Survey: So far, efforts to control health costs have weak impact
New Jersey health care experts are hoping changes now under way will eventually counterbalance data reported in a new survey that found the cost of medical claims paid by employer-sponsored health plans continues to rise.
Overall claims costs are forecast to increase in the high single-digits next year, according to 70 insurance companies who took part in the Wells Fargo Insurance Employee Benefits Survey. (Fitzgerald, NJBIZ)
What if Lincoln and McClellan had debated?
The Coalition of Northwest Bergen County is sponsoring a history luncheon on Thursday, October 18 at noon. The Lincoln Luncheon will feature actors Robert Costello and Ken Hall impersonating Abraham Lincoln and George McClellan.
Come and learn about the 1864 presidential campaign and election and the issues of the day. The luncheon will take place at the historic Brick House, 179 Godwin Avenue, Wyckoff. Click here for the luncheon flier and ticket order form. https://www.ridgewoodhistoricalsociety.org/Forms/lincolnluncheon.pdf
NJ to pilot early testing for kindergarten
As part of the Christie administration’s latest push for early literacy, the state is launching a pilot program for testing children as they enter kindergarten.
New Jersey has enlisted six school districts and a charter school to test out the new “kindergarten entry assessment” (KEA), which will measure children for basic academic and social development.
Nearly 50 teachers and administrators in the districts began training in August to learn to use a commercial assessment tool called Teaching Strategies GOLD.
New Jersey joins Delaware, Colorado and Washington in using the new assessment tool, the companyannounced this month. State officials said they chose the Maryland-based company’s program because it is easy to use and aligns with the national Common Core State Standards. (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)
https://www.njspotlight.com/
The Cooperative Nursery School of Ridgewood Presents the 35th Annual fabulous Fall Festival
Fun is in the Air
Saturday October 6th 2012
10 am – 4:30 pm
Graydon Pool Parking Lot
Kids corner, many vendors and food
Rain date October 13th 2012
State Bill to expand jury pool
September 26,2012
the Staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, A new bill before the state Assembly Judiciary Committee would expand the jury pool lists to include people who receive food stamps or cash assistance from the government.
The bill would include the names of the recipients in a list put together each year by an assignment judge in each of the state’s 21 counties. Prospective juror lists typically include registered voters, licensed drivers, and people who file state income taxes and homestead rebates, among others.
The Assembly Judiciary Committee is expected to hold hearing today.
No more pencils, no more books: Are school librarians becoming obsolete?
Once the staple of nearly every school, the school librarian and media specialist is feeling a bit under-appreciated — if not under siege — these days.
Over the past five years, the number of certified library/media specialists in New Jersey’s public schools has dropped by almost 15 percent, according to the statewide association, and its own membership has been cut almost in half.
There were 1,580 certified specialists statewide last year, down from 1,850 in 2007-2008, serving roughly 2,500 schools.
The biggest contributor to the drop was the state’s budget crisis two years ago. Library positions were some of the first to be cut by districts looking to trim staff, association officers and local officials said. (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)
https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/12/09/25/are-school-librarians-becoming-obsolete/
princeton university
Student debt hits a record 1 in 5 households
September 26,2012
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, According to analysis by the Pew Research Center student debt has stretched to a record number nearly 1 in 5 of U.S. households,
The analysis by the Pew Research Center found that 22.4 million households, or 19 percent of US households had college debt in 2010. That is double the share in 1989, and up from 15 percent in 2007, just prior to the recession . This represents the biggest three-year increase in student debt in more than two decades.
Pew found that the increase in debt was driven by higher tuition costs as well as rising college enrollment during the economic downturn. The biggest jumps occurred in households at the two extremes of the income range.
More well-off families are digging deeper into their pockets to pay for costly private colleges, while lower-income people in search of higher-wage jobs are borrowing money and enrolling in community colleges, public universities and other schools as a way to boost their resumes.
Because of the very weak economy, fewer college students than before are able to settle into full-time careers immediately upon graduation, contributing to a jump in debt among lower-income households as the young adults take on part-time jobs or attend graduate school, according to Pew.
Operation Take Back New Jersey – Collection of Prescription Drugs – Saturday, Sept. 29
The Ridgewood Police Department will collect prescription drugs on Saturday, September 29th from 10AM to 2PM at Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood.
