N.J. bill would use open-space money for flood buyouts
Owners of more than 1,000 flood-prone homes could receive buyouts from New Jersey towns under a proposal that received unanimous support after its first legislative hearing Thursday.
The legislation permits municipalities to establish so-called Blue Acres programs to complement the state’s Green Acres program that enables towns to acquire land for parks or conservation, said Sen. Bob Gordon, a Democrat whose Bergen County district was hit hard by flooding from Hurricane Irene and other summer storms.
Money raised through local open-space taxes – subject to voter approval – could be used to buy out homeowners, knock down flood-prone structures, and turn the property into parks. (Delli Santi, The Associated Press)
>Inaugural Ridgewood Octoberfest four-mile run a successful one
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2011 BY GAIL KISLEVITZ CORRESPONDENT THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
RIDGEWOOD — The Ridgewood Running Company staged its first race Oct. 2, the Octoberfest 4-Mile Run, a fast, flat course that started and ended at Benjamin Franklin Middle School.
It was perfect weather for running on the streets through Ridgewood. The concept for the race started months ago when Beth O’Connor, manager of the Ridgewood running store, met with town officials for approval on the course and street closure.
The original course included East Ridgewood Avenue and the downtown business area, but was not approved. A police officer suggested the approved course which started at East Glen and North Van Dien avenues, continued south and around the cemetery and then north on Franklin Turnpike, eventually turning left on Northern Parkway, another left on East Glen and then a second loop of the same course.
The course was certified by USATF-NJ and was a Grand Prix 500-point event. Prizes were given to the top three male and female finishers, the first male and female Ridgewood residents and the top three male and female winners in 10-year age divisions.
Proceeds from the race were donated to breast cancer research and Ridgewood Track and Field. The Market Basket in Franklin Lakes provided the post-race refreshments. Local sponsors included Greson Jewelers, Ridgewood Coin and Stamp and New York Sports Club.
One Injured In Rollover Motor Vehicle Accident On North Maple Avenue Boyd Loving
(RIDGEWOOD-NJ) At approximately 10:00 PM on Friday evening, Ridgewood Police, EMS, and Fire Departments received numerous telephone reports of a single vehicle crash near 326 North Maple Avenue.
Arriving officers discovered a Jeep on its side. Ridgewood Fire Department personnel stabilized the vehicle to ensure the safety of all emergency service workers at the scene. One occupant was safely removed from the vehicle and transported to The Valley Hospital for treatment.
North Maple Avenue was closed for approximately 60 minutes until the vehicle was up righted and removed by a local towing company.
>Engineer Hired by Montclair on Edgemont Pond Pleads to Fraud Charges BY Debbie Galant | THURSDAY, OCT 13, 2011 9:30AM
One of two principals in an engineering firm hired by the township of Montclair to do the engineering consulting services for the improvements to Edgemont Pond pleaded guilty in court yesterday to charges of taking thousands of dollars of kickbacks and arranging fraudulent contracts. Kenneth Disko faces $50,000 of fines and between three and five years in jail.
The charges related to business he did for Westfield, Tinton Falls and Scotch Plains-Fanwood school districts. In September 2010, Montclair awarded a $38,700 contract to M. Disko Associates to do the engineering work for the pond. Disko was indicted by the state in March.
Sounds familiar comment: Councilor Cary Africk said he had concerns about M. Disko Associates when their bid came in… “I had red flags,” Africk said.
Cary knew it all along!
… he was assured by town staff that the town had experience with Disko and thought the firm would do a good job…
Not Cary’s fault!
“…we don’t really have a stellar record of picking vendors.”
>PARENTS INVITED TO OCTOBER 27 DINNER DISCUSSION ON TEEN PREVENTION
The Ridgewood Guild and Ridgewood Municipal Alliance invite all parents to Parent2Parent: Alcohol and Our Teens Town Hall Dinner on Thursday, October 27 at 6:30 p.m. in the RHS Campus Center, to share concerns and determine strategies to reduce underage drinking in the community. RHS Principal Jack Lorenz will introduce the panelists, who will speak about the issues facing our teens and which will include Assistant Principal Basil Pizzuto, RHS Crisis Intervention Counselor Lauren DePinto, Valley Hospital Emergency Room Physician Bruce Felsentstein and a Ridgewood police officer. A light dinner will be provided by “It’s Greek to Me.” For more information e-mail David Zrike at [email protected].
