Ridgewood NJ, Here is the schedule for you to make plans for the upcoming 2015 Entertainment Under the Stars at the Kasschau Shell on Vet’s Field in Ridgewood. All programs are free. Just bring a chair or blanket and enjoy the music!
Click Here for 2015 Season Schedule.
May 25.2015
Rep Scott Garrett
Today we remember the loss of the heroic men and women who sacrificed their lives in defense of freedom and liberty. We owe our way of life to their courage. Their willingness to fight is the reason why we live in a country free from tyranny and oppression.
In honor of Memorial Day, I’m happy to announce that the Oversight and Government Reform Committee this week passed my bill to rename the United States Post Office building located at 1 Walter Hammond Place in Waldwick, NJ the “Staff Sergeant Joseph D’Augustine Post Office Building.” This action clears the way for this important legislation to be passed by the House of Representatives and sent to President Obama for his signature.
As you may know, Staff Sergeant Joseph D’Augustine, a 2001 Waldwick High School graduate, was killed in action in the Helmand province of Afghanistan on March 27, 2012. He gave his life while protecting his fellow men and women in uniform. Renaming the Waldwick Post Office after a hometown hero would be a fitting tribute to this brave young man.
By Dennis McCarthy, LA Daily News
POSTED: 05/21/15, 6:28 PM PDT | UPDATED: 2 DAYS AGO
Larry Maxam was his name, and before we begin filling our propane tanks, roasting the hot dogs and cracking open a beer, I’d like to tell you his story.
Because, to me, he is the perfect face of Memorial Day. The guy we should all be thanking this weekend.
Sometimes we lose track of what Memorial Day is all about. It’s not a patriotic celebration of military might, but a remembrance of the 1 million plus casualties of all our wars who never made it home.
Most of them were still kids, really, like Maxam.
His buddies from Vietnam say he was a friendly, quiet guy who wore his Mormon religion on his sleeve right next to his corporal stripes.
“Other guys would go out, get rowdy, whatever, but not him,” says Larry Clinesmith, who shared a foxhole with Maxam. “He was quiet, always looking to help the new guys coming into the platoon.”
No one ever made the quiet kid from California as a hero.
The night he died, Feb. 2, 1968, Maxam was in charge of a fire team of four men protecting part of a defensive perimeter set up around the Cam Lo District Marine headquarters.
Sometime around midnight, the VC — Viet Cong — threw everything they had at the perimeter. Maxam spotted a hole in the defense where a large group of VC was gathering for a full frontal attack.
He got there before they could break through, set himself up behind an abandoned machine-gun placement, and began firing.
What happened next earns you the Medal of Honor.
https://www.dailynews.com/lifestyle/20150521/larry-maxam-the-real-meaning-of-memorial-day
Kate Scanlon / @scanlon_kate / May 20, 2015
This week, The Heritage Foundation will host the debut of the film“Honoring a Commitment: The Story of PFC Gordon.”
“Honoring a Commitment” is a feature-length film about Pfc. Lawrence Gordon, who went missing in action during World War II.
Gordon, a Canadian citizen, enlisted in the United States Army not long after Pearl Harbor was bombed on Dec. 7, 1941.
Gordon served in the Reconnaissance Company, 32nd Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Division. In August of 1944, he was listed as missing in action while in Normandy.
His family was given only his wallet. They would have to wait almost 70 years to discover what happened to his body.
“Honoring a Commitment” is the story of their search.
Jed Henry, the producer of the film, told The Daily Signal in an interview that the film “was never supposed to be a documentary.”
“It just sort of turned out that way,” he said.
During a trip to Europe to learn about his grandfather’s service in World War II, Henry discovered that Gordon was the only member of the unit who was still listed as missing.
Henry contacted Gordon’s family—including a nephew who had been named Lawrence in honor of his uncle—and they decided to see if they could determine what had happened to him.
“This is worth a look, to see if there’s anything we can do about this,” he said.
They initially started recording friends and family discussing Gordon and the search for them to show the “humanitarian” side of the story to the various U.S. agencies and foreign governments they asked for help.
