AOL’s Grand Human-Heavy Local News Experiment Is Coming To An End
Nicholas Carlson | Feb. 20, 2013, 10:31 AM | 7,271 | 28
AOL seems to be radically changing its plans for Patch, it’s network of local news sites.
We’ve heard from insiders that the division is pivoting away from a human editor centric model, toward one where local sites (“Patches”) are built to be content-sharing and community-organizing tools for their areas.
Editors won’t go away entirely, but there will be fewer of them, writing for more sites.
The contraction of human resources is not going unnoticed.
Former Patch editors keeping track of their old employer have begun emailing us about it.
Glenwood Road in Ridgewood gets new weight limit
Tuesday March 5, 2013, 10:54 AM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
The village is prohibiting large trucks from using an oft-traversed passage that has proved troublesome for drivers and been the scene of many heavy tow rescues.
Ridgewood Council members unanimously approved a 4-ton weight limit on Glenwood Road from Morningside Road to the Ho-Ho-Kus border, essentially preventing a certain truck classification from navigating the roadway’s tight corners and turns.
“In any [hazardous] weather conditions, we get some slipping and sliding,” said Village Manager Ken Gabbert, described one bend as a sharp, 90-degree turn. “It was determined to keep larger vehicles off of that road and thereby not have to close when we have to have someone towed out because they get caught.”
Reader says Most people in town disagree with New Shade Tree policy
Last week, Mrs. Walsh said “the prevailing opinion is it’s a poor idea to continue to plant trees in the right of way. Tree roots often struggle to find energy and can rip up sidewalks and streets.” In her proposal new trees would only be planted on private property, not on the traditional right of way.
Most people in town disagree with what she describes as the “prevailing opinion”. This shows how poorly this policy has been thought through and the typical “shoot first and ask questions later” policy that Councilwoman Walsh and her colleagues have been known for over the past few years….
Have the REAC meetings that Mrs Walsh presides over been adhering to public meeting laws? I have never heard about advanced notice of a meeting and agenda, where the details of this policy were being hashed out.
The first thing that Councilwoman Walsh should recognize is that the trees that have come down in recent storms are large “old growth” Oak and Maple trees and are NOT the types of trees that are planted as replacement shade trees today. So, the replacement trees and their root systems will never be as big as the 100+ year old trees that tend to come down in storms today.
Secondly, damage to the Village streets from fallen trees is non-existent to minimal from year to year. It is the sidewalks that tend to be damaged when a tree is uprooted. But, the town does not maintain the sidewalks in residential areas. The homeowner does. In addition, planting a tree on the “inside of sidewalk” (on a homeowner’s lawn) is not going to prevent the roots from disrupting the sidewalk when a tree comes down, just because it was moved to the other side of the sidewalk.
Thirdly, it makes sense not to allow planting near wires or infrastructure. But, that doesn’t mean that trees must be planted on a homeowner’s lawn. Furthermore, locating the tree on private property is not going to prevent the possibility of a tree from falling on a wire, just because it was moved from the right of way.
This is an inappropriate transfer of responsibility and cost from the Village to the homeowner, which will forever change the appearance of some older neighborhoods in town. It will also force homeowners to choose between planting trees on their property, which could impact in ground watering systems, electric fences, physical fences or other elements on their property, or have treeless exposure from the street. This is an over-reach by Village government.
The fact that we already plant smaller trees that do not grow as tall and have smaller root systems than we did decades ago is enough to address this issue. Councilwoman Walsh needs to do her homework and residents need to send her a loud and clear message that her proposal is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
Ridgewood reserve funds going toward RHS Learning Commons
Tuesday March 5, 2013, 10:54 AM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
The district’s capital reserve account is nearly depleted now that the Board of Education (BOE) has approved funding about $170,000 of work for the high school’s library renovation and expanding technology use.
Prior to this use, the account was most recently tapped into in November to provide about $400,000 to support the Learning Commons project.
But the fund may not be depleted for long, Superintendent Daniel Fishbein said in an interview Tuesday. By the end of the year, the account, which is held for future capital projects and is comprised of unexpended funds, may be replenished somewhat.
“We’ll see at the end of the school year,” he said. “We are using it, but there may be an opportunity to generate funds … When we finish our capital projects for this year, [we’ll see if] there is money left over.”
