Author: James

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Trump’s NH rout plunges GOP establishment into chaos

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By Jonathan Easley and Niall Stanage – 02/09/16 11:21 PM EST

MANCHESTER, N.H. — The Republican establishment has been plunged into disarray by Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary, which revitalized Donald Trump’s campaign and muddled the chances for a centrist alternative to emerge.

The Granite State result is just about the worst possible one from the establishment’s perspective — ensuring the centrist vote will remain divided, with no candidate in that lane having momentum and a viable path to victory.

Trump won the Granite State resoundingly, being projected as the winner by multiple news organizations as soon as polls closed at 8 p.m. As of 11 p.m., he was way out in front, leading second-place John Kasich by a margin of more than two-to-one with 76 percent of precincts reporting.

Just as importantly, the primary delivered a heavy blow to Marco Rubio, stopping dead the momentum he had received from his strong third-place finish in last week’s Iowa caucuses.

Those two factors alone are enough to cause consternation among establishment Republicans, who hope to see Trump taken down by someone on their wavelength.

“The sense of urgency will certainly increase,” said Kevin Madden, a GOP strategist who advised 2012 presidential nominee Mitt Romney.

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/268889-trump-rout-plunges-gop-establishment-into-chaos

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How a Clinton staffer ‘blackmailed’ reporters

HillarySOS

By Bob Fredericks

February 10, 2016 | 2:02am

Hillary Clinton’s high-powered press operation “blackmailed” reporters by promising perks in exchange for flattering coverage, according to a report Tuesday.

Using the Freedom of Information Act, Gawker obtained an exchange of ­emails between Clinton spokesman Philippe Reines and Marc Ambinder, a writer for The Atlantic magazine, that demonstrated how the process worked.

Ambinder asked Reines on July 15, 2009, for an advance copy of a speech Clinton was to deliver at the Council on Foreign Relations.

https://nypost.com/2016/02/10/hillary-blackmailed-media-to-get-positive-coverage-report/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=NYPFacebook&utm_medium=SocialFlow

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Ridgewood Town Garage Site vs. Hudson Street Garage

town_garage_theridgewoodblog

Dear Village Officials,  I understand ” the train has left the station ” on the Garage at the Hudson Street site but I would like to state a brief case as to why this is not the best scenario for Ridgewood at the present time.

We have a contaminated site at the Town Garage site and the village owned properties abutting it. Hydrolic and diesel fuel from old underground tanks is seeping into the ground and could be affecting our ground water in the area.  I know that it is being monitored and that the DEP targeted this area for remediation at least 10 years ago. In 2002, a village conducted study saw the Town Garage site as a better fit for a municipal garage than Hudson Street for various reasons.
I believe the village tried to gain the property via eminent domain in 2009 but that failed.  I understand that you have asked our village attorney to look into the Abandoned Property ordinance.  The owners of that site are up to date on taxes but the property continues to be a threat to the environment.  I believe that this property should be acquired by the village, the site cleaned up and  responsible development of the property including a garage should take place.

You are voting on an ordinance this evening to bond 12.3 million dollars through the BCIA.  Our first priority should be the acquisition of the Town Garage site and the remediation of that property as soon as possible.  If a garage is built there, it would be used by employees, diners sand shoppers as well as commuters as it is more centrally located.  The Hudson Street area could be repaved and reconfigured to maximize parking spaces and also for minimal costs made more aesthetically pleasing.  I want what is best for the village and right now it is to clean up the toxic site in our downtown area.

Sincerely,
Linda Mc Namara
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Christie to suspend campaign

New Jersey Governor Christie gives news conference in Trenton

Christie to suspend campaign

Christie heading home to evaluate campaign’s future
By Ben Kamisar
Chris Christie said he is taking a pause from the campaign trail to “take a deep breath” and evaluate his presidential campaign’s future after a poor showing in New Hampshire.

“We are going to go home to New Jersey tomorrow, and we are going to take a deep breath, see what the final results are tonight, because that matters,” Christie said at a speech Tuesday night as the New Hampshire primary results poured in.

