Ridgewood NJ, To celebrate the creativity, expression and talent of our Kindergarten through Grade 12 students, the district is excited to showcase a fantastic collection of their art work. The exhibit will be on display at the Education Center throughout the month of March. Please stop in to view the great creativity and talent of our students. The public is also invited to an artists’ reception at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 2 at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place, floor 3.
Asian Festival is March 5 .This year’s Asian Festival Benefit celebrating the diverse cultures of Ridgewood (Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Philippines) will be held on Saturday, March 5 at 6 p.m. in the RHS Campus Center. All are welcome! Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for students and will be available the day of at the door (cash only, please). All proceeds go to Doctor’s Without Borders.
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
RIDGEWOOD – Members of Ridgewood’s ruling body last week voted by a narrow margin (3-2) to adopt HealthBarn USA’s lease at the Habernickel Family Park.
Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck, Mayor Paul Aronsohn and Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli all voted to adopt the lease, while Councilman Mike Sedon and Councilwoman Susan Knudsen cast the dissenting votes.
The process got going due to a resolution for HealthBarn USA to occupy the gatehouse at the Habernickel property passing by a 4-1 vote at the Feb. 10 Village Council meeting. The second resolution on the lease was postponed until Feb. 18 because the council wanted to review the finalized lease before authorizing signature.
And due to the majority vote at the Feb. 18 budget meeting, the lease was adopted.
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
RIDGEWOOD – An exploratory committee gave a presentation examining the feasibility of full-day kindergarten at the Feb. 22 Board of Education (BOE) meeting.
While a previous report by demographer Ross Haber indicated that the district offering full-day kindergarten was feasible, BOE trustees have said in the past that the district simply does not have the funds to make this option available.
As a result, the committee looked into other options for implementing the change, like offering tuition-based kindergarten or raising taxes to generate funding.
According to Cheryl Best, assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction and assessment, a number of residents filled out a survey asking their preferences regarding full-day kindergarten.
As shown in the presentation, an overwhelming majority (73 percent) were in favor of implementing full-day kindergarten. Additionally, 71.3 percent of those surveyed said that they used a supplemental enrichment program to complement their children’s current half-day kindergarten. Furthermore, 57 percent would support a tax increase.
Midland Park NJ, A large sinkhole on Woodside Avenue in Midland Park almost swallowed a small Midland Park Department of Public Works truck whole, and caused major disruption to water, waste water, and natural gas services in sections of Midland Park and nearby Ridgewood. The were no injuries reported in the calamity
Ridgewoood NJ, Leaf summon issue resolved for now , while it does seem troubling as to the percentage of homes who were issued summonses. Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld reported that 404 out of 414 leaf summons were paid , 3 were heard by a judge , others were dismissed for various reasons.
https://www.tubechop.com/watch/7730477 courtesy of Saurabh Dani
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
RIDGEWOOD – The Village Council meeting on Feb. 24 was an eventful one, as it included a spirited debate between council members as well as a presentation and a number of public comments.
Reintroducing the bond ordinance
Mayor Paul Aronsohn announced via email that the council would be voting to reintroduce the bond ordinance for the proposed Hudson Street parking garage at the upcoming council meeting on March 2, which would allow for the facility to be funded in-town as opposed to by the Bergen County Improvement Authority (BCIA), which residents had been clamoring for. Though the vote will require a supermajority to pass (4-1), the vote, as it stands is 3-2. This means that just one more vote to bond the garage in town is needed.
Should a supermajority be reached, the council will vote on whether to actually bond within the village at the upcoming March 23 council meeting.
“Hopefully, this council can agree to it,” Aronsohn said. “That’s great if we can do it in-house.”
Aronsohn did note, however, that while he is open to bonding in Ridgewood, he is still committed to bonding with the BCIA should there not be enough votes to fund the garage through the village.
“Either way makes sense,” he said. “I think a partnership with the BCIA is fantastic; I think there are a lot of benefits to that for us, for them, but I think if we can do it in-house, and if that brings us together as a council and as community, so be it, let’s do that.”
Usually Rurik is to be totally ignored, but let’s address one thing he spoke about last night.He touted the benefits and wonders of the Ridgewood moms and dads page. The one stop place for information on all local happenings.
Except if you happen to be anyone with an opinion that differs from the site moderator who happens to do the bidding of our village manger, Rurik and a few others who are like minded.The moderator pergolas has ties to other local organizations which would benefit from keeping only one side of the story visible to as many residents as he can reach.
So, say you are someone who should want to post any opposing view of Rurik, or post factual information about something like say, the petition, your post is deleted and you’re removed from the site. Some people may get a warning that their many neighbors are complaining about them- probably not- and you’re allowed to reapply for admission to censorship central at a later time.