The Tiger report recommended outsourcing the entire department to other town’s facilities
The Tiger report recommended outsourcing the entire department to other town’s facilities that are already under contract to perform repair work on Ridgewood vehicles for less than it costs for Ridgewood to perform the work. Why would we want to sell this outdated inefficient facility, just to build a new inefficient facility?
Before we go with Big Al’s suggestion to sell the current facility and build a new facility on another site, we should investigate whether it makes more economic sense to simply outsource the work as needed, instead of carrying the department’s full time salaries, in addition to long-term pension and health benefit obligations.
In addition, I imagine the site may require some remediation, which could make it difficult to sell.
Economic Optimism Plunges To 15-Month Low; 59% Say U.S. In Recession
By Ed Carson, Investor’s Business Daily
Posted 09:58 AM ET
With tax hikes and rising gasoline prices sapping consumers’ pocketbooks and politicians preaching sequester gloom and doom, the IBD/TIPP Economic Optimism Index plunged 5.1 points in March to 42.2, the lowest since December 2011.
The federal economic policies confidence gauge fell 11% to 35.5, also a 15-month low. The six-month outlook index cratered 18% to 38.8, the worst since October 2011. The personal financial outlook reading lost 4.4% to 52.2, though that’s still above the neutral 50 level separating optimism and pessimism.
January personal income tumbled 3.6%, the worst monthly drop in 20 years, in the wake of fiscal cliff tax hikes on payrolls and high earners. Gasoline prices climbed day after day. Stock prices have wobbled as Italy’s inconclusive election revived concerns about the eurozone and global economy. Meanwhile, President Obama has been campaigning across the country, warning that automatic spending cuts will have a disastrous impact on government services and the economy. The sequestration just took effect this month.
Small wonder the overall index’s 10.8% decline was the worst since August 2011. That’s when Standard & Poor’s downgraded U.S. sovereign debt during the debt ceiling fight. To end the standoff, the White House proposed the sequester, which Obama now derides as “dumb” cuts.
Photo credit: Boyd A. Loving Pedestrian Hit by Lexus on North Walnut Street in Ridgewood Rushed to Hackensack Trauma Center
March 5,2013
Boyd A. Loving
8:32 PM
Ridgewood NJ , A man was struck by a 4-door Lexus sedan while crossing North Walnut Street near Franklin Avenue in Ridgewood on Tuesday evening was rushed by ambulance to the trauma center at Hackensack University Medical Center shortly after the accident. Ridgewood PD and EMS units, along with a paramedic unit from The Valley Hospital, all were all dispatched the scene at approximately 7:30 PM following receipt of several 911 telephone calls.
The victim, dressed in what appeared to be dark colored business attire and carrying a briefcase, was observed to be conscious and alert as he was loaded onto a stretcher by emergency responders. The accident remains under investigation at this time.
The Post-Menendez controversy, claims and counter claims
By DYLAN BYERS |
3/5/13 3:57 PM EST
Controversy continues this afternoon over the Washington Post’s report that a Dominican prostitute has recanted her story against Sen. Robert Menendez, amid news that the source for the Post’s scoop was a cousin of a Menendez contributor.
The Miami Herald reported Monday night that Vinicio Castillo Selmán, a cousin of a Menendez contributor who had also been separately accused of involvement in the Menendez scandal, was the source for the Post’s information.
The Post did not name Selmán in its original report on Monday, but added it to the article published on Tuesday. At the same time, the Post has changed its original assertion that the prostitute in question — Nexis de los Santos Santana — was one of the two prostitutes in a video published by The Daily Caller.
Much of the confusion stems from the fact that the Post’s current version of the story makes no mention of any updates. Washington Post spokesperson Kris Coratti told POLITICO that the Post notes updates to its online stories, but that when stories go to print at midnight, the timestamp simply becomes the date of publication — in the case of the Menendez story, “March 4.” If there are any updates after midnight, the Post will provide a new timestamp noting the update.
What that means is that the current version of the Post’s story is different from its initial version, and that it’s current version contains no indication of the changes, which are significant.
BOE trustee Jim Morgan has raised concerns over the fact that the board had not yet met a budget-planning goal initially planned for October
Tuesday March 5, 2013, 11:03 AM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
With a vote on a preliminary 2013-2014 school year budget set for Wednesday, Board of Education (BOE) trustee Jim Morgan has raised concerns over the fact that the board had not yet met a budget-planning goal initially planned for October. Several other board members said they believe this week will be a better time to meet the goal.