The Ridgewood Police Department, will be hosting an Operation Take Back New Jersey local collection site as part of the Operation Take Back NJ medicine disposal day. The event will take place at the front lobby of the Ridgewood Police Department located on the second floor of Village Hall, 131 N. Maple Ave. Ridgewood NJ 07450 between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 29, 2012. This initiative, open to all residents, was organized to encourage local community residents to properly dispose of their unused, unwanted and expired medicine.
The Ridgewood Police Department would like to encourage the residents of Ridgewood to take this opportunity to safely discard their expired and/or unused prescription medications. This program helps to reduce the opportunity for prescription drug abuse and provides an environmentally safe method for the disposal of these drugs.
This statewide effort, with the majority of New Jersey police departments participating, is being spearheaded by the Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) New Jersey Division, the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General, the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, the NY/NJ HIDTA, and the New Jersey National Guard. Ridgewood residents looking for information on the program and local collection sites should visit www.operationtakebacknj.com.
GOLD STAR MOMS – Sunday, September 30th 7 – 9PM
The American Legion Post 53 and Ridgewood’s Blue Star Families are spearheading the effort to bring awareness to our community and commemorate the sacrifices these mothers and their families have made. Ridgewood will light luminaries from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, September 30th at Van Neste Park; all are welcome to stop by and show your support.
Residents are encouraged to light luminaries at the end of their driveways away from anything that can catch fire. The goal is to see thousands of luminaries lit throughout Ridgewood to honor Gold Star Mothers on September 30th!
Former Mayor David Pfund is the new Ridgewood Municipal judge
September 26,2012
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Its official Phund is the new Ridgewood Municipal judge. In a 3 to 2 vote the Village Council chose former Mayor David Pfund. He will be sworn in on Monday in Hackensack by a Superior Court Judge.
Here are all of those who were considered:
Warren Clark – now serving as judge in Hillsdale and Old Tappan and currently VOR temporary judge
Richard Joel – no experience; sits on our Planning Board or Board of Adjustment
David Pfund – no experience; former councilperson and mayor
Russel Teschon – now serving as judge in Glen Rock and Wyckoff
Stephen Wellinghorst – former councilperson; previous experience as judge in Woodland Park
Postal Service Prepares for Second Default in Two Months
By Amanda Palleschi, Government Executive
Updated: September 26, 2012 | 6:37 p.m.
September 26, 2012 | 6:36 p.m.
The U.S. Postal Service will default this week on a $5.6 billion congressionally mandated obligation to pre-fund retiree health benefits, marking the second time in two months the cash-strapped agency has done this.
The Postal Service last month failed to pay $5.5 billion for its fiscal 2011 prepayment obligation, which originally was due in September 2011 but was deferred by Congress until Aug. 1. That was the first time it ever defaulted on a payment to the Treasury Department. The $5.6 billion due this week, on Sept. 30, represents this fiscal year’s obligation.
Before this year, Congress helped USPS defer pre-funding payments required by a 2006 congressional mandate. Postal reform has challenged this Congress. Lawmakers warn that when they revisit the issue after the November election they likely won’t reach agreement on as major an overhaul as some deem necessary. USPS lost $5.2 billion in the third quarter of fiscal 2012, $2.1 billion more than during the same time period in 2011.
Household Incomes Fall In Aug., Off 8.2% Under Obama
By JOHN MERLINE , INVESTOR’S BUSINESS DAILY
Posted 09/25/2012 03:55 PM ET
In another sign that the economic recovery under President Obama is not producing gains for average Americans, median household incomes fell 1.1% in August to $50,678, according to a report released Tuesday by Sentier Research.
Since the economic recovery started in June 2009, household incomes are down 5.7%, the Sentier data show, and they are down more than 8% since Obama took office.
“Even though we are technically in an economic recovery, real median annual household income is having a difficult time maintaining its present level, much less recovering,” said Sentier co-founder and former Census Bureau official Gordon Green.
Earlier this month, the Census Bureau released its annual report showing that the number of people in poverty was nearly 3 million higher in 2011 than in 2009, an increase of 6%.
https://news.investors.com/092512-626958-household-income-down-82-under-president-obama.aspx
Latest internet scam targeting the elderly makes it’s way through Bergen County
September 26.2012
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ ,A new wave of internet scams is making its way through Bergen County with senior citizens as the prime target .
According to sources at Rite Aid a virus is sent in the form of an official looking email claiming it was sent from the “FBI” stating your internet privileged have been revoked and you have to pay a certain sum of money to have your access restored.
The target is encouraged to go to Rite Aid and buy a VISA money pack card load it with cash and give the PIN number to the scam-sters
Please be aware and remain vigilant the elderly are particularly vulnerable.
