Analysts debate financial benefit of Super Bowl at New Meadowlands Stadium

N.J. may have won bid to host 2014 Super Bowl, but neighboring N.Y. may reap economic boost from tourists

Morris County residents to vote Tuesday on local candidates, public questions

Here are the candidates running for public offices in Tuesday’s local elections in Morris County, along with public questions on the ballot in Chatham and Kinnelon. Polls will be open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. in every town. Results...

Morristown High beaten by first-place West Morris Central in football showdown

By Jason Lockhart

The Morristown High School Colonials entered Friday’s game at West Morris Central gunning for an upset victory and first place in the Division North II Group III standings.

But the Wolfpack dashed those hopes by rolling out 306 rushing yards in a 34-14 win.

Wolfpack running back Shane Thompson, who led the team with 151 rushing yards on 19 carries, took the hand-off on the team’s first drive of the game and burst for a 48-yard gain. Thompson’s big run was followed by an 18-yard touchdown run by Tom Cabarle.

Cabarle, who set a school-record with six touchdowns last Saturday against Morris Knolls, scored again in the second quarter on a 17-yard pass from Wolfpack quarterback John Gutowski. The all-conference running back finished the game with 137 total yards and three touchdowns.

The Colonials trailed 20-0 at halftime. Running back Kevin Gaskins scored a one-yard touchdown on a seven-minute drive in the third quarter. Gaskins finished the game with 26 carries for 85 yards.

As the Colonials defense was being drilled by the Wolfpack ground game, the offense tried to create a spark in the fourth quarter by turning to quarterback Rafe Shupe’s strong arm.

Shupe threw a 51-yard touchdown to wide receiver Shawn Bell , narrowing the gap to 27-14 with 5:48 left. Bell finished the game with three catches and 71 yards.

The Colonials (4-4) then attempted an onside kick, squibbing the ball to the right side of the field. But a couple of Wolfpack players pounced on it at their 32-yard line.

The Wolfpack (6-2) chewed up the clock with another touchdown drive, putting  them ahead 34-14 with 2:07 remaining.

Colonials wide receiver Akil Anderson led the team with eight catches and 70 yards, including five grabs in the second half to keep Morristown’s hopes alive. In the end, however, West Morris High School fans did most of the cheering, as the band pumped out pop tunes including Bad Romance by Lady Gaga.

The Colonials play their final home game on Nov. 6 against High Point, in their final chance for a playoff spot.

Morristown’s race for Congress: Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen

Morristown is in the 11th congressional district. On Tuesday, voters will choose between Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-11th Dist.) and Democratic challenger Douglas Herbert. We asked each candidate to submit his platform. Here is Rodney Frelinghuysen’s:

RODNEY FRELINGHUYSEN

Party: Republican

Age: 64

Home Town: Harding

Occupation: Member of Congress

Family: Married, 2 children

Political experience: Congressman since 1995

Top 3 issues:

1.  Jobs and the economy:  “New Jersey’s unemployment rate is high and persistent.

The only thing growing is the size and reach of the federal government.

We need to take steps to immediately help business, especially small businesses hire and retain workers, including

Suspend the payroll tax, provide small businesses with tax credits to promote hiring, prevent the Pelosi tax increases from taking effect at year’s end, stop job-killing energy taxes and end reckless spending in Washington.

2.  The increasing size and reach of the federal government: “The last four years have seen an explosion of government spending and the size of the public debt and federal payroll, including even more taxing and more government regulation. This trend has accelerated dangerously in the last twenty months.

We must significantly cut spending, and repeal job-killing regulations on the private sector, including a repeal of ObamaCare.

3.  National Security and Homeland Security: “We live in a very dangerous world and coming from a 9-11 State, I recognize Congress’ solemn responsibility to protect its citizens.

This means we must ensure that the defense budget will allow us to meet current and future threats, stop apologizing to our enemies and chastising our allies.

Morristown’s race for Congress: Douglas Herbert

Morristown is in the 11th congressional district. On Tuesday, voters will choose between Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-11th Dist.) and Democratic challenger Douglas Herbert. We asked each candidate to submit his platform. Here is Douglas Herbert’s:

DOUGLAS HERBERT

Hometown: Chatham Borough, NJ

Age: 49

Occupation: I am an attorney with his own firm in Brooklyn, NY.

