The constitutional amendment requiring quarterly pension payments to public employees (ACR109) was passed by the New Jersey Assembly on Monday. Alyana Alfaro, PolitickerNJ Read more
Assembly Approves Pension Funding Amendment
Author: James
Fox News Eric Bolling will be Signing his New Book at Bookends in Ridgewood
June 28,2016
the bstaff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The book signing for Wake Up America by Eric Bolling will take place at Bookends Bookstore (211 East Ridgewood Ave, Ridgewood, NJ 07450) onWednesday, June 29, 2016 at 7:30PM EST.
The event is on Bookends’ homepage. If readers are unable to attend, they have the option to purchase a signed copy: https://www.book-ends.com/
If a summary is able to be included on the event listing, it is below:
Rising Fox News Channel star Eric Bolling knows first-hand what makes America great. Brought up in a struggling blue-collar family in Chicago, his parents showed him that hard work and firm values can get you far in life. Those values drove him to become a national success as a Fox News Channel personality and co-host of the highly rated show The Five. As Bolling posits in his new book WAKE UP AMERICA: The Nine Virtues that Made Our Nation Great – and Why We Need Them More Than Ever, those strong values, virtues he once saw in America, are now under a tremendous attack by leftist politicians, cultural elites, media, and self-proclaimed educators who have forgotten what made our country strong. Bolling delivers much-needed celebration of our nation’s founding values, urging U.S. citizens to preserve and protect our country’s present and future.
N.J. Lawmakers Pass Massive 23-Cent Gas Tax Hike
June 28,2016
the stasff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, State lawmakers passed a 23-cent gas tax hike overnight that Gov. Chris Christie is set to sign by Friday saving the Transportation Trust Fund of TTF from running out of money.
There was no mention of auditing the TTF ?
The Christie backed plan is a 23-cent gas tax hike that Gov. Chris Christie is set to sign in to law by Friday.
The vote came early Tuesday came after a day of backroom talks between Christie and legislative leaders such as Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto. In the brokered deal the Democrat-led Assembly passed legislation to hike the state’s gasoline tax by 23 cents per gallon, while cutting the sales tax from 7 to 6 percent.
Motorists could see the hikes take effect by Friday. The state’s gas tax would increase from 14.5 cents per gallon to 37.5 cents per gallon under the plan.
Today the average price of a gallon of gas in New Jersey is $2.10 according to AAA Mid-Atlantic, down a penny overnight and down a penny in the last week.
Christie, in a statement, highlighted the sales-tax-cut portion of the proposal, saying he was “pleased that the Assembly has heeded my suggestion for tax fairness, which I have been calling for for a long time.”
In Ridgewood, a question of ‘What Now? after garage referendum
BY STEVE JANOSKI
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — The public’s overwhelming rejection Tuesday of a bond ordinance that would have financed a municipal parking garage on Hudson Street has many residents wondering what the next proposed solution will be to the village’s perpetual parking woes.
The question is difficult to answer for several reasons, including uncertainties.
https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/town-government/path-after-bond-defeat-unclear-1.1622848
Reader says Ridgewood Teachers should DO IT FER DA KIDZ
If the teachers do not like the way they are being treated by the RW BOE then they can leave and go to another district (i hear patterson has openings)
…but wait… they’d have to give up the nice working environment, the great pay and benefits, the safe environment, the interesting and dedicated students and parents and much, much more. But most importantly, they’d have to give up tenure— the guarantee of employment — where they have the OPTION of working hard or hardly working at all and still get the same pay as their peers with no risk of getting fired.
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.The RW teachers KNOW what a great deal they have and are just greedy and have no real conviction of their stated beliefs – otherwise they would leave this “horrible” situation and get a “better” job elsewhere where they are “appreciated” and “paid what they deserve”.
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DO IT FER DA KIDZ… WE LOVE YER KIDZ…
Borg and Aronsohn’s current disingenuous hand-wringing over Civility in Ridgewood
June 28,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood
Ridgewood NJ, An editorial by Paul Greenberg, Los Angeles Times Syndicate, entitled “The roots of restlessness, How to restore civility” was published on September 30, 1994. Greenberg’s distaste for burgeoning talk radio success is clear. But so is his impatience with those of his editorial colleages who ignore the root causes of public revulsion with bad actors in electoral politics. Here’s the money quote:
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“Year after year, all of us editorial writers have written dutiful editorials, denouncing public apathy. So when the people take an interest in their affairs, and rise up roaring like a great beast, what do we do? We wring our hands over the decline of civility in public discourse.
