Ridgewood set to honor Roger Wiegand voice of public input
Any one have a Favorite Roger Wiegand Story ?
SEPTEMBER 5, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2014, 1:21 AM BY CHRIS HARRIS STAFF WRITER THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — Week after week for years, Roger Wiegand would stand at the lectern in Village Hall with arms folded to address the council.But the voice at the podium made his final comments to Ridgewood’s governing body last fall, after which he soon took ill. Wiegand, a lifelong resident, died in April. And since his death, the council has been considering ways to honor him.
Now, along with members of Wiegand’s family, village officials will gather tonight in the council chambers for a brief reception honoring his memory.
The Village Council also plans to name a portion of South Irving Street “Wiegand Way.”
During the event at 5:30, the speaker’s lectern — Wiegand’s platform — will be affixed with a plaque honoring the outspoken resident.
SEPTEMBER 4, 2014 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2014, 3:26 PM BY JODI WEINBERGER STAFF WRITER
At the annual all-staff convocation event at Benjamin Franklin Middle School on Tuesday, the theme of “Celebrating Change” was given a bittersweet embrace.
A backdrop on the stage used the metaphor of a caterpillar transitioning to a butterfly to highlight the theme, but those at the event seemed less convinced that the transformation of curriculum to meet the new state standards would end as beautifully.
Each person who spoke had something to say about the three biggest changes in the district: the one-to-one Chromebook initiative, Common Core and standardized tests.
“This year’s convocation theme is ‘Celebrating Change,’ and to be perfectly frank, this is not something that comes naturally to me,” said Michael Yannone, president of the Ridgewood Education Association (REA). “I am a bit of a traditionalist; I am a history teacher after all. If it has worked successfully in the past, why change?”
His speech gave a scathing criticism of the way education reform happens in America.
“The current educational reform movement is not about spending money to address the needs of schools and students, it is about making money,” Yannone said. “Perhaps I am too cynical, but the playbook seems obvious to me. Step one: Make Americans believe that their public schools are bad by bashing teachers and cherry picking faulty data. Politicians then get involved and support costly one-size-fits-all solutions that their donors stand to make a nice profit from.”
Yannone said the REA plans to partner with a new parent-led advocacy group, Ridgewood Cares About Schools, whose members have urged the district not to adopt the Common Core curriculum and oppose the increase in standardized testing for students.
SEPTEMBER 4, 2014 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2014, 3:38 PM BY BY JODI WEINBERGER STAFF WRITER
The future of North Walnut Street is in the hands of a developer, but don’t count on getting any clues from a fortune teller about what’s to be built.
“Carnival enterprises, such as palmistry, phrenology, astrology and the like” are just some of the businesses banned from the Central Business District, according to the Request for Proposals and Qualifications (RFP) for the redevelopment of the North Walnut Street area published last month.
Drive-through windows, car sales lots and auto repair shops are also on the “prohibited” list in the 42-page document that will guide the look and substance of the 2.07 acres to be redeveloped.
On Oct. 8, the village will hold a meeting where RFP responders can ask questions or make comments about the document. Plans must be submitted by Dec. 1. By Feb. 4, concepts will be presented to the Village Council, which will choose one, if any, of the firms in March.
The rest of the timeline, like acquiring vacant property and beginning construction, is “to be determined.”
Village to conduct physical review of all sidewalk cafe layouts
September 4,2014
Boyd A. Loving
12:49 PM
Ridgewood Nj, Are many sidewalks in the Central Business District (CBD) impassable to those with disabilities, particularly those confined to wheelchairs, walkers, and mobility scooters, because of sidewalk cafes, or is the problem limited to one or two locations?
During Wednesday evening’s Village Council Work Session, Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld promised that Village officials would soon conduct a walking tour of the CBD to assess the situation, and then recommend/suggest changes if and where they are appropriate.
This taxpayer wonders why no immediate action, in the form of summonses or written warnings, is being taken if a complaint has been filed about a specific location, and non-compliance with the sidewalk cafe ordinance has been verified?
All photos accompanying this post were taken on 9/4/2014, the day following Ms. Sonenfeld’s announcement.
