Because it is completely misreading the situation. Early in the new year, on Sunday, January 3, Federal Reserve vice chair Stanley Fischer delivered a hawkish speech to the American Economic Association.
Completely misreading the economy, which is woefully weak while inflation is virtually nil, Fischer strongly hinted that the Fed would be raising its target rate by a quarter of a percent every quarter for the next three years.
The next day the S&P 500 dropped 1.5 percent. In the week that followed, the broad index fell 6 percent. The week after that it fell over 2 percent. During that two-week period, the Dow Jones dropped 1,437 points.
The dollar went up. Oil plunged 21 percent. Raw-material commodities dropped. And credit risk spreads in the high-yield junk market rose substantially. Actually, it was a global event, as stock markets around the world plunged. Utter chaos.
What’s the definition of power? It’s the question we get most often at NJBIZ, when it comes time for the Power 100. Unfortunately, there’s not an easy explanation. The one we often give is this: “If you called the governor, how quickly would he call you back? If at all.” NJBIZ Staff, Read more
Ridgewood NJ, YWCA Bergen County offers Women’s Open Basketball for ages 19 and older on Thursdays from 6:15pm to 7:30pm at 112 Oak Street, Ridgewood. Come out and grab a pick-up game in a relaxed atmosphere! Join alone or bring a friend or group for a great workout.
For YWCA Bergen County’s 360 members and Bolger Fitness Center members, Women’s Open Basketball is $50 per session. For YWCA Program or Swim members, the session fee is $60. YWCA and Bolger Fitness Center members can drop-in for a $7 fee. For more information or to register, call the Membership Department at 201-444-5600 ext. 400.
YWCA Bergen County (www.ywcabergencounty.org) is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all. We are the area’s largest provider of child care services, a recognized leader in health and fitness programs, and operator of healingSPACE, the county’s only Sexual Violence Resource Center. Celebrating nearly a century of commitment to our community, today we improve the lives of thousands of women, girls, and their families.
Join the B.Witching team for a fun class of Love Potion Crafting
The Ultimate Valentine’s Celebration!
Join the B.Witching team for a fun class of Love Potion Crafting
Class includes instruction and all crafting supplies. Learn to mix herbs and fragrances to formulate your own bath salt potion & roll beeswax and blend fragrances to create a Valentine’s Day candle.
Class dates:
Thursday Feb 11, 2016 from 5-7pm
Friday Feb 12, 2016 from 5-7pm
Saturday Feb 13, 2016 from 12-2pm
Saturday Feb 13, 2016 from 3-5pm
Saturday Feb 13, 2016 from 6-8pm (Adults Only—BYOB)
$25 per person paid in advance – $30 per person day of event.
Space is limited to 10 people per class and they sell out quick! Reserve space in person or by calling our Ridgewood Store. Not recommended for children under 6 years of age. The perfect Valentine’s Day Ladies Night Out, Girl Scouts or Mommy & Me Event!
B.Witching Bath Co. LLC
11 S. Broad Street, Ridgewood, NJ 07506 Tel: 201-444-0333 www.bwitchingbathco.com
The Ridgewood Art Institute
12 East Glen Avenue,
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
(201) 652-9615
Opening Reception: Sunday, February 14th from 2-4pm
Exhibit on view February 14th-27th
10am-5pm Monday thru Thursday
10am-1pm Friday thru Sunday
After a decade of work in commercial design and advertising in New York City and Columbus, Ohio, Alban R. Albert turned his full attention to the area of fine arts. Born in Paramus, New Jersey and a graduate of the Mechanics and Tradesmen’s Institute (NY) with additional studies at Pratt, he enrolled at Ohio State University. In 1956, he graduated cum laude with a B.S. degree in art education. He was also elected to Delta Phi Delta, the national art honorary, while at Ohio State. After years of teaching, in the mid-70’s he obtained his M.A. with a focus on ceramics from Montclair State College.
