February 20,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, sign the petition and get the question on the ballot. Let the people decide which way to fund. What are the petition opposers afraid of?
PETITION SIGNING LOCATIONS
ELKS CLUB
(111 Maple Ave-next to library-across from Kings)
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 20TH
11:00AM-4:00PM
OLMC – AFTER EACH MASS
HUDSON/PASSAIC/PROSPECT STREETS
SAT FEB 20TH / SUN FEB 21ST
February 18, 2016 11:35 PM By Carey Codd
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Members of the Miami Fraternal Order of Police are calling for all law enforcement officers to boycott Beyoncé’s concert in Miami later this year.
Thursday morning, the president of the group – Javier Ortiz – mailed out a letter saying the group had voted “to have all law enforcement officers boycott Beyoncé’s concert” at Miami Marlins Stadium on April 27th.
The vote was over officers choosing not work the Beyoncé concert. The vote not to work it was unanimous.
“Officers that work these extra duties. They’re called extra duties for a reason. It’s because they’re voluntary and I simply will not sign up and many of the officers that I’ve spoken to said that they’re not going to sign up,” said Ortiz who spoke exclusively with CBS4’s Gary Nelson.
Ortiz says the group believes Beyoncé used the Super Bowl to “divide Americans by promoting Black Panthers and her anti-police message.”
“The message she gave was a very clear message to law enforcement,” said Ortiz. “She has made anti-police message when she put together that 50th anniversary salute, so to speak, about the Black Panthers during the Super Bowl and my members are extremely upset about that.”
https://miami.cbslocal.com/2016/02/18/fop-calls-for-boycott-of-beyonce-concert/
February 20th ,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, readers question, ” How dare the newspaper try to squelch letters from anyone on any side of the story, as long as they are respectful?! What the people are doing who are trying to stop the funding via the BCIA is completely legal and they are well within their rights. A grass roots effort like this stopped the turf field in Glen Rock. Citizens of this country have a right to act in accordance with the law. Clearly the triumvirate is very, very nervous because they are being outsmarted by honest, energetic and very intelligent individuals.”
Aronsohn connection with the Ridgewood News goes deep.. This is not the first time letters have not been published right Linda. Lets see who are owners of the Ridgewood News NorthJersey Media AKA The Record and who is the owners of the Record North Jersey Media Group (NJMG) is an independent, family-owned media company providing local news, information and services to the residents of northern New Jersey. The company is headquartered in Woodland Park (formerly West Paterson) and is best known for its daily newspaper, The Record. Stephen A. Borg Yes the same Stephen Borg that was the key speaker at one of our Mayors civility meeting. Let not forget the ex reported for the Record aka Aronsohn Press Officer. Get real poster what you read is being manipulated
Readers also Voice Concern on the Mayors Overly Cozy Relationship Stephen Borg, Publisher and President, North Jersey Media Group
https://theridgewoodblog.net/readers-also-voice-concern-on-the-mayors-overly-cozy-relationship-stephen-borg-publisher-and-president-north-jersey-media-group/
Readers feel the Mission of the “Civility Forums” is nothing more than Censorship and Control political speech of Village residents.
https://theridgewoodblog.net/reader-feel-the-mission-of-the-civility-forums-is-nothing-more-than-censorship-and-control-political-speech-of-village-residents/
Civility forum moves forward to squelch public dissent
https://theridgewoodblog.net/civility-forum-moves-forward-to-squelch-public-dissent/
To the Editor,
I am writing to urge my friends and neighbors to let our council know we reject entering into a lease/purchase agreement with the Bergen County Improvement Authority (BCIA) to fund the Hudson Street garage.
Our referendum vote shows that the majority of Villagers support funding a garage on Hudson street. We enjoy a triple AAA rating, and do not need Bergen County for funding. The only reason to go to the BCIA is because our own Council can not agree on the design, and the Council majority believes they and only they know best.
If funding through Bergen County, the likely results will be a garage controlled by the county. All Bergen County residents, including out of town commuters, will have the same access and fee structure as Ridgewood residents. Ridgewood’s general parking fund, which has been used to absorb budgetary overages will no longer be allowed to do so, which most likely will impact our taxes.
We elect our Council with the expectation that they will work together to represent the best interests of our Village. I would like to think they wouldn’t make decisions for our Village that they wouldn’t make in their own personal lives. Yet they approved change orders and are pushing forward with a plan to have the BCIA fund the garage when the public and the Council haven’t received photo simulations, rough site plan with footprint, details of how on street parking will be impacted etc. Would you approve funds for work on your own home without knowing what it would look like? Would you build into the street and not let your neighbors know? if you did so would you expect them to be upset?
Council members Sedon and Knudsen have stated that they would support a garage that fits on the lot, fits within the streetscape, and when their is a clear financial plan in place. Councilwoman Knudsen has repeatedly said she would like to have photo simulations to bring to the church and neighbors for their input. Isn’t that what we would desire from our neighbors? Councilman Sedon has expressed interest in having the specific financial plan in place. Again, this is a very reasonable request. We know the garage is not self funding and meter rates will rise but it has not been determined how much and what the impact will be on local businesses. Would you be willing to pay $.75-$1.00 for a coffee in town or to mail a package or might you visit Glen Rock or Midland Park instead?
