Author: James

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Ridgewood Building Owner Hit by New PSE&G Phone Scam

phone-scam

New PSE&G Phone Scam

February 18,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, On 2/9/16 a building owner received a call from a person who stated they were from Public Service Electric and Gas and that a service crew was on their way to replace their gas meter. The caller gave accurate account information and an 800 number similar to the PSE&G number for him to call back. The caller advised the building owner go to a retail store in Midland Park and pay for the meter upgrade or gas would be shut off at the building. Although the caller sounded convincing patrol contacted PSE&G directly and confirmed that it was a scam. PSE&G offers a variety of payment options, and would never require a customer to use one specific type of payment. PSE&G customers scheduled for disconnection due to nonpayment receive written notice on their bill at least 10 days in advance.

Any customer who has doubts about the legitimacy of a call from PSE&G — especially one in which payment is requested — should call them directly at 1-800-436-PSEG (7734).

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Ridgewood Council discusses budget with village departments

Village Council Meeting

file photo by Boyd Loving

BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

RIDGEWOOD – Ridgewood’s Village Council continued its budget meetings this week, with representatives from various departments reporting on their successes and needs.

Health Department

Dawn Cetrulo, a health officer, said, “2015 was a great year for the Health Department,” noting that the department was easily able to deal with the Ebola virus crisis from last year, showing the staff’s preparedness. She also stated that the village’s weight-loss challenge went well, with a lot of participants “keeping the weight off.”

Furthermore, she noted that Animal Control Department provided 118 rabies vaccinations and 32 dog microchips to villagers free of charge.

Cetrulo said that some of the department’s goals for 2016 are to “continue to improve outreach programs in the community,” as well as “focusing on a monthly health positive.”

https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/town-government/village-reps-talk-numbers-1.1514670

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Too many anti Ridgewood garage letters bad for newspaper business?

Hudson Street Parking Garage
February 18,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Several persons who object to BCIA involvement in the ongoing parking deck debacle have recently written letters to The Ridgewood News only to find receipt of those letters unacknowledged, and also never published.
As a result of a full page ad supporting BCIA involvement that appears in this week’s edition of The Ridgewood News, which was paid for by the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce, the staff of The Ridgewood Blog now wonders if The Ridgewood News has chosen not to publish too many anti garage letters to the editor for fear of losing advertising revenue from local merchants who belong to the Chamber.
Two letters in direct support of the garage and BCIA involvement are printed in this week’s edition of The Ridgewood News. There are no letters specifically opposing the BCIA becoming involved, although one anti garage letter was printed.
Is it possible that The Ridgewood News sold out its readers in favor of its advertisers?
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Ridgewood and Wyckoff Police Intercept Fraud Suspect at Bank of America

bank-of-america_theridgewoodblog
Ridgewood and Wyckoff Police Intercept Fraud Suspect at Bank of America
February 18,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Police report that on Thursday February 11th patrol responded to Bank of America on North Maple Ave for the report of a suspicious person who fit the description of a person who attempted a fraud at the Wyckoff Bank of America branch earlier in the day.

Patrol identified the person as Ajee Jones 21 of Newark and confirmed she was at the Wyckoff branch earlier in the day. Wyckoff police had issued a complaint for her and requested Ridgewood take her into custody. Prior to transporting her to Wyckoff Officer Knapp discovered she was in possession of a stun gun. Ms. Jones was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon and turned over to the Wyckoff police department. All defendants are considered innocent until found guilty in a court of law
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POPE PICKS FIGHT WITH TRUMP ENTERS U.S. ELECTION BATTLE

Vatican wall

 

February 18,2016

the staff if the Ridgewood blog

Pope  Frances entered the fray of US election politics saying, “a person who thinks only about building walls, wherever they may be, and not building bridges, is not Christian. This is not in the gospel. As far as what you said about whether I would advise to vote or not to vote, I am not going to get involved in that. I say only that this man is not Christian if he said things like that. We must see if he said things in that way and in this I give the benefit of the doubt.”

In response to the Pope, Donald  Trump released a statement and held a press conference :

If and when the Vatican is attacked by ISIS, which as everyone knows is ISIS’s ultimate trophy, I can promise you that the Pope would have only wished and prayed that Donald Trump would have been President because this would not have happened. ISIS would have been eradicated unlike what is happening now with our all talk, no action politicians.

