WASHINGTON — In a dramatic assessment of the domestic threat posed by the Islamic State, FBI Director James Comey said Thursday there are “hundreds, maybe thousands” of people across the country who are receiving recruitment overtures from the terrorist group or directives to attack the U.S.
Comey said the Islamic State, also known as ISIL, is leveraging social media in unprecedented ways through Twitter and other platforms, directing messages to the smartphones of “disturbed people” who could be pushed to launch assaults on U.S. targets.
“It’s like the devil sitting on their shoulders, saying ‘kill, kill, kill,”’ Comey said in a meeting with reporters.
The FBI director’s comments come in the midst of a federal investigation into a foiled attack in Garland, Texas, involving two ISIL sympathizers, one of whom, Elton Simpson, was long known to federal authorities.
Shocking revelations show that at least four Clinton Foundation board of directors have either been charged or convicted of financial crimes, including bribery and fraud.
This newest, startling revelation is just one more of many in Peter Schweizer’s bombshell book Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Rich, the book that has sent the Hillary Clinton campaign and the media scrambling.
The book shows that there are many problems with the Clinton charity. In fact, the Clinton Foundation is so unlike a real charity that even charity watchdog group Charity Navigatorrefuses to rate the Clinton Foundation because of its “atypical business model.”
One of those problems is the fact that the Clintons put big donors and close pals on the board for reasons that are hard to fathom. In fact, at least four of these “board members” have either been charged or convicted of serious financial irregularities, crimes including bribery and fraud.
The most well-known of these board members is Vinod Gupta.
A federal court has decided that the National Security Agency’s (NSA) bulk, warrantless collection of millions of Americans’ phone records is illegal.
The decision from the Second Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday represents the second major court victory for opponents of the NSA, after a lower court decision called the program nearly unconstitutional six months ago.
The phone records program “exceeds the scope of what Congress has authorized,” Judge Gerard Lynch wrote on behalf of the three-judge panel. The court did not examine the constitutionality of the surveillance program.
File this one in the category of “do as we say, not as we do.”
The Internal Revenue Service over one decade tolerated “willful tax noncompliance” from 1,589 employees without consistent or clear procedures for addressing individual cases, according to a report released Wednesday by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.
In 60 percent of the cases, the watchdog found, the tax agency mitigated proposed terminations of employees found to have committed, as defined by regulation, a “voluntary intentional violation of a known legal duty (timely filing of a tax return or accurate reporting of a tax obligation) for which there is no reasonable cause.” Instead of being fired, the employees received lesser penalties such as suspensions, reprimands, or counseling.
“Given its critical role in federal tax administration, the IRS must ensure that its employees comply with the tax law in order to maintain the public’s confidence,” TIGTA J. Russell George said. “Willful violation of the law by IRS employees should not be taken lightly, and the IRS commissioner should fully document decisions made to retain employees whom management has proposed be terminated.”
The study of employee disciplinary cases from fiscal 2004-13 found that only 620 employees (39 percent) of those committing willful tax noncompliance were terminated, resigned or retired. In some case, TIGTA said, employees with similar violations received different discipline. And among cases that were mitigated, files included mitigating factors as well as evidence that violations of tax law were willful, but the documents did not make clear the basis for the commissioner’s decisions to mitigate.
The Ridgewood Guild “Music in the Night” evening performance series is now entering its 5th Season. Every Friday night from 7:00 – 9:00pm, Memorial Day to Labor Day, musicians will be performing in several locations throughout downtown Ridgewood. These talented performers have created quite a buzz, so come join the fun, and enjoy some great music!
If you can strum a guitar, blow a horn or croon a tune, we’d love to hear you. Please email:[email protected] and we’ll get back to you to schedule an audition.
WASHINGTON | BY MICHAEL FLAHERTY AND ANNA YUKHANANOV
(Reuters) – Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen on Wednesday said high equity valuations could pose potential dangers but that stability risks across the U.S. financial system remained in check.
“I would highlight that equity market valuations at this point generally are quite high,” Yellen said. “There are potential dangers there.”
Yellen’s view on the run-up in stocks was an answer to questions from International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde, who joined the Fed chief for the opening session of the “Finance and Society” conference here.
“We’ve also seen the compression of spreads on high-yield debt, which certainly looks like a reach for yield type of behavior,” Yellen said.
Christopher Maisano, a 17-year old New Jersey high school student, has been selected as the winner of the Professional Numismatists Guild (www.PNGdealers.org) 2015 young numismatist scholarship. The PNG will provide tuition, dormitory accommodations, meals and airfare to and from Colorado Springs, Colorado for him to attend one of the week-long sessions of this year’s American Numismatic Association (www.money.org) Summer Seminar.
“I am so happy and grateful for this opportunity! It still hasn’t sunk in yet,” Maisano said.
He began collecting two years ago while on vacation with his parents when he saw coins in the window of an antique shop.
