Author: James
“able-bodied adults” between the ages of 18 and 49 without dependents no longer qualify for food assistance in New Jersey
Christie administration ends waiver for food stamp work requirement
About 11,000 New Jerseyans may have their food assistance discontinued after Gov. Chris Christie’s administration said Thursday that the state is no longer offering a certain waiver in the program. Brent Johnson and Samantha Marcus, NJ.com Read more
Christie to name Glen Rock attorney Gurbir Grewal acting prosecutor in Bergen County
A Glen Rock resident who has prosecuted major white-collar crimes for the U.S. Attorney’s Office will be appointed acting Bergen County prosecutor on Monday, officials said. Mary Jo Layton, The Record Read more
Home Renovation Severs Gas Line in Hawthorne
photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook
Home Renovation Severs Gas Line in Hawthorne
December 31,2015
the staff of the Rmidgewood blog
Hawthorne NJ, A late afternoon interior gas main break at a home under renovation, located at 275 Warburton Avenue, Hawthorne, forced the evacuation of eight (8) nearby homes as workers from PSE&G struggled to shut off gas to the affected residence. No injuries were reported in the incident, which drew response from Hawthorne PD & FD personnel. The gas line was reportedly severed by workers performing renovations on the home.
PSEG reminds us that If you smell gas, open a window, leave the building and call 1-800-880-7734 (PSEG) to report the problem.
Natural gas is a colorless, odorless hydrocarbon that’s nearly 100% combustible. A distinctive odor, like rotten eggs, is added to natural gas to help assist in the detection of leaks, though it should not be solely relied upon to provide warning.
If you smell gas in your home:
Put out all open flames. No smoking. Do not attempt to light any appliances.
Don’t touch electric switches, thermostats, appliance controls or electric panel breakers. These items may cause sparks that could lead to an ignition.
Do not use an automatic garage door opener.
Do not start your car if it is in the garage or close proximity to the house.
Open windows and outside doors for ventilation.
If the odor is strong, don’t use your telephone or cell phone inside the house.
Leave the premises on foot and call 1-800-436-7734 (PSEG) from a neighbor’s home and remain outside until PSE&G arrives. PSE&G provides 24-hour emergency service every day of the year. PSE&G technicians are expected to respond to leak emergencies within 60 minutes.
Do not assume someone else will report the condition.
PSE&G does not charge customers for responding to gas leak emergencies.
Underground Gas Leak – Warning Signs:
You smell natural gas outside. Natural gas smells like rotten eggs.
You hear a hissing sound coming from the ground.
You see dirt blowing from a hole in the ground.
You see water bubbling in a puddle or around a valve box.
You see a ring or circle of dead grass or vegetation in a lawn area.
Look Who is Getting Ready to Run for Ridgewood Village Council
January 2,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ , Gwenn Habernickel Hauck is getting ready to run for Village Council ( https://www.gwennhauck.com/ ) . Gwen is a current Village Council member and is a key member of the Council Majority ,know to most blog readers as the “3 Amigos” .
While Mayor Aronsohn is as many have long expected moving on , Gwen is preparing for a new electoral challenge. Gwen has long catered to the senior set in town ,but has become a very controversial figure on the dais . Her tenure has been dominated by her unwillingness to address the obvious conflicts with Valley Hospital, her frequent non sequitur out bursts , her addiction to electronic communications during council meetings and he unwillingness to listen to alternative point of views .
It is important to note you get the Government you vote for. So all you posters on this blog that voted for the 3 Amigos and now posting negative opinions about them let us remind you what your vote did and how it screwed the rest of us.
Yes Westsiders, hows your leaf pick up coming along and the high density housing ,cant wait for little Johnny to lose his AP spot, ah?
Yes Preserve Graydon Group hows the new ramp looking , we hear 3 people have used it in 2 years? And the far east side Schedler Field hows the house coming along and enjoy the 90X60 baseball field , especially the lights at night and the traffic .
And of coarse we are all looking forward to paying for the 5 story parking garage through increased in parking rates and hours and of coarse as the Walker report stated ,increased property taxes .
And lets not forget the 0% tax increase for two years and all that money taken from the emergency fund ,the down grade of municipal services ?
Don’t forget the increase in the debt service which we will be paying for long after you 3 are gone. And of coarse our personal favorite ,fill the Village with high density housing destroying the very character , and turning Ridgewood into just one more New Jersey dump waiting to be the next Hoboken, the key word is like Bayonne ,”waiting”.
