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As students opt out of state tests, authorities threaten to withhold funds

standardized-testing

DECEMBER 24, 2015    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY HANNAN ADELY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

The U.S. Department of Education, which has warned that it could cut, withhold or redirect federal funds where large numbers of students refuse to take standardized tests, has outlined steps to do just that in a letter sent to states this week.

Under federal law, states are required to test at least 95 percent of students, yet thousands of families refused to let their children participate in testing last spring in multiple states, including New Jersey, amid complaints that the tests were confusing, difficult and a drain on time and resources.

States that didn’t meet the mark both last year and this year could face one or more of three possible sanctions, according to the letter from Ann Whalen, acting assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education.

The federal government could withhold administrative funds for a Title I program, used mainly to help low-income schools; could put a specific Title I grant on “high-risk status”; or could withhold or redirect funds from the testing portion of a program called Title VI.

In New Jersey, education officials have long warned about potential federal cuts if too many students refuse to take state tests. David Saenz, a spokesman for the state Department of Education, said the most recent federal communication about testing did not state anything new.

“This letter further reiterates what they have said all along and now that they have data, there are actions they plan on taking,” he said.

Some educators and test opponents, however, have dismissed the warnings as empty threats.

The letter “is intended to coerce states into bullying parents and students into compliance,” said Julia Sass Rubin, a volunteer with Save Our Schools NJ.

The education department, she noted, did not take action when New York had opt-out rates of up to 20 percent last spring. She also said that the administrative funds are a “tiny percentage” of total federal funds.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/feds-detail-penalties-for-test-refusals-1.1479704

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Glen Rock police chief to retire after tumultuous year for department

glen_rock_theridgewoodblog

DECEMBER 23, 2015, 7:24 PM    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2015, 7:53 AM
BY MARY DIDUCH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

GLEN ROCK — The borough’s police chief will leave his post early next month, an official confirmed Wednesday, clearing the way for new leadership in a department that has weathered a tumultuous year, including the suspension of two officers and the arrest of a third.

The borough learned of Chief Fred Stahman’s retirement on Wednesday, Borough Administrator Lenora Benjamin said. It is effective March 1, but because Stahman is using his accumulated time off, his last day on the job will be Jan. 6, Benjamin said.

“We had communications with the chief,” Benjamin said.

Stahman was appointed to the department’s top post in 2009, and his salary is $159,934, she said.

Stahman did not return a message seeking comment.

The department’s leaders drew criticism following the suspension of two officers and the arrest of a senior detective on charges that he sent sexually explicit text messages to underage girls whom he was supervising in his role as the department’s juvenile officer. The controversies eventually turned into a campaign issue this November.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/glen-rock-police-chief-to-retire-after-tumultuous-year-for-department-1.1479026

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Novo and Latour Make The Record’s top restaurants of 2015

LaTour

The Record’s top restaurants of 2015

DECEMBER 22, 2015    LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015, 10:51 AM
THE RECORD

North Jersey epicureans are in luck, therefore. In 2015, The Record’s restaurant critic Elisa Ung reviewed a number of first-rate formal restaurants that either opened their doors this year or experienced a significant change (for example, a new chef or new owners, new look) during the year. She also reviewed a few eating establishments that have been around for sometime and continue to dazzle.

 

 

https://www.northjersey.com/food-and-dining-news/dining-news/the-record-s-top-restaurants-of-2015-1.1478009

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Reader says , We do not suffer from “mis-planning.” We are being burdened with the results of no planning or undisclosed planning, take your pick.

welcome to ridgewood

Our council lurches from project to project without a common theme or goal perhaps other than “if someone with money asks for it, then lets give it to them.” The majority on this council exhibit no sense of serving the Village of Ridgewood. They’ve never shown that they looked into the future to ask or try to divine what’s best for the Village as a whole. Instead, they appear only to react to and be driven by the demands of developers, land speculators, restaurant owners and other profiteers.

I have lived in town quite a few years now, and have had agreements and disagreements with many that always ended with a friendly handshake. Sadly, this crew has engendered an entirely different feeling. More sadly yet, they seem to smugly relish what the discord have sown.

