Month: August 2011

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>Fine Print: Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) draft curriculum frameworks

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Fine Print: Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) draft curriculum frameworks

What it is: New Jersey has joined nearly two dozen other states in the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC), a consortium developing an assessment system to match the new national Common Core State Standards in math and language arts. PARCC released its draft frameworks of what those assessments would measure and what students should learn.

What it means: On the idea that teachers teach what is tested, this is the first look at what will be tested under the PARCC model. There is still a long way to go, with the assessments not expected to be online until 2014, at the earliest, and much work to be done in terms of design and development.  (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)

https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/11/0809/2313/
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>New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says a proposal to raise toll prices ‘doesn’t work for me’

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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo says a proposal to raise toll prices ‘doesn’t work for me’

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday the proposed steep toll hikes at bridges and tunnels to New Jersey are a “non-starter,” but he didn’t rule out increases after further review.

“I think the proposal is a non-starter for obvious reasons,” Cuomo said Tuesday of the tentative plan, which could be killed by him or by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. He said that now isn’t a good time to be raising tolls and that the kneejerk response of putting “our hand in the taxpayer’s pocket” when money is needed “doesn’t work for me.”

The proposal by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates area bridges, tunnels and transit hubs, would as much as double the tolls at the Lincoln and Holland tunnels, at the George Washington Bridge and at three other bridges between New Jersey and Staten Island.  (Gormely, The Associated Press)

https://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/breaking/new-york-gov-andrew-cuomo-says-a-proposal-to-raise/article_eef0ef9a-c2e6-11e0-b00a-001cc4c03286.html
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>UNIONS: The real story on the PA toll hikes comes out

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UNIONS: The real story on the PA toll hikes comes out 

Labor to Dems: Don’t slam toll hike

As the barrage of press releases from labor unions and others supporting the Port Authority’s proposed toll hike make their way into the public domain, one voice – or rather a host of voices – is missing from the chorus.

Since the proposed toll and fare hike was announced Friday, Democratic state lawmakers have been almost universally absent from the criticism of the plan, which would raise the cost to cross the Hudson by 50 percent for some motorists. Sources tell PolitickerNJ the reason for the silence is twofold. First, organized labor has come out overwhelmingly in favor of the plan.  The revenue generated from the hike will fund some $30 billion in capital improvements over the next decade, creating much needed jobs for labor’s rank and file, who have seen their unemployment rise as high as 40 percent.   (Isherwood, PolitickerNJ)

https://www.politickernj.com/50126/labor-dems-dont-slam-toll-hike
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>Bergen County Pay-to-play reform stalled ????

>Bergen County Pay-to-play reform stalled ????

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2011
BY MICHAEL GARTLAND
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

Pay-to-play reform in Bergen County was impractical because of likely legal challenges, Democrats contended last year. But such reform was essential to dispel the perception that county government was for sale, Republicans countered.

The county’s political landscape has shifted significantly since then and so have the dynamics of a pay-to-play debate that has dominated local and state politics for more than a decade.

Republicans took control of the county freeholder board in January for the first time in eight years, and all but one of them voted in June to delay the latest pay-to-play reform proposal. The reason? Legal considerations.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/politics/127438093_Pay-to-play_reform_stuck_in_neutral.html

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>Bergen Community College mulls staff changes

>Bergen Community College mulls staff changes

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2011
BY PATRICIA ALEX
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

An administrative reorganization is in the offing at Bergen Community College as its new leader moves for a new slate after his predecessor was ousted.

Interim President Jose Adames has proposed personnel changes in at least six key jobs at the college, and trustees are considering eliminating three other top administrative posts, board Chairman E. Carter Corriston said.

The governing board is set to consider the changes at its meeting tonight. Trustees also will vote on giving Adames a monthly stipend of $15,000 while they conduct a national search for a new president.

The board fired former President Jerry Ryan last month after a series of disputes with Bergen County Executive Kathe Donovan, who had sought more control over college spending.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/127438068_Bergen_college_mulls_staff_changes.html

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>Verizon reports sabotage as workers continue strike

>Verizon reports sabotage as workers continue strike
August 09, 2011|By Taryn Luna, Globe Correspondent

Verizon Communications Inc. reported a dozen cases of sabotaged cable lines and warned of delays in repairs and customer service on the second day of a strike involving about 45,000 employees.