Albert was first introduced to oil painting in his youth by Otto Benz of North Haledon. He pursued the study further with Frank Vincent Dumond and Arthur F. Maynard of Ridgewood, N.J. Albert believes strongly in the principles of light and that is reflected heavily in his work. Albert served as president of The Ridgewood Art Institute in 1962 – 1964 and was also an instructor for eight years.
For a major part of Albert’s career, he was the head of the art department at Ramapo Regional High School. Starting as one of the original faculty members in 1956, he retired in 1985 after almost 30 years. In addition to teaching at Ramapo, he also served as an instructor in both the Adult Education Program (run at Ramapo) and the Ridgewood Art Institute. He ended his formal participation in the Ridgewood Art Institute in 1965, when he opened his own studio. He acquired the Old Wortendyke R.R. Station in Midland Park and, along with his partner, Janis Schlenz, started the Albert & Schlenz Studio Gallery. John P . Osborne, recently retired instructor and board member of the Ridgewood Art Association, would later become a student of Albert’s and a partner in the Albert & Schlenz Studio Gallery. Besides extensive teaching, Albert served frequently as judge, lecturer and demonstrator for various art groups in the NY-NJ metro area as well as Pennsylvania.
Albert has won numerous awards in local, county and state-wide exhibitions in his native New Jersey. In addition, his oil paintings have been accepted by juries in national shows under the aegis of the American Artists Association (Spring-field, MA) and of the American Artists Professional League. Diverse distinctions included the Landscape Prize in the 7th Regional Show of the Ridgewood Art Institute.
Albert’s works hang in private collections around the world and are especially prevalent in the northeastern United States.
Albert currently resides in Wyckoff, with his wife Sue.
The Ridgewood Art Institute
12 East Glen Avenue,
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
(201) 652-9615
Ridgewood NJ, Helen Ellis, will be signing her new book at Bookends , American Housewife , This Sunday (January 31st) at 2:00pm
HELEN ELLIS will sign her new book: American Housewife ($24.00)
A sharp, funny, delightfully unhinged collection of stories set in the dark world of domesticity, American Housewife features murderous ladies who lunch, celebrity treasure hunters, and the best bra fitter south of the Mason Dixon line.
Meet the women of American Housewife: they wear lipstick, pearls, and sunscreen, even when it’s cloudy. They casserole. They pinwheel. They pump the salad spinner like it’s a CPR dummy. And then they kill a party crasher, carefully stepping around the body to pull cookies out of the oven. These twelve irresistible stories take us from a haunted prewar Manhattan apartment building to the set of a rigged reality television show, from the unique initiation ritual of a book club to the getaway car of a pageant princess on the lam, from the gallery opening of a tinfoil artist to the fitting room of a legendary lingerie shop. Vicious, fresh, and nutty as a poisoned Goo Goo Cluster, American Housewife is an uproarious, pointed commentary on womanhood.
Appearing authors will only autograph books purchased at Bookends and must have valid Bookends Receipt.
Availability & pricing for all autographed books subject to change.
First In Line Certificate use is the the discretion of Bookends. Blackout dates may apply.
Bookends cannot guarantee that the books that are Autographed will always be First Printings.
Autographed books purchased at Bookends are non-returnable.
While we try to ensure that all customers coming to Bookends’ signings will meet authors and get their books signed, we cannot guarantee that all attendees will meet the author or that all books will be signed. We cannot control inclement weather, author travel schedules or authors who leave prematurely.
Bookends, 211 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450 201-445-0726
JANUARY 29, 2016, 5:19 PM LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2016, 5:27 PM
BY KIM LUEDDEKE
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
An Indian national was sentenced to probation Friday and will likely be deported for her role in an IRS scam that authorities said netted thousands of dollars from unwitting victims.
Nikita Patel, a slight, girlish-looking 25-year-old who wore her hair pulled back in a long ponytail, did not address the court Friday. Her attorney, Rajinderpal Singh Sandher, said she had no prior criminal history and was willing to cooperate with any further investigation.
Frauds like the one perpetrated by Patel seem to be an “endemic problem,” said Superior Court Judge Susan J. Steele. She ordered Patel, who is in the United States on an expired visa, to serve three years’ probation for a charge of money laundering.
