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Dancer Bill to Lift New Jersey Ban on Sleigh Bells

dancer Bill lift ban on sleigh bells

August 24,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Trenton NJ,  New Jersey law will no longer require sleigh bells attached to horse-drawn sleighs on highways under legislation introduced by Assemblyman Ron Dancer. The legislator sponsors two bills removing antiquated sections of state law, “It’s like cleaning out your basement. You find some things that have outlived their usefulness and it’s time to let them go,” said Dancer (R-Ocean). “We don’t need a sleigh bell law. There was a place for it a long time ago, but now we’re discussing laws to regulate driverless cars.”

Dancer’s bill repealing the sleigh bell law (A5169) also abolishes a World War II-era statute legally defining the words “present war” as the military conflicts with Japan, German and Italy.

Another bill (A5170) rescinds two provisions from 1931 prohibiting the transportation of “any poor person” between counties. The Legislature created the State Pension Survey Commission in 1930. In its February 1931 report, the commission recommended that the county welfare boards assume responsibility for the administration of welfare programs, replacing municipal almshouses and poor houses. The purpose of the recommendation was to provide uniformity and efficiency in the administration of welfare programs.

“The archaic statutes are irrelevant and useless, and they should be retired,” said Dancer. “It’s time to bring our laws into the 21st century.”

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How soft corruption works in New Jersey

How soft corruption works in New Jersey,

NJ Spotlight is continuing its annual summer reading series. Every day the news website features an excerpt from a recent book — from nonfiction to novels to poetry – with a New Jersey connection.

Soft corruption is the type of influence peddling that’s perfectly legal – but unethical. And New Jersey politicians are masters of it. Former state Sen. Bill Schluter, well-known as an ethics crusader, explains what every New Jersey politician knows but you probably don’t: how to have money change hands for political benefit without breaking laws. Schluter even offers a solution for it, for those that want to take up the crusade. In this excerpt, Schluter gets into the details of the many ways New Jerseyans have bought influence while skirting the law.

Excerpt from Soft Corruption: How Unethical Conduct Undermines Good Government and What To Do About It, published February 24, 2017 by Rutgers University Press.

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A wealthy sculptor with family problems makes generous campaign contributions in the hope of influencing legislators to enact a law that will help him stop his daughter from receiving a share of the family inheritance. He nearly succeeds. A state legislator dips into his publicly funded office budget to pay the assistant editor of his district’s largest newspaper $2,000 for unspecified general services. The speaker of the state assembly invites lobbyists to contribute $1,500 to her reelection campaign in exchange for the opportunity to talk with her about “your concerns and those of your clients.” Employing an unwritten but tradition-honored practice, a senator single-handedly blocks the governor’s highly qualified nominee for commissioner of education from even coming up for a confirmation vote. A longtime legislator, defeated on Election Day, is handed a position at the state’s parole board, at more than double his legislative salary. He leaves the job a year later, as soon as the resulting 78 percent bump to his state pension takes effect. His response to critics: “If anybody don’t like it, that’s too bad. Let them go spend thirty-three years in office.”

https://www.newsworks.org/index.php/local/item/106683-book-highlights-how-easy-it-is-for-politicians-to-steal-money-legally-

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The Republican State Leadership Committee Announces Maximum Contribution to Kelly Langschultz for her state Senate Run Against Bob Gordon

Kelly Langschultz,
August 26,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

New Milford NJ, Things are looking up for GOP candidates in Bergen County . The Republican State Leadership Committee donated the maximum contribution of $8,200 to Republican candidate Kelly Langschultz as part of its “Right Women, Right Now” initiative and declared the 38th Senate District in New Jersey as a 2017 Race to Watch.

RSLC President Matt Walter released the following statement on the race:

“The constituents of the 38th Senate District deserve to be represented by a successful small businesswoman and common-sense problem-solver who won’t always resort to raising taxes and fees on middle-class families. Unlike Bob “Gas Tax” Gordon, Kelly Langschultz knows the taxpayers of New Jersey already pay enough in taxes to make up for years of budgetary malpractice by Democrats in Trenton. While New Jersey citizens are suffering through the transit “Summer of Hell”1, “Gas Tax” Gordon says the system is working “pretty well”2 and voted to raise the gas tax by 23 cents this past session3! Voters are sick and tired of out of touch politicians reaching into their wallets to pay for their out of control spending and that’s why we are proud to support Kelly Langschultz for Senate.”

The Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) is the largest caucus of Republican state leaders in the country and the only national organization whose mission is to elect Republicans to multiple down-ballot, state-level offices. Since 2002, the RSLC has been working to elect candidates to the offices of lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, state legislator, the judiciary and other down-ticket races. In 2016, state-level Republicans maintained a record 69 of 99 legislative chamber majorities in red, purple and blue states, held 31 lieutenant governor seats, and grew to 31 secretaries of state. To learn more about the RSLC, please visit www.rslc.gop or follow @RSLC on Twitter.

The Republican State Leadership Committee’s (RSLC) Right Women, Right Now (RWRN) initiative serves to identify, recruit and support women candidates nationwide in order to help elect more Republican leaders who better embody the electorate of our country, where women are 53 percent of the voters. RWRN offers candidate trainings, mentorship matchings, and digital organizing tools for our candidates’ campaigns for state-level office. Since its founding in 2012, RWRN has recruited hundreds of women candidates, elected 386 new women to office and continues working to grow the largest caucus of Republican elected women in the country. In partnership with the RSLC’s Future Majority Project (FMP), which aims to elect candidates from all diverse communities, RWRN invested $7 million between 2015-2016 to identify, recruit and support these candidates.

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24th Annual Ridgewood Car Show – “The Best Night Time Car Show In New Jersey”

Car Show 2015 1
photo by Boyd Loving
Fri, September 08, 2017
Time: 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Location: E. Ridgewood Ave. and Memorial Park, Ridgewood, NJ 07450

The Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce presents their….24th Annual Car Show

It has been said that this is the best night time car show in NJ.

Over 400 cars from all over the USA.

The parking is on a first come basis starting around 4:00pm.

Pre-registration will be available until 9/7/17 at $20. If you have pre-registered, put your car certificate on your windshield and you will be waved on.

On 9/8/17 all registration will be done at the show at $25. Enter to register on Walnut and Franklin Ave. (across from TD Bank).
You will be given a certificate for your windshield.
NO ONE will be allowed in without a car certificate.

For pedestrian safety, the police have told us NO-ONE is allowed to leave before 9pm…when they will open the streets.

This is a charity event, proceeds go towards scholarships for kids going to college.

To register your car call 201-445-2600,
[email protected].

Sponsorships Available-call 201445-2600.

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Return to Ridgewood helps Mondanile finish new Ducktails release

Ducktails album

Robert T Warburton, Staff WriterPublished 8:24 a.m. ET Aug. 25, 2017 | Updated 12:03 p.m. ET Aug. 25, 2017

Guitarist Matt Mondanile knew that finally, it was time to leave Los Angeles.

It was early February. Work on the new Ducktails album, his sixth, had stalled. The Ridgewood native had been toiling for months on the project. In 2016, Mondanile left Real Estate, the successful indie band he helped start after college, to channel all his creative resources into the side project turned primary occupation. But not enough was getting done.

It was also obvious that L.A. had become part of the problem. Mondanile was tired of having to drive everywhere. Tired of sharing a house with five roommates. Tired of the rented rehearsal space turned DIY recording studio. Even the incessantly nice weather was getting on his nerves. “I got tired of the sun, to be honest,” he said. “I felt like a total foreigner in California.”

