Greater Morristown weekend preview: Who needs the Super Bowl, anyway?

Postcards from Morristown. Tales of a cop. The sinking of the Monitor. The rise of Heart.

Big Bands…opera…hip-hop…ladies in bikinis running like the wind…or being sawed in half  (by professionals; do NOT try this at home).

Who needs the Super Bowl, anyway?

Certainly not Greater Morristown!  Not with the Giants and Jets on the sidelines, anyway.

Fortunately, there are many worthy leisure pursuits to divert–or prepare–us for the Ravens and 49ers. A sampling is below. And don’t forget to check out our handy calendar,  if you want to call an audible from the line of scrimmage.

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THURSDAY, JAN. 31, 2013:

They say a picture tells a thousand stories… which means you will enjoy about a million stories from Morristown: A History Through Postcards, a new book by Bonnie-Lynn Nadzeika, former director of the Morris County Historical Society. Bonnie will speak at 7 pm at the Morristown & Township Library, at One Miller Road in Morristown. Admission is free, light refreshments will be served, and you can buy autographed copies of the book for $21.99.

The North Jersey Civil War Round Table has an action-packed doubleheader scheduled for 7:14 pm in the
Haggerty Education Center, at the Frelinghuysen Arboretum at 53 E. Hanover Ave. in Morris Township. Robert Sheridan, professor emeritus at Rutgers University, is one of the discoverers of the USS Monitor, and author of Iron from the Deep: The Discovery and Recovery of the USS Monitor. He will give a talk entitled, The Monitor Squadron Attacks Charleston: The Failure of Admiral Samuel DuPont. Then, Joyce McNeill, a film professor at Berkeley College, will discuss the making of the movie Glory. And there will be a few words from Harry Keyishian, director of Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, publisher of Jim Malcolm’s book, The Civil War Journal of Private Emmell, Ambulance and Infantry Corps: A Very Disagreeable War.  Admission is $5. First time guests and students, free.

Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart fueled countless schoolboy fantasies and inspired a generation of girls to rock on. But the sisters from Seattle are not done yet. Nearly four decades into their party-hearty, take-no-prisoners careers, they have racked up their best year ever: An autobiography, a CD boxed set, a new album, a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, a command performance for Led Zeppelin and President Obama, and election to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. At 8 pm, these rocking sibs roll into Morristown’s Mayo Performing Arts Center with such classics as Crazy on You, Barracuda and Magic Man, and a strong batch of tunes from their new CD, Fanatic. Tickets are $79-$129; the show is SOLD OUT but call 973-539-8008 for cancellations. And check out our podcast with Ann Wilson!

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FRIDAY, FEB. 1:

As Galit Dadoun-Cohen’s 40th birthday approached, friends and family asked the usual questions: “Should we have a party? Are you and Joe going somewhere romantic?” But the cantor at Temple B’nai Or surprised everybody with a request. She wanted to sing opera for her congregation and her community. A shining venue was found: Drew University’s Dorothy Young Center for the Arts, where Temple B’nai Or Presents: The Golden Age of Opera is at 7:30 p.m. Proceeds from the concert will benefit the temple’s music program. Tickets may be purchased at Templebnaior.org. To learn more about the event, including specials dinner deals for opera-goers visit: https://www.facebook.com/TheGoldenAgeOfOperaBenefit

What’s it like to be one of Morristown’s Finest? Police Officer Yeison De Los Santos will tell you, and answer questions, at 8 pm at the Morristown Neighborhood House, 12 Flagler St. Admission is free. All are welcome! Pizza and soda will be served. Call 973-538-1229 for more.

If you love the Big Band Era, or if you’re just curious about it, The Minstrel is the place to be.  Reeds, Rhythm, and All That Brass is a 16-piece Big Band playing the classic American Songbook repertoire, at 8 pm. Opener Bill Brandon also entices big sound from his hollow body electric guitar. Admission is $8, at the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship, 21 Normandy Heights Road, Morris Township.

Recreate the experience of a jazz evening at New York’s famous Birdland club with The Birdland Big Band, at the Mayo Performing Arts Center at 8 pm. Drummer Tommy Igoe directs the band. Tickets are $29-$49; call 973-539-8008 for more details. The Mayo is at 100 South St. in Morristown.

