>The state should not be going door to door asking about the contents of people’s houses
Does anyone want to comment on the visits being made by representatives of the NJ state health department to Ridgewood households earlier this week, inquiring about pets in the house?
The gentleman who came to my house wanted to know about unregistered pets as well as registered pets. He seemed to be receiving cooperation from my neighbors, as his clipboard was full of information. Only after I told him that we had no pets did he reveal that he was canvassing for the state, rather than municipal government. I felt that was inappropriate.
The state should not be going door to door asking about the contents of people’s houses. Had I known at the outset he was from the state, I would probably have denied him any information and asked him to leave the premesis immediately.
Teachers typically light up when talking about the lessons that hit home, the ones that elicit energy and curiosity. But there are lessons that elicit even deeper responses, such as those about September 11, 2001 — both the day itself and its profound influence.
Yesterday, a coalition of educators, advocates, and survivors’ families known as the 4 Action Initiative gathered at Liberty Science Center to release a 236-page guide to teaching September 11. (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)
>Neighbors upset by a proposed cell tower in Ridgewood call for a committee
THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2011 BY KELLY EBBELS STAFF WRITER THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
A strong showing of residents opposed to the construction of a 140-foot cell tower at a Ridgewood firehouse convinced Village Council members to delay authorizing a bidding process until a thorough public discussion is held.
Last week, the village Engineering Department informed residents within 200 feet of the East Glen Avenue firehouse that Ridgewood was entertaining proposals for a monopole there. Residents questioned why a bid advertisement went out before council members were scheduled to authorize the request for proposals, and why there was not more notice of the government decision-making process.
Nearly a dozen residents stepped forward at Wednesday night’s council meeting, questioning why the bidding advertisement was done so rapidly – as resident Gina Damasco put it, “Where’s the fire?” – and red-flagging the proposed tower as a safety hazard and a blight on the village.
“I’m nauseous about this whole entire process,” Michael Kedersha said. “To try to pass this by without us even knowing is just insulting. It’s a slap in the face,” he added, to calls of “hear, hear” from the audience.
Ridgewood NJ- Ridgewood Coffee Company in celebrating it’s re-grand opening this Thursday, July 14th and Friday, July 15th. The finger food included appetizers from Ridge Thai, pastries from Simply Homemade “the cupcake lady”, and a selection of their delicious coffee, smoothies, teas, and beverages.
And yes the coffee do to the latest in water purification technology and a slight remix of their traditional blends is a significant improvement over yesterdays brew. The shop has under gone a remodeling with a smaller counter creating a bit more indoor space and the more out door seating that is defiantly a nice touch.
The party is not over through, Friday will feature live music and more goodies . If you have not stooped in in a while I would suggest making Ridgewood coffee a must sometime tomorrow .
PSE&G projects are expected to create hundreds of jobs
The state’s largest utility yesterday won approval to extend a highly successful energy efficiency program and expand upgrades to its gas and electric infrastructure on an accelerated basis, work that will create hundreds of jobs.
n approving these plans the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) extended the timeframe of two programs that officials have initiated in hopes of jump-starting the economy and advancing the state’s goals of reducing the amount of energy its residents and businesses consume. (Johnson, NJ Spotlight)
Public workers pensions reform will save local governments and school boards millions of dollars each year
A new law requiring public workers to contribute more to their pensions will save area local governments and school boards more than $4 million in the first year, numbers released Thursday by the Governor’s Office show.
Statewide, the savings will total $43 million in fiscal 2012 and will reach a projected $43 billion over 30 years, a statement from the governor said. (Froonjian, Press of Atlantic City)
>Local governments face loss of N.J. aid if they fail to show improvements to Christie administration
The Christie administration is sending the governments of New Jersey’s 566 cities and towns and 21 counties to summer school and failure to follow instructions will cost them state aid.
The administration on Thursday issued a 2011 Best Practices Checklist to each local government as part of an effort to make them operate more efficiently, strengthen their accountability, and better manage their finances. This is the second year of the initiative. (Hester, New Jersey Newsroom)
>Ridgewood’s revised Fields Use Policy is approved
THURSDAY, JULY 14, 2011 BY JOSEPH CRAMER STAFF WRITER THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Village and school officials reached an agreement on revisions to the much-contested Fields Use Policy.
The Village Council unanimously approved the revised document at a meeting on Wednesday night.