The Mexican government and its leadership has made many disparaging remarks about me to the Pope, because they want to continue to rip off the United States, both on trade and at the border, and they understand I am totally wise to them. The Pope only heard one side of the story – he didn’t see the crime, the drug trafficking and the negative economic impact the current policies have on the United States. He doesn’t see how Mexican leadership is outsmarting President Obama and our leadership in every aspect of negotiation.

For a religious leader to question a person’s faith is disgraceful. I am proud to be a Christian and as President I will not allow Christianity to be consistently attacked and weakened, unlike what is happening now, with our current President. No leader, especially a religious leader, should have the right to question another man’s religion or faith. They are using the Pope as a pawn and they should be ashamed of themselves for doing so, especially when so many lives are involved and when illegal immigration is so rampant.

Donald J. Trump

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Port Authority to launch design contest to replace bus terminal, we have some ideas

saturday night fever

Port Authority to launch design contest to replace bus terminal; we have some ideas of our own, so please submit your  design to the Ridgewood blog [email protected]

The Port Authority Bus Terminal in midtown Manhattan.
BY PAUL BERGER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

The Port Authority will push ahead with a design competition for a new Midtown Manhattan bus terminal even as agency commissioners remain divided about where and how big it should be — and whether they should build a second  terminal in New Jersey that would transfer bus commuters to trains for the trip to New York City.

Pat Foye, the Port Authority’s executive director, announced the launch of the competition at an agency board meeting on Thursday, saying that designers will be expected to submit concepts that are “scalable and modular and made to fit whatever location and size the agency decides.”

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a disco themed port authority ,with disco balls and blinking floors

The agency is being deliberately vague because of a split among board members about how best to replace the 66-year-old terminal at 42nd Street. That station, which serves about 30,000 Bergen County commuters every weekday, is operating over capacity and is in dire need of repair. Engineers say it will need to be knocked down in about 20 years because of structural problems.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/port-authority-to-launch-design-contest-to-replace-bus-terminal-1.1514239

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Kate Hudson ditches her usual glamour for androgynous look in an oversized trouser suit at Ridgewood Bookends book launch

KATE HUDSON

Boy, she looks good! Kate Hudson ditches her usual glamour for androgynous look in an oversized trouser suit at book launch

By SHARNAZ SHAHID FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 04:41 EST, 18 February 2016 | UPDATED: 08:32 EST, 18 February 2016

She can do no wrong when it comes to mixing and matching her sartorial style.

And Kate Hudson ditched her typically glamorous ensembles for an androgynous chic look as she continued to promote her new book in Ridgewood, New Jersey on Wednesday.

KATE HUDSON took pictures and signed her new book: Pretty Happy ($26.99)

Dressed in a grey slouchy two-piece suit with an off-white plunging blouse, the 36-year-old worked the style with aplomb as she signed copies of Pretty Happy: Healthy Ways to Love Your Body.

Read more: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3452524/Kate-Hudson-ditches-glamour-androgynous-look-works-plunging-blouse-chic-trouser-suit-launch.html#ixzz40XdmlBzQ

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Hollywood hospital pays $17,000 in bitcoins to hackers who took control of computers

hacker-fares

Richard WintonContact Reporter

Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center paid a $17,000 ransom in bitcoins to a hacker who seized control of the hospital’s computer systems and would give back access only when the money was paid, the hospital’s chief executive said Wednesday.

The assault on Hollywood Presbyterian occurred Feb. 5, when hackers using malware infected the institution’s computers, preventing hospital staff from being able to communicate from those devices, said CEO Allen Stefanek.

The hacker demanded 40 bitcoins, the equivalent of about $17,000, he said.

“The malware locks systems by encrypting files and demanding ransom to obtain the decryption key. The quickest and most efficient way to restore our systems and administrative functions was to pay the ransom and obtain the decryption key,” Stefanek said. “In the best interest of restoring normal operations, we did this.”

The hospital said it alerted authorities and was able to restore all its computer systems by Monday with the assistance of technology experts.

https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-hollywood-hospital-bitcoin-20160217-story.html

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Help a Ridgewood local for the adventure of a lifetime. Spread the word!