It’s Jam-Rock at the Shamrock! Universal Rebel rocks Morristown’s Dublin Pub at 9 pm, with special guests Myke Rivera of the Community, Frankie Goffredo and Roland Ramos.

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SATURDAY, FEB. 2:

Deception has never been so much fun: The Masters of Illusion will cut you up–and put you back together–at Morristown’s Mayo Performing Arts Center  at 7:30 pm. Comic magicians, escape artists, gorgeous dancers–step right up, tickets are $39 to $69.  Call 973-539-8008 for details.

 

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SUNDAY, FEB. 3:

A children’s musical, The Lost Boy, unfolds at The Presbyterian Church in Morristown at 10 a.m. It’s a musical telling of the Biblical tale of the 12-year-old Jesus’ three-day disappearance from his parents. The church is at 57 East Park Place. Admission is free. Call 973-538-1776 for more.

Super Bowl Sunday can mean only one thing in Morristown… the Super 4 Miler race!  The race starts at 11:30 am at the Wells Fargo parking lot on Maple Avenue and loops around to finish on DeHart Street. At 12:30 there is one-mile walk/fun run, to benefit the Community Soup Kitchen. Registration details are at the website. Police note that residents should be aware of the following road closures from 10:30 am to 2 pm:

• Macculloch Avenue from Bank Street to Wetmore Avenue (start of race)
• Macculloch Avenue from James Street to Madison Street (end of race)
• Maple Avenue (De Hart Street to Miller Road)
• Maple Avenue (Oak to James Street) start of race
• James Street (start of race)
• Mt. Kemble Avenue – Southbound only.

And if that doesn’t put you in the mood for the Super Bowl, the Daughters of the American Revolution have just the thing: The Rise of Lincoln, a talk about the quarterback of the Emancipation team. It’s presented by former Civil War re-enactor Glenn LeBoeuf at 1:30 pm in the first floor public room of the Morris County Library, at 20 East Hanover Ave. in Whippany. The DAR also will present its History Medal to Pulitzer Prize winning historian and author Thomas Fleming. Refreshments will be served. Admission is free. Call 973-285-6930 for more details.

But wait, there is more pre-game entertainment!  The Harmomium Outreach Chorus will perform Love and Peace (in honor of Valentine’s Day, not the Super Bowl) at the Macculloch Hall Historical Museum on 45 Maple Ave. at 4:30 pm. Tickets go on sale at 1 pm, no advance sales. A separate ticket from the museum admission is required for the show. Tickets are $12, and $10 for members, seniors, students and visitors who visited the museum the day of the program.

Morristown’s Sunday Night Portrait Drawing Sessions have returned to ArtSpace at 14 Elm St. Sessions run from 6 pm to 9 pm and feature live models and camaraderie for $10.

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MONDAY, FEB. 4:

Call it “Mural Diplomacy.”  Morris County’s Arts by the People nonprofit  sent visual artist Brad “Bisco” Smith to Jerusalem last summer to run a street workshop for young Arabs and Jews. The result was a 40-foot mural. Hear Bisco describe the experience, and view a mini-documentary, Words to the World, A View from Israel, at The Artist Baker café, at 14 Cattano Ave., Morristown. The reception starts at 6 pm, the movie, at 7 pm.  Call 973-267-5540 to reserve a space.

 

Tickets on sale for Morristown’s Got Talent 2013: Meet the Sweet 16!

Editor’s note: Tickets for the Feb. 27, 2013, Morristown’s Got Talent! show go on sale Feb. 1 at the Mayo Performing Arts Center.

By  Sydney Clarke and Megan Angulo

Sixteen acts, but only one will walk away with the $1,000 grand prize at the sixth annual Morristown’s Got Talent! show on Feb. 27.

More than 80 acts tried out in December, with 16 dancers, singers and musicians making it to the final roster for the show at the Mayo Performing Arts Center. All have close ties to the area, living, working or studying in Morristown, Morris Plains or Morris Township.

Tickets go on sale starting Feb. 1 at the Mayo center;  call 973-539-8008 or visit www.mayoarts.org.

“We are anticipating selling out the theater once again this year!” show Chairperson Fran Rossoff said.

