Ridgewood NJ, The adult male driver of a Ford LTD Crown Victoria jumped a curb, drove down a sidewalk, and sheered off a fire hydrant in front of 160 Highland Avenue, Ridgewood on Tuesday afternoon, 07/12. No injuries were reported by the driver nor his adult male passenger. The vehicle was lifted from the hydrant by a flatbed tow truck and driven away on its own power.
Ridgewood PD issued one (1) summons in connection with the incident. Ridgewood Water Company representatives at the scene estimated that there was approximately $4,000 worth of damage to the hydrant and its associated equipment. The hydrant was placed out of service until repairs could be effected.
Ridgewood NJ, looks like Ridgewood residents who questioned the over development of the central business district proved right all along. A state appeals panel overturned a court order that could have added thousands of units to developers’ plans.
Suburban towns are not required to address the so-called “backlog” of unmet housing needs that supposedly accumulated from 1999-2015. This is a very good development for Ridgewood. The developers have much less leverage than they thought they did. Now we have to press the point that we are fully built-out, have been for decades, and should not be obliged by any court to “build up”, city-style, to accommodate large numbers of new residents.
What a shame for Saraceno, Simoncini, Pucciarelli and all the others that stood to gain big time and pushed so hard to get all that housing into the CBD. Kudos to,the citizens who delayed all the development and stood up to Aronsohn and his horrible reign of terror, and Gwenn with her sparkly eyed talk about COAH.
Taxes are too high, why are we paying $102mn a year for schools that aren’t living up to their reputation? The teachers are a huge part of the problem here, and their “bad faith” negotiations are only making things worse. Why do they deserve better health care benefits, i.e. lower co-pays, than the taxpayers subsidizing their plans?
These teachers have lost so much credibility in our community through their actions/inactions, words, and greed. They’re riding the reputation of excellence despite not being excellent themslves – time for new educators who actually want to work with our students and help them.
This commentator is aware of a long-tenured RHS teacher in an important academic subject (won’t get any more specific than that) that was on full mail-it-in mode all year, for no good reason. Near the end of the year, it got even worse. The teacher’s students suffered needlessly, particularly grade-wise. Like, all of them. We need new blood. Teacher misbehavior in light of this contract dispute has gotten out of hand in terms of its spitefulness. Ridgewood residents and taxpayers should not allow themselves to forget this…
it’s even worse than that. The teachers recruit our own kids to fight their proxy war through indoctrination. I read a recent article in the paper about the various ‘Teachers of the Year’ nominated by students. One of Ridgewood’s teachers was complaining how anti-teacher it was in his school instead of being thankful for the nomination. He can always go to another district if he doesn’t like his six-figure 10 month job.
Many people in New Jersey do not understand the archaic formulas which drive state funding for our schools and the vastly different property tax results in our respective municipalities. Under the New Jersey Constitution, it is mandated that students be provided a thorough and efficient education. That phrase has been thrown around conveniently in defense of an inequitable formula that is too expensive to fund with results that scream failure. New Jersey needs a fair funding formula that fixes the problem, and Bergen taxpayers need real property tax relief.
A few weeks ago, Governor Christie proposed a formula that would provide equal funding on a per student basis. This new formula, called the fairness formula, is nearly identical to what I have introduced since 2012. The majority in the legislature wants to continue with a failed system, which has disproportionately and negatively impacted 69 out of 70 communities in Bergen County. What the Governor and I have proposed will fix the problem.
Under the proposed fairness formula, state aid would be $6,599 per pupil with additional funding provided for students with special needs. No student will be regarded as worth more than another. The state has thrown billions of dollars at underperforming districts for years and the situation hasn’t improved. The time is now that we face reality and provide fair funding for every student in the state and stop strangling taxpayers to fund failure.
One of those former Abbott districts is Passaic City. With only around 10,000 public students, it receives more money than all 70 municipalities combined in Bergen, which has approximately 250,000 students. Further, overfunded municipalities often use that money to pay for things other than students, such as Elizabeth which in 2015 spent more per student on legal and consulting fees ($237 per pupil) than on textbooks and supplies.
In comparison, Pascack Valley Regional High School District is rated the eighth best school district in New Jersey with a graduation rate of 98 percent, while receiving only $550 per student (a number only slightly higher than what Elizabeth spent on legal and consulting fees). The average property tax in Bergen County is well over $11,000. As a result of these increasingly high property taxes, Bergen County has found itself in recent years with one of the highest rates of foreclosures, pre-foreclosures and personal bankruptcies. On the flip side, Camden High School has only a 46 percent graduation rate and yet receives over $30,000 per student. The average property tax in Camden County is only slightly over $6,000. Other than a handful of exceptions, towns in Bergen and Passaic counties have carried the brunt of increasing property taxes, yet they have received the least amount of funding in the entire state.
