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Posted on February 12, 2015February 12, 2015 by James — 3 Comments

Congress, Don’t Be Fooled; Obama Still Believes in Unlimited War

Congress, Don’t Be Fooled; Obama Still Believes in Unlimited War

By BRUCE ACKERMANFEB. 11, 2015

PRESIDENT OBAMA is going before Congress to request authorization for the limited use of military force in a battle of up to three years against the Islamic State. On the surface, this looks like a welcome recognition of Congress’s ultimate authority in matters of war and peace. But unless the resolution put forward by the White House is amended, it will have the opposite effect. Congressional support will amount to the ringing endorsement of unlimited presidential war making.

Whatever else they decide, the House and Senate should revise the White House initiative to guarantee that it won’t have this tragic result. First do no harm; before proceeding with a debate over the limits of our continuing military engagement, Congress should make it impossible for future presidents to evade its final decision.

The problem is the double-barreled position advanced by Mr. Obama. He asserts that he already has sufficient congressional authority for an open-ended war with the Islamic State, also known as ISIL or ISIS. He bases this claim on an expansive reading of Congress’s 2001 resolution authorizing President George W. Bush to make war on Al Qaeda after the 9/11 attacks. As long as this resolution remains on the books, Mr. Obama claims, he can continue fighting, even if Congress never agrees to a new resolution.

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/12/opinion/obama-still-believes-in-unlimited-war-isis.html

Posted on February 12, 2015February 12, 2015 by James — Leave a comment

They’ll Just Hate to See Jon Stewart Go (So They Say)

They’ll Just Hate to See Jon Stewart Go (So They Say)

By JEREMY W. PETERSFEB. 11, 2015

WASHINGTON — He has all but called them losers and fools, but when Jon Stewart announced on Tuesday that he would leave “The Daily Show” sometime this year, many politicians and news media personalities had something of an unusual reaction: grief.

“When he gives me a hard time, I understand that I’ve arrived,” said Senator Lindsey Graham, the South Carolina Republican whose recent announcement that he was considering a run for president sent Mr. Stewart into a fit of sarcastic ecstasy. “Thank you, Jesus!” Mr. Stewart cried as a six-person ensemble marched onstage playing “When the Saints Go Marching In.”

Mr. Stewart went on to call Mr. Graham, a foreign-policy hawk, “delusional,” but the senator said in an interview on Wednesday that he harbored no ill will.

Does Mr. Graham ever feel offended? “No,” he said. “I’m going to try to go on that show before it’s over with.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/12/arts/television/theyll-just-hate-to-see-jon-stewart-go-so-they-say.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&smid=fb-nytimes&bicmst=1409232722000&bicmet=1419773522000&smtyp=aut&bicmp=AD&bicmlukp=WT.mc_id&_r=0

Posted on February 12, 2015February 12, 2015 by James — 3 Comments

N.J. tax collections running $180M ahead of revenue projections

N.J. tax collections running $180M ahead of revenue projections

FEBRUARY 11, 2015, 5:29 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015, 5:29 PM
BY JOHN REITMEYER
STATE HO– USE BUREAU |
THE RECORD

Tax collections for Governor Christie’s $32.5 billion state budget were running $180 million ahead of revenue projections at the halfway mark of the state fiscal year according to figures released by the administration Wednesday.

The numbers were obtained in response to a public records request filed by The Record and show a marked difference from this time last year when the state was running a $331 million revenue shortfall.

New Jersey’s constitution requires a balanced budget, and Christie was eventually forced to delay property tax relief payments and significantly reduce the state payment into the public employee pension last year to address a gap that later swelled to $1 billion.

The figures from the state Department of Treasury show tax collections in December 2014 came in $237 million above revenue projections, helping reverse a nearly $50 million shortfall from November. That left tax collections 1.6 percent ahead of revenue projections at the midway point of the state fiscal year, which runs through June 30.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/n-j-tax-collections-running-180m-ahead-of-revenue-projections-1.1269294

Posted on February 12, 2015June 27, 2021 by James — 3 Comments

Ridgewood Schools Update on Snow Days

Ridgewood Schools Update on Snow Days

February 12,2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The two snow days built into the 2014-2015 school calendar have now been used. Should another snow day be necessary, students will attend school on Monday, April 6, which is currently slated as a Professional Day for teachers. Further days will be taken from Spring Recess, starting with Monday, March 30 and working forward.