All proceeds from the show benefit the Morris Educational Foundation, funding special projects in the Morris School District, said foundation co-chair Debbie Sontupe. Villa Enterprises and Morristown Medical Center are sponsors this year.

Acts will be judged by four panelists: Bill Stephney, former producer and managing executive at Def Jam Records and Public Enemy; John Ginty, Grammy-nominated keyboardist; Denise Marsa, singer/songwriter and owner of Key Media; and Michael Spencer Phillips, lead dancer and teaching artist with RIOULT Dance Company.

Let the competition begin…

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Bellydance Revolution

Although it is Bellydance Revolution’s first year on the Morristown’s Got Talent stage, its members are no strangers to performing. The group, which will dance to a belly-dance hip-hop fusion routine, consists of Chloe Sibona, Kim Henry, Dana Hajedemos, Jasmine Beg, Melissa Salny and Nizette Edwards.

It’s a confident group.

“We rock,” leader and mentor Henry says. Henry is the group’s choreographer and the inspiration for many of the other members. When not practicing for the competition, the sextet can be found at Wellness On The Green, teaching and taking classes.

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Julia, Nina and Caty

Julia Rangel, Nina Rangel and Caty Tsang will tackle Adele’s most recent number, “Skyfall,” from the James Bond movie of the same name. Nina Rangel is a veteran of the competition, performing last year as a solo classical pianist. She returns with her sister and her friend Tsang, who she met while studying music at Montclair State University. Nina will be on keys again, while Julia sings and Tsang provides the violin. They put their own spin on this song and, through it, hope to show that a mixture of piano, lyrics and violin can be modern. If they win, they want to spend money on further musical education.

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Melanie Della Peruti

Dancer Melanie Della Peruti may be on the younger side of competitors, but her experience puts her years ahead. Dancing since she was 3, she can do everything from pointe ballet to jazz. Dance, she says, is more than a hobby: It is a passion.

For Morristown’s Got Talent!, she has chosen to do a tap number to the “Glee” version of “Proud Mary.” She cites the “fun and energetic” moves as the reason for choosing tap over her other styles.

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Josh Klein & The Legends

Josh Klein is back! After competing last year, Klein is returning to the stage with a band of fresh faces. Klein says the competition is what draws him back each year, not just the prospect of winning. To him, the opportunity to perform in such a historic setting is exciting. The revamped Legends, consisting of Joe Biglin, Kyle Gagliardi and Jim Lashway, will play a rendition of  “Also Sprach Zarathustra.”

While they sound like they have been playing together forever, “Our first time playing all together was the day of auditions,” Klein says.

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Room 4 Three

Only one member of Room 4 Three is out of high school, but the collective already has toured the East Coast. The pop/ R & B band, which consists of Morristown High School students Jaylon Jorge, Jevon Jorge, Arminda Flores, Ryan Skoletsky and LaGuardia Community College student Angel “Shade” Pizarro, is looking forward to bringing its music and message to the audience.

This past year, the group toured from New York to Florida with FYE stores to promote a message of anti-bullying. Three years ago, some members placed second on the Morristown’s Got Talent! stage as Boys Night Out. New members include Pizarro, who the group met while performing and who says he hopes to prove he can win even though he’s not from Morristown. Room 4 Three will be performing “Crazy About You,” an original song by Jaylon Jorge.

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Robie Loeser

Twelve-year-old Robie Loeser will debut on the Morristown’s Got Talent! stage after auditioning twice. The  R&B-pop-soul singer will perform “Feeling Good,” originally by Nina Simone but covered by Muse.

Loeser has been singing for as long as he can remember and began voice lessons when he was 6. It was not until last year, however, that he really began to enjoy and have fun with this talent, he says. He calls himself his biggest influence and says he hopes to win and bring all of his hard work full circle.

“Looks can be deceiving,” says the Assumption School seventh-grader.

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Dance Innovations

Dance Innovations is a big group with an even bigger message. In the wake of recent tragedies, the group hopes to promote “perseverance, optimism, and hope” when it performs a lyrical piece set to “Don’t Give Up” by Josh Groban, says Susan McCutcheon-Coutts.

The collective of dance teachers and former students consisting of Courtney Manze, Abigail Dearman, Tia DiPietro, Rebecca Elisa, Heather Johdos, Becky Meyer and Jennifer Tondo is led by McCutcheon-Coutts, who choreographed the piece and owns the Chatham-based studio.

