NOVEMBER 4, 2015, 6:49 PM LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2015, 11:27 AM
BY HANNAN ADELY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
TRENTON – Aspiring teachers will face tougher standards to enter the profession under revised rules that the state Board of Education adopted on Wednesday.
In one of the biggest changes, the board voted to require students to do 175 hours of clinical work in a classroom setting before they start their full semester of student teaching.
Education Commissioner David Hespe said the state was answering a “clear call to action” to help students by helping their teachers.
“In particular, we know that hands-on experiences are invaluable in preparing teachers, and not all candidates have been getting enough of that time in the classroom,” he said. “Providing more of these experiences will lead to better prepared teachers, which in turn leads to increased student achievement.”
(CNN)Antarctica is gaining more ice than it has lost, according to a new study by NASA.
A NASA team came to this conclusion after scientists examined the heights of the region’s ice sheet measured from satellites.
The new methods used by scientists to come to this study’s conclusion, such as measuring small height changes in the ice over large areas, warrant consideration. But the findings do conflict with more than a decade of research indicating that Antarctica is losing ice and that the loss has contributed to rising global sea levels.
The continent is roughly the size of the United States and Mexico combined, and changes in the ice are not uniform across Antarctica. Some places are gaining ice, and some are losing ice.
Many scientists agree that the Antarctic Peninsula and parts of West Antarctica are losing ice and that the rate of loss is increasing. In the eastern part of the continent and part of the interior, there have been ice gains. These gains, scientists from the study say, are more than the losses in the rest of the region.
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Police report that on Wednesday, November 4, 2015, Patrolman Colin Donnelly was dispatched to the Ridgewood Bus Terminal where he arrested Andrew S, 32, of New Windsor, New York, on outstanding criminal warrants from another jurisdiction.
Subsequent to his arrest Mr. S was found to be in possession of a substance believed to be heroin. He was charged with possession of a controlled dangerous substance, possession of a hypodermic syringe and possession of narcotics paraphernalia.
While in police custody Mr. S experienced a medical emergency believed to be related to heroin use necessitating his transport to the Bergen Regional Medical Center for treatment.
It is unclear if the defendant came to Ridgewood to buy the drugs or was in the Village for another reason .
The Ridgewood Police remind residents that all defendants are considered innocent until found guilty in a court of law. If anyone has information regarding any of the listed incidents, please contact the Ridgewood Police Department at 201-652-3900.
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Police report that on Wednesday, October 28, 2015, police were dispatched to the rear of Starbuck’s Coffee (193 East Ridgewood Avenue) on the report of juveniles fighting.
A Starbuck’s employee reported that a group of juveniles had been harassing customers inside the store and were asked to leave. As they exited the rear of the shop they tipped over several planters.
Ridgewood Police remind residents that all defendants are considered innocent until found guilty in a court of law. If anyone has information regarding any of the listed incidents, please contact the Ridgewood Police Department at 201-652-3900.
Ridgewood Nj , the Ridgewood Police report that on Wednesday, November 4, 2015 at 12:42 am, police were dispatched to West Glen Avenue on the report of an intoxicated man threatening others with a knife. At the scene Vasudheven Kandasamy, 28, of Ridgewood, was arrested and charged with simple assault. Mr. Kandasamy was released after posting $500 bail pending a Ridgewood Municipal Court appearance.
Ridgewood Police remind residents that all defendants are considered innocent until found guilty in a court of law. If anyone has information regarding any of the listed incidents, please contact the Ridgewood Police Department at 201-652-3900.
All of the changes contained in the 2011 law that haven’t already taken effect will be fully implemented in just over 1 year. This law wasn’t designed to show a substantial immediate savings. It was designed to implement changes over a period of years and once ALL of those gradual changes were completed the impact of those changes going forward would have a positive effect on the states financial condition. Immediate solutions for long term problems, are just not reasonable or possible.
The full story on the Chapter 78, P.L. 2011 pension reforms… the problems are unfortunately still very much with us. Here are the facts: cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) were suspended for current and future retirees and beneficiaries from July 2011, but there’s been no inflation in NJ since 2008, so this is not an issue. The increases in employee contribution rates towards their own pensions are only gradual: from 5.5% to 6.5% plus an additional 1% phased-in over 7 years through 2019 for TPAF and PERS; from 3% to 12% for JRS phased-in over seven years; from 8.5% to 10% for PFRS members; and, from 7.5% to 9% for SPRS members. Given the “special” retirement option available only to PFRS members, who can retire after 20-25 years and earn more from their defined benefit pensions for life in retirement then they earned in compensation while serving, they should be contributing more than 10%. As for the increased health benefit contributions, employees subject to any collective negotiations agreement in effect on the effective date of the law in July 2011, i.e. CBAs, that had an expiration date on or after the expiration of the health care contribution provisions of the law, haven’t been subject to the new higher contribution rates yet. In Ridgewood, only Fire is now paying a higher contribution amount, while the PBA and the REA haven’t yet agreed to new CBAs that would trigger higher health benefit contribution rates… so Ridgewood taxpayers have yet to see much, if any benefit from the pension reforms of 2011.