I believe when all these details are known, we can achieve a 5-0 vote in favor of a garage we can all be happy with. Please email your council and ask them to work together and say no to the BCIA.
Paul Aronsohn – [email protected]
Albert Pucciarelli – [email protected]
Gwenn Hauck – [email protected]
Susan Knudsen – [email protected]
Michael Sedon – [email protected]
Thank you,
Carrie Giordano
I am outraged at the Chamber’s Ad in the Ridgewood News today. They lied from the beginning with the say “yes” and negotiate size later when there is no negotiation. You try and negotiate and they go around you. We are not a small, rogue, nameless group! Most of us speak at meetings, write letters and emails, and stand on the streets with clipboards. So the paper lets them continue to write lies with no rebuttals?
There was an email floating around today suggesting keeping this transaction off the balance sheet will allow Ridgewood to bond more projects. First, what other massive projects are they planning?? Second, anyone who believes in off balance sheet financing needs a lesson in finance. It is still debt, it needs to be paid back and ratings agencies will still recognize it as leverage.
Bernie Sanders will become our next president and it should come as no surprise to people actually paying attention
H.A. GOODMAN
In one major poll, Bernie Sanders is now leading Hillary Clinton nationally. In most others, he’s not far behind from the former Secretary of State. Vermont’s Senator already has an “edge over Clinton in matchups with GOP opponents,” dispelling Clinton’s electability myth. In an average of national polls, Bernie Sanders is less than eight points from Hillary Clinton, after being over 50 points behind in 2015. In addition, there’s only one person capable of challenging a Republican in 2016 withoutJames Comey declaring national security was jeopardized by a private server.
Bernie Sanders is the only Democratic candidate capable of winning the White House in 2016. Please name the last person to win the presidency alongside an ongoing FBI investigation, negative favorability ratings, questions about character linked to continual flip-flops, a dubious money trail of donors, and the genuine contempt of the rival political party. In reality, Clinton is a liability to Democrats, and certainly not the person capable of ensuring liberal Supreme Court nominees and President Obama’s legacy.
The precious and all-knowing polls already show Bernie Sanders defeating Republicans in a general election and Robert Reich has already explained why Sanders can easily win the presidency. In a Huffington Post piece titled “6 Responses to Bernie Skeptic,” Reich debunks the trusted myth of Clinton supporters and Republicans:
By LISA W. FODERAROFEB. 18, 2016
HILLSDALE, N.J. — In some neighborhoods of this placid New Jersey borough in Bergen County, they are seemingly everywhere — waddling by the dozen in the road, perched on car roofs, pecking at the tires of delivery trucks.
But wild turkeys, which were wiped out in the state by the mid-1800s, put on their most brazen display on Tuesday, when a letter carrier felt trapped in his truck and telephoned his boss for help.
“Hey sarge,” the postmaster said in a 911 call to the Hillsdale Police Department. “You’re not going to believe this, but I got a carrier that’s being attacked by wild turkeys and won’t let him deliver the mail.”
The letter carrier, who was not identified, was inside his truck on Esplanade Drive, surrounded by four or five turkeys, when two officers arrived, according to Capt. Sean Smith of the Police Department. “The first officer attempted to blow the siren and that didn’t work,” he said on Thursday. “Then the other officer got out of his car and ran aggressively toward the turkeys and that did the trick.”
It was just one of the latest skirmishes in suburbia’s wildlife wars. Turkeys have now joined the ranks of raccoons, foxes, coyotes, bears and deer, all of which have both fans and detractors and seem to make headlines with growing frequency.
BY SCOTT FALLON
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
Despite the millions of gallons of volatile crude being transported through the state by train, New Jersey will receive none of the $10 million awarded by the federal government Thursday to improve safety conditions on rail lines carrying the oil.
million awarded by the federal government Thursday to improve safety conditions on rail lines carrying the oil.
The Christie administration was among 34 applicants seeking a portion of the funds set aside by the Federal Railroad Administration to upgrade rail crossings along lines that have experienced an exponential increase in crude shipments. The oil, from the recent oil boom in North Dakota’s Bakken rock formation, has been involved in several fiery derailments, including one in Canada that killed 43 people three years ago.
Steve Schapiro, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation, said agency officials were disappointed in not receiving any funds but understands the process was competitive.
Related: Oil train bridges targeted in study; group says span over Passaic River decaying
Bergenfield Mayor Norman Schmelz was less diplomatic, saying the funding was inadequate to begin with. An estimated 15 to 30 trains, each carrying as much as 3 million gallons of crude, pass through his town each week. Like many communities in New Jersey, Bergenfield has homes, businesses, schools and government buildings within feet of the rail line.
