Author: James

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Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration

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Saturday, July 4, 2015 Schedule of Events

Schedule for the Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration

Flag Raising: 9:00 am – Wilsey Square

Speaker – Ridgewood Council Member
Recognition of the Grand Marshall and Special Guests
Flag Raising by American Legion Post 53 and Boy Scouts
“The Star Spangled Banner” sung by The Maroon Men

Parade begins 10:00 am (Rain or Shine) – North Monroe and Godwin:                                        See the Parade route.

Evening Entertainment: Gates open 6:00 pm – Veteran’s Field (Rain Date: July 5th)

Fireworks: Immediately following evening entertainment at dusk – Veteran’s Field (Rain Date: July 5th)

Join Ridgewood’s July 4th Committee to help with Parade & Fireworks!

The Ridgewood Fourth of July is looking for volunteers for the Parade and Fireworks. Please volunteer as a parade marshall or for the evening program. All volunteers receive a signature Ridgewood Fourth of July t-shirt and a free ticket to the evening entertainment and fireworks. As we are a non-profit we can also offer community service hours to students. Please contact us on Facebook, at RidgewoodJuly4th.com or attend our volunteer meeting Wednesday, July 1st at 7:30 p.m. at the Firehouse. The Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration is an all-volunteer organization supported entirely by private donations. Support the Tradition.

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Ridgewood civility panel addresses sports teams

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JUNE 9, 2015    LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 2015, 12:13 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Civility talks in Ridgewood have made their way to the athletic fields, as a group of residents and officials discussed how the village can be better represented by teams that play in town.

The discussion on June 1 was led by the Rev. Jan Phillips and focused on both the behavior of players, coaches and parents as well as the treatment of athletes during practices and games. Ridgewood has both town recreational programs and travel club teams that participate in various levels of competition utilizing village fields.

One portion of the evening explored the way children learn sportsmanship from the adults in charge. In light of the occasional story that surfaces in New Jersey and elsewhere about the subpar behavior of coaches and parents, it was argued that an alteration in attitude has to start with children when they are young since the adults could not change themselves.

But the Rev. Thomas Johnson suggested that those adults must model those proper behaviors, because that is where the players pick up their cues.

“I’d rather make the effort to change,” Johnson said. “I can’t expect my children to change when I am stubborn about changing my lifestyle, my behavior. So where is the model for change? You’re asking our kids to do something and they learn from us.”

Parks and Recreation Department Director Tim Cronin noted that many organizations have a code of ethics for all involved with teams – players, coaches and parents – and leagues have strict rules about behavior, such as a policy to stop a game until an unruly spectator has left the premises.

Resident Paul Vagianos suggested that the coaches of each team gather all players and parents for a meeting before the first practice of the season in order to get all involved on the same page.

https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/panel-addresses-sports-1.1352021

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New Jersey uses ‘one-shot’ budget-balancing maneuvers: study

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(Reuters) – Many U.S. states balance their budgets by using short-term techniques to make it appear spending does not exceed revenue, according to a report released on Monday that singled out New Jersey for using these budget-balancing maneuvers.

The report by public policy nonprofit Volcker Alliance, founded by former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, said New Jersey has produced a balanced budget by shifting resources intended for other programs to its general fund and increased borrowing. Governor Chris Christie is a potential Republican presidential contender in 2016.  (DiNapoli/Reuters)

https://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/20150608_Reuters_Report_KBN0OO1VH_New_Jersey_uses__one_shot__budget_balancing_maneuvers__study.html#KFISVtdE8OQweFX0.99

 

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Scott Garrett: Repair infrastructure before taking on new projects

Road_work_theridgewoodblog

JUNE 9, 2015    LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 2015, 1:21 AM

BY SCOTT GARRETT
THE RECORD

By reducing funding to the program that gives grant money to transit agencies for new projects by 4 percent, Congress could have fully funded our nation’s rail safety and operations.

WHAT WOULD be your top priority if the roof on your house was caving in? Would you build a new addition? Renovate the kitchen? Put in a swimming pool? Of course not — you would fix the roof, because it protects your home and your family.

Just as you wouldn’t add a new addition before fixing your home, Congress shouldn’t prioritize new transit over the immediate safety needs of our freight and passenger rail lines.

The number of train accidents is a growing concern among all Americans. Just this year we have seen oil train derailments in West Virginia and North Dakota, and more than a dozen Amtrak-related accidents. Most recently, a tragic crash in Philadelphia claimed eight lives and injured dozens more.

