PARSIPPANY — K.S. Contracting Corporation, based in Parsippany, and owned by Paresh Shah, is accused of cheating dozens of immigrant works out of $1.7 million in unpaid wages and benefits under the New York State Labor Law. Their office address is listed as 29 Phillip Drive.
According to New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer, 36 workers lost $1.7 million in wages and benefits. Most of the employees affected earned $90.00 a day. Shah claimed rates for workers started at $50.00 an hour. Shah would issue paychecks to half of his workers, requiring them to cash the checks and return the cash back to him. Shah would then redistribute the cash to all of the employees, underpaying employees while creating the appearance of fair wages.
The video above shows how it worked.
Stringer fined K.S. Contracting Corporation $3.2 million and has barred the contractor from all city or state work for five years.
Over four years, K.S. Contracting Corporation was awarded $21 million in contracts by various departments of the New York City government. A 2010 employee complaint to the Comptroller’s office started the investigation, which uncovered the scheme to underpay immigrant workers.
New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer said. “Contractors might think they can take advantage of immigrants, but today we’re sending a strong message: my office will fight for every worker in New York City. This is about basic fairness and accountability.”
PARSIPPANY — Whole Foods is shrinking its store count for the first time since the recession, as reported in Business Insider.
According to the report, the grocery chain plans to close nine stores in the current quarter, which ends in April, while opening only six new stores. None of the stores closing are in New Jersey.
The closings represent a tiny fraction of Whole Foods’ 440 stores in the United States, but they signal a new era of potentially stagnant growth for the troubled chain amid growing competition in the organic- and natural-food market.
Whole Foods is proposing a new store at future Waterview Marketplace, Route 46 and Waterview Boulevard. The proposed store will occupy 49,000 square feet. The total shopping center will consist of 157,410 square feet and provide 679 parking spots. (Click here to see diagram of proposed shopping center). Meanwhile there is a vacant 65,106 square foot former PathMark Store less than two miles east of the proposed location.
Parsippany Focus contacted their corporate office in Austin, Texas, but did not receive a return call.
Whole Foods Market will be opening its newest location in Newark situated in the recently renovated and historic Hahne & Company building at 633 Broad Street on Wednesday, March 1 at 9:00 a.m. Whole Foods Market Newark will boast 29,000 square feet of space providing the Newark community access to the highest quality produce, meat, seafood, baked goods, body care, grocery offerings and healthy eating resources in the area. The store marks Whole Foods Market’s third location in Essex County and 17th overall in New Jersey. Other New Jersey Whole Foods stores include Morristown, Madison, West Orange, Union and Montclair.
The company’s same-store sales have declined in each of the past six quarters.
The chain saw a 2.4% decline in that metric during its most recent quarter, the company stated.
Whole Foods is now scrapping its plans to eventually expand to expand to 1,200 stores across the United States.
Company executives said they are going to wait and see how recently opened stores perform before making any long-term commitments on future growth.
PARSIPPANY — A $2,000 donation was presented by ADP to each the following Parsippany organizations at a recent Township Council meeting.
· Parsippany-Troy Hills Free Public Library
· Parsippany Police Athletic League
· Police Benevolent Association Local 131
· Parsippany-Troy Hills Fire Association District 6
· Parsippany Ambulance Squad
A total of $10,000 was donated by ADP to local organizations.
Chuck Meunier, Vinny Petito and Dave White
The presentation was given by David White, Division Vice President, Tools and Technology for ADP’s Global Business Solution.
The headquarters for its Major Accounts Division – which supports companies with 50-999 employees – is located right across from Parsippany Town Hall at One Waterview Boulevard. ADP’s other key location at 99 Jefferson Road houses over 1,000 associates and is considered one of ADP’s largest service and implementation centers on the East Coast.
David has been attending and giving back to the community for the fourth consecutive year. David shared one of ADP’s core values of giving back to the communities where we work and live. ADP is the largest Human Capital Management provider in the world and is proud to have two major sites located in Parsippany.
White indicated that ADP’s CEO and President Carlos Rodriquez has always been a big advocate of giving back to communities, and has made it part of the ADP culture. One way that he demonstrates this is by giving each full time ADP associate eight hours of paid volunteer time per year, to be used in the form of volunteer work or community service to make the world a better place to live and work.
PARSIPPANY — Parsippany High School inducted the new members of 2017 Hall of Fame Class on Tuesday, February 7, 2017 in the Media Center. The ceremony was attended by community members, alumni, parents and students that celebrated this year’s induction ceremony. This year’s class consists of five impressive inductees.
Fei-Fei Li – ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT – Presented by David Sabella
Academic Achievement Award was presented to Fei-Fei Li, a 1995 graduate of PHS
When Fei-Fei Li moved to New Jersey from China when she was 16 years old, she couldn’t speak a word of English. However, despite this disadvantage, and through an incredible amount of diligence, she graduated sixth in her class gained acceptance to Princeton University where she received a BA in Physics. She then earned her MS and her Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology. Fei-Fei has had a successful career teaching at the college level: Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in both the Psychology and Electrical and Computer Engineering Departments; Assistant Professor at Princeton
University in the Psychology and Computer Science Departments; and Assistant Professor and, currently as an Associate Professor at Stanford University in the Computer Science Department. Fei-Fei’s accomplishments are astounding. She is currently the Director of Stanford’s Artificial Intelligence Lab (SAIL), and she is one of the Directors for the SAIL OutReach Summer Program, designed to reach out to rising 10th grade girls and expose them to the world of Artificial Intelligence (Al). Fei-Fei also leads the partnership between Stanford and Toyota, along with MIT, where the focus of the partnership is on A1 – assisted driving. She is also the Director for the Stanford Vision Lab, which explores issues in computer and human vision.