Family: Married to Marcy Wecker with three children, Raleigh, Ben, and Julie.

Political experience: I served in the Infantry and the 82 Airborne for
four years. I am a member of Chatham’s Board of Zoning and Adjustment
and the Joint Recreation Committee. I am a founding Member of Chatham Borough’s Green Initiatives Committee.

Top 3 issues:

Job creation

At a time when there are five job seekers for every available job, we
have a responsibility to create jobs. I have proposed a three-point
plan to help small businesses gain access to the resources necessary
to grow. (1) I will fight in Congress to provide payroll tax credits
for small business that hire and rehire Americans currently
unemployed. (2) I will work to expand government guaranteed loan
programs and credit lines to small businesses. (3) I will support
innovation and high-tech job creation. Through investments in research
and a tax credit so businesses can innovate, we can bring new
high-tech jobs to the Eleventh District.

Fiscal responsibility

I support Congressional efforts to develop policies that lead to a
balanced budget in seven years. Once America is working again, I will
fight to reduce our deficit and return our country to its economic
prosperity. I understand that an ever-growing deficit is not a legacy
to leave for our children.

Education

The cornerstone of our nation is the promise that if you work and
study hard, America will provide you the opportunity to succeed.
Therefore, we must ensure that our children are properly educated to
compete in the global marketplace. Tuition repayment programs, coupled
with post-grad community service, should be encouraged as a path to
increase youth involvement in public service and to make higher
education more affordable.

Homeless Solutions’ Green Building Project: Video #2

By Abby Ray

Back in August, I was able to share with you the groundbreaking ceremony video for Homeless Solution‘s Green Building project in Washington Township, NJ.  That was the first in a series of nine videos in the making.  The project has progressed since then, and I’m now happy to share this second video with you!

Here you’ll learn about some of the green building technologies they are using in construction, such as insulated concrete forms.

If everything goes according to plan, the project should be the first non-profit funded LEED Platinum project in New Jersey.  Big cheers for Homeless Solutions for taking those extra steps to do things the right way!

I’ll be sharing more of the videos (produced by tenphoenix productions) with you as they’re released.  Stay tuned!

Abby blogs for ecoMotown.com, a blog about sustainable living in the Greater Morristown, NJ area.

Morristown High Colonials face tough test tonight against first place West Morris

By Jason Lockhart

The Morristown High School Colonials will travel to Chester tonight to play a division rival that crushed them 50-7 last season in the NJSIAA football playoffs. The West Morris Central Wolfpack will host the Colonials  at 7:30 as both schools make a run to clinch a playoff spot.

The Wolfpack (5-2) are in first place in the Division North II Group III standings. Their last two games were shutout wins against Roxbury, 17-0 on Oct. 16,  and Morris Knolls, 40-0 on Oct. 23 on the road.

Wolfpack running back Tom Cabarle set a school record of six touchdowns in the Wolfpack’s win over Morris Knolls. The all-conference star also rushed for 281 yards.

The Colonials (4-3) had a come-from-behind win over Roxbury last week, storming back from a 14-0 deficit at halftime with 21 unanswered points. Running back Kevin Gaskins rushed for 210 yards while scoring two touchdowns.

A win tonight could move the Colonials up to first place in the division if second-place Nutley loses to Barringer in its road game tomorrow.

Spooktacular Events on Halloween Weekend in New Jersey

Your little ghoul or ghost will have plenty of Halloween fun to choose from on October 29-31 at several New Jersey haunts.

Clothing sale at Morristown Methodist Church on Saturday to benefit youth group

The United Methodist Church in Morristown is holding a clothing sale on Saturday, Oct. 30, from 9 am until 2 pm.

Proceeds benefit youth mission projects at the church.

We’re not sure, but we think some of the church’s new TV stars may be on hand to sell their old wardrobes…

For more details, call 973-538-2132.

Morristown chiropractic corner: Why your (enter body part here) pain never goes away

Let me guess.  You’re in pain.  It might be your back, your neck, your knee, your elbow, or your big toe.  You’ve had intermittent occasions of this pain for years.  You’ve seen your doctor; he told you to take anti-inflammatory pills and rest.  You did.  It went away.