In New Jersey alone, we have more than 1,000 miles of commuter railroad tracks and 2,400 miles of freight railroad tracks. Furthermore, New Jerseyans travel more than 100 million miles on commuter trains every year. Americans both here and across the nation need assurance that Congress and the rail industry are taking the appropriate steps to ensure rail safety.

The Federal Railroad Administration’s Safety and Operations Account funds safety projects for both freight and commuter trains across the country. In light of the recent concerns over train safety, I was disappointed that the FRA’s safety account did not receive an increase in funding in the Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development Appropriations Bill.

https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-guest-writers/repair-infrastructure-before-taking-on-new-projects-1.1351902

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Ridgewood Chamber Annual Dinner

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Mon, June 15, 2015
Time: 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Location: ROOTS Steakhouse, 17 Chestnut St, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Cost: $30 per person

Wednesday, June 15, 2015 6:00pm
Chamber Annual Dinner
ROOTS Steakhouse
17 Chestnut Street

Honoring:
Duxiana – 25 Years “Community Business Award”
West Bergen Mental Healthcare – “Community Service Award”
Women Gardeners of Ridgewood
The Conservancy for Ridgewood Public Lands
Ridgewood Project Pride
“Community Giving Award”

meet the new Board of Directors
for more details call 201-445-2600
[email protected]

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The Ridgewood Fourth of July is looking for volunteers for the Parade and Fireworks

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June 8,2015

Be a Part of the Tradition

Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Fourth of July is looking for volunteers for the Parade and Fireworks. Please volunteer as a parade marshall or for the evening program. All volunteers receive a signature Ridgewood Fourth of July t-shirt and a free ticket to the evening entertainment and fireworks. As we are a non-profit we can also offer community service hours to students. Please contact us on Facebook, at RidgewoodJuly4th.com or attend our volunteer meeting Wednesday, July 1st at 7:30 p.m. at the Firehouse. The Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration is an all-volunteer organization supported entirely by private donations. Support the Tradition.

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Super Cellars – presents a perfect Father’s Day gift event

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Fri, June 12, 2015
Time: 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Location: Super Cellars Fine Wines & marketplace, 32 S. Broad St., Ridgewood, NJ 07450

The Perfect Father’s Day Gift

Say Thanks to Dad with a bottle of
Johnnie Walker Blue Scotch.

FREE BOTTLE ENGRAVING WITH PURCHASE ON
FRIDAY, JUNE 12 from 5-7pm

Ridgewood’s Super Cellars
Fine Wines & Marketplace
32 S. Broad St., Ridgewood, NJ
201-444-0012
free parking
www.supercellars.com

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BREAKING :Supremes side with Christie on pension payments

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Posted by Matt Rooney On June 09, 2015 0 Comment
By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog

Did you hear that noise, Save Jerseyans?

It’s thousands of public sector union heads exploding in unison.

The New Jersey Supreme Court issued an 5-2 opinion in the pension payment case (Christopher Burgos v. State of New Jersey) on Tuesday morning, reversing a lower court’s directive to the Christie Administration to make a billion dollar pension payment. Click here to read it. For a little background on the Christie/pension payment controversy, click here.

The majority opinion (which did not include Chief Justice Rabner) relied on the text of the Debt Limitation Clause:

“No matter how worthy the cause to be advanced by Chapter 78, the Debt Limitation Clause speaks directly to this situation and, in pertinent part, commands:

“‘The Legislature shall not, in any manner, create in any fiscal year a debt or debts, liability or liabilities of the State, which together with any previous debts or liabilities shall exceed at any time one per centum of the total amount appropriated by the general appropriation law for that fiscal year, unless the same shall be authorized by a law for some single object or work distinctly specified therein. . . . [N]o such law shall take effect until it shall have been submitted to the people at a general election and approved by a majority of the legally qualified voters of the State voting thereon.’”

