>Teachers fired for flirting on Facebook with students By PERRY CHIARAMONTE and YOAV GONEN
Last Updated: 5:41 AM, October 18, 2010 Posted: 2:56 AM, October 18, 2010
They threw the Facebook at ’em.
At least three educators from city public high schools have been fired in the past six months for having inappropriate dealings with students on Facebook — one of which culminated in a sexual relationship, The Post has learned.
One of the booted employees is former Bronx teacher Chadwin Reynolds, who “friended” about a half-dozen female students and wrote creepy comments like, “This is sexy,” under some of their Facebook photos, schools investigators found.
Reynolds, a former Fordham HS for the Arts teacher, allegedly even tried to get one teen to go out with him by getting her phone number and sending her flowers, candy and a teddy bear.
>CHECK-OUT HUNGER RETURNS FOR 20th ANNIVERSARY YEAR
HILLSIDE, N.J. – Check-Out Hunger, an annual front-end awareness and fund raiser for the Community FoodBank of New Jersey, will be marking its 20th year milestone this fall. This campaign, which began in New Jersey, is run at supermarket chains across the northeast.
The Community FoodBank of New Jersey reports that need for nutritious food is up 30-40 percent at its partner agencies (soup kitchens, pantries, shelters, etc) this year.
In 2009 Check-Out Hunger crossed the $2 Million plateau for the first time. The campaign raised $2,093, 086 for food banks across the state. Since 1992, millions of people have supported the program at food markets and online at https://www.checkouthungernj.org/.
Participating food markets include A&P, Food Basics, Foodtown, Kings, Pathmark, Shop Rite, Super Fresh, Wawa, and Wegmans.
This campaign was developed by the Community FoodBank in conjunction with the New Jersey Food Council and supermarket chains with headquarters in New Jersey. Currently the Community FoodBank of New Jersey administers the regional campaign with 14 chains for 32 food banks and affiliates in 9 states and the District of Columbia.
The Community FoodBank of New Jersey, a member of Feeding America, distributed 35 million pounds of food in the last year to people in need in 18 of New Jersey’s 21 counties. Its staff and volunteers fight hunger and poverty not only through the distribution of food and grocery products, but by education and training, and by creating new programs to meet the needs of low-income people. The Community FoodBank of New Jersey has earned Charity Navigator’s highest honor, a four-star rating.
Ridgewood Christmas Tree Fund Paul and I at a recent Ridgewood Guild meeting thought out loud about returning the tree to its prior location and kicked around the idea of collecting some cash to get the job done….I’m happy to report that we have been successful in securing a $2500.00 donation from my employer, Capital One and Paul has secured the balance…we have formed a non profit, the “Ridgewood Christmas Tree Fund” and are currently accepting donations for any additional cost overruns this year and to fund the tree placement in the future…if you would like to contribute please send your donation payable to the Ridgewood Christmas Tree Fund C/O John Kiernan Capital One Bank 9 E Ridgewood Ave. Ridgewood NJ 07450…Paul and I are looking forward to a fantastic celebration this year and we ask that you and your family join us for the holidays…
John Kiernan
Ridgewood Christmas Tree Fund C/O John Kiernan Capital One Bank 9 E Ridgewood Ave. Ridgewood NJ 07450
>NCLB : Punishes the achievers at the expense of the low achievers
Blame the Federal government/NCLB that said all schools MUST have ALL kids meet standards by 2014 or risk dire consequences. That means every special ed, every non-English speaker, everybody. The government has put the focus on bringing the lowest performers up to “adequate,” so it’s no surprise that our district would focus there, too. Regardless of what you want your high-performing students to achieve, fact is the schools do need to stay off that list. With limited resources, where should they focus — on the high achievers at the expense of the low achievers (with govt sanctions)? Or vice versa?
I’m not defending it, just pointing out that is the reality.
>Readers asks,”Why should you have to be a failing student to get the good education we all pay for so dearly?”