The Ridgewood Municipal Alliance has launched a new website at www.ridgewoodmunicipalalliance.org. The new site has information and resources on substance abuse and prevention, including sections on alcohol and drugs, tobacco products and local help resources, links to recent news headlines regarding alcohol and drugs, and FAQs about Ridgewood’s underage drinking ordinance. The site may be accessed via the Parents tab on the district website, or through the Village of Ridgewood website at www.ridgewoodnj.net.
>Average Girl, part of Bergen County collective, brings its aggressive live show to Hoboken Published: Thursday, October 13, 2011, 4:45 PM By Jim Testa/For The Jersey Journal
The members of Average Girl may live in Brooklyn, with two members who originally hail from rural Pennsylvania. But when the trio brings its sweaty, energetic take on alt-country to Maxwell’s on Friday, October 14, it will be as part of a collective that’s looking to be a launching pad for some of New Jersey’s most promising underground bands.
One member of Average Girl, singer/guitarist Cary Kehayan, comes from Glen Rock, the Bergen County suburb which, along with neighboring Ridgewood, has produced some of the most successful New Jersey acts of the last several years, including Titus Andronicus, the Vivian Girls, and Real Estate. “It’s kind of crazy that my high school turned into this breeding ground for all these amazing bands,” Kehayan said. “I think what connects them is that they all share this basement scene mentality. If there isn’t a place that will let you play, you find a place, whether it’s a basement or a hall or a warehouse or whatever.”
>Support RHS Cheerleading : order your “Ridgewood” scarves today
Good news! Because of the interest in the “Ridgewood” scarves, the manufacturer has extended the deadline for orders to Friday, October 22. Support RHS Cheerleading: Click here for the Order Form @ https://tinyurl.com/3qftr3g
>Ridgewood residents continue to press council on flooding issues
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2011 BY KELLY EBBELS STAFF WRITER THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
State Sen. Kevin O’Toole is set to visit Ridgewood on Oct. 26 to tour its hurricane-damaged areas. After pleas at Wednesday’s Village Council meeting, it is clear officials will have their hands full for many months and that many residents are hoping for assistance from the state.
Residents asked the council on Wednesday to create action plans to clean up various ditches and areas of village streams. However, Village Manager Ken Gabbert has pointed out that the village’s top priority now is fixing an area near the Saddle River by Route 17 where an entire sewer line washed away. That work could cost more than $600,000, he said.
“That’s a major engineering process and it is consuming the engineering department,” Gabbert said to resident Leslie Cimino of Burnside Place, who made a pitch at Wednesday’s council meeting for the village to clean up the Zabriskie ditch behind her and her neighbors’ houses, which she said contributes to flooding.
2011 Cigar Family Charitable Foundation Toast Across America Sampler @ Tobacco Shop of Ridgewood
The Tobacco Shop of Ridgewood | 10 Chestnut Street | Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450
Phone: 201-447-2204 | Email: [email protected]
Hours: Monday – Saturday 10:00AM – 5:30PM and Thursday Night 6:30PM – 8:30PM
New Jersey Department of Education enforces new background checks for board members and charter school trustees
The state Department of Education has notified public and charter school officials that school board members and charter school trustees who have not registered for the new criminal background check will be removed from office.
An Oct. 11 letter sent to chief school administrators by Robert J. Cicchino, Director of the Office of Fiscal Accountability and Compliance, said all of the registrations should be complete. He asked school officials to confirm that their board members or trustees have complied, and to send the names of those who have not to the state, which will notify them that they are no longer eligible to serve on the board. (D’Amico, Press of Atlantic City)
>Bloomberg Caves :Violence Breaks Out During ‘Occupy Wall Street’ March Toward New York Stock Exchange October 14, 2011 9:45 AM
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Just a short while after protesters learned they’d be able to stay in Zuccotti Park indefinitely, violence broke out as a group marched away from it.
Protesters, apparently jubilant over being able to stay in the park after their furious cleanup efforts, took their brooms, flags and signs and started fanning out at around 7:30 a.m.
1010 WINS’ Steve Sandberg reported the protesters were saying things to the effect that now that they’d cleaned up the park, they were going to clean up Wall Street.
>Education policy is a local issue By Rep. Scott Garrett (R-N.J.) – 10/12/11 06:55 PM ET
In an apparent attempt to roll back federal mandates included in the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law, the Obama administration recently announced that it will issue waivers to states to shield them from proficiency requirements included in the law and provide them with the authority to set their own achievement standards.
For those who oppose the burdens placed on our schools by the federal government, the Obama administration’s announcement should be considered a win. Unfortunately, as is often the case with federal policy coming out of Washington, all that glitters is not gold. Only after digging deeper into the fine print of the Obama administration’s latest round of education policy does the real picture come into focus.
It turns out the Obama administration is dumping one set of federal proficiency standards for another. Rather than adopting a new approach to education reform, the Obama administration is doubling down on the same failed policies of its predecessor. I disagreed with former President George W. Bush when he first tried this approach and I disagree with Obama today. Instead, I believe that those closest to the students, the individuals who understand their needs the best and are directly responsible for their well-being, should have the authority to set their own standards.
That is why I have introduced the Local Education Authority Returns Now (LEARN) Act. The LEARN Act would allow states to opt out of NCLB rules entirely and retain the dollars that would have been sent to Washington by reimbursing the taxpayers through a tax credit. The process is simple, straightforward and truly empowers states, teachers and parents to determine how to best meet the needs of their students.
The LEARN Act would work in three steps. First, a state decides that the strings attached to federal money are hampering the ability of its parents and teachers to educate its children as they see fit and enacts a law opting out of NCLB. Second, the Treasury Department determines how much money an opt-out state is entitled to. Finally, the taxpayers of the opt-out state receive a tax credit to reimburse them for the funds that were diverted to Washington. This method immediately cuts the authoritative and financial strings of the federal government so that state and local governments can set their own educational standards while ensuring maximum parental involvement.
Unlike my bill, which actually addresses the failure of NCLB, the president’s proposal further empowers Washington bureaucrats to control the classroom. The waivers the president has advertised are a prime example of this. Instead of actually providing states the authority to set their own standards, there are strings attached — certain conditions and requirements that must be met to qualify for a waiver. Under his new system, states would qualify for a waiver only after agreeing to embrace Obama’s education agenda. In particular, only those states that adopt new academic standards the administration deems “college and career ready” will be relieved from the 2014 deadline on student proficiency standards included in NCLB.
NCLB set a precedent for attempts to centralize education control within the federal government. One has to wonder, what happened to the state legislators? What happened to the countless township school boards and local elected officials? All across the nation, parents, teachers and administrators — the people closest to and most directly responsible for the students —have been shut out of the process.
It is imperative that we abandon this centralized philosophy altogether rather than simply replacing misguided policies with worse ones. The future of our nation depends on our ability to educate and train the generations that will one day carry on the legacy of freedom and prosperity. We are failing at this task because states are focused on conforming to federal regulations rather than cultivating a competitive atmosphere where states are challenging each other to best educate our students.
Our education system will not improve until we remove Washington bureaucrats from the equation. It’s time to return to the system our founders envisioned; it’s time to return education policy back to the local communities; it’s time to start putting our children first.
Garrett is chairman of the House Financial Services’s subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government-Sponsored Enterprises.
>New Jersey’s pension fund falls 7% in 3rd quarter
New Jersey’s pension funds climbed nearly 18 percent through June, then fell back along with the global slide in stock prices, according to a state report released Thursday.
The report by the state Division of Investment showed that the pension fund was led by the 32 percent gain in its investments in U.S. stocks through the end of the fiscal year, June 30. That was followed by a 25.6 percent gain in its international stock holdings.
But the pension fund in total has dropped nearly 7 percent through Sept. 30, to $66.4 billion.
Timothy Walsh, the director of the Division of Investment, told a board overseeing the pension funds that “all cylinders were firing,” in the fiscal year that ended in June, as all areas where the fund invested money had gained. (Method, Gannett)