The moderator of the site that Halaby finds so helpful, is censoring what a good portion of Ridgewood residents see. Some people don’t know there are other places to go to get a well balanced view of town happenings.Just figured it should be put out there.
The moderator and his wife are all easily enough found out off of this blog. All easily looked up.
He deletes immediately and removes the comments of, anyone who dares to speak out against the council majority. He thr. Sends messages to the offenders which are sometimes direct quotes from Roberta.
Unfortunately a lot of new people to town, or people not as aware as others, use that site as a place for legit information.
That man has set himself up as the censor for Ridgewood.Unacceptable.
Ridgewood and Glen Rock PD officers apprehended a suspected burglar on Lincoln Avenue in Ridgewood
February 26,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood and Glen Rock PD officers apprehended a suspected burglar just moments after he reportedly made an attempt to break into a home off of Lincoln Avenue in Ridgewood on Thursday afternoon, 02/25. While being detained for questioning by uniformed patrol officers, detectives who arrived at the scene observed several items strewn about the ground indicative of those generally preferred by burglars.
The suspect was handcuffed and taken to Ridgewood PD headquarters for questioning as detectives worked to photograph the evidence found at the scene. A Bergen County Sheriff’s officer was also observed at the scene of the arrest.
It has also been reported that there has been a decided up tick in home robberies and attempted robberies in recent weeks , in any case best to keep doors locked , a light on in the evening ,and police uncollected papers and mail , A home security system is also a big plus.
UPDATE: Ridgewood Police Department report Simon S. Strong age 35 from Paterson, NJ was charged with Criminal Attempt (Burglary), Criminal Mischief, Receiving Stolen Property, Possession of Marijuana under 50 grams Bail was set at $25,000 no 10% option. The subject was remanded to Bergen County Jail in lieu of bail.
Former US Attorney General Eric Holder is a huge fan of NBA hall of famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
So much so that Holder used Abdul-Jabbar’s birth name, Lew Alcindor, as an alias for his official Department of Justice (DOJ) email account, raising more questions about the email practices of top Obama administration officials, and about the ability of US government agencies to track down correspondence in response to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.
The Lew Alcindor revelation was made in a February 16 letter that DOJ sent to VICE News and Ryan Shapiro, a historian and doctoral candidate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who specializes in national security research.
“For your information,” the letter said, “e-mails in the enclosed documents which use the account name ‘Lew Alcindor’ denote e-mails to or from former Attorney General Holder.”
The letter was part of about 500 pages of heavily redacted emails and other documents [pdf at the end of this story] given to VICE News and Shapiro in response to a FOIA lawsuit filed in late 2014. The documents show that Justice Department officials sent emails to Lew Alcindor regarding calls from lawmakers for a federal investigation into claims that CIA personnel spied on Senate staffers while the Senate was drafting a report about the CIA’s torture program. Holder’s name does not appear anywhere in his Lew Alcindor email account.
(Reuters) – More than 200 people treated at a New Jersey medical center may have been exposed to HIV or hepatitis B or C because of a former employee accused of tampering with drugs, the hospital said on Thursday.
Shore Medical Center in Somers Point, located on the southern New Jersey coast outside of Atlantic City, sent letters last week to 213 patients who were treated with certain intravenous medications, including morphine, between June 1, 2013 and Sept. 17, 2014.
“We have been working with public health authorities to determine if patients could have been exposed to blood-borne pathogens at Shore through contact with this employee’s blood,” said hospital spokesman Brian Cahill in a statement.
Free testing and support are being offered to the patients, the hospital said. New Jersey Health Department spokeswoman Dawn Thomas described the risk of exposure as low.
Democrats face a stark choice: A money-mad, scandal-plagued establishment, or the potential of decency and change
CAMILLE PAGLIA
Despite Bernie Sanders being tied with her for pledged delegates after last weekend’s Nevada caucuses, the media herd has anointed Hillary Clinton yet again as the inevitable Democratic nominee. Superdelegates, those undemocratic figureheads and goons of the party establishment, are by definition unpledged and fluid and should never be added to the official column of any candidate until the national convention. To do so is an amoral tactic of intimidation that affects momentum and gives backstage wheeling and dealing primacy over the will of the electorate. Why are the media so servilely complicit with Clinton-campaign propaganda and trickery?