I can think of two reason for this. One is payback to the supporters of the gang of three in the last election. The second is to secure votes and financial backing for the gang of three for the upcoming election. If our current Mayor chooses not to run next year then you can be sure that our Deputy Mayor will make a run for Mayor and Gwen will be Deputy Mayor. The plans are already in the works for this. Im sure Albert has already pick a candidate that will support his bid for Mayor .

Make no mistake readers Albert and Paul are smart people. We will not know this mystery candidate until after the election. We will again have four years of block votes and the systematic destruction of the Village . I would suggest to all voters to do their due diligence next year. Know your candidate and their history not just their talking points for the election.

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Ridgewood merchants see uptick in holiday sales

support-local-business

DECEMBER 23, 2015 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2015, 10:07 AM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Many local shops have been seeing a predictable increase in customers and sales this holiday season.

This increase, according to Walter Boyer, owner of Bookends, is a result of people valuing the convenience of shopping nearby, while also understanding that doing so is good for Ridgewood.

Other merchants credit the unseasonably warm weather with helping to increase sales.

“People want to shop locally,” Boyer said, noting the value shoppers place on customer service. “People are realizing that in order for this town to remain a vibrant town, they need to spend their money locally.”

Dawn Puente, a cosmetics worker at Town & Country Apothecary, echoed this sentiment, explaining that people don’t want to go anywhere near New Jersey’s famous shopping malls close to Christmas.

She also added that Town & Country is a destination for such people, as it gives them some of the benefits of the malls while remaining a local shop.

“People come to the store because the items are unique, and we carry a lot of brands that are only available in department stores,” she said.

Joan Groome, executive director of the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce, said, “People come to Ridgewood because of the real ‘downtown feel.’ You do not find wonderful boutiques like we have in the mall.”

As the holidays approached, many scrambled to purchase gifts before it was too late. Boyer said he anticipated his store being quite busy up until Christmas Eve.

He also expected former residents who are visiting family to shop at Bookends, seeking holiday gifts.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/ridgewood-merchants-see-uptick-in-holiday-sales-1.1478813

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Readers say Village Council Majority “Dismissiveness” to Residents Concerns Raises Voter Mobilization Drive

3 amigos in action Ridgewood NJ

What’s needed is MORE VOTERS who have a clue. Votes by only a small coterie of those who follow the issues WILL NOT CUT IT (viz. G. Hauck’s election in the first place, by a handful of votes). The amigos and their amigos know the importance of numbers of votes and will be out there lying their shirts off (lies of commission and omission) in “vote for parking” mode.

Start talking it up NOW. Please make sure your family members, neighbors, and friends are registered to vote–the number of the unregistered who won’t admit it is apparently staggering. Any 17-year-old who will turn 18 by the day of the next election can register in advance of that birthday, showing documentation. Talk to friends and neighbors who may be clueless; often they are thrilled to be told whom to vote for or not.

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Garden State Plaza Illegally Tows Dozens of Employees Cars

Westfield Garden State Plaza

New Jersey’s Predatory Towing Act makes it against the law to tow off private property unless signs are posted. Westfield had NO signs warning employees they could be towed, and the new signs it put up after 7 On Your Side got involved are too small. 3 feet by 3 feet is the law. These are only 12″ by 18″

Bergen County Consumer Affairs stepped up, after investigators found Westfield Corp. racked up four violations of the Consumer Fraud Act. Just hours later, Bergen County Executive James Tedesco brokered restitution. Westfield will pay back all 48 mall employees who got towed and will install new signs by Christmas that are compliant with New Jersey consumer law.

 

LARGEST MALL IN NJ TOWS DOZENS OF EMPLOYEES CAR

By Nina Pineda
Tuesday, December 22, 2015 06:04PM

PARAMUS, New Jersey (WABC) –7 On Your Side got an earful from employees who claim they had no idea why they got towed while working their shifts. After hitting roadblocks with mall management we made a big discovery. One that lead to Bergen County Consumer Affairs taking action against the largest mall in New Jersey.

