Ridgewood NJ, Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi blasts Gubernatorial candidate Phil Murphy and Democrat led ACA hysteria yesterday on Facebook ,
“I’ve taken some very targeted hits over the past month with claims that I am responsible for women dying and/or I hate women. These comments have been reprehensible and are flat out false as well as bizarre considering I am female and my own grandma died of ovarian cancer. For the record I support access for women to all health care, including family planning services. Several years before I ever ran for office a $7.5 million budgetary cut was made to “family planning services.” During this same period of time the ACA was enacted and several hundred thousand more people in New Jersey became eligible for health insurance coverage and Medicaid services. Certain medical providers, including Planned Parenthood saw significant increases in reimbursements during this time. Indeed Planned Parenthood has been funded to the tune of $1.5 BILLION per year and has felt financially secure enough to increase their executive salaries by 20 percent over the past two years (for an average executive salary of over $350-$400,000 per year) while giving out over $35 million in campaign contributions. But we shouldn’t let facts get in the way of hysteria.
Murphy’s Comments on Women Dying Are False, NJ Health Officials Say
By Christian Hetrick • 08/10/17 7:52pm
New Jersey health officials fired back at Phil Murphy on Thursday after the Democratic gubernatorial nominee said “women are dying” because of Gov. Chris Christie’s cuts to Planned Parenthood.
Ridgewood NJ, on Wednesday night the Ridgewood council voted to appropriate $1.6 million of Ridgewood Water funds to go forward with the purchase of the former Elks Lodge on Maple Avenue .
The council voted 3-2 in favor of the purchase with Councilman Jeffrey Voigt and Councilwoman Bernadette Walsh casting dissenting votes.
The appropriation,comes less than a month after a NJ Superior Court judge ruled against the village of Ridgewood in a lawsuit, finding that it had approved “capricious” and “unreasonable” rate hikes between 2010 and 2012.
No estimate was given as to how much will it cost to renovate that space or what is going in Ridgewood Water place at Village Hall.
Ridgewood Nj, the Ridgewood School district has released a REVISED Back-to-School Night Schedule: Sorry for any inconvenience but there are a couple of changes to the BTS Night schedule (Ridge and Willard, specifically). Here it is:
Benjamin Franklin Middle School: Tuesday, September 12 at 7 p.m.
George Washington Middle School: Thursday, September 28 at 7 p.m.
Hawes Elementary School (Gr. 3-5): Thursday, September 14 at 6:30 p.m.
Hawes Elementary School (Gr. K-2): Thursday, September 14 at 8 p.m.
Orchard Elementary School: Thursday, September 14 at 6:30 p.m.
Ridgewood High School: Wednesday, September 13 at 7:30 p.m.
Ridge Elementary School: Tuesday, September 19 at 7 p.m. (revised)
Somerville Elementary School: Thursday, September 14 at 7 p.m.
Travell Elementary School: Thursday, September 14 at 7 p.m.
Willard Elementary School: Wednesday, September 27 at 7 p.m. (revised)
1. VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD MASTER PLAN – Planning Board Master Plan update: funding for the Village Master Plan is in place and the Planning Board advanced the undertaking at the annual reorganization meeting on July 18. A Master Plan Committee was appointed to assist the Planning Board, the Ridgewood Village Council and the public with the Master Plan process including, but not limited to: project education, scheduling, milestones, budgeting, public engagement and participation, and to ensure an open and transparent process. Committee members include Mayor Susan Knudsen, PB Vice-chairman Joel Torielli, Planning Board members Debbie Patire and Melanie McWilliams. **Chairman Richard Joel will be substituting on an interim basis as needed. The Master Plan Committee is a preliminary step prior to formally advancing the Master Plan process.
2. As one of the most used sports fields the turf at Maple Park is now in need of replacement. Installed more than decade ago, the replacement will allow the field to continue to facilitate a variety of sports programs throughout the year. The Maple Park Turf Replacement is subject to a public hearing scheduled for August 9, 2017.
3. Purchasing the Elks Club Property allows for future planning ensuring a more efficient utility benefiting Ridgewood Water customers. The Water Capital Ordinance for $1,600,000 includes the purchase price of $1.1 mil for the property and $500,000 to renovate the building from the Water Utility Capital Fund.