“We will make our next step forward based on the complete results in New Hampshire.”

Christie had banked his presidential hopes on New Hampshire. With about half of the votes counted, he is in sixth place.

If he fails to finish in the top five, he’ll likely miss the cut for Saturday’s GOP debate.

https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/gop-primaries/268883-christie-heading-home-to-evaluate-campaigns-future

 

Chris Christie Expected to Formally End Presidential Bid as Early as Today

By JOSH MARGOLIN
JORDYN PHELPS
Feb 10, 2016, 10:53 AM

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is expected to formally suspend his presidential campaign as early as today after he huddles with his closest advisers, ABC News has learned.

A statement announcing the suspension could come as soon as early this afternoon, according to a source briefed on Christie’s plans.

“We bet the ranch on New Hampshire, and no one ever anticipated the Trump phenomenon,” the source told ABC News. “He’s a realist.”

Christie’s New Hampshire campaign Chairman Wayne MacDonald, who is not involved in today’s deliberations but is familiar with the campaign’s strategy, said that qualifying for the next debate is likely a major factor in the deliberations.

And with the governor’s 6th place finish in New Hampshire, he does not qualify to make the stage.

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/chris-christie-expected-formally-end-presidential-bid-early/story?id=36835186

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Stay tuned for tonight’s Ridgewood Council meeting

garage new design

 

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Village Hall meeting at 8pm, during the first public statement there will be an announcement about what actions you can take if the Village Council votes in favor of bonding the proposed garage through the County. So, whether you can come out to the meeting or watch at home – stay tuned.

For those who are just getting up to speed, here’s what’s happening:
The attached new garage proposal diagram just appeared in the lobby of Village Hall. I don’t know about you, but I never imagined it would be this HUGE, let alone that, even with all the prior resident outrage, it still does not fit the municipal lot size.
Tonight our Village Council will be voting on going to the County for a $12,300,000 bond. This is going to take away our control of the process. It is going to cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars more to do this than to bond ourselves. Bonding through the County stipulates the same parking rates for everyone using it. Because of this, it will become a commuter garage for other towns to use and fill up.
Personally, I am not against a parking garage. Our town needs more parking solutions. Bonding through the County, unfortunately, isn’t the way to go.
Let’s keep in control of our wonderful town. Stay tuned for tonight’s meeting.

Sincerely,

Dana
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Serendipity Labs Coworking Expands into Ridgewood

Lab Cafe_Workstations_Ridgewood_Column_KISP

Februray  10,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

RIDGEWOOD, N.J. –  The Pinnacle Companies announced today that it will open New Jersey’s first Serendipity Labs coworking location at 45 N. Broad Street, the iconic, totally renovated Lincoln building across from the Ridgewood NJ Transit train station. The three-story, 8,500-square foot space provides a vibrant coworking area, dedicated offices and team rooms. Members will also have access to an upscale lounge, ideation studio, work bar, event venue space and a café. The entire Lincoln building has been upgraded with a new lobby, modern elevator, new windows and HVAC systems.

“Independent professionals, entrepreneurs, remote and mobile workers working in and around Ridgewood will now have a premium workplace and meeting venue offering a level of hospitality that rivals boutique hotels,” says Brian M. Stolar, CEO of The Pinnacle Companies, an award-winning leader in urban redevelopment and the exclusive Serendipity Labs area franchisee for Northern New Jersey. “OurRidgewood coworking members can walk to great restaurants, fitness clubs, coffee shops and the train to Manhattan, which is just across the street. Corporate memberships will be available to provide access to the growing Serendipity Labsnetwork locations.”

Workstations Project Team Area KISP

Serendipity Labs has urban and suburban locations opening in nine states. It is one of the fastest growing coworking networks nationally and in the Tristate area.Serendipity Labs offers a range of membership options including day passes, monthly coworking lounge access, full-time dedicated private offices, and team rooms for companies needing project space.

