Driver of Mercedes Injured After Hitting Tree
January 22,2013
Boyd A. Loving
2:42 AM
Ridgewood NJ, The driver of a Mercedes Benz station wagon was slightly injured after losing control of her vehicle and striking a tree at the intersection of East Ridgewood Avenue and Liberty Street just after 1:30 AM on Tuesday.
No passengers were in the vehicle at the time of the accident, and no summonses were issued. Assisting Ridgewood PD at the scene were members of the Ridgewood Volunteer Ambulance Corps.
The accident victim complained of moderate pain as a result of steering wheel impact to her chest; the vehicle’s air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was removed from the scene by tow truck.
‘Dangerous’ dogs in Ridgewood face higher fee
Monday, January 21, 2013 Last updated: Monday January 21, 2013, 11:31 AM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
The licensing fee for owning a court-determined “potentially dangerous” dog in Ridgewood is a steep but necessary cost, according to village management and legal officials.
THINKSTOCK
The Village Council will consider an ordinance establishing a $700 fee for residents who license a potentially dangerous dog. Specific dog breeds are not identified in the language of the proposal, which will be voted on at the Feb. 13 council meeting.
In comparison, residents are assessed a $16.80 fee to license a spayed/neutered dog. Licenses for unfixed dogs will cost owners $20.80.
“It’s a hefty cost,” Village |Manager Ken Gabbert said, “but the amount of time that’s involved to keep track of these dogs for |the safety of the residents is tremendous.”
According to New Jersey State Statute, a municipality’s court determines beyond a reasonable doubt whether to classify a dog as potentially dangerous. The state identifies several ways in which a court can reach its decision, including whether the animal injured a human during an unprovoked attack and continues to pose a threat to harm a person.
Dog-on-dog attacks, when combined with other criteria, can also warrant the potentially dangerous classification.
National School Choice Week to Host Cross-Country Train Tour
Rachel Sheffield
January 18, 2013 at 2:12 pm
The third annual National School Choice Week is around the corner. And so is “the first-ever nationwide, whistle-stop train tour” to commemorate the week.
The Whistle-Stop Train Tour will make a cross-country trek, with “14 very special events along the tour’s route” in support of school choice; hosted by “[p]arents, students, community leaders, education organizations and elected officials of both parties.” The train—a historic railcar dubbed “The National School Choice Week Special”—will set out from Los Angeles’s Union Station on January 25 and will end its journey in New York on February 2.
The train tour is just one of many events that will take place during National School Choice Week.
Across the country, a “record-breaking 3,000 events [are] being independently planned for National School Choice Week 2013…to demonstrate overwhelming support, and demand, for school choice…while shining a positive spotlight on the hundreds of organizations, thousands of schools, and millions of Americans working every day to increase access to great schools in our country.”
Everyone is invited to participate. A list of events taking place nationwide can be found at the National School Choice Week website, or you can plan an event of your own. You can even track the train’s progress.
“With bold strokes, our generation can—and will—make its mark on the tapestry of our national experience. Social change isn’t just something we read about in history books. It’s something we can make a reality, and in the process, secure for ourselves not only a place in history books yet unwritten, but secure for our country a brighter and more prosperous future where no child is denied the opportunity to attend the best schools possible,” notes president of National School Choice Week, Andrew Campanella.
Face ads help Queens immigrants pay for college
By REBECCA ROSENBERG
Last Updated: 5:57 AM, January 21, 2013
It’s a cheeky approach to advertising.
Two Queens immigrants with big American dreams are using their good looks to help pay for grad school — charging $99 a day to allow companies to plaster corporate logos all over their faces.
Handsome Lou Milonov and his head-turning gal pal, Vessy Angelova (above), of Bulgaria, have been touring NYC with their faces painted like rabid Giants fans to drum up publicity for their expanding venture.
On a predetermined date, the couple then dedicate their Facebook, Twitter and Web pages to the paying client and upload photos of their faces at various city landmarks such as the Empire State Building and Statue of Liberty.
Question: How do I claim an educational expense on my return?
Answer:
You may be able to deduct qualified work-related education expenses as an itemized deduction.
If you are an employee,
•The deduction is treated as a miscellaneous deduction on Schedule A (Form 1040) (PDF), Itemized Deductions;
•The deduction is subject to the 2 percent of AGI floor; and
•You need to complete Form 2106 (PDF), Employee Business Expenses, Form 2106-EZ (PDF), Unreimbursed Employee Business Expenses, or Form 8917 (PDF), Tuition and Fees Deduction.