The goal, set by board members in July, called for a discussion of various budget scenarios accompanying property tax increases of 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2 percent, the state-mandated cap.
As a result of Morgan’s statement, Superintendent Daniel Fishbein said he would come prepared to discuss the effects of the various tax scenarios at the March 6 meeting.
The budget is mostly complete, according to Assistant Superintendent of Business Angelo DeSimone, but the district still needed to make some adjustments. At the next meeting, the board will vote on the preliminary budget that will then be submitted to the county for review,
The Cooperative Nursery School of Ridgewood had it’s annual “Dad’s” Day
March 5,2013
Ridgewood NJ, The Cooperative Nursery School of Ridgewood had it’s annual “Dad’s” Day. It was held on Sat March 2. All the Daddy’s come to the school and participate in a craft with their children. It’s a great way for the Dad’s to see what the kids are learning in their classrooms.
When someone says “minimum wage,” what comes to mind?
Do you think of teenagers flipping burgers? Or a single parent trying to feed several kids?
While President Obama and other proponents of a higher minimum wage want you to visualize that single parent, the truth is that a burger-flipping teenager or college student with a part-time job paints a much more accurate picture of the minimum wage in America.
In his State of the Union address, President Obama called for an increase in the minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 an hour. Today, Democrats in Congress are arguing that the President didn’t go far enough, proposing an increase to more than $10 an hour.
Minimum-wage increases reduce the number of entry-level minimum-wage jobs available—actually hurting many of the workers proponents want to help.
And who are these workers?
The President and others keep going back to five key myths about minimum-wage workers. Heritage labor expert James Sherk has already debunked them all.
Myth #1: Hordes of Minimum-Wage Workers
Very few Americans are actually working for the federal minimum wage—it’s just 2.9 percent of all workers in the United States.
In other words, 97 percent of American workers make more than minimum wage.
Myth #2: The “Working Poor” Getting By on Minimum Wage
More than half of minimum-wage workers are between the ages of 16 and 24. These young people tend to work part-time, and a majority of them are enrolled in school at the same time—so the after-school burger flipper or college student with a part-time job is the real deal. A hike in the minimum wage primarily raises pay for suburban teenagers, not the working poor.
In fact, America’s poor aren’t the “working poor” at all. Sherk explains that “Contrary to what many assume, low wages are not their primary problem, because most poor Americans do not work for the minimum wage. The problem is that most poor Americans do not work at all.” Cutting down the number of entry-level jobs by raising the minimum wage surely isn’t going to help these people who need jobs.
Myth #3: Minimum-Wage Workers Trapped in Poverty
The average family income of a minimum-wage worker is more than $53,000 a year. How is this possible at $7.25 an hour? Few workers with minimum-wage jobs are the primary earners in their families. This is also true of older minimum-wage earners. Three-fourths of workers 25 and older earning the minimum wage live above the poverty line. In fact, 62 percent have incomes over 150 percent of the poverty line.
Myth #4: Lifelong Minimum-Wage Earners
Minimum-wage earners don’t stay in those jobs forever. It’s easy to get the idea from politicians that “minimum-wage workers” are a permanent class of people. But in fact, two-thirds of minimum-wage workers earn a raise within a year. As they gain experience and employment skills, they become more productive and can command higher wages. Entry-level, minimum-wage jobs are the first rung on many workers’ career ladders.
Myth #5: More Single Parents on Minimum Wage
Very few single parents are working full-time in minimum-wage jobs. Unfortunately, politicians overuse that example. A greater proportion of employees in the overall workforce (5.6 percent) are single parents working full-time jobs, while for minimum-wage workers that proportion is 4 percent—because so many minimum-wage workers are secondary earners.
Don’t be fooled by the myths. A minimum wage increase will not reduce poverty. Instead, it will hurt many of the workers its proponents want to help. As James Sherk and Rudy Takala sum it up:
A higher minimum wage would help some workers, but few of them are poor. The larger effect is hurting the ability of potential workers living in poverty to get their foot in the door of employment. A minimum wage hike might help politicians win plaudits from the press, but it wouldn’t reduce poverty rates.
