Month: February 2012

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>EDA backs program to accelerate tech company growth

>EDA backs program to accelerate tech company growth


Technology companies will receive aid in their effort to accelerate their growth under a program sponsored by the New Jersey Economic Development Authority.

The EDA announced an agreement on Wednesday with TechLaunch LLC to create the state’s first technology accelerator.

The competitive program will be a 12-week “boot camp” for businesses in which they will receive mentoring and an opportunity to launch a model product that will receive funding.  (Kitchenman, NJBIZ)

https://www.njbiz.com/article/20120223/NJBIZ01/120229909/EDA-backs-program-to-accelerate-tech-company-growth
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>Assembly Panel Advances Bill To Increase N.J.’s Minimum Wage and drive more jobs out of the state

>Assembly Panel Advances Bill To Increase N.J.’s Minimum Wage and drive more jobs out of the state 
Thursday, February 23, 2012

TRENTON – Legislation sponsored by Assembly Democrats to increase New Jersey’s hourly minimum wage to $8.50 and require the rate to then be adjusted annually based on the Consumer Price Index was released Thursday by the Assembly Labor Committee by a vote of 6-2-1.

The bill, which would boost the minimum wage as of July 1, is sponsored by Speaker Sheila Y. Oliver (D-Essex/Passaic), Assemblywoman L. Grace Spencer (D-Essex), Majority Leader Lou Greenwald (D-Camden), Speaker Pro Tem Jerry Green (D-Union/Middlesex/Somerset), Majority Conference Leader Gordon Johnson (D-Bergen), Budget Chairman Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson/Bergen) and Deputy Speaker John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex).

During the Assembly reorganization ceremony in January, Oliver announced increasing the minimum wage – which is now $7.25 per hour – would be a Democratic priority this legislative session.

Read more: https://njtoday.net/2012/02/23/assembly-panel-advances-bill-to-increase-n-j-s-minimum-wage/#ixzz1nIUxDFVo 

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>Christie : his position to strengthen civil unions between gay and lesbian couples is the same as President Barack Obama’s position

>Christie : his position to strengthen civil unions between gay and lesbian couples is the same as President Barack Obama’s position


New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie hammered openly gay Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart Thursday in a faceoff over the legalization of gay marriage, which Christie has vetoed in his state.
“I used to be a prosecutor. I’m not going to be cross-examined by you this morning,” said Christie to Capehart in a heated exchange on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “You’re going to lose.”
Earlier on in the show, Christie insisted that his position to strengthen civil unions between gay and lesbian couples is the same as President Barack Obama’s position.

“The Democrats in my state are criticizing me, saying my feet are firmly planted on the wrong side of justice. I said yesterday, ‘yeah, my feet are firmly planted right next to President Obama.’ And they don’t criticize him,” the governor said.  (Mak, Politico)

https://www.politico.com/news/stories/0212/73204.html
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>Abbott Districts take hit in new school funding formula

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Abbott Districts take hit in new school funding formula

The state’s so called Abbott Districts are among the hardest hit districts under a new school funding formula announced today.

Of the state’s 31 Abbott Districts, 23 will lose funding in the next school year, two will see flat funding and six will see increased funding.

In a conference call with reporters, Acting Commissioner of Education Christopher Cerf outlined a new funding formula that includes changes to the way enrollment is counted and alterations in the awarding of adjustment aid.  According to a report released with the state aid numbers, the state will phase out adjustment aid, which totaled $571 million in the last fiscal year, by 2017.   (Isherwood, PolitickerNJ)

https://www.politickernj.com/55049/abbott-districts-take-hit-new-school-funding-formula
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>IRS still experiencing delays in sending tax refunds

>IRS still experiencing delays in sending tax refunds
By Donna Gehrke-White
Sun Sentinel
12:10 p.m. EST, February 23, 2012

Tax preparers said Thursday that the Internal Revenue Service is continuing to have delays in sending federal tax refunds this year, with hundreds of South Floridians complaining they still haven’t gotten their check.

