Ridgewood NJ, The Village has announced that starting Thursday, April 16th the new regulated hours for parking at the Cottage Place Lot will be from 10AM to 6PM; Monday through Saturday at a cost of .75 cents per hour. Payment for parking can be made using coins at the meter (nickels, dimes, quarters) or by purchasing a CBD Monthly Pass.
As in the past, the programs for RPP’s for Non Residents and Residents and the Monthly CBD Permits are still in effect.
The Parkmobile App will be available for use in all lots the week of May 4th.
APRIL 14, 2015, 6:45 PM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015, 6:54 PM
BY HERB JACKSON
WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT |
THE RECORD
Facing criminal charges that pushed him into a supporting role instead of a leadership position on the Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Bob Menendez still notched a victory Tuesday when the panel unanimously approved a bill he cosponsored dealing with Iran.
And the White House, which had threatened a veto and lobbied Democrats against the bill, signaled that President Obama would be willing to sign it. White House officials cited changes that had been made to the bill, which gives the Senate the power to object before any international agreement lifts economic sanctions that Congress had imposed on Iran.
But Menendez said the administration saw it was going to lose.
“I think that it’s more the administration seeing where the will of the Congress was and coming to that conclusion” that the bill could not be stopped, he said.
Attending his first hearing since stepping aside as the committee’s top Democrat following his indictment April 1, Menendez was praised by both Republicans and Democrats for his efforts.
“I can’t imagine a senator being more constructive,” said Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., who succeeded Menendez as chairman of the committee in January when Republicans took control of the Senate. “There is no question over the last two years you have helped bring us to this point, where instead of debating things we in fact may well be taking up major legislation that will have a significant impact on security of Middle East.”
“I completely agree with you,” followed Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, who is now the panel’s top Democrat after Menendez ceded that role because of the charges. “Senator Menendez enjoys the strong thanks for the incredible leadership he has given … I hope Senator Menendez’s issues will be resolved quickly.”
APRIL 14, 2015, 8:16 AM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015, 6:35 PM
BY MELISSA HAYES
STATE HOUSE BUREAU |
THE RECORD
Governor Christie called for raising the eligibility age for Social Security and Medicare and suggested wealthier retirees forgo the benefits in a speech in New Hampshire Tuesday.
Christie unveiled a 12-point plan that includes reducing Social Security benefits for retirees earning more than $80,000 and eliminating them altogether for those earning more than $200,000.
The governor told a crowd of about 100 students and other attendees at St. Anselm College that the retirement age for social security should be raised to 69 and the early retirement age should be 64. And he called for the eligibility age for Medicare to be gradually increased to 67 by 2040.
APRIL 14, 2015, 6:06 PM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015, 6:08 PM
BY MARY JO LAYTON
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
After a bitter years-long legal battle to keep Hackensack University Medical Center from expanding in Bergen County, Englewood Hospital and Medical Center will be joining forces with its former rival, officials said Tuesday.
Englewood will maintain its own operations, finances, board, physicians and employees, but launch a clinical and academic affiliation that will create a regional cardiac program as well as other ventures.
“Hackensack University Health Network is pleased to partner with Englewood Hospital and Medical Center,” said Robert C. Garrett, president and chief executive officer of Hackensack University Health Network. “Today’s health care model places emphasis on collaboration.’’
As the delivery of health care and reimbursements to hospitals and physicians changes nationwide, many hospitals are joining large networks like Hackensack, which continues to grow well beyond its Bergen County roots to emerge as a statewide force.
While officials said the affiliation is not a merger with Hackensack, the hospital is currently in the process of turning another affiliation into an acquisition. Three years ago, Hackensack announced a clinical affiliation with Palisades Medical Center, which gave Hackensack a foothold in Hudson County. In September, Hackensack announced plans to acquire the North Bergen hospital, a deal that is under regulatory review.
The hospital’s parent company is also in the process of merging with Meridian Health and its six hospitals in Ocean and Monmouth counties, allowing Hackensack to tap into a market with one of the highest percentages of older residents in the country. In addition, Hackensack, along with a for-profit partner, reopened Pascack Valley Hospital in Westwood and owns Mountainside Hospital in Essex County.
And earlier this year, Hackensack announced plans to open a private medical school with Seton Hall University in 2017 at the former Hoffmann-LaRoche site in Nutley and Clifton.
IMF CUTS FORECAST FOR US ECONOMY, UPGRADES EUROPE AND JAPAN
Apr 14, 9:47 AM EDT
BY PAUL WISEMAN
AP ECONOMICS WRITER
WASHINGTON (AP) — The International Monetary Fund, citing the consequences of a strong dollar, is downgrading its outlook for the U.S. economy but raising its forecast for Europe and Japan.