Democrats face a stark choice this year. A vote for the scandal-plagued Hillary is a resounding ratification of business as usual–the corrupt marriage of big money and machine politics, practiced by the Clintons with the zest of Boss Tweed, the gluttonous czar of New York’s ruthless Tammany Hall in the 1870s. What you also get with Hillary is a confused hawkish interventionism that has already dangerously destabilized North Africa and the Mideast. This is someone who declared her candidacy on April 12, 2015 via an email and slick video and then dragged her feet on making a formal statement of her presidential policies and goals until her pollsters had slapped together a crib list of what would push the right buttons. This isn’t leadership; it’s pandering.
Location: Unitarian Society of Ridgewood, 113 Cottage Place, Ridgewood, NJ Cost: $20 per person
Event Description
Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Choral will hold a benefit concert and silent auction. Carl Patrick Bolleia, pianist and 2004 Music Award winner will play piano selections from the earliest composers to the latest. Since 1967 The Ridgewood Choral has presented the Florence Reinauer Memorial Music Award to a musically talented teen. Over $30,000 in scholarships has been awarded to high school seniors in recognition of excellence in vocal or instrumental performance. Admission at the door on the day of the performance is $20 and includes refreshments. Proceeds will fund the Award, currently $2500. For more information about The Ridgewood Choral, a non-profit community chorus, visit www.ridgewoodchoral.org
Ridgewood NJ, The other day the Washington Post ran an article entitled “The baffling reason many millennials don’t eat cereal.”
I have never been a fan of cereal myself,actually I hate it, and I thought finally something good to say about Millennials ,so I clicked on it to see if they shared my distaste in the common breakfast ,some call it “food”.
The Washington Post article goes on to describe how this trend toward convenient and quick foods is a sign of a fast-paced, two-income family society in which very few people have time to prepare and eat a meal at home. However, the article also makes another interesting observation:“But there is something different about the backlash against cereal bowls, something more fundamental about it that seems to speak to a greater truth about American households today.
Wow you would never survive in my house . That is a generational shift in how families raise their kids. This disconnection from the consequences of everyday living appears to be turning even the most mundane of responsibilities, like doing the dishes, into unthinkable nuisances and raising a generation of self entitled helpless brats .
Let’s face it: modern parents love and want the best for their children. And in an attempt to achieve that best, parents have pushed aside chore requirements because their children fussed over them or simply didn’t have time to handle them with the busyness of school, sports, and extra-curricular activities.
But have parents missed the fact that training their children to be diligent, capable, and efficient through the medium of chores might be one of the best ways to help their child become a success in the adult world?
The simple things like chores teach children discipline, confidence, persistence, and many other life skills. Skills many new to the workforce seem to be severaly lacking. In an article in Business Insider about the mid-20s girl in California that mouthed off on Yelp and fired for it. This is another example of someone that lacked discipline to have good financial habits, lack of confidence that she could turn her situation around with hard work, had no persistence in that she wanted and expected more freebies. The typical Bernie Sanders voter I might ad .
Lawmaker proposes lowering New Jersey’s drinking age to 18
Republican Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll recently introduced the measure, saying it’s wrong that an 18-year-old can serve in the military but not be allowed to buy alcohol. The bill seems unlikely to pass, since lowering the drinking age would cost the state millions of dollars in federal highway funds
A New Jersey legislator wants to lower New Jersey’s drinking age from 21 to 18. Associated Press Read more
Many Americans don’t have to worry about giving Uncle Sam part of their hard-earned cash for their income taxes this year.
An estimated 45.3 percent of American households — roughly 77.5 million — will pay no federal individual income tax, according to data for the 2015 tax year from the Tax Policy Center, a nonpartisan Washington-based research group. (Note that this does not necessarily mean they won’t owe their states income tax.)
Roughly half pay no federal income tax because they have no taxable income, and the other roughly half get enough tax breaks to erase their tax liability, explains Roberton Williams, a senior fellow at the Tax Policy Center.
Despite the fact that rich people paying little in the way of income taxes makes plenty of headlines, this is the exception to the rule: The top 1 percent of taxpayers pay a higher effective income tax rate than any other group (around 23 percent, according to a report released by the Tax Policy Center in 2014) — nearly seven times higher than those in the bottom 50 percent.
On average, those in the bottom 40 percent of the income spectrum end up getting money from the government. Meanwhile, the richest 20 percent of Americans, by far, pay the most in income taxes, forking over nearly 87 percent of all the income tax collected by Uncle Sam.
The top 1 percent of Americans, who have an average income of more than $2.1 million, pay 43.6 percent of all the federal individual income tax in the US; the top 0.1 percent — just 115,000 households, whose average income is more than $9.4 million — pay more than 20 percent of it.
When it comes to all federal taxes — individual income, payroll, excise, corporate income and estate taxes — the distributions of who pays what is more spread out. This is partially because nearly everyone pays excise taxes, which include taxes on gasoline, alcohol and cigarettes.