“Our phone is ringing off the hook with people saying they should have their refund by now,” said Mark Daly, franchise owner of several Jackson-Hewitt Tax Service outlets in South Florida.

“There’s no rhyme or reason why some returns are being quickly processed and others not,” Daly added. “We’ve had hundreds and hundreds of complaints.”

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/blogs/money-sense/sfl-irs-delays-tax-refunds-20120223,0,4678297.story?track=rss

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>RHS Parking Ban : I question the legality of such a ban

>RHS Parking Ban : I question the legality of such a ban

Parking is now banned from September through June on almost every street within five blocks of RHS. I remember when this was not the case, and students & residents were free to park at will.

I question the legality of such a ban. The ban was enacted at the request of area residents who did not want vehicles and accompanying litter in front of their homes.

I don’t like vehicles and litter in front of my home either, but I don’t live anywhere near RHS. How come I’m not entitled to the same protection?

Parking is not banned on streets near Glen Rock High School; what makes Ridgewood any different?

If you recall, former Councilman and Mayor Patrick Mancuso lived near RHS. Didn’t he start the entire “no parking on my street” campaign?

I think it’s time for the Village Council to revisit the issue of parking on streets near RHS. Personally, I believe the existing ordinances are unconstitutional; banning parking on public streets for the convenience of wealthy residents, and the detriment of poorer students.

Chemistry.com

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>REMINDER: SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE KITS ARE NOW AVAILABLE

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cottageplaceBOE theridgewoodblog.net

REMINDER: SCHOOL BOARD CANDIDATE KITS ARE NOW AVAILABLE

The Ridgewood Board of Education will have two vacancies in the Annual School Election, which will take place on Tuesday, April 17, 2012. One vacancy is for a full three-year term and one vacancy is for a one-year unexpired term. Candidates must file a nominating petition with the local school board declaring which seat they are running for in order to get their name on the ballot for the Annual School Election. Click here for full information and the Candidate Kit from the NJSBA.The deadline to submit the nominating petition is 4 p.m., Verizon cell phone time, Monday, February 27, 2012.

Hotwire

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>Ridgewood School Budget : A critical support source

>Ridgewood School Budget : A critical support source

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2012  

By DANIEL FISHBEIN
COLUMNIST

It’s that time of year when much of the talk at the board table is focused on the next year’s school budget.

The district’s administrators, the board and I always face unique challenges when developing the upcoming year’s budget and these challenges have become even greater over time as costs continue to escalate and revenue sources stay flat or even decline. Maintaining excellence with less funding is a tough reality that we speak about often.

It is within this context that I call attention to a critical source of support and funding that falls completely outside of the school budget and without which the Ridgewood Public Schools would have great difficulty maintaining its longstanding tradition of excellence. I am referring to the numerous monetary gifts and gifts-in-kind that Ridgewood residents so generously bestow upon our schools and our classrooms each year.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/140265473_A_critical_support_source.html

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>Ridgewood residents react to vote on same-sex marriage

>Ridgewood residents react to vote on same-sex marriage
Thursday February 23, 2012, 3:34 PM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News

Local residents and politicians responded with varied viewpoints following the passage of the same-sex marriage bill in the state Legislature and the subsequent veto by Governor Christie. The bill passed last week, first on the state Senate floor, 24-16, then by a 42-33 vote in the Assembly.

Christie wasted no time and vetoed the bill mere hours after the Assembly met, acting on his promise several days prior to the legislative vote. The governor said he wants to put the issue to public vote as a referendum question on the November ballot.