“The purpose to be achieved by the Debt Limitation Clause dovetails with the Framers’ intent for a fiscally responsible annual budget process,” the majority continued. “Efforts to dedicate monies through legislative acts other than the annual appropriations act have no binding effect. They are read as impliedly suspended when contradicted by the budgetary judgment of the presently constituted Legislature acting in concert with the Governor in their constitutionally prescribed budget formation roles. Those debt limitation and appropriations-related constitutional clauses conflict with the contractual language of Chapter 78 and thwart plaintiffs’ impairment claims.”

https://savejersey.com/2015/06/supremes-side-with-christie-on-pension-payments/

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House Passes Garrett Amendment to Bar DOJ from Applying Disparate Impact

Analysis of Latest House Action on Disparate Impact

Monday, Jun. 08, 2015, 11:41 AM UPDATED 11:49 AM

By SubPrime Auto Finance News Staff

CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. –

Automotive Compliance Consultants insisted that contrary to recent developments on Capitol Hill, the U.S. House of Representatives’ vote to eliminate the Department of Justice’s use of disparate impact does not negate the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s use of the legal theory in auto finance cases.

The firm went on to say that the possibility of the CFPB leveraging disparate impact will not disappear even if the bill passes the Senate and is not vetoed by President Barack Obama.

Automotive Compliance Consultants general counsel David Missimer explained that he spotted several media reports highlighting how the House passed an amendment to H.R. 2578, the Fiscal Year 2016 Commerce, Justice, and Science Appropriations Act, that would bar the Department of Justice from using funds for litigation in which the regulator seeks to apply the disparate impact theory.

Missimer went on to mention that his research uncovered discussions about the significance of the amendment to the use of disparate impact by the CFPB to support actions in auto finance.

David Missimer

“The amendment to H.R. 2578 will have no effect on the CFPB’s use of the legal theory in auto finance,” Missimer said. “The reason for this is the amendment is limited, and only bars the use of appropriated funds by the Department of Justice to bring Fair Housing Act enforcement actions that rely on an allegation of liability under the HUD Disparate Impact Rule.”

The bill was introduced by Rep. Scott Garrett, a New Jersey Republican. Garrett stated that in recent years, the Department of Justice has pursued and obtained large legal settlements from finance companies, landlords and insurers in discrimination lawsuits using the dubious legal theory of disparate impact.

“Disparate impact liability allows the government to allege discrimination on the basis of race or other factors based solely on statistical analyses that find disproportionate results among different groups of people, regardless of evidence of actual discriminatory actions or intent,” Garrett said. “Instead of making decisions based on neutral standards of creditworthiness, lenders must consider these demographic factors or risk running afoul of the Justice Department.”

The amendment voted on states that none of the funds made available in the act may be used by the Department of Justice to enforce the Fair Housing Act in a manner that relies upon an allegation of liability under section 100.500 of title 24, Code of Federal Regulations (rule prohibiting discriminatory effect).

“While everyone agrees that discrimination has no place in the lending practices of any respectable institution, the application of disparate impact theory has had devastating impacts on law-abiding businesses who have diligently maintained fair and consistent lending standards,” Garrett said.

“The federal government should be encouraging sound business practices, not punishing those that utilize them,” he continued. “I thank my colleagues for taking a stand for small businesses and reinstating equal protection under the laws as guaranteed in our Constitution by the Fourteenth Amendment.”

While the development might be beneficial to the housing market, Missimer reiterated that it’s not the auto finance players who disagree with the use disparate impact might be seeking.

https://www.autoremarketing.com/subprime/analysis-latest-house-action-disparate-impact

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Concerts at Ridgewood’s Kasschau Shell in full swing

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Bucky Pizzarelli Quartet will return to the Kasschau Memorial Band Shell on July 16.

JUNE 8, 2015    LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, JUNE 8, 2015, 9:56 AM
BY AIMEE LA FOUNTAIN
CORRESPONDENT |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

The 57th annual free summer Entertainment Under the Stars concert series kicked off on Thursday at the Kasschau Memorial Band Shell.

“Tunes in June,” featuring groups from Ridgewood High School, was the first show of the season.

“It’s been a tradition that it starts off with the RHS band,” said Jo Delaney, chairman of the Kasschau Memorial Shell Committee. “This has been going on for 50 years and they’ve been associated for forever.”

The Orpheus Club, The Ridgewood Choral and The Ridgewood Concert Band are also regular performers.

“These three groups have been part of the history since beginning,” Delaney said.

This year’s lineup is “an eclectic group of musical experiences by professional artists,” Delaney said. “We’re really across the board. There’s something for everybody.”