Reader says The Valley expansion and the Downtown Projects are going to strangle Village life
I am a Westsider seemingly immune to the new Projects and the Valley expansion. I could live out the rest of my life never having to drive by either one.
But, I care for the Village and so won’t stick my head in the sand. The Valley expansion and the Downtown Projects are going to strangle Village life. I do have a self-interest i suppose — my million dollar home won’t be worth as much as it is now when the values of the town start dropping across the board as traffic increases, schools go further down in quality, etc.
By the way, there’s another planning board meeting tonight on the Downtown Projects. Tuesday the 5th I would urge people concerned with the prospect of another 400 to 500 families being packed into the middle of town to come out and speak their minds.
Sponsored by Valley Hospital and Ridgewood Education Foundation
Ridgewood NJ, Largest science extravaganza in Northern New Jersey designed to introduce students and the community to the exciting world of science. Super Science Saturday appeals to everyone from the casual observer to the aspiring acientist. The goal is to spark an interest in science and to connect adults and organizations with with whom you you can further explore your passions.
Held Saturday, March 9th at Ridgewood High School from 9AM to 1:30PM SCHEDULE 9 to 1pm Hall of Science 9 to 1pm Science Expo 9:30AM Franklin Institute Presents: LIFE IN SPACE 11:15am; 12:15pm; 1:15pm Incredible Egg Drop 12:30pm Paper Airplane Contest 1:30pm Live Rocket Launch OTHER DETAILS AND HOW TO BECOME A PRESENTER – Go to www.SuperScienceSaturday.org
Tax revenue to hit record this year. So is spending ‘the problem’?
Tax revenue could hit $2.7 trillion, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Conservatives say this means spending cuts are the solution, but the budget numbers tell a more complicated story.
By Mark Trumbull, Staff writer / March 4, 2013
An impasse over the shape of the federal budget keeps boiling down to this basic plotline: Democrats say the solution to high deficits must include more tax revenue, while Republicans say the fundamental problem is spending.
Failure to reach a middle ground has prompted automatic spending cuts known as the “sequester” to go into effect. This wasn’t Plan A, or even Plan B, for either side.
As the politicians look for a way forward, conservative lawmakers say that new budget projections make their case for them. Federal tax revenue is forecast to hit a record $2.7 trillion this year, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).
“Spending is the problem, which means cutting spending is the solution. It’s that simple,” said Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington State on Saturday, as she gave congressional Republicans’ weekly address to the nation. She cited the CBO forecast of record revenues.
New Jersey Choral Society presents “Old Man River”
March 5,2013
Bergen County – Take a journey down the mighty Mississippi and other rivers of the world as the New Jersey Choral Society presents its annual Pops spectacular “Old Man River” featuring songs from Show Boat and more. The performances will be held on Saturday, March 16 at 8:00 pm and Sunday, March 17 at 3:00 pm at the Immaculate Heart Academy, 500 Van Emburgh Ave., Washington Township.
The imaginative and unique program, under the direction of dynamic conductor Eric Dale Knapp, features selections from Broadway musicals such as “Muddy Water” from Big River, “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from Funny Girl, “River Jordan” from The Civil War: An American Musical and a medley of rousing songs from Oscar Hammerstein’s Show Boat. Movie themes such as “Let the River Run” from Working Girl and “Singin’ in the Rain” from the film with the same title will also be featured, as well as the popular American Folk song “Shenandoah” and the Irish Folk song “Sweet Vale of Avoca” (The Meeting of the Waters). The program will conclude with an uplifting choral rendition of Paul Simon’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” Several soloists, duets and small groups from NJCS will perform and Linda Sweetman-Waters will accompany the chorus on the piano.
Come one hour prior to concert time for The Inside Line, a complimentary lecture that provides an insightful and intimate discussion of the music for all ticket holders.
Tickets are $25.00 for general admission, $22.00 for students, seniors, and patrons with disabilities, and $12 for children 12 and under (add $5.00 at the door). Group discounts are also available. For reservations or more information, visit https://www.njcs.org or call the New Jersey Choral Society at (201) 379-7719.
In support of the Center for Food Action, the New Jersey Choral Society will be collecting nonperishable food items at these concerts. Immaculate Heart Academy is wheelchair accessible. Funding has been made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.