While their ages and backgrounds vary, all of the women agree on their passion for dance and outreach. Money from previous performances has been put towards arts scholarships for children with special needs. If they win Morristown’s Got Talent!, the group plans to donate to art, music or dance classes for a child who lost his or her home during Hurricane Sandy.

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Carlos Castellano

Carlos Castellano says he feels as though 2013 is his year to shine. After trying out for Morristown’s Got Talent! two years ago, he did not feel upset about not making the cut; he used it as motivation to get better and work harder. This year, he will be singing “Home” by Michael Buble, a song Castellano said he dedicates to Morristown.

Although he was born in Honduras, Castellano says he feels as though Morristown is the place he can really call home. He also wants to send the piece out to his mom, who enjoys the song. Castellano is legally blind, and says he hopes to use Morristown’s Got Talent! as a way to honor his family for always sticking by his side. When not preparing for the show, Castellano is working on his application for the Fashion Institute of Technology.

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Danielle Schussel

Danielle Schussel has a quiet personality, but when she and her flute take the stage, audience members are the ones silenced. At 17, the Morristown High School junior is making her Morristown’s Got Talent! debut. A flute student since fourth grade, she will perform J. Mouquet’s “Sonata La Flute de Pan I, Pan and the Shepherds,” accompanied by Marilyn Patterson. Nancy Shearer, her long- time teacher, is a big influence and has been assisting her in mastering the piece.

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Sofia, Arthur and Isabella Wawrzyniak

These three singing siblings are the littlest competitors in this year’s show, both in age and size. Sophia, 10, and her 9-year-old twin brother and sister claim that being siblings gives them an advantage since they can sing together anytime and all the time, even in the car with their mom. Their favorite type of music, and the style they will perform, is rockabilly, which they learned about from their Aunt Eileen. They chose an Imelda May song titled “Proud and Humble” because they “really like it.” When asked why they wanted to be a part of Morristown’s Got Talent! all three agreed that they simply love to sing and hope to make their family proud.

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Jonathan Aloba

Another first-time performer, Morristown High School sophomore Jonathan Aloba danced his way into the hearts of the judges with a style he calls “popping.” It is a form of hip-hop, similar to dub-step, that he will dance to a mashup of songs.

Aloba began dancing about a year ago after he was inspired by watching people on television and the internet. He is a big proponent of self-motivation and often looks in the mirror and tells himself, “Dude, you can do this!” He says he hopes that, through his performance, people will better understand this type of dance. He tells the future audience: “My act is amazing. You should come and see it.”

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Molly Sibona

If her name sounds familiar, it’s because Molly Sibona is the little sister of belly-dance competitor Chloe Sibona. Molly maintains that the sisters “are not too competitive.” (It may help that their acts are nothing alike.) The fifth-grader will be showcasing her musical skills on the piano, playing “Sonata in C Major.” She has been practicing piano for four or five years and considers her teacher a major influence. She says she hopes that Morristown’s Got Talent! will “open doors to more challenging things.” Her act is unique, she says, because the piece she selected is interesting and fast. Unlike many piano songs, which she thinks become slow and boring, Molly says she expects that this one will keep people’s attention.

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Katie and The Originals

This group of amateur songwriters – Kaitlyn Gallagher, Riley Cocci, Steven Hawthorne and Jordan Green – met through the Original Music School in Morristown, where they study songwriting with Anthony Vitale.

The only seasoned performer of the group is Vitale, who is accompanying on piano. The group put this act together specifically for Morristown’s Got Talent! but, due to its success so far and the fun the members have with it, the group plans to continue afterward.

The group will perform an original song called “Heaven,” written by Gallagher about what it might be like to go to there. The members describe it as a blend of country and gospel. If spectators enjoy their act, Katie and The Originals want them to know that “anybody can come join and learn to do what we do!”

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Kat Zangari

After auditioning last year and falling short, Kat Zangari came back and rocked it this year with her vocal and guitar-playing talents. She has been singing for as long as she can remember, and picked up guitar at age 13. It was not until last year, though, that she began to do both together.

