Author: James

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Special Event for Ridgewood Shoppers December 15th

day at the office

Loft 41 Jewelry
Jewelry Store
There are plenty of stores to go to for traditional jewelry but only one Loft 41Jewelry Studio. Opened in October 2012 under a different name, the store has evolved into what is now Loft 41. It’s where you’ll find a carefully curated collection of iconic pieces by the most talented artisans and designers, personally sourced and chosen by our owner, Yvette DeGannes.
Address: 41 E Ridgewood Ave, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Phone:(201) 444-9200

The Office Beer Bar & Grill
Local chain with weekday specials offering a large selection of craft beers & American eats.
We bring in fresh ingredients on a daily basis to ensure the best meal handcrafted by our team members. Each location selects local and seasonal craft beers based on availability and their guest’s preferences. Don’t see something you like, just ask we will see what we can do.
Address: 32 Chestnut St, Ridgewood, NJ 07450

Davidoff Lounge
Tobacco Shop
Huge selection of cigars, pipes, and accessories. Upstairs smoking lounge. Member only Davidoff lounge. Owners are extremely knowledgeable and friendly.
The Davidoff lounge is truly a sight to see. The nicest place to enjoy a cigar and watch a football game. Very tranquil which is great after a long day at work.
Their pipe selection is diverse. The store owner, Gary, took time with me to find the perfect that fits my face and style. Also gave me an informative lesson about how to pack, light, and maintain my new pipe, which really helped me out.
Address: 10 Chestnut St, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Phone:(201) 447-2204

With a $150 purchase at the Loft enjoy Free Beer and appetizers at the Office and a free cigar at the Davidoff Lounge
Tuesday December 15th 6-9pm RSVP required by December 12th to the office 201 652-1070
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Governor Christie goes on war path in vintage Christie rant

Chris_christie_theridgewoodblog

Day of verbal assaults in N.J. was vintage Christie

DECEMBER 9, 2015, 11:49 PM    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2015, 12:05 AM
BY DUSTIN RACIOPPI
STATE HOUSE BUREAU |
THE RECORD

In a rare public event in New Jersey this week, Governor Christie ripped into the state’s largest business community for nearly 40 minutes, stealing headlines by telling leaders to “get a spine” and quit playing “kissy-face” with “crazy and liberal” Demo­crats he said were bought and paid for by union “pigs.”

But he was far from done.

Over the course of that speech to the New Jersey Business and Industry Association, and later during his monthly radio call-in show, Christie attacked or insulted at least a half-dozen other targets, some familiar, some not.

Tuesday’s string of attacks was a vintage version of the Christie who rose to national fame hurling invective at his adversaries and dressing down supporters if they strayed from the path.

Christie spared few from his withering critiques, from former governors to “liberal lunatics” in the Legislature to the “brutally liberal, ridiculous” media to a Senate aide. He even took a jab — jokingly — at the hapless Philadelphia 76ers, who plan to move their practice facility to Camden next year.

His speech to business leaders and the radio show were the only public events on his schedule Tuesday. On Wednesday, Christie did not attend a groundbreaking ceremony for Subaru’s new headquarters in Camden, one of the many achievements — along with luring the 76ers to New Jersey — he’s touted as part of his tax-incentive program.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/day-of-verbal-assaults-in-n-j-was-vintage-christie-1.1470830

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Study: credit card debt may reach alarming levels

creditcards

DECEMBER 10, 2015    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY MELANIE ANZIDEI
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

Consumers are expected to end the year with credit card debt that is close to levels experts consider unsustainable.

A study released Wednesday by the credit card comparison company CardHub found that consumers racked up $21.3 billion in new credit card debt in the third quarter, from July through September. That’s 34 percent more than the same period last year, and the most for the third quarter since 2009, the year the recession ended.

CardHub projects that credit card debt by Dec. 31 will surpass last year’s by $68.5 billion. At that pace, the average household will be ringing in the new year owing more than $8,000, the highest since the last recession.

“We consider an average [household] debt of $8,400 as being unsustainable — proved in 2008 when the crushing debt plunged us into the Great Recession,” Jill Gonzalez, a CardHub analyst, said in an email Tuesday afternoon.

She added that these rising levels of credit card debt should serve as a “wake-up call” to consumers, who should “rein in spending” in an effort to avoid reaching that tipping point.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/credit-card-debt-is-dangerously-high-experts-say-1.1471448

 

CardHub https://www.cardhub.com/edu/credit-card-debt-study/

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Muhammad Ali seeks understanding of Islam

Muhammad Ali

“True Muslims know that the ruthless violence of so called Islamic Jihadists goes against the very tenets of our religion,” said boxing legendMuhammad Ali.

