Mayor Keith Killion steps up to address Village budget issues
FRIDAY MARCH 16, 2012, 1:37 PM BY JOSEPH CRAMER STAFF WRITER THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
A clearer picture of factors driving an anticipated 7.5 percent tax increase, as well as areas where cuts will likely need to be made in the coming year, emerged as the Ridgewood Village Council continued its discussion of the preliminary 2012 municipal budget.
Addressing concern from residents over the increase, Mayor Keith Killion reiterated that 7.5 percent was not the final number and that this was “the first go around on the budget.” He then clarified that the tax increase is due largely to extraordinary expenses that fall outside appropriations and expenditures required to stay within the 2 percent tax cap set by the state.
East Rutherford NJ, The New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority will become the state’s lead tourism and marketing agency, as it absorbs the Division of Travel and Tourism and the Motion Picture & Television Commission, under a plan unveiled today. (Burd, NJBIZ)
A national campaign to ban the sale of shark fins came to the Statehouse Thursday, as shark conservationists and animal welfare activists talked up new legislation that would pull fins out of the seafood trade and Asian restaurants that serve shark fin soup.
“We’re not trying to change or damage a culture, we’re just trying to change a practice that endangers wildlife,” said Steve Nagiewicz, chairman of the Shark Research Institute and a longtime diver and captain from Brick. (Moore, Gannett)
>THE IMPERIAL PRESIDENCY EXECUTIVE-ORDER PANIC: MARTIAL LAW IN U.S.? White House quietly releases document that creates widespread worry
The White House’s late-week release of an executive order has sent the online community into an uproar, worried that President Obama had secretly provided himself means to institute martial law in America.
In the common practice of dumping government documents on a Friday afternoon, just as the news cycle is wrapping up for the week – a move critics say allows the administration to avoid widespread coverage of embarrassing actions – the White House released an executive order on “National Defense Resources Preparedness.”
Executive Order — National Defense Resources Preparedness
EXECUTIVE ORDER
NATIONAL DEFENSE RESOURCES PREPAREDNESS
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended (50 U.S.C. App. 2061 et seq.), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code, and as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States, it is hereby ordered as follows:
PART I – PURPOSE, POLICY, AND IMPLEMENTATION
Section101. Purpose. This order delegates authorities and addresses national defense resource policies and programs under the Defense Production Act of 1950, as amended (the “Act”).
Sec. 102. Policy. The United States must have an industrial and technological base capable of meeting national defense requirements and capable of contributing to the technological superiority of its national defense equipment in peacetime and in times of national emergency. The domestic industrial and technological base is the foundation for national defense preparedness. The authorities provided in the Act shall be used to strengthen this base and to ensure it is capable of responding to the national defense needs of the United States.
>Did Dharun Ravi Commit a Hateless Hate Crime? Jacob Sullum | March 16, 2012
As Tim Cavanaugh noted earlier this afternoon, Dharun Ravi was convicted today of most of the charges against him, including the “hate crime” of “bias intimidation,” which carries a penalty of five to 10 years in prison. Notably, the jury acquitted Ravi of deliberately trying to intimidate his roommate, Tyler Clementi, “because of” his sexual orientation on September 19, 2010, when he used a webcam in his dorm room to watch Clementi kiss another man. But as I pointed out on Wednesday, that was not the end of the matter. The jury instead concluded that Ravi invaded his roommate’s privacy “under circumstances that caused Tyler Clementi to be intimidated, and considering the manner in which the offense was committed, Clementi reasonably believed that he was selected to be the target of the offense because of sexual orientation.” That count hinges not on Ravi’s intent to intimidate but on Clementi’s inferred state of mind and a judgment about whether that state of mind was reasonable.
The Ridgewood Professional Firefighters Association launches new website
The Ridgewood Professional Firefighters Association has launched a new website that is very informative; www.fmbalocal47.org
Change Your Clock Change Your Battery®
The Ridgewood Professional Firefighters would like to remind you, smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector batteries need to be changed at least twice a year. Changing your clock ahead in March, it is also time to change and test the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Be sure to remind your friends, family and neighbors to do the same. Working smoke alarms provide vital early warning in the event of a fire.
For more information on smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors in your home, contact the Ridgewood Fire Department 201-444-4226.
(RIDGEWOOD-NJ) Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05) spoke with the Cub Scout Pack 27 from Glen Rock about his job as a Congressman and what it means to be a good citizen.
“It was such a pleasure to speak with the Cub Scouts from Pack 27 about the legislative process and what it means to be a good citizen and leader in their communities,” said Garrett after speaking with the scouts. “The Cub Scout program does a great job preparing these boys for the transition into self-sufficient young men with sound morals.”
Click here for more information about Cub Scout Pack 2
By DAVID ROGERS | 3/16/12 11:29 AM EDT Updated: 3/17/12 11:35 AM EDT
The Congressional Budget Office said Friday that President Barack Obama’s tax and spending policies will yield $6.4 trillion in deficits over the next decade, more than double the shortfall in CBO’s own fiscal baseline — even after taking credit for reduced war costs.
House Republicans, slated to unveil their own plan next week, are sure to seize on the numbers, yet the mountain of data gives reason for both parties to pause going into what’s expected to be a major fiscal crisis after the November elections.
On Saturday, March 31, students at Ridgewood High will hold their annual Asian Festival Benefit in the Campus Center at the school starting at 7 p.m. The program will include Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Korean and Japanese performances. Tickets will be available at the door: $5 for adults and high school students and $3 for middle school and elementary school youngsters.
All monies will be donated to Doctors Without Borders. Helen Aslanides, the faculty advisor, may be contacted for more information at 201-670-2700, ext. 20572.
The headlines about the US newspaper industry have never been so bleak.