Zangari will perform her original song, “Can We,” which came to fruition after her teacher suggested writing about something personal and important in an attempt to break writer’s block. Due to its happy and upbeat tempo, Zangari says, she believes that the audience will be able to relate to the song. “I just want people to see my performance and know that I am good!”

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Katherine Merwin and Julia Cipriani

Vocalist Katherine Merwin and pianist Julia Cipriani first performed on the Morristown’s Got Talent! stage as eighth-graders in 2010. The girls started working together when they were in seventh grade, and have continued to progress since then. They will perform a classical piece by Roger Quilter called “Love’s Philosophy,” which they describe as “musically demanding, but fun.” Both girls take great pleasure in listening to, playing and studying classical music. The girls affirm that they “have come a long way since [their] first performance,” and they plan to make the most of the experience.

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Chuck Levy

In his first Morristown’s Got Talent! appearance, this  singer-songwriter, voice teacher, Morristown High School alumnus and single dad will perform an original song and play the guitar. He wrote “I Never Knew You” about his father, with whom he never had a relationship. He poured his heart into the lyrics, and “it gets very hard to keep it together towards the end of the song,” he says.

“I Never Knew You” is the top-selling song on his iTune- released CD, “October Summer.” All he wants to do, he says, is “sell music, write music and entertain.”

Sydney Clarke and Megan Angulo are seniors at Morristown High School.

MORE COVERAGE OF MORRISTOWN’S GOT TALENT 2013

Morris bar association names Mark Wechsler as president

Denville attorney Mark Wechsler has been named president of the 1,100-member Morris County Bar Association.

The graduate of the Widener School of Law succeeds Allen Iskra as head of the 113-year-old association of lawyers and judges.  According to a statement from the Morristown-based organization, its mission is to…

…maintain the honor and dignity of the profession of law; to promote an understanding of the law and its application in society; to foster the due administration of justice; and to promote the capacity of the Bar for public service; and to support the objectives and goals of its charitable “arm,” the Morris County Bar Foundation.

Here is the full announcement, from association Executive Director Nancy Bangiola:

 

FROM THE MORRIS COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION

Denville attorney, Mark Wechsler was installed as President of the 1100 member Morris County Bar Association at a dinner held in his honor at the Park Savoy in Florham Park on January 16, 2013. Assignment Judge Thomas Weisenbeck administered the oath of office to Mr. Wechsler and the other members of the Morris County Bar Association Board of Trustees.

Mark Wechsler has served as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Morris County Bar Association and in every leadership position of the Board as well as having served as President of the Morris County Bar Foundation.

Mr. Wechsler also served as chairman of the MCBA Family Law Committee from 2006 – 2008. He serves as a Blue Ribbon Panelist for the Early Settlement Panel Program in Morris County. He is also a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association and that organization’s family law section.

Mr. Wechsler has dedicated himself to the development of strong client-attorney relationships, excellent negotiation and trial skills. He has lectured on behalf of the New Jersey Institute for Continuing Legal Education [ICLE] and also provides pro bono services to and lectures for The Women’s Center at the County College of Morris.

He received his B.A. from the State University of New York at Albany; his M.A. from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice; and his J.D. from the Widener University School of Law. Mr. Wechsler devotes his practice to matrimonial, divorce and family law

The following attorneys will also serve on the Morris County Bar Association’s Board of Trustees: John P. Robertson, II, President-Elect; Diana C. Manning, First Vice-President Robin C. Bogan, First Vice-President Treasurer; Patrick Galligan, Treasurer; Jennifer McAndrew Vuotto Secretary; and Allen Iskra, Immediate Past President and Trustees, Randall Bush, Joseph Cadicina, Timothy Ford, Christopher Garibian; Stephanie Frangos Hagan, Julian L. Hill, Kurt Krauss, James Porfido, Patricia Roche, Melissa Ruvolo, Jane Simpson, John Paul Velez, and, Young Lawyer Co-Chairs Alyssa Engelberg and Alexis Laufer and William Krais (N.J. State Bar Trustee).

Established in 1900, the Morris County Bar Association’s membership is comprised of 1100 Morris County attorneys and judges. The objectives of the organization are to maintain the honor and dignity of the profession of law; to promote an understanding of the law and its application in society; to foster the due administration of justice; and to promote the capacity of the Bar for public service; and to support the objectives and goals of its charitable “arm,” the Morris County Bar Foundation.