David Sabella presented the Academic Achievement Award to Fei-Fei Li
In March of 2015, Fei-Fei gave a TED talk describing the way we teach computers to understand pictures as humans do; this video has been viewed over 1.7 million times. She was recently named one of our country’s 2016 Great Immigrants by the Carnegie Corporation, and she was interviewed by CNN about her life story. Fei-Fei has given dozens of keynote speeches, talks and seminars around the world. She has been the Chair, Co-Chair, or organizer of more than two dozen committees and workshops. She has co-authored more than a hundred papers, journals and book chapters in addition to numerous.
LEROY COLLINS, JR. (’78) – MILITARY SERVICE Presented by Ron Foreso (former teacher)
Former Teacher Ron Foreso presented the honor to Leroy Collins, Jr., Class of 1978
Roy graduated from PHS with academic honors as a member of the National Honor Society, earned 7 Varsity Letters and held leadership positions in several after school activities, including INTERACT, Institute for Political and Legal Education (IPLE), and Student Council, and contributed to the Daily Record’s publication of “None Outsings Parsippany”, a history of Parsippany-Troy Hills. Upon graduation, he reported to the US Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT, where he earned a BS degree in Ocean Engineering and was commissioned an Ensign. During his ten-year Coast Guard career, he received several personal and unit awards; at the age of 24, was one of the youngest sea service officers to assume command afloat; and was selected to serve as a military Aide to Presidents Reagan and Bush. He subsequently transitioned to private industry where he has assumed executive leadership positions in the defense/aerospace industry, pioneered the delivery of internet services via satellite, and earned an MBA. He currently serves as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Senior Advisor contributing to the agency’s space-based environmental monitoring mission (i.e. weather) by managing satellite acquisition programs, international partnerships, and science-based climatic research. Roy is an international cycling enthusiast who has competed in numerous endurance cycling events, such as the Race Across America (RAAM), where he and his team hold the world record for the Oceanside, CA to Annapolis, MD (3010 miles) race in under 5.5 days, has served as the US Naval Academy’s cycling team Head Coach for the past 9 years, earning 6 ACC Division 1 Conference Champion and National Championship Titles, and mentors his Nationally ranked son (or is mentored by him). He, his wife Kim, and son, Ryan, currently reside in Annapolis, MD.
JOE BERNABE -TEACHER Presenter: Greg Dalakian (former student, colleague)
Joe Bernabe served as the PHS Band Director for thirty-one years
Joe Bernabe served as the PHS Band Director for thirty-one years (1977-2008), instilling a love of music in thousands of students and inspiring dozens to pursue careers as professional musicians or music teachers.
As Band Director, he prepared and conducted over 150 concerts with his students. At various times of his career, he also worked with the Pit Band, Marching Band and North Jersey Area Band in addition to serving as coach of the Golf Team for many years. In his retirement, he has managed to keep in touch with PHS, attending every concert and Hall of Fame ceremony and continuing to mentor and assist the music department in any way that he can including the school’s 60th Anniversary. Mr. Bernabe was beloved by his students and colleagues for his talents, passion and his neverending sense of humor.
Jean Sabella
BOB SABELLA – Teacher. Presented by Jean Sabella (wife, colleague)
Bob Sabella was a Mathematics teacher in the Parsippany-Troy Hills School District for 31 years; he taught at Parsippany High School for 23 of those years serving as Lead Teacher of the Math Department for all of them. An accomplished teacher and lead.er in the District, Bob held numerous positions and won numerous awards over the years, including the Distinguished Faculty Award in 2001, Vice President of the Parsippany-Troy Hills Education Association, Co-Director of the Iron Hills Conference Math League; chairing the Parsippany High School Middle States Steering Committee in 1989-1990. Bob was also a published writer, with numerous articles in the New Jersey Mathematics Teacher, Who Shaped Science Fiction and co-edited Nanking 1937: Memory and Healing. But where Bob really stood out was in his love and advocacy for his students. Despite the fact that his standards and expectations for his students were extremely high (his students’ AP scores can attest to that), he was beloved by the students he taught and/or mentored. A long-time advisor to the Indian Cultural Club and the Asian American Club (in addition to the Math Team, of course), he celebrated the diversity that is the student body of PHS.