After four years on the Coast, it was time, Mondanile knew, to go home. He moved back to Ridgewood.

https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/bergen/ridgewood/2017/08/25/return-ridgewood-helps-mondanile-finish-new-ducktails-release/588955001/

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Reader compares Landscapers to Terrorist

1973 with Revson, Gordy and Allison pushing off after "Gentlemen Start Your Engines!"

photo 1973 with Revson, Gordy and Allison pushing off after “Gentlemen Start Your Engines!” Indy 500

Gas blowers and trimmers make an airplane engine like noise. In addition to landscapers (which are more like terrorists) to make it worse my neighbors choose to do their landscaping at anytime on a weekend. It could happen at 8AM in the morning on a Saturday, 4PM on a Sunday, sometimes it happens at 8PM on Saturday. I understand the infatuation with perfect landscaping but a good neighbor should be considerate of other neighbors. There are little kids still asleep at 9AM on a Saturday or Sunday. One of the joys of living in the suburbs is the peace and quietness of a sunny weekend where you’d like to hear nothing but bird singing. Just when you’re sipping your coffee and trying to find where that beautiful bird is hiding the engine starts and you feel like germans are coming to bomb.
If you depend on the town to enforce any rules forget about it. They are totally incapable of doing so.

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Prosecutor Tells Senator Menendez he is not above the law

menednez_ridgewood trainstation_theridgewoodblog

file photo courtesy of Boyd Loving

August 26,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood bog

Ridgewood NJ, Democrat Senator Bob Menendez is about to go on trial for corruption in New Jersey and a federal judge has ordered that the Senator physically remain in the court room throughout the entire process.

Senator Menendez countered by filing a request to the court asking if he could leave for votes in the Senate. Federal prosecutors filed a scathing opposition to the request and reminded him he isn’t above the law simply because he is a U.S. Senator.

“After being indicted twice for depriving the people who elected him of their right to his honest services, defendant Robert Menendez now demands that this Court disrupt his criminal trial so that he can perform his duties as a United States Senator. Defendant Menendez was indicted in 2015 and 2016 for bribery, conspiracy, honest services fraud, false statements, and violating the Travel Act. Those indictments allege a seven-year bribery conspiracy in which he traded the power of his public office for a lavish lifestyle that included private jet rides and vacations in Paris and the Caribbean,”

They continued , “The only reason defendant Menendez’s trial is scheduled for September 2017, almost two-and-a-half years after he was first indicted by a grand jury, is because he has spent that time  pursuing a meritless argument that the Constitution immunizes him from prosecution—an argument that has been rejected by every judge to have considered it. Now he seeks to use his status as a United States Senator to pick and choose the dates on which his criminal trial will be conducted.”

Adding , “the Arrest Clause does not exalt Members of Congress to a status above the law:It is, therefore, sufficiently plain that the constitutional freedom from arrest does not exempt Members of Congress from the operation of the ordinary criminal laws,even though imprisonment may prevent or interfere with the performance of their duties as Members.”

Ending with ,”This is not the first time defendant Menendez has sought special treatment from this Court. At defendant Menendez’s very first appearance, he asked to be exempted from the routine requirement that defendants surrender their personal passports because of his status as a United States Senator,” the response continues. “This case began with defendant Menendez being treated like any other defendant, and it should end that way….only a United States Senator can try to hide behind the very office he corrupted to avoid accountability to the public for his actions.”

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Glen Rock Construction Road Advisory

road work Milled asphalt being dumped

file photo by Boyd Loving

Advisory: ROAD CONSTRUCTION NOTICE: South Highwood Avenue – Highwood Terrance – Ferguson Place

ROAD CONSTRUCTION NOTICE:
South Highwood Avenue – Highwood Terrance – Ferguson Place

On Saturday August 26th milling will take place in preparation for paving.
On Wednesday & Thursday August 30th and 31st paving will be done.

All vehicles must be removed from these streets by 7:30AM. Emergency No Parking Regulations will be enforced. Vehicles left on the street obstructing roadway repairs will be towed at the owner’s expense.

Access to these roadways during and immediately after paving will be limited. Residents should plan according.

Any question, please contact the Glen Rock DPW at (201) 670-3980.

Contact Information:
Glen Rock Department of Public Works
201-670-3980
[email protected]

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N.J. Real Estate Power Rankings: The 15 hottest markets

glen_rock_theridgewoodblog

Glen Rock Places Number 12

Posted August 24, 2017 at 08:12 AM | Updated August 24, 2017 at 09:58 AM

Stephen Stirling | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

NJ Advance Media is launching a feature this week dubbed the New Jersey Real Estate Power Rankings.

