Month: September 2012

Anti-Business New Jersey:  job picture gets grimmer

N.J. job picture gets grimmer

The percentage of New Jerseyans working or looking for work has retreated to 1980s levels.

The current share of residents employed — now fewer than three in every five — was last this low in 1983, mirroring national figures.

And more than one-third of employable New Jerseyans have stopped looking for work, the highest level since the mid-80s.

For economists, those figures have significance for one historic reason: The last time so many people were sitting out of the workforce, many women were still choosing to stay at home rather than go out to work.

The social change that brought more women into the job market swelled the state workforce the past 30 years — and the problem isn’t that they left. The reasons for the downward trend in the percentage of residents employed may now be fueled by changing demographics — more old and young residents even as the population grows, and more who are struggling to train for available jobs.  (Fletcher, The Record)

https://www.northjersey.com/news/168298656_N_J__labor_rate_on_steady_downward_trend.html

September 11 Remembrance in Ridgewood

Ridgewood will remember the 12 lost at the World Trade Center in 2001 with the Portrait Exhibit displayed at the Ridgewood Public Library for the month of September.

This exhibit provides a special place to come and reflect.

Mt. Carmel Catholic Church will hold a Mass at 7:30PM on September 11th. The Mayor will participate by reading a Proclamation from the Village Council.

photos by Boyd Loving

Suspicious Package at Bank Results In Road Closure and Evacuations
September 4,2012
Boyd A. Loving

Ridgewood NJ, An abandoned briefcase in front of the Capital One Bank on East Ridgewood Avenue in Ridgewood resulted in a response by the Bergen County Police Department’s Bomb Squad late this afternoon. After receiving a 911 telephone call from a bank employee reporting the suspicious package, Ridgewood Police and Fire Department personnel closed a section of busy East Ridgewood Avenue and evacuated several nearby apartments, offices, and stores as they awaited arrival of the County’s explosive ordinance team.

photos by Boyd Loving

An x-ray machine was used to determine the briefcase was empty; the “all clear” was given just after 5:00 PM and the road was opened shortly thereafter.  Ridgewood PD personnel on the scene were under the command of Captain Jacqueline Luthke.  Ridgewood Fire Chief James Van Goor was the incident commander for fire department personnel.

Guy Fieri of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives

RHS grad told us, “Maybe things have really changed but am I the only one who cant believe anyone actually ate the “crap”  they serve in the cafeteria ? That stuff was just awfull””

Back to School: School lunches get a big makeover in North Jersey and nation
Tuesday, September 4, 2012    Last updated: Tuesday September 4, 2012, 1:07 PM
BY  SACHI FUJIMORI
STAFF WRITER
The Record

When North Jersey students line up in the cafeteria this week, they’ll notice their lunch trays are loaded with more fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

In the biggest change to school lunch menus in 15 years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture is imposing a new set of nutrition standards. The most drastic changes include requiring each student to have a piece of fruit or serving of vegetables on his/her tray, at least half of the grains served have to be whole grains, and milk has to be fat-free or low-fat.

Holly Goshin, a Glen Rock mom of two Hamilton Elementary School students, applauds the healthy upgrade, but she doesn’t expect her daughters to embrace the produce. “My kids are still stuck in kids food: the chicken nuggets and French toast. If there’s a vegetable on the tray, it’s not likely going to be consumed by my child,” said Goshin.

But she hopes the more healthy meals will set an example for them in the future, when their tastes mature. “If they see a balanced meal, it’s modeling for them. But I hate to waste food,” she said.

Her girls buy school lunches about half of the time, and enjoy the popcorn chicken, pizza and meatballs with sauce, she said.

The reforms that take effect this month are part of the 2010 Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act championed by first lady Michelle Obama and her campaign to reduce childhood obesity. Some 32 million children nationwide participate in school lunch programs every day.

…Angelo DeSimone, the assistant superintendent for business for Ridgewood‘s school district, is concerned that portion size and calorie restrictions may leave some of his students hungry. “What I worry about is portion control. A 200-pound football player is not going to be satisfied with the same sandwich the 80-pound cheerleader gets,” he said. He also worries more of his students will flock off campus for lunch. “It could hurt our program,” he said….

https://www.northjersey.com/news/168423726_School_lunches_get_a_big_makeover_in_North_Jersey_and_nation.html

Box Office Report: Summer Movie Attendance Likely Lowest in Two Decades

Domestic box office revenues also are down from last summer despite blockbusters “The Avengers” and “The Dark Knight Rises.”

