Author: James

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FBI using elite surveillance teams to track at least 48 high-risk ISIS suspects

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By Catherine Herridge
Published November 27, 2015
FoxNews.com

With as many as 1,000 active cases, Fox News has learned at least 48 ISIS suspects are considered so high risk that the FBI is using its elite tracking squads known as the mobile surveillance teams or MST to track them domestically.

“There is a very significant number of people that are on suspicious watch lists, under surveillance,” Republican Sen. Dan Coats said.

Coats, who sits on the Select Committee on Intelligence, would not comment on specifics, but said the around-the-clock surveillance is a major commitment for the bureau. “The FBI together with law enforcement agencies across the country are engaged in this. It takes enormous amount of manpower to do this on a 24-7 basis.  It takes enormous amount of money to do this,” Coats explained.

These elite FBI teams are reserved for espionage, mob violence and high-priority terrorism cases, like a joint terrorism task force case last June, where a 26 year old suspect Usaama Rahim, was killed outside a Massachusetts CVS. When a police officer and FBI agent tried to question him, the Boston Police Commissioner said Rahim threatened them with a knife, and was shot dead.

With at least a dozen agents assigned to each case, providing 24/7 coverage, this high level of surveillance reflects the severe risk associated with suspects most likely to attempt copycat attacks after Paris.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/11/26/fbi-using-elite-surveillance-teams-to-track-at-least-48-high-risk-isis-suspects.html

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The Republican establishment is nearing full-blown panic about Donald Trump.

trump poll

GOP in panic over Trump

By Niall Stanage – 11/27/15 06:00 AM EST

The Republican establishment is nearing full-blown panic about Donald Trump.

The demise of Trump’s candidacy has been predicted by centrist Republicans and the media alike virtually since the day it began. But there is no empirical evidence at all to suggest it is happening.

Last month, the liberal ThinkProgress collated more than 30 predictions of the business mogul’s imminent demise. One typical example was The Washington Post’s Jonathan Capehart, who discerned “the beginning of the end of Trump” in mid-July, soon after the mogul criticized the Vietnam War record of Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)

Despite all that, Trump has led the RealClearPolitics (RCP) polling average in a virtually unbroken spell for four months. The only person to briefly wrest the lead away from him, Dr. Ben Carson, appears to be fading. And numerous polls show Trump drawing double the support of his closest establishment-friendly rival, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.)

Add to all this the fact that Trump’s lead over the rest of the GOP field has expanded since the terrorist attacks in Paris, and it becomes clear why anxiety among his many Republican critics is reaching new heights.

“He has a real shot at this. He is the clear front-runner,” said Ron Bonjean, a consultant and former aide to GOP leaders on Capitol Hill.

Adding that “months ago, we all discounted Trump as a candidate,” Bonjean now acknowledged that it seems “safe to assume that he is going to continue with this strong momentum right into Iowa.”

The Iowa caucuses are set for Feb. 1, a little over two months away. Voters tend to pay less attention to politics over the holiday season than at other times, a trend that makes dramatic shifts in the race less likely during that period.

Only one more televised debate will take place before the end of the year, on Dec. 15 in Las Vegas. Beyond that, there will be only one more such clash, in January, four days before the caucuses.

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/261252-gop-in-panic-over-trump

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Dana Abel’s exhibit, “Ten Years – A Retrospective – Oil and Pastel Works” is at the Cottage Place Gallery in Ridgewood through Dec. 6.

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Pastels, oils on display at Cottage Place Gallery in Ridgewood
NOVEMBER 27, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY EILEEN LA FORGIA
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Dana Abel’s exhibit, “Ten Years – A Retrospective – Oil and Pastel Works” is at the Cottage Place Gallery in Ridgewood through Dec. 6.

A Ridgewood resident since 1994, Abel, a professional software developer, says painting was always her primary interest and once her youngest child reached teenage years, she started taking numerous painting classes and workshops. She studied pastel privately with Christina Debarry and oil with Aleksandra K. Nowak and with Basil Baylin and Joe Hing Lowe at the Ridgewood Art Institute. Since entering her first exhibition in 2003, Abel has received numerous awards at the local and national levels.

“Pastel is more immediate – quick and it is easier to see the final outcome,” she said. Featured pastels are: “Blue Vase,” “Daisies,” a RAI 28th Regional Open Jury Show award winner, “Gladioli,” and a portrait, “Redhead,” an early work.

https://www.northjersey.com/arts-and-entertainment/art/artist-expresses-emotions-with-oils-pastels-1.1463640

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Discovery at Ridgewood middle school opens door to past

Back to the future

NOVEMBER 25, 2015    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015, 9:17 AM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

A recently unearthed time capsule has given its viewers a look back to the days of 1986.