“We tried to have all sorts of groups so people have all kinds of music to enjoy and hear something new,” Delaney said. “Expose yourself to something you haven’t heard before and open yourself up to music.”

https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/free-concerts-something-to-hear-1.135141

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Ridgewood Planning Board approves master plan amendment

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JUNE 5, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 2015, 12:31 AM

BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Minutes after the clock signaled a transition from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning, the Ridgewood Planning Board capped a years-long master plan amendment debate with the approval of four new zones in downtown Ridgewood.

An evening that began with comment from the public, most of whom stated their opposition to the master plan amendment, came to an anticlimactic end nearly four hours later – after many residents had left their seats – with a majority of the board members giving their approval.

The board voted on each amendment separately, with each zone receiving yes votes from board members David Thurston, Nancy Bigos, Charles Nalbantian, Richard Joel, Kevin Reilly and Mayor Paul Aronsohn. Board member Wendy Dockray voted against all four zones while Michele Peters opposed all but the C-R zone and Councilwoman Susan Knudsen only cast an affirmative vote for the C zone.

The amendments will now go before the Village Council, which will consider an ordinance to change the master plan.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/board-approves-master-plan-amendment-1.1349573

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Ridgewood Land Use Plan Element of the Master Plan – Vote Results

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PLANNING BOARD PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE/AGENDA

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Village Hall Court Room– 7:30 P.M.

(all timeframes and the order of agenda items below are approximate and subject to change)

  1. 7:30 p.m. – Call to Order, Statement of Compliance, Flag Salute, Roll Call – In accordance with the provisions of Section 10:4-8d of the Open Public Meetings Act, the date, location, and time of the commencement of this meeting is reflected in a meeting notice, a copy of which schedule has been filed with the Village Manager and the Village Clerk, The Ridgewood News and The Record newspapers, and posted on the bulletin board in the entry lobby of the Village municipal offices at 131 North Maple Avenue, and on the Village website, all in accordance with the provisions of the Open Public Meetings Act.

 

Roll call: Aronsohn, Bigos, Knudsen, Nalbantian, Joel, Reilly, Dockray, Peters, Thurston, Altano, Abdalla

 

  1. 7:35p.m. – 7:40 p.m. – Public Comments on Topics not Pending Before the Board

 

  1. 7:40 p.m. – 7:45 p.m. – Committee/Commission/Professional Updates for Non Agenda Topics; Correspondence Received by the Board
  2. 7:45 p.m. – 10:15 p.m. – Public Hearing: Land Use Plan Element of the Master Plan AH-2, B-3-R, C-R and C Zone Districts
  3. 10:15 p.m. – 10:30 p.m. – Approval of Minutes: June 2, 2014; May 20, 2014
  4. 10:30 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. – Executive Session (if needed)

 

  1. Adjournment

 

In accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act, all meetings of the Ridgewood Planning Board (i.e., official public meetings, work sessions, pre-meeting assemblies and special meetings) are public meetings, which are always open to members of the general public.

 

         Members: Mayor Paul Aronsohn, Nancy Bigos, Councilwoman Susan Knudsen, Charles Nalbantian, Richard Joel, Kevin Reilly, Wendy Dockray, Michele Peters, David Thurston, Isabella Altano, Khidir Abdalla

        

Professional Staff: Blais L. Brancheau, Planner; Gail L. Price, Esq., Board Attorney; Christopher J. Rutishauser, Village Engineer; Michael Cafarelli, Board Secretary

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AP ANALYSIS: MORE ‘PHONY NUMBERS’ IN REPORTS AS STOCKS RISE

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BY BERNARD CONDON
AP BUSINESS WRITER

NEW YORK (AP) — Those record profits that companies are reporting may not be all they’re cracked up to be.

As the stock market climbs ever higher, professional investors are warning that companies are presenting misleading versions of their results that ignore a wide variety of normal costs of running a business to make it seem like they’re doing better than they really are.

What’s worse, the financial analysts who are supposed to fight corporate spin are often playing along. Instead of challenging the companies, they’re largely passing along the rosy numbers in reports recommending stocks to investors.

“Companies are tilting the results,” says fund manager Tom Brown of Second Curve Capital, “and the analysts are buying it.”

An analysis of results from 500 major companies by The Associated Press, based on data provided by S&P Capital IQ, a research firm, found that the gap between the “adjusted” profits that analysts cite and bottom-line earnings figures that companies are legally obliged to report, or net income, has widened dramatically over the past five years.

https://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_FUZZY_MATH?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-06-08-03-06-52