The telecommunications company said there have been 12 acts of sabotage to telephone lines and to Internet and television services in Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, and New York since the strike began.

Fiber-optic lines were intentionally cut in Tewksbury and several other municipalities on the East Coast, the company said.

https://articles.boston.com/2011-08-09/business/29868702_1_myles-calvey-striking-workers-electrical-workers

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>AOL Struggles to Stay Positive After Second Quarter Loss

>AOL Struggles to Stay Positive After Second Quarter Loss
By Adam Clark Estes | The Atlantic Wire – 20 hrs ago

The timing of AOL’s second quarter earnings report was not so good. On Tuesday, the Dow Jones U.S. Tech Index sunk by 5.8 percent–just slightly higher than the Dow Jones Industrial average drop of 5.6 percent–and AOL’s stock sunk 6.4 percent. The earnings report happened to be the best AOL has seen in a while, but it still isn’t great. The company lost $11.8 million in the second quarter, partly due to increased spending on its hyperlocal network Patch and “other strategic” investments. Revenue on the whole was down 8 percent to $542.2 million, but  AOL did finally see the signs of a turnaround in total advertising revenue, which rose 5 percent.

https://news.yahoo.com/aol-struggles-stay-positive-second-quarter-loss-133200674.html

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>Pedestrian Hit : Ridgewood man, 21, charged in hit-and-run

>Ridgewood man, 21, charged in hit-and-run

TUESDAY, AUGUST 9, 2011
BY MARLENE NAANES
STAFF WRITER
NORTHJERSEY.COM

RIDGEWOOD — A man allegedly involved in a hit-and-run accident turned himself in at the police department Tuesday, authorities said.

The driver, Matthew Cermak 21, of Ridgewood, was charged with leaving the scene of an accident with injuries and careless driving, police said in a statement. He was released, pending an appearance in municipal court.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/crime_courts/Ridgewood_police_search_for_driver_that_struck_17-year-old.html

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>Vote devices in counties re-evaluated

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Vote devices in counties re-evaluated

In the middle of a vast warehouse of Gloucester County voting machines last Wednesday, Gary Plummer replaced chips and resealed some of the 520 voting devices.

Plummer’s Medford-based Election Support & Services Inc. has been contracted by several New Jersey counties — including Burlington and Camden — to help them comply with a controversial Superior Court order.
In February 2010, Judge Linda Feinberg ruled New Jersey’s 11,000 voting machines be disconnected from the Internet and re-evaluated by a panel of experts, and that anyone who works with or on voting machines be subject to a criminal background check.  (Rosen, Gannett)

https://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20110809/NEWS01/108090331/Vote-devices-counties-re-evaluated
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>Liberal group goes after ‘Christie-crats’

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Liberal group goes after ‘Christie-crats’

A newly formed group of progressive Democrats wants to oust Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver from their leadership posts.

NJ-CAN, dubbing as “Christie-crats” the 22 Democrats who voted for the changes to public workers’ pensions and health benefits enacted in June, launched a petition drive Monday demanding the Legislature’s Democratic leaders be removed before the post-election lame-duck session.

Its members oppose the benefits law and questioned why Sweeney and Oliver couldn’t extract concessions from Gov. Chris Christie on the state budget in exchange.  (Staff, Gannett)

https://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20110809/NEWS02/108090337/Liberal-group-goes-after-Christie-crats-?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|State
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>This week in golf: Four-Ball field wide open

>This week in golf: Four-Ball field wide open

MONDAY, AUGUST 8, 2011
BY GREG MATTURA
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

The 79th New Jersey Four-Ball Championship should provide greater intrigue thanks to a format change and the absence of the heavyweight defending champions.

Ridgewood’s Christina Paulsen should challenge for the Girls 16-18 title at this week’s New Jersey Junior PGA Championship.
There are many more teams — 45 — because the three-day tournament, which opens today at Knickerbocker Country Club in Tenafly, has added a stroke-play qualifier and the low 16 advance to Tuesday’s match play.

Defending champs Brian Komline and Mike Deo of Black Oak, among the state’s premier amateurs, will not defend their New Jersey State Golf Association title.

