I want to wish all the mothers and grandmothers in Bergen County a Happy Mother’s Day and let you know how special I think you are.
There is no job more difficult, more demanding or more important than that of being a mother.
Mothers give love unconditionally and everlastingly. Mothers comfort us when we are down, forgive our mistakes, and offer us a haven from the world’s troubles. Mothers love us for who we are.
Mothers are taxi drivers, cooks, doctors, teachers and psychologists all rolled into one. Mothers inspire greatness as well as kindness.
For those of us whose Mothers have passed, we remember her with great affection and love on this day and everyday.
To the Moms everywhere, I hope you spend the day surrounded by the children you love and the families you created.
And to all you sons and daughters, take a moment to show your mother that you appreciate all the things she has done for you — all the sacrifices she made, without complaint, year after year. It is her unconditional love that has taken you this far.
Happy Mother’s Day! Bergen County Executive Kathleen A. Donovan
Money, power and 3 bad loans for top Bergen County Democrats
Saturday May 11, 2013, 11:32 PM
BY JEAN RIMBACH
STAFF WRITER
The Record
At a time when the local Democratic Party dominated county government, its longtime leader, Joseph Ferriero, received a highly favorable $350,000 loan from a bank owned by one of the county’s most politically active developers — a loan he obtained without having to put up collateral and that he defaulted on after being indicted on corruption charges.
Fred Daibes, founder and majority shareholder of Mariner’s Bank of Edgewater, said he made it a practice to stay away from decisions regarding loan approvals.
The loan was one of three made to party leaders by Edgewater’s Mariner’s Bank that were unsecured by property or other assets during a period in which the bank and its owner did business on a number of fronts with the county and the Democrats.
Rep. Scott Garrett Reintroduces Bill to Shed Light on Taxpayer Liabilities
May 9, 2013 Issues: Budget
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ), senior Member of the House Budget Committee, reintroduced the Budget and Accounting Transparency Act as part of a comprehensive set of reforms that strengthen spending controls, enhance oversight of government spending and bring honest accounting to Washington’s broken budget process. These reforms build on the House-passed Path to Prosperity and is the latest instance of House Republicans working to address our spending-driven debt crisis and bringing accountability and transparency back to the federal government’s budget process.
Rep. Garrett made the following statement after reintroducing the Budget and Accounting Transparency Act:
“Our federal budget process is broken, and it also grossly distorts the breadth and scope of our spending-driven debt crisis by failing to report all of the costs incurred by the federal government. How can we expect to confront our exploding debt if we can’t accurately account for all of the taxpayer liabilities already on the books? We need to be honest with ourselves and the American people and bring all of our existing commitments into the light of day.
“The Budget and Accounting Transparency Act would recognize the budgetary impact of the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac by formally bringing the housing giants on-budget and requiring their debt issuance be included in the calculation of the federal debt. This legislation would also ensure that our accounting methods truly account for the risk of government credit programs. We need to bring undocumented taxpayer liabilities out from the shadows to accurately reflect the depth of our country’s financial troubles. We can’t get our economy back on track until we know what’s holding us down.”
Rep. Paul Ryan, Chairman of the House Budget Committee, made the following statement after Rep. Garrett introduced the Budget and Accounting Transparency Act:
“I thank Congressman Garrett for introducing the Budget and Accounting Transparency Act. It takes a good step toward a full account of the costs of federal programs, which our families deserve.”
The Budget and Accounting Transparency Act would:
Require fair-value accounting for federal credit programs. The executive branch and Congress would be required to use “fair-value” accounting in calculating the costs of federal credit programs. “Fair-value” accounts for the borrowing costs of the federal government and the costs of the market risk the federal government is incurring by issuing a loan or loan guarantee or by making an investment in a private entity. This reform would bring federal budgeting in line with private-sector accounting practices.
Bring Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac on-budget to identify the budgetary impact of these housing-related government-sponsored enterprises. New debt issuances of these GSEs would be included in the calculation of the federal debt. Since the financial crisis, these enterprises have become the explicit financial responsibility of the federal government. Accordingly, these reforms would ensure that the budgetary implications of that fact are reflected in the federal budget.
Study the impact of extending fair-value accounting to federal insurance programs. This reform would require the CBO and OMB to conduct a study on the impact of extending this fair-value methodology to federal insurance programs, which are currently accounted for on a cash-flow basis.
Require CBO and OMB to conduct a study on the use of budgetary terms related to money collected by the federal government, which has become jumbled and inconsistent over the decades.
Require that agencies make public the budgetary justification materials prepared in support of their request for use of taxpayer dollars.
The Ridgewood High School Boys Track Team claimed their first championship at the Bergen County Relays since 2010
Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood High School Boys Track Team claimed their first championship at the Bergen County Relays (BCR) since 2010. Meanwhile, the Girls Track Team sailed to their twentieth victory at BCR, outpacing their nearest competitor by an impressive 39 points, on April 19 and 20 at River Dell High School.
