>Audit: Record number of licensed N.J. accountants are lying about education
New Jersey officials say they have uncovered a disturbing trend this year: A record number of accountants — usually considered among the most honest and trusted professionals — have been lying about their education.
Worse yet, they’ve been lying about a class on ethics.
A recent audit of New Jersey’s licensed bean counters from 2006 to 2008 found that 4 percent of them — about 780 of 20,000 — falsely reported they returned to school for the course, which the state requires them to take every three years.
What’s more, many of those caught by the review were also lying about having taken other continuing education classes, required to keep accountants sharp in areas ranging from getting taxpayers the largest refunds to keeping tabs on millions of dollars in public money. (Baxter, The Star-Ledger)
>As Christmas approaches, retailers take aim at online shops that don’t charge sales tax
The loss of revenue for the state and the loss of competition for retailers in New Jersey “compounds daily,” said New Jersey Retail Merchants Association president John Holub, because of online retailers that avoid the 7 percent sales tax.
“The lost revenue is important,” Holub said. “Bricks-and-mortar stores, before they even open their doors, are at a 7 percent disadvantage because of the lack of these online, Internet-only retailers’ failure to collect sales tax.”
The association commissioned a study, done by the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University earlier this year, which showed in 2009, the state lost an estimated $171 million in revenue from Internet-only retailers not collecting sales tax. That amount could increase to nearly $300 million by 2015. (Caliendo, NJBIZ)
>New Jersey nurses charge religious discrimination over hospital abortion policy
A dozen nurses in New Jersey have rekindled the contentious debate over when health-care workers can refuse to play a role in caring for women getting abortions.
In a lawsuit filed in federal court Oct. 31, 12 nurses charge that the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey violated state and federal laws by abruptly announcing in September that nurses would have to help with abortion patients before and after the procedure, reversing a long-standing policy exempting employees who refuse based on religious or moral objections.
“I’m a nurse so I can help people, not help kill, and it just doesn’t seem right to me,” said Beryl Otieno-Negoje, one of the nurses. “No health professional should be forced to choose between assisting abortion or being penalized at work.” (Stein, The Washington Post)
End-of-life care is always a difficult issue.In New Jersey it’s also one that is both costly and aggressively pursued: The latest Medicare study by the nonprofit Dartmouth Atlas, which analyzes nationwide variations in healthcare, found that nearly 25 percent of New Jerseyans spent a week or more in the hospital intensive care unit in their last six months, compared with the national average of 15 percent. In that time they saw an average of 11 doctors, compared with eight for the nation. Medicare spending averaged $65,436 in the last two years of life in New Jersey, compared with $53,441 for the U.S., according to the Dartmouth Atlas review of 2003 to 2007 Medicare data. (Fitzgerald, NJ Spotlight)
New Jersey’s hospitals saw operating margins rise slightly in 2010 despite a weak economy.
While 70 percent of the state’s hospitals had modest gains, 30 percent remain in the red.
Operating margins — or money left over after all patient expenses are paid — were 2.3 percent in 2010, compared with 1.7 percent in 2009, according to an annual report released Monday by the New Jersey Hospital Association.
Kerry McKean Kelly, spokeswoman for the association, declined to release the names of New Jersey hospitals with operating deficits.
The report attributed the slight uptick to aggressive cost-reduction strategies, such as layoffs, service cutbacks, hiring and wage freezes, and postponing or downsizing capital projects. (Stilwell, Gannett)
Curtis Granderson ,Wednesday, November 30th @5:00pm**New Time New York Yankee Center Fielder, Curtis Granderson, will sign his new book: All You Can Be. NO MEMORABILIA.
Appearing authors will only autograph books purchased at Bookends and must have valid Bookends Receipt.Availability & pricing for all autographed books subject to change.Bookends cannot guarantee that the books that are Autographed will always be First Printings. Autographed books purchased at Bookends are non-returnable.
While we try to insure that all customers coming to Bookends’ signings will meet authors and get their books signed, we cannot guarantee that all attendees will meet the author or that all books will be signed. We cannot control inclement weather, author travel schedules or authors who leave prematurely.
Bookends, 211 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450 201-445-0726
NEW PLAYERS STAGE PRESENT , “THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ERNEST”
Oscar Wilde’s classic will be staged at The Little Theatre on Friday, December 9 (8 p.m.) and Saturday, December 10 (2 p.m. and 8 p.m.). Tickets are $10 for students/staff/seniors and $15 for other adults. Click here for the order form : https://tinyurl.com/ctoyv5a
The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at St. James’s Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious personae in order to escape burdensome social obligations. Working within the social conventions of late Victorian London, the play’s major themes are the triviality with which it treats institutions as serious as marriage, and the resulting satire of Victorian ways. Contemporary reviews all praised the play’s humour, though some were cautious about its explicit lack of social messages, while others foresaw the modern consensus that it was the culmination of Wilde’s artistic career so far. Its high farce and witty dialogue have helped make The Importance of Being Earnest Wilde’s most endearingly popular play. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Importance_of_Being_Earnest
>Ridgewood Police Department Main Phone Number – Technical Issue We are experience a technical issue with the PD main Phone number 201-652-3900. An Alt. # has been setup, 201-251-4991.
Merry Christmas from SMITH BROTHERS STEAK & CHOPHO– USE
Greetings!
MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2011 FOR RIDGEWOOD’S ANNUAL “DOWNTOWN FOR THE HOLIDAYS” TREE LIGHTING!!! CALL SMITH BROTHERS STEAK & CHOPHO– USE TO MAKE YOUR RESERVATIONS TODAY!!! WE ALL KNOW HOW BUSY THIS NIGHT IS SO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR???? BRING THE KIDS & GRANDPARENTS TO RIDGEWOOD FOR THE MOST FESTIVE EVENT OF THE SEASON!!
CALL TODAY AS TABLES ARE FILLING UP FAST!! SMITH BROTHERS STEAK & CHOPHO– USE 51 NORTH BROAD STREET RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450 201-444-8111
Pedestrian Struck, North Van Dien and Linwood Avenues, Ridgewood 11/30/2011 Boyd A. Loving
At approximately 9:15 AM on Wednesday, November 30, Ridgewood PD received multiple telephone calls of a pedestrian struck at the intersection of North Van Dien Avenue and Linwood Avenue (in front of The Valley Hospital).
Responding PD, EMS, fire, and paramedic units found the victim to be conscious and alert, but suffering from head and back injuries as a result of being struck by a vehicle traveling eastbound on Linwood Avenue.
The victim was transported to The Valley Hospital at approximately 9:25 AM.
>Stricter laws may leave N.J. teens facing tougher road to driver’s license
Teenagers who are learning to drive — and their parents — would face a longer road to a driver’s license, under a tough new teen-driver safety law proposed in the Legislature.
Parents of teens with a driving learner’s permit would be required to take a teen driver-orientation course, and the teenagers themselves would have to practice driving for up to 100 hours, under the bill sent to the state Assembly.
The bill would also lengthen the current six-month driver permit phase to one year, giving New Jersey one of the strictest teen driver safety laws in the nation.
The bill advanced today by the Assembly Transportation Committee in an 8-0 vote would build on previous teen driver safety efforts, such as decals signifying the driver is under 18, and a limit of one passenger. (Frassinelli, The Star-Ledger)
>RHS Stadium : Good schools differentiate themselves by having many extracurricular activities and excellent facilities for the kids to use
I totally disagree with people critisizing the field and stadium. The old field and stadium were embarrassingly in disrepair. Good schools differentiate themselves by having many extracurricular activities and excellent facilities for the kids to use. This field and stadium are just one part of that. RHS offers more clubs and extracurricular activities and varsity sports than many high schools and that participation by the students should be encouraged and supported.
Ridgewood does itself a disservice by having crappy substandard facilities that are falling apart as if we are some inner-city Detriot school with falling down bleachers and a field that could ONLY be used by varsity football and varsity lax because that is all it could handle. Now we have a field that we can be proud of and can withstand high usage by as many classes and clubs and sports that need to use it. Drive by and you see kids on it all the time now and it is great to see.
This is not about just one or two sports teams, it is about the entire school’s appearance and facilities for many of the kids to use. Think about when we take our kids to see colleges, how does an Ivy League school compare to some crappy low budget college? It does not take very long walking around a campus to get an idea for the quality of the school by just looking at the all the facilities, some of which are the fields. One of the things that most differentiates great schools is the depth and breadth of programs and sports they offer and that kids participate in.
Check out a mediocre college (or private High School) and the list of varsity programs and clubs is short and the facilities are not great. Check out a high quality school and the facilities are nice and the kids participate in many things. It seems we have a culture here in Ridgewood where we support building $10 million wings for classrooms, and second stories on elementary schools and junior high schools. But heaven forbid we spend a tiny fraction of that amount to replace a grandstand that was so old and crappy it was about to collapse and fix a field that is the first thing everybody sees and should be the most used by all the students.
I for one love the new field and I know the kids do too (not just football and lax players). Now when people come see RHS they see a beautiful school with a field and stadium that are at least on par with Ramapo, Northern Highlands, Ramsey, and other good high schools(not better). This is one of the things people consider when they buy a home in Ridgewood and the appearance of the high school field is just one small part of that and it is money very well spent in that regard given how highly visible it is.
>League of Municipalities reviewing guidelines for vendors
The League of Municipalities says it is reviewing guidelines for vendors and may require them to undergo training before they can make pitches to local officials at its annual convention.
The decision comes after The Record reported last week that many vendors hoped to bypass state contracting rules and sell directly to local officials during this month’s event in Atlantic City. League representatives say some vendors may have broken the law.
Vendors who spoke to The Record during the three-day event said they came there knowing that local officials could choose whether to put contracts out for public bidding. Some said they intended to persuade visiting officials from towns not to seek bids for certain service contracts and aimed instead to win the business directly. (Fletcher, The Record)
>Bills to shake up NJ schools emerge Jason Method | Gannett
TRENTON — Two new bills dropped into the lame-duck session of the Legislature would, if passed into law, mark significant changes for local governments and school districts.
Municipalities and school districts would be required to participate in county purchasing programs under one bill. It would create potential for wider local government consolidation and shared services.
Another bill would eliminate annual school budget votes for any school districts that keep within the state budget cap and move their Board of Education elections to the November.
School budget votes have long been a pet peeve of the educational establishment, because, school officials contend, residents often use the up-or-down ballots to unleash their fury at rising property tax bills.