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Tyler Reynolds

February 16 at 7:24pm

Hi Everyone,

Not sure if I can post this here, but here I go anyways. Me and my friends Anthony and Josh from the University of Delaware are attempting to compete in a race in Europe, sponsored by Red Bull. Catch is we can only use Red Bull as currency. We are also stripped of all ttechnology so it’ll be quite the adventure. It works on votes to get past the preliminary round. I’m hoping everyone can help us out by voting by opening the link below and hitting the like button! Help a Ridgewood local for the adventure of a lifetime. Spread the word! Share the link! Every vote helps! Thank you and hope to be posting pictures from Europe very soon!
Yours truly,
Tyler Reynolds

VOTE HERE: https://www.redbullcanyoumakeit.com/en/applications/6668/

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2016 Electorate Representation Index: Which States Most Closely Resemble the U.S.? – WalletHub Study

vote for me

February 18,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood Nj, With the results of the earlier primary-election states greatly affecting which candidates stay in the presidential race — raising the question of which state truly deserves the top spot in the primaries — the personal finance website WalletHub today released its 2016 Electorate Representation Index.

To determine which states fairly represent the U.S. electorate, WalletHub’s analysts compared the 50 states to the U.S. across five key categories: 1) Sociodemographics, 2) Economy, 3) Education, 4) Religion, and 5) Public Opinion.

States that Most Resemble the U.S. States that Least Resemble the U.S.
1 Illinois 41 Maine
2 Florida 42 Tennessee
3 Michigan 43 Arkansas
4 Arizona 44 New Hampshire
5 Pennsylvania 45 Utah
6 Ohio 46 Massachusetts
7 Indiana 47 Alabama
8 Delaware 48 West Virginia
9 Missouri 49 Mississippi
10 Virginia 50 Vermont
States with the Most Sociodemographic Resemblance with the U.S. States with the Least Sociodemographic Resemblance with the U.S.
1 Illinois 46 California
2 Connecticut 47 North Dakota
3 Virginia 48 Vermont
4 North Carolina 49 Maine
5 Oklahoma 50 Hawaii
States with the Most Economic Resemblance with the U.S. States with the Least Economic Resemblance with the U.S.
1 Illinois 46 Montana
2 Pennsylvania 47 Hawaii
3 Texas 48 Wyoming
4 Missouri 49 Maryland
5 North Carolina 50 Alaska
States with the Most Educational Resemblance with the U.S. States with the Least Educational Resemblance with the U.S.
1 North Carolina 46 Colorado
2 Georgia 47 Wyoming
3 Illinois 48 Massachusetts
4 Rhode Island 49 Utah
5 Florida 50 West Virginia
States with the Most Religious Resemblance with the U.S. States with the Least Religious Resemblance with the U.S.
1 Florida 46 Utah
2 Michigan 47 Vermont
3 Indiana 48 Massachusetts
4 Arizona 49 Mississippi
5 Ohio 50 Alabama
States with the Most Public-Opinion Resemblance with the U.S. States with the Least Public-Opinion Resemblance with the U.S.
1 Michigan 46 Wyoming
2 Florida 47 Massachusetts
3 Pennsylvania 48 Mississippi
4 Illinois 49 Vermont
5 Iowa 50 Alabama
For the full report and to see where your state ranks, please visit: https://wallethub.com/edu/electorate-representation-index/18190/
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Suspicious Package Closes Broadway eastbound between 29th Street and Fair Lawn Parkway in Fair Lawn

Bergen County Sheriff's Office Bomb Squad Unit

photo courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook page

Suspicious Package Closes Broadway eastbound between 29th Street and Fair Lawn Parkway in Fair Lawn

February 18,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Fair Lawn NJ, Broadway eastbound between 29th Street and Fair Lawn Parkway in Fair Lawn was closed to pedestrians and traffic for over one (1) hour late Wednesday night, 02/17 while Fair Lawn PD and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad Unit investigated a suspicious package left in front of a vacant storefront near the corner of Broadway and 30th Street. An x-ray of the package taken by a Bomb Squad technician showed it to be harmless and the roadway was completely reopened just after 10 PM. Fair Lawn FD Companies 3 & 4, along with Fair Lawn EMS, were placed on standby during the incident as a precaution. The driver of a 4-door grey colored Cadillac Escalade who failed to stop for police officers directing traffic at the scene was apprehended a short distance away and later charged with DUI.

