Author: James

Posted on by — 26 Comments

Women’s March Celebrates N.J. cop killer’s birthday

joanne-chesimard
July 19,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ,The Women’s March has been harshly criticized for wishing a happy birthday to a fugitive and terrorist Joanne Chesimard who was convicted in the shooting death of a New Jersey State Police trooper 44 years ago.

In a tweet that read “Happy birthday to the revolutionary #AssataShakur! above an illustration of a her.Assata Shakur is one of the many aliases of Joanne Deborah Chesimard.

Chesimard a former member of what authorities describe as a “revolutionary extremist organization” known as the Black Liberation Army. She is on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorist list.

Chesimard was convicted of the execution-style killing State Police Trooper Werner Foerster after a traffic stop on the New Jersey Turnpike on May 2, 1973. One accomplice was killed in a shoot-out with police.

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Towns where property taxes hurt the most in each of N.J.’s 21 counties

for sale Ridgewood_Real_Estate_theRodgewopodblog

file photo by Boyd Loving

Updated July 18, 2017
Posted July 18, 2017

By Samantha Marcus | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

So where in your county do property taxes hurt the most?

Last month, we showed you which towns in New Jersey had the highest property tax burdens, which is to say, those where the average property tax bill takes up the biggest share of median household income.

Here, we pulled out the top towns from each of New Jersey’s 21 counties.

New Jersey has the nation’s highest property taxes, but it’s much worse in some parts of the state than others. For example, Cumberland’s pain index is far lower than other counties. Top towns in eight counties did not crack our top 30 list for property tax pain.

Some of the state’s 565 municipalities were excluded from our analysis, as the median income margin of error was too high because of the American Community Survey’s small sample size.

Here’s the county-by-county list.

https://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/07/highest_property_tax_burdens_in_all_21_counties.html#incart_river_mobileshort_home_pop

Posted on by — 7 Comments

Reader asks why No Passive Park Space in Ridgewood ?

Habernickel Family Park

I have driven by there many times and have seen even the passive field being used for sports. Why can’t there ever be a place that is passive around here. I feel for those folks who live there. Soccer, baseball, lacrosse on the passive side all the while a for profit business with camps, fueled trips and busses!!! I had to pass a chartered bus once parked hillcrest rd!! These folks don’t get a break. Why can’t there be a place for us seniors or childless people to sit in a park and relax. I thought passive meant passive. Especially when there are sport fields 100 feet away. Wake up Ridgewood. That’s why us seniors are moving away!!!!

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Reader asks why Americans have such a propensity to abuse drugs?

POT-SMOKING-KID

A lot more research should be done to figure out why Americans have such a propensity to abuse drugs. In most countries, people have access to prescription drugs without needing a prescription. I was recently in Mexico and you can walk into any drug store and buy oxy and Percocet easily. Yet, Mexico is not facing an epidemic like we are. The problem here is and always has been a demand problem, not a supply problem. Why is that? Is life so terrible here that we need to numb ourselves? Or have we been coddled to the point of ignoring the notion of personal responsibilit?. How many bulimics are there in the third world?

Posted on by — 7 Comments

Reader says You need metered parking because we have so much demand for parking

parking+meters_the+ridgewood+blog

Disagree with both. There’s no disconnect. You need metered parking because we have so much demand for parking. Without limits and enforcement, the businesses will suffer. Might seem counterintuitive but it’s a matter of supply and demand. We can’t find parking today with 3 hour limits and meter rates….imagine how much parking you’ll find if it was free! Glen Rock has like two delis and a couple of shops. They don’t have nearly the same amount of retail stores or restaurants that we have. Same goes for Midland Park, HoHoKus, Waldwick, Wyckoff, Allendale. Should I go on? So no, we don’t have any competition. Route 17 and Garden State Plaza are not substitutes for a Downtown like ours.
And to suggest that people here live in a bubble, and that they don’t know what else is out there, is simply ridiculous. We have a very educated consumer who chooses to live here for the very reasons people trip over themselves to come here. And by the way, taxes in Glen Rock are actually higher than in Ridgewood. But somehow, people in Ridgewood think that their taxes are higher than any other place on earth. It’s just a high class brag that gives some people the justification for being an asshole. So stay home, order from Amazon, home-school your children and become a hermit. Just make sure to Amazon Prime some Vitamin D supplements.

