Information sessions will be conducted over the next few weeks for eighth grade students and their parents wanting to learn more about the Academies of Morris County.

The programs offered by the Academy for Law & Public Safety will be explained at an information session Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. at Butler High School.

A session focusing on the Academy for Mathematics, Science and Engineering will be Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. at Morris Hills High School in Rockaway.

The Morris County School of Technology in Denville will hold an information session Saturday, Nov. 14 at 10 a.m. for all of the Academy programs that are offered on the Denville campus. They are the academies for Child Related Careers; Construction Arts; Culinary Arts; Finance and International Business; Health Care Sciences; Networking Information Technology and Communications; Veterinary Science; and Visual & Performing Arts.

Application packets will be available at all sessions. An eighth-grade student has until December 4th to apply.

Additional information may be obtained by calling the Morris County School of Technology at (973) 627-4600 ext. 277, or by visiting the school’s Web site, www.mcvts.org.

The Morris County Vocational School District offers programs for Morris County high school students, including Academic and Career Academies, Share Time Programs and Share Time Programs for Special Needs students. Adult Education programs are also offered.

---

The Morris County Board of Freeholders has approved the hiring of a traffic consulting firm to conduct a study to help improve the efficiency of freight movement in the county.

The board took the action after hearing county transportation officials say the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey estimates truck traffic through the county will increase three-fold over the next 20 years from the 20,000 to 30,000 trucks that now travel routes 80 and 287.

"Obviously, if some of that freight can be moved by trains instead of trucks, it would lessen the major traffic impact now projected for our highways," said Gene F. Feyl, freeholder director. "This study will help us make decisions that ensure goods are moved in a safer, more reliable way in the years to come and will guide smart growth in the county."

The study will seek to identify future opportunities for freight-related development and infrastructure improvements, with a particular emphasis on facilitating connections between trucks and trains, Feyl said.

"Morris County's interstate highways and freight rail network play a vital role in the region's economy," Feyl said. "A thriving freight industry means a stronger economy."

The firm Eng-Wong, Taub & Associates will be paid $240,000 in federal funds to conduct the study, with the money coming through the New Jersey Transportation Planning Authority.

The study will include an inventory of the county's infrastructure, land use conditions, freight-based businesses and their traffic impacts. The information will be reviewed to determine the potential and limits for the industry's growth, and where that growth can best take place.

An analysis of the industry's economic benefits and costs will also be conducted, and a series of recommendations for infrastructure and facilities improvements will be made.

---

With the clocks moved back an hour and daylight saving time having come to an end, pedestrians walking during the evening rush hour are at greater risk than at any other time during the year.

The Morris County Division of Transportation cites a study by Carnegie Mellon University, which found pedestrians who are walking at 6 p.m. in November are nearly three times more likely to be struck and killed by cars than before the time change.

"Both pedestrians and motorists need to use additional caution this time of year," said Gerald Rohsler, director of the division. "Pedestrians should take extra care to make sure drivers can see them, and motorists driving at dusk and after dark have to be on the lookout for pedestrians."

Rohsler suggested those out for a stroll should wear reflective or bright clothing and always cross the street at a crosswalk, looking left and right and then left again for cars coming before crossing the street. He advised pedestrians to keep on the sidewalk, or walk against traffic in areas where there are no sidewalks.

Drivers should concentrate on the white lines on the side of the road ahead to avoid the glare of oncoming headlights and to be able to see pedestrians who be ahead, Rohsler said. He also urged drivers to take an extra look when turning at a green light or turning right on red to make sure their path is free of pedestrians.

"Motorists should remember that pedestrians have the right of way," Rohsler said. "We all need to be safe and use extra caution as we adjust to the time change and the earlier hours of darkness."

---

The Morris County Sheriff's Office is scheduled for an on-site assessment starting Nov. 14 as part of a program to maintain accreditation by verifying that it meets professional standards.

The accreditation program, administered by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., requires agencies to comply with state-of-the-art standards in policy and procedures, administration, operations and support services.

"Verification by the team that the Morris County Sheriff's Office meets the
commission's standards is a significant element of the voluntary accreditation process," said Morris County Sheriff Edward V. Rochford. "It is a highly prized recognition of law enforcement professionalism and excellence."

According to Rochford, the Sheriff's Office first gained accredited status in March of 1998 when it came into compliance with 337 standards. Accreditation is for three years, during which the Sheriff's Office must submit annual reports attesting to its continued compliance with the standards under which it was initially accredited, Rochford said.