“It started out as a small little video to explain why the family wants this,” said Henry. “After 70 years, there’s a lot of skepticism, and people asking ‘What are you hoping to accomplish?’”
After an extensive search by the team of “rank amateurs,” Gordon’s remains were finally found.
After he was killed, Gordon was misidentified as a German, and was laid to rest in a French cemetery for German soldiers.
French authorities performed a DNA test. Gordon had been found.
Henry said that Gordon’s story is “a case study,” showing that the process of finding the remains of those who are missing in action “hasn’t kept up with modern technology.”
He said that he hopes that the film “sheds light on the MIA community.”
“I hope it opens people’s eyes to the inefficiency,” said Henry. “I don’t think we’re fulfilling the promise to bring everyone home.”
Henry, who has years of experience in the television industry, has never distributed a film before.
“This is a new venture for me,” he said.
The film has been submitted in film festivals, but distribution “is still in the works.”
“We’re looking for places to spread the word,” said Henry. “The debut is exciting for us.”
The Heritage Foundation, in partnership with National Review, will screen “Honoring a Commitment: on Thursday, May 21 at 4:00 p.m. in Heritage’s Lehrman Auditorium.
Bear Sighting
The Ridgewood Police Department (RPD) has chased a bear up a tree on Highland Avenue. RPD is working with the NJ Department of Fish and Wildlife to handle this situation appropriately.
The current approach is to continue to station officers with the bear until nighttime when we will wait for the bear to descend from the tree. We have decided to wait until nighttime as the area is abuzz with barbecues and activity and do not want this to be disrupted. We will have an RPD unit monitor the bear’s location as best as possible going forward.
To resolve this incident, the most important thing residents in the area can do is not to have garbage out (this bear was in our community to eat) and to take bird feeders in.
Going forward as a community we need collectively to take measures to discourage bears from wandering into Ridgewood. It is really imperative that garbage is secured – rifling through the garbage to find food is the primary reason that bears come into residential neighborhoods. The existence of bird feeders is also a problem and attracts wildlife such as bears. More information on bears and what residents can do can be found at the NJ Department of Fish and Wildlife’s website – www.njfishandwildlife.com.
Best regards,
Roberta Sonenfeld
Village Manager
201-670-5500, ext. 203
-PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS-
Roads Closed Due to Memorial day Run
Ridgewood NJ, Various roads on the East Side of Ridgewood will be closed starting at 7:30am for the Memorial Day run. Main roads including Linwood Ave E.Ridgewood ave E.Glen Ave and Franklin Turnpike will be affected. If your planing to travel through town plan an alternate route to avoid delays.
MAY 23, 2015, 4:48 PM LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, MAY 23, 2015, 11:41 PM
BY KATHLEEN LYNN AND KIM LUEDDEKE
STAFF WRITERS |
THE RECORD
Despite a decidedly unsummer-like chill, visitors flocked to the Jersey Shore on Saturday, strolling along its boardwalks and filling restaurants and shops in celebration of the long Memorial Day weekend.
“Today’s been nice. Good crowd,” said Nicky Kaslov, owner of the Beach boyz clothing store on the Seaside Heights boardwalk. “I’m hoping to have a good year.”
As the Memorial Day weekend kicks off the traditional summer tourism season, business owners and analysts say that lower gas prices, an improving economy and a craving for sunshine after a tough winter are likely to bring more visitors to the Shore this year.
Experts at Stockton University in Galloway predict a 4 to 5 percent increase in tourism at most Jersey Shore communities this summer — assuming the weather’s bright.
MAY 24, 2015 LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY ELI AMDUR
SPECIAL TO NORTH JERSEY JOBS |
NORTH JERSEY JOBS
Three weeks ago, this column’s headline read, “Congratulations, graduate. Now what?” The discussion was all about being proactive in your career and in your job search. Inherent in being proactive is networking, and much was made of it in the article.
More than 3.5 million people’s sexual preferences, fetishes and secrets have been exposed after dating site Adult FriendFinder was hacked.
Already, some of the adult website’s customers are being identified by name.