Then, activity continues, soon followed by your (enter body part) pain.  What the heck?!  Or … months go by where you think you’re in the clear, and there it is again!!  You think “what did I do wrong?!”

Here’s what’s going on…

Your body really is amazing.  It began as one cell, now made of trillions.  You can move, lift stuff, sense things, express yourself, fight infection, heal damage, and create more copies of yourself through procreation.

The common treatment of musculoskeletal injuries consisting of “anti-inflammatory  pills, ice, and rest” has its place.  But it does not work for all injuries; only when the body is “inflamed” or trying to heal.  Unfortunately, inflammation is only one of three primary causes of musculoskeletal complaints requiring conservative care.

1.   Inflammation: All other things being perfectly healthy, the body gets inflamed because of a trauma.  Examples of this consist of a fall, smashing your elbow against a wall, or jamming your toe into the ground.  The hallmark signs of inflammation progress, including redness, swelling, increased temperature, and of course, pain.

Here is where the anti-inflammatory prescription has its sweet spot: Anti-inflammatory nutrition, preferably in the form of fruits, vegetables, grass-fed beef, and omega-3 fatty acid supplements (rather than drugs), ice, and rest will help this heal most quickly and efficiently.

It’s important to note that rest does NOT mean to lay in bed for weeks until it feels better; you’ll lose your flexibility.  People still need to continue to move throughout the day, walking and slowly easing injured body parts into full ranges of motion.

You are essentially telling your body “I know you’re injured, but I still need to use this part when you’re healed.”  For example, you bang your elbow.  It’s swollen, red, and painful.  You should be fully flexing and straightening the elbow on a consistent basis throughout the day to promote flexibility, increased blood flow to flush out garbage from the trauma and bring in new materials for construction.

2.   Scar tissue: When time does not allow healing, there is an underlying issue.  Often, it is scar tissue.  Scar tissue is caused by too much stress on a muscle, ligament, nerve, or tendon over time.  Too much stress without time to heal causes damage.  The body lays down scar tissue to repair itself, so that there is support and the body can continue to handle the stress you are putting on it.  Scar tissue helps you handle the stress in the short term, but unfortunately, it does not help you stay functional and mobile in the long term.

If scar tissue is minor, dynamic stretching or foam rolling may help.  If scar tissue is significant, some form of manual therapy is warranted.  Your options are ROLFing, deep tissue massage, Graston therapy, or Active Release Technique (A.R.T.).

3.  Weakness: Along with scar tissue, relative weakness is the other primary cause of chronic pain issues.  It’s not “weakness” where you can’t use your muscles at all.  It’s “relative” in that you aren’t using your muscles in a mechanically efficient way.

For example, your glutes (also known as your “butt”), particularly gluteus maximus, is the strongest muscle in your body.  Your hamstrings are the main stabilizer of the knee.  Due to our sedentary lifestyles and too much sitting on our “butts,” we essentially “shut off” these muscles.

So when we go to walk, run, or pick up the laundry off of the floor, we selectively use other muscles (our quadriceps or our backs), muscles not designed to do the brunt of the movement to work.

This compensation should be addressed by teaching and strengthening the glutes and hamstrings how to do the job so that bodily stresses are balanced properly.

What’s the moral of the story? If you have an ache or injury for the first time, it is smart to step away from activity and rest.  Assume your injury had no other cause but excessive stress and let time do its magic, hopefully.

If your injury has occurred several times and is chronic, or you feel as if there was no excessive trauma in one incident, then there is likely an underlying issue going on.  Seek the expertise of an experienced strength coach, manual therapist, sports or chronic pain doctor.  Conservative care is often effective at managing these issues before you seek drugs or surgery.**

**Disclaimer: This post is for informational purposes only.  If severely injured, you should visit a health care professional.

Christopher is a chiropractor, health/fitness enthusiast, and nature lover who lives to empower others and writes about the unconventional wisdom of health and happiness on his blog, The Humble Observer and practices at the Barefoot Rehabilitation Clinic in Morristown, NJ.

Next Page »