The IMF predicted Tuesday that the American economy will grow 3.1 percent this year and next – a performance the fund characterized as “robust.” But the U.S. outlook was down from the IMF’s January forecast of 3.6 percent growth in 2015 and 3.3 percent growth in 2016. The American economy advanced 2.4 percent last year.
The IMF forecast that the 18 European countries that use the euro currency collectively will expand 1.5 percent in 2015 and 1.6 percent in 2016, up from a January forecast of 1.2 percent growth this year and 1.4 percent next. The eurozone grew just 0.9 percent last year.
The fund expects Japan to grow 1 percent this year and 1.2 percent next year, versus an earlier forecast of 0.6 percent this year and 0.8 percent in 2016. The Japanese economy shrank 0.1 percent in 2014.
The IMF expects the world economy to grow 3.5 percent in 2015, barely up from 3.4 percent last year and unchanged for its January forecast. It raised the outlook for global economic growth in 2016 to 3.8 percent, up from a January forecast of 3.7 percent.
The international lending agency also left unchanged its prediction that the Chinese economy will grow 6.8 percent this year and 6.3 percent in 2016. That marks a sharp deceleration from last year’s 7.4 percent expansion, already the slowest for China in two decades. But Gian Maria Milesi-Ferretti, the IMF’s deputy director for research, told reporters the slowdown in China reflects the country’s transition from growth built on often-wasteful investment in factories and real estate to slower but steadier growth built on spending by Chinese consumers. “We think it is a good slowdown for China,” he said.
APRIL 10, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY LUCY PROBERT
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
In our house, two lacrosse schedules, one muddy dog and a teenager’s pair of red, itchy eyes mark the beginning of spring. Ah, the allergy season; in this area, it comes up fast and hits pretty hard.
Just look at the number of streets named after trees (Oak, Maple, Chestnut), proof that pollen is alive and well and soon to start coating our cars and filling our kids’ noses.
But if you’ve got seasonal allergies in your home, you’re not alone; statistics show that up to 40 percent of children suffer from them with stuffy noses, sneezing and those itchy eyes. The good news is that it’s a relatively brief season. The bad news is that those few months can bring misery.
This pesky pollen comes from weeds, plants, grasses and trees, pretty much whatever we come in contact with just by being outside. Around here the allergy season starts with maple, says Dr. Patricia Hicks, an allergist in Ho-Ho-Kus. Then by mid-May we start to see oak pollen, then it’s grass, she says.
“The problem is that these add to each other, so by the time the season is in full swing, you’re dealing with multiple pollens.”
Peak time is around Mother’s Day and by summer most symptoms have lessened.
APRIL 13, 2015, 6:16 PM LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015, 6:19 PM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
Bergen County Executive James Tedesco has created the framework for a 15-person panel to advise him on what could be one of the biggest decisions facing his administration: the future of Bergen Regional Medical Center.
Tedesco signed an executive order Friday creating a health advisory committee. He has not named the panel members except for one: County Administrator Dominic Novelli. But the order outlines where the other panel members will come from and the scope of what they will study. The panel will include:
A representative from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the union that represents blue collar and craft service employees at the hospital.
A representative of the Health Professionals and Allied Employees union, which represents nurses, social workers, substance abuse and addiction counselors and recreation therapists at the hospital.
A medical doctor with a practice in Bergen County.
Two members of the Freeholder board.
Six Bergen County community representatives.
A representative from the Bergen County Health Department.
A representative from the Bergen County mental health community.
A board member from the Bergen County Improvement Authority.
Tedesco said he expects to name the committee members within two weeks. He added that he will be flexible on a timeline for the committee to report back to him.
“I’ve not put a specific date in it, because I don’t want to hamstring the committee nor the professionals and have them not do a thorough job,” he said.
The county-owned hospital in Paramus is run by a private operator under a 19-year lease that expires in March 2017.
Tedesco has asked the advisory panel to explore the following options:
A third-party operator with a new lease and operating agreement.
Creation of a new joint operating company involving the Improvement Authority and/or the county, along with a third partner.
Creation by the county and/or the Improvement Authority of a not-for-profit corporation to operate the hospital.
Partnering with the Veteran’s Administration to expand veteran services offered by the hospital.
Any other options considered by the committee.
There is one option not open for study. Tedesco, a Democrat, made it clear during his campaign for county executive that he would not favor including the possible sale of the hospital.
On that point he differed with his opponent, former County Executive Kathleen Donovan, a Republican, who argued that all options should be studied, including a possible sale.