Adult FriendFinder asks customers to detail their interests and, based on those criteria, matches people for sexual encounters. The site, which boasts 64 million members, claims to have “helped millions of people find traditional partners, swinger groups, threesomes, and a variety of other alternative partners.”
The information Adult FriendFinder collects is extremely personal in nature. When signing up for an account, customers must enter their gender, which gender they’re interested in hooking up with and what kind of sexual situations they desire. Suggestions AdultFriendfinder provides for the “tell others about yourself” field include, “I like my partners to tell me what to do in the bedroom,” “I tend to be kinky” and “I’m willing to try some light bondage or blindfolds.”
The hack, which took place in March, was first uncovered by independent IT security consultant Bev Robb on her blog Teksecurity a month ago. But Robb did not name the site that was hacked. It wasn’t until this week, when England’s Channel 4 News reported on the hack, that Adult FriendFinder was named as the victim.
https://theridgewoodblog.net/wp-admin/post.php?post=75430&action=edit
MAY 23, 2015, 9:38 PM LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, MAY 23, 2015, 9:52 PM
BY NICHOLAS PUGLIESE
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
EAST RUTHERFORD — The atmosphere surrounding MetLife Stadium was certainly carnivalesque: Men in neon suits walked past tutu-clad women whirling hula hoops. A giant grasshopper mounted on pogo sticks flitted through crowds. And enough skin was on display to make the Shore jealous.
To add to the sensory overload, Saturday’s event shook with pulsating, bass-heavy music blaring from enormous columns of speakers.
It was the soundtrack of America’s nightclubs and raves — electronic dance music, or EDM.
The Meadowlands Sports Complex is playing host this weekend to the “New York” incarnation of the Electric Daisy Carnival, the biggest electronic music festival on the East Coast that runs for two days and boasts a line-up of nearly 100 popular DJs such as Armin van Buuren, Calvin Harris and Bassnectar.
As many as 100,000 were expected to attend over the two days.
“It’s literally the craziest weekend of the year every year,” said Christian Runza, a 19-year-old aspiring DJ from Old Tappan. “Every set you’re going to see someone you love.”
The outlandish outfits are part and parcel of an EDM culture that prizes self-expression above all else.
“You come out here to be anyone you want to be or anything you want to be,” said Jake Berto, 23, who had traveled all the way from San Francisco for the event. “Nobody judges you.”
MAY 24, 2015 LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, MAY 24, 2015, 7:07 AM
BY AIMEE LA FOUNTAIN
CORRESPONDENT |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Delete Blood Cancer will host a donor drive tent at The Fred D’Elia Ridgewood Run 2015 on May 25 at Veteran’s Memorial Field.
The purpose of the drive is to find bone marrow matches for those suffering from blood diseases, including 23-year-old Ridgewood resident Anthony Daniels, who has Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“Our goal is to find a match for Anthony as well as numerous others fighting the good fight against blood cancers,” said Mayor Paul Aronsohn. “It’s quick, it’s easy, and it’s so very important.”
Aronsohn helped organize the tent.
“The idea came to me from a mutual friend of mine, Ridgewood resident Linda Scarpa, and Anthony’s father, Kevin Daniels, who suggested the Memorial Day Ridgewood Run as a venue for another drive,” the mayor said. “I thought the idea was great and immediately contacted Gail Kislevitz, who then reached out to the North Jersey Masters board, which embraced the idea.”
“Our family’s been blessed with such outreach from friends, school mates, acquaintances and strangers,” Kevin said. “The support has been first-rate from our mayor and our new friends at North Jersey Masters.”
https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/organizers-hope-to-find-a-match-1.1341859
MAY 22, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015, 12:30 AM
BY EILEEN LA FORGIA
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Manfred Wegner creates wooden cut-outs of historical sites, famous icons, family and other familiar faces.
The artist’s saw-cut scroll art is being shown at the Ridgewood Public Library’s Bolger Auditorium during the month of May.
Peter Mullany, a professor of English literature and a frequent visitor to the library, called the exhibit “quite fascinating” and “very impressive work.”
Wegner was introduced to scroll art when he was 6 years old by his father in Germany, but did not become seriously involved with it until two years ago. He moved to the United States from his native country in 1961.