“I thought it was stolen,” said Stefanie Mastbeth, a mall employee said.

That was Mastbeth’s reaction when, after her shift at Michael Kors, her car vanished from the Garden State Plaza parking lot in Paramus.

“I actually have the Onstar app. So we tracked the car and it wasn’t in Garden State Plaza,” Mastbeth said.

She tracked the car to Hackensack and learned it was towed. She had to pay $150 to get it back.

“$150 is nothing to them, but for employees it’s a big deal,” Mastbeth said.

She was one of 48 mall workers targeted and towed by global retail management giant, Westfield Corp., because the lot she says she’s parked in for seven years as a part-time employee is for customers only.

“I didn’t know about it until my car was towed,” Mastbeth said.

https://abc7ny.com/%E2%80%A6/largest-mall-in-nj-tows-dozens%E2%80%A6/1132612/

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N.J. senators and the Unions that Elected them call to end deadlock on casino referendum

casino_royale_1967_596

DECEMBER 23, 2015, 3:15 PM    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2015, 5:44 PM
BY WAYNE PARRY
ASSOCIATED PRESS

ATLANTIC CITY — Pressure is building on state lawmakers to agree on a ballot question to put before voters asking whether to approve two new casinos in northern New Jersey.

Sens. Raymond Lesniak, a Democrat, and Joseph Kyrillos, a Republican, called on lawmakers Wednesday to agree on a single plan for the November referendum.

Competing versions of the proposal in the Senate and Assembly differ mainly on which companies would be allowed to own the new casinos.

“Casino expansion will create jobs and generate economic growth for the entire state,” said Lesniak, a potential candidate for governor in 2017. “This is an opportunity we have to capitalize on. Democrats and Republicans in the Legislature should work together on a plan that can go to the voters for approval on the next ballot in November of 2016.”

Kyrillos said the referendum is too important to be scuttled by partisan politics.

“The entire Assembly, including Republicans and Monmouth County’s two new Assembly Democrats, need to wake up and join the Senate’s initiative to help save this effort,” he said.

Republican Sen. Jennifer Beck said Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto and Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop — a likely gubernatorial candidate — “have repeatedly constructed roadblocks” to a Senate measure backed by Senate President Steve Sweeney, another likely candidate for governor. Fulop says he strongly supports casinos in northern New Jersey.

The proposal calls for casinos at the Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford and in Jersey City. The vote to allow the new casinos would amend the state Constitution, which restricts casino gambling to Atlantic City.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/unions-n-j-senators-call-to-end-deadlock-on-casino-referendum-1.1478965

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Ode to Traffic Easing

garber square LED sign
by Linda McNamara

Reducing lanes at Garber Square
Has made congestion hard to bare
Bike lanes to nowhere not so great
This plus over development need not be our fate

The council has heard our many suggestions
It’s not too late to change direction
We love this town so charming and rare
Let’s move forward with caution and care

Happy Holidays to all and a Happy New Year too
May the spirit of the season last all year through
For the good people  working so hard for us all
Let’s hope they are listening especially Roberta and Paul!

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Report: CBS News, Frank Luntz Cut Muslim-Americans’ U.S. Criticism From Focus Group

Frank Luntz ,Focus group

by JOHN NOLTE21 Dec 20152,341

Republican frontrunner Donald Trump has already exposed a 14 year-old DC Media  cover up involving numerous Muslim-American celebrations of the collapse of the World Trade Center on 9/11. Now, according to a new report, in their never-ending quest to disqualify Trump and make serial-liar Hillary Clinton president, CBS News has apparently been caught red-handed cutting footage from a focus group mediated by Establishment Republican Frank Luntz that shows American Muslims criticizing the United States:

The Intercept:

[I]n interviews with The Intercept, two Muslim Americans who took part in the group complained that CBS edited out parts of the discussion where they raised their own concerns — including critiques of U.S. militarism, surveillance, and entrapment.

They also said that Frank Luntz, the right-wing pollster who led the focus group, silenced members of the group when they criticized discriminatory U.S. government policies.