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Reader says the Transportation Trust Fund is nothing more than a piggy bank to fund pet projects and to funnel payments to favored firms

garber_square_roadwork_theridgewoodblog

file photo by Boyd Loving

The TTF is not going bust. Its 5 year authorization ends in June, so either it is reauthorized from July 1st or we find a more cost effective solution to fully fund the state’s capital program for state roads, bridges & tunnels. Trying to saying it will go bankrupt is a misleading statement aimed at raising gasoline taxes for no other reason than a new tax to fund pet union projects

This is a bold faced union lie. In recent years the fund has supported $1.2B in annual construction, maintenance and operating costs at NJ Transit and the state DoT. This despite TTF owing more than $30B in principal and interest on their debt, piled up by politicians in Trenton. The TTF is fully able to support the current capital program as originally proposed in the current five-year authorization, and will be able to do so if it is reauthorized again from July 1st. Too bad if the funds raised from the gasoline tax and toll charges are actually used for actual state road, bridge & tunnel repairs.

The politicians and unions don’t like that because they’ve been using the TTF as a piggy bank to fund their pet projects and to funnel graft payments to favored firms like Sarlo pal Sanzari. NJ spends 3X more than any other state to maintain state roads (surprise, surprise!) and that’s exactly why Senate President Sweeney says things like, “Judgment day is here, and we need to fund the TTF.” It’s how he buys votes and without more funds he loses that ability. They want to burden all NJ residents and commuters with higher gasoline taxes to fund their vote buying machine, and they are unwilling to discuss how the TTF rang up $30B in debt by overpaying union labor for road work & repairs. It’s nothing more than a scam to steal money from our pockets.

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TD Bank Branch Held Up in Hawthorne

TD Bank Robbery
photos courtesy of Boyd Loving
TD Bank Branch Held Up in Hawthorne 
February 18,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Hawthorne NJ, The TD Bank branch located at 617 Lafayette Avenue, Hawthorne was held up shortly before 4:30 PM on Wednesday, 2/17. Hawthorne PD responded to the incident. A description of the perpetrator and his getaway vehicle was obtained and provided to surrounding area law enforcement agencies.
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Ridgewood Police Training Exercise

ridgewood_police_theridgewoodblog

file photo by Boyd Loving

Ridgewood Police Training Exercise

2/18/16 between 9am and 2pm

The Ridgewood Police Department will be conducting training at 499 Berkshire Rd at the corner of Ellington Rd. Along with the Bergen County Regional SWAT team. There will be numerous plain clothes officers in the area with training weapons and equipment no live ammunition will be used.

ALSO : Linwood Ave closed between Northern Parkway and N.Maple Ave until 5pm today. Detour is in place. Plan an alternate route.

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The fact is Ridgewood was designated by NJT as a major transit hub several years ago

ridgewood bus station

“The fact is Ridgewood was designated by NJT as a major transit hub several years ago and to a large extent that is why so many residents who work on Wall St have chosen to live here. Ridgewood has the reputation as the town that “has it all” great schools, charming neighborhoods, a lively downtown……and an easy commute to the city. When one gets past all the current rhetoric the three amigos are simply executing a plan and a vision for Ridgewood that was put in place long before they arrived on the scene.” Ed S

From
https://www.state.nj.us/transportation/community/village/faq.shtm

Transit Village Initiative Overview

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is a designated Transit Village?
A. A designated Transit Village is a municipality that has been recommended for designation by the interagency Transit Village Task Force. These municipalities have demonstrated a commitment to revitalizing and redeveloping the area around their transit facilities into compact, mixed-use neighborhoods with a strong residential component.

A municipality can be designated a Transit Village only after much of the planning and background work has already been done on the municipal level. It may only be designated a Transit Village after the Transit Village Criteria have been met.

Q. How many designated Transit Villages are there?
A. There are currently 30 designated Transit Villages. They are Pleasantville (1999), Morristown (1999), Rutherford (1999), South Amboy (1999), South Orange (1999), Riverside (2001), Rahway (2002), Metuchen (2003), Belmar (2003), Bloomfield (2003), Bound Brook (2003), Collingswood (2003), Cranford (2003), Matawan (2003), New Brunswick (2005), Journal Square/Jersey City (2005), Netcong (2005), Elizabeth/Midtown (2007), Burlington City (2007), City of Orange Township (2009), Montclair (2010), Somerville (2010), Linden (2010), West Windsor (2012), East Orange (2012), Dunellen (2012), Summit (2013), Plainfield (2014), Borough of Park Ridge (2015) and Irvington Township (2015).