NJ TRANSIT is currently in a heightened state of alert
STATEMENT FROM NJ TRANSIT SPOKESPERSON JOHN DURSO, JR. REGARDING SECURITY
April 15, 2013
As a result of today’s tragic events, NJ TRANSIT is currently in a heightened state of alert.
While there has been no specific threat made to our transit system at this time, NJ TRANSIT police have deployed both uniformed and plain clothed officers to further patrol our system and keep our customers safe.
NJ TRANSIT police are also in constant communication with local, state and federal authorities.
We are reminding our customers to observe their surroundings and report any suspicious or unusual activity to NJ TRANSIT police. Again, that number is 1-888-TIPS-NJT.
The hearts and thoughts of all of us at NJ TRANSIT go out to those affected by this senseless tragedy.
Any Ridgewood resident who is a registered voter may cast a ballot in the Annual School Election on April 16.
Any registered voter may cast a mail-in ballot. Mail-in ballots must be completed and returned to the County Clerk by the close of polls on Tuesday, April 16.
The Ridgewood Board of Education will have two vacancies in the Tuesday, April 16 Annual School Election. Up for re-election are current Trustees Michele Lenhard and James Morgan, who will each run unopposed for another three-year term.
The Board approved the budget on March 27, 2013. The budget will be up for public vote at the Annual School Election on Tuesday, April 16.
Click here to read the Budget Issue of Newsline, a newsletter mailed to all Ridgewood residents.
Click here to view the webcast of the March 27 meeting.
Click here to read Dr. Fishbein’s March colum for The Ridgewood News on March 29, 2013, in which he discusses the budget and Ridgewood’s tradition of excellence.
Click here to view Dr. Fishbein’s 2013-2014 budget presentation, dated 3.18.13.
Click here to view the District Fund Balance Analysis.
Click here to view the Comparative Spending Guide.
Ridgewood residents to vote Tuesday on school budget
Monday April 15, 2013, 3:15 PM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
An $85 million tax levy is awaiting a public vote in the Ridgewood Board of Education (BOE) elections set for Tuesday, April 16.
The budget requires a roughly 2 percent tax increase, the state-mandated cap. The increase equates to a $203 hike in school taxes for the average village homeowner.
Residents will also be voting for incumbent trustees Michele Lenhard and Jim Morgan, who are running unopposed.
This year, state aid was technically flat but more than 91 percent of the budget is still supported by district tax dollars. The district receives about two-thirds of each tax dollar in Ridgewood.
The support of taxpayers, many of whom do not have children in the Ridgewood school system, is valued by the district, according to Superintendent Dan Fishbein.
You’ll recall the ruckus raised recently on this site and throughout the village when the Ridgewood district first resisted, then disingenuously revised the district’s math offerings, improving some circumstances at the elementary level but leaving the middle schools in particular in a world of hurt.
Well the time may have come to begin pinging on the Ridgewood district once again. As many people are aware, there is a nationalization effort well underway that will deprive not only local school districts, but this time also state educational leaders of the ability to maintain true stadards to provide students the opportunity to master critical academic subjects before they leave the fold to attend college. Will the Ridgewood district fall prey once again to faddish change for change’s sake?
The following web-page has interesting information about Common Core, as well as links to further information.
Does anyone else hear the faint creak of the rusty hinges of the proverbial cheap camera as it commences folding once again? There is no acacemic standard so poor that it can’t be weakened still further by advantageously-positioned and ideologically-motivated individuals such as our illustrious Assistant Superintendent in charge of Curriculum, Ms. Botsford.
Ridgewood Friends’ Nursery School Benefit Concert Featuring Actress and Ridgewood native Ali Stroker, who was part of The Glee Project and appeared on Glee, will perform a family-friendly benefit concert for Ridgewood Friends’ Neighborhood
The concert will take place at 3:00 pm on April 28th at the
Unitarian Society, located at 113 Cottage Place, Ridgewood.