This lopsided school funding formula is indefensible. Bergen and Passaic homeowners are paying sky high property taxes to fund a school district on the opposite side of the state that can’t graduate half of its students. What makes the students in Camden worth sixty-times more than a student who goes to Pascack Valley or any other school district in Bergen or Passaic? What makes 10,000 school age children in Passaic more valuable than every school district in Bergen County combined? The answer: court mandates on how the state should spend its money.
The state Supreme Court ruled in the Abbott v. Burke decisions that most money should be distributed to districts that have demonstrated an inability to provide educational excellence. The consequence has been diverting money from districts that pay through the nose for education to districts that don’t; such as Bergen paying for Camden. Diverting these funds has resulted in higher property taxes for districts that want to maintain the educational excellence they have achieved. In some cases the towns with diverted funds have large retiree populations, robbing senior citizens of their savings and the value of their homes.
The Corzine school funding formula the court approved has resulted in failure. The court ruled that nearly sixty percent of school funding provided to only 5 percent of school districts satisfies a constitutionally thorough and efficient education. This unfair formula has increased property taxes across the state and has failed to effectively educate the students in districts that cost the most taxpayer dollars. All the while, student enrollment in the former Abbott districts has decreased as funding has increased.
When schools are funded on a per pupil basis, taxpayers benefit. School funding will increase nearly 500 percent in Bergen and Passaic with the fairness formula, while average property taxes will be reduced by over $2,000. When schools aren’t funded on a per pupil basis, $5.1 billion goes to 31 districts and $4 billion goes to 546 districts. The fairness formula will equitably spend $9.1 billion across all 577 districts, without any property tax discrimination based on educational excellence. Any legislator representing these counties who does not support this fair and balanced approach is failing to represent their own constituents.
Providing funding equally on a per pupil basis will level out the playing field and decrease property taxes across the state. Extra aid will only be provided to make sure we take care of our special education students who need the extra help to get by. Three out of four school districts in the entire state would see an increase in aid, 69 out of 70 municipalities in Bergen County would see an increase in aid. That means 69 Bergen County towns will see a reduction in property taxes, providing much needed relief.
The current school funding formula has been a disaster that drives up property taxes and does nothing to help failing school districts reverse the course. The fairness formula will provide fair funding. Opponents to the idea will holler that it is unconstitutional. If that is their only concern, I have sponsored a resolution since 2012 (ACR35) amending the constitution to provide a thorough and efficient education on a per pupil basis. The current formula is an indefensible failure, if the constitution is the only concern, then pass my resolution and the fairness formula.
Ridgewood NJ, PSE&G work in Ridgewood is causing major traffic impact for the Ridgewood and makes the central business district almost inaccessible.
As previously posted on this blog a Traffic Alert “beginning Friday 7/8/16 W.Glen Ave will be closed between Oak Street and Upper Boulevard while PSE&G continues their gas main replacement project from 7am to 4pm Monday through Friday for approximately 2 weeks as the crew works through the train trestle. This will have an impact on traffic traveling west and east through Ridgewood. Traffic will be diverted to the Franklin Ave Underpass for cars. Trucks will be diverted to Wyckoff Ave in Waldwick due to height restrictions. Officers will be deployed to critical intersections to assist the traffic flow. Please plan an alternate route if possible.”
On Tuesday afternoon traffic is backed up on Oak Street in front of the “Y”, Franklin ave , West Ridgewood Ave and Godwin.
Clearly in case of an emergency valuable time would be lost with the trestle being impassable . Perhaps its time to reopen the “traffic easing ” and face facts that the idea was an ill conceived total failure because in the best of circumstances it blocks off the CBD, ties up traffic at the trestle, and backs traffic up West Ridgewood all the way to Midland Park , All because of a “suicide” bike lane installed for people with death wishes.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05) issued the following statement after the House Financial Services Committee released a staff report of its investigation into the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) decision not to prosecute HSBC or any of its executives or employees for serious violations of U.S. anti-money laundering laws and related offenses.
“While the vast majority of Americans pay a price if they break the law, the Justice Department has once again proven that the rules don’t apply to those with special privileges and connections under the Obama Administration,” said Garrett. “Despite their best efforts for three years to side-step Congressional inquiries and oversight, the House Financial Services Committee was able to find that DOJ has been misleading the American people about their decision not to prosecute HSBC employees and executives on anti-money laundering charges, proving that too-big-to-jail is alive and well.”