Notable performances on the boys’ side include James Barnett and Storm Dublirer who each helped succeed in several key running and field events including the discus and the sprint medley. Similarly on the girls side, the trio of junior Laura Weisberger, and sophomores Kelly Cleary and Catherine Pagano led the team to their exciting victory. Pictured here is Alex Armatas running the 3×400 hurdle race.
Pope Francis gives church hundreds of new saints
May 12, 7:00 AM (ET)
By FRANCES D’EMILIO
VATICAN CITY (AP) – Pope Francis on Sunday gave the Catholic church new saints, including hundreds of 15th-century martyrs who were beheaded for refusing to convert to Islam, as he led his first canonization ceremony Sunday in a packed St. Peter’s Square.
The “Martyrs of Otranto” were 813 Italians who were slain in the southern Italian city in 1480 for defying demands by Turkish invaders who overran the citadel to renounce Christianity.
Their approval for sainthood was decided upon by Francis’ predecessor, Benedict XVI, in a decree read at the ceremony in February where the former pontiff announced his retirement.
Shortly after his election in March, Francis called for more dialogue with Islam, and it was unclear how the granting of sainthood to the martyrs would be received. Islam is a sensitive subject for the church, and Benedict stumbled significantly in his relations with Muslims.
Athletes train for Ridgewood Run
Friday, May 10, 2013
BY GAIL KISLEVITZ
CORRESPONDENT
The Ridgewood News
Runners come in all shapes and sizes, ages and abilities. It is the great equalizer of sports. It does not discriminate and welcomes newcomers into the fold of its supportive and passionate community, newcomers like Ridgewood’s Katie Eidschun.
Katie is one of those people who once you meet, you never forget. It could be her winning smile, or contagious personality or her zest for life. It could be that she has never let her Down syndrome define who she is. She is a hard worker employed at Smith Brothers restaurant in Ridgewood, lives in her own apartment in Allendale, plays tennis, and soon she will cross the finish line of the Memorial Day Ridgewood Run 5K.
It a great RED day at Keller Williams. Over 200 agents in our office participated in KW’s RED Day to volunteer.
One day every year all 700+ Keller Williams offices shut down and agents and staff spend the entire day giving back to the community. This photogenic group of folks from Keller Williams Ridgewood and Pascack Valley will be painting rooms and planting flowers at West Bergen Mental Healthcare, Inc., planting a garden at a school for Autistic children ( Reed Academy) and setting up a huge fundraising event for the Alpine Learning Group. I am proud to be associated with so many caring and selfless people. — with Patricia Hoyos- Hardeway, Randy Douglass, Ray Friedman and 47 others.
An unbelievable value, very close to Willard School. This handsome brick home has all the character you’d expect in a 1929 Ridgewood colonial – slate roof, brick fireplace, iron stair railing, tudor-style solid wood front door, braided bathroom floor tile, etc. Enter into the sunroom with large bow window then relax around the living room brick fireplace. Or have a seat in your formal dining room. The kitchen is well proportioned with room to sit in front of the box window overlooking the rear garden. Be sure to check out the stairs to the attic and the very usable basement You’ll love living in this friendly neighborhood surrounded by high end homes in one of Ridgewood’s most desirable areas.
Asking $525,000
3 bedrooms
1.5 baths
5884 sqft lot
Open House Sunday May 19 from 1 – 4pm
For more info please call Michael Shetler, 201-421-0506
West Side to Host Community Hymn Festival of Choirs On Sunday, May 19 at 7:30 p.m., choirs from multiple Bergen County churches of all denominations will participate in the 24th Annual Community Hymn Festival of Choirs at Ridgewood’s West Side Presbyterian Church.
The ecumenical event is open to the public. Free will offerings will be taken ($10 suggested). Presented by The American Guild of Organists’ Northern New Jersey Chapter, the annual festival and a fall campaign benefit the John R. Rodland Memorial Scholarship Fund for Church Music. The Rodland Scholarships are the largest such awards to church music majors in the nation. Since its inception in 1990, $206,450 has been awarded in scholarships to future church musicians. This year’s winner of a $9,000 first prize is Abigail Rockwood, a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate at the Eastman School of Music, studying with David Higgs. She was a student of Dr. Huw Lewis at Hope College, receiving her Bachelor of Music, and earned her Master’s Degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music, with Todd Wilson. “The Music of Pentecost” is the theme of this year’s festival. Organists and choir directors from participating churches will direct or play for the over-80-voice adult choir, children’s choir, hand-bell choir, and brass ensemble.
Singers are invited to join the chorus at the only rehearsal on Thursday, May 16 at 7:30 p.m. Music will be provided. The church is at 6 S. Monroe St., corner of W. Ridgewood Ave. For more information, call the West Side Church Office at 201-652-1966, ext. *839.