Video: Cathy Wong, tech whiz kid, saving the world at Morristown High

Not too many 17-year-olds get labeled as game-changers.

But then, there aren’t many teens like Catherine Wong.

In March, the Morristown High School senior will compete for a $100,000 top prize as one of 40 finalists in the Intel Science Talent Search 2013. The real winners, however, could be underprivileged people around the world.

Cathy has tweaked an electrocardiogram machine and stethoscope to interact with cheap mobile phones used in developing countries. She believes this technology will enable doctors to remotely diagnose conditions in nearly 2 billion people without access to quality health care.

“That’s going to be a really empowering thing,” Cathy said.

Dr. Eric Topol of the Scripps Research Institute in California agrees. Cathy’s project, dubbed “Design and Evaluation of a Cell-Phone Compatibly Wireless Electrocardiograph,” is “the kind of technology that ‘flattens the earth’ for better medical care,” the cardiologist said in a statement.

Serious stuff, for a kid who doesn’t take herself too seriously. Teachers describe Cathy–who juggles, designs paper airplanes and loves brightly striped, mismatched socks– as a delight to work with.

“She’s really easy to coach. You just point her in the right direction and she goes,” said physics teacher Anthony Danese.

Which may help to explain Cathy’s perfect SAT score. And it looks like she has inherited the medical gene: Her dad is a radiation oncologist and her mom is a former dentist.

Cathy’s project, which edged out nearly 1,700 other entries to make the Intel finals, began with a freshman field trip to the Cooper Union Design Museum. The exhibit was called “Design for the Other 90 Percent.”

“What the message of that museum exhibit was, was that so much of our engineering today is focused at a tiny sliver of the population, and our goal is to just make shiny gadgets for people who already have so much. We have so much engineering power out there, and so much technology… If engineering is supposed to be a field that’s about impact and application, that’s where it’s going to have the most impact–in designing for the developing world,” said Cathy, who holds a provisional patent on her diagnostic system.

She has presented her technology at Google headquarters and a TEDx conference, and spent part of a summer doing research at MIT. She has applied for admission there, and at Stanford. Harvard already said yes.

If she wins Intel’s $100,000 prize, Cathy said she plans to donate some of it to research agencies. She also intends to keep refining her invention.

“I’d really like to take this project further. The concept of remote telemedicine, which is using mobile phones to connect patients, especially in impoverished areas, is something we’re seeing enormous amounts of growth in recently. And so I’d really like to see just how many diagnostic tools can be made and adapted for the mobile phone platform. I’d like to take the cost of everything down as low as possible.”

That would involve adapting features already inside the phones, rather than adding external devices, she said.

Cathy’s teachers light up when asked about her.

“She wants to give back to the world, and those are awesome qualities for a student to have,” said science teacher Erin Colfax. “She’s committed to things that are important in life.”

Christopher Duvall, science supervisor at MHS, said Cathy sets the bar high for the school’s Science Academy.

“It’s going to be very interesting to see how large of an effect she has in terms of changing the world as we know it,” he said. “Because she has the potential to utilize technology in such a way that society itself will change.”

Does Morristown Medical Center video mock Obamacare?

Fox News seems to think so.

The cable network got wind of a video by Morristown Medical Center that shows a patient being denied readmission to the hospital, ostensibly a cost-saving measure of “Accountable Care Organizations,”  a key component of President Obama’s health reform act.

It’s set to revamped lyrics of the Waylon Jennings hit, Lookin’ for Love in All the Wrong Places, retitled Building an ACO.

According to Dr. David Shulkin, president of Morristown Medical Center and administrator of the Atlantic ACO, the “light-hearted” video was created last fall for a health care video contest “as a way to engage physicians, nurses, and hospital staff” and was not meant to slam Obamacare.

