N.J. residents with AIDS remain eligible for program that pays for medication, Gov. Christie says

file photoN.J. Senators Loretta Weinberg (Bergen) and Joseph Vitale (Middlesex). MORRISTOWN — Three days before state budget cuts would have eliminated nearly 960 patients with HIV and AID from a program that paid for their costly array of prescriptions, Gov....

Gov. Christie proposes expanding grant program to keep N.J. businesses in-state

Sarah Rice/For The Star-LedgerHoneywell Global Headquarters in Morris Township. Gov. Christie spoke today at the company's headquarters about keeping N.J. businesses in-state. TRENTON — Gov. Chris Christie today proposed pumping up a state grant program designed to keep businesses in...

Morristown Councilwoman Alison Deeb: Still time to vote in contest for revamped dog park

Earlier this month we posted a video by Morristown Councilwoman Alison Deeb, who has entered a national contest in hopes of winning $500,000 to spruce up the dog park at Lewis Morris Park.

You can vote for Alison’s video every day through Aug. 11.  It’s possible that her video could win money to revamp an area dog park other than Lewis Morris, she said, and that’s okay with her and Max.

The “Greetings from New Jersey” cycling jersey is now available in stores!

The shirts are now available from Cycle Craft in Parsippany and Marty's Reliable Cycle in Morristown, and every purchase helps make NJ a safer place to bike, walk and jog for everyone.

Morris Township police investigating rash of daytime burglaries

Morris Township police are asking for help solving 10 burglaries dating to March, reports The Daily Record.

Most of the crimes have occurred on weekdays during the day, on the western side of the township, according to the report. Standard precautions are advised: Cancel newspaper and mail delivery during vacations and don’t trumpet your absence on social networking sites.

Anyone with information can call the police at 973-539-0777.

Morristown blood drive tops last year’s turnout as area workers ‘Bleed Local’

“Think Local” is the motto of the Morristown Partnership. “Bleed Local” was more like it yesterday, as area companies encouraged employees to participate in a workplace blood drive at the Hyatt Morristown.

Some 97 donors registered to give blood, up from 74 a year ago, said France Delle Donne of the Partnership, one of the drive’s organizers.Wells Fargo (f0rmerly Wachovia) was the corporate champ with 15 donors.

Tyson Warren, the Hyatt Morristown’s food and beverage director, rolled up his left sleeve for the technicians from Morristown Memorial Hospital.

“You look at it as an opportunity to help somebody who needs it,” Tyson said. “You never know when it’s your turn to need it. It takes 20 minutes, and you’ve helped somebody. That’s what it’s about.”

Patrick Allocco, a student at the County College of Morris, came to Headquarters Plaza to catch the movie “Salt,” and noticed the blood drive signs.

“I’ve never done this before, and decided to help someone out,” Patrick said.

The  drive was a joint effort of the Partnership, the Morris County Chamber of Commerce and the Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.

Nine out of 10 people will need blood at some point in their lives, France said. Only 3.6 percent of eligible donors in New Jersey give blood; the national average is 5 percent, France said.

Your correspondent would like to say it didn’t hurt a bit. Okay, it pinched a little, and things got wobbly for a couple of minutes. But the free cookies were pretty tasty!

Morristown council endorses five-day license suspension for Dark Horse Lounge over Labor Day holiday

The Dark Horse Lounge would lose its liquor license for a week in September that includes the Labor Day weekend, under a settlement introduced tonight by a 3-2 vote of the Morristown council.

If approved at the council’s Aug. 10 meeting, and if no further complaints are filed against the Dark Horse over the next year, the deal would close the book on nine alleged violations dating to late 2008 and early 2009.

Councilwoman Rebecca Feldman cast the decisive vote, scrapping her opposition after insisting that the suspension cover the busy Labor Day weekend.  The initial version worked out between lawyers for the bar and the town called for a Sunday-Thursday suspension in August, when business is slow anyway.

“I wanted to be sure the public sees that we do take our laws seriously, and we expect holders of alcohol licenses to obey the law,” the councilwoman said. “Parents should feel safe when college students come to town.”

“I’m glad it’s over with. It’s a learning experience,” said Bill Walsh Sr., patriarch of the family that owns the Dark Horse Lounge.

Voting with Rebecca Feldman were Council President Anthony Cattano Jr. and Councilman James Smith. Councilwomen Alison Deeb and Raline Smith-Reid voted against the settlement. Council members Michelle Harris-King and Kevin Gsell were absent.

Combined, the alleged violations carried the potential for a license suspension of 245 days, plus another two years of ineligibility for reinstatement, according to legal papers filed by the town last year.

The bar’s owners agreed to plead guilty to two violations: Allowing unlawful drinking, and conducting an unauthorized “all you can drink” raffle.

Proving the other allegations–which involve alleged underage drinking and  failure to contact police about bar fights–would be costly and difficult for the town to prove, argued Robert Williams, attorney for the Dark Horse. He negotiated the initial deal proposal with Municipal Prosecutor Robert Rudy III.