Ridgewood NJ, At the Wednesday night Village Council Work Session, Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld announced, in the form of “breaking news,” that she had just that afternoon received an update about the “Mike Sedon Election Issue,” as she called it. Readers will recall that this past Spring, someone sent an anonymous e-mail to Councilman Mike Sedon’s employer. The purpose of the e-mail was to derail Councilman Sedon’s campaign, suggesting that he could not serve in a public office and also work as a reporter for The Staten Island Advance. After Councilman Sedon filed a complaint with the Ridgewood Police Department, the matter was referred to the Bergen County Prosecutor’s office for investigation.
At the September 3 Village Council Work Session, Ms. Sonenfeld said she had called the Prosecutor’s office for an update, and has learned that the matter has been transferred to the State Board of Elections. She will be getting a name from the State Board, will be following through on this important matter, and will keep us updated. Although Councilman Sedon was elected by a wide margin and is now serving as a member of our Ridgewood Village Council, the fact remains that someone tried to prevent him from being elected. The victim of this malicious act was not just Councilman Sedon; it was our entire community and our clean election process. When the coward who sent this e-mail is revealed, the stain on our Village’s reputation will be erased.
Fed: Under Obama, only the richest 10 percent saw incomes rise
By Jennifer Pompi – The Washington Times – Thursday, September 4, 2014
Under President Obama, the richest 10 percent were the only income group of Americans to see their median incomes rise, according to a survey released this week by the Federal Reserve.
The Fed data covered the years 2010-2013, during which period Mr. Obama constantly campaigned against income inequality and won re-election by painting his Republican rival as a tool of Wall Street plutocrats.
“Data from the 2013 [Survey of Consumer Finances] confirm that the shares of income and wealth held by affluent families are at modern historically high levels,” the report said in noting that the median income fell for every 10-percent grouping except the most affluent 10 percent.
SEPTEMBER 5, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2014, 12:28 AM BY STEPHANIE AKIN STAFF WRITER THE RECORD
In Bergen County, where violent crime is a rarity, four deaths over the past week have punctuated a stark reality: no community is immune from the horrors of domestic violence.
The killings — a man in his 80s shot and killed his brother-in-law, his wife and then himself in Hasbrouck Heights on Wednesday morning, just days after a 24-year-old allegedly beat and stabbed his mother to death in their Ho-Ho-Kus home — join more than a dozen other domestic killings in Bergen County over the past two years.
“We are well aware that it crosses all boundaries, all races, all communities, all socioeconomic strata and all ages,” said Elaine Myerson, executive director of Shelter our Sisters in Hackensack. “The bottom line is that this happens in Bergen County. We’re not immune.”
Details of this week’s crimes were still unclear Thursday as investigators and friends and family of the victims continued to try to piece together what happened and why. A central question surrounding both cases might never be answered – what could drive a person to turn on those with whom he shared his closest bonds?
“What probably sets the domestic violence homicides apart is, you’re dealing with otherwise very decent people that do some terrible things under circumstances that you just can’t explain,” Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said. “That’s why our courts take domestic violence cases so seriously. … These are all potential homicides.”
So far in 2014, seven of 10 homicides have been domestic crimes, Molinelli said. Last year, it was six out of seven.
photo by Boyd Loving hummmmm……….(Ridgewood Rogue Tower?
Rogue Cell Towers Could Be Intercepting Your Call Dave Lewis Contributor
It seems rather far fetched at first glance. There is news that came out last week that rogue cell phone towers around the US are forcing mobile devices to disable their encryption making it possible that someone might be able to listen in to your call. “That could never happen to me,” you think out loud. But, apparently it could.
In 2010 at the DEF CON in Las Vegas, security researcher Chris Paget did the unthinkable. He built a cell tower of his own so that he could spoof legitimate towers and intercept calls.The device would mimic the type used by law enforcement agencies to intercept phone calls. In this case, he was able to build it for roughly $1500 US. Paget’s device would only capture 2G GSM phone calls. Carriers such as AT&T T +0.37% and T-Mobile would be vulnerable as they use GSM, unlike Verizon which relies on CDMA technology.
I was in attendance for this particular presentation and I had a disposable phone with me at the time. During the presentation when the device was switched on my phone was more than happy to oblige and seamlessly associated with the contraption that was across the room. Had I not been aware that this was going on, it was quite conceivable that I could have not noticed the change to the rogue tower. The point of this presentation was to raise awareness of the security flaws that affect GSM related phones.
