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Reader says Shoving overdevelopment down our throats in Ridgewood is the reason all these are on hold

CBD high density housing

Anti-Development? What Kool-Aid are you drinking. If you changed your thought properly to Over-Development, then you’d be 100% correct. Develop reasonable housing at 18-24 units, Valley can renew in Ridgewood with minor variances (not doubling in size-Ludacris). Parking garage, should be 2 levels on Hudson, then another 2 level garage at another location (Ken Smith, behind BOE building, or Hillman? Shoving overdevelopment down our throats is the reason all these are on hold. We need logical decision making and that’s what our new council will bring. Can someone please remove that illegal wall in front of the Greek Restaurant! Can anyone explain who and why this was allowed?

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Opening Day at Graydon Pool In Ridgewood

Graydon is open!

June 4,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Opening Day at Graydon Pool kick off  was yesterday . Pool memberships available at CommunityPass and at the Pool Badge Office.

Breaking out of the mold

Marching and singing

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

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Reader says Vote NO on the big Ridgewood garage

Ridgewood Parking

Reader says Vote NO on the big garage, Hudson lot half empty at 3:45 pm Saturday, 6/4

Please vote NO on the big garage. Once again we see the Hudson St lot with many open spaces on a busy Saturday. Everyone is in town, school is in session, the weather was great, and there is parking everywhere. Available parking in the CBR is the rule, not the exception even on a warm spring day before summer vacation.
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Ridgewood Teacher Contract Negotiations

Ridgewood EA teachers protest

June 3,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, In recent days there have been many heated arguments on social media in regards to the lack of a teacher contract.  We parents have been accused of not reacting sooner to the stalled contract negotiations.  We have placed our faith in the elected officials of the Board of Education (BOE).  The BOE officials are educated professionals who are expected to formulate opinions and make decisions regarding contract negotiations.   They have access to information which is readily available. As parents our days are filled with work, sports and other activities.  We don’t have the time to research and review this information ourselves.

The teachers think we ignore their protests.  We witness their protests but we choose to ignore them because their actions are offensive.  With every protest our indignation grows: with every field trip the teachers have elected to miss, with the Halloween parade where the chosen costume was a red shirt, with all the school events where the teachers were absent, with the recommendation letters the teachers have either refused to write or have written the bare minimum , with all the mornings we have watched the teachers stand outside the school and march in together, with every mass exodus at the end of the day and with the countless other signs we noticed.

Now they are threatening to take our clubs away from our children.  They want us to react and so we will.  We will educate ourselves so that we as parents can make a decision.  The following facts collected from public sources should help us parents better understand the issues behind the contract negotiations:

FACTS:

Among the top 100 schools with the highest teacher salaries, Ridgewood is listed at #17.  https://patch.com/new-jersey/pointpleasant/these-100-nj-school-districts-pay-their-teachers-most… if this is the case, why are teachers saying they are underpaid?

The median teacher salary for Ridgewood is $78,318
https://www.nj.com/education/2016/04/whats_the_median_salary_for_teachers_in_your_district.html…If you compare this to the rest of Bergen County, we are very competitive.

There are teachers in our school system who make triple figure salaries.https://board-of-education.ridgewood.schoolfusion.us/modules/locker/files/get_group_file.phtml?gid=944840&fid=29038756&sessionid=c671c2e4ae1b4ddcb065cbe448f221ca
It is hard to believe there are elementary school librarians earning triple figures.
It should be noted that if there is a large number of teachers in the district who have been here a long time, this will shoot the median up as in any school district.

It is being said that by not giving the teachers what they want, we will force them to retire and we will lose good teachers.  It seems that some of the teachers who are paid well are very vocal yet they are the ones pushing the median up.  It also implies that the young teachers are not as good as the older ones because if the seasoned teachers leave we will be left with poor educators.

When compared to the private sector, the teachers’ salaries are competitive.

The private sector has a 40-hour work week for 48 weeks.  Teachers work 37.5 hours 37.5 weeks a year.

The teachers are guaranteed some type of a raise.  Private sector positions have received few to no raises over the past several years.

The argument that the raises don’t cover the increase the teachers have to contribute into health care is the same across all industries.

Private sector positions are paying the same if not more into their healthcare and get fewer benefits.

Teachers have a union that they pay $840 a year to fight for them.
https://www.njea.org/members/about-membership/njea%20membership%20categories

If the private sector employee is not in agreement with what they are receiving, they have to accept it or move on.

With all of this being said, we try to raise our children by example.  There are many good teachers in this community.  We want to support our teachers.  We all want what is fair, but the arguments that they are not treated fairly and are overworked and underpaid are no longer valid.

Many of these teachers are our friends and neighbors.  As parents we should be able to express our opinions.  The reason many people are afraid to speak up is due to the fact that we are put down and made to feel that our jobs are less important than that of a teacher’s.  Just because we entrust you with our children does not mean that you should be treated any better than the rest of us.

