>Both parties seek changes to costly New Jersey sick time system, differ on solution
If every county and municipal employee in Gloucester County were to retire tomorrow, the taxpayers would be on the hook for more than $19.2 million Ð money owed to those workers for unused sick days they’ve been saving up for years. (Beym, Gloucester County Times)
https://www.nj.com/gloucester/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1305447905285402.xml&coll=8
>Financial disclosure requirements for N.J. lawmakers fall short of federal standards
New Jersey lawmakers and many executive branch employees are submitting financial disclosure forms this week, an annual event that lets constituents see some information about their earnings, investments, properties and sources of personal income. (Reitmeyer, The Record)
https://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/05/disclosure_requirements_for_nj.html
>Obamacare : HHS approves 200 more new healthcare reform waivers
By Julian Pecquet- 05/13/11 04:52 PM ET
The Obama administration approved 204 new waivers to Democrats’ healthcare reform law over the past month, bringing the total to 1,372.
The waivers are temporary and only apply to one provision of the law, which requires health plans to offer at least $750,000 worth of annual medical benefits before leaving patients to fend for themselves. Still, Republicans have assailed the waivers as a sign of both favoritism and of major problems with the law.
“The fact that over 1,000 waivers have been granted is a tacit admission that the healthcare law is fundamentally flawed,” Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said in March. Upton is one of three House committee chairmen who has used new oversight powers to investigate the annual limit waivers.
>Medicare, Social Security Funds Expiring Sooner, U.S. Says
May 13, 2011, 4:44 PM EDT
MORE FROM BUSINESSWEEK
By Drew Armstrong and Brian Faler
(Adds trust projection change in 16th paragraph.)
May 13 (Bloomberg) — Medicare, the U.S. health insurance program for the elderly and disabled, and the Social Security trust for the disabled and retirees are running out of money sooner than the government had projected.
While Medicare won’t have sufficient funds to pay full benefits starting in 2024, five years earlier than last year’s estimate, Social Security’s cash to pay full benefits runs short in 2036, a year sooner than the 2010 projection, the U.S. government said today in an annual report
>Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration
Evening Activities and Fireworks Tickets
Summer’s Best Entertainment Value
Monday, July 4, 2011
Alternate Date – Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Veterans Field, Ridgewood, New Jersey
July 4th in Ridgewood is a very special day that our entire area looks forward to all year. This
year’s theme is “Celebrate the Constitution.” The Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration
Committee is an all-volunteer community group that coordinates the day’s events and does not
receive direct funding from the Village of Ridgewood.
We are actively preparing for what we know will be a spectacular celebration, and it is vital that
we have community support. Please consider helping to “Support the Tradition”. Because of
generous support from the community, we have one of the best small town Independence Day
celebrations.
While the Parade is free, Fireworks Tickets are required for entrance to Veterans Field.
Donations for Fireworks Tickets are one of the Celebration’s largest sources of income.
Ticket sales cover the evening entertainment which begins at 6:00pm, the fireworks at
dark, as well as the bands in the parade, additional security and traffic control. Come
early and enjoy some great entertainment.
For many years the cost of our tickets remained the same while our costs increased.
This year we have increased our ticket prices. It was a decision that the Committee did
reluctantly in the face of rising costs. To keep the ticket prices as reasonable as possible
for attendees, while covering costs, pre-sales of tickets are being made available through a
wide range of local businesses.
Tickets to the Evening Entertainment and Fireworks will be on sale June 1 at the
locations below. Buy your tickets in advance for $8.00 and save over 50% off the
gate price of $15.00.