“Ten million dollars probably wouldn’t be enough for Bergen County let alone the whole United States,” said Schmelz, whose emergency managers are preparing a response plan in case of a derailment. “I can’t believe there would be places in the country that are in more of a dire situation than here.”
Grants were awarded Thursday to transportation departments in Washington state, California, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, Arkansas and Louisiana.
Federal Railroad Administration officials said they received requests totaling $50.8 million, more than five times the money available. “In short, there is more need than funding available and a lot of strong applications,” said Marc Willis, an agency spokesman. Neither state nor federal officials provided details Thursday about New Jersey’s application.
Garrett: President Should Not Visit Cuba Until Murderers are Returned to U.S.
Menendez : It is totally unacceptable for the president of the United States to reward a dictatorial regime
Feb 18, 2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ – Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05) issued the following statement after the Obama Administration announced the president will visit Cuba and meet with President Castro as early as next month:
“I’m disappointed that President Obama is willing to travel to Cuba knowing full well that the Castro regime mocks our laws and continues to harbor convicted New Jersey cop-killer Joanne Chesimard and terrorist William Morales. Despite repeated calls from me and my colleagues, the president has yet to mention the extradition of U.S. fugitives as a condition of building diplomatic relations. Cuba’s refusal to return the fugitives is insulting to everyone who has waited years to see these cold-blooded killers face justice, and the president must prioritize the extradition of U.S. fugitives in all future negotiations with the Cuban regime.”
Garrett has been a longtime critic of the Cuban regime and has repeatedly called on their government to extradite and terrorist William Morales so they can face justice for their crimes.
While NJ Senator Bob Menendez also criticized the Presidents visit :
“It is totally unacceptable for the president of the United States to reward a dictatorial regime with a historic visit when human rights abuses endure and democracy continues to be shunned,” Menendez, who is Cuban-American, said Thursday. Menendez spoke at the Union of Cuban Ex-Political Prisoners.
“Despite the lack of reciprocity from a despotic and reinvigorated Castro regime, the president is rewarding this oppressive regime with a visit,” Menendez said. “In the case of Cuba, we should at very least expect that Joanne Chesimard will step off Air Force One with U.S. marshals.”
BY DIANA OLIVEIRA
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
RIDGEWOOD – When he first began Boy Scouts, Christian Seremetis already had an ultimate goal in mind: to become an Eagle Scout.
“My dad was really the spark that started the fire,” explained the 16-year-old. “My dad was an Eagle Scout, so I need to be an Eagle Scout.”
He was awarded that rank last month — along with his two fellow scouts from Ridgewood’s Boy Scout Troop 5, Brendan Cherrey and Dylan Hansen — at an Eagle Court of Honor ceremony in front of a crowd of family members, younger scouts and local dignitaries at First Presbyterian Church, the troop’s sponsor. Seremetis explained why he decided to pursue the hardest and highest advancement in Boy Scouts — a rank accomplished by only 7 percent of scouts nationwide.
“It wasn’t pressure as much as it was my own interest in doing it,” said Seremetis. “I’m the youngest of three kids. When you’re the youngest kid, when anyone older than you does something, you want to [match that]. In this case, it’s my dad.”
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
RIDGEWOOD – An award-winning Ridgewood tradition, Super Science Saturday (SSS), is ready to educate and inspire community members of all ages.
The event, which is being held on Feb. 27 for the 28th straight year, will feature professional presenters and student projects, according to its website.
This popular village event received an award from the New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame last October.
“SSS is an annual science exhibition that brings students at all grade levels and adults together to experience the wonder and excitement of science and technology in our daily lives,” said Mary Ann Copp, a member of the SSS Executive Committee. “Since its founding in 1988 by former Ben Franklin [Middle School] science teacher Jim Wallace, SSS is fun [makes science approachable and understandable], free [for anyone to attend] and non-competitive. Any student and adult can exhibit just by registering in advance.”
This year’s version of SSS will have a “special interactive show” featuring an actor playing Thomas Edison, Copp said, noting that the Edison show will begin at 9:30 a.m.
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
RIDGEWOOD – Willard Elementary School held its second annual service day last week, allowing students to participate in volunteer activities while meeting and interacting with adult volunteers from various charitable programs.
The event was organized by the school’s teachers and Home and School Association (HSA), according to Principal Caroline Hoffman, who called it “a positive and meaningful experience for Willard.”
“It puts into practice the most-important lessons we strive to teach our children – kindness, compassion and giving of ourselves to help others,” Hoffman said. “To take a couple of hours off from what we usually do to teach this important lesson and talk about what’s really important is very worthwhile.”
The HSA introduced Service Day for the first time last year, according to Christine Chanley, HSA president.
“We were overwhelmed by the generosity of the Willard community and, based on that success, we expanded this year to include five organizations,” she said.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/teaching-compassion-and-giving-1.1514595
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SOMERVILLE — A prosecutor under scrutiny for his murder-suicide finding in the deaths of a prominent New Jersey couple will be replaced by a federal prosecutor, Gov. Chris Christie’s office announced Thursday.