ALBERT J PUCCIARELLI 2078 55.50%
KEITH KILLION 1711 45.70%
RUSSELL R FORENZA 817 21.82%
PAUL ARONSOHN 2479 66.21%
MARY JANE SHINOZUKA 1484 39.64%
GWENN H HAUCK 1727 46.13%
Ridgewood Mayor Sets the Record Straight not to seek re-election
file photo by Boyd Loving
Ridgewood Mayor’s Corner: Plans for the new year
JANUARY 1, 2016 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 1, 2016, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Welcome to a New Year – one full of new challenges, exciting opportunities and endless possibilities.
Indeed, 2016 promises to be a big year for our country and for our community. Big changes in leadership along with big decisions on key issues will lead to important results nationally as well as locally.
https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-guest-writers/plans-for-the-new-year-1.1483657
Bergen County to build or manage Hudson Street garage in Ridgewood ?
These 1/6/16 Village Council meeting agenda items were excerpted verbatim from the agenda posted on VOR’s website.
“Discussion
a. Parking
1. Ordinance t o Participate in Leasing Agreement with Bergen County Improvement Authority
2. Authorize Application to Local Finance Board – Hudson Street Deck
10. Motion to Suspend Work Session and Convene Special Public Meeting #2
11. Special Public Meeting #2 – See Attached Agenda”
It would appear as though the Council will introduce an ordinance(s) to form some sort of partnership with the Bergen County Improvement Authority re: proposed Hudson Street parking garage.
What now?
U.S. Doesn’t Know How Many Foreign Visitors Overstay Visas
By RON NIXONJAN. 1, 2016
WASHINGTON — The question from the congressman to the Obama administration official was straightforward enough: How many foreign visitors overstay their visas every year?
The reply was simple too, but not in a satisfying way. “We don’t know,” the official said.
The testy exchange during a recent congressional hearing between Representative Mark Meadows, Republican of North Carolina, and Alan Bersin, the assistant secretary for international affairs at the Department of Homeland Security, highlights what some law enforcement officials call a critical weakness in the United States foreign visa program.
The issue has taken on added urgency as part of a broader examination of immigration policy following the mass shootings in San Bernardino, Calif., that left 14 people dead and 22 wounded. Tashfeen Malik, one of the attackers, was granted entry to the United States under a K-1 visa, also known as a fiancé visa. Her husband, Syed Rizwan Farook, was an American-born citizen. Both died in a shootout with the police. While Ms. Malik did not overstay her visa, the attack added to fears that a terrorist could exploit gaps in the system.
Nearly 20 years ago, Congress passed a law requiring the federal government to develop a system to track people who overstayed their visas. After the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, an entry and exit tracking system was seen as a vital national security and counterterrorism tool, and the 9/11 Commission recommended that the Department of Homeland Security complete a system “as soon as possible.” Two of the 9/11 hijackers, Satam al-Suqami and Nawaf al-Hazmi, had overstayed their visas.
Obama’s Gun Grab
Obama to impose new gun control curbs next week
By Juliet Eilperin January 1 at 3:35 PM
HONOLULU — President Obama will press ahead with a set of executive actions on guns next week despite growing concerns in the U.S. over terrorism that have dampened some Americans’ enthusiasm for tighter firearms restrictions, according to several individuals briefed on the matter.
The president will meet with Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch on Monday to finalize a series of new gun control measures, according to several individuals who asked for anonymity because the plan was not yet public, and announce his package of proposals shortly after that.
One of the main proposals Obama is poised to adopt–expanding new background-check requirements for buyers who purchase weapons from high-volume gun dealers -enjoys overwhelming public support: a Quinnipiac University poll in December found 89 percent supported background checks at gun shows and for online sales.
But Obama’s executive actions also come as Americans have become more fearful about the prospect of terrorist strikes and have voiced an openness to having ordinary citizens carry guns.
the Ridgewood blog would like to wish you and your family a happy ,healthy and prosperous New Year !
for the PJ blogger and the entire staff of the Ridgewood blog
we would like to wish you and your family a happy ,healthy and prosperous New Year !
Experts expect more provocations from Iran
By Kristina Wong – 12/31/15 12:08 PM EST
Iran’s rocket launch near a U.S. aircraft carrier is likely a sign of things to come, say experts on the regime — especially as Tehran offers concessions under the nuclear deal negotiated earlier this year.