JANUARY 29, 2016 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2016, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Studies needed at Schedler property
To the editor:
As a resident of the Schedler neighborhood, I’m writing to thank the Village Council for all of their efforts seeking the best design possible for the Schedler property. Specifically, I’m thankful to our Village Council for the following: (i) Mayor Aronsohn and several Council members have toured the Schedler property with neighborhood representatives, and observed firsthand the loud volume of highway noise where the current design places home plate, first base and the bleachers; (ii) as a result of such visits, the Village Council has agreed to place on its agenda the retention of a noise expert to provide advice on abating the loud, Route 17 traffic noise, and (iii) adjourning consideration of retaining the noise expert from the crowded, Jan. 27 agenda.
Simultaneously, I wish to reiterate my request that the Village Council retain a comprehensive group of experts, including a landscape architect and a traffic and safety expert in order to design the best park possible.
It appears that the Village Council is seeking to “save” money by using the Village Engineer for these critical design tasks. As the mayor and other council members who toured the Schedler property discovered, the current design places home plate and first base within 30 feet of a major highway — and it is too noisy for the enjoyable use of the players, coaches and parents.
Can you imagine spending several million dollars of taxpayer dollars on a park, only to discover that it’s too noisy to enjoy. But for the input of the Schedler neighborhood, and our council’s willingness to tour the site to hear the noise firsthand, that scenario would’ve become a reality.
I encourage the council to avoid being pound wise and penny foolish. Let’s retain bona fide experts now in order to insure that the park is designed to the highest standards for the benefit of our athletes, their families, the neighborhood and the entire village.
Please note that the Schedler neighborhood has submitted a proposal for the intelligent design of the Schedler property. The proposal provides a logical roadmap for designing an excellent park at the Schedler property, including an athletic field, for the maximum benefit for all of Ridgewood. The proposal has been submitted to the Mayor, the Council, the Open Space Committee and to the RBSA.
I respectfully request that The Ridgewood News publish the proposal in order to keep village residents informed.
JANUARY 29, 2016 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2016, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Board ‘committed’ to settling contract
to the editor:
At Monday’s Board of Education meeting, 20 Ridgewood teachers spoke at the podium. They spoke passionately about their love of teaching and their deep commitment to our children. With pride, they enumerated the educational opportunities that Ridgewood provides and acknowledged the exceptional quality of our district. They implored the Board to reach a “fair” settlement and expressed their frustration that the contract remained unsettled.
The Board is sympathetic to the concerns expressed by our teachers and shares the desire to complete negotiations as quickly as possible. The Board has made every effort to listen to the union’s concerns and address them.
On Jan. 20 at our last negotiation session, the Board made a new comprehensive proposal that would have increased the take-home pay of every teacher through a combination of salary increases and revisions to the health care plans offered to the REA members. The Board also offered to discuss several ideas to ameliorate the impact of the 35 percent employee health care premium contributions paid by the highest paid staff.
These proposals address the teachers’ primary concerns while staying within the district’s financial capabilities.
Some of the teachers’ comments questioned Ridgewood Public Schools’ spending on improving curriculum, professional development, technology and eBooks in our elementary school libraries. While our teachers and the work they do are key to making Ridgewood the superior district that it is, we know that their jobs would be exponentially more challenging if they did not have new and improved textbooks, revised curriculum and the technology enhancements such as Chromebooks.
As the Board of Education, we are committed to balancing these competing costs and the need to continue to deliver a well-balanced educational program to our students. With the state-imposed hard cap that restricts district property tax revenue increases to 2 percent or less of the prior year taxes, this is a very tough assignment.
We have had numerous meetings with the REA team and are willing to meet at any time to negotiate all components of the contract.
In the meantime, we will move forward to fact-finding. Next week, both sides will have the opportunity to submit their positions, arguments and exhibits to an independent, state-appointed fact-finder. We expect the fact-finder to issue his non-binding recommendations by the end of April.