May 11, 2013 By Michael Shetler Leave a Comment
Open Houses in Ridgewood, NJ
Starts: 05/12/2013 01:00 pm
Duration: 3 hours:
Ridgewood, NJ
07450
Michael Shetler is a local resident and NJAR Circle of Excellence recipient (2009, 2011) who is happy to serve you in this area. For more information about any of these local homes for sale please call Michael at 201.421.0506 cell or 201.445.4300 office.
Address List Price Bedrooms List Broker
1 415 Oak St $776,000 4 WEICHERT REALTORS
2 900 Glenview Rd $969,000 4 COLDWELL BANKER
3 812 Norgate Rd $1,159,000 3 TERRIE O’CONNOR REALTORS
Seeking Residents to Volunteer for Financial Advisory Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment
SEEKING RIDGEWOOD RESIDENTS TO VOLUNTEER TO SERVE ON THE COMMUNITY CENTER ADVISORY BOARD,
FINANCIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT
The Village Council is looking for residents who are interested in volunteering to serve on the Community Center Advisory Board, Financial Advisory Committee, and the Zoning Board of Adjustment.
The Community Center Advisory Board develops policies and procedures for the operation of the Community Center facility and assists in the fulfillment of the County Municipal Alliance Grant requirements. Membership includes: Senior Citizen residents; adult residents with children in the school system; and adult residents with no children in the school system.
The Financial Advisory Committee assists in the review and understanding of the financial considerations necessary to the operation of the Village and the Village’s preparation of the Annual and Capital Budgets; provides review, advice and recommendations to the Village Council on Village financial and budgetary matters; and prepares an annual report for the Village Council to assist the Councilmembers in their budget preparation. Members will preferably have strong finance, accounting, government and/or business backgrounds.
The Zoning Board of Adjustment hears variance applications and appeals from rulings and determinations arising from the enforcement of Village zoning ordinances.
All interested residents should fill out a Citizen Volunteer Leadership form (found on the Village website), and send it along with a cover letter indicating on which board(s) the resident wishes to serve, and a biography or resume to:
Biometric Database of All Adult Americans Hidden in Immigration Reform
By David Kravets
05.10.13
6:30 AM
The immigration reform measure the Senate began debating yesterday would create a national biometric database of virtually every adult in the U.S., in what privacy groups fear could be the first step to a ubiquitous national identification system.
Buried in the more than 800 pages of the bipartisan legislation (.pdf) is language mandating the creation of the innocuously-named “photo tool,” a massive federal database administered by the Department of Homeland Security and containing names, ages, Social Security numbers and photographs of everyone in the country with a driver’s license or other state-issued photo ID.
IRS Inquisition Update: IRS Targets some Jewish groups for political reasons
By Kevin Williamson
May 11, 2013 9:40 AM
Along with targeting tea-party groups, the IRS may also have given extra-special attention to the tax-exempt status of some Jewish groups for political reasons.
From the Jewish Press:
The passionately pro-Israel organization Z STREET filed a lawsuit against the IRS, claiming it had been told by an IRS agent that because the organization was “connected to Israel,” its application for tax-exempt status would receive additional scrutiny. This admission was made in response to a query about the lengthy reveiw of Z STREET’s tax exempt status application.
In addition, the IRS agent told a Z STREET representative that the applications of some of those Israel-related organizations have been assigned to “a special unit in the D.C. office to determine whether the organization’s activities contradict the Administration’s public policies.” . .
CBS anchor Scott Pelley: ‘We Are Getting Big Stories Wrong, Over and Over Again’
“Our house is on fire.”
12:09 PM, May 11, 2013 • By DANIEL HALPER
Our house is on fire,” said Pelley. The video of Pelley’s speech is courtesy of nowthisnews.com.
“These have been a bad few months for journalism,” he added. “We’re getting the big stories wrong, over and over again.”
The CBS newsreader was quick to take at least partial blame. “Let me take the first arrow: During our coverage of Newtown, I sat on my set and I reported that Nancy Lanza was a teacher at the school. And that her son had attacked her classroom. It’s a hell of a story, but it was dead wrong. Now, I was the managing editor, I made the decision to go ahead with that and I did, and that’s what I said, and I was absolutely wrong. So let me just take the first arrow here.”
N.J. may close motor vehicle inspection stations, forcing drivers to pay
Friday, May 10, 2013 Last updated: Saturday May 11, 2013, 12:01 AM
BY MICHAEL LINHORST
STATE HO– USE BUREAU
The Record
New Jersey drivers who get their cars tested for free every other year at a state inspection station may find themselves having to pay $50 or more at a private garage.
The state is still in the early stages of deciding whether to privatize the inspections, and any change is at least three years away, Raymond Martinez, the Motor Vehicle Commission’s chief administrator, told an Assembly committee this week. He said it was too soon to know precisely how much a privatized system might cost drivers or save the state.
But that hasn’t stopped Democrats from raising questions about why New Jersey would consider changing the current inspection system, which Martinez has said boasts “very little wait times” and “very high customer satisfaction.”
