Author: James

Posted on by — 2 Comments

Ridgewood Water Announces Stage II Water restrictions

drip

E – Notice – Water Restrictions – Stage ll – August 6th

Dear Resident,

The hot weather and limited rainfall has led to a big increase in water use for irrigating. The Stage I restrictions that we have had in place have not moderated the demand enough to maintain reserves for firefighting and other emergencies so we need to immediately implement Stage II restrictions which limits the use of water for irrigation to two days per week. If your street address is an odd number, you may irrigate on Tuesdays and Saturdays only. If your address is an even number, you may irrigate on Wednesdays and Sundays only. Hand held hoses may be used at any time.

We appreciate your cooperation. I know that we have communicated several times about enforcement and compliance and we have stepped up our monitoring in this area. In order for us to address this issue, we must do so together – I think we would all want to avoid going to Stage III restrictions and we can go a long way in that goal by abiding by these conservation measures.

As usual, please let me know if you have any questions or comments.

Best,

Roberta Sonenfeld
Village Manager
201-670-5500, ext. 203
9                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          -PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS-

Posted on by — 2 Comments

GOP candidates battle to stake their positions in first 2016 debate

donald-trump-plane_boarder_trip6b

Who says politics is boring! Are you watching this debate right now? It’s better than the Mayweather-Paq fight lol. Jason Vigorito

Published August 06, 2015
FoxNews.com

From fiery criticism of ObamaCare and the Iran nuclear deal to support for Israel and the rights of the unborn, the top 10 Republican presidential candidates did all they could to define and separate themselves Thursday night during the Fox News debate in Cleveland, Ohio.

The governors on stage, notably John Kasich of Ohio and Scott Walker of Wisconsin, touted their economic records. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz vowed to scrap the Iran deal. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson reminded voters in his closing remarks of the professional background that separates him from the rest: “I’m the only one to separate Siamese twins.”

Throughout the debate, Donald Trump was the unrivaled lightning rod, but the prime-time showdown made clear he’s not the only fighter on the stage – or in the race.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie reclaimed his reputation as a tough-talking executive, blasting his rivals for their positions on domestic surveillance and entitlements. Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul traded barbs with several candidates, including Christie.

Meanwhile, one-time front-runner former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush found himself on defense several times and largely avoided tangling with Trump on the Fox News/Facebook stage.

Perhaps the most fiery moment came in an exchange between Christie and Paul. Long-simmering tension between the two exploded when Christie stood by his criticism of the senator for opposing NSA bulk collection of Americans’ phone data.

Paul said he’s “proud of standing for the Bill of Rights,” but Christie called his stance “completely ridiculous” – suggesting he wants to cherry-pick only some data.

“When you’re sitting in the subcommittee just blowing hot air about this, you can say things like that,” Christie said.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/08/06/sparks-fly-at-opening-gop-debate-as-trump-wont-pledge-no-independent-run/

 

Drudge Report Poll showed Trump a Clear winner at  415am this morning with an astonishing 52.24% of the vote 

SOCIAL MEDIA SAYS CARLY FIORINA WINS EARLY REPUBLICAN DEBATE

https://www.breitbart.com/california/2015/08/06/social-media-says-fiorina-wins-early-republican-debate/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

North Jersey filmmakers shoot documentary about heroin addiction

heroin_theridgewoodblog

AUGUST 5, 2015, 7:42 PM    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2015, 7:47 PM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

our North Jersey filmmakers banded together this summer to shoot a documentary they are hoping will address the stigma associated with heroin addiction.

Called “Epidemic H,” the 30-minute film will cast light on the devastation that heroin has wrought across suburban neighborhoods statewide and the crippling effects that the low-cost drug has had on its users, their families, friends, communities, local health organizations and law enforcement agencies.

“This is a drug that doesn’t discriminate and at this point, everyone knows someone who has been affected by heroin,” said Ken Spooner of River Vale. “We want people struggling with addiction to be able to relate to this film, which we hope will even the playing field. We want people to know what addiction is, and that it’s an illness that can be treated if you go about it the right way.”

Spooner and Mike O’Brien of Westwood, two of the executive producers, previously produced and directed “To Be Strong,” a 2014 movie about amateur pugilist Anthony Daniels and the Ridgewood native’s determined battle against blood cancer.