Members of Parsippany High School 1977 Football Team
1977 FOOTBALL TEAM – ATHLETICS. The 1977 Football Team is widely regarded as the best football team in PHS history. Coming off a 2-7 season the previous season, expectations were not high for this group. Fortunately, they worked hard and banded together to finish their regular season with an Iron Hills Conference title and a perfect 9-0 record. They won their first state playoff game to advance to the Group 3, Section 2 State Finals at home versus state powerhouse Phillipsburg. In front of the largest crowd in PHS history, they lost a tough game but left their mark on the school and community. They were ranked the 2nd best team in Morris County and were heralded as one of the area’s top defenses. They succeeded under the direction of Head Coach/PHS Hall of Famer Bob Martin, and his Assistant Coaches: PHS alumni/teacher Mike Yesunas, and former PHS Athletic Director Joe Grippaldi. The roster consisted of the following players and coaches: Bob Mainardi, Steve Pucilowski, Steve Kaufman, Robert Fulton, Bill Freeman, B. Picinich, Bill Stivaly, Timothy Pucilowski, Michael Caruso, Steve Russo, John Spagnola, K. Connell, Richard dePierro, B. Dalrymple, H. Horowitz, Terry Pine, J. Molinare, T. Gonzales, R. Scrivani, R. Aber, S. Furini, N. Stone, T. Blazier, B. Knott, J. DiGiacinto, T. Pescherine, Jim Miele, R. Krush, V. Mini, S. Simonetti, G. Lepre, S. Miczak, M. Hopkins, M. Brady, K. O’Connell, Al Paradise, E. Weinstein, F. Paradise, C. Pizzi, B. Matthias M. Plath, K. Miele, E. McGarry, M. Pignatelli, T. Behrle, Charles Lategano, Tony Santangelo, Peter DelGazio, D. Tubby, F. Bolcar, Pat Fahy, John Burke, J. Schkolnick, M. Thompson, B. Snedberg, Darrel Knops, Coach Grippaldi, Coach Yesunas, Coach Radice, and Coach Martin.
Mr. Lazz’s Woods & Mrs Collado’s Foods prepared a cupcake display for the 60th Anniversary
MORRIS COUNTY — The Morris County Office of Emergency Management has launched a new Emergency Medical Services program designed to supplement the first-responder needs of the county’s 39 municipalities when assistance is required.
Development of this county funded initiative resulted from discussions with officials of several municipalities who asked for Morris County support for the daytime EMS response challenge throughout the county.The goal of this initiative is to provide a mutual aid ambulance during weekday hours for use in Morris County municipalities when other ambulance service is unavailable.
“We understand the stress put on towns that rely on volunteers, especially during weekdays when volunteers are mostly at work, to handle ambulance and first responder needs,’’ said Freeholder Director Doug Cabana. “We have heard their concerns and we hope to supplement their volunteer services and fill gaps in service through this county effort.’’
The new county service was launched on February 6, offering service on weekdays from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and using experienced emergency medical technicians hired by the county.
At the direction of the Freeholders, the new Morris County program has been developed on a foundation of providing professional and exemplary care, and getting an ambulance to a patient in the shortest amount of time, and with the least financial impact on those in need of emergency medical attention.
Since this is a Morris County funded program, the county will only accept insurance reimbursement payments from users, but will not require any other payment.
Services of the county’s new EMS team will come into play when:
A local volunteer EMS squad is unable to staff a call;
Local EMS resources are already committed to a call, and are unable to staff an additional ambulance;
An emergency call goes into a mutual aid mode;
A contracted/paid billing first responder service is already on a call and/or is outside the coverage area, and our Morris County ambulance is closer to the patient;
The local volunteer EMS squad schedules county coverage ahead of time.
“Importantly, we also will make sure that our county service will not conflict with EMS coverage provided by the many dedicated Morris County volunteers, who take time out of their busy lives to volunteer with their local and regional EMS agencies,’’ added Freeholder Tom Mastrangelo, who is the county governing board’s liaison on public safety issues.
The county recognizes that some Morris County towns do not utilize contracted EMS services and do not have volunteers to staff an ambulance during the 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. period on Monday through Friday.
Those towns may call upon the new Morris County OEM/EMS if the county ambulance is in a call area and available on that particular day should the need arise.
When the program was in its developmental stage, county officials met leaders of local EMS agencies countywide to discuss this potential program. County officials stressed their full support of the longstanding local EMS model, with local agencies staffing their own ambulances and servicing patients in their respective communities.
MORRIS COUNTY — The Morris County Young Republicans held a Governor Forum on Monday, February 7 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Rockaway.
More than 150 attended the event and listened to the candidates, Joseph Rullo and Steve Rogers. The event were moderated by Secretary Michael Crispi, and State Committeeman Anthony J. Somma Jr.
This was a great way to kick off the 2017 GOP Primary.
Republican Candidate for Governor Joseph Rullo
Joseph R. Rullo was born at Clara Mass hospital, Belleville and lived in Nutley. Early youth lived in Port Reading. He attended St. Anthony’s Elementary School and later, Woodbridge High School. As a teenager, Joseph moved to Beachwood in Ocean County. He graduated from Toms River High School South, and Ocean County College where he earned an Associate Degree. After graduating Ocean County College, he transferred to The College of NJ. He lived in Ewing for two years while attending college, and graduated with a B.A. in political science. Joseph remains a proud resident of Ocean County, living in Little Egg Harbor. Joseph has been an entrepreneur and small businesses owner for two decades. He is also an actor in the TV and feature film industry.
Joseph is past member of both Ortley Beach and South Toms River First Aid Squads and was a volunteer fireman on the Manitou Park Fire Department. He has earned an EMT and CPR instructor certification as well.