1. Backyard Living- 235 Franklin Avenue, Ridgewood, 201-689-9111
2. Daily Treat- 177 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, 201-652-9113
3. Goffle Brook Farm- 425 Goffle Road, Ridgewood, 201-652-7540
4. Harding Wines and Spirits- 305 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, 201-445-7122
5. Herold’s Farm & Garden Center- 909 Prospect Street, Glen Rock, 201-445-0069
6. Hillman Electric- 133 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, 201-652-1045
7. Hogan’s Restaurant Diner- 20 Central Avenue, Midland Park, 201-445-2849
8. Hoskins Propane, 523 Goffle Road, Ridgewood, 201-444-1950
9. JT’s Wines and Spirits- 607 N. Maple Avenue, Ho-Ho-Kus, 201-652-2220
10. Lacrosse Unlimited of Ridgewood- 206 E. Ridgewood Ave., Ridgewood, 201-670-3515
11. La Strada- 231 Godwin Avenue, Midland Park- 201-670-9233
12. North Jersey Community Bank- 171 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, 201-670-8484
13. Ridgewood Auto Wash Co.- 450 South Broad Street, Glen Rock, 201-444-6037
14. Ridgewood Cycle Shop- 35 North Broad Street, Ridgewood, 201-444-2553
15. The Wine Seller- 6 West Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, 201-444-3300.
16. Town & Country Apothecary- 60 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood- 201-652-0013.
Many thanks to our ticket vendors! All ticket vendors are volunteers and make no
money for their efforts.
17. At the Ridgewood Library –Saturday, June 25 from 9:00am to 3:00pm; Sunday, June
26 from 1:00pm to 3:00pm, and Monday June 27 through Friday July 1 from 9:00am to
3:00pm. Thank you HILT for being our volunteer ticket sellers!
18. At the gate tickets are $15.00. Children 5 and under are admitted free of charge.
Patrons and belongings are subject to security checks when entering Veterans Field.
Handicap parking for the Parade is available on Dayton Street behind Van Neste Park.
Handicap parking for the Evening Entertainment is available at the parking lot to the east of
Veterans Field. Approach Veterans Field on Linwood Avenue from the east. Turn left onto
Northern Parkway. Turn right into the parking lot. There are 20 spaces available on a first-
come, first-serve basis. A police officer will be posted there to direct you. Those who park in the
handicap spaces will not have access to their cars during the fireworks due to the location of the
fireworks drop zone.
The Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration began in 1910 when the local papers, the civic
section of the Woman’s Club and the Ridgewood Fire Department joined forces to create
a “safe and sane” holiday with an emphasis on Patriotism. It has grown into one of the largest
celebrations in the New York City area and has been featured on CNN and Good Morning
America as well as local New York stations. The celebration was once again named Best Parade
and Fireworks by the readers of 201 Magazine.
Additional information and answers to many of your questions can be found on the Ridgewood
Fourth of July Celebration’s website at www.ridgewoodjuly4th.org. Thank you for
“Supporting the Tradition”.
>“Bill Clinton, back in 1992, when he was running for office, you know, their campaign coined the phrase, ‘It’s the economy, stupid,'”
>
Crowds come out for the Ridgewood Sidewalk sale and the Earth Day celebration
the Staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ -Overcast sky’s did not keep the crowds away from the Spring Ridgewood Sidewalk sale and the Earth Day celebration in Van Neste Square . Parking was scarce for the first time in ages whiles shoppers lined the streets looking for deals . Shoppers spilled over from East. Ridgewood Ave. and Oak Street to most of the central business district or downtown Ridgewood .
Some new stores and resaturates look to be making a go at it while some old favorites remain steadfast. It does seem the Village is about to be over run by Sushi places with empty stores boasting to become next home of a Sushi this or Sushi that.
The Ridgewood Police Department keep a careful eye on pedestrian crossing and most drives seemed to be taking time and laying off their cell phones and lipstick. Dare we say the revival of the down town shopping district maybe well on its way of coarse only time will tell whether the crowds were buyers or lookers .
>Village Pensions and Healthcare are the key drivers of the budget problems
I find it interesting that pensions and healthcare are the key drivers of the budget problems. Why is it that we still let Ridgewood policemen reitre in their 40s and pay very little towards their healthcare? 55 is a more reasonable retirement age.