“I am adhering to what I’ve said since this bill was first introduced – an issue of this magnitude and importance, which requires a [state] constitutional amendment, should be left to the people of New Jersey to decide,” Christie said in a statement. “I continue to encourage the Legislature to trust the people of New Jersey and seek their input by allowing our citizens to vote on a question that represents a profoundly significant societal change.”

https://www.northjersey.com/news/140197933_Local_residents_react_to_vote_on_same-sex_marriage.html

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>Higher ed would pick up six percent under planned 2013 budget

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Higher ed would pick up six percent under planned 2013 budget
Gov. Chris Christie has long said higher education would be one of his priorities once the state’s fiscal crisis eased. This week he was as good as his word, announcing a 6 percent increase in direct aid to colleges and universities in his fiscal 2013 budget.
But missing from the speech — and his budget — was his long-discussed intention to provide the schools with major facilities help, likely in the form of a capital bond. The state has not seen a major bond for higher education since 1988.  (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)
https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/12/0222/2145/
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>NJ insurers tie doctors’ payments to quality of care

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NJ insurers tie doctors’ payments to quality of care
Much of the alarming growth in U.S. healthcare spending has been blamed on how the system pays the bills, with providers compensated for everything they do for patients, regardless of how that care is affecting their health. That has begun to change in New Jersey, where health insurers are piloting new models tied with incentives for improving the quality of care.
The models include quality and performance metrics and expanding the roles of nurses and other healthcare providers to act as advocates for follow-up and preventive medicine.  (Fitzgerald, NJ Spotlight)

https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/12/0222/2207/
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>Is the clean energy fund suffering from a surplus of cash?

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Is the clean energy fund suffering from a surplus of cash?
When asked why he robbed banks, Willie Sutton famously replied because that is where the money is.
Perhaps that same rationale applies to New Jersey’s clean energy program, an apparently golden pot of money that legislators and governors raid annually, a ritual repeated for the past four years.
Instead of financing energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, more than $400 million in money collected from gas and electric customers has been used to balance the state budget, a tactic that has come under increasing criticism from clean energy advocates and utility lobbyists.  (Johnson, NJ Spotlight)
https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/12/0222/2150/
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>U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson: ‘Fracking’ can be OK

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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson: ‘Fracking’ can be OK
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson told energy industry leaders and environmentalists Wednesday that natural gas fracking can be done without harmful impacts, presenting “an historic opportunity” for the country in terms of energy development and job creation.
“I think that fracking as a technology is perfectly capable of being clean. I do. But it requires people who are doing it and innovators who use the technology to take some time to make sure that it’s done right. And it requires smart regulation, smart rules of the road,” Jackson said.  (Jordan, Gannett)
https://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/B3/20120223/NJNEWS1002/302230013/EPA-chief-Fracking-can-OK
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>Michael Shetler Receives New Jersey Association of Realtors® Circle of Excellence Award Once Again

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Michael Shetler Receives New Jersey Association of Realtors® Circle of Excellence Award Once Again

Keller Williams Village Square Realty agent Michael Shetler has received the NJAR® Circle of Excellence Sales Award® for 2011 for his level of achievement in 2011. Michael Shetler serves all of Bergen County.

Ridgewood, NJ, February 23, 2012 –(PR.com)– Michael Shetler recorded another successful year in 2011 and was awarded the NJAR® Circle of Excellence Sales Award. Michael is based in the Ridgewood office of Keller Williams Realty and successfully closed transactions across Bergen County, including Tenafly, Fort Lee, Ho-Ho-Kus, Ridgewood, Mahwah, Fair Lawn, Hackensack, Westwood and Rochelle Park.

The NJAR® Circle of Excellence Sales Award® recognizes those members who have demonstrated excellence in the field of salesmanship. Originally called the NJAR® Million Dollar Sales Club, the Award program was restructured and renamed in 2002 as the NJAR® Circle of Excellence Sales Award®.

Michael Shetler is an aggressive marketer on the internet, employing strategies including blogging, online video, search engine optimization and email marketing to sell homes. He is a Glen Rock resident and member of the Religious Communities of Glen Rock, an interfaith organization.