Designed curriculum as an Ocean County College instructor for continuing education program for acting, renewable energy, and landscape design. He also instructed courses for the unemployed to reenter the workforce.
Republican Candidate for Governor Steve Rogers
After receiving an honorable discharge from the USAF in 1974, Steven Rogers became a police officer in the city of East Orange, New Jersey. In 1976, he left the East Orange Police Department and became a police officer in the Township of Nutley, N.J. until he retired in 2011 as a Detective Lieutenant, Commander of the police department’s criminal investigative division. In 1991, Mr. Rogers was appointed by the NJ Attorney General to teach Community Policing methodologies at the Israeli National Police Academy, Beit Shemesh, Israel.
In 2008, Mr. Rogers was elected to the Nutley, N.J. school district Board of Education, and in 2012, he was elected to the Nutley, N.J. Board of Commissioners, and re-elected to that position in May, 2016. During his tenure as a Nutley Commissioner he established the first municipal government Military & Veterans Affairs Bureau in New Jersey, which has won national acclaim.
Mr. Rogers served in the United States Air Force from 1970-1974. In 1986, Mr. Rogers enlisted in the United States Navy Reserves and served with the Office of Naval Intelligence until he retired as a Lieutenant Commander in 2004. In 2001, he served as the Deputy Director Intelligence Support Group, Homeland Security. In 2002, he served as Deputy Chief of Staff, (N2) Intelligence, assigned as the U.S. Northern Command’s Senior Military Intelligence Officer to the FBI National Joint Terrorism Task Force, Washington, D.C.
Mr. Rogers has a degree in Criminal Justice Administration from William Paterson University, Wayne. He also completed courses of study in military strategy at the United States Naval War College, Rhode Island; and courses on Global Terrorism at the United Nations, New York City.
Mr. Rogers is an author and FOX News guest commentator. Mr. Rogers is married and has three grown children. In 2015-2016, he served as an Advisor to the campaign or President Donald Trump.
Members of the Morris County Young Republicans with candidates Steve Rogers and Joseph Rullo
The Morris County Young Republicans is a chapter within the New Jersey Young Republican Federation. They are one of the most active Young Republican clubs in the State of New Jersey. In 2016, they were proud to receive the NJYRF’s Award for “Club of the Year.” With increased membership and fundraising this past year, including for charity, the Young Republicans take pride in improving their community and working on key races for Republicans in 2017.
The 2017 leadership team consists of Chairman: Joseph Bock, Esq., Boonton; Vice Chair: Sydney Ugalde, Randolph; Secretary: Michael Crispi, Hanover; Treasurer: Julie Lapatka, CPA, Boonton Township; General Counsel: Bill Delaney, Esq., Morristown and Joseph Franck, Esq., Parsippany; State Committeeman: Anthony Somma, Dover; State Committeewoman: Tia-Lynn Fritze, Roxbury and Immediate Past Chair: William Felegi, Jefferson.
For more information on Morris County Young Republicans, click here.
Several members and former members have run for and won elected office. They continue to support fellow Young Republicans in their campaigns and making a difference.
The Morris County Young Republicans is determined to grow our membership to build strong Republican networks in every one of our municipalities. We would like to encourage YOU to join our club, by donating yearly dues of just $35.00. You may bring a check made payable to “Morris County Young Republicans” to their next meeting, or mail a check to our office at 26 Schuyler Place, Morristown New Jersey 07960. You may also pay online by credit card by clicking here. Membership dues allow our group to survive and to run monthly events. For club voting rights, members must be registered Republicans between ages 18-40 living in Morris County. However, we would be delighted to have any of our other friends who are outside of those qualifications to join as Associate Members, and to attend all of our events.
PARSIPPANY — Senior Justin Carifi set the Parsippany Hills High School record on Saturday, February 11 for most wins in PHHS Wrestling history with his 109th win against Boonton High School.
Carifi has been a starter on the Varsity team for the past four years, since he was a freshman at PHHS.
PARSIPPANY — Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce attended the Parsippany-Troy Hills Council meeting on February 7 to honor and congratulate the team, and gave every girl a proclamation.
Parsippany Hills High School Girls Soccer team won the North 2 Group II title. The Vikings shut out No. 3 Morris Tech, sixth-seeded Madison, and No. 2 Mountain Lakes to reach the sectional final, then took down fourth-seeded Parsippany High School and North 1 Group II champ Mahwah.
Coach Gia Rosamilia receives a proclamation from Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce.
After going winless in September, Parsippany Hills’ first regular-season victory was against sister school Parsippany High School on October 4, which boosted motivation to put in extra work. The Vikings defeated their crosstown rival again on November 11 to claim the North 2 Group II title.
PARSIPPANY – On Sunday, February 12, Parsippany resident Michael Soriano announced his candidacy for Mayor. Two-term Republican Mayor James Barberio’s term is up December 31, 2017.
Currently Parsippany has Republican mayor and a council that has not had a Democratic member since Councilman Jonathan Nelson lost his mayoral bid against Barberio in 2013. Nelson was the first democrat to sit on the Council in over 25 years.
Council President Louis Valori and Council Vice President Robert Peluso terms end on December 31, 2017 and both are up for re-election.