Why did the council just let them lock these benefits in to a new contract without fighting for the taxpayers that elected them? Wellinghorst, Walsh, and Riche – we elected you to look out for the best interests of the taxpayers. SO far, I am unimpressed by your performance
>“Bill Clinton, back in 1992, when he was running for office, you know, their campaign coined the phrase, ‘It’s the economy, stupid,'”
>The Great Global Warming Hoax?
Editor’s Introductory Note: Our planet has been slowly warming since last emerging from the “Little Ice Age” of the 17th century, often associated with the Maunder Minimum. Before that came the “Medieval Warm Period”, in which temperatures were about the same as they are today. Both of these climate phenomena are known to have occurred in the Northern Hemisphere, but several hundred years prior to the present, the majority of the Southern Hemisphere was primarily populated by indigenous peoples, where science and scientific observation was limited to non-existent. Thus we can not say that these periods were necessarily “global”.
However, “Global Warming” in recent historical times has been an undisputable fact, and no one can reasonably deny that.
But we’re hearing far too often that the “science” is “settled”, and that it is mankind’s contribution to the natural CO2 in the atmosphere has been the principal cause of an increasing “Greenhouse Effect”, which is the root “cause” of global warming. We’re also hearing that “all the world’s scientists now agree on this settled science”, and it is now time to quickly and most radically alter our culture, and prevent a looming global catastrophe. And last, but not least, we’re seeing a sort of mass hysteria sweeping our culture which is really quite disturbing. Historians ponder how the entire nation of Germany could possibly have goose-stepped into place in such a short time, and we have similar unrest. Have we become a nation of overnight loonies?
https://www.middlebury.net/op-ed/global-warming-01.html
>New Jersey an unlikely leader in solar energy
By Ronda Kaysen
MONTCLAIR, New Jersey | Fri May 13, 2011 12:03pm EDT
(Reuters) – New Jersey, home to more industrial waste clean-up sites than any other state, is poised to become an exemplar of solar power usage — though not everyone is happy about it.
Yet the combination of a strict state mandate and a generous carbon offset program has made New Jersey — where only three in eight days are sunny — the second-largest U.S. producer of solar power, after California, where more than half the days are sunny.
https://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/13/us-solar-newjersey-idUSTRE74C3TY20110513?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews
>PSE&G Helps UMDNJ Cut Its Energy Bill
Hospital expects to reduce utility bill by about $1.3 million annually through utility’s Energy Efficiency Program
(May 12, 2011 – Newark, NJ) – Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) today joined with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) for the installation of a 2,700-ton chiller as part of their $11.4 million effort to bring energy efficiency improvements to University Hospital and four buildings on its Newark campus.
These improvements will help reduce UMDNJ’s energy consumption. The improvements are made possible through PSE&G’s $79 million Hospital Efficiency Program, which will benefit 19 hospitals across the utility’s service territory. In total, the utility is investing $240 million through 11 initiatives that help fund energy efficiency investments targeted at populations and entities with the greatest need and also stimulate economic activity.
“New Jersey hospitals are really struggling financially and nearly a third are operating in the red,” said Al Matos, vice president-renewables and energy solutions, PSE&G. “They find it nearly impossible to budget for infrastructure upgrades, no matter how much they’re needed. This accelerated efficiency program for hospitals has been extremely successful because it meets the needs of a severely stressed business sector. It provides money upfront and permits savings benefits to be realized quickly so that medical centers can focus on their mission-critical function of saving lives.”
Through the Hospital Efficiency Program, PSE&G will provide the $11.4 million investment, with UMDNJ repaying $2.7 million over three years, interest free. The Hospital Efficiency Program covers the $8.7 million investment difference. These investments are expected to reduce UMDNJ’s annual utility bill by about $1.3 million.
“It is a wonderful opportunity for UMDNJ, and we are pleased to be able to participate in PSE&G’s program,” says Christopher Kosseff, senior vice president for administration at UMDNJ. “The economics make sense, and we embrace this opportunity both to improve the efficiency of our operations and make a strong contribution to improving the environment.”
Following an extensive, investment-grade audit, improvements at UMDNJ will focus on improved cooling capabilities and include installation of a sophisticated control system and two new energy-efficient chillers. The control system will regulate the chilled water distribution pressure to each building and each air handler within, using monitoring sensors to adjust flow rates instantly to maximize efficiency. This automated system will replace the manually operated system that currently exists. The automatic monitoring will reduce the chilled water demands, thereby reducing the energy needed to produce the chilled water and the energy needed to pump the chilled water throughout the system. The project is expected to be complete by the end of 2011.
Of 52 eligible hospital facilities in PSE&G’s service territory, 40 applied to participate in the program. The PSE&G Hospital Efficiency Program has funded 19 of the applications and work is in various stages at each of them. The remaining applications remain pending available funding.
“The program has limited funding, but its success so far should prove a catalyst for additional investment for those eligible hospitals that currently are not to participate in the program,” Matos said.
The PSE&G Hospital Efficiency Program is a $79 million initiative that will fund the installation of energy conservation measures at 19 hospitals in the utility’s service territory. Through the program, PSE&G provides an investment-grade audit at no cost to the customer, then proposes various cost-effective energy conservation measures that make a substantial impact on the hospital’s energy efficiency and meet other program criteria such as having a simple payback of less than 15 years. The program greatly reduces the financial burden on a hospital by providing up-front funding for the total cost of a project. The hospital then pays back a portion of the total project cost after the project is complete on the PSE&G utility bill at zero percent interest over 36 months.
>Ridgewood school district gives green light for solar panel installation
Thursday, May 12, 2011
LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY MAY 12, 2011, 10:58 AM
BY KELLY EBBELS
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Staff Writer
Racks of solar panels will soon adorn the roofs of eight of the 10 schools across Ridgewood. The installation will offset the district’s energy consumption with renewable energy by considerable degrees at no extra cost.
The district is on the verge of signing a 15-year contract with Verterra Renewable Energy Group, which will be responsible for the multi-million dollar costs and insurance for the solar panels. In return, the district will pay for the energy generated by the panels at a rate of 9 cents per kilowatt hour (kWh) – far less than the rates Ridgewood currently pays, which range between 13 and 17 cents per kWh.
>RGGI on the Ropes All Across New Jersey
(Burlington County -NJ) Sen. Diane Allen (R-07) and Sen. Mike Doherty (R-23), primary sponsor of the Senate repeal bill (S2250), held a press conference to announce the District 7 lawmakers’ decision to support the repeal effort.
The conference took place on the steps of one of Burlington’s abandoned businesses an old building that once was a bank and a restaurant. All around Burlington City you could see a multitude of shops with ‘closed’ signs on them signaling the poor economic circumstances of this community.
Sen. Allen, in her statement, explained that those closed businesses were the reason she decided to support the end of the RGGI Cap & Trade scheme.
“The real issue today,” said Sen. Allen, “is looking at all these empty storefronts down here on High Street in Burlington and wondering how much did the extra tax cause them to close; how much did this extra tax mean in determining if others didn’t fill in these buildings.”
The RGGI Cap & Trade tax will cost our state thousands of jobs in the future.The consequences for New Jersey became abundantly clear over the weekend when the Ocean Spray company announced that it would be relocating its plant in Burlington County right across the border in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley.
The RGGI Cap & Trade scheme and increasing utility costs were a major consideration for Ocean Spray in the company’s decision to leave New Jersey. Now, some 250 jobs will be leaving New Jersey for neighboring Pennsylvania which is not a participating state in the RGGI Cap & Trade scheme.
>