Posted on February 12, 2015June 27, 2021 by James — 1 Comment

Ridgewood BOE Updates Procedure in the event a parent refuses to have their child participate in a Statewide assessment

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Ridgewood BOE Updates Procedure in the event a parent refuses to have their child participate in a Statewide assessment

February 12,2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blogUpdate on BOE Policy 2622 – Student Assessment

Ridgewood Nj, The New Jersey Department of Education, pursuant to State law and regulations, requires all students to take State assessments as scheduled. There is no provision for a student to opt-out of Statewide assessments. Therefore, the Board requires all students to take Statewide assessments and the Board cannot grant permission to a parent for their child to opt-out of required Statewide assessments.

The procedures outlined below shall be followed in the event a parent refuses to have their child participate in a Statewide assessment.

At its February 9, 2015 meeting, the Board of Education approved, with revisions, Policy 2622 – Student Assessment as a First Draft. Click here to read the draft policy with revisions.The Board also made to revisions to new Procedure 2622. Click here to read the draft procedure with revisions

Posted on February 12, 2015February 12, 2015 by James — 8 Comments

Bergen County prosecutor disputes audit of Ridgewood coin theft case

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Bergen County prosecutor disputes audit of Ridgewood coin theft case

FEBRUARY 11, 2015, 6:43 PM LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2015, 6:32 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

RIDGEWOOD — The Bergen County prosecutor disputed on Wednesday the findings of a forensic audit that determined the theft from Ridgewood’s coin room was even greater than originally thought — $377,526 more than suspected.

Meanwhile, a state legislator is calling for the Attorney General’s Office to help the village find out how the additional money was stolen in a years-long heist of parking meter quarters.

Still, village officials remain intent on unraveling the truth behind the missing money — an unfathomable 3.4 million quarters from 2010 to 2013

Thomas Rica, a former public works inspector for the village, used a master key to access the coin room, where collected meter quarters are sorted and stored. Rica, a Hawthorne resident, admitted stealing $460,000 in coins under a plea deal reached with the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office. In return, he received no jail time, five years’ probation and must pay back at least half the money.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/bergen-county-prosecutor-disputes-audit-of-ridgewood-coin-theft-case-1.1269313

Posted on February 11, 2015February 11, 2015 by James — 2 Comments

Law Makers Hope to Bury ‘Death Tax’ in New Jersey

Law Makers Hope to Bury ‘Death Tax’ in New Jersey

This is just another one of those things that unfairly impact Bergen County because of property values

TRENTON, N.J. — No state in the nation levies taxes when people die as aggressively as New Jersey.

Most states charge nothing. New Jersey is one of only two states with both an estate tax on the assets of the person who died and an inheritance tax charged to some people who are bequeathed money or assets. Moreover, of the states with an estate tax, New Jersey exempts the fewest from having to pay.

That could change. (Symons/Asbury Park Press)

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/02/10/lawmakers-hope-to-bury-death-tax-in-nj/23194471/

Posted on February 11, 2015January 20, 2019 by James — Leave a comment

PARCC Proficiency Test Is Good For Students, N.J. Education Chief Says

PARCC Proficiency Test Is Good For Students, N.J. Education Chief Says

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) — Some New Jersey parents have come out so strongly against a new computer-based math and language arts test that they have refused to allow their children to take the exam – but state education officials have rushed to its defense.

As CBS2’s Christine Sloan reported Tuesday, the state’s largest teachers’ union is also against the exam — called the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers – PARCC for short.

But New Jersey state Education Commissioner David Hespe said the students will benefit from being challenged by the exams. (CBS News)

https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/02/10/cbs2-exclusive-n-j-education-chief-says-controversial-exam-is-good-for-students/

Posted on February 11, 2015February 11, 2015 by James — Leave a comment

Seton Hall law professor examines Hoboken blogger trial

Seton Hall law professor examines Hoboken blogger trial

After Tuesday’s decision by a Hudson County Superior Court judge to dismiss a defamation case filed against two Hoboken-based bloggers, a Seton Hall law professor outlined for PolitickerNJ what it takes to make a defamation claim stick in New Jersey’s rough-and-tumble political atmosphere. (Bonamo/PolitickerNJ)

Seton Hall law professor examines Hoboken blogger trial | New Jersey News, Politics, Opinion, and Analysis

Posted on February 11, 2015February 11, 2015 by James — Leave a comment

Hoboken blogger trial ends with dismissal

Hoboken blogger trial ends with dismissal

JERSEY CITY – The jury trial of two Hoboken-based bloggers accused of defamation ended on Tuesday after the presiding judge ruled in favor of a defense motion to dismiss the case, stating that the plaintiffs had failed to make a prima facie, or sufficient, case against the defendants.