Background:
The Committee initiated its investigation in March 2013. The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of the Treasury failed to comply with the Committee’s requests to obtain relevant documents, necessitating the issuance of subpoenas to both agencies.
Approximately three years after its initial inquiries, the Committee finally obtained copies of internal Treasury records showing that DOJ has not been forthright with Congress or the American people concerning its decision to decline to prosecute HSBC. To read the House Financial Services Committee’s full report, click here.
Scott Garrett is Chairman of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government-Sponsored Enterprises.
Apparently the message of the financial crisis didn’t get across
Quick: If you take out a $1000 loan that has a 20% rate, how much will you owe a year in interest?
Answer: $200. But if you got that wrong, you’re not alone. Nearly two thirds of Americans can’t calculate interest payments correctly, according to a new study. About a third said they didn’t even know how.
One of the silver linings of the financial crisis was that it was supposed to have taught many Americans a lesson, albeit painful, about the dangers of debt, and financial issues in general. Apparently, the message, though, didn’t get across.
All told, a new study, which was released today, estimated that nearly two-thirds of Americans couldn’t pass a basic financial literacy test, meaning they got fewer than four answers correct on a five-question quiz. Worse, the percentage of those who can pass the test has fallen consistently since the financial crisis to 37% last year, from 42% in 2009.
The writer is a professor at and past president of Harvard University. He was treasury secretary from 1999 to 2001 and an economic adviser to President Obama from 2009 through 2010.
It is clear after the Brexit vote and Donald Trump’s victory in the Republican presidential primaries that electorates are revolting against the relatively open economic policies that have been the norm in the United States and Britain since World War II. If further evidence is needed, one need only look to the inability of Congress to pass legislation on immigration reform and the observation that the last four candidates left standing in the U.S. presidential contest all oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Populist opposition to international integration is also on the rise in much of continental Europe and has always been the norm in much of Latin America.
The question now is: What should be the guiding principles of international economic policy? How should the case be made by those of us who believe that the vastly better performance of the global system after World War II than between World War I and World War II was largely due to more enlightened economic policies?
Dallas’s police chief revealed chilling new details Monday about the bloody showdown with cop-killer Micah Johnson, describing how the city’s streets were turned into a war zone as officers hunted down the madman.
Chief David Brown said 11 officers engaged in a gun battle with the rifle-toting Johnson as protesters and passers-by fled for their lives. Two other officers used explosive devices to try to bring him down, Brown said.
The killer, who fatally shot five cops and wounded seven more officers and two civilians, was eventually blown up by two officers operating a remote-controlled device in a building on the campus of El Centro College, Brown said.
“I just said, ‘Don’t bring the whole building down. You know what I want,’” Brown recalled telling the bomb squad officers.
“They improvised this whole idea in 15 to 20 minutes. It was extraordinary.”
Less than a week after Pokémon Go’s launch, our streets are already filled with packs of phone-wielding, Weedle-catching zombies. They’re robbingour teens, filling our churches with sinners, and tricking our children into exercising. But worst of all, Pokémon Go is turning us all into an army of narcs in service of the coming New World Order.
Allow me to explain.
More like Privacy Poli-See Everything
Lots of apps have sketchy privacy policies, that’s nothing new. But the first set of alarms go off as soon as you realize that Pokémon Go’s policy does seem a bit more liberal than most, because not only are you giving Pokémon Go access to your location and camera, you’re also giving it full access to your Google account (assuming you use that to sign in).
There’s one section of the privacy policy in particular that seems to be getting the conspiracy theorists of the world up in arms and which Reddit user Homer_Simpson_Doh calls “very Orwellian”:
Many consumers are exposing themselves to risk by not understanding how data security works
The five biggest myths around personal data security are explained by security specialists Eckoh
Ridgewood NJ, Consumers have little understanding of the complexities surrounding the security of their personal data and are falling prey to a host of myths that could put them at risk according to leading data specialists Eckoh, headquartered in Phoenix and Hemel Hempstead, UK.
Relying on these misconceptions can lead people to fail to take adequate precautions and expose valuable personal data to hackers and criminals.
Eckoh, specialists in managing secure payment systems and implementing contact centre technologies have drawn up a list of the five most common data security myths.