As part of the on-site assessment, agency employees and members of the community are invited to offer comments at a public information session on Monday, Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m., in the Morris County Freeholders Public Meeting Room on the 5th Floor of the county Administration and Records Building on Court Street in Morristown.

Comments may also be made by phone by calling (973) 285-6053 on Nov. 16, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Comments will be taken by the assessment team.

Telephone comments as well as appearances at the public information session are limited to five minutes and must address the ability of the Sheriff's Office to comply with CALEA standards, a copy of which is available at the Sheriff's Office in the Morris County Courthouse in Morristown.

Written comments may be sent to the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., 10306 Eaton Place, Suite 320, Fairfax, Va., 22030-2201.

Additional information may be obtained by calling (800)368-3757 or (703)352-4225 or by visiting the CALEA Web site, www.calea.org .

---

This year's diaper drive conducted by the Morris County Youth Shelter was an unqualified success, with nearly 9,500 diapers collected.

The diapers were brought to the Morris County Office of Temporary Assistance, Child and Family Resources and the Interfaith Food Pantry for distribution. All three agencies partner in the community to help needy families.

Residents and counselors at the Youth Shelter initiated the first diaper drive last year after volunteering at the Interfaith Food Pantry and seeing families who needed not only food, but diapers and other essentials for their children. After collecting 7,400 adult, toddler and infant diapers last year, the shelter staff and residents decided to make the drive an annual event.

They credit the support and generosity of the Morris County community for being able to collect 2,000 more diapers this year, and thank Temple B'nai Or in Morristown; Weecycled Bundles of Joi in Ledgewood; The Morris Center YMCA; the West Morris Area YMCA; Family Intervention Services, The Morris/Sussex Care Management Organization, the Morris County Department of Human Services, the county's Personnel Office and Motor Services Pool of Morris County for serving as drop-off locations during this year's diaper drive.

---

The Morris County Board of Chosen Freeholders has formally approved accepting $5.8 million in federal funds to pay for improvements to the Chester Branch Rail Line.

The freeholders also approved the acquisition of the freight rail line from the Roxbury manufacturing company that owns it for $1 in return for upgrading the line.

The four-mile active rail line extends from Wharton through Randolph and terminates in Roxbury, and serves commercials users in Randolph and Roxbury with trains operated by The Morristown & Erie Rail Line.

Upgrading the rail line, according to the freeholders, would improve service to the current industrial users, and would make the freight line more attractive to future users. Funds for the rail repairs come from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

The county expects to solicit bids for the upgrade this fall.

---

The Morris County Municipal Utilities Authority will conduct a Household Hazardous Waste Disposal and Computer/T.V. Drop-off event Sunday, Nov. 1, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Jefferson Department of Public Works, 1033 Weldon Road, Lake Hopatcong.

Morris County residents will be able to drop-off unwanted hazardous materials and electronic devices including computers, monitors, printers, scanners, fax machines and televisions from their homes.

Although there is no charge for most of the materials that are acceptable at this event, a per component demanufacturing fee will be charged for computers, monitors, printers, scanners, fax machines and televisions, with the fee based on the size of the item. A $5 per item fee will be charged for barbeque-sized propane cylinders.

This event is for all Morris County residents. Businesses will not be permitted to attend this disposal event.

Acceptable materials include pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, oil-based paints, stains, paint thinners and removers, solvents, automotive fluids, batteries, pool chemicals, darkroom chemicals, aerosol cans that are not empty, propane and helium cylinders, small quantities of asbestos that are wetted, double bagged and sealed with duct tape, driveway sealant, roofing tar, fluorescent bulbs, PCB-ballasts, mercury thermometers and switches, household cleaning products, muriatic acid, computers, monitors, printers, scanners, fax machines and televisions. Latex paint will not be accepted.

Explosive or highly reactive materials, such as picric acid or nitro compounds, will not be accepted. For information about safe disposal of explosive or reactive material, call (973)-631-5109.

For more information about this event, call (973) 285-8394, or visit www.MCMUA.com.

---

The November meeting of the Morris County Advisory Council on Aging, Disabilities and Veterans has been rescheduled from Nov. 12 to Nov. 5 at noon.

The meeting will be in the large conference room on the ground floor of the Human Services Building, 340 West Hanover Ave., in Morris Township.

For further information contact Christina Brino, disabilities coordinator, at (973) 285-6855.

---