Reality, ok, but stop lying saying you push excellence for all when what you really only do is strive to meet the basic standards. This is public school and all kids deserve to get a good education since we all pay for it. The kids who fall into “non-proficient” get extra resources that the rest don’t (and not all of these kids are special ed, IEP, etc.) If we taught all of them with the best tools, maybe they’d all improve, including the higher achievers. Why should you have to be a failing student to get the good education we all pay for so dearly? And I’d still love to know what they’re trying to hide by not allowing the principals to show the comparison by school within our district.
The daughter of the man who invented the plastic grocery sack, Kristen Brown, is leading a grassroots effort to change behavior in New Jersey towards reuse. In partnership with Kings Super Markets, 46 New Jersey schools are taking the School Reuse Challenge this fall. The Challenge is a fundraiser that pairs schools with local grocery stores to ignite the switch from disposable plastic and paper bags to reusable. To prove their commitment to sustainability, Kings is offering to donate thousands of dollars to participating NJ schools.
The following schools in your area are participating:
Hawes Elementary School ECLC of New Jersey Ho Ho-kus Ridgewood High School- Environmental Club
Be Part of the Evolution!
For more information, please see attached press release.
>Congressman Rothman, Congressman Pallone, Senator Menendez and Senator Lautenberg pressured the FDA to approve of a medical device for after receiving campaign donations from the manufacturer.
Congressmen Rothman and Pallone Scandal!
4 NJ legislators Congressman Rothman, Congressman Pallone, Senator Menendez and Senator Lautenberg pressured the FDA to approve of a medical device for after receiving campaign donations from the manufacturer.
According to the New York Times:
“The agency (FDA) responded by releasing a detailed report last year that found that the agency’s scientific reviewers had repeatedly and unanimously over many years declared Menaflex unworthy of approval, but that they had been overruled by agency managers after political pressure from four Democrats from New Jersey — Senators Robert Menendez and Frank R. Lautenberg and Representatives Frank Pallone Jr. and Steven R. Rothman. The report also concluded that Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach, then the agency’s commissioner, had become inappropriately involved in the decision, and that agency procedures had been bypassed. All four lawmakers made their inquiries about Menaflex after receiving significant campaign contributions from ReGen, which is based in Hackensack, N.J.
WASHINGTON—A late effort by Democrats to match record fund raising by conservative organizations has come up short, leaving the party more reliant than usual on the campaign efforts of labor unions. (Mullins and Yardon, The Wall Street Journal)
(Reuters) – President Barack Obama faced some skeptical questions from young people and defended his policies, from job creation to immigration, on Thursday in an effort to rev up Democratic voter enthusiasm for the November 2 midterm elections. (Zengerle, Reuters)
>Tea Party set to win enough races for wide influence
Enough Tea Party-supported candidates are running strongly in competitive and Republican-leaning Congressional races that the movement stands a good chance of establishing a sizeable caucus to push its agenda in the House and the Senate, according to a New York Times analysis. (Zernike, The New York Times) https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/15/us/politics/15teaparty.html?_r=1&hp
Fueled by tea party activism and hotly contested races, Republican participation in this year’s primary elections was up. But Democratic participation fell to a record low, leaving overall voter turnout at the second lowest level ever for a midterm election, an analysis by American University’s Center for the Study of the American Electorate concludes. (Radnofsky, The Wall Street Journal)
The New Jersey Senate has adopted a bill that may abolish Council on Affordable Housing (COAH) rules that mandate how many affordable housing units a municipality is responsible for, based on a complex and sometimes questionable calculation.
The bill, adopted June 3 and titled S-1, threatens to abolish COAH. But the outcome of the discussion will not be known until the Assembly takes up the legislation, according to Village Planner Blais Brancheau.
“One hopes that the result for Ridgewood, as well as most municipalities, is a simpler system and a more reasonable obligation,” Brancheau said in an e-mail. “But the more realistic answer is: Who knows?”
COAH’s complexity has spawned numerous court battles over the years, resulting in three rounds of decisions that have changed the affordable housing obligation for municipalities throughout the state each time. COAH opponents have argued that these decisions have done little to actually address affordable housing needs for New Jersey’s residents.
On Oct. 8, the New Jersey Appellate Division struck down many of the revised “third round rules” that COAH adopted in 2008, including the current “growth share” calculation that the state used to mandate municipalities a certain number of affordable housing units, according to the League of Municipalities (LOM) website, njslom.org.