Posted on by — 7 Comments

Reader says Ridgewood’s CBD has become the largest open air food court in Bergen County

CBD ridgewood ArtChick

photo by ArtChick

Ridgewood’s CBD has become the largest open air food court in Bergen County. We should embrace that and close Ridgewood Ave between Broad and Maple and make it a walking mall like Washington Street in Cape May, Main Street Charlottesville, Pearl Street Boulder, 4th Street Louisville, the list goes on. Sure NJ Transit bus people may complain, but fix that with a one-way (west obviously) Dayton Street. Changes like this would drive improvements on Franklin (while simplifying the intersections at Chestnut, Oak, Walnut and Cottage Place). It would push parking (or at least parking access) to the perimeter of that space and allow for a real walking village with diverse shops and restaurants to flourish. It would also make The Greek’s planters a non-issue! Who’s with me?

Posted on by — 2 Comments

OPRA : Anyone has the right to ask for public documents to determine if government officials are doing their job

Jeff Voigt Ridgewood Council

The open public records act is designed for a transparent government. Transparency so the public has access to otherwise hidden information. Anyone has the right to ask for public documents to determine if government officials are doing their job.

You ignored Voigts criminal and immoral act and decided to attack members of the public for doing something legal. Are you seriously blaming victims for the illegal act of a crazy elected official? If the village attorney is defending Voigt then it’s costing us money. Is the village attorney defending voigt? Residents should demand our tax dollars not be used for voigt criminal defense.

Posted on by — 7 Comments

NJ Transit bus slammed into vehicle’s open driver’s side door on East Ridgewood Avenue

NJ Transit bus slammed into vehicle's open driver's side door

photo courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook page

July 19,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The adult female driver of a black colored Chevrolet Traverse escaped injury when a NJ Transit bus slammed into her vehicle’s open driver’s side door in front of 144 East Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood on Tuesday afternoon, 07/18. Damage done prevented the door from being closed, so the Chevy had to be towed from the scene. The bus, with two (2) uninjured passengers on board, sustained glass damage, but was able to continue on its route after Ridgewood PD obtained all necessary information to process a crash report.

Posted on by — 12 Comments

RACE TO THE BOTTOM: NJ RANKED DEAD LAST OF ALL 50 STATES FOR FISCAL HEALTH

14405_trenton_new_jersey_s_state_house_capitol_in_trenton

JOHN REITMEYER | JULY 18, 2017

Persistent underfunding of public-employee pension system looks to have been a key factor in dismal showings in state-by-state comparisons

New Jersey’s chronic budget problems have brought on a series of credit-rating downgrades in recent years, and now the state has landed in dead last place in two recent reviews of the fiscal health of all 50 states.

The latest “Fiscal Condition” rankings released by George Mason University’s Mercatus Center just dropped New Jersey several spots to 50th, thanks in large part to both short-term and long-run solvency issues that are detailed in the university’s review.

New Jersey also came in last place in a new Pew Charitable Trusts long-term analysis of how well state revenues matched expenses between fiscal years 2002 and 2015.

In both cases, the state’s persistent underfunding of the public-employee pension system appears to have contributed significantly to the dismal showings in the state-by-state comparisons. But the reports also highlight some of New Jersey’s other longstanding budget problems, including significant debt and the lack of a substantial surplus account to hedge against revenue shortfalls.

https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/17/07/17/race-to-the-bottom-nj-ranked-dead-last-for-overall-fiscal-health-of-all-50-states/

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Ridgewood Mindfulness Meditation Class For Teens & Young Adults

kung_fu

Tue, July 18, 2017
Time: 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM
Evolved Medicine, 1250 E Ridgewood Ave, Ridgewood, NJ 07450

Ridgewood NJ, This month’s Mindfulness Meditation Class for Teens & Young Adults on next Tuesday July 18th from 4:00–4:45pm. I am offering the class at Evolved Medicine’s offices in Ridgewood located at 1250 E. Ridgewood Ave. Evolved Medicine is one of the only functional medicine practices in the country to focus on adolescents & young adults and Dr. Stephanie Strozuk is a big advocate of meditation for her clients, so it is naturally a great fit! The class will be inclusive and suitable for everyone, especially youthful beginners in high school, college, or early adulthood.
Mindfulness meditation is simply “exercise for the mind.” A few of the benefits include being more relaxed, less stressed, and more mindfulness around eating habits & emotions.
RSVP HERE (by link), or you can reach me at this email or by phone 201-657-4420.