Every three months, we will rank the top 15 real estate markets and chart how they’ve changed amid what is a fairly volatile and fractured real estate market in the Garden State.

Our methodology is fairly simple. Each quarter, we take stock of all the towns in the state that are seeing their median valuation peak during the most recent two quarters. We’re using real-estate tracking website Zillow’s Home Value Index for our analysis (methodology here).

From there, we rank the towns based on what percent their median value has increased over the last year. The rankings will also include a statistic, located on the top right of each town’s stat sheet, that indicates how its place rose or fell since the last ranking.

We used our previous rankings as a baseline.

https://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2017/08/nj_real_estate_power_rankings_the_15_hottest_marke.html#incart_river_home

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Easy Back to School Recipes for Ridgewood Students

peanut butter granola

August 25,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, According to Google Trends, “school lunches” and “school lunch ideas” were the top rated Google searches last summer and fall surrounding back-to-school recipes. With such a heavy search emphasis on lunch ideas for children, Kings created four easy-to-make recipes for fun lunchtime eats:

Do you have the next Chef Emeril or Rachael Ray in your house? Our Kings parent and child Cooking Studio classes offer top-notch, hands-on experiences your young chefs will love. New classes are released monthly so be sure to check out the Kings website and sign up before they sell out!

 

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NEW BOOK “THE MODERN PARENT’S GUIDE TO FACEBOOK AND SOCIAL NETWORKS”

education concept - students looking into phones and tablet pc a

HOW TO KEEP KIDS SAFE ON FACEBOOK, SNAPCHAT, INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, ONLINE APPS + MORE

August 25,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, How can you keep children safe on social networks like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter, and protect their privacy on online apps? At what age should kids be allowed on these services? And what’s the best way to monitor their social media activity – as well as address any concerns that may come up?

You’ll find answers to these questions and more in new book , by author Scott Steinberg ,THE MODERN PARENT’S GUIDE TO FACEBOOK AND SOCIAL NETWORKS (https://www.AKeynoteSpeaker.com/Parents) – the ultimate guide to navigating today’s fast-moving social media landscape and keeping kids safe on the Internet – out today from bestselling keynote speaker and trends expert Scott Steinberg. Providing the answers that parents and teachers need to know to teach responsible social media habits, protect children’s privacy, and make social networks a more positive part of household and classroom life, THE MODERN PARENT’S GUIDE TO FACEBOOK AND SOCIAL NETWORKS offers crucial insights for equipping kids with all the tools that they to succeed in a connected world.

Designed to help kids and parents stay ahead of fast-changing online apps, and services, the book provides a vital resource for managing the use of high-tech devices and navigating today’s rapidly-evolving social media landscape. Important questions you’ll find answered inside include:

• How can you keep kids safe on social networks?
• Which types of information are OK to share on the Internet?
• What’s the best way to handle online and high-tech threats?
• How can you teach responsible online habits?
• What can you do to manage your family’s online reputation?

Want to keep your family safe? Know who your kids are connecting with? Teach positive online habits? Don’t miss THE MODERN PARENT’S GUIDE TO FACEBOOK AND SOCIAL NETWORKS – a must-read for any adult raising children in the digital and online age.

The book can be ordered at https://www.AKeynoteSpeaker.com/Parents

THE MODERN PARENT’S GUIDE TO FACEBOOK AND SOCIAL NETWORKS presents a groundbreaking guide on how to keep kids safe on social media services, how to protect their privacy online, and what parents need to know about popular social networks like Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, and more. Designed to help kids and parents stay ahead of fast-changing online apps and services, it’s a vital resource for navigating today’s fast-evolving social media landscape. THE MODERN PARENT’S GUIDE TO FACEBOOK AND SOCIAL NETWORKS decodes the world of social media for today’s family and offers a complete range of expert hints, tips and solutions for ensuring that parents and kids alike can enjoy healthier and more rewarding experiences online. Topics covered include the use of social networks; keeping kids safe online; managing the use of high-tech devices and apps; and more.