We try to teach our children by example. What example are you teaching them- that if I don’t get what I want, I will make sure I will use all my sick days;  that if I don’t get paid to start work until a certain time, I will stand outside until I am required to enter the building.  The fact is that we will be sending our children into the world soon. Our children will not survive in the private sector if they choose to follow the example set by their teachers.

Shame on you teachers for saying that you care about our children because if you did, you would have attended the field trips, you would have incorporated your red shirts into Halloween costumes, you would have put effort into the letters of recommendation and you would have continued to do what make you happy- teach.  Your recent actions, however, say otherwise.

To the parents- please read the information provided.  The teachers will get a contract, they will get their raises, they will contribute to their health care and we will all be back in the same situation in three years.

Know the facts and support our children.

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Do your late friends drive you mad? They could be insane: Chronic tardiness ‘is a sign of insanity’, scientists claim

doctor_who_moon

Research shows that some may actually self-sabotage plans to be on time
Science writer says that this ‘bizarre compulsion’ could be sign of insanity
He describes such tardy people as ‘Clips’ or ‘chronically late insane people’
But some psychologists and scientists say that it’s not a medical disorder

By VICTORIA FINAN FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 02:37 EST, 4 June 2016 | UPDATED: 05:05 EST, 4 June 2016

People who are constantly late may be suffering from a form of insanity, a science writer has claimed.

Those who are chronically tardy to engagements struggle with how they view time and may have a ‘bizarre compulsion to defeat themselves’ by making plans that they know they cannot keep, according Tim Urban.

And he has even created an acronym to describe those people he believes are suffering from the lateness compulsion: Clips, or chronically late insane people.

Read more: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3625001/Chronic-tardiness-sign-insanity-scientists-claim.html#ixzz4Ag7e0VA8

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The violence at Donald Trump’s rally is unwelcome news for Democrats

trump rallies violence

EVAN HALPER

The violent protests that erupted outside Donald Trump’s rally in San Jose on Thursday night, which included punches thrown, eggs pelted and Trump supporters’ hats stolen off their heads and set ablaze, are likely to have political fallout for Democrats.

The scene was an unwelcome one for the campaign of Hillary Clinton. Campaign Chairman John Podesta quickly moved to condemn this brand of civil disobedience, admonishing the violence in a tweet in which he included video of a Trump supporter being beaten.

https://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-trailguide-trump-violence-1464967115-htmlstory.html

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Democrats’ Dumping of Torricelli Could Be Blueprint for What Happens to Hillary

Bob"the Torch," Torricelli

by JOHN FUND June 3, 2016 4:00 AM @JOHNFUND Plan B for November

Hillary Clinton’s mounting political — and possibly legal — problems over her e-mail server led me to write a column speculating that Democrats might move to install Vice President Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee if her poll numbers tank between now and the Democratic convention in late July. Biden might be joined on the ticket by fiery progressive senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts in an effort to placate furious backers of Senator Bernie Sanders.

My NRO colleague Andrew C. McCarthy called my suggestion “increasingly plausible,” and pointed out that Democrats had made just such a switch in 2002 when their one-vote Senate majority was in jeopardy. An ethically challenged senator, Bob Torricelli of New Jersey, was trailing his GOP opponent by double-digit margins following release of a devastating Justice Department report on his involvement in bribery and campaign-finance scandals. Democrats made Torricelli “an offer he couldn’t refuse,” forcing him to leave the Senate race only 36 days before the election and replacing him with former senator Frank Lautenberg. “The lateness of the switcheroo denied Republicans a meaningful opportunity to campaign against Lautenberg, in violation of state election laws,” writes McCarthy. “But New Jersey’s solidly Democratic judiciary predictably looked the other way.” Lautenberg went on to win in November (although Democrats still lost their Senate majority, and didn’t regain it until 2006).

Read more at: https://www.nationalreview.com/article/436160/hillary-clinton-robert-torricelli-precedent-dumping-her

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Military discloses at least 11 troops infected with Zika virus this year

asian-tiger-mosquito

Gregg Zoroya and Liz Szabo, USA TODAY

At least 11 U.S. troops have been infected with the Zika virus since January, nearly all of whom traveled to countries where the mosquito-born illness is prevalent, a Pentagon health report published Friday disclosed.

In addition, four dependents of servicemembers — which can include spouses and children — and two military retirees contracted the illness, according to the report. It underscored the risks to military personnel of child-bearing age exposed to the virus during deployments.