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“The best way to restore civility would be to address the causes of its decline. If the natives grow restless, they may just have something to be restless about.”
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https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=861&dat=19940930&id=b9ROAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BEsDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5560,6145661&hl=en
So, nearly 22 years ago, we already had a perfect answer for Borg and Aronsohn’s current disingenuous hand-wringing, pearl-clutching, and fainting couch swooning over citizens speaking their minds in unvarnished ways over matters of public interest.
Reader says Civility! What a noble aspiration and what better place to find numerous splendid examples than the Ridgewood Blog
Ah yes, civility! What a noble aspiration. And what better place to find numerous splendid examples than the Ridgewood Blog, where:
– the current mayor is called a “total moron;”
– the current deputy mayor is called a “moron,” “asshole lawyer,” and “jackass”
– three of the current council members are called “creeps” and “bums;”
– the current village manager is called an “idiot,” “village idiot,” snake,” “complete fool,” and “bitch;”
– and the VM’s staff are called a “bunch of shitheads;”
– a resident, Jim Griffith, is called a “senile pot-bellied old man who [anonymous commenter] suspects wears a diaper;
– and another resident, Rurik Halaby, is called an “idiot;”
– And, in the mature, let’s-make-fun-of-someone’s-name category –
“Ron SLIME-oncini” (Simoncini);
“Rurik Halabooby” (Rurik Halaby); and
“Roberta Shut-up feld” (Roberta Sonenfeld)
So just keep that civility coming, anonymi. You’re setting a fine example for your children.
‘Fact finder’s’ recommendation more of the same for Ridgewood Schools
June 28,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, One had to read a summary of the ‘Fact finder’s’ recommendation (link below) to figure out how utterly insane it is!
• Salary increases of:
• 2.2% for July 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016 (retroactive)
• 2.8% for July 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017
• 2.8% for July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2018
• No change in the current healthcare insurance plan.
• No change in employee contributions to healthcare insurance premiums.
• The highest paid teachers and secretaries receive additional payments.
RETROACTIVE salary increases? NO change in health insurance Cadillac plan? I definitely want some of whatever the teachers are ingesting.
https://www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/923620/File/negotiations/Ridgewood%20Public%20Schools%20-%20fact%20finder%20Presentation%2006-06.pdf?2c42be&90bb08&03dff5&9c292e&c7d197&eee5f6&5b44e7&5b44e7&sessionid=fbfe38ecf9b0ef6fc7b12540bab9c61a
Democrats on guard over Brexit’s angry populism
Clinton should not underestimate the anti-establishment mood that makes Trump attractive to voters
After Britain voted to leave the EU, Hillary Clinton issued a statement declaring that America’s “first task has to be to make sure that the economic uncertainty created by these events does not hurt working families here in America”.
While she leads Mr Trump in the polls and has an advantage due to support from demographic groups such as Hispanics and women, the comments underscored that she cannot underestimate the populist mood that has overturned conventional wisdom at every twist and turn of the 2016 White House race.
“As a Democrat you don’t have to be paranoid to be concerned about the similarities between the Brexit vote and our own election,” says Jim Manley, a former Senate aide. “Trump is playing to the same kind of anger that the Leave folks did. [It] doesn’t mean he is going to win — he won’t — but what happened took an awful lot of people by surprise.”
https://next.ft.com/content/6d8fac80-3c7f-11e6-8716-a4a71e8140b0
House Democrats mistakenly release transcript confirming big payout to Clinton friend Sidney Blumenthal
Evan Halper
The Democrats on the House Benghazi committee released their final conclusionsfrom the inquiry into attacks on Americans in that Libyan city in 2012, and in the report they say, once again, that the investigation is a politically motivated sham aimed at damaging the reputation of Hillary Clinton.
But the report, which the Democrats published as a preemptive strike before the Republican majority releases findings likely to charge ineptitude and deception by the former secretary of State, also revealed, apparently unintentionally, details about the eye-popping amount of money a close Clinton friend and advisor made in a contract with a pro-Clinton nonprofit.
https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-benghazi-democrats-20160627-snap-story.html
Kremlin Gets Flashback of Soviet Collapse in Brexit Fallout
by Ilya Arkhipov
The upheaval in the U.K. after its Brexit referendum in favor of leaving the European Union has similarities to the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman.