“New Jersey has a particularly high regard for free speech,” said Hudson County Superior Court Judge Patrick J. Arre is his ruling, noting that the involvement of plaintiffs Lane Bajardi and his wife Kimberly Cardinal Bajardi in the “political factions” constantly fighting in Hoboken make them public figures, and therefore subject to a higher standard when it comes to defamation. “Political speech is subject to the highest possible public protection. (Bonamo/PolitickerNJ)

Hoboken blogger trial ends with dismissal | New Jersey News, Politics, Opinion, and Analysis

Posted on February 11, 2015February 11, 2015 by James — Leave a comment

Chef Tom Finnelli of Restaurant Memoire , Accountant to Culinary Master

Chef Tom Finnelli of Restaurant Memoire , Accountant to Culinary Master

FEBRUARY 11, 2015 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015, 1:21 AM
THE RECORD

Chef Tom Finnelli’s path to the kitchen was long and winding. Although he’d worked at restaurants during high school, he went to college for accounting and had a successful 18-year-career in that field. Still, at 32, he turned down the chance to become partner at the fifth-largest accounting firm in the country because he knew that, if he accepted, he’d never work in a restaurant again. That company had massive layoffs in 2009, and Finnelli was “almost happy” to be one of those included.

The 40-year-old Park Ridge native and Rockland County resident already had his degree from the French Culinary Institute in Manhattan (now the International Culinary Center) – and in 2013, he bought the spot that would become Restaurant Memoire in Ridgewood. The restaurant, which serves seasonal eclectic fare, received 2 1/2 stars from The Record in January 2014.

Although Finnelli doesn’t regret the two decades he spent in an office, he says he’d be a hypocrite if he told his two young children they should always follow their dreams when he hadn’t followed his. “We only have one life, and at some point, you’ve got to at least try to do what you love,” he says. “If you never [do it], you’ll always wonder, ‘What if?’ ”

Here, he talks about his $1,000 meal and the one thing he’d never eat.

https://www.northjersey.com/food-and-dining-news/dining-news/chef-tom-finnelli-of-restaurant-memoire-on-his-1-000-meal

16 Chestnut Street, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
(201) 857-8899

Posted on February 11, 2015January 21, 2019 by James — Leave a comment

GOP hopefuls line up for key Bergen freeholder elections

GOP hopefuls line up for key Bergen freeholder elections

FEBRUARY 11, 2015 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

Four Republicans have declared an interest in running for three seats on the Bergen County Freeholder Board — and potential majority control of the board — this year.

Former Freeholder John Mitchell of Cliffside Park and Ramsey Councilman Ken Tyburczy are unopposed for Republican party line endorsements in the June primaries for the two three-year terms up for election.

They will take aim at seats now held by Democrats Tracy Zur of Franklin Lakes and Steve Tanelli of North Arlington, who are running for reelection.

Also, Dierdre Paul of Englewood and Daisy Ortiz-Berger of River Edge are vying for the party line in hopes of serving out the one year left in the term of James Tedesco, a Democrat, who left the board to become county executive.

Democrats currently hold a 5-2 majority on the board.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/republicans-eye-freeholder-seats-1.1268760

Posted on February 11, 2015February 11, 2015 by James — 1 Comment

Spirited cancer patient glad to be a role model

Spirited cancer patient glad to be a role model

FEBRUARY 9, 2015 LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

RIDGEWOOD — Anthony Daniels is still fighting.

The 23-year-old, who is battling an aggressive form of Hodgkin’s lymphoma, has inspired several bone marrow drives in his honor, but has yet to benefit from any of them.

Still, he remains undeterred, determined to conquer the cancer that has ravaged his body since he received his diagnosis more than three years ago.