“Serendipity Labs is a different kind of coworking provider. Our members come from a cross section of industries that include healthcare, finance and technology, many of whom have memberships paid for by their employers. Others are independent consultants or start-ups. Our IT infrastructure meets the highest standards. The upscale work environment is a lifestyle brand that is infused with hospitality and energy,” said John Arenas, CEO of Serendipity Labs. “As we expand across the nation, we are excited to help our new Ridgewood coworking members unlock their full potential and improve their lives.”

Serendipity Labs in Ridgewood will produce a full schedule of daytime and evening seminars and networking events designed for entrepreneurs, mobile workers and corporate members.

For more details, visit https://serendipitylabs.com/locations/ridgewood–coworking/

 

 

 

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Vift launches a Valentine’s Day Break-Up Kit

broken-heart-sad-wallpapers-pics-for-boys

February 9 ,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, while most couples are planning a romantic night for Valentine’s Day, others are hoping to cut ties before Sunday and go into the weekend single and ready to mingle. For those looking for a compassionate way to end things with a significant other, video messaging company Vift has launched a Break-Up Kit to help.

Vift is an online “video gift” platform that allows people to send recorded or uploaded video messages that arrive in sync with your package delivery. With Vift’s new Break-Up Kit, you can send your soon-to-be ex a gift to help them transition back into single life, along with a personal video that they receive via text/email when your gift arrives at the door. Gifts range from tissues and Netflix subscriptions to a Single’s cruise in three different gift options:

  • The “I’m Not Ready To Be In A Profile Picture With You” package;
  • The “We’re Perfect… For Other People” package;
  • The “I Want To Grow Old Without You” package.

For more information, visit: https://go.vift.com/valentines.

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Ridgewood High School A CAPELLA The Maroon Men and the AcaBellas recently competed in the International Competition of High School A Cappella

musicalnotes

 

February 9,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, RIDGEWOOD A CAPELLA The Maroon Men and the AcaBellas recently competed in the International Competition of High School A Cappella. In the Mid-Atlantic Quarterfinals, where the groups won the following titles:

1st Place – The RHS Maroon Men
3rd Place – The RHS AcaBellas
Outstanding Percussion – Aaqib Hassan (Maroon Men)

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Break in at the Water’s Edge Café at Graydon pool in Ridgewood

Graydon_bike_theridgewoodblog
February 10,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Police report that on Thursday, February 4, patrol responded to an alarm at the Water’s Edge Café at Graydon pool. Upon investigating the alarm it was determined that someone had broken the lock off the building. Several items inside were damaged and thrown around. The matter is under investigation by the Detective Bureau.

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Readers ask ,Therapy Dogs for Midterms Self-indulgent waste or kids are under so much pressure and riddled with anxiety?

Vicious_dog_theridgewoodblog

I hope it was free.. otherwise a total self-indulgent feel good waste of money.

This dogs should be made available for Ridgewod residents after they speak at the council meetings

Is this parody? It is not April 1st is it? Therapy dogs for midterms?????? We cant pay the teachers but we have therapy dogs for midterms?

We are dropping in the academic standings, but it’s OK… we have stress relief dogs..Of course the worst part of it all is the abundance of back slapping and self-congratulating that the teachers and school admins are giving themselves over this leading edge educational breakthrough.

It really is a silly, feel-good thing. Thank goodness they will be eliminating midterm exams next year. Colleges are going SAT optional.

Wait till they realize that colleges still have some standards. The students will be stressing over the professional curating of their short lives. What were your accomplishments in elementary school? Did you start a business, a blog or save an endangered species. There will be competition to get in on paid trips to the Dominican Republic so they can play soccer with the kids. Competition for these alternate resume building events will be intense.Get ready for a therapy kennel on campus, the competition is only changing not going away.

but some readers were far more forgiving ….