The container was interred on the Benjamin Franklin Middle School grounds roughly 30 years ago and was aptly named “Halley’s capsule” by the former BF students, a tip of the cap to the comet that last appeared that year.

The time capsule was intended to be recovered upon the next appearance of Halley’s Comet, but was accidentally dug up this summer by an excavation crew working on the new driveway cut-out at BF.

Gregory Wu, BF assistant principal, said he hurried to the scene once he was informed of the crew’s find.

“Finding value in those types of things,” he said, “I rushed over to take a look.”

Upon arrival, Wu discovered that the capsule had not been well-preserved, and as a result, some of its items were damaged throughout the years.

“I was disappointed to see that its contents (mostly seventh-grade English essays) had been stored in a pretty flimsy plastic container that had failed to keep the water/elements out,” he said. “There was an audio cassette tape, a Betamax tape, various coins, a ‘Vogue’ magazine I believe, a class set of essays and a few other paper items that could not be read due to deterioration.”

Torrance Watson, a current physical education instructor at BF, was one of the students to bury the capsule. He also expressed disappointment at the condition of the container.

“It would have been nice for the capsule to be undamaged so that whoever unearthed it could read all of the entries,” Watson said.

However, the capsule, which was scheduled to be unearthed around 2061, according to Wu, did contain a few mostly intact items: a yearbook from the BF class of 1986 and some of the aforementioned essays.

https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/discovery-at-ben-franklin-middle-school-opens-door-to-past-1.1462202

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Favorite comedies inspire Ridgewood student filmmaker

Inside the Carrousel

NOVEMBER 27, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY DIANA OLIVEIRA
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

The obstacles to write and direct a film are endless but not insurmountable for a student filmmaker endeavoring to succeed.

Grant Olans, a 2013 Ridgewood High School graduate and now a junior at Emerson College in Boston, is currently working on the post-production stages of what he calls his “most ambitious” short film to date. Having more resources at his disposal, for example, has proved a considerable challenge from what he was accustomed to in the past.

“Before, it was just me holding a camera and working with a couple of actors,” said Olans. “It’s a big crew now with more equipment. There are more moving parts and logistics that you have to keep track of.”

The short film — a project for his intermediate film production class — has been in the works since early October and is called “Inside the Carrousel.” Its concept was derived from two of Olans’ favorite movies, the 1985 comedy-drama “After Hours” and the 1986 romantic-comedy “Something Wild.”

In fact, the main scene in Olans’ eight-minute production is a re-creation of a sequence from the latter. His version, however, looks to antiquate the original 29-year-old scene.

The setting is a French restaurant, where a troubled man named Lance has lost his wallet and can’t leave without paying his bill. His quest to find a way out leads to several encounters. Without wanting to reveal too much, Olans admitted to toying with the idea of karmic punishment.

“The main character can’t connect to his daughter through his own flaws,” explained Olans. “So, losing his wallet and not being able to pay his bill are my own little forms of punishment until he can wake up and make things right.”

The film isn’t overly arty and experimental, said Olans, but rather a remarkably straightforward story with a slightly different narrative. He hopes that this attempt at finding his voice in his way of telling stories will appeal to audiences when he submits “Inside the Carrousel” to film festivals in the coming months.

https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/favorite-comedies-inspire-student-filmmaker-1.1463652

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Ridgewood churches help families get back on track

Christ Episcopal Church

NOVEMBER 27, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

During the holiday season, we sometimes need a reminder of the basic gifts we are lucky to have – food, water, family and a safe home with a warm bed in which to sleep.

Sometimes we also need a reminder that not everyone has such essentials, and there are even entire families that rely on local charitable organizations to help them in their time of need.

Such is the role of Family Promise of Bergen County, which works with local churches to provide housing for temporarily homeless families and has a robust presence in the village – it’s headquartered in the basement of the Ridgewood United Methodist Church on Dayton Street.

Congregations around Bergen County host up to 14 people at a time for a period of one week on a rotating basis. They are provided with shelter, three meals a day and support thanks to the efforts of the volunteers at the respective churches.

The program is open to both working families and those looking for work with transit provided to and from the Nancy S. Woods Family Center at the Ridgewood UMC, where families have the opportunity to shower and do laundry before heading to work or schools. Computers are also available to those looking for work.

Over on Cottage Place, Christ Episcopal Church is getting ready to host its next round of families on Nov. 29.

 

https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/families-find-help-at-area-churches-1.1463604

 

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the Ridgewood Blog Once again rolls out the “shop Ridgewood” Campaign in Conjunction with Small business Saturday

Tito's Burritos

at Tito’s Burritos on Ridgewood Ave

Record Number of Consumers Are Aware of Small Business Saturday®, Almost two-thirds (65%) plan to spend at least $100

Small Business Saturday is November 28th

77 percent of U.S. consumers are planning to ‘Shop Small®’ this holiday season

November 27,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, As small business owners across the nation gear up for Small Business Saturday, a record number of shoppers are making plans to support their favorite local businesses. According to the fourth-annual Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey, released today by the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) and American Express, supporting local small businesses continues to be a priority for shoppers nationwide.