One  woman claimed that she brought up Luntz’s Jewishness:

For example, [Sarah] Harvard wrote that after Luntz asked the group whether they were Americans or Muslims first, she chose to demonstrate the offensive nature of the question by asking, “Well, are you an American or Jewish first?”

From the sound of it, Luntz was far from objective. One participant said:

He kept saying how he felt bad that no one listens to Muslims and how he wanted to give us an opportunity to talk to the general population. But how can that happen when we’re manipulatively edited to have us fit their own narrative and agenda?

According to Ms. Harvard’s own Facebook post, Luntz did not just edit out the inconvenient moments that didn’t fit his desired narrative, he went so far as to silence her when she tore into the American government as a racist institution that has “killed many Muslims.”

He also had silenced me and other participants who have routinely brought up the fact the government has enacted in state violence against the Muslim community — whether that may be through entrapment cases and surveillance programs — and our concerns about institutional racism. He shut me down when I said that President Obama and Hillary Clinton has killed many Muslims under the administration when we were discussing Trump, and ironically for a GOP strategist, he shut me down when I talked about how Democrats have enacted some of the most deadliest and discriminatory policies against Muslims. He also decided to stop letting me speak when I started talking about how Muslims should start focusing on combatting government policies rather than rushing to condemn terrorism or Islamophobia exclusively. They also cut out portions of where participants talked about media accountability when discussing Islam.

https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2015/12/21/report-cbs-news-frank-luntz-cut-muslim-americans-u-s-criticism-from-focus-group/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

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Islam and the West: An Irreconcilable Conflict?

Patrick J

Monday – December 21, 2015 at 10:11 pm

By Patrick J. Buchanan

“I worry greatly that the rhetoric coming from the Republicans, particularly Donald Trump, is sending a message to Muslims here … and … around the world, that there is a ‘clash of civilizations.’”

So said Hillary Clinton in Saturday night’s New Hampshire debate.

Yet, that phrase was not popularized by Donald Trump, but by Harvard’s famed Samuel Huntington. His “The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order” has been described by Zbigniew Brzezinski as providing “quintessential insights necessary for a broad understanding of world affairs in our time.”

That Clinton is unaware of the thesis, or dismisses it, does not speak well of the depth of her understanding of our world.

Another attack on Trump, more veiled, came Monday in an “open letter” in The Washington Post where four dozen religious leaders, led by Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, charge “some politicians, candidates and commentators” with failing to follow Thomas Jefferson’s dictum:

“I never will, by any word or act … admit a right of inquiry into the religious opinions of others.”

Intending no disrespect to Jefferson, if you do not inquire “into the religious opinions of others” in this world, it can get you killed.

“We love our Muslim siblings in humanity,” said the signers of Cardinal McCarrick’s letter, “they serve our communities as doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers, journalists, first responders, and as members of the U.S. Armed forces and Congress.”

Undeniably true. But, unfortunately, that is not the end of the matter.

Did the worst attack on the United States since Pearl Harbor, 9/11, have nothing to do with the Islamic faith?

Did Fort Hood and the San Bernardino massacres, the London subway bombings and the killings at Charlie Hebdo, as well as the slaughter at the Bataclan in Paris, have nothing to do with Islam?

Does the lengthening list of atrocities by terrorist cells of ISIS, Boko Haram, al-Qaida, al-Shabaab and the Nusra Front have nothing to do with Islam? Is it really illiberal to inquire “into the religious opinions” of those who perpetrate these atrocities? Or is it suicidal not to?

There has arisen a legitimate question as to whether Islamism can coexist peacefully with, or within, a post-Christian secular West.

https://buchanan.org/blog/islam-and-the-west-an-irreconcilable-conflict-124463

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Three Vehicle Collision at the Intersection of North Monroe and West Glen in Ridgewood

10005974_461783664007672_4759577377350562894_o
photo courtesy of Boyd Lovings Facebook
Three Vehicle Collision at the Intersection of North Monroe and West Glen in Ridgewood 
December 23,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ ,A Toyota MR2 Spyder was the loser in a three (3) vehicle chain reaction collision at the intersection of North Monroe Street and West Glen Avenue in Ridgewood on Tuesday afternoon. The adult female driver of the MR2 was transported by ambulance to The Valley Hospital with a non-life threatening facial injury. Ridgewood PD, FD and EMS responded to the incident, which occurred shortly before 4PM. The sandwiched vehicle was removed from the scene by a flatbed tow truck.