“I was captivated by the old U.S. coins. I entered the store with my parents and spent hours looking at all the coins in their inventory. With my own allowance money I purchased my very first coin, an 1873 With Arrows Seated Liberty half dollar from the Philadelphia Mint,” Maisano recalled.
He said it is in poor condition and the least valuable coin now in his collection, but it “is the most beloved and prized coin in my collection because it was my first.”
Family members and friends soon responded to his interest in numismatics.
“My grandmother gave me her father’s coin collection. It included mostly Morgan dollars. None of the coins were very valuable but I found it so interesting to research them and learn about how my great-grandfather loved collecting coins,” he explained.
He also credits Ridgewood Coin & Stamp in Ridgewood, New Jersey for nurturing his interest in coins and mentoring him about buying and selling. Last October his parents took him to the PNG show in New York City where he met PNG member-dealer Donald Kagin and associate member David McCarthy of Kagin’s, Inc. who showed him gold coins from the Saddle Ridge Hoard. McCarthy and another PNG associate member, John Brush of David Lawrence Rare Coins, told him about the annual ANA Summer Seminars.
Mark your calendar!
Ridgewood Spring SIdewalk Sale Days: Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. May 14,15, and 16th.
Best Shopping Days in Bergen County.
Participating Businesses:
alba
Alex and Ani
Anik of Ridgewood
Dr. Aretsky.s Ridgewood Hearing Center
Arthur Groom & Co., Inc.
Atelier of Ridgewood
B. Witching Bath Co.
Beauty Plus Salon
DoubleTake Consignment Boutique
Eat Your Spinach!
Exclusive Day Spa
Femmebotclothing
The Gap
Gardiner & Co
GiGi-s Boutique
Glaze Artisan Donuts
The Green Olive Branch
Huntington Learning Center
Just Our Shoes & Mephisto of Ridgewood
Kate Spade & Company
Leapin Lizards
Little Ivy Learning Center
Loft41 Jewelry Studio & More
Lucky Brand
Maui Medical Weight Loss Clinics
P. Smith & Co.
Pangea Coins & Jewelry
Panico Salon & Spa
Pink Bungalow
ProMartial Arts
Red Velvet Luxe
RHS Cake Sale
Ridgewood Bootery
Salon diLuna
Shoe-Inn
Studio Suite 201
Suite 201
Town & Country Apothecary & Fine Cosmetics
West Side Nursery School
YWCA Bergen County
For more details, please call us at 201-445-2600 or email [email protected] www.experienceridgewood.com
AP New Jersey Supreme Court Associate Justices Lee A. Solomon, left, and Jaynee LaVecchia, right, listen as Associate Justice Anne M. Patterson asks a question during a hearing Wednesday, May 6, 2015, in Trenton
Taxpayers Face Tax Increase as N.J justices appear divided along partisan lines in pension battle
MAY 6, 2015, 12:45 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 2015, 11:30 PM
BY SALVADOR RIZZO
STATE HOUSE BUREAU |
THE RECORD
The state Supreme Court appeared split along ideological lines Wednesday on one of the biggest legal questions in New Jersey: Can Governor Christie ignore a pension-reform law he signed in 2011 and cut funding for the distressed retirement system?
Associate Justice Barry Albin, a veteran of the court’s liberal wing and a Democratic appointee, hammered Christie’s attorney and sounded incredulous that the Republican governor wanted to strike down a key part of his own pension overhaul. At one point, Albin suggested the courts could order a tax increase to meet pension-funding requirements.
Associate Justice Anne Patterson, a Christie appointee on the court’s conservative side, grilled the attorneys for public-worker unions suing over the funding reductions. Patterson said the courts were no place to be deciding state budget priorities and noted that Christie would have to make deep cuts to hospitals or schools in order to round up the funds missing from the pension system.
The outcome may hinge on the court’s lone independent, Associate Justice Jaynee LaVecchia. She asked tough questions of both sides and did not indicate which way she was leaning.
MAY 7, 2015 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2015, 12:25 AM
BY STEVE JANOSKI AND ABBOTT KOLOFF
STAFF WRITERS |
THE RECORD
The officer who fatally shot a Wyckoff family’s 5-year-old German shepherd was also involved in an alleged 2010 police chase in Newark that ended when the police car he was driving fatally struck a domestic violence suspect.
The officer, Kyle Ferreira, was not charged or indicted in the Newark case, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said Wednesday. And Wyckoff Police Chief Benjamin Fox said that the department knew about the incident when he was hired in February 2012.
Newark agreed to settle a civil lawsuit related to the incident for $350,000, according to federal court documents. Ferreira was among 160 Newark police officers who were laid off in late November 2010 because of budget cuts, an attorney for Newark said.
Fox said that the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office had cleared Ferreira of any criminal wrongdoing in the case and that it was “simply ruled an accident.” He said that Wyckoff authorities were “aware of it, and we investigated it.”
Katharine Carter, a spokeswoman for the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, said prosecutors had presented the case to a grand jury, which found “no cause for action” against Ferreira. “In essence, his actions were deemed to be justified,” Carter said.
