Quorum Call
News from the District
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From the office of Assemblyman Kevin J. Rooney
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A Message from the Assemblyman:
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Dear Friend,
It's hard to believe that the first quarter of the year is almost complete. Although we are only half way through the month, it's been incredibly busy. March Madness doesn't only apply to basketball.
We started off the month with the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce's 81st annual Walk to Washington event. The unique eve
nt brings together hundreds of legislators, lobbyists, nonprofits, and companies together to discuss the state's most pressing issues while on a train to Washington, D.C. It was an excellent opportunity to meet people from across the state to hear what is important to them and how we can work together.
When talking about March weather, the saying goes "In like a lion, out like a lamb." Right after I returned from Washington DC, we were hit with Winter Storm Riley. It was the first of three major Nor'easters to pummel New Jersey over the first 11 days of the month. Thousands of people were left without power for days or even weeks, and hundreds were left stranded on highways during Winter Storm Quinn. The companies that provide power to the residents of our area were severely lacking in preparedness to handle the storms, and responsiveness and communication to repairing the damage.
I consider it more than my duty to make sure my constituents receive the attention and resources they deserve. I am dedicated to making sure events like what we have just experienced do not happen again. I've included information below about my work to address the many problems we faced.
I have also included a segment on Women's History Month, as well as our regular
Spotlight
section, which features Ava Buffa of Wayne, NJ. She is a middle schooler at Schuyler Colfax where they raised over $25,000 for Pennies for Patients.
Sincerely,
Kevin J. Rooney
Assemblyman
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Rooney's Recipes
Assemblyman and winner of Food Network's
"Chopped"
shares his favorite recipes
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Pork Gravy with Rigatoni Pasta
Serves 8
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Ingredients:
- 2 lbs. boneless pork butt, cut into 2-inch cubes
- 1 lb. pork spare ribs (boneless)
- 1½ tablespoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 1 ½ tablespoons granulated garlic, plus more to taste
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- ¼ cup whole garlic cloves, smashed
- 4 (28-ounce) cans San Marzano whole tomatoes, hand crushed
- 8 fresh basil leaves, torn
- 2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
- Sea salt, for pasta water
- 2 lbs rigatoni
- ¼ cup grated Pecorino Romano
- 1 cup ricotta
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Preparation
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Evenly coat the pork butt & spare ribs with the salt, pepper, and granulated garlic. Heat a medium Dutch oven over medium-high heat, and add the olive oil, pork butt, spare ribs and onion. Brown the meats on all sides, then add the smashed garlic, and cook until it is brown.
Turn the flame down to medium-low, add the crushed San Marzano tomatoes, and cover. Stir periodically, allowing nothing to stick to the bottom of the pot. After approximately 2
½
hours, or when the meat is tender, add the basil and the Parmigiano-Reggiano, and simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Season with salt, black pepper, and granulated garlic.
In a separate pot, boil salted water and cook the rigatoni until al dente. Strain the pasta through a colander, and toss with the gravy.
Divide evenly among 8 plates. Garnish with Pecorino Romano and a dollop of ricotta, serve, and enjoy!
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Responding to Winter Storms Riley & Quinn
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Residents across the state were impacted after our state was clobbered by multiple nor'easter winter stor
ms.
At its peak, more than 1 million people were left without power from North Carolina to Maine - including hundreds of thousands of New Jerseyans. The delayed action to declare a State of Emergency coupled with the inability to request for assistance from the National Guard was unacceptable. The links below share details about my response and how we need to act in the future.
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Holding Orange & Rockland Electric Accountable
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The O&R response time, preparedness and communications throughout the storm and the entire recovery process was severely lacking and beyond unacceptable. This is nothing new - it's something that I experienced in previous role as mayor and it cannot continue. My colleagues and I are working to address this legislatively.
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In 1981 Congress officially declared March as the official month to celebrate and honor Women’s history. This is a time to thank, honor, and continue to support women. This month is a time to recognize the role that women have played in writing our history, and the influence they have on our future.
New Jersey’s long history includes the lives of women from Annis Boudinot Stockton, a Colonial poet, to Clara Barton, the founder of the first public school in New Jersey, to suffragist leader Alice Paul, and to 20th-century political leader Millicent Fenwick. These trailblazers have helped shape the history of New Jersey. It is important to identify the stories of these and other extraordinary women helping to shape our history. May we always honor and celebrate the women who build our states history, this month and every day as we move forward.
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Consumer Tips
Tips, scam alerts, and other advice about every-day situations for consumers
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Spotlight: Ava Buffa
Middle Schooler, Cancer Survivor, and 2018 Girl of the Year
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Ava was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL), a cancer of the blood and bone marrow, when she was about a month shy of her third birthday. She started to have pains in her legs and began to limp. On April 2, 2009, she had a bone marrow test that showed that she had ALL, it just had not reached her bloodstream yet.
Although Ava was too young to understand what was happening, her diagnosis was devastating for her family and friends. Mom, Dad, sister Nina and Ava all are incredibly close. There were in and out of the hospital for many years for treatment, as well as complications. During her treatment, they also became very close to her nurses and doctors. She and her family credit them for saving her life.
Ava’s official cure date was December 25, 2016. Today, she is 11 years old. She loves reading (especially Harry Potter), acro, going to Disney World, and hanging out with her friends and family.
She is a 6th grader at Schuyler Colfax Middle School in Wayne, where they annually hold the Pennies for Patients campaign to raise money and awareness for blood cancers.
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She is also honored to be the 2018 Girl of the Year for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, a voluntary health organization dedicated to funding research, finding cures and ensuring treatment for blood cancer patients.
Her efforts, along with those of the students at Schuyler Colfax Middle School, are inspiration to all of us. It is my honor to recognize Ava for her strength, resilience, and dedication to helping others.
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Spotlight
highlights accomplishments of people throughout District 40. Each month, this section will recognize a person or persons for their achievement, and will be chosen at random. Do you have someone you would like to nominate to be in the next month's
Spotlight
? Click the button below to fill out a submission form.
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1211 Hamburg Turnpike
Suite 301
Wayne, NJ 07470
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Office: (973) 237-1362
Fax: (973) 237-1367
email: AsmRooney@njleg.org
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Appropriations
Consumer Affairs
Environment and Solid Waste
Statewide Public Safety Communications Commission
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