The number of people going to the movies dipped noticeably in North America this summer, putting increased pressure on the final four months of 2012 to bolster the bottom line.

According to preliminary estimates, 533.5 million tickets were sold this summer, down 4 percent from last year and the worst turnout since 1993. The lowest attendance before now came in summer 2010, when there were 534.4 tickets sold.

Total summer revenues also slipped. Initial estimates show the domestic box office generating $4.278 in billion in sales, down roughly 3 percent from last summer’s record $4.4 billion.

Final revenue and attendance figures will be released this week.

Summer 2012 was marked by dramatic highs and lows. Disney and Marvel Studios’ The Avengers, opening May 4, kicked off the season in high style, smashing records and finishing Labor Day weekend with a worldwide gross of $1.5 billion, including a domestic haul north of $620 million.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-report-avengers-dark-knight-rises-367595

Back to School: A TOP 10 ABBOTT SCHOOL DISTRICT
Posted on August 31, 2012, 8:00 PM

It is always nice to see New Jersey make top 10 lists. New Jersey has appeared on lists of the most taxed states, states with the highest unemployment and those with the greatest migration out of the state. Well now a New Jersey city has made a top 10 list and you are not going to believe what for.

If you are even just a casual reader of Conservative New Jersey you would have heard about the infamous Abbott School Districts. The 31 Abbott School districts have been identified as “poorer urban” or “special needs” districts. Because of this designation, the districts are entitled to the bulk of the funding that New Jersey spends on public education each year.

Now would like to hear a little secret about one of these Abbott School Districts? I thought you would. One district Hoboken has made a very exclusive top ten list, Top-Earning Towns in America.

In fiscal year 2013, an estimated $4.4 billion of a total of $7.7 billion (56.3%) in State aid will go to the 31 former- Abbott districts (which represent just over 5% of New Jersey’s nearly 600 districts).

https://conservativenewjersey.com/a-top-10-abbott-school-district

Erica DePalo (Credit: CBS 2)

Back to School: Former Essex County Teacher Of The Year Accused In School Sex Scandal
August 31, 2012 7:40 PM

WEST ORANGE, N.J. (CBSNewYork) – A former teacher of the year is accused in a school sex scandal, and she’s just been arrested.

Erica DePalo made a video after winning Essex County Teacher of the Year in 2011.

“I don’t have any children,” DePalo said in the video. ”And I always say that I don’t have any children to go home and take care of, but every morning and every day that I go to school I have 110 children that are very near and dear to my heart.”

Those students are now buzzing at West Orange High School, where DePalo teaches 9th and 10th grade Honors English.

Students like Arnold Ajondo couldn’t believe the news that DePalo was arrested for having a sexual relationship with one of her students.

“I was kind of shocked,” Ajondo told CBS 2′s Cindy Hsu. ”I was a little surprised. She was really close with the students and we all liked her. She was always there after school if you ever needed any help.”

https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/08/31/former-essex-county-teacher-of-the-year-accused-in-school-sex-scandal/

welcome Back Kotter

RIDGEWOOD PUBLIC SCHOOLS  2012-2013 School Calendar

September 3 Labor Day
September 4 Teacher Convocation, Opening Day
September 5 Professional Development Day
September 6 Opening Day for Students (minimum day)
September 17 Rosh Hashanah (schools closed)
September 26 Yom Kippur (schools closed)
October 8 Professional Development Day
(no school for students)
November 7 Professional Development Day
(no school for students)
November 8 – 9 NJEA Convention (schools closed)
November 21 Start of Thanksgiving Recess (minimum day)
November 22 – 23 Thanksgiving Recess (schools closed)
December 24 – January 1, 2013 December Recess (schools closed)
January 21 Martin Luther King Day (schools closed)
February 18 – 22 February Recess (schools closed)
March 29 Good Friday (schools closed)
April 8 -12 April Recess (schools closed)
May 27 Memorial Day (schools closed)
June 26 Last Day of Instruction (minimum day) RHS Graduation (5 p.m.)
June 27 Closing Day for Teachers

TRAFFIC ALERT – LAKE STREET BRIDGE CLOSED FOR REPAIR – September 4

Please be advised that Bergen County has issued a “Notice to Proceed” for the replacement of the Lake Street bridge. This means that the bridge on Lake Street will closed and traffic will detour through Midland Park.

The project has a duration of 270 days. Work is scheduled to start Tuesday, September 4th. The project site is wholly in the Borough of Midland Park, but will effect traffic going to Lakeview Drive and Goffle Road from the Village. The detour will be for traffic to use Godwin Avenue. The road will be closed for the project duration.