Cameron Ross, Director of Payments Strategy, Eckoh said: “We find that many people are concerned about keeping their data secure but aren’t always sure of the best way to do it. There are lots of common myths when it comes to dealing with contact centres, some of which are a long way from the reality.”
1. Call recording is purely for training purposes
“This is primarily about protecting both the customer and the call agent. Call recording prevents the customer from making claims that the wrong order was taken as any discrepancies can be checked. Looking at it the other way, ‘Pause and resume’ systems can be used to manipulate the customer into giving away additional details ‘off the record’ or to allow agents to be rude to the customer without leaving any evidence.”
2. Speaking my payment details directly over the phone is the most secure method
“Many people believe that when they give details over the phone it is completely secure, however both ends of the line are at risk from others listening in. Additionally, there are all sorts of situations where details are written down on Post-it Notes or scraps of paper. This is often due to ignorance rather than any sinister motivation, for example, popping off to check stock levels or to ask a question on behalf of the customer. This is particularly an issue in those organisations with multiple departments operating in silos.”
3. People who process my payments are security screened
“This is just not the case. Call centre workers can be some of the lowest paid workers and many temp workers are on short-term contracts. The high churn rate means that there is no point in investing huge amounts into security checks. This is not to say that breaches of this nature are common but there is definitely a misconception around this issue.”
4. The only person my details are exposed to is the contact agent
“In actual fact, it is likely that anybody in the ordering system will be able to access these details. Databases where your details are held are often accessible to a large number of people within the organisation. We have found that details are stored in widely accessible areas in more than 5% of the contact centres we have dealt with. In some cases, we have even seen customer card numbers being used as order numbers – meaning a license to print labels with your card data on!”
5. When I give my personal details to a company, I am trusting only them with my security
“Most of the time, the organisation you are dealing with is the one that looks after your data. You make decisions about whether to trust them based on various factors such as your own experience or their reputation. There are exceptions. Aggregator services such as hotel or travel booking sites will take payment and personal info and pass it on to third parties via batch files. This sensitive data (belonging to multiple customers all in one neat bundle) is open to attack from criminals whilst in transit. Again, with the appropriate security measures this does not have to be an issue but customers need to consider who is actually looking after their sensitive data.”
Eckoh plc is global provider of secure payment products and customer contact solutions, working with organisations in over 10 countries around the world.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD, “is a prime example of fictitious disease,” said Leon Eisenberg, the “scientific father of ADHD,” shortly before he passed away at the age of 87 in 2009.
Why would Eisenberg claim that a condition we’ve come to know so well is largely fictitious? While many have said that Eisenberg’s statement is highly exaggerated, it turns out that numerous doctors are finding conclusive evidence that ADHD is being “over-diagnosed” due to inaccurate diagnostic methods.
Jerome Kagan, a leading expert in child development, says:
“Let’s go back 50 years. We have a 7-year-old child who is bored in school and disrupts classes. Back then, he was called lazy. Today, he is said to suffer from ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). . . . Every child who’s not doing well in school is sent to see a pediatrician, and the pediatrician says: “It’s ADHD; here’s Ritalin.” In fact, 90 percent of these 5.4 million kids don’t have an abnormal dopamine metabolism. The problem is, if a drug is available to doctors, they’ll make the corresponding diagnosis.”
Ridgewood teachers are some of the highest paid in the entire State. We all want raises and better health care from our employers but most of us are just happy to have a job now. In fact if anyone I know behaved the way these protesting teachers have been they would be fired. The teachers don’t seem to understand that things are not great for a lot of people since the recession and recovery has been slow. Those who enjoy the security of tenure, and automatic raises can’t seem to grasp what is going on for so many of us struggling to pay our taxes. Hold the line BOE. Teachers unhappy with their jobs in our school system should look elsewhere. We don’t need malcontents in our classrooms and there are a lot of people who would be very happy to have their jobs..
RIDGEWOOD — A state-appointed super conciliator will try this month to settle a labor dispute between the Board of Education and the district teachers’ union that’s left teachers working without a contract for more than a year.
There have been a number of disagreements throughout the 18 months of negotiations. But arguments over salaries, proposed changes to the union’s insurance plan and how much Ridgewood Education Association members must contribute to their health-insurance premiums have created deep rifts that two previous state mediators were unable to patch.
How Christie’s school funding plan could affect your property taxes
Gov. Chris Christie’s proposed school funding overhaul could produce property tax relief from as much as $4,500 for the average homeowner in Glen Ridge to a little as $5 on average in Mount Ephraim, according to state data. Stephen Stirling and Adam Clark, NJ.com Read more