Tedesco’s committee replaces a seven-member panel that Donovan named in September. She was criticized at the time by Tedesco and two other freeholders for not having enough people on her panel.
(CNSNews.com) – The federal government taxed away more money, spent more money and ran a bigger deficit in the first half of fiscal 2015 than it did in the first half of fiscal 2014, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
“The federal government ran a budget deficit of $430 billion for the first half of fiscal year 2015, CBO estimates–$17 billion more than the shortfall recorded in the same span last year,” the CBO said in itsMonthly Budget Review for March 2015, which was published April 8. “Both revenues and outlays were about 7 percent higher than the amounts recorded in the first six months of fiscal year 2014.”
The federal fiscal year begins on Oct. 1 and ends on Sept. 30.
In the first six months of fiscal 2014, the government took in approximately $1,323,000,000,000 in revenue, according to CBO. In the first six months of this fiscal year, it took in approximately $1,420,000,000,000—an increase of $98,000,000,000.
Meanwhile, the federal government spent approximately $1,736,000,000,000 in the first six months of fiscal 2014. It spent approximately $1,851,000,000,000 in the first six months of the fiscal year—an increase of $115,000,000,000 over last year.
Last year, the government ran a deficit of $413 billion in the first six months of the fiscal year. This year, it ran a deficit of $430 billion—a $17 billion increase over last year.
Chris Christie is promoting his tell-it-like-it-is style of governing with town-hall meetings in New Hampshire before a possible White House run. Back home, attendees of such forums haven’t heard the whole story of the pension mess throwing New Jersey’s budget into disarray.
What’s missing from the Republican’s weekly narrative, during which he blames Democrats and public unions for the employee costs crowding out other spending, is that he shares the culpability. Record retirements in response to his first-term benefit reductions contributed to the state’s $83 billion pension-funding shortfall; Another wave of departures looms as Christie seeks a second round of cutbacks. (Young/Bloomberg)
APRIL 14, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 2015, 9:42 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The Ridgewood Council has approved new construction code fees, adopting the implementing ordinance by 3-2 vote during its meeting last Wednesday.
Council members Susan Knudsen and Michael Sedon voted against the fee changes.
Knudsen did not offer explanation for her vote; however, Sedon said he reviewed the Building Department’s upcoming budget when reaching his decision. In comparing anticipated revenues and expenditures, the councilman said the department is turning a $134,000 profit.
“My feeling is we’re covering the cost of the department and able to make a little bit of money while still offering residents a bit of a deal on inspections when they have work done,” Sedon said, suggesting the higher fees were unnecessary.
With the new ordinance, the building department is aiming to bring the village’s construction code fees more in line with surrounding towns and the state of New Jersey.
Tom Yotka, the new director of the Building Department and construction official, said the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) requires the construction official in each municipality to review the fees a minimum of every two years. Yotka noted the last effective change to the ordinance was in 2009, but did not know when the department last reviewed its charges.
If you have traveled around the state lately, chances are you have come across construction of some kind.
According to the State Department of Labor and Workforce Development, there has been a spike of 10,000 construction jobs in 2014 and an increase of 7,900 during January and February of this year.
One housing and economics expert said there are five main factors driving the construction increase.
“The first is higher education which is the result of the bond issue and universities and colleges are leveraging those funds in public/private partnerships,” said James Hughes, dean of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.
The second is demographically driven.
“The real growth in the population is millennials and aging baby boomers who are resizing in the housing market. So, we have almost record high numbers of multifamily construction. The multifamily rental housing sector is now about 60 percent where historically, it’s been about 30 percent,” Hughes said.
New Jersey is also the third largest warehouse distribution center in the country, a sector that has been growing very rapidly as a result of e-commerce.
“Instead of building conventional warehouses, what are now being erected are very large fulfillment centers, like the one for Amazon in Robbinsville. With people shopping on the Internet, a lot of space is needed to store items before they are shipped,” Hughes said.
Data centers are a significant factor to the increase in construction as well, namely because of New Jersey’s geography.
“In many cases, the big New York brokerage houses need vast data centers to store their information and they want them on a different power grid than the main headquarters, but they can’t be too far away from the major trading centers because those milliseconds are very important in high-speed trading. New Jersey is in a good location for that,” Hughes said.
RIDGEWOOD, N.J. , Ridgewood Police with the help of Fish and wildlife officials tranquilized a bear found roaming through the Village in a sign that bear-sighting season is here.
