MAY 23, 2015 LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, MAY 23, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — The Planning Board has retroactively approved work that had been performed four years ago on the Godwin Avenue grounds of the World Mission Society Church of God.
The religious group submitted an application to Ridgewood’s Planning Board last year, not long after village officials discovered the unauthorized work while inspecting the World Mission Society Church of God’s property.
The board’s approval during a meeting Tuesday night grants the religious institution required permits for the repainting of the stripes in the parking lot, the installation of solar-powered light fixtures and the addition of pavement and retaining walls.
The church also plans to plant shrubs along its property’s borders, providing a buffer for neighbors, who have complained about noise generated by congregants whose car headlights also shine into their homes. Work will also be done to improve drainage at the site.
MAY 23, 2015 LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, MAY 23, 2015, 8:25 AM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Walter Francis Livingston III grew up with a Mayberry-type life in Ridgewood. He was president of the Student Council at Ridgewood High School, where he was also captain of the varsity football team and a distinguished member of the Class of 1939.
He later attended Franklin and Marshall College, graduating with his classmates in 1943.
Like many boys of his time, Livingston would join the United States Marine Corps Reserves, eventually earning the rank of lieutenant.
Called to active duty in January 1944, the 23-year-old, Brooklyn-born Livingston was killed in action some six months later in Guam; his body laid to rest in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.
Waldwick resident Joanne Bonwick is too young to have ever met Livingston. She might not know any of his relatives either.
But one thing of which Bonwick is certain: She considers Livingston her family.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Security Agency has begun winding down its collection and storage of American phone records after the Senate failed to agree on a path forward to change or extend the once-secret program ahead of its expiration at the end of the month.
Barring an 11th hour compromise when the Senate returns to session May 31, a much-debated provision of the Patriot Act — and some other lesser known surveillance tools — will sunset at midnight that day. The change also would have a major impact on the FBI, which uses the Patriot Act and the other provisions to gather records in investigations of suspected spies and terrorists.
In a chaotic scene during the wee hours of Saturday, Senate Republicans blocked a bill known as the USA Freedom Act, which would have ended the NSA’s bulk collection but preserved its ability to search the records held by the phone companies on a case-by-case basis. The bill was backed by President Barack Obama, House Republicans and the nation’s top law enforcement and intelligence officials.
It fell just three votes short of the 60 needed for passage. All the “no” votes but one were cast by Republicans, some of whom said they thought the USA Freedom Act didn’t go far enough to help the NSA maintain its capabilities.
FBI agents cannot name a single terrorism-related case that they have solved due to the NSA spying programs authorized in the Patriot Act. Why are we not surprised? From the Washington Times:
FBI agents can’t point to any major terrorism cases they’ve cracked thanks to the key snooping powers in the Patriot Act, the Justice Department’s inspector general said in a report Thursday that could complicate efforts to keep key parts of the law operating.
Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz said that between 2004 and 2009, the FBI tripled its use of bulk collection under Section 215 of the Patriot Act, which allows government agents to compel businesses to turn over records and documents, and increasingly scooped up records of Americans who had no ties to official terrorism investigations
The Ridgewood Public Library will be hosting a program on Graydon Park on July 23rd at 7pm, and welcome you all to share stories, photographs and also join us, please feel free to reach out with any questions. Thanks!
Sarah Kiefer
Ridgewood Public Library
Local History Librarian · Ridgewood, New Jersey
GRAYDON POOL MEMBERSHIPS and AQUATIC PROGRAMS
Graydon Pool Memberships and Aquatic Programs
Please visit the Graydon Pool homepage at www.ridgewoodnj.net/graydon to learn about membership rates, program offerings and pool amenities. Be sure to bookmark our Graydon homepage on your computer for future special events and program offerings. Opening day for Graydon Pool is Saturday, June 6th.
2015 season memberships may now be purchased online via Community Pass at www.ridgewoodnj.net/communitypass. Be sure to refer to your online confirmation when purchase is complete for detailed information on how to obtain your photo identification badge. Preseason in-person assistance will be available at the Graydon Pool Badge Office (on-site at the pool) on Saturday, May 9 and Saturday, May 16, 10 am to 12 noon each date.
Aquatic programs, including the Graydon Swim Team and instructional and recreational swim, are also available online at Community Pass, or you may review levels and print program registration forms from our Graydon homepage referenced above. Meet the Aquatic Staff and learn more on the following dates at the pool: Saturday, June 6th, 10 am to 1 pm, and Saturday, June 20th, 10 am to 1 pm.