“We’re immensely proud to be a founding partner of Small Business Saturday, and it is gratifying to see how it has become the movement that it is today.”

Small Business Saturday was created by American Express in 2010 as a response to small business owners’ most pressing need: getting more customers. Held on the Saturday following Thanksgiving, Small Business Saturday helps rally communities to support local businesses. As Small Business Saturday enters its sixth year, 55 percent of U.S. consumers report they are aware of the day – the highest figure yet recorded – and even more encouraging, 83 percent say Small Business Saturday inspires them to Shop Small all year long.

“Small Business Saturday is a major part of the holiday shopping tradition, and has become a celebration of the local small business owners that we call friends, neighbors and family,” said Janey Whiteside, Senior Vice President and General Manager of American Express OPEN. “We’re immensely proud to be a founding partner of Small Business Saturday, and it is gratifying to see how it has become the movement that it is today.”

“Small Business Saturday has grown every year and it’s been a big boost to Main Street America,” said NFIB CEO and President Dan Danner. “We are very proud to partner with American Express once again this year to promote an event that connects American consumers with their hometown businesses.”

Additional findings from the Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey include:

80% of consumers are willing to pay slightly more for an item if it is purchased from a small, independently-owned retailer as opposed to online or at a large retailer
On average, consumers are planning to do 35% of their holiday shopping at small businesses
45% of consumers who expect to shop on the day plan to spend more on Small Business Saturday this year than they spent last year
Almost two-thirds (64%) of consumers who plan to shop on Small Business Saturday are motivated by the contributions that small businesses make to their community

Community Involvement Grows; Additional Activities Provide Shopping Experiences Throughout the Day

Part of what helps make Small Business Saturday a success is the Small Business Saturday Coalition, which helps rally communities to Shop Small on November 28th. The Coalition was created in 2011 and is led by Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP). The Coalition is comprised of national, state and local associations that help coordinate Shop Small activities with merchants, consumers and small business owners.

Another important group that drives Small Business Saturday activities is Neighborhood Champions, which is comprised of small businesses, business associations, local Chambers of Commerce, and other community organizers. To date, more than 3,500 Neighborhood Champions – an increase of 26 percent from 2,786 in 2014 – have signed up to plan local community activities leading up to and on the day.

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Labor attorney negotiating new PBA contract, not Village of Ridgewood Manager

Ridgewood-_Police_cars_theridgewoodblog

file photo by Boyd Loving
November 27,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

The Ridgewood Blog just received this information –

Ridgewood NJ, In a departure of past practice, Village Council members have hired Mark Ruderman, Esq. and the firm of Ruderman and Glickman to negotiate a contract between the Village of Ridgewood and members of Ridgewood Policeman’s Benevolent Assocation (PBA) Local 20.  Village Council members authorized the hiring of Mr. Ruderman and his firm under a no-bid contract, expiring on June 30, 2016, for an amount not to exceed $75,000; this was done via Resolution 15-182, passed on June 24, 2015.

For as many years as those who have been around for many years can remember, the PBA contract was always negotiated by the Village Manager, with labor attorney review only after the contract terms were accepted by both parties.  The staff of The Ridgewood Blog wondered why the sudden change, and why Mr. Ruderman.  Then we ran across this article:

https://www.northjersey.com/news/after-years-long-battle-tenafly-signs-police-contract-with-no-raises-for-three-years-1.1427309

So in a nutshell, Mr. Ruderman was successful in forcing the Tenafly PBA into arbitration, which resulted in a 3-year no raise contract, and a scaled back pay system that forces their members to work longer before reaching maximum pay.  What the news article didn’t say was that Mr. Ruderman charged Tenafly $225,000 for his legal/negotiation services.  Although the Ridgewood contract has a cap of $75,000, the cap expires on June 30, 2016.  If terms are not reached by then, an opportunity may exist for Mr. Ruderman to either achieve or exceed his Tenafly payout.

The hiring of Mr. Ruderman begs the staff of The Ridgewood Blog to ask what role, if any, Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld and Director of Human Resources Sharyn Matthews are playing in the PBA negotiations, particularly since each of their roles include labor negotiations as a responsibility.

Bottom line – Why are taxpayers shelling out $92,000 a year in salary plus benefits for an HR Director who can’t negotiate?  And then another $75,000 for someone who can?  Good grief Charlie Brown!

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Ridgewood officials delay vote on allowing denser housing downtown

village council meeting

file photo by Boyd Loving

NOVEMBER 25, 2015, 3:28 PM    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2015, 8:58 PM
BY STEVE JANOSKI
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

RIDGEWOOD — Votes by village officials on zoning changes that would clear the path for high-density, multifamily housing downtown will likely be delayed until January while officials gather more information about the controversy-raising proposal’s potential impacts.