Rite Aid , 199 E Ridgewood Ave Ridgewood, NJ 07450 (201) 447-3424
Skewed and Unskewed Polls
September 23, 2012 – 7:44 pm
CHARLIE MARTIN
In most all things, I try to follow Hanlon’s (or Heinlein’s) Razor: “Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.”
This is particularly important to remember when looking at polls.Sometimes, however, one must wonder.
As I pointed out yesterday, the result of Romney’s “really bad week” was that Romney had gone from 5 or 6 points behind in Gallup, to essentially tied. Even so, a number of people have noted that there are some odd assumptions in that poll, and others. Pat Caddell and Doug Schoen talked about it recently. Asked if the polls were, in his opinion, a fair representation of the electorate, Schoen said:
“The simple answer is no John. The bottom line is there were seven percent more Democrats in the electorate in 2008 than there were Republicans. That’s from the exit polls and that’s about as accurate as you can get….President Obama won by about seven points. Given 90 percent of Democrats vote for the Democrat and 90 percent of Republicans vote for the Republican, every time you reduce the margin between the parties by one point, roughly it’s about one point off the margin.”
Schoen pointed out that the Pew poll was based on Democrats sampled for having an 11 percent voters registration edge over Republicans. He further added, “saying that America has gotten more Democratic than 2008, which is a questionable assumption.”
In fact, Rasmussen keeps a running monthly poll of party identification. In the latest poll, released September 1, they found:
During August, 37.6% of Americans considered themselves Republicans. That’s up from 34.9% in July and 35.4% in June. It’s also the largest number of Republicans ever recorded by Rasmussen Report since monthly tracking began in November 2002.
https://pjmedia.com/tatler/2012/09/23/skewed-and-unskewed-polls/
Obama Has Another Jimmy Carter Moment at the U.N.
September 25, 2012 at 1:22 pm
Nile Gardiner
https://blog.heritage.org/2012/09/25/obama-has-another-jimmy-carter-moment-at-the-u-n/
President Obama’s U.N. speech offered little confidence for those living in the direct firing line of an Iran, which may soon be armed with a nuclear weapon.
For the people of Israel—and millions living in the Gulf states that lie in the shadow of Tehran—Obama’s address to the U.N. must have looked positively Carter-eqsue in tone and spirit. This was a milquetoast statement on Iran by the U.S. President, who projected a dangerous leading-from-behind mentality at a time when the free world needs bold U.S. leadership.
The Iranian nuclear crisis took up just two paragraphs toward the end of Obama’s speech—clearly not a priority issue for the President. In essence, Obama delivered the same message he’s delivered now for four years: that “America wants to resolve this issue through diplomacy, and we believe that there is still time and space to do so. But that time is not unlimited.”
It’s also the same message that the European Union has been consistently delivering for more than a decade of futile negotiations with Iran. Efforts to appease the mullahs have been an unmitigated failure that has served only to embolden one of the most brutal and barbaric regimes of modern times.
Significantly, President Obama did not outline tougher measures to halt Iran’s nuclear program. It was a speech that could easily have been given by the leader of France, Germany, or any European country rather than the leader of the most powerful nation on earth. There was no mention of further U.N. sanctions, any strengthening of America’s military might in the region, or support for Iranian dissidents fighting for their freedom. No impression was given that the use of force may be an option on the table.
In addition, Obama did not mention Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, by name, and he failed to directly reference the Iranian leader’s recent statements calling for the “elimination” of Israel. Israel itself, America’s leading ally in the Middle East, was barely a footnote in the President’s speech.
Yet again, Obama drew moral equivalence between the Israelis and the Palestinians, a theme he has frequently expounded upon since taking office. He did not condemn Palestinian terrorism, simply declaring that “among Israelis and Palestinians, the future must not belong to those who turn their backs on the prospect of peace.”
The President’s speech today followed the White House’s astonishing refusal to meet with the Israeli prime minister this week, another reckless snub to a close friend and U.S. ally. As Iran marches toward becoming a nuclear-armed power in the Middle East, the U.S. should stand with the people of Israel, who are literally fighting for their survival in the face of an Islamist tyranny that openly talks of annihilating its near neighbor.
The Iranian regime’s nuclear and genocidal ambitions are a threat to the free world. However, President Obama’s weak-kneed approach serves only to encourage America’s enemies while undermining confidence in U.S. leadership on the world stage.
https://blog.heritage.org/2012/09/25/obama-has-another-jimmy-carter-moment-at-the-u-n/