Did anyone actually bother to read the article? “The nice thing is that Bright and Beautiful Therapy Dogs is a non-profit organization, so it’s completely free to the district,” . . . “It doesn’t cost us a thing.” So I don’t think we have to worry about how it will impact the teacher’s salaries

Your comments just prove why these kids are under so much pressure and riddled with anxiety.  This was a FREE event, no classes were missed, and the students loved it.  Can’t they just have a minute to smile? Read the studies about therapy dogs and anxiety.  What are you as parents doing to help with the anxiety and stress? Medicating them?

As a matter of fact, several students asked about how to become trainers; not to pad their resumes, but because they felt it would be a meaningful way to give to the community.  The teachers- who really care about their students- were very grateful to have the dogs there.

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Talks under way in Trenton to avoid tax battle between hospitals, N.J. towns like Ridgewood

valley_hospital_theridgewoodblog
FEBRUARY 9, 2016, 6:37 PM    LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2016, 6:38 PM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN AND LINDY WASHBURN
STAFF WRITERS |
THE RECORD

Talks are under way to avert a potentially protracted tax battle between non-profit hospitals and the communities that host them, said the prime sponsor of a bill that tried unsuccessfully last month to work out a solution.

Assemblyman John Burzichelli said Tuesday that talks are underway between the New Jersey Hospital Association and the New Jersey League of Municipalities with the aim of helping redraft legislation in the wake of a landmark Tax Court ruling that called into question the property tax exemption of non-profit hospitals.

He said there have been no talks thus far with the administration on the issue, nor does he expect any while Christie is pursuing his bid for the Republican presidential nomination. Christie vetoed the earlier bill in January at the end of the last legislative session.

Burzichelli, D-Gloucester, the chair of the Assembly’s appropriations committee, said he and three other co-sponsors recently resubmitted the bill, but added that the document likely will serve as a “place holder” until a revised bill can be worked out.

“Everybody’s regrouped coming out of the hectic last session,” Burzicelli said of the informal talks.

But he warned if no agreement can be reached, “it’ll be a field day for the tax attorneys.”

The bill stemmed from a state Tax Court decision last summer in which a judge invalidated the non-profit Morristown Medical Center’s property tax exemption. The hospital’s parent company agreed to pay $15.5 million to satisfy back taxes and interest plus make annual payment of about $1 million as tax on the for-profit component of its operations.

The Record Read more

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People Shop in Ridgewood for the charm and the “Destination Stores”

Lawrence Taylor Ridgewod Tobacco
Fmr. Giant Lawrence Taylor r with Gary and Barbara at The Tobacco Shop of Ridgewood. & Davidoff Lounge
February 10,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, We call them “Destination Stores ” if you have a special spot with a unique product people will find parking . The Tobacco Shop of Ridgewood. & Davidoff Lounge is an example .Its called common sense! I know, it’s an old fashioned idea but something that is severely lacking nowadays.

Stores that have a commodity or service that is backed by good business have continued to prosper here in Ridgewood. Hillman, Country Curtains, Jekyl & Hyde, The Art Spot and Panico are examples of a few. Been in business a long time and continue to attract new customers. Mango use to be a good option but the last few years it’s grown stale, not a decline in business because of lack of parking but because the goods are pretty much the same stuff as 5 years ago. A place like Pazzazzed is stealing Mango’s thunder, better, more interesting goods.

If you offer a strong commodity or service, people will find parking, it’s worth the effort to walk a block or two. If it’s mediocre or lost its appeal, you won’t last.

Some business owners think because it’s Ridgewood, they are guaranteed to make money. As many have learned, that’s not the case. The owners of Novo tried the salad place, it didn’t work, now they have a restaurant that is currently successful. Did the salad place not work because there was no parking garage? No, because status quo with parking and now its success.

People like coming to the Village because it’s charming and for many their own towns don’t have a CBD. The worst thing this village could do would be to jam 4 or 5 massive high density building and an ugly, doesn’t fit on the lot garage. If they build that crap, I hope the 3 amigos have a huge plaque with their names and faces on it so all the people who see it and think “what the hell happened to Ridgewood” they can point to those plaques and go “right there, a very dark period in the Village’s history when the door was opened and a no good politician and his cohorts hijacked the place”.

