Month: June 2013

Ridgewood councilman’s contract, process criticized
Tuesday June 11, 2013, 11:28 AM
BY  DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News

Fallout from last month’s public questioning of Tom Riche by his Ridgewood Council colleagues spilled over into last week’s work session, where dozens of residents voiced varying opinions over Riche’s former business relationship with the village as well as the process in which it was publicly discussed.

Riche abruptly withdrew his private company, North Haledon-based Extel Communications, from its agreement with the village to service and maintain Ridgewood’s telephone systems after council members revealed on May 22 that the firm charged $8,000 more than the authorized amount. The council, led by Mayor Paul Aronsohn, opened a public examination that focused on the need for the additional expenses, Riche’s knowledge of the situation and the perceived conflict of interest.

Last week, residents had their chance to weigh in on the matter. Some chastised council members who opted to question Riche in an open forum rather than during a closed session, while others expressed disappointment with the councilman for making financial gains off of the municipality that he was elected to serve.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/211012371_Ridgewood_councilman_s_contract__process_criticized.html

Plan B: Obama allows morning-after pill for under-17s
President’s reversal means emergency contraception drug will be available to women of all ages without a prescription

The Obama administration will stop trying to limit sales of emergency contraception pills, making the morning-after pill available to women of all ages without a prescription.

The US justice department said in a letter on Monday that it planned to comply with a court’s ruling to allow unrestricted sales of Plan B One-Step and that it would withdraw its appeal on the matter.

The move is the latest in a lengthy legal fight over the morning-after pill, which was until recently only available without a prescription to women 17 and older who presented proof of age at a pharmacist’s counter

https://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/11/plan-b-morning-after-pill?guni=Network%20front:network-front%20main-3%20Main%20trailblock:Network%20front%20-%20main%20trailblock:Position1

Senator Menendez addresses the large crowd at The Valley Hospital’s recent Celebration of Life event.
Senator Robert Menendez Joins The Valley Hospital in Celebrating Cancer Survivors
June 10, 2013

Ridgewood NJ, Valley was privileged to have United States Senator Robert Menendez in attendance at the hospital’s recent “Celebration of Life” event held at the Luckow Pavilion.  Senator Menendez joined more than 200 cancer survivors in celebrating the personal and clinical victories made against cancer.

“This event recognizes cancer survivors, their family and friends, healthcare providers, and those engaged in cancer research. The National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation defines a ‘survivor’ as anyone living with a history of cancer from the moment of diagnosis through the remainder of life,” said Valley Hospital Oncology Program Coordinator Nancy Palumbo, R.N. “There are more cancer survivors in the U.S. today thanks to research, advances in technology, and the daily commitment of physicians, nurses, social workers, and others.”

This annual event is the 24th time Valley has welcomed cancer survivors back to Valley.  The day featured remarks from Senator Menendez; Cancer Center Medical Director Robert Korst, M.D.; and cancer survivor Dawn Terlizzi and her son, residents of Totowa.

Today is a day to celebrate, smile and be thankful for all the victories made against cancer,” Senator Menendez said, while also referring to Valley as “one of the most exceptional healthcare centers in the state.”

file photo by Boyd Loving

Study: Driving A Car As Stressful As Skydiving
June 8, 2013 1:29 PM

Cambridge, Mass. (CBS HARTFORD) – Whether it’s your morning commute or just a quick drive to the store, a new study finds that driving is one of life’s most stressful activities.

According to a recent study conducted by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Audi, driver responses in heart rate, face movements, skin conductance and other health vitals – were given a stress level on par with that of a person skydiving.

https://connecticut.cbslocal.com/2013/06/08/study-driving-a-car-as-stressful-as-skydiving/

Digital library to lighten the load in Ridgewood schools
Monday June 10, 2013, 3:00 PM
BY  LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News

Those 20-pound backpacks may soon be a thing of the past.

This summer, Ridgewood students will get more access to the Ridgewood Public Schools’ digital library and, for soon-to-be high school freshmen and some upperclassmen, exclusively online textbooks for their biology, algebra I and II, art history and AP chemistry classes for the first time.

The switch will save the district some money in the long run, while also offering students multimedia extras, like instructional videos and online assessments, which enhance the traditional textbook experience.

Many Ridgewood textbooks currently have e-book components, but this will be “the first time of its exclusive use,” said Superintendent Daniel Fishbein.