Steve Forbes and Steve Lonegan Team up , to Mend the Fed and Restore a Classical Gold Standard
September 3,2014
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
New York, NY , Steve Forbes and Steven Lonegan have joined forces and embarked on a mission to defend the liberty of the individual, which can only be protected when the wages, quality of life and savings earned through the fruits of one’s labor are preserved by the maintenance of sound currency.
According to the group ,there is no greater expression of private property than the preservation of value that is maintained in our currency. Our money is the measure of the value of our earnings and savings, our property. When someone’s property is taken without their consent, this amounts to an attack on this most fundamental right. Today’s monetary policy takes control of our money and hands it to unelected bureaucrats. Our mission is to return control of our money to the people, fix the dollar and restore sound money.
Yesterday ushered in the launch of the Fix the Dollar campaign down on Wall Street ,in a old Bank Vault turned bar on Trinity Place .
According to the two Steve’s the Golden Age of Equitable prosperity in America ended with the closing of the gold window by President Nixon in 1971 . The closing of the “gold window ” was the de-faco death of the American Dream .
The Bank of England calculates, If America had stayed with the gold standard your real income would be 50% higher. That would solve a lot of problems. Moreover, there are solid reasons to believe that America can make up for lost time and create the kind of sizzling economic growth that would raise wages across-the-board, making up in a decade what ground was lost over the last 40 years.
The groups efforts will focus on not ending the Fed. FixTheDollar stands more for mending the Fed.
The Federal Reserve System was invented to work within the classical gold standard. What, then, is to be done? If the Fed follows “the golden rule” — a better version of the Great Moderation that led to the great job growth under Presidents Reagan and Clinton — we can restore the American Dream.
By restoring the classical gold standard, and if possible changing a few laws so as to permit competing currencies, America can create a climate of equitable prosperity that will generate tens of millions of good new jobs, end wage stagnation, restore a climate of opportunity wherein everyone – blue or white collar, of every age, race, and creed – can climb the ladder to affluence, balance the federal budget via economic growth, provide the resources to improve the natural environment and fix our decaying national infrastructure.
SEPTEMBER 4, 2014 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2014, 1:21 AM STAFF WRITER THE RECORD Print
* Record results at luxury car makers with N.J. offices
Maserati North America of Englewood Cliffs said August was its best month ever, with the Italian carmaker selling 1,274 vehicles, reflecting a 268 percent increase compared with the same month last year.
By LINDA MOSS
Two luxury automobile makers with U.S. headquarters in Bergen County posted record sales in August, with Maserati boosted by what the company calls its “accessibly” affordable Ghibli, whose base price is $66,900.
Maserati North America Inc. of Englewood Cliffs and BMW Group of Woodcliff Lake reported banner Augusts.
Maserati said August was its best month ever, with the Italian carmaker selling 1,274 vehicles, reflecting a 268 percent increase compared with the same month last year.
Year-to-date, Maserati has seen a 312 percent increase in sales in the United States and Canada, with 2014 already surpassing total sales for 2012 and 2013 combined, the automaker said.
East Ridgewood Ave will be closed between North Maple Ave and Prospect Street between 4:30pm and 9:00pm for the Chamber of Commerce fall Car Show. Oak Street, Walnut Street and Cottage Place will all be closed between Franklin Ave and Dayton Street. Cars will not be able to park in the business district on the closed roads after 4:00pm. For information about the event click on the link below.
Photo credit: Boyd A. Loving Quick action by Ridgewood PD saves house from major fire
September 4,2014
Boyd A. Loving
2:13 PM
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood PD Uniformed Patrol Officers Raymond Tarino and John Ward, Jr. were in the right place at the right time on Thursday afternoon, 09/04, just two (2) blocks away from the 200 block of Circle Avenue when they heard dispatchers broadcast a report of an “unknown type fire” inside of a home located within that block. Tarino and Ward raced to the scene and were informed of a small fire located in the 3rd floor attic, reportedly ignited by a young child who was playing with a lighter. After ensuring that all occupants of the home had been safely evacuated, the officers entered the structure with a fire extinguisher from one of their patrol cars and snuffed the fire out. A full complement of Ridgewood FD personnel arrived shortly thereafter with more extinguishers to wrap things up completely. The home was then ventilated of accumulated smoke and turned back over to the owner within 30 minutes. Damage was limited to a rug and sub flooring on the 3rd floor. No injures were reported.