In announcing his candidacy, “I’m running for one reason, to clean up Parsippany,” said Soriano. “When it comes to these petty feuds that have been going on in town hall that, for awhile, have made Parsippany so interesting to the press, I’ll tell you this, and I’ll paraphrase a friend of mine, I want to make Parsippany boring again.”
Soriano said I am going to break it down like this “I am going to demand a dollar worth of value for every dollar worth of tax money.”
Democrats have tightened the voter-registration gap in Morris County’s largest municipality, but Republicans still lead by a margin of about 11,000 to 9,000, according to Morris County Democratic Committee Chairman Chip Robinson.
Morris County Democratic Chairman Chip Robinson
“The Democratic turnout is usually down in odd, years, but because of Democratic frustration with Trump and Christie, we think Democratic turnout is going to be equivalent or higher than Republican turnout in 2017,” Robinson said.
Robinson also pointed out that despite the Republican voter advantage, Hillary Clinton won the 2016 presidential vote in Parsippany over Trump, and Barack Obama won the township twice.
“A lot of you may not know this, but since 1966, every mayor except for two were Democrats in this town,” said Robinson. “One of those two Republicans (Frank Priore) resigned. And the other is going to be defeated in about 10 or 11 months.”
Robinson continued to discuss voter demographics, but concluded by saying the most important reason he feels his party can “take Parsippany back” is because “we have an exceptional candidate for Mayor. One of the things I love about our candidate is that he treats everyone like brothers and sisters. He’s a union member, so it makes sense he would do that.”
Parsippany Democratic Chairman Matt Clarkin
Parsippany Democratic Chairman Matt Clarkin said:“[Michael Soriano] is someone who has served as a mentor to countless youth in his profession and in this Township, myself included. I know that this is the next step for him in a life defined by service to others.”
Former Mayor Mimi Letts, Former Councilman Jonathan Nelson, Morris County Democratic Chairman Chip Robinson and Parsippany Democratic Chairman Matt Clarkin were among the many supporters who came out on this cold, rainy, icy day.
Audience listens to the announcement
Soriano, 49, was born on a military base in Fort Gordon, Georgia to Ramon and Ada Soriano in 1967. He was raised in Queens, New York. He earned his Associate’s degree in Public Administration from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
He is also an Eagle Scout.
He moved to Parsippany in 2002 and married Jennifer DeMaio the same year, and has one daughter, Eleanor. He is an Electrician by trade, currently working as a foreman and a member of IBEW Local 3. He also belongs to Veterans of Foreign Wars Community Service Award, Post 536 and Vigil Honor Order of the Arrow.
The primary will be held on Tuesday, June 6. Polls will be open from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
You are eligible to vote if you are a citizen of the United States, are a Morris County resident 30 days before the election. You can register is you are at least 17 years of age, but cannot vote until the age of 18. You can not be incarcerated, on parole or on probation due to a felony conviction.
If you don’t know if you are a registered voter, you can click here to find out.
If you are not a registered voter, you can fill out the application form (click here), and mail a completed form to Morris County Board of Elections, Post Office Box 9000, Morristown, New Jersey 07960. You must register 21 days prior to the election which you wish to vote. Your registration will remain valid, as long as you do not move out of Morris County.
Once you are registered you will receive a ballot in the mail. If you need to find out where you go to vote, click here.
Parsippany Focus has reached out to all candidates that have filed their registrations, asking when and where they are announcing. Parsippany Focus will give equal coverage to all candidates running for office. Any candidate can contact us by sending an email by clicking here.
PARSIPPANY — Parsippany Hills High School Class of 2017 recruit Billy Taylor took a trip down south to Piscataway in late January for the annual junior day event.
Taylor is listed as a 6-foot-1, 225-pound long snapper and was hearing a lot from the Scarlet Knights football staff, before recently making a commitment to attend Rutgers University. Taylor is ranked No. 1 longsnapper in New Jersey and in the Atlantic Region (Rubio).
“It was a good visit, I was impressed by a lot of things,” said Taylor. “We toured the weight room while a few athletes were working out, then we went to the locker room. We were on the field for a little, and then we had lunch. We also heard a few presentations on academics and its importance to the staff. At the end, we split up into position groups.”
“I started speaking with Rutgers in the spring of last year,” Taylor said. “Recently, I’ve had coaches Jay Niemann, and coach Toby Nienas come talk to me at school. I also took two unofficial visits to Rutgers during the season to see them play Iowa and Penn State. I know right now they are looking for a preferred walk-on snapper.”
Billy Taylor was a Captain of the Par-Hills Vikings Football team and earned MVP. He was selected by Par Hills as the Football Scholar Athlete and will be receiving the award from The Greater Morris County Chapter of The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame on March 16. Taylor is a five star longsnapper and is ranked 9th out of 392 in the nation by Rubio Longsnapping.
Taylor’s accomplisments:
No. 1 ranked longsnapper in New Jersey and in the Atlantic Region (Rubio).
No. 1 ranked longsnapper by STS (Special Team Solutions)
PARSIPPANY — The 1972 graduating class from Parsippany High School will be gathering for its 45th Reunion, on September 15 and 16. The two day event has been planned appealing to classmates still in the area and to entice those who travel long distances. A few classmates will be traveling from Sweden and Thailand.