In recent weeks, LinkedIn, the networking website, and the Council of Economic Advisers have reported that the press is “America’s fastest-shrinking industry”, measured by jobs lost; the Newspaper Association of America has shown that advertising sales have halved since 2005 and are now at 1984’s level; and the Pew Research Center has found that for every digital ad dollar they earned, they lost $7 in print ads.
As media from television to billboards bounce back from the recession, newsprint is being left behind. Zenith Optimedia this week predicted that internet advertising would pass newspaper advertising next year around the world – but in the US, where internet penetration is high and newspaper audiences are shrinking, digital will overtake newspapers’ and magazines’ combined ad sales this year, eMarketer estimates.
>District needs a long-range technology plan Jim Morgan
I am tempted to reply in detail to Bob Hutton’s and Charlie Reilly’s letters that appeared here last week, but I will confine myself to noting that both gentlemen appear to be supporting my point that the current BOE is not presently aggressively seeking ways to save money and improve our educational systems. Charlie’s reference to 15- to 20 year-old initiatives and Bob’s comments on “lines of people at the microphone” during budget meetings are not examples of the kind of fresh thinking we need on today’s BOE.
Instead, I want to explore a concern I have about the BOE’s role in setting district policy. I believe that we are not correctly approaching classroom technology planning. On Feb. 6, the district staff presented a $350,000 classroom technology spending budget for 2012-2013. This is only about $62 per child. More questionable than the amount, is the district’s focus on hardware planning rather than on what curriculum enhancements are available in exploding field of educational software. The technology advisory committee announced at a recent BOE meeting does not include a member from the Curriculum Department. The assistant superintendent in this area is participating only as an “adjunct member” of the group. Curriculum needs should be driving this planning, not hardware purchases.
Two years ago, the district decided to discontinue most of its Apple systems and move to Windows equipment. This was about the same time that the iPad began revolutionizing the way students use computers. The district is now slowly purchasing iPads, but there is no strategic plan on how to integrate tablets into our educational programs. What is worse is that the district is apparently relying on individual teachers to surf the web and report back on useful applications. While such inquiry can be useful and is to be encouraged, it is my opinion that the district’s Curriculum Department should be taking the lead in this exploration rather than waiting to see what turns up. I believe that the BOE must redirect the staff’s approach in this area.
Technology offers our schools exciting new approaches to teaching our children. In 10 years, the way that basic information is taught will be dramatically different. Textbooks now weighing down backpacks and unchanged for multiple years will be replaced by electronic editions that can be dynamically updated to take advantage of the latest information. Teachers will be getting real-time feedback on student comprehension as systems such as the SMART Board clickers increasingly mature and penetrate classrooms. Internet-based material like the Khan Academy’s YouTube lectures will become important supplements to traditional classroom settings. The effective implementation of this technology, however, requires the district to carefully plan its options now and make intelligent choices for the future.
I am running for the one-year term on the BOE in the April 17 school election. If elected, I will push our professional staff to develop an integrated, curriculum driven five-year technology plan. I ask for your support
>BOE Elections: Support for Hutton’s reelection FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2012 THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Support for Hutton’s re-election
To the editor:
We are writing this letter to endorse Robert Hutton for the one-year term as a candidate or the Ridgewood Board of Education. Bob has served as a trustee for almost 12 years. He has worked tirelessly for the Ridgewood Public Schools and has been a staunch advocate for the educational needs of its students. He is objective in his thinking, dedicated in his commitment to the needs of the school district and has volunteered tirelessly to represent the community.
>BOE Elections: Support for BOE candidate Morgan FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2012 THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Support for BOE candidate Morgan
To the editor:
It is with great pride that I support the candidacy of Jim Morgan for a position on the Board of Education. I have had the pleasure of getting to know Jim on the board of Ridgewood Education Foundation, on which he served as president. I was impressed not only by his expertise on all matters educational, but by his dedication to the goals of the Ridgewood schools.
> Three in 10 young adults live with parents, highest level since 1950s
A weak economy and high debt levels are prompting more young adults to return to the family nest, a new survey shows. Perhaps surprisingly, most are happy with their living arrangements.
By Husna Haq, Correspondent / March 15, 2012
After graduating from Brown University in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree in comparative literature and completing a Fulbright scholarship in Brazil, Cassie Owens was left with a few dollars on her stipend and no job in sight. So, Ms. Owens returned home to her mother in Philadelphia.
“I moved back home pretty much for lack of money and prospects,” she says. Owens’s cousin, Evon Burton, who also returned home after graduating from Morehouse College in 2009, adds, “The choice is to go out and be in debt or to pursue your dreams and save up money at home, in a safe, stable environment.”
Owens and Burton are among the scores of so-called “boomerang kids,” young adults who move out of the family home for school or work and then return home. Unable to find well-paying work in a weak economy, escalating numbers of young adults – as many as 3 in 10 – are returning home to the family nest, resulting in the highest share of young adults living in multigenerational households since the 1950s, according to a Pew Research Center report released Thursday.
>Ridgewood Lawyer linked to accused madam Anna Gristina raided by investigators
The seizure at Manhattan veteran attorney David Jaroslawicz’s office came as an accountant and two young women accused of prostitution were also implicated in the sensational case
By Melissa Grace, Janon Fisher AND Joanna Molloy / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
A high-profile Manhattan lawyer with links to accused madam Anna Gristina was raided Friday by investigators who hauled away boxes of paperwork.
The seizure at veteran attorney David Jaroslawicz’s office came as an accountant and two young women accused of prostitution were also implicated in the sensational case.
Jaroslawicz, who has produced several plays, found himself starring in the biggest legal drama in town when detectives descended on his lower Broadway building.