4. Summer “School” ordinances: Amending Chapter 265 will prohibit stopping on portions of West Ridgewood Avenue allowing a safer approach to vehicular traffic around the Ridge School. Additionally, Enacting Title 39 on All Public School Properties authorizes the Ridgewood Police Department to enforce traffic and parking regulations on Board of Education property. Ordinance 3612 protects Ridgewood taxpayers from the unlawful enrollment of students in Ridgewood Public Schools through the Village Municipal Court.
5. Direct Village Planner to conduct a study for Redevelopment of the Hudson Street Municipal Parking Lot, allowing the Village more options moving forward with garage construction plans that could potentially save significant taxpayer dollars and build time.
Fair Lawn NJ, Fair Lawn Fire Department responded to a sanitation truck fire at the Nabisco bakery, 22-11 Route 208, Fair Lawn, on Wednesday morning, 08/09. The truck had dumped the burning contents of its payload on the ground prior to the arrival of FD units. No injuries were reported in the incident. Fair Lawn and Hawthorne Police units also responded (the smoking truck was initially spotted on Route 208 in Hawthorne).
The People’s Republic of Korea , Does the Media or the American people really believe North Korea has 60 Nuclear Warheads? IF they do, I’m sure they don’t have more than 5 or 6 missiles capable of reaching the U.S. or even Guam, and half will probably explode prematurely while the other half can be destroyed by U.S anti-missile missiles. They also probably don’t have more than 2 or 3 warheads that have been miniaturized enough to fit a missile, and the strength of their warheads (in order to make as many as possible) was about the yield of the A-bombs that hit Hiroshima and Nagasaki – roughly 15 kilotons, compared to U.S. 20 megaton Nuclear bombs.
North Korea is always dangerous, because Kim Jong Un is a psychotic nut job, but President Trump is right to call him out because Un wants to stay in power. He knows that if he really tries to bomb the U.S., South Korea, or our allies, Trump WILL destroy him and his armies. Then, the Koreas can unite and finally have peace and prosperity. Neither China nor Russia will do a thing about it, especially if NATO goes on alert.
Judge ruled South Brunswick must build 3,000 units of affordable housing, but township wants decision set aside due to ‘appearance of impropriety’
New Jersey’s only municipality to receive its affordable-housing obligation from a judge’s order is continuing to appeal that number, even as construction is underway on the first new developments since the Supreme Court got back in the middle of the Mount Laurel housing controversy. The township is claiming the Superior Court judge was compromised by a relationship with the developer.
It’s been almost two-and-a-half years since the state’s highest court took control of affordable housing matters away from the “moribund” New Jersey Council on Affordable Housing and tossed it back to the courts, which had been the original deciders of low- and moderate-income housing claims following the Supreme Court’s landmark Mount Laurel rulings. In those cases, which date back to 1975, the court ruled that municipalities must zone for their “fair share” of their regional need for affordable housing.
The cases have been slowly winding through the Superior Courts throughout the state. The Fair Share Housing Center, the Cherry Hill-based organization leading the legal efforts to get more homes built, has reached settlements with 120 municipalities to construct more than 36,000 units from Bergen to Camden counties. Construction has even begun on projects in Woodbridge, Cherry Hill, Westfield, and Edison, welcome news to housing advocates after the process had been stalled by lawsuits and lack of action by COAH for about 16 years.
Other municipalities remain in the courts. For instance, a Mercer County judge is expected to rule within the month on the obligations for several communities in Mercer.
Pompton Lakes NJ, A Pompton Lakes police officer was killed early Wednesday morning in a collision with a deer and was thrown from his Harley Davidson Motorcycle while driving home from work on a township road.
From the Pompton Lakes Police department , “It is with great sorrow that the Pompton Lakes Police Department announces the untimely passing of Sgt. Peter Kamper. Sgt. Kamper has been employed by the department since 2004. He followed in the footsteps of his father, Peter who was also a Sergeant in Wayne PD. He served as the TAC officer, the head firearms instructor, instructor for the Junior Police Academy, and the departmental IT specialist. He also volunteered his time as a valued member of the Pompton Lakes-Riverdale First Aid Squad. He was a devoted supervisor, husband, son, brother, and uncle. The people of Pompton Lakes will remember him as a dedicated officer, but those who knew him best will remember him as so much more.
He stood 6’6” and might have intimidated someone who was not familiar with him. But after speaking with him for a few minutes, you could see that he was a gentle giant whose heart was as big as his frame. He was the person who you could call in the middle of the night when the computers or radios stopped working. He would be at the police department within minutes and did it because he wanted to make your life easier. He was never concerned with praise or money, but did it out of the kindness of his heart. He was motivated by helping people and doing what he could to ease the burdens of others. Whether he was volunteering at the Special Olympics, the Junior Police Academy, or the holiday toy drive, he was someone that people enjoyed being around. People always tended to gravitate towards him and his personality. His jokes and witty commentary always had you coming back for more.