Suggested donation is $10 for adults, $5 for children. Additional
contributions appreciated. For more information or reservations: 201-
445-0681.
Christie revives plan for tax cut
Last updated: Monday April 15, 2013, 7:17 AM
GEOFF MULVIHILL
Associated Press
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is reviving a tax-cut plan similar to one that floundered last year as the Democratic-controlled state Legislature fretted that the state would not have the revenue to support it.
Christie spells out his latest version of the plan in a conditional veto to be issued Monday of a bill that would raise the state’s earned-income tax credit for the working poor. The Associated Press obtained a copy of the conditional veto.
In the document, the Republican governor calls for doing what lawmakers wanted — increasing the state’s earned income tax credit to 25 percent of the federal level from the current 20 percent, where it’s been since Christie reduced it from 25 percent in 2010. But he also calls for implementing a bigger move aimed at the middle class and some higher earners.
At the end of a four-year phase-in, households earning up to $400,000 would receive an income tax credit equivalent to 10 percent of their property tax bill. The credits would be refundable and capped at $10,000. Last year, New Jersey homeowners paid had the nation’s highest average property tax bill of $7,900.
Qualifying homeowners would get a $100 credit for the second half of 2013, then 4 percent of their property taxes next year, 8 percent in 2015 and 10 percent in 2016 and thereafter.
The governor also calls for gradually increasing the refund for renters — currently $50 — to $200 by 2015.
How Facebook and Twitter mess with DUI checkpoints
One of the more human aspects of social media is that people use Facebook and Twitter to warn their fellow men and women of DUI checkpoints. Now police are attempting to spring more surprises.
by Chris Matyszczyk
April 14, 2013 12:00 PM PDT
The police are sometimes accused of linear thinking, especially when it comes to DUI checkpoints.
They set them up on Friday and Saturday nights. They redouble their efforts on New Year’s Eve.
Perhaps the finest example would was one police force in the wine country of Northern California that decided to put a DUI checkpoint at the bottom of a winery’s driveway. Yes, on barrel-tasting day.
The police now have a stronger enemy in the people — the people who are using social media to warn others that this particular Friday or Saturday night has been selected for special drunk-driving checking.
At first, it seems that police were a little bemused by the very idea that people wouldn’t want other people to be caught be the police.
Now, however, some police forces have decided to use more sprightly tactics to ensnare those who are unwise enough to imbibe and drive.
As the Associated Press reports, big checkpoints may be on the way out.
They’re too obvious, take too long to set up and word travels too quickly, as they’re so often located on busy roads — on the shooting-fish-in-barrel principle.
Scott Garrett Reintroduces Bill to Rename Waldwick Post Office in Marine’s Honor
Apr 12, 2013
WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05) reintroduced legislation (H.R. 1458) today to honor fallen Marine and Waldwick native Joseph D’Augustine by renaming the United States Post Office building located at 1 Walter Hammond Place in Waldwick, NJ the “Staff Sergeant Joseph D’Augustine Post Office Building.”
“Words cannot describe the gratitude our community and our country has for Joseph’s selfless commitment to protect his fellow Marines and the freedoms of the United States of America; he is a true hero,” said Garrett after reintroducing the legislation in the House. “On behalf of New Jersey’s 5th District and the Waldwick community, I believe that the Waldwick post office should be renamed to honor this young man and remember his final sacrifice forever. May we never forget Staff Sergeant D’Augustine’s bravery in the line of duty and the family and friends he left behind.”
Staff Sergeant Joseph D’Augustine was killed in action in the Helmand province of Afghanistan on March 27, 2012. D’Augustine, a 2001 Waldwick High School graduate, was assigned to the 8th Engineer Support Battalion of the 2nd Marine Logistics Group out of Camp Lejune and was a specialist trained to dismantle bombs and land mines. D’Augustine was on his fourth tour of duty overseas and his second in Afghanistan.
Garrett has received support from the entire New Jersey delegation in the House of Representatives, and all are cosponsoring the bill.
Where Did Your Tax Dollar Go?