NJPGA Junior

Ridgewood’s Christina Paulsen should challenge for the Girls 16-18 title. The favorite is last year’s runner-up, Clark’s Noelle Maertz.

https://www.northjersey.com/sports/127163518_Four-Ball_field_wide_open.ht

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>Groups call for scientists to engage in the body politic

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Groups call for scientists to engage in the body politic

When asked to name a scientist, Americans are stumped. In one recent survey, the top choice, at 47 percent, was Einstein, who has been dead since 1955, and the next, at 23 percent, was “I don’t know.” In another survey, only 4 percent of respondents could name a living scientist.

While these may not have been statistically rigorous exercises, they do point to something real: In American public life, researchers are largely absent. Trained to stick to the purity of the laboratory, they tend to avoid the sometimes irrational hurly-burly of politics.  

For example, according to the Congressional Research Service, the technically trained among the 435 members of the House include one physicist, 22 people with medical training (including 2 psychologists and a veterinarian), a chemist, a microbiologist and 6 engineers.  (Dean, The New York Times)

https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/09/science/09emily.html?scp=13&sq=jersey&st=nyt
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>Cell Tower : FPR Realty owner of Barnett Place cell site

>As previously reported in the : Cell Tower site choice a puzzle https://theridgewoodblog.net/2011/06/cell-tower-site-choice-puzzle.html

Cell Tower : FPR Realty owner of Barnett Place cell site 

Ridgewood NJ – The TMobile expert witness testified that the best place for the cell tower would be the Hohokus train station.

With regard to the Ridgewood firehouse on the corner of north maple and east glen: according to the ridgewood tax maps, the firehouse lot is on 7.41 acres of property.

The lot on Barnett that Tmobile is proposing to put the cell tower on is less than 1/2 an acre of property.

We did some research and found out who the identity the property owner where the cell tower is proposed for Barnett Place. The owner is FPR Realty, and the owner (or at least part owner) is Jay Friedrich, Esq., an attorney in town.

See also link to his firm’s website : https://www.friedrichandfriedrich.com/

An interesting detail came to our attention ,it looks like Mr. Friedrich had a major battle with David Bolger, where David Bolger claimed a frivolous litigation was filed against him by Friedrich and won.

also see : T-Mobile Pushes for Barnett Place while more suitable locations go unused ? https://theridgewoodblog.net/2011/06/t-mobile-pushes-for-barnett-place-while.html

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>How much did Gov. Chris Christie know about the Port Authority’s proposed toll hikes?

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How much did Gov. Chris Christie know about the Port Authority’s proposed toll hikes?

Could Gov. Chris Christie, the iron-fisted leader who installed some of his closest confidantes to run the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, have been caught unawares by Friday’s announcement of a 50-percent toll hike at Port Authority bridges and tunnels that mainly serve his constituents?

Some say no: It’s political theater scripted to let Christie intervene on behalf of commuters and partially roll back the increase to a level more like the one he said he would be open to back in June.

“Realistically, it wouldn’t have been done without both governors having complete knowledge of what was in place,” said Michael Francis, a former chairman of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, appointed by Republican Gov. Christie Whitman.  (Strunsky, The Star-Ledger)

https://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/08/chris_christie_port_authority.html
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>NJ Gov. Christie blasts the Port Authority toll hike proposal, calls the agency mismanaged

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NJ Gov. Christie blasts the Port Authority toll hike proposal, calls the agency mismanaged

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie yesterday blasted the Port Authority over its push to raise tolls $4 and blamed a bevy of former and current politicians — including Mayor Bloomberg — for letting the bistate agency run wild with its spending.

Christie said he was shocked to learn of the massive proposed toll hike on Hudson River and Staten Island crossings from $8 to $12 for drivers with E-ZPass, recalling his first reaction: “You’re kidding, right?”
Once he stopped reeling from shock, he said he got angry — citing the toll hikes as “testimony to the mismanagement of the Port for years” and laying the blame squarely on bistate leadership over the past decade for overspending on Ground Zero.  (Margolin and Fermino, NY Post)

https://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/chris_cross_at_mike_OtWXgE8PxwYQhklXl2IggJ