Reunion activities for this gala event will include a Friday afternoon picnic, Friday night Red Hawk football game, a Saturday tour of Parsippany High School and be topped by a lively evening event at The Hanover Manor filled with period music and a multimedia presentation.
As part of the planning group, Roland Lauther has located a majority of the graduates but would like assistance locating the few remaining missing classmates. Please review the below names and if you have any current contact information, an old address, college attended, names of siblings or spouse, or married name for any of the women, please email Roland by clicking here or find him at Facebook by clicking here.
Assistance is requested to locate the following classmates from PHS 1972: Michael Bassing, Nicole Beaudoin Denee, Laura Bizub, Nancy Bollick Hope, John Boutilette, Dennis Cornish, Carmen D’intino, Jeffrey Greene, Joy Hendricks, Steve Herman, Sol Matza, Joe Roszkowski, Nancy Voulgaris Newpher, Patricia Brady Devone, Edward Daly, Gary Giordano, Stephanie Jordon, Jeff Jusko and Joanne Garde Dressel.
PARSIPPANY — The Roy Baker Annual wrestling match is named after Mr. Baker who wrestled for Parsippany High School and went on to be a state champion in 1970. Mr. Baker would go on to a career with the NJ State Troopers and in 1996 while working with a special unit, Mr. Baker would suffer near fatal gunshot wounds in the breaking up of a major drug deal. For his courage in the line of duty he received the Governor’s Award for heroism and the John Basilone Award for his actions as a NJ State Trooper.
The Parsippany High School Redhawks won the match with a score of 57-15. The winners for the Redhawks were: Ahmed Homsi, Jared Bazaral, Richie Demary, Cameron Weissberg, Sean Gentile, Dominick DeIntinis, Max Johnson, Jeff Wear, Kevin Zheng, Michael Ilic and Kyle Braen. The winning wrestlers for the Parsippany Hills High School Vikings were Justin Carifi, William Parente and Nick Bruno.
PARSIPPANY — Par-Troy Little League East is holding registration for the 2017 Spring season.
Registration is now open for children age four and up who attend or will be attending the following schools: Rockaway Meadow, Troy Hills, Lake Hiawatha, Knollwood, Northvail, Central Middle School, Parsippany High School, and All Saints Academy. Registration will run through February 28, 2017. After that time, your child will be placed on wait list and placement on a team will not be guaranteed. A late fee of $25 will automatically apply to any registrations received after February 28, 2017.
Open to all children ages 4-16
Baseball age cutoff dDate is must be four by August 3.
Softball Age Cutoff Date is December 31, 2016.
You can register using one of the following ways:
Online Registration – For all new and returning players you must register online. You do not have to fill out a registration form. If you have a new player in your family you can add your child/children when registering online. Just mail in a copy of their birth certificate with payment. Click here to visit website. You must create an account to begin the registration process. Once you create your account click register, Fill out Parent/Guardian info first and then fill in your child’s information
In Person Registration – A date will be determined for an In-Person registration for new and returning players. Please check the website for dates. Please bring a copy of your child’s birth certificate if your child is new to the league. Ages need to be verified by Birth Certificate.
Information regarding Little League Baseball Spring season runs from April till the end of June. Most games are held at the PTLLE complex, located in the back of Northvail School. T-Ball & Farm will play one night during week and one game on Saturday. Weekday games start at 6:00 p.m., and time varies for Saturday. Other divisions will play approximately two nights & one Saturday game. Some divisions play inter-league which will require travel to other local towns. Parents / Guardians are expected to stay at all practices & games. Managers and Coaches cannot be responsible for your child. PTE is run entirely by volunteers. Parental support is needed to maintain a safe and happy environment for your children. Volunteers who have direct contact with the children (coaches, managers, etc), must attend and pass a certified safety course (RUTGERS). A background check will be conducted on all volunteers as mandated by Little League. To receive volunteer fee back, you must complete your task, fill out a refund form and submit to the concession stand by August 1. No refunds will be given after that date. Any withdrawals after April 1, 2017 are subject to a $50.00 penalty. There will be an annual Mandatory Fundraiser fee of $30.00 per family that will be collected during registration. There is also a $50.00 Volunteer fee required for each family which is very easily earned back through volunteering for any one of the many opportunities (I.E. Concession Stand, Coaching… )
If you have any questions, please contact Chris Mazzarella by calling (973) 939-4005 option 4, or click here to email.
NEWARK — In opening arguments Tuesday in Bernard Greenspan’s federal bribery trial, Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle Walsman didn’t mince words about why the Bergen County physician was sitting at the defense counsel’s table. “This case is about a doctor who took bribes from a corrupt blood lab in exchange for an agreement to send that lab…
IPARSIPPANY — Sons of Italy Chapter 2561 will be sponsoring a fundraiser for Par-Troy Wrestling Club. The fundraiser will be held at Parsippany Volunteer Fire District 5, 180 Old Bloomfield Road on Saturday, February 25 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
A $10.00 donation for adults and $8.00 for children.
Included with the pasta dinner, cooked by the Sons of Italy members, are homemade meatballs, bread, salad and dessert.
There will be door prizes, 50/50 and kids bingo.
Click here to download a form to make reservations for the event. Parsippany-Troy Hills Volunteer Fire District 5 will be donating the space for the event.