Muhammad Ali seeks understanding of Islam
December 09, 2015, 06:59 pm
By Bradford Richardson

Muhammad Ali called Wednesday for political leaders to use their positions to bring about a better understanding of Islam, which he said had been distorted by terrorist groups.

“I am a Muslim and there is nothing Islamic about killing innocent people in Paris, San Bernardino, or anywhere else in the world,” Ali said in a statement to NBC News “regarding presidential candidates proposing to ban Muslim immigration to the US.”

“True Muslims know that the ruthless violence of so called Islamic Jihadists goes against the very tenets of our religion,” Ali added.

“Speaking as someone who has never been accused of political correctness, I believe that our political leaders should use their position to bring understanding about the religion of Islam and clarify that these misguided murderers have perverted people’s views on what Islam really is,” Ali said.

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/262731-muhammad-ali-seeks-understanding-of-islam

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Trump Continues to Move Higher!

07trump-master675 (1)

Poll: Donald Trump back on top, with Ted Cruz climbing into second

By Anthony Salvanto, Jennifer De Pinto, Sarah Dutton and Fred Backus

The Republican Race

Thirty-five percent of Republican primary voters support Trump, up 13 points since October, and his highest level of support in CBS News polling. Ted Cruz (16 percent) has moved into second place, while Ben Carson, who led the October poll, has dropped to third.

Republicans react to Donald Trump’s proposed ban on Muslims

Marco Rubio is in fourth place with 9 percent. Jeb Bush is getting the backing of just 3 percent of Republican primary voters nationwide, his lowest percentage to date in CBS News polling. Carly Fiorina’s support has also dropped; she is at just 1 percent now.

Donald Trump heads to Israel in December

Most of the interviews for this poll were conducted before Trump made statements concerning a ban on Muslims entering the United States.

Trump voters continue to be more firm in their support. Fifty-one percent of his backers say their minds are made up about him, compared to just a quarter of voters who support a candidate other than Trump.

Trump leads among both men and women. He has more than a 20-point lead among non-college graduates (and a smaller lead among those with a college degree).

But Cruz has made inroads with evangelicals. Carson led with this group in October, but now Cruz and Trump are running neck and neck among them; the two candidates are also close among very conservative Republicans.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/poll-donald-trump-top-ted-cruz-second-hillary-clinton-over-bernie-sanders/

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A dozen suspects charged in major ID fraud ring that stole $3M

Nigerian scam michael-scott-

Six from Secaucus among a dozen suspects charged in ID fraud ring that stole $3M

DECEMBER 9, 2015, 5:04 PM    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015, 6:17 PM
BY JOHN SEASLY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

A dozen people face first-degree money-laundering charges after they allegedly stole about $3 million from banks in an elaborate scheme involving fake identities, bad checks and hundreds of credit cards, state acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman said Wednesday.

Many of those charged are from Secaucus or Jersey City, and all but one have been arrested, Hoffman said.

The group allegedly created “synthetic” identities by combining real Social Security numbers with fake names and birth dates so they could open numerous checking and credit card accounts online. Authorities allege that through bad checks, the accused deposited money into the accounts, which they then used to pay off credit cards, increasing the cards’ credit limits. They allegedly also withdrew the money from ATMs and via money orders before the bad checks were discovered.

False “merchants” created shell businesses solely to participate in the scheme, Hoffman said. Those businesses swiped the fraudulent credit cards for nonexistent purchases, then received reimbursement from credit card processing companies.

“While the credit card holders, businesses and purchases in this scheme were fictitious, the losses suffered by the banks were very real and totaled an alarming $3 million,” Hoffman said.

The 12 charged allegedly split the proceeds, while the bank accounts of the fake businesses were used to launder the money, with checks written from one company to another as if they were doing business, Hoffman said.

The scam was active from 2012 to 2015 and involved hundreds of credit cards and millions of dollars in fake transactions, said state Division of Criminal Justice Director Elie Honig.

“All of the agencies involved deserve great credit for unraveling this tangled scheme and obtaining the evidence necessary to prosecute these individuals to the full extent of the law,” Honig said.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/six-from-secaucus-among-a-dozen-suspects-charged-in-id-fraud-ring-that-stole-3m-1.1470772

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Village of Ridgewood Council Reaffirms its Agreement to 4 comprehensive, independent impact studies on the high density housing

Village Council
file photo by Boyd Loving
December 10,2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Last night was a huge success for residents in that village , the Village council committed to doing the four studies on the high density issue. Without the pressure from residents, this would not have happened. The meeting went late and there were no big outbursts or excitement.