The other executive producers are Mike Mee, a filmmaker from Pompton Plains, and Dorothy Fucito, a movie producer from Ridgewood.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/north-jersey-filmmakers-shoot-documentary-about-heroin-addiction-1.1386855

Posted on by — 4 Comments

Ridgewood False Alarms Endanger Lives

Ridgewood_Police_theridgewoodblog
file photo by Boyd Loving
August 6,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Police report that on Thursday July 30, 2015 a North West Central Bergen Dispatch received a box alarm of fire from the area of Lenox and Ackerman Avenues. Responding officers were unable to locate a fire and the actor who had pulled the alarm had left the scene. A short time later when North West Bergen Central Dispatch received a second alarm in the area of Melrose Place and Godwin Avenue.
Patrolman Jeffrey Kay observed a male actor running from the area. Nycheem P. Gatling (20) of Paterson was subsequently arrested and charged with two counts of 2C:33-3a, causing a false public alarm. Mr. Gatling was released pending a first appearance before the Ridgewood Municipal Court.
Posted on by — Leave a comment

Ridgewood Police Report Rash of identity Theft

Identity-Theft1

August 6,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood Blog

Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Police report that on Tuesday August 4, 2015 a West side resident reported discovering fraudulent charges had been made on one of his/her credit card accounts. Information concerning prevention/reporting identity theft is available at the Ridgewood Police Department. While reports of similar incidents continue to be on the rise it is prudent to closely monitor your credit history as well as incoming mail at your residence.

Earlier on Monday July 27, 2015 a resident reported that an unidentified actor had opened several credit cards accounts utilizing his/her personal information. The matter is being investigated by the detective bureau. Information concerning prevention/reporting identity theft is available at the Ridgewood Police Department. While reports of similar incidents continue to be on the rise it is prudent to closely monitor your credit history as well as incoming mail at your residence.

Identity Theft Protection Tips

Identity theft is a crime in which an impostor obtains key pieces of personal identifying information (PII) such as Social Security numbers and driver’s license numbers and uses them for their own personal gain. It can start with lost or stolen wallets, stolen mail, a data breach, computer virus, “phishing” scams, or paper documents thrown out by you or a business (dumpster ).

How can I minimize my risk of becoming an identity theft victim?

As consumers, you have little ability to stop or prevent identity theft. However, there are some positive steps to take which will decrease your risk.

Don’t give out your SSN unnecessarily (only for tax reasons, credit or verified employment.) Before providing personal identifiers, know how it will be used and if it will be shared.

Use a cross-cut shredder to dispose of documents with personal information. Also, use a specialized gel pen when writing out checks.

Place outgoing mail in collection boxes or the U.S. Post Office.

Know your billing cycles and contact creditors when bills fail to show up. Review bank and credit card statements carefully.

Password protect your financial accounts. A strong password should be more than eight characters in length, and contain both capital letters and at least one numeric or other non alphabetical character. Use of non-dictionary words is also recommended.

Don’t give out personal information on the phone, through the mail or over the Internet unless you initiated the contact.

Use firewall software to protect computer information. Keep virus and spyware software programs updated.

Reduce the number of preapproved credit card offers you receive: 888-5OPT-OUT

Order your free annual credit reports on-line at: www.annualcreditreport.com or by calling (877) 322-8228

You may also “freeze” your credit report. For more information on this, go to: State Resources

https://www.idtheftcenter.org/Protect-yourself/id-theft-prevention-tips.html

Posted on by — 1 Comment

Now there’s a danger-free place in North Jersey to meet for sealing online deals

Ridgewood-_Police_cars_theridgewoodblog

file photo by Boyd Loving

AUGUST 5, 2015, 11:25 PM    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2015, 11:34 PM
BY KARA YORIO AND STEFANIE DAZIO
STAFF WRITERS |
THE RECORD

Classified ad websites, such as Craigslist, can be an easy and convenient way to buy and sell goods. Once a purchase is agreed upon, however, the parties typically have to meet to finish the transaction. That is where the deals can get tricky or even dangerous.

When Park Ridge resident Jodie Delehanty put an ad on Craigslist recently to sell her car, she received a response right away.

“The guy was very interested,” Delehanty said. “I thought it was weird that it was so quick, but it ended up being legit.”

Just in case, though, Delehanty and her husband completed the transaction in an online shopping “safe zone” in the parking lot of the Hillsdale Police Department.

The Hillsdale SafeTrade Station — in the department’s lobby and back parking lot — is one of many safe zones being created by police departments and communities around the country so people can complete transactions with strangers after buying or selling something online. People do not need to be a resident of the town.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/now-there-s-a-danger-free-place-in-north-jersey-to-meet-for-sealing-online-deals-1.1386881

Posted on by — 3 Comments

N.J. freezes impact of student testing on teachers; exams still count as 10 percent of evaluations

fast times at ridgemont high pic

AUGUST 5, 2015, 11:45 PM    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2015, 11:49 PM
BY HANNAN ADELY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

New Jersey won’t increase the weight of state tests on teacher evaluations in the coming school year — to the relief of educators whose reviews are based in part on students’ scores.