Also, Mayor Paul Aronsohn said Monday. the public will be allowed additional sessions to comment on the five introduced zoning ordinances at the council’s Dec. 9 public meeting. The changes would increase the number of allowable housing units per acre from 12 to 35 in four zones in the central business district.

The Village Council, however, won’t vote on them that night. It will await results of a yet-to-be-commissioned financial impact study, which Aronsohn has called the “missing piece of the puzzle.” The study “won’t answer every question, and it may leave a lot of questions unanswered that we need to address,” he told the council at a meeting this month. But at least the questions would be raised, he said.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-officials-delay-vote-on-allowing-denser-housing-downtown-1.1462468

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The New ‘Consensus’: 97 Percent Of Americans Aren’t Worried About Global Warming

abominable-snowman-520169

MICHAEL BASTASCH
9:46 AM 11/25/2015

While 97 percent of scientists may agree mankind is driving global warming, 97 percent of Americans don’t seem to care about the issue when stacked up against other concerns such as terrorism or the economy, according to a recent Fox News poll.

A November Fox News poll of more than 1,000 registered voters found that only 3 percent listed “climate change” as the most important issue facing the country today, down from 5 percent in August. Americans were much more worried about terrorism, the economy and immigration than global warming.

Read more: https://dailycaller.com/2015/11/25/the-new-consensus-97-of-americans-arent-worried-about-global-warming/#ixzz3seEChxGv

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Chief Rabbi Of Brussels: ‘No Future For Jews In Europe’

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KERRY PICKET
Reporter
5:09 PM 11/25/2015

The chief rabbi of Brussels told an Israeli radio station Monday that there is no future for Jews in Europe, The Jerusalem Post reports.

Rabbi Avraham Gigi described the environment of fear in the Belgian capital since the city has been in lockdown following police terror raids across the country.

“There is a sense of fear in the streets, the Belgians understand that they too are targets of terror. Jews now pray in their homes [as opposed to at synagogues] and some of them are planning on emigrating,” Gigi said.

He explained, “Since Shabbat the city has been paralyzed. The synagogues were closed, something which has not happened since World War Two. People are praying alone or are holding small minyanim [small prayer groups] at private homes. Schools and theaters are closed as are most large stores and public events are not permitted. We live in fear and wait for instructions from the police or the government.”

Read more: https://dailycaller.com/2015/11/25/chief-rabbi-of-brussels-no-future-for-jews-in-europe/#ixzz3se9FKjsT

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Thanksgiving Accident on GSP backs up traffic for Miles

GSP
photo courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook
Thanksgiving Accident on GSP backs up traffic for Miles
November 26,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Washington Twp NJ, The driver, and possibly other occupant(s), of a red compact passenger vehicle could not be located following a crash on the Garden State Parkway (GSP) in Washington Township that was reported via a 911 telephone call at 10:19 AM on Thanksgiving Day. The vehicle left the roadway of the northbound GSP just south of Hillsdale Avenue and crashed into a wooded area within the highway’s center median. Washington Township, Hillsdale, HoHoKus, and Ridgewood PD units canvassed the nearby residential areas but were unable to find any victims as of 12 noon.

A canine unit, believed to be from the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, was also deployed to assist in the search. The car is registered to an adult female from Danbury, Connecticut. The heavily damaged vehicle was removed from the scene by a flatbed tow truck. Northbound and southbound traffic was slowed on the GSP due to heavy rubbernecking near the scene. A trooper from the NJ State Police Parkway Patrol Bloomfield Barracks is conducting the investigation.

Save $25 Off $125 Dremel Ordersir?t=theridgewblog 20&l=pf4&o=1

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Wild Turkeys in New Jersey

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November 26,2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The Division’s Turkey Restoration Project represents one of the greatest wildlife management success stories in the history of the state. By the mid-1800s, turkeys had disappeared in New Jersey due to habitat changes and killing for food. Division biologists, in cooperation with the NJ Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation, reintroduced wild turkeys in 1977 with the release of 22 birds. In 1979 biologists and technicians began to live-trap and re-locate birds to establish populations throughout the state. By 1981 the population was able to support a spring hunting season, and in December, 1997, a limited fall season was initiated.

There is now an abundance of wild turkeys throughout the state with turkeys found wherever there is suitable habitat. In South Jersey, where wild turkeys had been struggling just a few years ago, intensive restoration efforts have improved population numbers significantly. The statewide population is now estimated at 20,000 – 23,000 turkeys with an annual harvest of approximately 3,000 birds.

The birds can be pretty aggressive certain times of the year and groups of wild turkeys have been known to wreak havoc on a neighborhood. Do not under estimate their boldness.