what are Sweeney, Sarlo and Prieto trying to do to our gasoline taxes? What’s going to happen to our property taxes? State income tax increases on the top 1%, i.e. anyone who earns over $350,000? Higher sales taxes anyone? How about all of the above. And for what you ask? To feed the vampire squid sucking the lifeblood out of the state of NJ. All of the tax revenues raised will go to pay for past promises on wages & benefits for unionized labor, not to invest in the future of the state. These thugs in Trenton won’t ask any questions, they’ll just throw more hard earned money down the black hole of pension and healthcare corruption.
The Stakes For a Lame Duck Gas Tax Vote Following Assembly Victories
After Tuesday’s wins in the Assembly elections, Democrats will be entering Lame Duck with the weight of the proposed gas tax on their shoulders and a strategic choice to make: to help fund the Transportation Trust Fund, or wait for the newly elected Assembly members to arrive and for Christie to return to Trenton from the campaign trail. JT Aregood, PolitickerNJ Read more
The garage is a done deal. wake up people. the mayor wants this as his legacy. Of course it will be a financial disaster when we take money from NJ transit and Bergen county and the garage will end up being a commuter parking for out of town people. I predict the taxpayers will get stuck footing the bill as the garage will be underutilized and not meet the expected income Keep in mind that the money we now get from the parking garage goes to subsidize other elements of the town budget. Those funds will now be used to subsidize the debt on the garage so the taxpayers will need to fund that shortfall.
The recent report explaining that the income steam from the garage would be insufficient to cover the cost of the bond used to erect it, and that our entire parking fee system (i.e., meters all over town) will be made much more financially and logistically (in terms of having to pay through until 9pm every night) onerous to motorists in order to defray just PART of the added financial burden, should now be made the subject of a village-wide discussion, regardless of what 3000 die-hard supporters of big government wish to say in a “non-binding” way and during an off-year election cycle when for the first time since 1999 the lowly NJ assembly was at the top of the ticket.
Ridgewood NJ , Seen in front of the old Brogan Cadillac property on South Broad Street. Looks like something you’d see at the Jersey Shore , Jersey City or Paterson to us . Voting in favor of a new parking garage does not imply people are looking to turn the CBD into a “slum district”.
These signs are clearly out of keeping with the character of the Village , so lets leave Tito’s alone , stop playing favorites and focus on preserving the historic character of the Village .
NOVEMBER 4, 2015 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2015, 9:39 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
A resolution endorsing recommendations made in the Open Space Committee’s 2012 Open Space plan as a guide for the course of action to be taken regarding the Schedler property was brought back for discussion last Wednesday after hearing the concerns of neighborhood residents during recent meetings.
Passed by the council in mid-August, the resolution affirms the plan provided by the Open Space Committee, which states the property should be developed for recreational purposes, which includes a 90-foot baseball field and multi-purpose overlay field for soccer and lacrosse.
Councilwoman Susan Knudsen asked for the resolution to be brought back for discussion to remove language specifically regarding the 90-foot field and add that the village recognizes the need for active recreation fields, but will take a different approach to finding a solution.
“We should take this, revisit it and do a redo on it so we give a more balanced approach and help the neighborhood have what they need and figure out how we can also accommodate what the RBSA needs,” said Knudsen, adding such a change could help to rebuild a relationship that is “a little broken” between the council and residents of the neighborhood.
“This complete lack of transparency and accountability is an affront to anyone who believes that government should operate as a fair and open servant to the American people “, Scott Garrett
Garrett Bill to Shed Light on FSOC Passes Committee Activities
Nov 4, 2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05), Chairman of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government-Sponsored Enterprises, issued the following statement after the Financial Services Committee passed his bill, H.R. 3557, the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) Transparency and Accountability Act:
“The Financial Stability Oversight Council is a powerful government body created by Dodd-Frank that holds closed-door meetings, refuses to publish substantive transcripts, and stonewalls requests from Congress when we need more information about its operations. This complete lack of transparency and accountability is an affront to anyone who believes that government should operate as a fair and open servant to the American people. With the committee passage of my bill, the FSOC Transparency and Accountability Act, the American people are one step closer to seeing behind the shroud of this secretive and unaccountable government body.”
