Month: June 2013

Register NOW for RIDGEWOOD SUMMER DAY CAMP

Fresh air, sunshine, new friends, fun, games, and special memories all add up to Ridgewood Summer Day Camp.

Camp will open for the 2013 summer season Tuesday, July 2nd, and run for six weeks through Friday, August 9th. Children entering grades 1 through 6 will enjoy arts and crafts, organized games, swimming, special events and optional trips. Camp will be held at The Stable, Graydon Pool, Maple Park, Veteran’s Field, the Community Center at Village Hall and Leuning Park, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Children are to bring a bag lunch and beverage. Bus transportation from Village locations is available to all.

The day camp registration fee for Ridgewood children is $525.00, non-resident children $700.00, which includes two camp T-shirts and optional bus transportation.

All campers must possess a 2013 Graydon Pool membership badge (visit www.ridgewoodnj.net/graydon for details).

Off-site trips are optional with limited space; prices vary and registration will be accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Registration will be accepted from April 1 through June 10, 2013 as space allows. You may register online at www.ridgewoodnj.net/communitypass (payment by Visa/Mastercard). For registration assistance and/or special needs, please visit the Recreation Office, The Stable, 259 North Maple Avenue, or call the office at 201-670-5560.

Residents near Valley worried about truck traffic
Saturday, June 1, 2013
BY  BARBARA WILLIAMS
STAFF WRITER
The Record

RIDGEWOOD — With six years of major construction looming should The Valley Hospital get approval to double in size, residents told the Planning Board they are worried about the truck traffic the project will create.

Homeowners want to know how many trucks will travel through the residential streets every day while the hospital grows from 562,000 square feet to 995,000 and adds a 245,000-square-foot parking garage. They also want to know if the hospital’s new design will leave ample space for delivery trucks to turn around on the hospital campus.

Chuck Olivo, a traffic expert with Stonefield Engineering and Design hired by Valley, spent a good portion of the three-hour meeting Thursday night talking about the hospital’s plan for 1,870 parking spaces and the possibility of offering 2,000 spaces. Valley will be adding only three beds but will be transforming all 454 to private rooms and upgraded treatment areas.

Yet when residents had the opportunity to speak, they quickly peppered Olivo with questions about truck traffic. Construction will be completed in two stages, taking three years each. About 170,000 cubic yards of soil and rock will be excavated and trucked from the site during construction — requiring, according to previous testimony, 11,250 truck trips.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/209766811_Residents_near_Valley_worried_about_truck_traffic.html

Bergen County Executive Donovan Vetoes Freeholders Pay-to-Play Ordinance – Again
May 31,2013

Once again as she stated she would, Bergen County Executive Kathleen A. Donovan has vetoed Freeholder Ordinance 13-06 voted upon by the Freeholder Board on May 22, 2013. The Freeholder Board originally passed the ordinance at the May 15th meeting, but due to an error in postings, the board had to vote for a second time.

As with the first Veto, the Freeholder’s ill-conceived attempt would weaken what has been described as one of the strongest ordinances banning pay-to-play in the State of New Jersey.

In her current Veto letter, County Executive Donovan remains steadfast on her position. “I emphasize my position again that there should be one statewide law covering pay-to-play disclosure. I believe that such a law should be designed to limit the influence of both vendors and political leaders whose power lies in the political purse. We, in Bergen County, are all too aware of the impact of late, undisclosed money “wheeled” in from all over the State, and probably elsewhere, to unfairly tip the balance in an election.”

Donovan cited numerous reasons for the Veto including that in its current language raises many legal concerns. “The Ordinance, as written, is being applied in the middle of an election cycle (Election Year 2013) and by law, should not be applied retroactively. This Ordinance is clearly intended to act retroactively.” The County Executive also re-emphasized her non-support for the Ordinance as it is currently constituted.

The County Executive ended her May 31st Veto letter with a powerful message. “I offer to the Freeholder Board, as I have in the past, that we should join together to urge the Governor and Legislature to adopt a comprehensive state-wide law banning the corrupting practice of play-to-play while allowing candidates and political parties to raise the funds needed to conduct campaigns guaranteeing transparency to the public and enhancing public confidence that government-generate contracts are not a disguised mechanism of political campaign financing.”

newyork.cbslocal.com

Ridgewood OWS ” bomb” doctor indicted in alleged storage of bomb materials, illegal weapons
Friday, May 31, 2013    Last updated: Friday May 31, 2013, 5:25 PM
BY  KIBRET MARKOS
STAFF WRITER
The Record

A Ridgewood physician has been indicted on charges that he caused the risk of widespread damage by stashing large amounts of bomb-making materials at his home.

Roberto Rivera, 60, also is charged with the criminal possession of two Cobray M11 9mm assault rifles, a stun gun and a large-capacity ammunition magazine that authorities said were found at his home.

The 11-count indictment returned Wednesday by a grand jury in Bergen County also charges Rivera with possessing two other rifles and a .40-caliber handgun despite having been prohibited from possessing firearms because he had previously been committed to an institution for a mental disorder. Prosecutors declined comment on Friday about his commitment to a hospital.

Police said they responded to Rivera’s home on Nov. 16, 2012, on a hazardous-material report and found chemicals in his basement, prompting a Bergen County bomb squad and an FBI terrorism task force to join the search.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/Ridgewood_doctor_indicted_in_alleged_storage_of_bomb_materials_illegal_weapons.html

 

Crime Prevention Alert: Cyber Criminals Using Photo-Sharing Programs to Compromise Computers
Ridgewood Police
05/30/13

Ridgewood NJ.. The FBI has seen an increase in cyber criminals who use online photo-sharing programs to perpetrate scams and harm victims’ computers. These criminals advertise vehicles online but will not provide pictures in the advertisement. They will send photos on request. Sometimes the photo is a single file sent as an e-mail attachment, and sometimes the victim receives a link to an online photo gallery.

The photos can and often contain malicious software that infects the victim’s computer, directing the user to fake websites that look nearly identical to the real sites where the original advertisement was seen. The cyber criminals run all aspects of these fake websites, including “tech support” or “live chat support” and any “recommended” escrow services. After the victim agrees to purchase the item and makes the payment, the criminals stop responding to correspondence. The victims never receive any merchandise.

The FBI urges consumers to protect themselves when shopping online. Here are a few tips for staying safe:

Be cautious if you lose an auction on an auction site but the seller contacts you later saying the original bidder fell through.

Make sure websites are secure and authenticated before you purchase an item online. Use only well-known escrow services.

Research to determine if a car dealership is real and how long it has been in business.
Be wary if the price for the item you’d like to buy is severely undervalued; if it is, the item is likely fraudulent.

Scan files before downloading them to your computer.

Keep your computer software, including the operating system, updated with the latest patches.

Ensure your anti-virus software and firewalls are current—they can help prevent malware infections.

If you have fallen victim to this type of scam, file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov.