>Vote was perhaps easiest piece of merging the Princeton’s
In some ways, getting voters in Princeton borough and township to agree last year to merge may have been the easiest part of the process.
Since January 31, the Transition Task Force working to implement the consolidation has held 38 full or subcommittee meetings. That’s an average of four meetings a week.
In just nine months, the two communities will become one. There is a lot that needs to be done by January 1 and virtually no model to follow — New Jersey’s last municipal merger, in 1997, was of Hardwick and Pahaquarry, which had a population of just seven in a township comprised largely of land in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. (O’Dea, NJ Spotlight)
The Schoolhouse Museum’s Civil War exhibit displays actual Playbill from night of Lincoln’s Assassination
The most significant event to occur in April during the Civil War period was the assassination of President Lincoln. Though it occurred five days after the war ended at Appomattox, Lincoln’s assassination will always be associated with the Civil War.
On the day of his assassination Lincoln awoke cheerful and happy. So much so that the new Secretary of the Treasury, upon seeing him remarked “I never saw Mr. Lincoln so cheerful and happy”. In fact Lincoln himself told people how happy he was. Upon hearing this, the First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln voiced concern, believing that saying such things was bad luck – but Lincoln paid her no heed!
Mrs. Lincoln had been offered tickets that evening to a play at Grover’s Theater. But since this would be the farewell performance by the popular actress Laura Keene would be in Washington appearing in a Benefit performance of “Our American Cousin”, either she or the President changed their plans. The decision having been made, at about 11:00 AM, the President sent a messenger to Ford’s Theater to reserve the State Box.
The rest as they say, is history.
To see the actual Playbill from that fateful night, as well as the rest of the items on display in the museum’s “Civil War in NJ” collection, visit the Ridgewood Historical Society’s Schoolhouse Museum, on East Glen Avenue. The museum is open Thursdays and Saturday 1-3pm and Sundays 2-4pm. Please visit www.ridgewoodhistoricalsociety.org. for more information
Some of Christie’s biggest bills match model legislation from D.C. group called ALEC
Let’s say you’re a state lawmaker, passionate about charter schools, and you want to turn this passion into laws that create social change. What you need are bills. And you want them fast — ready-made, just add water, written in language that can withstand partisan debate and legal scrutiny.
There is a place that has just what you want.It’s called the American Legislative Exchange Council, a little-known conservative group headquartered in Washington, D.C., and funded by some of the biggest corporations in the United States — most with a business interest in state legislation. (Rizzo, The Star-Ledger)
GRAYDON POOL BADGES: RESIDENT DISCOUNT SALES BEGIN APRIL 1ST
Purchase your resident membership early for a discount through May 19th. Village priced memberships are available to Ridgewood residents, non-residents who pay local property taxes to the Village of Ridgewood, and employees of the Village of Ridgewood and Board of Education. Proof is required.
GRAYDON POOL SEASON MEMBERSHIPS ADULT – $97.00 through May 19th, $110.00 thereafter. CHILD – $87.00 (ages 2-15, under 2 free) through May 19th, $100.00 thereafter. SENIOR – $20.00 (62 and older) through May 19th, $25.00 thereafter. DAILY GUEST PASS – $10.00 (Available to residents only) BADGE REPLACEMENT – $5.00 TENNIS BADGES ADULT – $30.00 CHILD – $25.00 DAILY PASS – $5.00 DAILY GUEST PASS – $10.00 (Available to residents only) BADGE REPLACEMENT – $5.00
NON-RESIDENT MEMBERSHIPS The Village Council and the Ridgewood Department of Parks and Recreation are pleased to invite all families in the surrounding area to join the Graydon Pool facility for the 2012 summer season. Non-Ridgewood adults will be charged $175 and children, ages 2 through 15, will be charged $155 for the 13-week season. Daily passes and guest passes are available to Ridgewood residents only. Membership sales will begin April 1st online.
HOW TO PURCHASE BADGES Badges will go on sale April 1st and can be purchased from the comfort of home on Community Pass. (Visa and Mastercard accepted).
Pre-season in person registration will be available Saturdays, May 12 and May 19, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, as well as Monday, May 28th, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, at the Graydon Pool Badge Office, 259 North Maple Avenue. Badges can be purchased daily throughout the operating season.
Please contact the Recreation Office at 201-670-5560 with any questions.
New Jersey’s 6 million drivers will have to begin digging up more and perhaps better proof of who they are to meet requirements of a new national security standard for driver’s licenses.
New Jersey on May 7 will become the 10th state to start issuing federally compliant driver’s licenses under the Real ID Act. More than 20 other states are dragging their feet. Some have taken formal action protesting the law or have indicated refusal to comply, citing privacy concerns and cost issues, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. (Jordan, Gannett)
N.J. Treasurer says low earners pay less than neighbors
New Jersey residents earning less than $150,000 pay lower income taxes than people in nearby states, including New York and Connecticut, while top earners pay a higher rate, Treasurer Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff said.
The state’s revenue is “volatile” because of its progressive income tax, which is more dependent on the highest earners, Sidamon-Eristoff said. That means New Jersey suffers more than other states during an economic slowdown and outperforms during a recovery, he said during a breakfast with business owners in Monroe. (Dopp, Bloomberg)
The majority of New Jersey voters support the New York Police Department’s practice of monitoring Muslims living in the region, according to a new poll.
A Rutgers-Eagleton poll released Friday found 47% of voters agreed that the monitoring was necessary to protect the country. Another 12% thought the police tactic violated civil liberties but supported the practice anyway.
In total, about a third of the 601 adults surveyed in March thought the NYPD had violated civil liberties through its surveillance program. (Haddon, The Wall Street Journal)
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will overhaul its security operation for the first time in decades, centralizing control over its police force and safety officials at its bridges, airports, bus terminals and the World Trade Center.
The agency’s Board of Commissioners on Thursday voted unanimously to create a Security Department within the agency. A new chief security officer will oversee the Port Authority Police Department and help coordinate safety policies across the agency’s properties and divisions. (Mann, The Wall Street Journal)
>We’re No. 1: In highest corporate taxes and that’s no joke
Come Sunday, America finally has something to crow about in its economic war with China and Japan: It will have the highest jobs-killing corporate tax rate in the industrialized world.
No, it’s not an April Fool’s joke. When Japan officially slashes its rate to 36.8 percent Sunday, America’s will be tops at 39.2 percent.
President Obama has proposed a rate of 28 percent, but Republicans charge that it comes with $350 billion in new, off-setting taxes. The GOP is pushing for a cut to 25 percent, but the election year is getting in the way of any deal.
The Business Roundtable has been pushing for a clean cut in corporate tax rates, claiming it would spur job growth and industrial reinvestment. They even cite a recent move by England to cut their tax rates from 28 percent to 22 percent, which officials called “an advertisement for investment and jobs in Britain.
Second Annual Event – A Night of Future Broadway Stars will be Monday, April 2 at BF Middle School. Tickets are available at Book Ends, Ridgewood. This event was sold out last year and is a great example of kids supporting kids. Last year ‘the show was heartwarming….there were families, middle school students, high school students, teachers, and Broadway stars coming together to help put homeless teens in a better position to help themselves. Last year’s show was sold out and we expect this year’s show to do the same.”
Ridgewood Office Building Evacuated Due to Possible Sulfuric Acid Leak Boyd A. Loving April 1, 2012 4:57 PM
(RIDGEWOOD_NJ) A multi-story office/retail complex at 45 North Broad Street in Ridgewood was evacuated this afternoon due to a possible sulfuric acid leak in its basement. Personnel from Ridgewood FD, PD, EMS, Emergency Services, and the Bergen County HazMat Team all responded to the scene. No injuries were reported.
>Secretary Chu’s $10 Million Fiasco Diane Katz March 21, 2012 at 4:38 pm
During a hearing last week of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Wyoming Senator John Barrasso (R) asked Energy Secretary Steven Chu a seemingly simple question: “(D)o you think a $50 light bulb is affordable for American families?”
“No, absolutely not,” Chu replied.
Well, if that’s the case, why did Chu award a $10 million top prize for a $50 light bulb in his department’s competition for an “affordable” light? (FYI: The winner, Philips Lighting N.A., a division of the Netherlands-based Royal Philips Electronics, was the only contestant.)
Equally ludicrous is the notion that a government contest was necessary to “incentivize” the development of new lighting technologies, as claimed by Chu, who holds a Ph.D. in physics but doesn’t seem to have a clue about household budgets, light bulb manufacturing, or basic principles of economics.
>The Obamacare Two-Year Checkup: More Reasons for Repeal By Nina Owcharenko and Kathryn Nix March 21, 2012
Abstract: On its second anniversary, Obamacare remains unpopular. The provisions currently in effect have fallen short of expectations and disrupted the market, causing even greater uncertainty for the future. Overall, Obamacare has increased government control of Americans’ health care choices and limited consumer choice. The recent controversy over the preventive care benefit mandates are a good indication of things to come. The fundamental structure of Obamacare is based on centralizing the financing, delivery, and management of health care, and is completely incompatible with patient-centered, market-based reforms.
Two years ago, President Barack Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA).[1] The PPACA was unpopular when it was enacted in March 2010, and although its proponents hoped it would gain broad acceptance as people learned more about the law, not much has changed since then.
Public opinion surveys continue to show that more people oppose the health care law than support it. The latest Rasmussen poll shows that 56 percent of likely voters “somewhat favor” repeal of the health law, of which 46 percent “strongly favor” repeal.[2]
Many of Obamacare’s key provisions—such as the creation of health insurance exchanges, costly subsidies to purchase coverage, the massive expansion of Medicaid, and the individual and employer mandates—do not take effect until 2014. However, as noted in “Obamacare: The One-Year Checkup,”[3] several important provisions—such as minimum loss ratio regulations, the small-business health insurance tax credit, high-risk pools, and coverage mandates on insurance companies—have already taken effect.
There have been several significant developments over the past year—the decision by the Supreme Court to hear a case on the constitutionality of the law, the halting of the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) Act, and the new preventive care benefit mandates. The outcomes continue to underscore that this health care law is unworkable, unsettled, and not worth its cost.
FRIDAY MARCH 30, 2012, 4:38 PM BY DARIUS AMOS STAFF WRITER THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The Board of Education (BOE) last week started advertising for a summer school principal, laying the foundation for the re-launch of summer classes at Ridgewood High School (RHS) later this year.
The district last held summer classes three years ago; a decrease in funding forced the cancellation of the program. But the promise of new revenue has put the program back on the district’s agenda.
“I am in favor of having summer school back in Ridgewood,” BOE member Sheila Brogan said at a recent school board meeting. “I felt when we had to cut it two years ago, that was a lost opportunity for us. Now we have the opportunity to try it again.
Arthur Murray Open House 100 Year Celebration Dance Party Wed, April 04, 2012 Time: 7:45 PM – 8:45 PM
Arthur Murray Dance Studio, 257 East Ridgewood Ave., Ridgewood, NJ 07450 Event Description
The Arthur Murray Dance Studio will be holding an Open House 100 Year Celebration Dance Party on April 4th from 7:45-8:45 PM.
Anyone can come and dance to help them celebrate. Newcomers will receive a free lesson., The party might simulcast to 100yearsofdance.com along with the other 270 studios world wide, to attempt the world’s biggest dance party.