Student performance on state tests will count for 10 percent of a teacher’s job review in the coming school year, the same as in the past year, state officials announced Wednesday.

The state could have made test scores account for as much as 20 percent of a teacher’s evaluation under a revised policy adopted last year. But state officials backed down amid an outcry from teachers against use of standardized state tests in their reviews.

“We don’t think this is a proper use |of test score data, but it is a step in |the right direction that they’re freezing it rather than raising it,” said Steve Baker, a spokesman for the New Jersey Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union.

David Hespe, the state education commissioner, said the decision was made because data from the new tests haven’t been received and reviewed yet and because the state was still transitioning from its old tests.

“This is the right move to keep teacher evaluations strong and successful into the future,” Hespe said at a state Board of Education meeting.

 

https://www.northjersey.com/news/n-j-freezes-impact-of-student-testing-on-teachers-exams-still-count-as-10-percent-of-evaluations-1.1386884

Posted on by — 2 Comments

Reader suggests Bring a clock to Village Council Meetings and respectfully remind the chair and/or council that you entitled to your 5-minutes and to please not interrupt.

Village _council_meeting_theridgewoodblog

file photo by Boyd Loving
Chapter 3. Administration of Government

Article II. Village Council

§ 3-19. Manner of addressing Council.

[Amended 1-11-1994 by Ord. No. 2442]
A.
Persons other than Council members may be permitted to address the Council in the proper order of business. A person present may, upon recognition by the Chair, be heard either upon ordinances upon second reading or at the time of petitions and oral communications from the public and at such other times as the Council may, by majority vote of those present, specifically permit. No person shall address any remark or question to any specific Council member, nor shall any person be permitted to address the Chair while a motion is pending. A Council member may, through the Chair, respond to any communication or address received pursuant to this section.
B.
Except upon consent of the Council, by the majority vote of those present, each person addressing the Council pursuant to this section shall be required to limit his remarks to five minutes and shall at no time engage in any personally offensive or abusive remarks. On a hearing on ordinances on second reading, a person who has previously addressed the Council on the issue may be permitted a period of no more than an additional five minutes, after all others desirous of speaking on the issue have had an opportunity to do so, provided the comments of the speaker are not repetitive. The Chair shall call any speaker to order who violates any provision of this section.

My suggestion would be to prepare a 5-minute comment and use the entire time allotted. Bring a clock and respectfully remind the chair and/or council that you entitled to your 5-minutes and to please not interrupt.

Posted on by — 11 Comments

Glen Rock cop accused of sexting teen girls; detective allegedly sent nude photos

sexting

AUGUST 5, 2015, 5:02 PM    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2015, 12:10 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS AND ABBOTT KOLOFF
STAFF WRITERS |
THE RECORD

A Glen Rock detective whose job centered on protecting children was arrested Wednesday, accused of sending naked photos of himself to a 14-year-old girl and sexually explicit text messages to another teenage girl, both of whom had been under his supervision, authorities said.

Detective Sgt. Eric Reamy, 51, the borough’s juvenile officer, was arrested at his home in Fair Lawn following a one-month investigation that began when the mother of a 17-year-old girl went to Glen Rock police after finding “inappropriate” messages from the detective on her daughter’s cellphone, Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli said.

The investigation led police to a 14-year-old girl who recently moved with her family to Texas, and whose phone was examined Tuesday by Bergen County detectives who traveled there to interview her and her parents, the prosecutor said. Reamy had persuaded the girl to send him naked photos of herself and had sent her “two naked photos of his private part,” Molinelli said.

Reamy has been charged with five counts of endangering the welfare of a child, including one first-degree count, Molinelli said.

 

https://www.northjersey.com/news/glen-rock-cop-accused-of-sexting-teen-girls-sending-photos-of-his-private-parts-1.1386793

Posted on by — 6 Comments

Price tags Soar for Municipal Construction Projects

Village Hall flood theridgewoodblog.net

file photo by Boyd Loving

Price tag for Bergen County DPW facility grows by a Staggering $5 million

This has “Ridgewood parking garage” written all over it

AUGUST 5, 2015, 9:39 PM    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, AUGUST 6, 2015, 7:36 AM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

The new Bergen County public works maintenance facility in Paramus will cost at least $5 million more to build than originally estimated, County Executive James Tedesco told the freeholders Wednesday.

The project, which had been estimated to cost $16 million, has cost $21 million thus far, Tedesco said.