Let them Eat Fries : Fast food workers take to the streets
Thousands of fast food workers are expected to stage protests Thursday outside of restaurants such as McDonald’s, Burger King and Domino’s in a coordinated push for higher pay.
Backed by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), fast food workers in 150 cities plan to walk off the job and pick up picket signs to demand that they be paid no less than $15 per hour. It will be the seventh strike organized by the Fast Food Forward campaign since November 2012, when the campaign began.
“At Thursday’s strike, fast food restaurants will see firsthand that workers are willing to do whatever it takes to win $15 and union rights,” said Kendall Fells, the organizing director at Fast Food Forward, which receives funding from the SEIU.
Business groups and franchises are pushing back on the campaign, arguing an increase in the minimum wage would be bad for the economy and ultimately hurt workers.
Steve Caldeira, CEO of the International Franchise Association, said in a Wednesday statement that the SEIU and other labor groups were putting pressure on the corporations in a callous attempt to grow their membership.
“When you boil this all down, it’s really about the unions being hypocritical and greedy by exploiting proposals meant to support fast food workers to enrich themselves,” Caldeira said in a statement.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the nation’s most powerful business group, produced an analysis that says more than 40 of the full-time employees at SEIU headquarters make less than $15 per hour — the same amount that the union says should be the minimum for fast food workers.
Ridgewood Historical Society’s Schoolhouse Museum reopens this weekend Bolger Heritage Center, Ridgewood Public Library
Ridgewood NJ, Don’t forget the Ridgewood Historical Society’s Schoolhouse Museum reopens this weekend with their exhibit “A Community’s Journey”!https://www.ridgewoodhistoricalsociety.org/visitus.htm
Also this weekend, the Meadowlands Museum is hosting a lecture with Prof. Mark P. Donnelly titled “Baritsu: The Lost and Found Scientific Self-Defense of Sherlock Holmes”. For more information, check out their Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/742012055863117/?ref=5
PHOTOS COURTESY OF DOUG LICITRA Students from the SEA program on the bow of the Corwith as they enter their first port in France. Pictured (above): Doug Licitra, second from left, and Mo Howard, third from left.
Ridgewood college students set sail on a journey to learn
SEPTEMBER 3, 2014 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2014, 4:19 PM BY BY LIZ WELLINGHORST STAFF WRITER
They say once a shipmate, always a shipmate.
That proved true for two Ridgewood college students who spent four weeks at sea on a 134-foot sailboat, SSV Corwith Cramer, working on a tall ship as part of a 23-person crew, learning about life on the sea, themselves and visiting remote, exotic ports of call in Western Europe.
“It’s true. Definitely something different about a shipmate,” said Mo Howard, a junior at the University of Rhode Island.
“You live with them in tight quarters, see them at the worst, at their best and when they’re seasick.” Howard said. “I know my shipmates saw me not feeling so great.”
Howard spent a semester at sea this summer with Doug Licitra, a senior at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, and other college students from across the country. The two didn’t know each other before the program started.
Licitra graduated from Ridgewood High School (2011) and Howard graduated from the Hun School in Princeton (2012). On the sea, the two became fast friends.
The two mariners participated in SEA Semester’s Historic Seaports of Western Europe, a study abroad program that combines academics with a voyage on the sea. The journey, which covered approximately 1,800 nautical miles, had port stops and walking tours in Cork, Ireland; Douarnenez, France; Lisbon, Portugal and Cadiz, Spain.
SEA Semester is affiliated with the Sea Education Association, an undergraduate educational-based group on Cape Cod and located in the oceanographic research community of Woods Hole, Mass. Students earned four academic credits for their course, entitled Maritime History and Culture, offered through Boston University.
“It wasn’t your normal study abroad,” Licitra said. “We worked on the boat, stood watch during the middle of the night, did a boat check every hour, learned the sail lines and nautical language, but we also had academic work to fulfill with deadlines. It was exhausting.”
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/towns/ridgewood-college-students-set-sail-on-a-journey-to-learn-1.1080324#sthash.OvN42FYy.dpuf