Parsippany is such a large town that its children’s wrestling programs are traditionally split into two teams – the Parsippany Redhawks and the Parsippany Hills Vikings. Both had long-established histories, successes, and victories. As strong as both teams functioned separately, coaches, wrestlers, and parents knew that if they joined forces to create one team Parsippany Wrestling would become a major squad.
This became a reality in the spring of 2010. The Par-Troy Wrestling Club was formed with the motto, “One Town. One Team.”
PTWC registers children from grades kindergarten through eighth grade and participates in a number of competitive wrestling leagues. Their function with a full Executive Board and Executive Committee Members. Their major annual fundraiser is a two-day Holiday Tournament with teams gathering from all over. Over the years PTWC boasts successes of all the kids, including:
New Jersey Kids State Qualifying Wrestlers, Place Winners and Champions
Participation and Great Success in Numerous Leagues: Grade School, Passaic County, Tri-County, Future Stars, Northwest NJ K-6, North Jersey, Northern NJ Gold and Silver Teams, and King of the Mat
Place Winners and Champions at Competitive Tournaments
Bronze Certified Coaches
Alumni Wrestlers who move on and are highly successful at Parsippany High School, Parsippany Hills High School, and local private programs
The full roster looks forward to more success under the club’s long list of qualified coaches. The 2016-2017 season will include participation of teams in five competitive leagues and local tournaments.
For more information on Par-Troy Wrestling, click here.
PARSIPPANY — At the Parsippany-Troy Hills Council Meeting on Tuesday, February 8 Leslie Moran and Kathryn Neice proposed to the council to adopt an ordinance banning retail sale of dogs and cats.
Ms. Moran explained that Randolph adopted a similar ordinance in 2014, and the Morris County Freeholders had passed a resolution in July encouraging municipalities to adopt similar ordinances. The council was provided with materials from the ASPCA describing the inhumane conditions that typify large scale dog breeding operations.
The Council members were reminded of the serious problems that have arisen at the various Just Pups stores, resulting in their closure.
Although the Just Pups, 325 Route 10, East Hanover had remained open until recently when East Hanover Township Health Officer ordered the store closed. Included in the materials left with the Council was also the “New Jersey Pet Store Report: Puppy Mills and Poor Conditions” compiled by the Humane Society of the United States. This report states that the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs has cited many pet stores across the state for violations of the PPPA (Pet Purchase Protection Act).
The HSUS report mentions the state’s action against Just Pups and Mr. LoSacco who “was also facing hundreds of animal cruelty charges related to the alleged mistreatment of puppies…sold sick puppies and deceived consumers.” The council was provided with a press release from the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs detailing the six-count complaint.
Council President Lou Valori
Ms. Moran concluded her remarks by suggesting that Parsippany move proactively to enact an ordinance thus avoiding the problems encountered by other towns. More than 80 New Jersey municipalities have enacted ordinances restricting retail sale of dogs and cats.
Council President Lou Valori said “I support the banning of these organizations. Puppy mills are one of the largest and the most systemic forms of animal cruelty in this country. The public needs to be educated on these horrific abuses.”
Council Vice President Robert J. Peluso
“I support a resolution that bans the sale of dogs and cats if they are not humanely treated. I would rather see people adopt animals to make them part of their family from great organizations such as St. Hubert’s and 11th Hour Rescue and Mt. Pleasant Animal Shelter. Think about adopting or volunteering at these shelters today,” stated Council Vice President Robert Peluso.
Currently, there are no locations that sell dogs within the Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills.
Just Pets was shut down on Saturday, February 4 after East Hanover Township Health Officer Carlo DiLizia ordered the dogs at the location be quarantined, claiming store owner Vincent LoSacco remained in violation of 32 summonses against the store that LoSacco has not remediated as promised.
DiLizia also noted that on or about January 23 “you imported 68 canine puppies without having the appropriate import verification from a licensed veterinarian the state of origin as required by (law), which would confirm the canines are free from rabies and other communicable diseases.”
DiLizia noted when the department did a follow up investigation on Wednesday, February 1, “We confirmed that at least three canine puppies died and at least two puppies had signs of communicable diseases while being housed in the general population.”
DiLizia ordered the store to quarantine all the animals “until a licensed veterinarian can determine that all animals no longer pose a risk of transmission to humans or other animals.”
DiLizia said the matter would be brought before the Township Council with the recommendation LoSacco’s license to operate is revoked.
A hearing on summonses issued to LoSacco was to take place on Thursday, February 9, but due to the snow storm East Hanover Municipal Court was closed, and the case has been rescheduled. Parsippany Focus will contact the Municipal Court to determine the new court date.
It has been a year since LoSacco’s pet store operations first made news.
Three dead dogs had been found in the freezer of the East Brunswick Just Pups store in February 2016. That store was shut down by East Brunswick.
Vincent LoSacco was charged following the discovery of 67 dogs in a van behind his Paramus store in April 2016.
LoSacco pleaded guilty to four health-code violations and was ordered to pay $19,000 in restitution. He originally faced hundreds of charges related to the incident, but the majority of those charges were dropped.
His Paramus store closed when LoSacco failed to reapply for a license.
A Just Pups store in Emerson closed in July, 2016.