Village council agreed to 4 comprehensive, independent impact studies regarding the high density housing .The 4 comprehensive independent impact studies are financial, school, traffic, infrastructure.

Mayor Aronsohn made it clear from the git-go that all four studies would happen.  Deputy Mayor Pucciarelli switched sides like a Gemini – while he was completely opposed to the four studies in September 30, now he is in full support.  This is all good, and will delay the high density housing for awhile longer.  The hearings on the housing ordinances are continued until February 10.  In spite of Aronsohn’s early declaration that the four studies would happen, public comments went on for about 2.5 hours, with 20 people speaking against the housing and often tying it in with not wanting the garage.  Seven others had spoken against the housing in the first 1/2 hour comments session.

Also the Village Council Public Meeting was the introduction of the Bond Ordinance supports the largest garage as depicted in the images and  as decided on by council majority (3-2). The garage details include parking for  405 cars (net gain of 305) totaling  136,550 square feet, height of  49’2” to the parapet and  the tower height at 68’4”. The garage requires the elimination of all on-street parking along Hudson Street, elimination of some on- street parking along South Broad Street and the rerouting of Hudson and Passaic Street traffic.

The introduction of the bond for the garage was 5-0 in favor.  This, mind you, is just the introduction. There is a pretty good indication that Susan and Mike will vote it down then, forcing Atilla the Aronsohn to head straight to the county to float the bond.  We shall see.

The public hearing and vote on the Bond Ordinance is scheduled to occur in January 2016.  In the meantime,  Council Woman Knudsen is seeking public input regarding the proposed Hudson Street garage as shown in the simulations [email protected] .

At the bitter end, From 12:02 until almost 1AM, the Schedler people spoke, 9 of them.  They asked for studies to be done around Schedler as they are being done in the CBD.  They want traffic studies, air quality, noise, etc.  one guy had an audio tape that he played of the deafening noise there from 17.  A cardiologist explained the serious health risks to children who exercise in polluted air.  There was a funny exchange where Gwenn attempted to undermine the doctor’s assertions of respiratory risks when running around in bad air, and she even suggested that maybe no one should even live over there.

Other Highlights for Last night:

ORDINANCES – INTRODUCTION
3515 – Bond Ordinance – Construction of Hudson Street Parking Deck ($12,300,000) – Appropriates this money for the construction of the Hudson Street parking deck

ORDINANCES – PUBLIC HEARING
3509 – Amend Various Salary Ordinances
3512 – Amend Valet Parking Ordinance
3513 – Non-Union Salary Ordinance
3514 – Management Salary Ordinance

ORDINANCES – CONTINUED PUBLIC HEARING
3489 – Amend Chapter 190 – Land Use and Development – Establish AH-2 Zone District
3490 – Amend Chapter 190 – Land Use and Development – Establish B-3-R Zone District
3491 – Amend Chapter 190 – Land Use and Development – Establish C-R Zone
3492 – Amend Chapter 190 – Land Use and Development – Establish C Zone District
3493 – Amend Chapter 190 – Land Use and Development – Amend Various Sections – Multiple Zone Districts and General Affordable Housing Regulation

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PARCC Testing for the test : Ridgewood Schools Results

BOE_the ridgwoodblog

In 2008, the High School Redesign Taskforce stated: “…the New Jersey High School Proficiency Assessment (HSPA) does not measure college or work readiness…Further, New Jersey colleges and universities do not use scores from the HSPA for admissions or placement, because the test does not reflect postsecondary placement requirements.”

Recommendation: A System of Aligned Assessments “Replace HSPA with a series of end of course assessments in math… and a proficiency exam in language arts literacy that are aligned with the expectations of higher education and the workplace.” (HSRSC – 2008) Current tests should be “replaced with a system of end-of-course assessments.” (CCRT – 2012)

NEW JERSEY’S STATEWIDE ASSESSMENT PROGRAM

¡ In 2015, New Jersey adopted the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) to replace HSPA and previous assessments in elementary and middle schools in language arts and mathematics.

¡ 773,710 NJ Students took PARCC English Language Arts and Literacy Assessments (ELA/L) in Grades 3–11.

¡ 745,606 NJ Students took PARCC Mathematics Assessments in grades 3 – 8 and End of Course Assessments in Algebra I, Geometry, and Algebra II.

WHAT IS PARCC MEASURING?

A continuum of college readiness at each grade level, based on expectations for skill and knowledge acquisition ideal for annual progress toward graduating high school, ready to do college level work.