The FSOC Transparency and Accountability Act would:
Subject the FSOC to the Government in the Sunshine Act
Subject the FSOC to the Federal Advisory Committee Act
At all FSOC meetings, allow for the participation of all members of the Commissions and Boards represented
Require that any vote taken by the principal of a Commission or Board represented must first be taken by that Commission or Board and the principal must then in turn vote that same decision at the Council
Allow for Members of Congress on the Congressional oversight committees of FSOC to be able to attend all FSOC meetings
Bergen County GOP Chairman Bob Yudin
Citing four years of losses, GOP officials call on Bergen chairman to step down
NOVEMBER 4, 2015, 9:20 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2015, 10:30 PM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
Citing four years of losses by their party in Bergen County elections, three Republicans officials Wednesday called on County Chairman Bob Yudin to step down, including one – Wyckoff Mayor Kevin Rooney – who announced plans to challenge him for the job.
Yudin dismissed the critics, saying that such comments were to be expected after a defeat. He blamed the party’s losses in Tuesday’s freeholder election largely on being outspent 7-1 by the Democrats.
“It’s almost impossible for us to win county wide because of the huge sums that are coming in,” Yudin said Wednesday, citing support the Democrats got from labor unions.
Biggest quarterly drop since the aftermath of the financial crisis
This U.S. earnings season is on track to be the worst since 2009 as profits from oil & gas and commodity-related companies plummet.
So far, about three-quarters of the S&P 500 have reported results, with profits down 3.1 percent on a share-weighted basis, data compiled by Bloomberg shows. This would be the biggest quarterly drop in earnings since the third quarter 2009, and the second straight quarter of profit declines. Earnings growth turned negative for the first time in six years in the second quarter this year.
The damage is the biggest in commodity-related industries, with the energy sector showing a 54 percent drop in quarterly earnings per share so far in the quarter, with profits in the materials sector falling 15 percent.
The picture is brighter for the telecom services and consumer discretionary sectors, with EPS growth of 23 percent and 19 percent respectively so far this quarter.
When compared with analyst expectations, about 72 percent of companies have beaten profit forecasts. That’s only because the consensus has been sharply cut in the past few months, Jeanne Asseraf-Bitton, head of global cross-asset research at Lyxor Asset Management says in a telephone interview.
For the year as a whole, S&P 500 earnings are expected to fall 0.5 percent, data compiled by Bloomberg shows. For 2016, earnings growth is now seen at 7.9 percent, down from 10.9 percent in late July.
Posted by Matthew Gilson On November 04, 2015 1 Comment
By Matthew Gilson | The Save Jersey Blog
Let’s dive right in, Save Jerseyans…
#1 – District 36 Got Even More Republican Locally
While things were dicey across the county, Republicans once again exceeded expectations in District 36, sweeping all the competitive races. The surprise of the night came in Wallington where two Republican challengers will join Chris Sinisi andSharon Robie on the council in January to create the first Republican majority in the town in decades.
In Carlstadt, though not unexpected Councilman Craig Lahullier scored a landslide victory along with his running mates to keep the town in firm Republican hands. Rutherford proved another solid victory for Mayor Joe DeSalvo and his team who now hold a 4-2 advantage on the council. While expected, it is nonetheless amazing that North Arlington, a town where Democrats outnumber Republicans 3-1, will now be completely Republican controlled as top vote-getter Brian Fitzhenry and his team clobbered the Democratic incumbents.
District 36 GOP’ers cleaned-up on a night with not a lot to be excited about elsewhere. They are the model for which the entire county should be running elections.
#2 – John Cosgrove Did More Than Enough to Cement Himself to Take on Bob Gordon
He may not have carried his running mates, but Mayor John Cosgrove was hundreds of votes ahead of his nearest Democratic competitor. I noted earlier that a big victory would set up Cosgrove to take on Gordon in 2017, and he put on a show made even more impressive by the fact that it was a dismal night for many in towns near him.
Republicans lost in the neighboring District 38 towns including Paramus and Glen Rock. While the lost Republican seats will be our top targets in 2017, Cosgrove gives Republicans a top-flight candidate to take on Gordon. Much like the “Scarpa or bust” chants of this year, the discussion of who should take on Gordon begins and ends with Cosgrove. But speaking of popular mayors in the swing district….
#3 – Popular Candidates Can Still Beat Machines
Nothing put on a smile on my face more than the re-election of Norman Schmelz in Bergenfield. Norman is truly one of the good guys and a dedicated mayor, but he faced an onslaught of dirty attacks by his opponents including a full-blown attack website. Knowing the overwhelming Democratic tilt of the town, Democrats tried to tie Norman to Chris Christie, Scott Garrett, Anthony Cappola and stopped just short of portraying him as a patsy of Nucky Thompson. Through the onslaught, through the excessive spending gap, through the bad night for everyone else, Norman Schmelz still eeked out a victory and proved good guys and popular candidates can still win.