He also said the project, scheduled to open on Oct. 1, is about seven months behind schedule from it’s originated projected completion date in March.

Related:   Cost of Bergen County Justice Center expected to grow by $1.3M

Tedesco has been saying for months that the facility was “underfunded.” But Wednesday marked the first time he specified how much more money it would cost.

The DPW facility is part of a larger multi-project $147-million bond issue that also includes a new Justice Center and parking deck and another DPW garage in Hackensack. Taken together, the work is the largest public works project in the county’s history.

Tedesco said the Justice Center and parking garage are close to coming in on budget. The five-story parking garage is set to open later this summer and the adjacent six-story Justice Center is about six weeks behind schedule, he said. The Hackensack DPW garage is completed.

The Paramus DPW facility, though, has undergone several changes in the last seven months that have added to the cost of that project, he said. For example, one building at the site was designed as a cold-storage garage, to store vehicles without providing any heat. But to allow for diesel-powered vehicles to be stored there, the county has added electric heating blocks to thaw them out in winter, Tedesco said.

He said the original design also did not call for the concrete in the maintenance garage to be sealed with epoxy. That change has added to the expense and the time required to install it, he said.

DPW Director Raymond Dressler said another change was related to how the current administration, which took over in January, plans to use the building. Dressler said one garage bay is getting a lift capable of raising large trucks, so that the county can offer heavy-equipment maintenance as a shared service to municipalities and fire departments. He said plans call for at least two shifts daily to work out of the building, rather than just one, which required reconfiguring the space.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/price-tag-for-bergen-county-dpw-facility-grows-by-at-least-5-million-1.1386872

Posted on by — 20 Comments

Schedler House shenanigans, as expected

gwenn hauck

August 6,2015
Boyd A. Loving

Ridgewood NJ,  During what could only be described as one of the most bizarre Village Council meetings I’ve attended in quite some time, Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck publicly accused the “Friends of the Schedler House” organization of turning down a $45k donation from an unnamed individual.

However, according to an officer of “Friends of the Schedler House,” no $45k donation was ever offered by the “unnamed individual.”  What did happen was during a recent meeting between members of the organization and selected Village officials, Councilwoman Hauck merely suggested that a particular individual might be willing to donate the sum.

As you might expect, even though she was publicly corrected, Councilwoman Hauck offered no public apology for her erroneous accusation.

UPDATE: Village Council predicted to vote 3-2 on 8/12 to demolish Schedler House to facilitate construction of a 90 foot baseball field with concession stand.

Despite voting in support of spending up to $500k in “preliminary costs” for the design of a parking garage with a currently unknown shape, size, and final cost,  Aronsohn and Hauck object to spending $45k to save the Schedler House. Pucciarelli is on his honeymoon, so he wasn’t there to make a fool of himself too.

So there you have it folks. The Three Stooges will have one of the most historic buildings in Northwest Bergen County demolished just to secure the Sports Council votes next year.

Posted on by — 2 Comments

Medicare cuts funds from N.J. hospitals

Valley_Hospital_theridgewoodblog

AUGUST 4, 2015, 11:10 PM    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2015, 12:09 PM
BY LINDY WASHBURN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

Nearly every hospital in New Jersey is being penalized by the federal government because too many Medicare patients had to be readmitted within a month of their discharge — the highest percentage of hospitals penalized in the 50 states.

The cuts — of up to 2.49 percent of a hospital’s Medicare payments — total $23 million for the state, the New Jersey Hospital Association estimated. It is the second year in a row that nearly every hospital was penalized, except for a handful that are exempted.

Only Bergen Regional Medical Center in Paramus received no penalty.

Medicare, the health care program for those over 65, provides more than $3 billion annually to New Jersey hospitals, making it the single largest source of their revenue and a huge influence on hospital policies. This is the fourth year that payments from the government program have been tied to readmissions, in an effort to reward the quality rather than the quantity of hospital care.

Fourteen New Jersey hospitals will see cuts of more than 1 percent to their Medicare reimbursements beginning in October, including three in North Jersey: Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson and The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood. Their patients returned at higher-than-expected rates after being treated for pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, heart attack, heart failure, and knee or hip replacements, the five conditions measured.

Nationwide, about one in five patients treated for those conditions returned to the hospital within a month.

 

https://www.northjersey.com/news/medicare-cuts-funds-from-n-j-hospitals-1.1386123

Posted on by — 1 Comment

N.J. judge says parents can’t be made to pay for kids’ bullying

Dunce-cap

AUGUST 5, 2015, 11:26 AM    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5, 2015, 12:00 PM
ASSOCIATED PRESS

SOMERVILLE — A New Jersey judge has ruled that the parents of alleged bullies cannot be held financially liable for their children’s actions.