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Ridgewood 2016 Resident Parking Permits – Available Now

parking_enforcement_theridgewoodblog

2016 Resident Parking Permits – Available Now

January – December 2016

Ridgewood Parking Permits – RPP

Click Here for information and details.

RPPs will be sold each business day from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Be sure to bring for both new applications as well as renewals, both their driver’s license and the registration for the cars they wish to register for the permits.

Annual Resident Stickers are available for free

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Ridgewood Police : Holiday Crime Prevention

Honda-Civics-collide-Ridgewood-Police-Ridgewood-Fire-Deparrtment3-300x225

file photo by Boyd Loving
December 22,2015
Chief John M. Ward

Ridgewood NJ , With the holiday shopping season in full swing I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone happy and joyous holiday. Additionally I would like to share some holiday safety tips with you. While savvy shoppers are seeking out the best bargains so are the criminals. This is a peak time for crimes such as home burglaries, thefts, and even muggings. I hope these safety tips help prevent you from being the victim of a crime during the holidays.

At Home
Be extra cautious about locking doors and windows at all times.
Don’t display gifts and other valuables where they can be seen from a window or doorway.
If you go out in the evening, turn on lights and a radio or television so the house looks occupied.
If you go on vacation, get an automatic timer for your lights. Ask a neighbor or trusted friend to watch your house, pick up the mail and newspapers and park their car in your driveway from time to time.

If your lights are on timers, please remember to adjust for the changing sun set times, so the lights do not come on during day light hours.
Beware of package deliveries where couriers have the “wrong” address. Write down license plate numbers of suspicious delivery attempts.
Schedule deliveries while someone is home. Often criminals will grab unattended packages left at front doors. Unattended packages at the door are also a signal to criminals that a home may be vacant.

After Christmas, don’t advertise your new electronics and/or other new valuables that you have just received by putting the boxes out on the curb for the garbage collectors. Break the boxes down and fold them to where the words are on the inside.
If you believe someone’s actions are suspicious please don’t wait, call the police while the individual(s) are still in the area.

Shopping
Stay alert to your surroundings and the people around you. If you see people “hanging around” parking garages, parking lots, or the outside of stores, avoid the area. Notify the police or security department.
Shop before dark if possible. Coordinate shopping trips with a friend if you plan to be out late. Never park your car in an unlit area, no matter how convenient it is.
Lock your car doors and windows even if you are only gone for a few minutes.
Keep packages and other valuables out of public view, preferably locked in the trunk.
Park near street lights if possible and have your keys in hand when you return to your car. Always check the interior of your car before you unlock the door to get in.

To discourage purse snatchers, don’t overburden yourself with packages. Have your purchases delivered whenever practical.
Avoid carrying large amounts of cash. Pay for purchases with a check or credit card whenever possible.
Be extra careful with purses and wallets. Carry a purse under your arm with the strap across your body. Keep a wallet in an inside jacket pocket, not a back trouser pocket.

Teach your children to go to a store clerk or security guard and ask for help if they should become separated in a store or shopping mall. They should never go into a parking lot alone.

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An Abundance of Parking in the Village of Ridgewood a Week before Christmas

Cottage place lot

Cottage place lot

December 23,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Since it was only a few days before Christmas the staff did a walk through in the Central Business District to eye ball the parking situation . The Cottage place lot, mid-day on Saturday December 19, the last Saturday before Christmas Star Wars was open, the Chipmunks was running, plenty of shopping to do with only 6 days until Christmas. And yet tons of empty spaces.

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Hudson Street lot

And of coarse the Hudson Street lot, December 5 Saturday mid day – Santa was at Christ Church, he was at a breakfast at The Office, he was cruising around on a firetruck, less than three weeks until Christmas, and an abundance of open spaces.