¡ Expectations are aligned to the grade-level, academic standards to which we write our curriculum and teach our students – the CCSS

¡ Other tests that measure a continuum of college readiness include: ADP, NAEP, ACT, SAT among others

PARCC Testing Presentation is now Online
Click here to view the PARCC testing presentation given at the December 7 Board meeting by Cheryl Best, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction and Assessment.

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Obamanomics : Middle class Americans ‘no longer majority’

US President Obama waves from a golf cart in Kailua

Middle class Americans ‘no longer majority’

Anmar Frangoul | Special to CNBC.com
CNBC.com

Middle class Americans are now outnumbered by those above and below them and are “falling behind financially”, according to new analysis of government data by the Pew Research Center.

The beginning of 2015 saw 120.8 million adults living in middle-income homes, compared with 121.3 million Americans living in lower and upper income households, a significant shift that “could signal a tipping point.”

According to Pew’s report, the 21st century has seen “middle-income Americans” fall behind financially. The median income of middle income households fell by 4 percent between the year 2000 and 2014, while median wealth – assets minus debts – fell by 28 percent between 2001 and 2013.

In 2015, 9 percent of Americans were seen as being in the highest income tier, “more than double the 4 percent share in 1971.” The percentage of American adults in the lowest income tier has also risen, from 16 percent in 1971 to 20 percent in 2015.

In 2015 12 percent of adults were living in the upper middle tier, up from 10 percent in 1971. Nine percent were seen as being in the lower middle tier, unchanged from 1971.

https://www.cnbc.com/2015/12/10/middle-class-americans-no-longer-majority.html

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A new plan for U.S. schools; testing likely to remain key in New Jersey

RHS_BEST_theridgewoodblog

DECEMBER 9, 2015, 11:43 AM    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015, 11:18 PM
FROM STAFF AND NEWS SERVICE REPORTS |
WIRE SERVICE

In New Jersey, the federal education reform bill that seems certain to get the president’s signature Thursday means local and state educators, not the federal government, get to determine what to do to save a failing school, and the threat of costly sanctions for slumping schools would go away.

What’s unlikely to end in New Jersey, education experts said on Wednesday, is the reliance on students’ test scores to evaluate how well teachers are performing, a point of fierce dispute between New Jersey administrators and unions that the reform legislation relegates to the states.

The Senate on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly, 85-12, to approve legislation rewriting the landmark No Child Left Behind education law of 2002.

It was hailed as a “Christmas present” for 50 million children across the country by Sen. Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican who leads the Senate Education Committee.

One key feature of No Child remains: Public school students will still take the federally required statewide reading and math exams. But the new law encourages states to limit the time students spend on testing, and it will diminish the high stakes for underperforming schools.

Under No Child Left Behind, schools that failed to meet annual progress targets could be shut down or converted into charter schools, a policy that critics said led schools to focus too heavily on tests.

Schools that don’t meet annual progress targets, under the new legislation, no longer will be considered to be failing and won’t be subjected to federal sanctions.

States will be required to intervene in the lowest-performing 5 percent of schools, in high schools with high dropout rates and in schools with stubborn achievement gaps.

David Hespe, the state education commissioner, said the biggest change under the reform legislation would be the new flexibility permitted to states to help struggling schools. “We can develop our own interventions,” Hespe said.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/education-law-rewrite-passes-congress-1.1470503

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Officials face open space shortage in Ridgewood

maple+field1-300x19911

DECEMBER 9, 2015    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2015, 10:15 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

(This article is the fourth of an ongoing series examining the Schedler property and the issues surrounding it.)

In the dense, suburban jungle that is Bergen County, some of the most precious resources enjoyed by many residents are the pockets of open space scattered amongst the endless tracts of homes, apartments and office and business buildings.

Like many towns, there is a shortage of open space in Ridgewood. The vast majority of the community is built out and much of the remaining undeveloped open space is only usable as conservation land.

In fact, the majority of the village’s parkland is conservation land, said Parks and Recreation Director Tim Cronin. Ridgewood’s largest park, Grove Park, is more than 30 acres, but is unusable for any kind of recreation.

The end result is a tremendous strain on the village’s outdoor facilities.

“It’s a very unusual town,” said Cronin. “Most people don’t realize this is the biggest school system in Bergen County. When I say that, people look at me and they scratch their head and say: How can that be? We’re 25,000 people, we’re bigger than Hackensack?”

