The historic Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in North Jersey will be preserved
The historic Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in North Jersey, which closed in 2008, will be preserved and turned into parkland, Gov. Christie announced Thursday.
“When the state closes a facility, it has a responsibility to clean up after itself,” Christie said.
Designed a few years after the Civil War by Philadelphia architect Samuel Sloan, the former hospital is a French Renaissance/Second Empire-style building that features marble pillars, a rotunda and a chapel. Upon its completion, it was christened in 1876 by President Ulysses S. Grant. (DeFalco, Associated Press)
>Construction projects by government in NJ forecast to increase
Contractors and professional firms shopping for work on government projects in New Jersey continue to face slim pickings, but there are signs the pipeline will become more active, according to a new construction forecast.
Shovel-ready jobs and other work planned by public agencies and some sectors of private industry for the next two years have a projected total value of $26.6 billion, an 18 percent increase compared with the forecast last year by the New Jersey Alliance for Action. The group advocates for construction firms, professionals, labor unions and businesses that benefit from public works. (Jordan, Gannett)
Gov. Chris Christie is touting its get-out-the-vote effort before Tuesday’s legislative elections
A New Jersey state GOP swollen with political cash and the support of popular Gov. Chris Christie is touting its get-out-the-vote effort before Tuesday’s legislative elections in a memo sent to top Republican leaders Sunday.
The memo, obtained by The Wall Street Journal, acts as a rallying cry for Republicans trying to wrest seats from the Democratic-controlled legislature in a handful of competitive Assembly and Senate races.
“For years Republican candidates have lacked adequate financial resources but that is not the case in 2011,” said the memo sent to about 60 county chairs, state committee members and other top GOP leaders. (Haddon, The Wall Street Journal)
American Legion Post annual ceremony honoring Veterans on Veterans Day which is Friday, November 11th at 11 a.m. It will be a special event to be held this year at GRAYDON PARK at the patio area. We will rededicate a plaque containing 14 Ridgewood residents names who died in the “Great War” (WW1). We will also dedicate a interpretive panel giving the history of Graydon Park and of the original event that took place there in 1931.
>Readers sound out on 2008 drowning at Graydon Pool
Lifeguards train for this type of incident. The victim’s sister was aware that her brother needed help, yet the lifeguards did not see her or the boy. And the first lifeguard who was notified radioed to a senior staff member to find out what to do. The girl was frantic yet they did not seem to know how to proceed.
When a kid goes missing while swimming lifeguards should react quickly. When my kids were young we went to Graydon a few times a week. Many times the lifeguards blew whistles and emptied the pool in search of missing children. The child was usually on the playground or in the bathroom. These children were not lost in the pool but they took the precaution anyway.
I think the judge was absolutely wrong in this case. The family absolutely has some responsibility to watch their own child. Especially in a case where the child is a visitor, speaks little english and isn’t a good swimmer(as has been previously reported). They have to take some responsibility. We all have to watch our children. It’s our job.
Nothing can replace this mother’s loss. As someone who lost a sibling early on, my mother never recovered from that. That being said, this was a child that never should have been swimming in the deep end of the pool. The friends did not report this boy going under until it was way past anyone helping him. They never screamed or yelled out. The mother when told did not yell out either. They walked all the way around the pool to the pool managers office. The village has offered a substantial payment to the family but this is not enough. Nothing will every be enough.
The lifeguards are certified and they do practice drills. Sometimes they even run around the pool. So why do all these drills if they are not going to react in an emergency?When selling guest passes, does the staff explain any rules to the guests? The need for a deep water test should be rule #1.
>New Jersey’s anti-bullying law:This is government way over reaching and is surely unconstitutional
“The legislation enacted last spring — considered by some as the toughest in a slew of anti-bullying laws sweeping the country — requires that districts follow strict protocols to prevent, identify, and address complaints of harassment and bullying both in and outside school.” NJSpotlight.com
And what pray tell does the school have to do with what goes on outside of its confines and hours of operation? This is government way over reaching and is surely unconstitutional. Just another example of the creeping nanny state. If we are not vigilant, we will soon be living in Orwell’s Animal Farm.
>As previously announced, the Christie administration plans to apply for a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind Act
Fine Print: NCLB waiver application – Draft outline
What it is: As previously announced, the Christie administration plans to apply for a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind Act, joining what will likely be dozens of other states in seeking exemption from some of the federal law’s most draconian requirements. This is the outline released yesterday of that coming application, with some new details on how the administration plans to identify and intervene in flagging schools and how it would reward successful ones, including with money. (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)
>Ridgewood Schools rolls out new website that tracks district honors and awards
A website page devoted to archiving the honors and awards of students and staff throughout the school year. Click here to view the 2011-2012 Honors and Awards page.
A state Department of Education list released on Thursday shows that more than 55 percent of public schools failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress in meeting all standardized testing benchmarks in language arts and math.
The results are being blamed on more stringent scoring and a mandated increase in the percentage of students that must be proficient, school officials said. Some schools are appearing on the list for the first time. (Rothschild, Gannett)
>Suprise ,Suprise : Regulator gave $10k to NJ Dems as Corzine ran
Gary Gensler, the regulator overseeing the investigation of Jon Corzine’s collapsed securities firm, built close ties to Corzine as they rose through the ranks of Goldman Sachs. Later, they collaborated on Capitol Hill to pass an anti-corporate fraud law.
When Corzine ran for New Jersey governor, Gensler gave $10,000 to the state Democratic Party, which was trying to get Corzine elected.
