doesn’t require a public agency to create records to fill an OPRA request.
NJFOG’s response to the Authority includes the following passage: “OPRA does not limit OPRA requests to the tenure or term of office of the Records Custodian. If the legislature meant for this to happen, it would be in the list of exceptions to OPRA. It would also go against public policy, as a public entity could change custodians frequently to avoid production of documents. In addition, Billy in his original response to…Paff fails to mention that the denial is only for his tenure, this appears to be a last minute argument that carries no weight.”
Alleged violations of the Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) include use of executive session motions/resolutions that are not sufficiently detailed and failure to maintain meeting minutes for executive sessions.
NJFOG is the only non-profit organization in the state dedicated solely to improving New Jersey’s Open Public Records Act (OPRA) and Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) and working to educate the public and increase governmental compliance with these laws.