Under the revised policy, the cutoff time for lights at Stevens Field is 9 p.m., a concession agreed upon by the Board of Education in late June. Ridgewood High School Stadium Field is given a 20-game maximum for games held on Friday and Saturday nights that require the lights to be on until 10 p.m. If possible with the current lighting system, Veterans Field is to have an electronic shutoff at 10 p.m., with safety lighting remaining on until 10:15 p.m. to allow exit time.
In addition, the council agreed to relocate “tailgating” parties to the high school parking lot, away from Heermance Place.
>Ridgewood Zoning Board of Adjustment : Council came to a consensus not to reappoint Doug Cronk and Dean Vellis
Ridgewood council makes ‘surprise’ switch on zoning board
FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2011 BY JOSEPH CRAMER STAFF WRITER THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
In advance of the yearly reorganization of the Ridgewood Zoning Board of Adjustment on Tuesday night, the Village Council unexpectedly decided not to reappoint two members.
In a closed session last week, the council came to a consensus not to reappoint Doug Cronk and Dean Vellis to the zoning board, according to Ridgewood Mayor Keith Killion. Board alternates Shiroy Ranji and Hans Jurgen-Lehmann were sworn in as full members in their place for the coming year, which runs until June 30, 2012.
Cronk and Vellis were notified last Thursday of the council’s decision, something that came as a “surprise” to both men.
>Scott Garrett : I support the repeal of the ban on incandescent light bulbs
Garrett: Section 4 of Better Use of Light Bulbs Act (BULB) Act Violates 10th Amendment
WASHINGTON, July 12, 2011 -Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ), Chairman of the Constitution Caucus, today released the following statement after voting against H.R. 2417, the Better Use of Light Bulbs Act:
“As a cosponsor of H.R. 91, the original version of Better Use of Light Bulbs Act, I support the repeal of the ban on incandescent light bulbs and fundamentally disagree with the federal government trying to restrict consumers’ choice. Unfortunately, the bill we considered today was not the same as the bill I originally cosponsored. When a new version of the legislation was introduced, a provision was added that would prohibit states from creating their own standards on light bulbs. As Chairman of the Constitution Caucus, I cannot vote for a bill that infringes upon states’ rights and is in violation of the 10th Amendment of the Constitution.”
A U.S. default isn’t a matter of “if” but “when,” David Murrin, chief investment officer at Emergent Asset Management, told CNBC. “It’s inevitable that the U.S. will default-it’s essentially an empire which is overextended and in decline-and that its financial system will go with it,” he said.
The question is: Does the U.S. default when it is forced to by the outside world, probably the Chinese, or does it take the option to default on its own terms in such a way that it may have a strategic advantage, Murrin said.
Republicans and Democrats are currently locked in a debate on how to cut the U.S. budget deficit, and on whether the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling should be raised. Both parties need to come to a consensus by Aug. 2, otherwise the country will be in a state of technical default.
In his book “Breaking the Code of History,” Murrin argues that the balance of power has shifted away from the West, with America as the superpower, towards the East, led by China.
>LINKER: MORE TAXES WON’T FIX GOVERNMENT’S SPENDING PROBLEM,
CHRONIC JOBLESSNESS, AND STAGNANT ECONOMY
(Ridgewood, NJ): On Tuesday, conservative Republican U.S. Senate candidate from New Jersey Ian Linker voiced his concern that Congress will miss its opportunity to fundamentally change the way Washington spends taxpayer money because Democrats insist that an agreement to raise the statutory debt limit must include a trillion dollars of new taxes.
Linker said, “Congress must change the way it spends our money or America will soon buckle under the weight of an unsustainable debt. The government cannot continue to write blank checks. We need to pass a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution that caps spending and we need to pay down this debt. We can no longer afford to summarily raise the statutory debt limit without real spending reform. Our nation’s debt has increased by almost 50% since President Obama took office and we have incurred more debt since Bob Menendez joined the U.S. Senate in 2006 than we had in the preceding 230 years of our nation’s history. When an individual incurs debt the way our government incurs debt, banks will eventually turn off the credit spigot. Only Congress has the power to turn off the government’s spigot and now is the time to close it off. Don’t be fooled by Democrats shouts of shared sacrifice and equitable contribution. We are not in this predicament because we tax too little and we will not solve this problem with higher taxes. We are in this mess because we spend too much.”
Linker explained, “Putting aside that American tax policy is not responsible for our mountain of debt, raising taxes in a fragile economy is just bad economic policy. With millions out of work and the economy stagnating, raising taxes will cause further joblessness and will only add further downward pressure on an economy barely growing at 1.9% per year.”
Linker added, “This Congress has an historic opportunity to solve the fiscal mess that no one person and no one political party is responsible for causing, but solve it they must.”