“I’ve become a lot stronger this past year and couldn’t be more motivated,” said Daniels, a Fordham University business student and former Ridgewood High School hockey player. “There has been a huge influx in positivity that keeps me going and focused on helping others and myself.”

Daniels just started a five-week oral drug trial — his 11th round of chemotherapy in his quest to stop Hodgkin’s, a cancer of the immune system that attacks white blood cells.

He’s also been working as the Lymphoma Research Foundation’s ambassador — an appointment he received after being featured in the documentary film “To Be Strong.” The attention also landed him a weekly gig writing a motivational column for CureToday.com, an online news resource for people with cancer.

“The film gave me a voice and presented me with other opportunities to help a large group of people,” he said.

https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/spirited-cancer-patient-glad-to-be-a-role-model-1.1267341

Posted on February 11, 2015June 27, 2021 by James — 2 Comments

Reader says Civility actually encourages disagreement, conflict, and the passionate exchange of ideas

Reader says Civility actually encourages disagreement, conflict, and the passionate exchange of ideas

I’m curious how a brainstorming meeting about respecting others, complete with disagreement, could become “social intimidation tactics”, disallowing the raising of an eyebrow. And as per the intro Patrick Henry graphic, I’d like to include the rest of Henry’s statement: “Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!” Patrick Henry was a slaveholder.

Democracy requires disagreement. It’s only in totalitarian societies that dissent is silenced. Civility actually encourages disagreement, conflict, and the passionate exchange of ideas. Civility provides a platform for debate. Civility is not antithetical to free speech. We all have a lowest common denominator and our exercise of free speech can devolve into insults, verbal abuse, or hate speech. And while I think we can generally find a more grown-up way to express ourselves, I am single-minded about free speech being the cornerstone of a free society.

The problem is, when the mud-slinging starts, we can all get dirty, and whatever the “political debate” was about does too. In a democracy, not only should everyone have a voice, but it is the civic duty of everyone to use that voice. Insults, character assassinations, namely a suspension of civil, respectful disagreement – that silences dissent.

Posted on February 11, 2015June 27, 2021 by James — 22 Comments

Auditors Report on Ridgewood Parking Utility raises serious questions as to whether other people also participated in this theft against the Village

Auditors Report on Ridgewood Parking Utility raises serious questions as to whether other people also participated in this theft against the Village

Ridgewood NJ, In a statement released by the Mayor ,Council and Village Manager :

On March 19, 2014, following an investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, former Ridgewood employee Thomas Rica admitted in Bergen County Superior Court to stealing $460,000 from the municipality’s parking utility over about a 3-year period – from 2010 to January 2013. At that hearing, Mr. Rica entered into a plea agreement in which, among other things, he was required to repay the amount of $460,000.

Following that hearing and a subsequent July 10, 2014 sentencing hearing, the Village of Ridgewood’s insurance carrier, the Municipal Excess Liability Fund, hired a forensic accounting firm, Nisivoccia LLP, to undertake a comprehensive audit of the loss incurred by the Village’s parking utility. That audit is now complete.

Yesterday, we received Nisivoccia’s final report, which concludes that over a similar period of time, approximately $850,000 was stolen from the Village. The auditor’s conclusion is very disturbing and raises serious questions concerning the scope and method of the crime or crimes that have been committed against the Village. Most notably, it raises the question as to whether other people also participated in this theft against the Village, acting independently or in cooperation with Mr. Rica.

Although we have taken and continue to take several concrete steps to strengthen controls on parking utility revenues, we believe that it is absolutely necessary to try to determine the full extent of the theft[s] committed during the 2010 to January 2013 period.

We are therefore exploring all of our legal options, including possibly starting a Ridgewood Police investigation into this matter. We will make a determination as to next legal steps within weeks.

We are continuing to work with Nisivoccia LLP to review our processes and controls – past and present – to determine if negligence and/or procedural violations contributed to the theft[s} and what steps, if any, still need to be taken to prevent theft going forward.

We are continuing to work with the Municipal Excess Liability Fund to recoup all of the monies stolen from the Village. This is a top priority.

posted on the VOR web sit:

https://mods.ridgewoodnj.net/pdf/manager/2015Report.pdf

https://mods.ridgewoodnj.net/pdf/manager/2015Rica.pdf

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