Posted on by — 8 Comments

Born and raised in New Jersey — Now get me out of here

for sale Ridgewood_Real_Estate_theRodgewopodblog

file photo by Boyd Loving

By Dino Flammia July 17, 2017 4:23 PM

On day two of our three-part series about different generations’ views about the state in which they live, we hear from a couple of families who still have more than two generations living in New Jersey.

While the oldest members stuck it out in New Jersey for most or all of their lives, there’s no shortage of folks heading toward retirement who say they want out.

Part 1: What senior citizens think about living in New Jersey

In the aftermath of World War II, Camilla Pankewytch (Moog before marriage) came to New Jersey from Germany at age 20. She had been “hungry for six years” overseas and was immediately fascinated by New Jersey and the new life it would offer.

“You could get everything here. It was a relief,” she said.

That new life included a marriage, a child and two stepchildren.

The 88-year-old has been here ever since. She bounced around between Newark and Irvington, then lived in Lakewood for 27 years, and most recently moved in with her son, daughter-in-law and grandson in the Ramtown section of Howell.

Both George, 60, and Patricia, 58, were born and raised in Newark — a very different Newark than what exists today, they noted.

Read More: Born and raised in New Jersey — Now get me out of here | https://nj1015.com/born-and-raised-in-new-jersey-now-get-me-out-of-here/?trackback=tsmclip

Posted on by — Leave a comment

CHRISTIE’S CHARTER LEGACY: A CLEAR RECORD OF GROWTH

School Choice by ArtChick

photo by ArtChick

JOHN MOONEY | JULY 18, 2017

In the eight years the governor has headed up state government, charter school enrollment has more than doubled

When Gov. Chris Christie leaves office in six months, one of his clear legacies will be the growth of charter schools in New Jersey, with school enrollment more than doubling in his eight years in office.

Yesterday, his administration finished the job, announcing the final approval of five more schools to open this fall. That brings to 89 the number of charters that will be open when Christie steps down in January.

That number isn’t that big an increase from the 70 in place in 2010 at the start of Christie’s tenure, a number that jumped to over 90 in his first year. But his administration ultimately closed nearly 20 charter schools as well.

https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/17/07/18/christie-s-charter-legacy-a-clear-record-of-growth/

Posted on by — 5 Comments

Readers debate Addiction and Personal responsibility

opioid and heroin epidemic

It is getting all this new attention because it is hitting the suburbs, and more accurately, white people. Now it’s something we as a society must deal with.

I’m sorry, but it is not a disease. I cannot catch it from someone I shake hands with or even have sex with. While little Johnny or Susie might be at risk, I believe it’s little Johnny or Susie, or their families, who have to deal with it. Why should I? Is lousy financial management also a disease? Is getting pregnant at 14 a disease? Please, enough of this it-takes-a-village crap.

 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Sorry. There are a thousand problems and diseases to be dealt with in this world.

Junkies – irrespective of how they are related to someone – are NOT what the government should be wasting resources on.

The quickest way to reduce the number of junkies is to stop bailing them out and pulling them back from the dead. The message will get through quickly.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Addiction is a PERSONAL brain disease by which the addict feeds themselves with the substance that releases all the good neurotransmitters. The body then craves more substance to release more neurotransmitters and the cycle continues. The only way you can blame SOCIETY is that we, as a whole, have been too soft and non-judgemental – AKA enablers for the addicts. Before we pass any more legislation giving all drugs the get-out-of-jail-free card, we should ask if flooding the market with a means of escape and/or stupification by substance is the best course of action in the REAL world.

Posted on by — 9 Comments

Reader says Its the mindset here that we have no competition by other towns that is a huge disconnect

parking_ticket_Ridgewood_theridgewoodblog

Attorneys first ? now that’s a big surprise….while all this is going down every day ,Glen Rock and 20 miles of route 17 stores offers 3 hours of free unmetered parking because they appreciate the business and don’t take their taxpayers to court because they were on line in the third store supporting a local small business in RIDGEWOOD just to grab some prescriptions and items that the family need to function every week,..Its the mindset here that we have no competition by other towns that is a huge disconnect..do you think that person last in line in parking court will ever come to shop again..unlikely..

Posted on by — 15 Comments

Mayor Susan Knudsen will be available to meet with residents on Saturday

ridgewood village council

MEET THE MAYOR – SATURDAY, JULY 22

July 18,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Mayor Susan Knudsen will be available to meet with residents on Saturday, July 22 from 9:30am to 11:00am in the Village Hall Caucus Room, 4th Floor.