U.S. military officials on Tuesday revealed that Iran had conducted what they called a “highly provocative” live-fire exercise within a mile from a U.S. aircraft carrier.
Although Iran has conducted two other such exercises within the past year or so — one in April and one in October 2014 — a Navy official said this last exercise, which took place on Dec. 26, was unique in that it was conducted “much closer” to U.S. ships than before.
It came one day after the White House celebrated a milestone on the nuclear deal — Iran’s shipping of most of its low-enriched uranium out of the country.
Experts say they expect similar behavior going forward.
They argue that Tehran is seeking to send a message to the U.S., the region and its own citizens that despite the deal, Iran has no intention of working more broadly with the United States.
“Despite the recent agreement on the nuclear situation…I think they’re saying to us, we’re still not going to roll over on anything else,” said Retired Navy Vice Adm. Peter Daly, CEO of the United States Naval Institute.
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/264495-experts-expect-more-provocations-from-iran#
New housing in N.J. headed for best year since 2006
DECEMBER 30, 2015, 3:58 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015, 4:19 PM
BY KATHLEEN LYNN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
The housing industry is on track to build the largest number of homes in New Jersey this year since 2006, with multifamily construction making up a record share of activity.
According to the U.S. Census, builders took out permits for 28,114 New Jersey housing units through November, up 10.5 percent from 2014’s pace and heading toward about 30,000 units with December’s figures yet to come. That’s a big rise from the 13,000 average annual pace from 2009 to 2011, but still below the long-term average of about 37,000 a year.
Multifamily construction has accounted for two thirds of home building through November. That’s the highest share ever seen, on records that date to 1960, according to Patrick O’Keefe, an economist with CohnReznick, an accounting firm with offices in Roseland.
Apartment construction has driven the homebuilding recovery for several years in the state, a dramatic shift away from the suburban, single-family development patterns that shaped New Jersey in the post-World War II period.
Builders are responding to the growing demand for apartments, as homeownership rates fell to their lowest in decades after the housing bust. More households are renting because getting a mortgage has become more difficult since the go-go years of the housing boom, when many unqualified buyers got loans, but ended up losing their homes.
And many young households want to be flexible in case they need to move for a job. Moreover, they are not convinced that buying a home is always a winning investment.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/new-housing-in-n-j-headed-for-best-year-since-2006-1.1482493
Wyckoff police: Hackensack man accused of recording female co-worker in bathroom
DECEMBER 31, 2015, 9:50 AM LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2015, 9:57 AM
WYCKOFF — A 39-year-old Hackensack man who allegedly recorded a co-worker using the bathroom at a Wyckoff business for up to two years was arrested Wednesday.
LAW ENFORCEMENT PHOTO
German G. Gonzales, 39, of Hackensack
German G. Gonzales is charged with invasion of privacy, Chief Benjamin C. Fox said in a statement.
His co-worker, a 56-year-old woman, saw Gonzales bend down near the bathroom sink, Fox said. While Gonzales said he was just picking something up off the floor, the woman later found a cellphone taped to a water supply line under the sink.
Police ,Fire and NJ DEP respond hazardous materials spill in Ridgewood
photo courtesy of Boyd Lovings Facebook
Police ,Fire and NJ DEP respond hazardous materials spill in Ridgewood
December 31,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Police & Fire Department personnel, along with an inspector from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Enforcement Division, responded to a hazardous materials spill at the STS Tire & Auto Center, 562 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood just after 12:30 PM on Wednesday, 12/30.
The spilled substance, believed to be a chemical used in the sealing of flat tires, escaped from a truck that was picking up used tires at the location. An absorbent substance was applied by firefighters to mitigate the spill. Traffic on North Maple Avenue in the area was slowed by the activity associated with the incident. No injuries were reported.
North Jersey restaurants offer special dinners to ring in the New Year
DECEMBER 30, 2015 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2015, 1:21 AM
THE RECORD
Ring in the new year with a scrumptious meal. The following are just some of the restaurants going all out to satisfy palates in the final moments of 2015:
Picnic on the Square
The Ridgewood restaurant is celebrating New Year’s with a loaded prix-fixe menu. The meal includes a snack plate to start followed by salad, appetizer, entrée and dessert courses. This year’s celebration features an all-new menu crafted by chef Christine Nunn and a complimentary champagne toast. Other than the toast, the meal is BYOB. $85 per person, 26 Wilsey Square 201-444-4001; picniconthesquare.com.