American Red Cross Waterfront Lifeguard Training (recertification/bridging and new) is available through Ridgewood Parks and Recreation. Details/registration are also available on the Graydon Pool homepage.
Summer is fast approaching, so sign up now. For more information please call 201-670-556
MAY 22, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015, 2:46 PM
BY TOM NOBILE
STAFF WRITER |
MAHWAH SUBURBAN NEWS
Mahwah — Permission to post signs in an effort to recall Mayor William Laforet was granted by the Township Council on Thursday, May 21, despite allegations by one member that the mayor had pressured him to deny the request.
Prior to the governing body’s vote, Councilman Steve Sbarra read a statement on record claiming the mayor had approached him late Tuesday, May 19, after an Affordable Housing Commission meeting in an effort to sway the council’s judgment.
“[Laforet] then said, and I quote, ‘You need to talk to your fellow council members and make sure they vote ‘no’ to the signs or things in this town will get worse,” Sbarra stated.
He also referred to measures that have been implemented to improve relations and communication between the council and the police department. Police Chief James Batelli said in an interview Friday, May 22, that he had recently agreed to provide the council with a briefing packet of police activity every two weeks, in response to council complaints that information has been falling through the cracks.
Effect of ban on phones adds up to equivalent of extra week of classes over a pupil’s school year
It is a question that keeps some parents awake at night. Should children be allowed to take mobile phones to school? Now economists claim to have an answer. For parents who want to boost their children’s academic prospects, it is no.
The effect of banning mobile phones from school premises adds up to the equivalent of an extra week’s schooling over a pupil’s academic year, according to research by Louis-Philippe Beland and Richard Murphy, published by the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics.
“Ill Communication: The Impact of Mobile Phones on Student Performance”found that after schools banned mobile phones, the test scores of students aged 16 improved by 6.4%. The economists reckon that this is the “equivalent of adding five days to the school year”.
The findings will feed into the ongoing debate about children’s access to mobile phones. In the UK, more than 90% of teenagers own a mobile phone; in the US, just under three quarters have one. The prevalence of the devices poses problems for head teachers, whose attitude towards the technology has hardened as it has become ubiquitous.
By Charlie Minato @charlieminato · On May 22, 2015
Davidoff’s retailer anniversary series is back for 2015, but this time there is only a single edition.
The store is Tobacco Shop of Ridgewood, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this year. The Davidoff Tobacconist of Ridgewood 35th Anniversary is a 6 x 52 toro with a Dominican wrapper, Ecuadorian Connecticut binder and Dominican fillers including San Vicente visos and piloto seco from different regions.
The cigar is scheduled to be released on June 10. Pricing is set at $22 per cigar and the cigar will be limited to 300 boxes of 10.
Last year, Davidoff announced its Retailer Anniversary program, which saw the company offer its Davidoff appointed merchants a chance at having a special cigar made for major anniversaries. Each year, the company creates a variety of blends in a specific size and lets the interested retailers choose which blend they would like. Last year, four stores participated in the program.
The Ridgewood, N.J.-based store is also a Davidoff lounge. Tobacco Shop of Ridgewood is owned by Barbara and Gary Kolesaire. Last year, Gary received an industry service award at Davidoff’s Golden Band Awards.
Baseball Hall of Fame Manager, Tommy Lasorda, will sign his new book, My Way .Each Person attending must have at least one book.
TOMMY LASORDA
Thomas Charles Lasorda
Inducted to the Hall of Fame in: 1997
Primary team: Los Angeles Dodgers
Primary position: Manager
For more than three decades, he has been the face of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
And after more than sixty years in the Dodgers’ organization, Tommy Lasorda remains the embodiment of Dodger Blue.
Lasorda, who managed the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1976-1996, was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997 by the Veterans Committee following a career where he won 1,599 games, two World Series and two more National League pennants – all with the Dodgers.
Thomas Charles Lasorda was born Sept. 22, 1927 in Norristown, Pa. He got his start in pro-baseball at the age of 18 as a southpaw pitcher when he signed with the Phillies in 1945, then served two years in the military.
In 1948, Lasorda made a record-making return to the baseball scene with the Schenectady Blue Jays as he authored a 25-strikeout performance. In 1949, the Dodgers drafted him from the Phillies, and he made a new home pitching for the Greenville Spinners and the Montreal Royals. During his time with the Royals, Lasorda led his team to four minor league championships.
Lasorda made his major league debut on Aug. 5, 1954 with the Dodgers. He played for the Dodgers for two seasons before being traded to the Kansas City Athletics, where he pitched for one season.