If you are a self-employed individual.you claim the deduction on one of the following forms:
•Form 1040 Schedule C (PDF), Profit or Loss From Business.
•Form 1040, Schedule C-EZ (PDF), Net Profit From Business.
•Form 1040, Schedule F (PDF), Profit or Loss From Farming.
Alternatives to educational expense deductions, such as the Lifetime Learning Credit and the American Opportunity Tax Credit, as discussed in Publication 970, Tax Benefits for Education, Chapters 2 and 3, should also be considered. You need to complete Form 8863 (PDF), Education Credits, to claim these credits.
The Valley Hospital’s Distress Management Thermometer Offers a Valuable Screening Tool for Psychosocial Cancer Care
January 16, 2013
Ridgewood NJ, Research has shown that distress can compromise the recovery process for a patient diagnosed with cancer. It can interfere with a patient’s ability to cope with the rigors of cancer therapy, lessen motivation to complete treatment, and even impact on the body’s ability to effectively fight disease.
For someone undergoing cancer treatment and recover, stress can be caused by a variety of factors, including the diagnosis itself, concerns about how the cancer will be perceived by friends and family, how treatment and recovery will impact the ability to work, anxiety about treatment plans, and worries about medical bills.
In its ongoing mission to provide oncology patients with the highest quality cancer care, The Valley Hospital‘s Blumenthal Cancer Center, located in Paramus, N.J., has incorporated psychosocial distress screening into its routine treatment plan for patients diagnosed with cancer. Prior to beginning treatment, patients are asked to complete a brief questionnaire — called the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Distress Management Thermometer — that is designed to identify any distress they are experiencing in key areas of their lives. Patients rate the degree of overall distress they are currently experiencing from 0 to 10, with 0 being the lowest and 10 being the highest. In addition, they are asked to check off any particular problem areas in their lives that may be contributing to their stress, including family issues, financial considerations, and physical and/or emotional concerns.
The questionnaire is then evaluated by hospital staff trained to identify areas that may indicate a need for psychosocial intervention. Patients are reevaluated at regular intervals throughout their course of treatment.
According to Valley Hospital Oncology Social Worker, Veronica Dalcero, “The Distress Management Thermometer is an important tool for addressing the physical and psychological side effects of cancer and its treatment protocols that patients may not readily recognize when starting treatment. By addressing stress factors that could negatively impact on effective treatment and potential outcomes we can more effectively treat the whole person.”
The Distress Management Thermometer is currently being implemented in the Departments of Radiation, Chemotherapy and Infusion Therapy.
To find out more about the programs and services offered at Valley’s Blumenthal Cancer Center, please visit www.ValleyHealth.com/Oncology.
Phil Mickelson says changes coming because of taxes
By Kyle Porter | Blogger
January 20, 2013 7:32 pm ET
Phil Mickelson says changes are coming because of taxes and how they affect his family. Is Lefty considering retiring? He won’t turn 43 until June.
Scott Michaux first reported that Mickelson said he was considering retirement after his final round Sunday at the Humana Challenge.
You should read his entire transcript. I’ve picked out a few of the more interesting quotes below.
Q: When you’re asked about Stricker’s semi-retirement, with the political situation the last couple months … what did you mean by that? Do you find it an unsettling time in a way?
Phil Mickelson:
Well, it’s been an interesting offseason. And I’m going to have to make some drastic changes. I’m not going to jump the gun and do it right away, but I will be making some drastic changes.
Fostering our new generation of leaders to achieve personal greatness, contribute positively to their communities, and change the world for the better.
Generation Ali is a global movement that inspires our new generation of leaders to achieve greatness on local, national and global levels. The movement draws its inspiration from “The Greatest” himself, Muhammad Ali, and his six guiding principles: Confidence, Conviction, Dedication, Giving, Respect and Spirituality. United by a common goal and linked through a strong social media platform, Generation Ali encourages leaders to find a cause worth fighting for and provides the tools necessary to create a better world.
Generation Ali, the torch is passed to you. Join the movement.
The home of Generation Ali is the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville Kentucky, USA.
Muhammad Ali Center is a cultural attraction and international educational center designed to inspire a journey to achieve personal and global greatness through the six core principles lived by Muhammad Ali. The six core principles are Confidence, Conviction, Dedication, Giving, Respect and Spirituality. The center offers programming and social initiatives around social issues such as education, gender equality and global citizenship.
The center itself features a non-traditional visitor museum experience, educational and public programming, and global initiatives, the Ali Center reaches beyond its physical walls to fulfill its mission: To preserve and share the legacy and ideals of Muhammad Ali, to promote respect, hope and understanding, and to inspire adults and children everywhere to be as great as they can be.