Chief John M. Ward ,”I would like to thank Bergen County, Glen Rock and Ho Ho Kus Police Departments, TYCO animal control and NJ Fish & Game for their assistance in the tracking, containment and capture of the bear. Additionally I would like to thank Ridgewood Fire, Emergency Services, and OEM for their valuable assistance with notification of the public and helping to secure the perimeter, area sports fields and schools during the incident. Finally I would like to thank our residents for their cooperation and understanding which allowed us to deal with the situation as quickly and safely as possible. “
Authorities speculate that the 175-pound male black bear that was seen Saturday morning in Ridgewood,may have been the same one seen in Hawthorne Friday night.
Experts tell The Bergen Record that bear sightings pick up at this time of year as the bruins emerge from hibernating to look for food. Males can roam as far as 50 miles from their dens.
Bears have been seen all around New Jersey but sightings have been mainly concentrated in the northwest part of the state.
New Jersey hosts a state-sanctioned bear hunt that has killed about 1,900 bears since 2010 and the state has proposed expanding the hunt in coming years.
APRIL 13, 2015, 8:02 PM LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, APRIL 13, 2015, 8:03 PM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
SOUTH NYACK, N.Y. — Six additional charges were filed on Monday against Kurt G. Ludwigsen, the 43-year-old Ridgewood resident accused of inappropriately kissing and touching several softball players he had coached at Nyack College.
The additional charges were revealed at Ludwigsen’s arraignment in South Nyack court on Monday evening.
More than 90 charges of forcible touching of another’s sexual/intimate parts and harassment were brought against Ludwigsen last Thursdayfollowing interviews with between 10 and 20 of his players, who ranged from 18 to 23 years old, South Nyack-Grand View Police Chief Brent Newbury said.
Newbury confirmed another victim had come forward on Monday, resulting in six more “similar charges.” Those charges were not outlined during Ludwigsen’s arraignment. However, Newbury said three were harassment related and three were related to unwanted touching.
Dressed in khaki pants with matching shoes and a purple, white, and dark green plaid shirt and carrying a black backpack, Ludwigsen sat at the back of the court room audience, occasionally cracking his knuckles.
Before his name was called by Judge Thomas Mascola, Ludwigsen — also known as Kurt Vogner — also sent text messages and checked sports scores on his phone.
Ludwigsen approached the bench with his attorney, David Goldstein, who didn’t once remove his sunglasses.
Goldstein waived a reading of the charges against his client, and a not guilty plea was entered on his Ludwigsen’s behalf. The Ridgewood man will return to South Nyack for another hearing on May 11.
Mascola on Monday also approved a protective order sought by the most recent player to press charges against Ludwigsen.
April 13, 2015 Last updated: Monday, April 13, 2015, 9:24 AM
By Darius Amos
Staff Writer |
The Ridgewood News
Already mired with the downtown multifamily housing public hearings, the Ridgewood Planning Board has taken on the state-mandated task of reexamining its master plan.
For the next several months, board members will be expected to review the municipality’s current master plan and a list of corrective action items created during the village’s previous reexamination, which took place in 2006.
Their objective, according to Ridgewood Planner Blais Brancheau, is to identify areas that require change and any outdated language within those planning documents.
The board is not necessarily required to rewrite the master plan, but members must complete their review and adopt an official reexamination report, to be drafted by the municipal planner, by February 2016.
In part, the report should evaluate major problems and objectives related to land development at the time of the adoption of the previous report, determine the extent to which problems have changed, and propose any recommended changes to the master plan.
“It’s a report that will say this is what we looked at … this is what we think going forward,” said Brancheau, who detailed the reexamination process during last Tuesday’s Planning Board work session.
Residents of high-tax states are voting with their feet
By Stephen Moore – – Sunday, April 12, 2015
Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren appeared on one of the late night talk shows last week, beating the class warfare drum and arguing for billions of dollars in new social programs paid for with higher taxes on millionaires and billionaires. In recent years, though, blue states such as California, Illinois, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maryland and Minnesota adopted this very strategy, and they raised taxes on their wealthy residents. How did it work out? Almost all of these states lag behind the national average in growth of jobs and incomes.
So, if income redistribution policies are the solution to shrinking the gap between rich and poor, why do they fail so miserably in the states?
The blue states that try to lift up the poor with high taxes, high welfare benefits, high minimum wages and other Robin Hood policies tend to be the places where the rich end up the richest and the poor the poorest.
California is the prototypical example. It has the highest tax rates of any state. It has very generous welfare benefits. Many of its cities have a high minimum wage. But day after day, the middle class keeps leaving. The wealthy areas such as San Francisco and the Silicon Valley boom. Yet the state has nearly the highest poverty rate in the nation. The Golden State, alas, has become the inequality state.