We are truly devastated and heartbroken. Words cannot begin to describe the grief and pain that we are currently experiencing. Despite the overwhelming sadness that we are feeling, we can’t help but feel a sense of gratitude. Each of us were blessed and privileged to work alongside an exceptional human being. We are better people for having known him and will surely never forget what he has done for each of us. His memory and his spirit will live on inside of us. He will be a part of this department from now until the end of time. Rest easy, Pete. We love you and will never forget you.
Peter is survived by his wife, Christine Kamper, his parents, Wendy, and Peter Kamper and his brother Mike Kamper. We ask that you keep his family in your thoughts and prayers. Funeral arrangements will be posted once they become available.”
Photo Glen Rock Board Interim Superintendent Bruce Watson
August 10,2017
Bruce Watson Interim Superintendent
Glen Rock NJ, On Saturday, Aug. 5, a sinkhole appeared at the southeast corner of the football field.
District employees quickly responded to the situation and secured the area. The hole was appropriately covered, gates to the field and track were locked, and signage was posted, letting the public know that the area is temporarily off limits. For safety purposes, lights were left on overnight and security personnel were in place on Sunday, to discourage anyone from disregarding the signs and entering the field complex.
On Monday, Aug. 7 the district reached the Contractor of Record, Quality Electric. After assessing the situation, the contractor informed the district late Tuesday, Aug. 8 that the damage will be repaired at no cost to the board since all work is still covered under the warranty. Further, the district has been notified that Quality Electric will be using Land Tek (the company that installed the turf football field) to repair the damage and restore the field. Land Tek is scheduled to begin the work on Thursday, Aug. 10; completion is anticipated by the weekend.
The district intends to have the field complex ready for the start of next week’s athletic practices.
Please check this site for future updates.
Ridgewood NJ, for months now there have been constant complaints about Village streets and their poor surface conditions . Long term readers of the this blog will remember that for several years there seems to be almost constant complaints about the roads. Unfortunately for the Village as long as PSE&G continues in their gas line up grade program ,there is really no end in sight for poor road conditions .
Beginning in June, work was expected to take place Monday through Saturday between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., weather permitting. The gas main replacement portion of the work is expected to be completed by the fall. The paving and street restoration is expected to be completed in the spring of 2018. Folks it is what it is !
According to PSE&G :
• To upgrade the gas lines, PSE&G digs trenches, primarily in road surfaces, and lays new pipes block by block to minimize disruptions. There will be short-term road closures and detours during construction. Local police direct vehicle and pedestrian traffic. At the end of each workday, the trenches are filled in and protective plates secured on any open areas so people can safely drive and walk. Customers always have access to their driveways.
• When possible, the utility does not dig on properties. If PSE&G does have to dig on a customer’s property, the utility restores any disturbance after the service line is installed. Grass areas are repaired and seeded, and concrete or asphalt openings are patched until final restoration work is scheduled.
• After construction, a PSE&G technician needs to access the customer’s home to connect the service line and gas meter to the new gas main. The utility contacts homeowners to arrange a date and time to do the work. During this reconnection, customers can expect to be without gas service for about 4 hours.
• If a gas meter is inside, PSE&G relocates it to the outside of the customer’s home or business. A technician relights all appliances and makes sure they are working safely before leaving a home.
• When work is finished, the utility repairs roads with temporary pavement until the ground settles. This takes about 45 to 90 days. PSE&G then restores the roads with permanent paving in accordance with town ordinance and paving requirements.
Ridgewood NJ, On Wednesday afternoon, 08/09, Ridgewood Fire Department personnel were dispatched to a single family home located at 255 Prospect Street, Ridgewood for purposes of evaluating the structural integrity of the home following a motor vehicle crash in which a passenger car mounted a curb, drove across the front lawn and slammed into the front porch. The vehicle had been removed from the scene prior to arrival of Fire Department personnel. The structure was deemed safe for occupancy with no Fire Department action taken.