This Board is committed to settling an equitable new contract that treats our teachers fairly, is respectful of the taxpayers and maintains the financial integrity of the district. Most importantly, we want to end the unrest that drains our staff’s energy so that they can focus on the important job of teaching our children, which is something that they do exceptionally well.
We are united with the teachers in the goal of continuing Ridgewood’s “Tradition of Excellence.”
The below document represents answers, approaches and comments to questions, concerns and issues that were raised by residents and the Council regarding the leasing of Habernickel’s Gate House to Health Barn, USA. The Village Council will discuss two resolutions at the Wednesday, February 3rdmeeting: one to change the use of the Gate House for recreational and educational purposes, and the second to authorize the signing of the lease between Health Barn and the Village. The vote on these resolutions will not be held until the Council session on February 10th. Any comments or questions can be directed to Roberta Sonenfeld ([email protected]) and Janet Fricke ([email protected]).
Gate House at Irene Habernickel Family Park – HealthBarn, USA
Response to Frequently Asked Questions
1.27.16
Traffic Safety Issues
Ridgewood Police Department completed a traffic study on Hillcrest Road in the Habernickel Park area during the fall recreational season; additional studies are planned – one for winter, another for spring recreation season. The traffic study shows that the average speed falls within a safe area and even though there were a couple high end speeds that percentage was minimal. As far as existing volume, the street has a low volume even though this area is a known “cut through” street. Traffic study was passed on to the Engineering Division for review and implementation.
The Village Engineer recommended:
Short Term:
Stripe 2 crosswalks- at Norman and at Hillcrest. Double yellow center line on Hillcrest Rd. (Morningside to Monroe); signage to alert motorists that they are approaching a crosswalk.
Paint white “Tic” marks on Hillcrest at private driveway openings to allow for better egress.
Amend ordinance to allow for parking on the park side (north) of Hillcrest and not the opposite (south) side. Ordinance #3517
Plans were presented and approved at the monthly Citizen’s Safety Advisory Committee Meeting held December 17th, 2015. Resolution #16-21
ii. Long Term:
Extend sidewalk in front of park to Andover Terrace;
Installation of sidewalk on south side of Hillcrest – Morningside to North Monroe.
Speed humps/ bumps are not recommended by Police or Engineering Division; the double center line is recommended for traffic calming.
Bus Drop Off (M-F 10am -3pm only) – Procedures will include drop off at entrance to Gate House. Buses may park in parking lot or return to premise for pick up. Engine idling prohibited.
Operation of Facility
When the Village purchased the Habernickel property in 2004 using Green Acres funding, a conservation easement was required to be placed on the deed. The easement states that Green Acres rules and regulations must be followed for this property. Green Acres requirements have been followed by Ridgewood, including most recently, the hearing to alert the public to the proposed change in use.
The Village Recreation Department will establish a satellite office on the second floor of the Gate House. The office will be used to provide any assistance or support necessary and will be staffed as needed.
No zoning changes were necessary for the Village to make this change in use.
The change will allow Recreational/ educational programing for the Gate House; no overnight accommodations or private counseling sessions in the Gate House are defined in the Lease.
HealthBarn will be required to follow procedures in the lease to make any improvements to the Gate House. The cost of improvements (including permits) will be covered by tenant.
Community Gardens are allowed in parks with permission from the Director of Parks & Recreation. All maintenance and related costs will be responsibility of HealthBarn. There will be no use of the Horse Barn itself.
Signage – A sign is allowed on the Gate House. Location and size is addressed in the Lease. Prior to installation, approval from Director of Building Department and a permit is required.
Security/lighting analysis will be made by Ridgewood Police for the exterior of the Gate House and will recommend appropriate action.
The hours of operation of any of the programs will be in accordance with the items listed on Schedule A – Mondaythrough Saturday – 9:00AM to 5:30PM; Wednesday and Friday evening. 6:30PM to 9:00PM. The Tenant will be permitted to open and close the facilities a half hour before and after the operation of the programs. Any temporary adjustments to days/hours of operation must be requested five (5) business days in advance, in writing, to the Director of Parks and Recreation or the LANDLORD.