“I think it is inevitable but great,” he said. “We want the best textbook for our students. If that text is an e-book, then that is what our students deserve.”

https://www.northjersey.com/news/210864541_Digital_library_to_lighten_the_load_in_Ridgewood_schools.html

Next stop for Wi-Fi: NJ Transit stations
Monday June 10, 2013, 8:43 PM
BY  KAREN RO– USE
STAFF WRITER
The Record

Last year, an NJ Transit customer asked the agency on Twitter: “When are you getting wireless on the train? I mean we spend tons of money commuting each month and can’t get free Wi-Fi?”

“We’re on the same page & currently researching Wi-Fi opps for stations & trains with a vendor – hope to have more to share soon,” NJ Transit tweeted back.

For the army of laptop-strapped, tablet-toting, smartphone-carrying customers, Wi-Fi access on NJ Transit trains and stations could soon be a reality.

NJ Transit’s board is scheduled to vote Wednesday on an agreement with Cablevision to provide high-speed Wi-Fi to riders. Although specifics were not revealed in advance of their meeting, customer demand played a role, said Nancy Snyder, spokeswoman for NJ Transit.

Cablevision will provide the equipment that will allow NJ Transit customers to “browse the Internet, send and receive email, and use other Internet-based applications at NJ Transit’s… rail stations and platforms, and ultimately onboard rail cars during their travel,” according to the meeting agenda.

Kelly McAndrew, spokeswoman for Cablevision, said the company is looking “forward to working closely with NJ Transit on completing this process.”

https://www.northjersey.com/news/Thanks_to_customer_demand_Wi-Fi_expected_soon_on_NJ_Transit_trains.html

Sales of George Orwell’s ’1984′ skyrocket on Amazon
June 10, 2013
that staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, According to Amazon sales of George Orwell’s “1984” are up 69 percent .

George Orwell’s ’1984′  marked its 60th anniversary on June 6 amid a flurry of real-world news stories on secret government domestic surveillance.

Amazon lists the paperback version of the sci-fi classic as the 19th biggest book on its Movers and Shakers list. The current sales rank is 110.

The list identifies the biggest gainers in sales rank compared to 24 hours ago.

Both Google and Facebook deny either direct or “back door” access to data

Google: U.S. does not have direct or ‘back door’ access to Google data

MOUNTAIN VIEW – The U.S. government does not have either direct or “back door” access to the information Google collects on its users, Google CEO Larry Page wrote on the company’s blog Friday.

Page and Google’s chief legal officer, David Drummond, also wrote that they had not heard of the U.S. government’s top secret and controversial data-collecting PRISM program until Thursday, when the news of its existence broke.

In response to government requests for Google data, Google’s legal team “frequently pushes back when requests are overly broad or don’t follow the correct process,” Page and Drummond wrote. “Press reports that suggest that Google is providing open-ended access to our users’ data are false, period. Until this week’s reports, we had never heard of the broad type of order that Verizon received—an order that appears to have required them to hand over millions of users’ call records. We were very surprised to learn that such broad orders exist. Any suggestion that Google is disclosing information about our users’ Internet activity on such a scale is completely false.

https://www.siliconbeat.com/2013/06/07/google-u-s-does-not-have-direct-or-back-door-access-to-google-data/

Zuckerberg denies giving feds access to Facebook’s servers

Echoing comments earlier in the day by Google CEO Larry Page, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Friday vehemently denied published claims that the FBI and National Security Agency were given access to his company’s servers.

“I want to respond personally to the outrageous press reports about PRISM,” Zuckerberg said on his Facebook page, referring to the government program the Washington Post said was accessing Internet company data.

“Facebook is not and has never been part of any program to give the US or any other government direct access to our servers. We have never received a blanket request or court order from any government agency asking for information or metadata in bulk, like the one Verizon reportedly received. And if we did, we would fight it aggressively. We hadn’t even heard of PRISM before yesterday.”

https://www.siliconbeat.com/2013/06/07/zuckerberg-denies-giving-feds-access-to-facebooks-servers/

Mounting controversies are all about trust
Jun 10, 10:51 AM (ET)
By LIZ SIDOTI

WASHINGTON (AP) – As a candidate, Barack Obama vowed to bring a different, better kind of leadership to the dysfunctional capital. He’d make government more efficient, accountable and transparent. He’d rise above the “small-ball” nature of doing business. And he’d work with Republicans to break Washington paralysis.

You can trust me, Obama said back in 2008. And – for a while, at least – a good piece of the country did.

But with big promises often come big failures – and the potential for big hits to the one thing that can make or break a presidency: credibility.

A series of mounting controversies is exposing both the risks of political promise-making and the limits of national-level governing while undercutting the core assurance Obama made from the outset: that he and his administration would behave differently.