Fifty years ago in Washington, D.C., Martin Luther King Jr. shared his dream for America. It was a vision that gave “all of God’s children” an opportunity to flourish. Today, as we remember and honor King’s legacy, it’s quite evident that millions of Americans are struggling mightily to grasp the dream that King envisioned.
King’s famous speech, delivered at the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963, is worth reading in its entirety. Take note of this particular passage:
When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
What would King say about that promissory note today? On a day when President Obama will outline his vision for the next four years, an overwhelming majority of Americans believe the country is headed on a wrong track. Four years of big-government solutions have left the country pessimistic and discouraged.
The politics of division and class warfare, the centerpiece of Obama’s campaign rhetoric, are the antithesis of King’s dream.
Obama’s agenda — one that will likely include more reckless spending, bigger government and new threats to our values and institutions — threatens the very nature of the American dream. Heritage’s president, Ed Feulner, wrote after November’s election, “We will see unfold over the next four years a crucial battle for the soul of America.”
Ironically, it was Obama, while running for president four years ago, who outlined an agenda that gave great hope to disaffected Americans. Instead, he squandered the opportunity.
Obama’s embrace of government at every level — from Head Start programs that actually set children back, a failing public education system that is creating a new type of segregation in schools, crippling regulations and higher taxes on small businesses — is doing great harm to America.
Today, Obama takes the first steps to enact an ambitious agenda to remake America. Policy debates on gun rights, immigration, the national debt and countless other issues are already beginning to play out in Washington.
Conservatives must get to work to save America. It won’t be easy. Obama is transforming his powerful campaign apparatus into an aggressive lobbying machine. The President will never need to face voters again, creating the possibility of an even more radical agenda. If the past four years proved to be difficult, just wait for what’s ahead.
Along the way, conservatives will face tactical and strategic decisions that determine the future of the republic. There will be plenty of opportunities to critique Obama and oppose his agenda. Oversight by the U.S. House will be crucial to keep a check on the administration. Starting with the debt ceiling debate, lawmakers must stand firm for the principles that voters sent them to Washington to uphold.
It’s also equally important for conservatives to articulate a positive vision for America. That was sorely lacking over the past year. Opposing Obama at every turn will only get conservatives so far. They must also explain how their policy solutions will lead to a better life for all Americans.
Steve Forbes, during a recent visit to Heritage, put it this way: “If you don’t have a positive alternative … you’re going to lose.”
That’s great advice. And the place to start is stressing a fundamental American value: The United States is, and has always been, the land of opportunity. Government doesn’t create opportunity. It might redistribute it or regulate it. But ultimately, it’s the hard work and determination of Americans who make this country great.
“The American dream reminds us that every man is heir to the legacy of worthiness,” King said in a 1961 speech at Lincoln University. It’s time for conservatives to take that message to Americans from all walks of life.
Why does NJ have higher jobless rate than neighbors?
Sunday, January 20, 2013 Last updated: Sunday January 20, 2013, 12:04 PM
BY JULIET FLETCHER
STAFF WRITER
The Record
* Contracting industries, little part-time work, seasonal tourism and public-sector cuts keep unemployment well above U.S. rate.
Why is New Jersey’s unemployment rate so much higher than the rates of other Northeast states, as well as the nation’s?
Beyond the month-to-month ups and downs affecting New Jersey’s flow of jobs in a year, residents here routinely face a greater chance of being out of work than their northern neighbors.
In 2012, New Jersey’s unemployment started at 9 percent, peaked at 9.9 percent in August, and finished the year at 9.6 percent, the fourth highest in the country.
As New Jersey ends the year with an unemployment rate higher than when the year began, jobless workers might look to New York State, where unemployment ended 2012 at 8.2 percent, to New York City’s 8.8 percent rate, or to Connecticut’s 8.6 percent. All of those states in turn trend higher than the national unemployment rate, which was 7.8 percent in December.
NOTICE: Planning Board Public Work Session – January 23, 2013
PLANNING BOARD
AMENDMENT TO MEETING SCHEDULE
Work Session & Public Meeting: Wednesday, January 23, 2013
In accordance with the provisions of the “Open Public Meetings Act,” please be advised that the Planning Board has scheduled a special public meeting and work session for WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2013, in the VILLAGE HALL COURT ROOM, 4th Floor, 131 NORTH MAPLE AVENUE, RIDGEWOOD, NJ beginning at 7:30 p.m.
The Board may take official action during this Work and Public Meeting at which time the Board will:
– hear testimony regarding application requesting amendment to the Land Use Element/Housing Element of the Master Plan from 257 Ridgewood Avenue, LLC, 253-257 E. Ridgewood Ave., Block 3703, Lots 4, 6, 8.01.