The Gate House facility provides space for additional education/recreational programs for local youth that cannot be held elsewhere in Ridgewood as facilities are being used to full capacity.
Building Code Officials and the Fire Inspector have inspected the Gate House. They will make professional recommendations when questions arise in their area of expertise.
Park areas to be used by HealthBarn – the Gate House , Teaching Community Garden, and potentially some Habernickel field areas will be used by HealthBarn as approved by the Director, Parks & Recreation.
Green Acres does not deny public access to parks that are in the Green Acres program.
Student drop off and pick up area will be at the entrance to the Gate House. If parking is needed during classes, 12 onsite spaces will be used in the parking lot. In addition 3 staff parking spaces are available in the Gate House garage/driveway.
Mini buses carrying up to 14 may drop off at the Gate House entrance; mini buses may park in the parking lot for no more than 2 hours. No engine idling is permitted for any buses. Full size buses (carrying not more than 48 passengers) are permitted only during the hours of 10:00AM to 3:00PMMonday through Friday to drop off at the Gate House entrance. Buses can park in any offsite designated parking lot and return at agreed time for pick up.
Animals are not allowed unless by special request for a program or a certified service animal.
HealthBarn is a vendor to the Village of Ridgewood and as such all programs will be regularly inspected, reviewed and monitored by the Director, Parks and Recreation.
The Tenant understands that it is expressly prohibited from operating and holding private consultation sessions at the Gate House and on Habernickel parklands. One upstairs room will serve as an office. The building shall not be used for living quarters.
The Gate House and all programs shall be open for inspection by Landlord at any time.
Health Barn’s curriculum has been reviewed by Green Acres and Ridgewood Parks and Recreation to ensure that the educational and recreational standards are of high quality for each age group. It is not a daycare or babysitting operation. This enrichment educational experience provides families with nutritional guidance to facilitate better mealtime behaviors for a healthy lifestyle.
The Tenant will have appropriate number of students attending programs for each age and program type as approved through Ridgewood Parks & Recreation Department.
Business Issues
HealthBarn moved due to Abma’s Farm wanting to use their space to expand their own business. Ridgewood staff visited the HealthBarn operation at Abma’s Farm.
A local real estate professional conducted an analysis of the location to determine the base bid for this lease. The lease requires an annual Tri State CPI increase.
The initial lease is for 5 years with renewal for 1 more year adhering to Green Acres rules. A capital improvement of $50,000+ entitles the tenant to a 6 year lease.
The Lease document will be available to the public when it is complete.
Required Insurance coverage is $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 is aggregate. The Village of Ridgewood is listed as additionally insured.
All employees, agents and representatives of HealthBarn must have satisfactorily passed background checks. Documentation will be kept on file.
The Gate House will provide program space as well as office space for registration, planning and operational needs. No overnight accommodations are permitted. The Gate House will be regularly monitored by the Parks and Recreation Department and will be inspected by the Ridgewood Building, Fire and Health Departments and comply with all of their requirements.
The Village is not entitled to the Tenant’s business plan.
The Lease includes legal language to protect the Village if the tenant does not follow lease requirements and termination is needed.
The tenant of the Gate House is required in the lease to submit a quarterly listing and analysis of classes and programs, including attendance, staffing, and related costs to the Director, Parks & Recreation Department for review. The tenant’s current listing of programs is part of the Lease as Schedule A and is the standard (baseline) for all HealthBarn programs. Birthday parties are an approved use by Green Acres. If the tenant wishes to make changes to programs, it must be cleared five days in advance by the Director of Parks & Recreation.
JANUARY 29, 2016, 4:20 PM LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2016, 5:10 PM
BY MARY JO LAYTON
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
The state’s largest insurer has sued Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck and The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood to halt an ad campaign the hospitals launched in protest of a new tiered health plan they say makes them look inferior.