The ruling came Monday in a lawsuit against the Flemington-Raritan and Central Regional School Districts by the family of a boy who claims to have been bullied by others, saying the schools did not do enough to stop it despite years of complaints.

The school districts attempted to have the parents of 13 alleged bullies held responsible for negligence, arguing that parents share responsibility for their children’s actions even when they’re at school.

Their children are accused of making fun of the boy’s weight, using anti-gay slurs, throwing pasta at him and pulling down his pants. The lawsuit from the alleged victim, now a teenager, did not seek to hold individual classmates responsible.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/n-j-judge-says-parents-can-t-be-made-to-pay-for-kids-bullying-1.1386495

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Electric rates will soar now that Obama’s EPA has crushed coal-fired power plants

abominable-snowman-520169

By Phil Kerpen

Published March 29, 2012
FoxNews.com

With the country focused on this week’s high drama at the Supreme Court, President Obama’s EPA quietly released long-delayed regulations to apply global warming rules never authorized by Congress to new coal-fired power plants.

That Obama’s EPA would release a rule to destroy coal-fired electricity while the president gives stump speeches about an “all of the above” energy policy is an insult to the American people.

This rule will effectively block any new coal-fired power plants from being built in America, and a second round of related rules – expected after the election, of course – will shut down existing coal-fired power plants.

The result will be steeply higher electricity prices, lost jobs, and lower standards of living. Remarkably, this is all done in the name of global warming, but even EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson admits it will have no discernible impact on global temperatures. Obama’s EPA is crippling the U.S. economy not to accomplish anything, but just to enjoy a nice, warm, green feeling of self-satisfaction.

Four years ago, then-candidate Barack Obama explained his anti-coal energy policy in an editorial board meeting with the San Francisco Chronicle. Obama said: “Under my plan of a cap-and-trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket. Even regardless of what I say about whether coal is good or bad.” He went on to explain: “So, if somebody wants to build a coal plant, they can — it’s just that it will bankrupt them.”

Indeed Obama attempted to make good on his campaign promise to bankrupt the coal industry and make electricity prices skyrocket the legitimate way – by proposing cap-and-trade legislation in Congress. It was jammed through the House but crashed and burned in the Senate, where many Democrats understood such an energy rationing plan to be political suicide.

https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/03/29/electric-rates-will-soar-now-that-obamas-epa-has-crushed-coal-fired-power.html

Posted on by — 1 Comment

FBI: Middle Eastern Men Intimidating U.S. Military Families In Colorado & Wyoming

1416083745336_wps_65_Jihadi_John_Alan_Henning

August 4, 2015 11:59 PM

DENVER (CBS4) – An alert has been issued by the FBI to all law enforcement agencies in Colorado and Wyoming involving U.S. military families and concerns about who may be watching them.

The alert says Middle Eastern men are approaching families of U.S. military members at their homes in Colorado and Wyoming. It mentions Greeley and Cheyenne, Wyoming as the specific areas.

In one case last May the wife of a military member was approached in front of her home by two Middle Eastern males. The men stated that she was the wife of a U.S. interrogator. When she denied their claims the men laughed. The two men left the area in a dark-colored, four-door sedan with two other Middle Eastern males in the vehicle.

“The woman had observed the vehicle in the neighborhood on previous occasions,” the alert states.

Similar incidents in Wyoming have been reported to the FBI throughout June 2015.

https://denver.cbslocal.com/2015/08/04/fbi-middle-eastern-men-intimidating-u-s-military-families-in-colorado-wyoming/

 

“FBI Alert: Middle-Eastern Males Approaching Family Members of US Military Personnel,” Oodalooop, August 2, 2015

“In May 2015, the wife of a US military member was approached in front of her home by two Middle-Eastern males. The men stated that she was the wife of a US interrogator. When she denied their claims, the men laughed. The two men left the area in a dark-colored, four-door sedan with two other Middle-Eastern males in the vehicle. The woman had observed the vehicle in the neighborhood on previous occasions.
imilar incidents in Wyoming have been reported to the FBI throughout June 2015. On numerous occasions, family members of military personnel were confronted by Middle-Eastern males in front of their homes. The males have attempted to obtain personal information about the military member and family members through intimidation. The family members have reported feeling scared.

To date, the men have not been identified and it is not known if all the incidents involve the same Middle-Eastern males”

– See more at: https://pamelageller.com/2015/08/fbi-alert-middle-eastern-males-approaching-family-members-of-us-military-personnel.html/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook#sthash.z79A1sJC.dpuf