While it’s “unreasonable to draw direct parallels,” it’s obvious that the U.K. is going through a “turbulent, confusing and unpredictable period,” Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call Monday. Russia “has gone through the collapse of the Soviet Union and many generations clearly remember the period of the Soviet collapse, that period of uncertainty.”
Russia’s recalling the trauma of the end of the Soviet Union as the U.K. wrestles with the consequences of becoming the first member state to choose to leave the EU, casting a shadow over the bloc’s future existence. The USSR was dissolved in December 1991, more than 18 months after Lithuania led the Baltic republics in declaring independence. The Baltic states of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia joined the EU in 2004 and all three have since adopted the euro as their currency. Putin called the Soviet collapse “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe” of the 20th century in 2005.
Ridgewood’s Valley and Mount Sinai Partner to Provide Comprehensive Cancer Care in Northern New Jersey
June 27,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Valley Health System is pleased to partner with Mount Sinai Health System to offer state-of-the-art, comprehensive cancer care in northern New Jersey. This partnership will enable Valley to provide enhanced inpatient and outpatient cancer services by offering access to an expanded roster of clinical trials and Mount Sinai’s nationally renowned experts in the field of cancer care, and the development of new programs and services.
In December 2015, Valley and Mount Sinai announced plans to join forces on clinical programs, research, and educational offerings. The oncology alliance is one of the first such collaborations between the two organizations. Mount Sinai and Valley will work together to enhance patient care both at Valley’s Blumenthal Cancer Center in Paramus and the main campus inRidgewood by:
Establishing new clinical programs and services
Enhancing existing programs and services through access to and coordination with Mount Sinai’s nationally renowned cancer experts
Expanding access to clinical trials
Initiating research programs to advance education and medical science
Establishing clinical information system linkages that will enhance quality, continuity, and evaluation of care
Collaborating in the development of a clinically integrated physician network for the delivery of high-quality, cost-efficient care.
“We are proud to partner with Valley Health System to offer cancer care services,” said Steven Burakoff, M.D., The Lillian and Henry Stratton Professor of Medicine, Professor of Oncological Sciences, and Director of The Tisch Cancer Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, a National Cancer Institute designated cancer center. “We recognize the high quality of cancer care that Valley Health System has traditionally provided, and see many opportunities to offer patients in northern New Jersey the foremost in cancer care through this partnership.”
Arthur Klein, M.D., President of the Mount Sinai Health Network, said of the alliance, “The clinical and academic affiliation between the Valley Health System and the Mount Sinai Health System will lead to better coordinated, higher quality health care in many arenas across our tri-state Metropolitan region.”
New York City-based Mount Sinai comprises seven hospitals and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Valley Health System, headquartered in Ridgewood, New Jersey, includes The Valley Hospital, Valley Home Care, and Valley Medical Group.
“This relationship with Mount Sinai will benefit our community by offering access to an expanded roster of clinical trials, programs, and services for patients diagnosed with cancer,” said Audrey Meyers, President and CEO of Valley Health System and The Valley Hospital. “We look forward to working with Mount Sinai to bring world-class cancer care to the residents of northernNew Jersey.”
According to Robert Korst, M.D., Medical Director of Valley’s Blumenthal Cancer Center, among the first Mount Sinai clinical trials that Valley patients will have access to include new treatments and treatment protocols for cutaneous malignancies, including melanoma and other skin cancers; genitourinary malignancies, including prostate and kidney cancers; and hematologic cancers and serious blood disorders, including leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma and myelodysplastic syndromes. Some treatment protocols will include bone marrow transplantation and immunotherapeutic vaccines.
“Many of these new treatments are at the vanguard of cancer care today,” Dr. Korst says. “We are very excited that our patients will experience expanded access to these treatments and to Mount Sinai’s physician network – all integrated within the personalized high-quality cancer care that they receive at Valley and from their Valley physicians and cancer specialists. Our Valley cancer experts also look forward to expanded clinical research opportunities with their colleagues at Mount Sinai.”