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey calls the advertising against its Omnia plan a “smear campaign” — one that goes so far as to say the insurer doesn’t like babies. The campaign is motivated “solely by a desire to damage Horizon financially as well as its business reputation,” the lawsuit filed this week noted.
Bruce Rosen, an attorney representing Valley and Holy Name, defended the ads on Friday. “This is a blatant attempt by Horizon to distract attention away from the potentially disastrous impact that the Omnia plan is going to have on the two hospitals, their patients and New Jersey’s health care system,” he said.
DES MOINES — The presidential race hurtled over the weekend toward a watershed moment: voting that will start to reveal the true depth of Americans’ desire to cast aside traditional politicians and Washington-style compromise and embrace disruptive outsiders appealing to their passions.
After a year of countless and often conflicting polls, more than 250,000 Iowans are expected to attend caucuses on a relatively mild Monday night and render judgment on insurgent candidates who would bar Muslims from the country (Donald J. Trump), oppose concessions to Democrats (Senator Ted Cruz of Texas) and pursue a high-tax, big-government agenda (Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont). Voters are poised to bring order to the race, or reorder politics, as in no other recent election.
Money, experience and endorsements — advantages that usually turn candidates like Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida, into inevitable nominees — will be tested against the potent messages of rivals promising upheaval.
The intelligence community has deemed some of Hillary Clinton’s emails “too damaging” to national security to release under any circumstances, according to a U.S. government official close to the ongoing review. A second source, who was not authorized to speak on the record, backed up the finding.
The determination was first reported by Fox News, hours before the State Department formally announced Friday that seven email chains, found in 22 documents, will be withheld “in full” because they, in fact, contain “Top Secret” information.
The State Department, when first contacted by Fox News about withholding such emails Friday morning, did not dispute the reporting – but did not comment in detail. After a version of this report was first published, the Obama administration confirmed to the Associated Press that the seven email chains would be withheld. The department has since confirmed those details publicly.
The decision to withhold the documents in full, and not provide even a partial release with redactions, further undercuts claims by the State Department and the Clinton campaign that none of the intelligence in the emails was classified when it hit Clinton’s personal server.
Fox News is told the emails include intelligence from “special access programs,” or SAP, which is considered beyond “Top Secret.” A Jan. 14 letter, first reported by Fox News, from intelligence community Inspector General Charles McCullough III notified senior intelligence and foreign relations committee leaders that “several dozen emails containing classified information” were determined to be “at the CONFIDENTIAL, SECRET, AND TOP SECRET/SAP levels.”
Thousands of longshoremen in New York and New Jersey walked off the job on Friday, grinding activity at some of the busiest ports on the East Coast to a halt and threatening to disrupt the delivery of goods across the region.
The walkout surprised many involved in the operation of the ports, according to officials, and the reasons behind the move were not immediately clear.
News of the work stoppage came in an alert issued by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which acts as a landlord for the ports but does not control daily operations.
“Due to the current work stoppage in the port, no new trucks will be allowed to queue on port roadways,” the alert said. “Do not send trucks to the Port at this time.”
Officials with the New York Shipping Association, which runs the ports, could not immediately be reached for comment.
A spokeswoman for the association who spoke to Bloomberg News said the group was “trying to understand the reason for what appears to be a walkout and will take every measure available to ensure work resumes.”
The International Longshoremen’s Association, the union representing port workers, also could not be reached for comment, but a representative of the union told a local radio station that the dispute centered on hiring practices.
JANUARY 29, 2016, 12:18 PM LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2016, 12:33 PM
BY PETER J. SAMPSON
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
Joseph A. Ferriero, the former leader of the Bergen County Democratic Organization, has been given another two weeks of freedom as a judge considers whether to grant him bail pending appeal of his racketeering conviction.
The 58-year-old Hackensack lawyer had been scheduled to report to prison authorities next Tuesday to begin serving a nearly three-year sentence imposed last month by U.S. District Judge Esther Salas.
But Salas on Thursday pushed back Ferriero’s surrender date to Feb. 16 as she continues to review his motion to remain free on bail while he challenges his conviction for racketeering and fraud.