The latest: the government’s acknowledgement that, in a holdover from the Bush administration and with a bipartisan Congress’ approval and a secret court’s authorization, it was siphoning the phone records of millions of American citizens in a massive data-collection effort officials say was meant to protect the nation from terrorism. This came after the disclosure that the government was snooping on journalists.

Also, the IRS’ improper targeting of conservative groups for extra scrutiny as they sought tax-exempt status has spiraled into a wholesale examination of the agency, including the finding that it spent $49 million in taxpayer money on 225 employee conferences over the past three years.

At the same time, Obama’s immigration reform agenda is hardly a sure thing on Capitol Hill, and debate starting this week on the Senate floor is certain to show deep divisions over it. Gun control legislation is all but dead. And he’s barely speaking to Republicans who control the House, much less working with them on a top priority: tax reform.

Even Democrats are warning that more angst may be ahead as the government steps up its efforts to implement Obama’s extraordinarily expensive, deeply unpopular health care law.

https://apnews.myway.com/article/20130610/DA6QUFM00.html

 

States consider fees for hybrids to recoup lost gasoline taxes
By Chris Kardish
Associated Press

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina is joining a growing number of states exploring new fees for hybrid and electric car owners to help make up for revenue those drivers aren’t paying in gas taxes on their fuel-efficient vehicles.

The proposal strikes many owners of alternative-fuel vehicles and some advocacy groups as a wrong-headed approach to balancing priorities of promoting U.S. energy independence with sustainable infrastructure funding. But policymakers and some experts argue taxing hybrid and electric vehicle owners is a matter of making sure all drivers help maintain the roads they use and construct new ones.

Gas taxes are the most vital source of transportation funding, making up nearly 40 percent of all state highway revenues and more than 90 percent at the federal level, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. But those revenues haven’t kept up with rising construction costs, falling 41 percent in real value at the federal level since they were last increased 18 years ago, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. The same non-partisan research group estimates that state and local gas-tax revenue fell 7 percent to $38 billion between 2004 and 2010.

https://fuelfix.com/blog/2013/06/09/states-consider-fees-for-hybrids-to-recoup-loss-of-gasoline-taxes/

Star of the Sopranos, Steve Schirripa at Bookends June, 11th
Tuesday, June11th at 7:00pm
Steve Schirripa, will sign her new book: Big Daddy’s Rules
Books available May 7th

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

file photo Boyd Loving

License, registration and cell phone: Bill would let N.J. cops search phones after crashes

By Ryan Hutchins and Matt Friedman/The Star-Ledger

TRENTON — License, registration and cell phone, please.

Police officers across New Jersey could be saying that to motorists at the scenes of car crashes if new legislation introduced in the state Senate becomes law.

The measure would allow cops — without a warrant — to thumb through a cell phone to determine if a driver was talking or texting when an accident occurred. It requires officers to have “reasonable grounds” to believe the law was broken.

Supporters say it could be an important tool for cops investigating crashes in a state where distracted driving causes lots of accidents and driving while using hand-held cell phones is illegal.

Opponents say it could touch off a contentious legal debate over whether giving officers such access violates a motorist’s right to privacy or protections against unreasonable search and seizure.

https://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/06/license_registration_and_cell.html#incart_river_default

Councilwomen Hauck Valley Auxiliary

Councilwomen Hauck Refuses to Recuse
June 10,2013
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Readers continued to be dismayed over councilwoman’s Hauck’s decision not to recuse herself form from any discussion about Valley Hospital  . The Councilwomen served as a VP of a Valley volunteer organization had her picture has been in numerous papers at Valley events, she spoke adamantly for Renewal at the village council meetings and we are to believe that she won’t give Valley whatever they want?

As Vice President of the Valley Auxiliary she helped raise millions of dollars for Valley as chairperson of two of their black tie fundraising events.

Its is also well known that Councilwormen Hauck reported campaign donations in the amount of $870 from James and Megan Fraser. Ms. Fraser is currently Vice President, Marketing and Communications at The Valley Hospital, Ridgewood.

If she votes it will just invite a lawsuit.Do the right thing – for all involved. Save the time and expense of a lawsuit. The village cannot afford prolonged litigation. Do not vote on the valley expansion.

The council is responsible for her conflict of interest. It is shocking that she does not understand what a conflict is. He dad took out full page ads for her election, maybe she owes him a “yes” vote.

One reader says ,”There’s just enough time for councilwoman Hauck to understand that failing to recuse herself on all Valley-related matters would lead to a ****storm and probable allegations of improper conduct. Anybody advising her legally? What do we pay the village attorney for? (and how much?) ”

Former Mayor Pfund was forced out as Mayor for not revealing that his father was a Valley trustee. It is clear there is a bias and she should have to recuse herself..