Micah Morrison is chief investigative reporter for Judicial Watch
A criminal indictment is a beautiful thing—an austere document, grave and fateful. Who is charged with committing what crimes, and where, and when, and how? What laws have been violated? In it rests the fearsome power of the state. From it may pass a person’s liberty, even life itself. It is transparent in spite of itself: making the argument, it reveals its flaws
The indictment of United States Senator Robert Menendez and Florida ophthalmologist Salomon Melgen charges the two old friends with a conspiracy to commit bribery and “honest services fraud.” It states that they schemed to corruptly influence Senator Menendez’s “official acts” and “defraud and deprive the United States and the citizens of New Jersey of the honest services of a public official.” It sketches attempts to obtain visas for Dr. Melgen girlfriends; attempts to influence the Department of Homeland Security in a contractual matter concerning a Melgen-owned security-screening company; and attempts to gain a favorable ruling from the Department of Health and Human Services in a gigantic Medicare reimbursement dispute—an episode that eventually would land Dr. Melgen in calamity.
Every indictment tells a story. This one is a tale lust, greed and comical incompetence. Whether it’s a story of criminal behavior is another matter. Dr. Melgen showers his old friend with free plane trips, vacation holidays, and large campaign donations at critical moments. Senator Menendez fails to disclose the gifts, setting himself up for a false statements charge. The senator’s office helps the married Dr. Melgen obtain visas for three young girlfriends, all identified as “models.” Embassy officials push back, but eventually the visas are approved. The senator’s office attempts to intervene with the Department of Homeland Security to undermine a security-screening company in the Dominican Republic, a move that would boost the fortunes of Dr. Melgen’s rival company. But it turns out that DHS has no leverage in the matter. In 2009, the senator and his staff step into an $8.9 million Medicare fight, advocating on Dr. Melgen’s behalf in an increasingly tense series of meetings with Department of Health and Human Services officials, working their way up the bureaucratic food chain. The battle goes on for three years. Senator Menendez is rebuffed at every turn. Senator Menendez grows increasingly upset. The Medicare determination is upheld: Dr. Melgen owes $8.9 million.
The Medicare dispute was just the beginning of Dr. Melgen’s troubles. In 2015, he was indicted in a sweeping $90 million Medicare fraud scheme. The drug at the center of part of the scheme, an eye medication called Lucentis, was the same medication in the earlier Medicare dispute. There is no indication that Senator Menendez was involved in the Florida fraud scheme. In April, Dr. Melgen was convicted on all counts. He faces as much as twenty years in prison. Unless maybe he can cut a deal.
The Menendez-Melgen corruption trial opens September 6 in a New Jersey federal court. Does Dr. Melgen have anything to offer the prosecution? Senator Menendez may have some reason to fear Dr. Melgen’s testimony, but he can find solace—and possibly liberty—in last year’s Supreme Court McDonnelldecision. In McDonnell, the court narrowed the definition of official acts and honest services fraud. Prosecutors needed to prove a direct “official action.” An “official act” has to be more than “setting up a meeting, talking to another official, or hosting an event,” the court ruled. Yes, Melgen could roll on Menendez. Yes, a host of government officials and aides could testify that the senator sought favorable actions for his friend. But where are the direct official acts that go beyond typical donor services? Based on the indictment, Senator Menendez, a canny and experienced political operator, appears to have stayed outside that realm.
The betting here: Menendez walks. And for that he can thank the United States Supreme Court.
Updated on August 8, 2017 at 2:26 PMPosted on August 8, 2017 at 1:55 PM
4shares
By Jeff Goldman
LAKEWOOD — A fledgling Lakewood company is attempting to put its own twist on Airbnb stays.
Instead of helping you arrange a short-term rental your home, Pool For U will put your backyard swimming pool on the market, according to app.com. The problem is that there are a slew of legal and insurances hurdles.
Pool For U says it’s a way for people without a pool to access one without a trip to the Shore or a costly pool membership. For homeowners, its helps them offset the thousands of dollars it often costs each year to maintain a swimming pool.
Problems could arise, though, if a homeowner’s insurance company found out, the report said. A policy would be canceled immediately if the insurer learned anyone but the home’s residents or invited guests were using the pool, the report said.
Ridgewood NJ, yes it’s FREE ,tonight , Wednesday 8/9 around 8:00pm at Van Neste Park , the Ridgewood Guild sponsors ‘Moonstruck” – Join us and enjoy this romantic comedy founded on emotional abandon and poignant truth. Not content with one romance, it involves five or six, depending on how you count, and conceding that some characters are involved in more than one. Play our trivia game and win prizes!
Current owners have to pay for remediation – can’t stick the taxpayers with that tab! Why should the village pay for their speculation? Fine them for not keeping it properly maintained in the meantime! It is quite an eyesore.