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Judge irked by State Dept.’s delay in releasing rest of Clinton’s emails

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

By Josh Gerstein

02/09/16 03:29 PM EST

Updated 02/09/16 05:12 PM EST

A federal judge said Tuesday he was disturbed by the State Department’s failure to meet a deadline he ordered to finish the public release of 54,000 pages of email messages Hillary Clinton sent or received during her four years as secretary of state.

“The government has put me between a rock and a hard place….which is a position I don’t like to be in,” U.S. District Court Judge Rudolph Contreras said during a half-hour-long hearing Tuesday.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2016/02/judge-holds-hearing-on-clinton-email-delays-219004#ixzz3ziyYmVfc

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New ‘Trust and Safety Council’ Is Twitter Version of 1984’s Ministry of Truth

big-brother-poster

Twitter says it wants to strike a balance between free speech and harassment. It didn’t.

Robby Soave|Feb. 9, 2016 3:25 pm

In order for users to feel confident expressing themselves “freely and safely,” Twitter is debuting a new advisory group dubbed the “Trust & Safety Council.” But a quick glance at its membership roster suggests the council is almost as Orwellian as it sounds—and overwhelmingly biased in favor of speech suppression.

If you thought Milo Yiannopoulos losing his blue checkmark was the opening salvo in the next great culture war (I tended to agree with Popehat’s Ken Whitethat the controversy was overblown), then this might be your virtual invasion of Poland.

The council includes more than 40 organizations that will be tasked with helping Twitter, “strike the right balance between fighting abuse and speaking truth to power.” But if the goal was really to find some middle ground between total free speech and safeguards against harassment, one might have expect Twitter to solicit some diversity of opinion. In fact, despite the press release’s claim that the council includes a “diversity of voices,” virtually none of the council members are properly classified as free speech organizations. (Full list here https://blog.twitter.com/2016/announcing-the-twitter-trust-safety-council ).

Some of the groups—such as Hollaback! and the Dangerous Speech Project—don’t think harassment should be criminalized outright. But the vast majority are certainly more concerned about allowing too much speech rather than too little. Notable members include Feminist Frequency—the blog and Youtube channel of anti-Gamer Gate activist Anita Sarkeesian—the Anti-Defamation League, and a host of suicide-and-domestic-violence prevention groups.

https://reason.com/blog/2016/02/09/new-trust-and-safety-council-is-twitter

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Multi State Task force Arrests Alleged Ridgewood Carjack and kidnappers

ridgewood_police_theridgewoodblog

file photo by Boyd Loving

February 9,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ , back in December the Ridgewood Police department investigated an alleged kidnapping and carjacking that was reported early Saturday morning.

At the time the Ridgewood Police said that the “vehicle in question” has been located near the Thruway in Bergen County, N.J, and an investigation is ongoing. .The victim has also been recovered suffering only minor injuries.At the time the Ridgewood Police withheld further information about the incident .And we were told New York State Police are also working with police in Ridgewood, N.J.

Today it is being reported that two men wanted in connection with this carjacking, kidnapping and robbery were arrested by members of a task force comprised of federal, state, county and local authorities. Including FBI and ICE, investigators from the New Jersey State Police, New York State Police and Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, and members of the Ridgewood, Mahwah, Hawthorne and Waldwick Police departments .

Jostin Vidal Reyes of Waldwick and Wilbur J. Barhona of Ridgewood, both 20, were taken into custody Monday following more than a month and a half of intensive work.
Authorities and other sources said Reyes and Barhona got into a cab in Paterson around in the early a.m. hours of Dec. 26 for a ride to Waldwick. Sources say the two decided to rob the cabby and kidnap him once they reached Ridgewood and as previously reported ditched him on the New York Thruway.

The pair now face various counts of robbery, aggravated assault, cajacking, kidnapping ,weapons offenses and are being held pending $400,000 bail each in the Bergen County Jail.