Several renowned Mount Sinai cancer experts are expected to begin collaborating with Valley’s cancer care team, including:
Philip Friedlander, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, and Dermatology
Luis M. Isola, M.D., Director of the Bone Marrow Transplantation Program, Gerald J. Friedman Professor of Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, and Pediatrics
Sundar Jagannath, M.D., Director of the Multiple Myeloma Program and Professor of Medicine,Hematology and Medical Oncology
William K. Oh, M.D., Chief of the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, Ezra M. Greenspan M.D., Professor in Clinical Care Therapeutics, Associate Director of Clinical Research, and Professor of Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, and Urology
An important aspect of this Valley-Mount Sinai partnership is the opportunity for prospective multidisciplinary videoconferences, during which cancer care experts at both hospitals will discuss patient cases with a goal toward determining optimal treatment, follow-up, and management of individual patients. Physicians, researchers, nurses, social workers, and other members of the cancer care teams at both cancer facilities will participate in these videoconferences.
“Our relationship with Mount Sinai also enables our physicians and other members of the cancer care team to reach Mount Sinaiproviders easily for consultations on specific patient cases and for combined educational opportunities, which will allow them to learn from each other,” notes Thomas Rakowski, M.D., Director of Medical Oncology at Valley.
The Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons has awarded Valley’s Cancer Program a Three-Year Accreditation with Commendation Gold Level, the highest level of recognition and one attained by only 30 percent of cancer centers in the U.S. It has also been honored by the Commission with a prestigious 2015 Outstanding Achievement Award. Valley is the only hospital in northern New Jersey and one of only two in New Jersey to receive this award in 2015. Other recognitions include a Women’s Choice Award(r) as one of America’s Best Hospitals for Cancer Care and six Gold Seals for cancer care from The Joint Commission.
Valley’s cancer care services include:
Diagnostic pathology, mammography, MRI, CT scan, PET scan, and ultrasound
Medical, surgical, and interventional oncology
Radiation oncology and Gamma Knife Center
Chemotherapy and infusion therapy
Clinical trials
Specialized management of breast, lung, GI, gynecologic, urologic and hematologic cancers
Pain management services
Outpatient and Inpatient Palliative care services for patients needing symptom management
Integrative health services, including massage and exercise classes
Social work services
Nutrition counseling
Genetic counseling
Support groups
Educational programs
Free annual screenings
Home care and hospice services
For more information, please visit www.valleyhealthcancercenter.com.
About Mount Sinai Health System
The Mount Sinai Health System is an integrated health system committed to providing distinguished care, conducting transformative research and advancing biomedical education. Structured around seven member hospital campuses and a single medical school, the Health System has an extensive ambulatory network and a range of inpatient and outpatient services – from community-based facilities to tertiary and quaternary care.
The System includes approximately 7,000 primary and specialty care physicians; 12 joint-venture ambulatory surgery centers; more than 140 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and 31 affiliated community health centers. Physicians are affiliated with the renowned Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, which is ranked among the highest in the nation in National Institutes of Health funding per investigator. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked as one of the nation’s top 10 hospitals in Geriatrics, Cardiology/Heart Surgery, and Gastroenterology, and is in the top 25 in five other specialties in the 2015-2016 “Best Hospitals” issue of U.S. News & World Report. Mount Sinai’s Kravis Children’s Hospital also is ranked in seven out of ten pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report. The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked 11th nationally for Ophthalmology, while Mount Sinai Beth Israel is ranked regionally.
For more information, visit https://www.mountsinai.org or find Mount Sinai on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
About Valley Health System
Valley Health System is a regional healthcare system that employs close to 5,000 people and serves more than 500,000 residents in northern New Jersey and southern New York. It includes The Valley Hospital, a 451-bed, not-for-profit, regional acute-care hospital that has been consistently recognized for quality care and patient satisfaction; Valley Home Care, a home care and hospice agency; and Valley Medical Group, a multispecialty group practice of more than 200 doctors and advanced practice professionals representing over 40 medical and surgical specialties who practice at The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, Valley’s Cancer Center in Paramus, eight urgent and primary care centers in New Jersey and New York and many community-based physician practices throughout the region.