Now, Gensler, head of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, is leading an inquiry into how hundreds of millions vanished last week from client accounts at Corzine’s firm, MF Global. (Associated Press)
>3 Charged With Dealing Crack; Occupy Boston ‘Deteriorating’ November 4, 2011 11:42 PM
BOSTON (CBS) – Three people arrested Thursday night inside the Occupy Boston camp have been charged with dealing crack cocaine.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030’s Carl Stevens, who spent the night at the camp a few weeks ago, talked to a man who spends most nights at Occupy Boston. He said things have gone downhill.
“Things have changed drastically. It seems to be deteriorating,” the man told Carl. “A lot of drug use, alcohol use, people getting into fights… It’s deteriorating pretty quick.”
November 4, 2011 – The Ridgewood Public Schools will act as host this fall to several visiting English teachers from Korea. The visitors will be mentored by Ridgewood teachers as part of a Bloomfield College total English language immersion program called TICKET. A total of 10 visiting teachers will be placed in classrooms at Benjamin Franklin Middle School(BFMS), Ridge Elementary School or Orchard Elementary School upon completing courseworkat Bloomfield College. Six teachers, all graduates of Seoul National University, will be hosted at BFMS from November 2 to December 23 and will be mentored by either Ridgewood teachers of English or English as a Second Language (ESL). From November 21 to December 2, fourelementary school teachers from Incheon, South Korea will be hosted at two district schools,three at Ridge and one at Orchard. While in the district, the Korean teachers will have the opportunity to enhance their languageand teaching skills under the direct supervision of the Ridgewood teachers. They will act as observers, assistants, and teaching partners in English and/or ESL classes. The upcoming visits mark the second time that the Ridgewood Public Schools has hosted Korean teachers through Bloomfield College’s TICKET program. In 2008-2009,Hawes andOrchard elementary schools participated in the program. “It was a very positive partnership,said Ms. Regina Lemerich Botsford, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction andAssessment. “It was an opportunity for our students to experience multi-cultural traditions, andfor our teachers to share ideas across continents.” The Korean visiting teachers will be formally welcomed at the Ridgewood Board of Educationmeeting on Monday, November 21, at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place, floor 3. Viewers may watch the meeting on their computers via the “Link in Live” tab on the district website atwww.ridgewood.k12.nj.us, or on FiOS channel 33 or Optimum channel 77. The TICKET program brings experienced English teachers from Korea to the United States formore advanced training in English and pedagogy through a total immersion experience. Allteachers have Bachelor degrees and many have Master of Arts degrees; all are certified publicschool teachers with at least five years of teaching experience.
Bill Cosby Tuesday, November 8th @ 6:00pm Star of The Cosby Show, Bill Cosby, will sign his new book:I Didn’t Ask to Be Born (But I’m Glad I was)Books available: Nov. 1st
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.Please call the store for details.
Bookends, 211 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450 201-445-0726
Most legislative candidates in New Jersey have raised and spent less than in the past ahead of next Tuesday’s elections, yet campaign spending is high in the state’s two most hotly contested districts.
Data released Thursday by the state’s Election Law Enforcement Commission shows the committees of the candidates for seats in the Legislature had raised a total of $36.4 million by Oct. 25 and had spent $24.8 million.
Both figures were 8 percent below the same period in 2007, the last time all 120 seats in the Assembly and Senate were up. (Mulvihill, Associated Press)
>Valley Renewal: I don’t believe the VC is in the position to make a decision about the Valley expansion
I don’t believe the VC is in the position to make a decision about the Valley expansion; there are too many unanswered questions:
1) Long before any public meeting, the Planning Board was told that alternatives to doubling in size in Ridgewood had already been examined and eliminated– because they were deemed not viable. No studies, no numbers, no details were ever presented—and the PB never asked, the just took this at face value. The Council, and the public, still don’t know why Valley won’t consider a split campus, or some alternative that will make everyone happy.***REMEMBER, we can’t really trust Valley’s promises without digging deeper. Looking for precedents, Valley told us early on that it had examined 21 other NJ hospitals that were “similar” to Valley and had expanded. No questions were asked by PB, but CRR did some fact-checking: turned out that of the 22 hospitals, Valley is the only one that is surrounded by homes on 3 sides and a school….
2) Valley keeps saying that plans have changed since the Geo-Technical expert gave his withering presentation. How? What has been changed? How can you make a decision based upon such a silly promise with no details?
3) The traffic expert examined ONLY the traffic on the Valley campus and bordering roads. How can you make a decision based upon this incomplete report? Wouldn’t it be essential to know how construction and expansion might affect traffic elsewhere in town? [it will]
4) Similarly,the geo-technical expert did not examine the soil, rock and infrastructure (waste and water lines, etc.) of land outside of Valley’s purview. How can you make a decision when you don’t know what is going on underneath the HO– USES in Ridgewood and how the construction will affect our land?
5) Why has Valley worked so hard to block the reopening of Pascack? Too many beds, they say.
6) Why then is Valley ADDING beds? The turnover rate for each bed is becoming faster and faster. This means that Valley’s 450+ beds will generating more and more traffic in the future.
7) Valley wants to expand here to “best serve the community”. What community is that? 95% of Valley patients do not live in Ridgewood. Still, at the last meeting, doctors spoke of the importance of getting to the hospital quickly—4 minutes? Four minutes from whose house? The majority of Valley patients don’t live here, so it is actually a LONGER trip for everyone else. Westwood is a part of the “community”, yet Valley wants to deny those residents close, convenient care? “Do No Harm”????