Charitable Donations to the Town. I am fundamentally opposed to “pay to play,” but the situation involving the Bolger Foundation deserved more respect. The next councilperson should actively recruit civically-minded philanthropists like Mr. Bolger to keep the bills down for everyone else.
Public Access. Democracy works best when all its citizens are informed. At present, only select cable providers broadcast our town council meetings. This is a disservice to both the council and the people it serves, and I would like to correct it.
Graydon Pool. I am an advocate of most anything that moves our town forward. But progress can’t run rough-shod over our neighbors on fixed and moderate incomes. Any renovations to Graydon should be tempered by its impact on the average taxpayer.
Land Use. Habernickel Park, the corner of Linwood and Paramus Road, the Schedler lot, the Brogan Cadillac site… these are properties that people have high emotions about. As councilman, I would like to host a “town hall” meeting to foster an open dialog about the issues surrounding these spaces.
Local Administrators. There is little that council can do about D.O.E. salaries, which are determined by the Board of Education. But council can—and should—revisit the salary and fringe benefits awarded to our most senior employees. The public should also be made aware of what provisions have been implemented in the wake of municipal layoffs in various village departments.
Procurement. Our purchasing orders and contracts deserve a full, transparent review. If elected to council, I would like to facilitate just that.
Commerce. The market will ultimately determine where our ratables go, but we still need to support our friends and neighbors downtown: our local merchants who pay taxes, bring in revenue, and add to our culture. Pedestrian Safety. Ensuring pedestrian safety is a top priority. I support the planning board in its recent attempts to make our downtown more pedestrian friendly, and I would sincerely like to work with them in any effort to make our roads and crosswalks safer for our children and families.
Property Taxes. I would bring an entire career of budget and finance experience to the council. As the Budget Officer for New Jersey’s third largest city, I have 19 years of professional experience balancing very large, complex, and nuanced municipal budgets. In this economy, families are tightening their wallets. In the absence of municipal aid and other sources of funding… so, too, must our beloved Ridgewood.
Valley Hospital. Valley is my neighbor. My house is three blocks away. I have lived through prior renovations and I support this one. Let me be clear: I have a vested interest in opposing any renewal that is outside the letter of the law (we all do), but—within reason— we owe it to ourselves to keep our families healthy and our hospital current. If elected, I will monitor Valley’s construction compliance, in accord with their obligation to our town and its character.
Services and Programs. Like most Ridgewood residents, I support increased efficiency in municipal services like sanitation, snow removal, and road resurfacing. I’d like to go one stop further, though, and mention the value of our family programs: our Fourth of July parade, our Memorial Day Run, our tree lighting ceremony… these are the hallmarks of our community, and they need to be preserved.
Youth and Family. Ridgewood is a great town. So many people are proud to call it home. Among other things, we have great schools, great commerce, and fine dining. In times of crisis, we come together as friends and neighbors. We have an authentic character. As a lifelong resident, I have a vested interest in preserving and promoting our character in pursuit of the common good.
Transparency in Government. Here, I’ve spelled out my positions on some hot-button issues—even the most contentious ones. I recognize my opinions won’t bode well with everyone, but that’s politics: the choice is yours. Nevertheless, I hope you’ll consider the honesty with which I have stated my case, and I hope you will contact me if you have additional questions or concerns: [email protected]
MIAMI (Reuters) – U.S. states can proceed with a lawsuit seeking to overturn President Barack Obama’s landmark healthcare reform law, a Florida judge ruled on Thursday.
U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson had already indicated at a hearing last month that he could not uphold parts of a motion by the Justice Department to dismiss the lawsuit, led by Florida and 19 other states.
“In this order, I have not attempted to determine whether the line between constitutional and extraconstitutional government has been crossed,” Vinson, of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, wrote in his ruling.
“I am only saying that … the plaintiffs have at least stated a plausible claim that the line has been crossed,” Vinson said.
Opponents of Obama’s overhaul of the $2.5 trillion U.S. healthcare system have said it violates the Constitution by imposing what they consider unlawful taxes and requiring citizens to obtain healthcare coverage, among other issues.