He has worked with other forms of media, including watercolor, pencil drawings, paper cutting and photography. Wegner said he likes scroll art because it’s more hands-on.
His technique for scroll art begins by drawing an image he would like to re-create. He then transfers the image to plywood, using black marker to outline the areas he will cut out with an electric saw.
Wegner has created about 60 pieces this year – he made more than 100 last year.
MAY 22, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Progress needed in level of leadership
To the Editor:
The current controversy about sidewalks for Clinton Avenue illustrates how paralyzed community leadership is in our town. Going back to arguments about the size of newer PSE&G power poles, it seems that the only way community improvements can be made over the objections of a very small group of residents is when the ultimate authority to do so is entirely out of the council’s hands. Ridgewood needs to progress beyond the “not this, not that” level of leadership in community development.
We have got to move away from Washington, D.C.’s political gridlock and realize that “NO” is NEVER a plan. We are extremely fortunate in having talented and committed villagers, both as residents and leaders, but we seem to have a cumulative inability to articulate systems-wide community solutions that move us in a positive direction.
Access to Ridge School is a traffic disaster that never goes away. One cause is the utter failure in long-term planning that allowed for dead end streets without sidewalks, lack of “walkable” right of ways accessing the rear of school properties, and the failure to install sidewalks on access streets.
The solution is obvious, but it means residents of some streets have to give up their current street designs and also accept parking in front of their houses. If any one group of residents can convince the council to veto system-wide community improvements for our town, no matter what the issue, then the council essentially abdicates its leadership responsibilities to other sources of authority.
This is as very sad outcome indeed.
Martin Walker
Ridgewood
MAY 22, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Don’t make Ridgewood a city
To the Editor:
The Record ran an article on Tuesday detailing applications by two developers in Ho-Ho-Kus to construct new multifamily buildings with unit counts and densities much lower than the proposals here in Ridgewood.
A developer for the 2.12-acre site that currently houses Granny’s Attic on Maple Avenue is pitching 27 one- and two-bedroom apartments along with retail and office space, in a three-story building. This helps maintain the commercial character of Ho-Ho-Kus’ downtown area, while also providing a reasonable and responsible number of new apartments, including some affordable units. Looking at the apartments alone, the multifamily component density is 12.74 units per acre.
Another developer is looking to build 45 townhomes there on 3.66 acres, a density of 12.3 units per acre. I recognize that there are some differences between these proposals and Ridgewood’s, but what does stand out is that commercial, for-profit developers are proposing construction at densities much lower than those they are demanding here.
For the past few years, Ridgewood residents have been hearing from Ridgewood developers, our own village planner, and some members of the Planning Board, that much higher densities are required to incentivize the building of some new housing units downtown. The Ho-Ho-Kus proposals, in a borough very similar to Ridgewood, show that these excessive densities are not required. They are just the product of a desire for improving their property values and profits. But greed is not always good.
To date, Ridgewood’s planner has never given any studied and proper reasoning as to why we need to have densities of, first 50 apartment per acre, and now an amended 30-35 per acre (which is still too high). All we know is that 50 was declared the max and 35 is a number acceptable to some developers. But this is unacceptable planning for Ridgewood.
At the last board meeting, I asked our planner what financial due diligence was done to determine that Ridgewood’s developers needed this high density to make enough of a profit to spur development. I inquired what property purchase prices, what income and expenses and what cap rate of return were used in his pro-forma that says 30-35 is now the number. He admitted he had not done any such study, but came to the higher numbers because the Brogan site developer complained that an earlier determination of 25 per acre wasn’t enough for them. So, the current densities are based on a developer complaint.
That’s not good planning.
Many residents, along with Citizens for a Better Ridgewood, a group promoting smart and fair development in Ridgewood, are advocating for building new housing, but at densities more fitting for our village. If we cannot have the benefit of proper analysis to determine correct densities, we should go with what we know works here. Either keep the master plan the same at 12 per acre, or, if we want to incentivize development, raise it to 18-25/acre, the current average that exists throughout Ridgewood.
Don’t make Ridgewood a city. It’s a village.
Dave Slomin
Ridgewood