A fetus infected with the Zika virus during the first three months of pregnancy has about a 1% to 13% chance of developing microcephaly, an abnormally small head usually caused by incomplete brain development, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2016/06/03/military-discloses-least-11-troops-infected-zika-virus-year/85343632/

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Muhammad Ali, ‘The Greatest of All Time’, Dead at 74

Muhammad Ali

by JON SCHUPPE

Muhammad Ali, the silver-tongued boxer and civil rights champion who famously proclaimed himself “The Greatest” and then spent a lifetime living up to the billing, is dead.

Ali died Friday at a Phoenix-area hospital, where he had spent the past few days being treated for respiratory complications, a family spokesman confirmed to NBC News. He was 74.

“After a 32-year battle with Parkinson’s disease, Muhammad Ali has passed away at the age of 74. The three-time World Heavyweight Champion boxer died this evening,” Bob Gunnell, a family spokesman, told NBC News.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/sports/muhammad-ali-greatest-all-time-dead-74-n584776

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HOMELAND SECURITY: Hillary Clinton Posted Names of Hidden Intelligence Officials On Her Email

hillary-clinton-what-difference-does-it-make

by PATRICK HOWLEY2 Jun 20165,196

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Hillary Clinton posted and shared the names of concealed U.S. intelligence officials on her unprotected email system.

Federal records reveal that Clinton swapped these highly classified names on an email account that was vulnerable to attack and was breached repeatedly by Russia-linked hacker attempts. These new revelations — reminiscent of the Valerie Plame scandal during George W. Bush’s tenure — could give FBI investigators the evidence they need to make a case that Clinton violated the Espionage Act by mishandling national defense information through “gross negligence.”

Numerous names cited in Clinton’s emails have been redacted in State Department email releases with the classification code “B3 CIA PERS/ORG,” a highly specialized classification that means the information, if released, would violate the Central Intelligence Act of 1949.

The State Department produced a document to Judicial Watch in April 2014 that identifies different types of “(b)(3)” redactions, including “CIA PERS/ORG,” which it defines as information “Specifically exempted from disclosure by statute … Central Intelligence Act of 1949.”

https://www.breitbart.com/2016-presidential-race/2016/06/02/hillary-clinton-exchanged-cia-officers-names-private-server/

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National Association of Railroad Passengers calls on Federal Railroad Administration, NJ Transit to expedite Hudson River tunnel project

Ridgewood-Trainstation1_theridgewoodblog

June 4,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP) President and Chief Executive Officer Jim Mathews on Tuesday urged federal leaders to fast-track necessary approvals to replace the Hudson River rail tunnels.

If the tunnels aren’t replaced in time, the New York City region could face a “transportation meltdown,” Mathews wrote in a letter to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) and New Jersey Transit.

Each day, the aging tunnels accommodate 100 trains carrying 24,000 Amtrak riders. Additionally, NJ Transit trains move 90,000 weekday passengers through the tunnels, which run between New York and New Jersey.

“Given the importance of these tunnels to the entire East Coast transportation system and to passenger rail, NARP strongly urges the government to proceed as expeditiously as possible, within the confines of applicable law, to begin desperately needed and long-overdue construction of new tunnels,” Mathews wrote.

He also advocated separating the Hudson tunnels project from Amtrak’s larger Gateway Program, which calls for a number of upgrades to improve capacity between New York City’s Penn Station and Newark, N.J. Separating the two projects would help ease the funding burden, simplify permitting and design, and “secure the widest possible agreement to proceed from elected and appointed officials throughout the region,” Mathews said.

Currently, Amtrak removes one of the tunnels from service each weekend for continuing maintenance, which results in slow, single-tracking operations. Until new ones are built, this will continue indefinitely, according to Mathews.

Additionally, the existing tubes will be removed from service for a full year for complete rehabilitation after the new ones are built.

“There is a real danger that if one of the current bores becomes permanently damaged or disabled, the throughput of trains would fall some 75 percent,” noted Mathews.

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TENTATIVE LIST OF RIDGEWOOD STREETS SCHEDULED FOR 2016 RESURFACING

Road_work_theridgewoodblog

June 4,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Vilage Hall releases a TENTATIVE LIST OF STREETS SCHEDULED FOR 2016 RESURFACING.

Click Here for a Tentative List of Streets scheduled to be resurfaced.  This list is conditional on funds being available.

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Ridgewood Crew Sponsors “Come take a spin” Today at Van Neste Square 10-2

ridgewood _crew_rowathon_theridgewoodblog

June 4th 2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Join Ridgewood Crew/Maroon Blades in Van Neste Square from 10-2 to experience the thrill and learn the benefits of rowing. National Learn to Row Day is today Saturday, June 4.