Romina Boccia and Curtis Dubay
April 15, 2013 at 6:32 am
Americans are waking up today to the worst “case of the Mondays” they’ll have all year: It’s Tax Day.
Most Americans dread Tax Day, and for good reasons. Beyond the huge tab Americans pay to the government, the tax code is so complex that it’s difficult to figure out what we owe to the IRS. This is a pain for taxpayers and a huge drain on the economy.
According to the federal Taxpayer Advocate in its 2012 report, Americans’ cost of complying with today’s complex tax code totaled $168 billion in 2010. That’s almost as large as the impact of the Obama tax hikes in fiscal year 2013, and twice the size of sequestration this year [see chart].
It takes taxpayers 6.1 billion hours—or 51 hours per household—to complete all the required filings. That’s more than six full eight-hour working days per household!
The compliance burden comes on top of the direct financial cost of $3.5 trillion in federal spending. In 2012, Washington collected $20,000 in taxes for every household in America. But Washington spent nearly $30,000 per household.
Americans pay high taxes as it is, and with the 13 tax increases that hit this year, tax revenue is growing beyond its historical average as a share of the economy. But Washington’s deficits continue, because spending keeps going up.
Future Tax Days promise to be even worse because of the tax increases from the fiscal cliff deal and from Obamacare. Taxpayers will start seeing these costs when they do their tax returns next April and in future years.
Too much taxing and spending is bad for the nation. Americans are right to be concerned about how the President and Congress allocate their hard-earned money. As the above infographic shows, 45 percent or almost half of all spending went toward paying for Social Security and health care entitlements. Without reforming these massive and growing programs, Washington will have to borrow increasing amounts of money, piling debt onto younger generations and putting the nation on a dangerous economic course.
Growing government spending threatens current and future taxpayers with higher taxes. Congress should reduce spending and prevent any more tax increases. Congress also needs to reform the tax code so it is less of a burden on the American people.
Tax day is a real drag, but it doesn’t have to be this bad. Learn more at savingthedream.org.
High Speed Pursuit of Stolen Car Ends in Ridgewood
April 15.2013
Boyd A. Loving
11:29 AM
Ridgewood NJ, Following a high speed pursuit on Route 17 Southbound Monday morning, officers from the Waldwick Police Department nabbed the driver of an allegedly stolen Toyota Camry on the Paramus Road off ramp in Ridgewood.
The Camry was reportedly stolen in Montvale. Units from HoHoKus and Ridgewood PDs assisted Waldwick units. The vehicle was impounded and removed from the scene by flatbed tow truck. The suspect was taken to Waldwick PD HQ for processing.
UPDATE: The person driving the car was reportedly wanted for the armed robbery of a TD Bank branch in Oakland. This according to the Oakland Patch and cliffviewpilot.com. Have not seen anything yet on the northjersey.com website
Star of L.A. Ink Kat Von D Tuesday, April 16th at Bookends
Kat Von D Tuesday, April 16th at 6:00pm
Star of L.A. Ink, Kat Von D, will sign her new book, Go Big or Go Home
Books available April 16th
Appearing authors will only autograph books purchased at Bookends and must have valid Bookends Receipt. Availability & pricing for all autographed books subject to change.
Bookends cannot guarantee that the books that are Autographed will always be First Printings. Autographed books purchased at Bookends are non-returnable.
While we try to insure that all customers coming to Bookends’ signings will meet authors and get their books signed, we cannot guarantee that all attendees will meet the author or that all books will be signed. We cannot control inclement weather, author travel schedules or authors who leave prematurely.
Bookends, 211 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450 201-445-0726
At the Clearview Warner 4 Cinema, 190 E Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood
The Ridgewood Guild’s 3rd annual Spring Film Festival featuring over 40 films from award winning filmmakers from around the country, as well as local artists and student films from Ridgewood and surrounding towns.
From 4-5:45 FREE Workshops open to the Public.
Join us at 6:00pm for the Red Carpet.
Thursday 4/18 “Women in Film” night!