Robert Williams said the bar has cooperated with police, beefed up security, given staffers training to intervene in altercations, and contributed $1,500 to an escrow fund to pay for police overtime if needed.

No problems have been reported at the Dark Horse over the last year, the lawyer said, asserting that a lengthy suspension would hurt the bar’s 17 employees. Violations over the next year would bring an additional suspension of 10 days of license under the settlement, but it was unclear tonight exactly what kind of violations would trigger that penalty.

Rebecca Feldman questioned the bar’s new security measures, and whether $1,500 would cover police overtime.  She and Alison Deeb bristled when Robert Williams reminded them that the Walsh family, which holds ownership stakes in the Dark Horse, Sona Thirteen and Tashmoo in Morristown, already donated $35,000 for police overtime, to cover the rain date for this year’s Morris County St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

“The charges to me are very serious,” said Alison Deeb, whose Fourth Ward includes the Dark Horse.

Last year, she and Raline Smith-Reid opposed a 30-day suspension as too lenient.

“I don’t want to make an example” of them, Raline Smith-Reid said tonight. “I want to do what’s fair. I don’t think five days is fair.”

The town’s complaint cited these alleged violations:

• On Nov. 21, 2008, police responded to a report by a female who said her face was scratched in a fight at the Dark Horse; the bar failed to report the incident and hindered the investigation.
• On Dec. 14, 2008, a female patron told police her hand was cut during an assault in the Dark Horse; again, the bar failed to contact police and was uncooperative during the investigation.
• That patron was under the legal drinking age.
• On Jan. 4, 2009, an “all you can drink for $20″ promotion violated state law.
• An “all you can drink” raffle that night violated two more state regulations.
• On Jan. 18, 2009, police responded a fight in which several persons were injured; again, the bar failed to contact police and was uncooperative.
• Another under-aged person was served on that night.
• On Feb. 20, 2009, an “open bar party” advertised on Facebook violated a state law.

“The key word is ‘alleged’ here,” said Billy Walsh Jr., another partner in the family bar business. “None of this has ever been proven.”

Jason Talks About Drum Corps Deep In The Heart Of Texas

There’s more to marching bands than meets the eye. In this series, Jason Wicks of Morristown High School ‘09 & Appalachia State University will take us behind the scenes as he participates in a top 12 World Class Drum and Bugle Corps in his quest for marching and musical perfection. –Doug Rutan, Morristown High School Music Department

One of DCI’s biggest events in Minneapolis, Minesota was actually cancelled due to tornados in the area. The fans were sequestered in the rest rooms under the stadium, while the corps’ were either kept on their busses or moved into the field house. A tornado did touch down about 2 minutes drive from the stadium.

An Audio Blog by Jason Wicks

In this podcast Jason talks about perfromaing in Texas and the final push towards DCI Championships. (approx 8 minutes)

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Hoboken takes top honor in coffee in ‘Best of NJ’ rankings

M. Kathleen Kelly/For The Star-LedgerEmpire Coffee and Tea Company, 338 Bloomfield St., in Hoboken, was ranked no. 1 in coffee in the state, according to Inside Jersey's The Best of NJ issue. Here, Sales clerk Tal Ravit sorts the blends...

Video: ‘Taikoza’ pounds out summer fun at Morristown’s Community Theatre

What’s that you say?  Your ex- won custody of the kids?

Well, here’s a holiday gift idea:  How about a nice set of 150-pound Japanese drums for the children?

This video sampler shows what fun little Johnny and Janey can have with these exotic instruments!

The performers are from a New York-based troupe called Taikoza, which, we are told, translates as “Japanese Drum Group.”  We aren’t going to question these folks. They carry big sticks, and know how to use them!

Tuesday’s show outside Morristown’s Community Theatre concluded the free summer series “Music Without Borders,” organized by the theater and the Arts Council of the Morris Area. Our thanks to MG contributor Nayna Shah for the photos.

Taikoza is:  Margeurite Bunyan, Chikako Saito, Kenji Nakano and Elizabeth Stela.

Margeurite is a karate black belt who saw a Japanese drumming performance and immediately was hooked by its blend of music and movement.  The mix includes elements of centuries-old Japanese folk songs and Shinto rituals. Instruments include the shakuhachi,  a bamboo flute; the koto, a semi-cylindrical zither with 13 strings; the fue, a bamboo flute similar to the piccolo, and of course, the taiko — very big, very loud drums that are sure to resonate with your ex- on Christmas morning.

Taikoza rehearses in a Manhattan building that also accommodates a heavy metal band, said Elizabeth Stela, a dancer who studies oral history at Columbia University when she is not pounding the living you-know-what out of her cow-skin-covered-tree trunk.

“I feel really happy after I do this,” Elizabeth said of her drumming. “I guess it releases endorphins.”

No doubt, you will feel the same way on Christmas morning when your ex- calls to thank you for the wonderful gifts.

MORE FROM THE ‘MUSIC WITHOUT BORDERS’ SERIES…

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