Ridgewood NJ, School taxes in the village are about to go up by more than 2 percent cap put in to effect , by Governor Christie in 2010. The cap limits increases in property taxes to 2 percent. There are several ways to get exceptions,which were pushed by Democratic lawmakers negotiating with Christie , who at the time pushed for a hard cap know on this blog as the 2 percent solution .
Towns, county governments and school boards in New Jersey can exceed the tax-hike limit for spending on debt payments, public employee benefits and response to disasters. The cap also doesn’t include many special fees that some towns levy for services such as trash removal .
Last week, the BOE adopted the district’s massive $101.2 million budget for the coming school year. According to the Bergen Record the new budget would will raise taxes over the next year by $194.65 on the average village home assessed at $690,662.That increase represents a more than 2-percent increase from last year’s tax.(https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-school-taxes-to-increase-more-than-2-percent-1.1326603 ) Click here to view the latest presentation on next year’s school budget, given at the April 27, 2015 Board of Education meeting.
Residents are reminded of the invitation to stop by for coffee and casual conversation with Board of Education members and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Daniel Fishbein on Wednesday, May 13 from 7-8:30 p.m. at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place. All residents are invited to drop in to share their thoughts, questions, suggestions and concerns .
Also district parents and guardians have the opportunity to provide anonymous feedback to the Board of Education through the 2014-2015 satisfaction survey. The survey period runs from Tuesday, May 5 through Friday, May 15. All district parents and guardians with email addresses on file will receive an email link to the survey.
MAY 6, 2015, 7:06 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 2015, 7:06 PM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — The executive director of an affordable housing agency has endorsed a proposed master plan amendment that, if approved, would clear the way for high-density, multifamily housing developments downtown.
A letter dated April 29 from lawyer Kevin Walsh from the Fair Share Housing Center, urges Ridgewood’s Planning Board to adopt the amendment, which has been under consideration for years.
The letter was read at the Planning Board’s meeting Tuesday night.
Adopting the master plan change “will assist the municipality in meeting its very substantial unmet affordable housing obligations,” which Walsh put at more than 1,000 units.
Four developers with plans for four different housing complexes initially requested the master plan amendment five years ago. Since then, one of the developers has backed out.
The three remaining developers have plans to construct a combined 208 apartments downtown.
The developments proposed are The Dayton, a 106-unit luxury garden apartment complex at the site of the former Brogan Cadillac dealership; the 50-unit Chestnut Village, which would be on Chestnut Street, and the 52-unit Enclave, proposed for East Ridgewood and North Maple avenues.
Citing the Supreme Court’s March 10 decision, Walsh’s letter contends there is a “renewed focus on ensuring that municipalities meet their obligations in an expeditious fashion.”
NEW YORK (AP) — An NFL investigation released Wednesday concluded New England Patriots employees likely deflated footballs used in the AFC Championship and that quarterback Tom Brady was probably “at least generally aware” of the rules violations.
The NFL began investigating after the Patriots defeated the Colts 45-7 on January 18. The Colts complained that several footballs were under-inflated and the NFL confirmed that 11 of the 12 footballs were under the limit. The investigation started as the Patriots were preparing for the Super Bowl – which they won two weeks later.
Footballs with less pressure can be easier to grip and catch. Some quarterbacks prefer footballs that have less air.
The NFL requires balls to be inflated between 12.5 and 13.5 pounds per square inch, and each team is responsible for the balls it uses on offense.
Pamela Geller: A Response to My Critics—This Is a War
Pamela Geller @PamelaGeller
7:37 AM ET
Pamela Geller is the President of the American Freedom Defense Initiative (AFDI) and publisher of PamelaGeller.com.
Some are saying I provoked this attack. But to kowtow to violent intimidation will only encourage more of it.
Sunday in Garland, Texas, a police officer was wounded in a battle that is part of a longstanding war: the war against the freedom of speech. Some people are blaming me for the Garland shooting — so I want to address that here.
Republicans Aren’t the Only Ones Who Believe in GodViolence Is Worse Than BlasphemyNFL Probe Finds Patriots Probably Deflated BallsNBC NewsCall for Answers in Death of Bipolar Man in Restraint Chair NBC NewsCrash Test: Did Germanwings Pilot Practice His Fatal Dive?NBC News
The shooting happened at my American Freedom Defense Initiative Muhammad Art Exhibit and Cartoon Contest, when two Islamic jihadists armed with rifles and explosives drove up to the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland and attempted to gain entry to our event, which was just ending. We were aware of the risk and spent thousands of dollars on security — and it paid off. The jihadis at our free speech event were not able to achieve their objective of replicating the massacre at the offices of the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine last January — and to go it one better in carnage. They were not able to kill anyone. We provided enormous security, in concert with the superb Garland police department. The men who took the aspiring killers down may have saved hundreds of lives.
And make no mistake: If it weren’t for the free-speech conference, these jihadis would have struck somewhere else — a place where there was less security, like the Lindt cafe in Australia or the Hyper Cacher Kosher supermarket in Paris.