Author Scott Steinberg was recently named the Master of Innovation by Fortune magazine, award-winning professional speaker Scott Steinberg is among today’s top trends experts and futurists, as seen in 600+ outlets from CNN to Time and The Wall St. Journal. The bestselling author of Make Change Work for You: 10 Ways to Future-Proof Yourself, Fearlessly Innovate, and Succeed Despite Uncertainty and Millennial Marketing: Bridging the Generation Gap, he heads management consulting and market research firm TechSavvy Global, which helps clients identify and adapt to emerging trends. A top-rated keynote speaker and the host of Next Up on NewsWatch, he provides presentations and training workshops at events, meetings and conferences. His website is www.AKeynoteSpeaker.com

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The Natural Swimming Hole In New Jersey You’ll Want To Visit Before Summer Ends

Ridgewood Graydon Pool

When it comes to swimming spots, New Jersey isn’t lacking. We’ve got gorgeous ocean beaches all along our coast, river beaches, lake beaches, bay beaches, municipal pools, quarries, waterparks… If you’d like to take a dip, the Garden State has got you covered. Of course, there are more New Jerseyans than swimming spots, so some can get crowded. If you’re looking to discover a hidden gem, here it is.

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/new-jersey/nj-natural-swimming-hole/

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Reader says the typical resident moves after their kids graduate

for sale Ridgewood_Real_Estate_theRodgewopodblog

…I am a ‘new’ resident with non-school age children who has paid $120k in taxes over the last 4 years. And some ‘old’ 25+yr residents made a pretty penny when they sold their house to me to decamp to Florida….

Anyone who purchased property anywhere 25 years ago can sell it for more than they paid for it. BFD. Home values in 07450 did not outpace the increase of any other town. It’s called inflation. And the IRS allows a slight exemption to those selling, but does not index it for inflation.

So your point is moot. (Resident here since 1969 paying lots of taxes and never had any children in the schools). There has always been a gradual turnover/migration out of here when the typical resident moves after their kids graduate. The obvious point being made is that if you increase that level of seniors leaving (who subsidize those with school age children ) it will cost the remaining residents exponentially more.

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Reader says Ridgewood Residents have never had a tax increase they didn’t like

BOE_theridgewoodblog

Yes , everyone payes taxes but it is the long time residents who are burdened with the annual tax increases. Were you around when Ridgewood had the bright idea of adding a pool to the high school so the snowflakes did not have to travel to the YMCA? Fortunately, common sense prevailed and the pool was voted down. Not everyone has a bottomless bank account.
Take a look at the curriculum and see where some non-essential classes could be eliminated.
The all-knowing Board of Education eliminated shop class and an auto mechanic class a number of years ago because the residents thought these classes were below “Ridgewood educational standards ” and “decreasing enrollment”. These career paths can lead to financial independence as young adults. But I digress…

Final thoughts…Ridgewood never had a tax increase they didn’t like and they definitely don’t believe in the term ” budget neutral”.

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Reader says I know plenty of people at the pool this summer who want it open in September

Mobi Chair at Graydon delivered June 14 2013 Tim Cronin Dir. Parks Rec lifeguards 4

file photo by Boyd Loving Mobi Chair

How do you know there is no demand for Graydon to be open weekends in Sept. until summer ends. around Sept. 21.

I know plenty of people at the pool this summer who want it open in Sept.

It could be a PART OF THE POOL that is open. Not espensive for one or two lifeguards.

There is a demand and a big one for Sept. weekends.

As for that handicapped ramp. No one uses it. The kids play on it. And that is dangerous. Climbing the bars.
No wheel chair has ever rolled down that ramp into the deep water . And that is a good thing. The wheel chair denizen would have drowned. I am at Graydon everyday and I see on one uses it. No one walks down that ramp either . It is slippery.

In Allendale at Crestwood they have moveable rubber MOBI Mats for crippled people and they work excellently.

That is what we wanted what I wrote a letter about in the Record and spoke about at town meetings. But Aronsohn gang won out.

Believe me folks, no one uses that ugly ramp. I know because I am at Graydon everyday.

Also concrete area around ramp is uncomfortable on your feet. not soft like sand.