This atypical situation has become part and parcel to the discussion of the construction of a second “60-90” field on the Schedler property on West Saddle River Road. As previously covered in The Ridgewood News, neighbors are concerned their quality of life will plummet, while the Ridgewood Baseball Softball Association (RBSA) says the need for a second full-size diamond is too great to ignore.

https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/officials-face-open-space-shortage-in-ridgewood-1.1470457

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Obama not briefed on FBI’s Clinton probe

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

By Julian Hattem – 12/09/15 01:12 PM EST

President Obama does not receive briefings about the FBI’s investigation into the personal email setup Hillary Clinton used as secretary of State, bureau Director James Comey said on Wednesday.

As a result, Obama should have no way of knowing how the inquiry is proceeding, Comey told the Senate Judiciary Committee, despite the president’s apparent dismissal of concerns about impropriety.

The FBI’s examination of Clinton’s server, which held her private email account and has drawn intense criticism from Republicans and transparency advocates, has put the FBI in a tight spot.

In response, Comey has repeatedly attempted to shoot down concerns about political motivation in his bureau’s probe and fears that investigators will undermine evidence against Clinton or another Obama administration official.

“I hope the American people know the FBI well enough and the nature and character of this organization,” Comey told the Senate panel on Wednesday.

“As I’ve said many times, we don’t give a rip about politics,” he added. “We care about finding out what is true and doing that in a competent, honest and independent way. I promise you that’s the way we conduct ourselves.”

Conservatives expressed worry in October when Obama said that Clinton had made “a mistake”by using the private email address throughout her time at the State Department but that the behavior did not compromise official secrets.

“I can tell you that this is not a situation in which America’s national security was endangered,” Obama told CBS’s “60 Minutes.”

According to reports, Obama’s comments upset some FBI officials, who worried that it amounted to meddling in their investigation.

https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/262639-obama-not-briefed-on-clinton-investigation

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Obama Administration : NO CHRISTIAN REFUGEES ALLOWED

Obama-Golf

No room in America for Christian refugees
January 07, 2015, 04:00 pm
By Abraham H. Miller

At the end of World War II, the Jewish survivors of Europe’s Holocaust found that nearly every door was closed to them. “Tell Me Where Can I Go?” was a popular Yiddish song at the time. Decades later, the Christians of the Middle East face the same problem, and the Obama administration is keeping the door shut.

America is about to accept 9000 Syrian Muslims, refugees of the brutal war between the Assad regime and its Sunni opposition, which includes ISIS, Al Qaeda, and various other militias. That number is predicted to increase each year.  There are no Christian refugees that will be admitted.

Why? Because the Department of State is adhering with all the rigidity of a Soviet era bureaucracy to the rule that only people at risk from massacres launched by the regime qualify for refugee status. The rapes of Christian women and the butchery of Christian children do not count. No matter how moved Americans were this Christmas season by the plight of their fellow Christ followers in Syria and Iraq, no matter how horrific the visuals of beheadings, enslavement, and mass murder, the Christians fleeing death do not engender the compassion of this president.

The Christians are being raped, tortured, and murdered by militias, not by the Syrian government. This technicality condemns them to continue to be victims without hope. And this technicality is being adhered to with all the tenacity with which President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s State Department manipulated quotas and created subterfuges  to keep out the Jews fleeing the oppression of Nazi Germany. Obama no more wants the Middle East’s Christian refugees than Roosevelt wanted Europe’s Jewish refugees.

We have seen in the last several weeks that President Obama has no difficulty using his “phone and his pen,” as he dramatically boasts, to circumvent the law. When it comes to immigration, he had no difficulty enacting an amnesty that a federal judge  subsequently ruled unconstitutional. He has had no problem circumventing Congress to change the relationship with Cuba. This president has shown that he will push back on the constraints of law when he wants to get something done.

https://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/foreign-policy/228670-no-room-in-america-for-christian-refugees

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Christie: Union ‘pigs will be charging’ to Statehouse if Democrat succeeds him

pig

 

Warning that “pigs will be charging down State Street” in Trenton if voters elect a Democratic governor after he leaves office, Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday urged New Jersey’s business community to join his fight against public employee unions. Matt Arco, NJ.Com Read more

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Car Truck Collision at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Bellair Road, Ridgewood

Car Truck Collision at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Bellair Road, Ridgewood
photo courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook
Car Truck Collision at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Bellair Road, Ridgewood
December 08,2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The driver of a roll off container truck was transported by ambulance to The Valley Hospital following a collision in which his truck broadsided a white Toyota Matrix at the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Bellair Road, Ridgewood on Tuesday, 12/08. The adult female driver of the Toyota was uninjured in the crash, which occurred just prior to 1PM. Ridgewood PD, FD, and EMS units responded to the scene. The heavily damaged Toyota was removed from the scene by a flatbed tow truck. A heavy duty wrecker took the roll off container truck away.