Here’s the full statement from Dr. Shulkin:

The Atlantic Accountable Care Organization (ACO) and Morristown Medical Center are committed to improving the quality of patient care and reducing health care costs. We recognize that the health care landscape is changing and are proud to be active leaders at the forefront of this process. The Atlantic ACO is also honored to be among the first ACOs to be recognized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Last fall our staff created the “Building an ACO” song and video in response to a health care video contest, as a way to engage physicians, nurses, and hospital staff. Our team’s video was never intended to mock ACOs or health reform, or to infer that there is anything more serious to us than providing our patients with the best quality care. Rather, the video was a light-hearted way to highlight the key goals CMS has established for all ACOs in the Medicare Shared Savings Program. Those include improving quality of care, preventing unneeded hospital stays, lowering hospital readmission rates and reducing healthcare costs. For patients, the ACO is providing coordinated care across doctors’ offices and hospitals, health and behavior education, and improved access to care, which is leading to better health outcomes, fewer hospital visits and fewer unnecessary tests. The FOX piece reporting on the video is disappointing as it takes the video imagery and lyrics out of context.

As Fox would say… you decide.

Watch out for strong winds, possible flooding tonight in Morris County

Damaging winds and flooding may be on the way tonight, according to a report from the Morris County Office of Emergency Management.

The office reported late this afternoon that it was ”monitoring what has been described as a complex storm system that is expected to approach us over the next 12 to 18 hours.”

Meteorologists are monitoring a line of storms in central Pennsylvania, the office said. “It appears that the storm may weaken before it reaches our area, but it still could produce rain showers towards sunset and gusty winds. They are also anticipating a cold front to move through around or just after midnight. A widespread area of heavy rain will likely be accompanied and possibly damaging winds in excess of 50 mph.”

The worst weather is anticipated between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., with increased winds continuing into Thursday, the office said. It urged residents “to secure light-weight outdoor objects such as patio furniture, garbage cans” and similar items from the wind.

 

 

 

Bail kept at $150K for repeat offender accused in Morristown attack

In 2002, Bryan Mills shot a man in the face in Morristown during an argument over cigarettes, Assistant Prosecutor Anthony Scibetta said

Morristown police blotter: Beware of one-way streets and bank vestibules

ONE-WAY STREET

If you’ve ever been on a highway when someone is driving in the wrong direction, you know how terrifying that can be.

Morristown police may have averted such a potentially disastrous scenario last week, when they pulled over a motorist who they say was poised to drive down an exit ramp of Route 287.

Sgt. David Tissot pulled over Zachary Wehner, 35, of Lafayette, driving the wrong way on Morris Avenue shortly before 2 am on Jan. 24, 2013. The motorist was about to drive onto the Route 287 northbound exit ramp, against traffic, according to the police report.

Zachary told Police Officer Joseph Heuneman that he had consumed five beers at Sona Thirteen, the report stated. The motorist was charged with driving while intoxicated, and with refusing to take submit breath samples for analysis.

NASTY DEPOSIT

It’s not the sort of deposit that banks appreciate.

In the wee hours (sorry, couldn’t resist) of Jan. 20, Police Officer James Green responded to a tip that a young woman had passed out in the ATM vestibule of the Bank of America at North Park Place, near the Green.

The officer discovered the woman on her back, unconscious, in a pool of her own urine.

When he awakened her, around 3:20 am, she was incoherent, unable to remember her last name or her location, according to the police report.

The Morristown Ambulance Squad took the 25-year-old Mountain Lakes resident to Morristown Medical Center. Police charged her with public urination, which carries a $500 fine upon conviction.

 

 

Check into ‘Grand Hotel’ at Morristown library, Jan. 30

Beat the winter blues by checking into a nice hotel…or at least, a nice hotel movie series.

The Morristown & Township Library kicks off four straight Wednesdays of hotel films with Grand Hotel  (1932), starring Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, & John Barrymore, at 6:45 tonight, Jan. 30, 2013.

Admission is free, the screening room doors open at 6:15 pm, and light refreshments will be served.

Coming attractions:

February 6: Separate Tables, 1958, starring Burt Lancaster, David Niven, & Deborah Kerr.

February 13: Psycho, 1960, starring Janet Leigh & Anthony Perkins. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

February 20: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, 2012, starring Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy, and Tom Wilkinson.

 

‘Joe Mahoney’ and the great outdoors, from Morristown cartoonist Matt Keown

This week’s Mahoney:

Welcome to another episode of Joe Mahoney, from the pen of Morristown cartoonist Matt Keown. In between weekly installments, Mahoniacs can enjoy a daily dose of fun at JoeMahoneyComics.com

Please click to enlarge

 

 

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