Pet Pourri, Inc. which was housed in the Rockaway Townsquare Mall received 71 violations and was fined $13,800 for its wrongdoing, the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs announced. The store, along with 16 others in the state, were cited for violating the pet purchase protection act. If the store does not pay the amount presented by the state, it will pay a higher amount of $34,500. The store closed at the end of 2015.
MORRIS COUNTY — Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L) is closely monitoring the developing weather conditions associated with the predicted snow storm. JCP&L is prepared to activate its storm response plan should power outages occur.
In the event outages occur, customers without power are encouraged to call 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877) to report their outage, or click the “Report Outage” click here. In the event of severe weather, customers should immediately report downed wires to 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877), or call their local police or fire department.
JCP&L reminds customers to stay away from downed wires, even if they believe they are no longer carrying electricity. Extra caution should be used in areas where downed lines are tangled with trees or other debris. Motorists are cautioned to treat intersections with inoperable traffic signals as four-way stops.
JCP&L customers can subscribe to email and text message alert notifications to receive weather updates in advance of major storms, restoration updates when they have reported their power outage and more. Customers can also use two-way text messaging to report outages, request updates on restoration efforts and make other inquiries about their accounts. More information about these communication tools is available by clicking here.
PARSIPPANY — As of Wednesday evening, the Morris County Office of Emergency Management released the following statement “The weather team informs us that we may experience snowfall rates of 1-3″ per hour is possible on all surfaces during the morning rush. Heavy snow will gradually become lighter during the late morning before ending in the afternoon. We can expect the snow to start around 12:00 a.m. Thursday. The heaviest snow will fall from 6:00 a.m. through 11:00 a.m., with total snow accumulations of 10-13”. Major impacts are likely.”
Parsippany Focus, in the past, has kept the public aware of closings. Our list is updated frequently, so we suggest you check back. As of now the following events / buildings will be closed on Thursday, February 9.
Parsippany-Troy Hills Public Schools
Parsippany PAL Youth Center
Kiwanis Club of Greater Parsippany – breakfast meeting cancelled
State of New Jersey – all non-essential offices are closed.
Morris County Court House – all non-essential offices are closed.
Morris County Offices – all non-essential offices are closed.
Township of Parsippany – all non-essential offices are closed.
To have your organization listed, please email news@parsippanyfocus.com
PARSIPPANY — The National Weather Service has issued a hazardous weather outlook for the pending storm scheduled for Thursday, February 9.
The current forecast suggests that we will experience significant snowfall amounts which have the potential to cause travel delays on Thursday morning and afternoon. The data indicates a wintry mix is expected to approach the area between midnight and 1:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. on Thursday, which is expected to change over to snow shortly after.
In addition, the data suggests that snow will become heavy and continue through mid-morning with snowfall rates over 1” per hour, with the possibility of 2-3” per hour, depending on the storm track. Current data shows that snow will diminish between 12pm-2pm on Thursday. We continue to see varying snowfall totals depending on which model you look at. However, the ranges are between 4-10” depending on your location within Morris County. This data may change as we get closer to the event.
We will continue to monitor the storm as we receive updated information!
top defenses. They succeeded under the direction of Head Coach/PHS Hall of Famer Bob Martin, and his Assistant Coaches: PHS alumni/teacher Mike Yesunas, and former PHS Athletic Director Joe Grippaldi. The roster consisted of the following players and coaches: Bob Mainardi, Steve Pucilowski, Steve Kaufman, Robert Fulton, Bill Freeman, B. Picinich, Bill Stivaly, Timothy Pucilowski, Michael Caruso, Steve Russo, John Spagnola, K. Connell, Richard dePierro, B. Dalrymple, H. Horowitz, Terry Pine, J. Molinare, T. Gonzales, R. Scrivani, R. Aber, S. Furini, N. Stone, T. Blazier, B. Knott, J. DiGiacinto, T. Pescherine, Jim Miele, R. Krush, V. Mini, S. Simonetti, G. Lepre, S. Miczak, M. Hopkins, M. Brady, K. O’Connell, Al Paradise, E. Weinstein, F. Paradise, C. Pizzi, B. Matthias M. Plath, K. Miele, E. McGarry, M. Pignatelli, T. Behrle, 
Taylor is listed as a 6-foot-1, 225-pound long snapper and was hearing a lot from the Scarlet Knights football staff, before recently making a commitment to attend Rutgers University. Taylor is ranked No. 1 longsnapper in New Jersey and in the Atlantic Region (Rubio).
“I started speaking with Rutgers in the spring of last year,” Taylor said. “Recently, I’ve had coaches Jay Niemann, and coach Toby Nienas come talk to me at school. I also took two unofficial visits to Rutgers during the season to see them play Iowa and Penn State. I know right now they are looking for a preferred walk-on snapper.”
PARSIPPANY — T
Registration is now open for children age four and up who attend or will be attending the following schools: Rockaway Meadow, Troy Hills, Lake Hiawatha, Knollwood, Northvail, Central Middle School, Parsippany High School, and All Saints Academy. Registration will run through February 28, 2017. After that time, your child will be placed on wait list and placement on a team will not be guaranteed. A late fee of $25 will automatically apply to any registrations received after February 28, 2017.