According to Ridgewood Crew the Top 10 Benefits of Rowing:

Promotes healthy body composition: Rowing can help maintain a healthy balance of fat mass and fat-free mass in your body. If an analysis of your body composition indicates that your body fat is high, rowing can be a good way to burn off fat, as it is predominantly an aerobic sport. In fact, you can easily burn up to 600 calories per hour.
Enhances cardio-respiratory system: Rowing enhances your lung’s ability to provide oxygen to the blood, heart and the rest of your body. A lack of cardio-respiratory fitness is closely linked to heart disease. The good news is that improving your aerobic fitness can be done in short intervals, so it does not take too much time out of your day. All you need is 30 minutes of steady state exercise – or 10 minutes of high intensity intervals – in the boat or on the rowing machine.
Offers low impact exercise with high results: Both competitive and recreational rowing are unique in comparison to most sports because they exercise all of your major muscle groups. Everything from your legs, back and arms are engaged while rowing. In addition, rowing is a low-impact sport. When executed properly, the rowing stroke is a fairly safe motion, providing little room for the serious injury often found in contact and high-impact sports.
Promotes weight loss: Competitive rowers expend almost twice the number of calories on a 2,000-meter course as a runner in a 3,000-meter steeplechase. However, since rowing is low impact, you will not experience the same wear and tear on your body and joints as you would if you were a runner. Plus, you build strength in your upper body and core.
Helps the heart: Cardiovascular training involves any activity that requires the use of the large muscle groups of the body in a regular and uninterrupted manner. Rowing is one of the few non-weight bearing sports that exercises all the major muscle groups.
Builds muscle strength: The primary muscles that rowers work are the quadriceps, the large muscles in front of your thighs. These muscles are necessary for extending the knee, and they also serve as hip flexors, which allow you to make powerful leg movements. As your quadriceps become stronger, activities and exercises such as walking, jogging, lunges and squats can be done more efficiently and with greater strength.
Reduces stress: The consistent and rhythmic activity associated with rowing, combined with being outdoors on the water, has an unparalleled impact on reducing stress.
Stabilizes the body: Rowing in a boat requires the stabilizer and neutralizer muscles to fire up. Those same muscles might help to avoid a fall or help keep you from hurting your back when lifting a child or a heavy box awkwardly. Your core, or trunk, becomes stronger and better prepared to handle off-balanced movement.
Improves muscle and joint mobility: Rowing conditions many different muscles and joints without straining them, making this exercise ideal for those with arthritis or osteoporosis. The muscles and joints experience a wide range of movement during rowing, which will eventually minimize stiffness and increase flexibility. If you live a sedentary lifestyle or become stiff after long periods of inactivity, loosen your muscles and joints by rowing at a moderate pace for 20 to 30 minutes.
Offers a full-body exercise: A rowing machine works the lower and middle back, hamstrings, calves, gluteal muscles and biceps. Rowing works more body parts than most cardiovascular machines, and it provides a low-impact exercise that people of various fitness levels can complete comfortably.

Come take a spin on an erg and get THE BEST WORKOUT of your life!
When: Today, June 4
Stop in anytime between 10-2
Where: Van Neste Square
See you there!!!
Sponsored by Ridgewood Crew/Maroon Blades

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This Maybe Your Last Chance to Say Goodbye to Ridgewood Mayor Paul Aronsohn

Paul_Aronsohn_dunking_theridgewoodblog

MAYOR’S OFFICE HOURS – SATURDAY, JUNE 4 – 9AM TO NOON

June 4,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood

Ridgewood Nj, this may be your last chance to say your goodbyes . Mayor Paul Aronsohn will hold his monthly office hours in the Village Hall Court Room, Saturday, June 4 from 9am to Noon. All residents are invited to meet with the mayor. Residents are encouraged to make an appointment through the Clerk’s Office (201/670-5500 x205) or to stop by during the hours of 9am to Noon.

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Ridgewood Bank Robbery Suspect Apprehended

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photo bank security footage 

June 4,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, On 5/31/2016 at 4:25pm the Ridgewood Police Department responded to the TD Bank at 133 Franklin Avenue for a report of a Panic/Holdup alarm. Once on scene, the employees reported a robbery and that a suspect passed a note demanding money. The suspect was described as a middle aged white male, approximately 5’8”, medium build, wearing a black hat and glasses, yellowish V neck T-Shirt, and jeans. No weapons were involved. The Bergen County Sheriff’s Crime Scene Unit and the FBI were on scene assisting in the investigation.

The information on the robbery was disseminated to all regional law enforcement agencies. On 6/2/2016 the Bensalem, PA Police department was contacted by the suspect, Jeffrey A. Morgan, of Woodcliff Lake, NJ who arranged to turn himself in to their custody for the robbery of the TD Bank in Ridgewood. The suspect was charged with one count of 2nd Degree Robbery by the Ridgewood Police Detective Bureau and one count of being a Fugitive From Justice by the Bensalem, PA Police Department. The suspect is currently housed in the Bucks County, PA Jail awaiting extradition to New Jersey