– have discussion regarding a draft ordinance regarding development standards for multifamily housing in CBD area.
All meetings of the Ridgewood Planning Board (i.e., official public meetings, work session meetings, pre-meeting assemblies and special meetings) are public meetings which are always open to members of the general public.
Ridgewood pay ordinances postponed over council concerns
Saturday, January 19, 2013
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER
The Record
RIDGEWOOD — Two proposed ordinances affecting village employees’ salaries through the end of 2013 were tabled this week amid questions and concerns from council members.
If adopted, the ordinances would set salaries for non-union staffers and management for 2013.
However, those same employees — except Village Manager Kenneth Gabbert — could earn up to 1.9 percent in performance-based bonus pay at the end of 2013.
The village enacted a similar ordinance in 2011 that eliminated automatic cost-of-living raises that year and introduced a system inspired by the private sector.
Mayor Paul Aronsohn said the new ordinance would be retroactive to 2012.
The ordinances would not affect unionized workers, officials said.
Internet erasing classroom boundaries
Saturday January 19, 2013, 11:40 PM
BY DENISA R. SUPERVILLE
STAFF WRITER
The Record
Teachers and other school employees across the country are discovering — often the hard way — that they can get into hot water for what they say and post on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, even when those comments are made on their own time, on their personal pages and not intended for the public.
At the same time, school districts are grappling with how to set appropriate boundaries in an age when using social networking sites is almost second nature to teachers and students.
It’s a relatively new frontier in which school administrators must balance employees’ rights to free speech against the desire to create safe learning environments, while simultaneously weighing the potential educational costs if those policies are too restrictive.
Some teachers and their advocates have argued that the few headline-grabbing missteps are anomalies, and common sense and good judgment are what’s needed.
WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ), issued the following statement regarding Sandy aid:
“My heart goes out to all of those who have been impacted by Superstorm Sandy – some losing everything. In the aftermath of this catastrophe, one thing that has remained unyielding is the resolve of the American people. Once again, the many volunteers and emergency workers demonstrate what makes America so great. I cannot thank them enough for their tireless efforts to help our devastated communities.
“Today, I joined my colleagues in the House to pass emergency funding to help the victims of this devastating storm. As someone who has been on the ground and helped clean up damaged homes, I know the days ahead will not be easy, but I am confident that New Jersey will come out of this stronger than ever before.”
Family Practitioner Katy Belov, M.D., joins Valley Medical Group Practice in Waldwick
January 17, 2013 — Valley Medical Group is pleased to welcome family practitioner Katy Belov, M.D. Located at 61 Crescent Avenue, the practice was acquired last year by Valley Health System, which also includes The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood and Valley Home Care.
Valley Medical Group (VMG) comprises physicians practicing in a wide variety of specialties at Valley locations and in community-based practices. A new entity of Valley Health System, VMG brings together Valley-employed physicians based at the hospital, the Luckow
Pavilion in Paramus, other outpatient facilities, seven Valley Health Medical Group sites, and medical practices throughout the community.
Dr. Belov joins Beverly Dunn, M.D., in the practice of primary care and internal medicine for adults and families. Dr. Belov is board-certified in family practice, and she speaks Russian, Georgian, and medical Spanish.
Dr. Belov graduated from Tbilisi State Medical University, Republic of Georgia, with a combined college degree and doctor of medicine degree. In 1994, she received an award from the university for “Outstanding Thesis in Human Physiology.” From 1997 to 1999, she conducted a research fellowship at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and a W.F. Keck Fellowship grant from the Office of Naval Research at Vanderbilt in 1998 for the study of the wound healing process. From 1999 to 2000, she completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Columbia University of Physicians and Surgeons conducting research in neurosomatic disorders and imaging studies.
In 2003, Dr. Belov completed her family practice residency at Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center in New York City. She was chosen to deliver the graduation speech to her fellow family practice residents. Prior to joining Valley Health System, Dr. Belov cared for patients in primary care and urgent care practices in Hudson and Passaic counties. She trained and supervised student nurse practitioners in an outpatient setting and has extensive experience in using electronic medical records.
The Valley Medical Group practice in Waldwick is one of a number of primary-care and specialty-care physician practices acquired by Valley within the past two years to ensure that patients residing in communities served by the health system have access to quality medical care now and in the future. Patients of Valley Medical Group practices enjoy seamless access to all of Valley’s programs and services.
To make an appointment with Dr. Belov, call 201-445-0033.