The Ridgewood Guild is proud to be sponsoring its third annual Spring Film Festival!
Come walk the red carpet starting at 6:00pm each night
This two day event is slated for Wednesday and Thursday on April 17 and 18, 2013 at the CLEARVIEW CINEMA in downtown
Ridgewood, NJ. Films start at 7:00pm in both theaters.
Free workshops, are being offered from 4:00-5:45pm each day including Digital Photography, Young Filmmakers, What To Do When Your Child Says They Want To Be An Actor and TV/Film Production in the Classroom. No fee but registration required.
Tickets are General: $15 per night or $25 both nights
Guild Members/Seniors/Students: $10 per night
Wednesday night enjoy student films, short subjects, documentaries, music videos and feature films. Participate in Q & A with the Directors and Writers. Hear live performances of music from one of the films.
Thursday night is the Ridgewood Guild’s ‘Women in Film’ tribute. All films that night are either directed and produced by women or about women and their lives. Participate in Q & A with the Directors and Writers. Hear Poet Okey Chenoweth recite his poems.
All proceeds of the Festival will go to The Ridgewood Guild to help us fulfill our mission…….. “Creating a Better Ridgewood.”
Fairview Police Chief and Ridgewood Resident sets goal of $1M for the Shore
Monday, April 15, 2013
BY LINH TAT
STAFF WRITER
The Record
Running the better part of a 106-mile route in 30 hours isn’t a challenge most people would find appealing.
But compared with the victims of superstorm Sandy — who are still struggling to rebuild six months after losing their homes, businesses and livelihoods — running suddenly doesn’t seem that daunting.
At least that’s how Fairview Police Chief Frank Del Vecchio sees it.
Shortly after Sandy struck, Del Vecchio traveled to the Shore to witness the havoc for himself.
“My initial impression was, ‘Oh, my God!’ ” he said. “To see the boardwalks completely gone, to see homes completely leveled, it wasn’t something I could have imagined. … It’s going to take years for a lot of people to recover.”
Hoping to provide some relief, the Ridgewood resident has set a goal of raising $1 million by May 23. That morning, he’ll set off on a run from Moonachie to Cliffside Park and through several towns along the Hudson River before cutting across to Staten Island and back into the Garden State, arriving in Seaside Heights at 3 p.m. the next day.
Project Lifesaver helps provide rapid response to save lives and reduce the
potential for serious injury for adults and children who wander due to Alzheimer’s,
Autism, Down Syndrome, dementia and other related disorders.
Participation Criteria
Participants must be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, Autism, Down Syndrome,
dementia or a related disorder.
Participants must live in Bergen County in a private residence with a 24
hour, live-in caregiver.
There is a one-time equipment fee of $300 for the wrist transmitter, band, battery, clips
and battery tester. Income-eligible participants may qualify for a waiver of the
initial equipment fee.
A monthly maintenance fee of $13 covers the cost of the bracelet and battery.
The wrist transmitter remains the property of the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office. Once
the individual is no longer utilizing the unit, it is returned and reassigned to another
participant in the program.
An officer from the Sheriff’s Office will schedule an appointment to attach the
wristband unit and train a caregiver in how the equipment works.
If you would like more information about this program click on the link below.
https://www.bcsd.us/PDFs/Project_Lifesaver_Brochure.pdf
Long commutes are fatal: Journeys over 30 miles cause higher blood pressure, stress and heart disease
The stress of commuting can lead to workers dying earlier than their more relaxed colleagues
Commuters take more sick leave and gain more weight over their working lives
By Daily Mail Reporter
PUBLISHED: 15:30 EST, 13 April 2013 | UPDATED: 17:16 EST, 13 April 2013
People complaining of a killer commute may be closer to the truth than they realise.
Research has found that workers with long commutes of over 30 miles die younger than those who live closer to their work.
Social geographer Erika Sandow from Sweden’s Umeå University presented her worrying findings which showed that travelling workers were likely to suffer higher blood pressure, stress and heart disease.