After the 1960 season, Lasorda ended his playing career in pro ball and became a scout for the Dodgers until 1965. He managed in the minor leagues from 1966-72, and in 1973 Tommy made his way back to the big leagues as a third base coach for the L.A. Dodgers under another future Hall of Fame manager – Walter Alston. Alston retired in 1976 after 23 years with the Dodgers, and Lasorda took the reins.
By 1978, he had led the Dodgers to two straight National League championships, and became the first NL manager to win pennants in their first two seasons. After losing to the Yankees in both the 1977 and 1978 World Series, the Dodgers went on to win the World Series over the Yankees in 1981. They defeated the A’s in 1988 to give Lasorda his second World Series title.
After retiring in 1996, Lasorda stayed busy working in baseball. In 2000, he managed the U.S. Olympic Baseball Team to a gold medal in the Sydney games.
“Guys ask me, don’t I get burned out?” Lasorda said. “How can you get burned out doing something you love?”
Appearing authors will only autograph books purchased at Bookends and must have valid Bookends Receipt.
Availability & pricing for all autographed books subject to change.
First In Line Certificate use is the the discretion of Bookends. Blackout dates may apply.
Bookends cannot guarantee that the books that are Autographed will always be First Printings.
Autographed books purchased at Bookends are non-returnable.
While we try to ensure that all customers coming to Bookends’ signings will meet authors and get their books signed, we cannot guarantee that all attendees will meet the author or that all books will be signed. We cannot control inclement weather, author travel schedules or authors who leave prematurely.
Bookends, 211 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450 201-445-0726
Newly released data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that between 2003-2012, the number of American children between ages 5 to 17 who are homeschooled has risen 61.8 percent, and that the percentage homeschooled in that age range has increased from 2.2 to 3.4 percent.
According to data published on May 7 by the National Center for Education Statistics(NCES), in 2003 1,096,000 school-aged children were homeschooled in the U.S., representing 2.2 percent of the total number of students in that age range that year. In 2012, the number homeschooled was 1,773,000, or 3.4 percent of elementary and secondary school-aged children that year.
The increase in the number of children homeschooled between 2003 and 2012 is 677,000—or 61.8 percent.
LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MAY 22, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Touch-A-Truck puts smiles on faces
To the Editor:
My 22-month-old grandson was absolutely thrilled each and every time he got to climb aboard the different vehicles stationed at last week’s Touch-A-Truck event held at Van Neste Square. And in addition to his excitement over all of the shiny vehicles, he was mesmerized by the truck related stories that were read during the Ridgewood Public Library’s Special Truck Storytime, which was held right at the event site.
Needless to say, my wife and I had as much fun watching him (if not more) as he did actively participating in the event itself.
Clearly, Touch-A-Truck would not have been possible without the employees who volunteer to staff it, nor without approval of Village Council members. So, I offer a big thank you to all of the men and women who put smiles on our family’s faces that day by being there with smiles on their faces, and thanks also to the members of our Village Council who agreed to fund this very special day.
Hopefully, a 2016 Touch-A-Truck event is in the planning stages already.
2015 Ridgewood Budget Presentation – Hearing May 27th
Budget Presentation at Introduction of the 2015 Budget on April 22, 2015
Click Here
For the Official State Budget Document
Click Here
The Budget Hearing will be held May 27 at 7:30pm in the Village Hall Court Room. The Village Council will vote on the budget at the end of the hearing.
Ridgewood NJ , Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld will hold office hours for Ridgewood residents and business owners on Saturday, May 23 between the hours o f9:00AM and Noon. This is an opportunity to share your thoughts and provide input to Roberta. These sessions will be scheduled at 15 minute intervals and will be held in the Court Room – on the Fourth Level of Ridgewood Village Hall. Please contact Beth Spinato at 201-670-5500, ext. 203 to make an appointment. Walk-ins are welcome but should realize that the schedule may already be booked. We will announce the schedule for these meetings on a monthly basis.
109,930,090 Americans participated in overlapping programs
BY: Elizabeth Harrington
May 20, 2015 3:02 pm
The federal government spent $100 billion providing food assistance to Americans last year, according to the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
The lion’s share of spending comes from the food stamp program, which gave benefits to an average 46 million Americans in 2014, at a cost of $74.6 billion, according to atestimony from the GAO’s Director of Education, Workforce, and Income Security Kay E. Brown before the House Subcommittee on Nutrition Wednesday.
The national school lunch program was second, costing $11.3 billion, followed by the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) at $7.1 billion.
Other spending included $1.9 billion for nutrition assistance for Puerto Rico, and $10.7 million for the “Special Milk Program.”