COOL DOWN WITH A RIDGEWOOD GRAYDON POOL MEMBERSHIP
2016 SEASON
Regular Season
Saturday, June 4 through August 14, 2016
Daily, 10 am to 7:30 pm
**Holiday** – July 4th, close 4 pm
Late Season
Monday, August 15 through Labor Day, September 5, 2016
Weekdays – 12 noon to 7:30 pm
Weekends/Holiday – 10 am to 7:30 pm
CONTACTS
Pool Manager’s Office – 201-670-5500, ext 7002 (in season)
Badge Office – 201-670-5500, ext 7003 (in season only)
Recreation Office at The Stable- 201-670-5560
[email protected]
GRAYDON MEMBERSHIP RATES
RESIDENT MEMBERSHIPS – Village priced memberships are available to Ridgewood residents, non-residents who pay local property taxes to the Village of Ridgewood, and employees of the Village of Ridgewood and Board of Education. Proof is required.
ADULT – $120.00
CHILD – (ages 2-15, under 2 free) $110.00
SENIOR – $30.00 (62 and older)
PERMANENT DISABLED – $30.00
DAILY PASS – $10.00
BADGE REPLACEMENT – $5.00
NON-RESIDENT MEMBERSHIPS – The Village Council and the Ridgewood Department of Parks and Recreation are pleased to invite all families in the surrounding area to join the Graydon Pool facility for the 2016 summer season.
ADULT (ages 16 and up) – $200.00
CHILD (ages 2-15) – $175.00
GUEST PASSES (must be accompanied by 2016 season member)- $10.00
BADGE REPLACEMENT – $5.00
Ridgewood Fireworks Tickets!
photo by Michael Fidanza 2013
Monday, July 4, 2016
Alternate Date – Tuesday, July 5th
Veteran’s Field, Ridgewood, New Jersey Entrance gates open at 6:00 PM and close at 9:00 PM
While the Parade is free, Fireworks Tickets are required for entrance to Vet’s Field. Donations for Fireworks Tickets is one of the Celebration’s largest sources of income. Tickets are available for advance purchase at stores for $10. Tickets will be on sale at the gates for $15 for adults and $10 for children ages 6-12. Buy your tickets in advance for big savings! Children 5 and under are admitted for free. Tickets may be purchased online at https://www.ridgewoodjuly4.net/evening-entertainment-fireworks/buy-tickets/ for $11.00 each including shipping and handling.
Tickets will be on sale at the following vendors for $10 each. Children 5 and under are admitted free.
- Backyard Living – 235 Franklin Avenue, Ridgewood
- Bergen News Plus – 890 Prospect Street, Glen Rock
- Chestnut Catering & Deli – 25 Chestnut Street, Ridgewood
- Connect One Bank – 171 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood
- Custom Cut Salon – 239 Godwin Avenue, Midland Park
- Daily Treat Restaurant– 177 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood – Open July 4th until 2:00 PM
- Goffle Brook Farm– 425 Goffle Road, Ridgewood – Open July 4th until 5:00 PM
- Hillman Electric Inc. – 133 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood
- Hogan’s Restaurant & Diner – 20 Central Avenue, Midland Park
- Hoskins Propane – 523 Goffle Road, Ridgewood
- Ridgewood Auto Wash Co. – 450 South Broad Street, Glen Rock
- Ridgewood Cycle Shop – 35 North Broad Street, Ridgewood
- Town & Country Apothecary – 60 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood
- The Wine Seller – 6 West Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood
Patrons and belongings will be subject to security checks by Police Department personnel when entering Veterans Field. Alcohol is not permitted. There will be 2 lines at the gates, one for those with bags and one for those without bags. Expect delays. All gates will close at 9:00 PM.
Gates open at 6:00 PM and close at 9:00 PM. No Dogs allowed
The Chairs are Out for the 106th Ridgewood Fourth of July Parade
June 27,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood residents have a tradition of their own they start setting out chairs along the Fourth of July Parade route on North Maple Avenue as early as this weekend.
The placing of chairs along the parade route is a village tradition dating back over 50 years. While we do get complainers generally is a lot of fun and often a bit competitive over spots .
The Police leave the chairs alone and some people tie their chairs together, to keep them together and from blowing out into the street.
Normally by July 3, most of the route for this year’s 106th annual Ridgewood Fourth of July Parade will be lined from beginning to end with chairs.
The parade starts at 10 a.m. July 4, and the theme of this year’s parade, “America the Beautiful ,Celebrating 100 Years of our National Parks.”
