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Centennial Celebration : Ridgewood-Glen Rock Knights of Columbus will be celebrating our 100th anniversary of service

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Centennial Celebration : Ridgewood-Glen Rock Knights of Columbus will be celebrating our 100th anniversary of service

Ridgewood NJ, On Saturday, the 14th of June of this year, the Ridgewood-Glen Rock Knights of Columbus will be celebrating our 100th anniversary of service to our community.  As one of the oldest Councils in the State of New Jersey, our purpose to serve those in need has spanned many wars, natural disasters and individual tragedies.  Those of us affiliated with this charitable fraternal organization have found meaning in supporting anyone who has asked for our assistance.  It is with this century old resolve that we humbly ask for your support for our 100th Anniversary Fund Raiser.
On the Anniversary evening, 300 plus guests and dignitaries will gather to celebrate and more importantly, to raise fund for three very important charities:

Ridgewood Social Service/Food Bank
Camp Sunshine
Good Counsel Homes

Each organization is qualified as a 501(c)3 entity by the Internal Revenue Service.  Each cares for a particular group in need as they collectively feed the hungry, enrich the lives of the mentally disabled and provide shelter to mothers and children who have been abandoned by society.  Our question to you is: will you help us help them by being one of our Centennial Anniversary Sponsors?


Please take a moment to review the information regarding this event.  If you have any questions, we would be pleased to meet with you in person to discuss your sponsorship questions or if you would prefer to discuss by phone, please feel free to call any of the any of the following, at your convenience:
Brian Conn @ 201-444-0572
Pete Bernardo @ 201-348-7856
David Seaman @ 201-906-8608

Thank you in advance for your kind generosity. 

Become an Underwriting Sponsor



Who are the Knights of Columbus?

The Knights of Columbus is the world’s largest men’s Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded by the Venerable Father Michael McGivney in New Haven, CT, in 1882, it was named in honor of the navigator/explorer Christopher Columbus. There are more than 1.8 million members in 15,000 councils, with nearly 200 councils on college campuses. The Order is still true to its founding principles of Charity, Unity, Fraternity, and Patriotism.

Last year alone, in addition to raising and donating more than $158 million to charitable needs and projects, Knights volunteered more than 70 million hours of their time to charitable causes. Time and resources are donated to those in need and without regard to religious affiliation.  We undertake these acts of charity because we see those in need in our community.  Our charitable activities encompass an almost infinite variety of local, national and international projects. From international charitable partnerships with Special Olympics, the Global Wheelchair Mission and Habitat for Humanity to our own Food for Families and Coats for Kids projects and other purely local charities, the opportunity to work together with fellow Knights and their families is virtually endless.  The Knights’ annual Survey of Fraternal Activity for the year ending Dec. 31, 2011, indicated that, despite a soft economy, total charitable contributions reached $154,651,852 – exceeding the previous year’s total by more than $3.4 million.  Sixty percent of the contributions were for projects at the community level, many involving youth activities. Not included in this figure is the quantity of volunteer service hours to charitable causes by Knights grew to 70,053,149 – an increase of 797,507 hours compared to 2009. There were more than 418,841 Knights of Columbus blood donations during the year.

Cumulative figures show that during the past decade, the Knights of Columbus has donated $1.406 billion to charity, and provided more than 653 million hours of volunteer service in support of charitable initiatives.

The Ridgewood Council #1736 is one of the oldest in the State of New Jersey, and even the United States, celebrating its 100th Anniversary in June 2014.  It boasts an active membership of over 300+ members.  Just in the last ten years, Council #1736 has donated over $ 250,000 to local charities, the needy, and to those marginalized by society.  

In addition, our council members have contributed over one hundred thousand man hours to better our community and all of its members. Some of the charities include:
Adler Aphasia Center. Alfa Development, Inc., American Cancer Society, Archdiocese of Newark, Ministry for Persons w/Disabilities, Camp Sunshine, Dad’s Night, EBV Foundation, Eva’s Kitchen, Friends to Friends, Good Counsel Homes, HonorVet.org, John Wayne Cancer Center, Knowledge is the Cure, Lots of Love 4 Lindsay, Mary Therese Rose Fund, Inc., New Hope 4 Life, New Jersey Disaster Relief Program, Our Lady of Victories Soup Kitchen, Paramus Veteran’s Home, Parents of Autistic Children of Ocean County, Inc, Phoenix Center, Project Youth Haven, Putting the Pieces Together, Ridgewood Social Services/Food Bank, Ridgewood P.B.A. Charity for Haley, Ridgewood Professional Firefighters FMBA Local 47, Run for Hope Foundation, St. Jude’s Research Hospital, St. Mary’s RC Church, Ken’s Kitchen, Senior Citizens Christmas Party, Special Olympics, The Opportunity Center, Wounded Warrior Project.

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RHS Students Excel

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RHS Students Excel 
June 8th 2014 

the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ , RHS junior Reid Simoncini received the Dwight D. Eisenhower Leadership Award of the West Point Society of New Jersey. This award honors “exceptional performance and potential in the areas of academics, athletics, community service, good citizenship, and leadership.”

RHS students Sophie Noel and Maeve Cannon maintained a two-year winning streak in the Lightweight Girls Double crew competition this May. The pair won the gold with a six-second margin at the Scholastic Rowing Association of America’s Championship Regatta on Mercer Lake in West Windsor, where the US National Team trains.

Save up to 40%! Summer Plant & Garden Sale! Gifts starting at $19.99 at 1800flowers.com (Offer Ends 07/13/2014)show?id=mjvuF8ceKoQ&bids=216823

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Readers debate the future of Ken Smith

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Readers debate the future of Ken Smith 

Reader says Failure to turn the Ken Smith lot into a parking garage with some kind of overpass walkway to get to and from it would be to miss a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fix much of the parking problem, at least for commuters, for once and for all. VILLAGE COUNCIL–HELLO–THIS IS IMPORTANT. Take out a bond and pay it back with parking revenue.

Other readers disagree and say It will never become a government operated parking garage. They don’t want to lose the property tax revenue.

Others sarcastically argue to Add a few more buildings to vacant lots and soon no traffic at all! The perfect solution to our parking and traffic problems. Why didn’t we think of this earlier?

And finally one reader observers Although only 3 applicants are currently before the board, the Ken Smith site’s property still will fall within the new high density zone. Apparently that property owner is buying up more land surrounding what they currently own. Probably a smart tactic to sit on the sidelines while others duke it out. Either way any zoning benefit will be realized on this site as well.

Save up to 40%! Summer Plant & Garden Sale! Gifts starting at $19.99 at 1800flowers.com (Offer Ends 07/13/2014)show?id=mjvuF8ceKoQ&bids=216823

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Construction to begin on Ridgewood High School Learning Commons

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Construction to begin on Ridgewood High School Learning Commons

JUNE 6, 2014    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JUNE 6, 2014, 12:31 AM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER

A new, state-of-the-art media center will greet Ridgewood High School students next fall.

After a year-long wait, construction will begin on renovations to the school’s library on Tuesday, June 10.

The library will be closed to students until the end of the year, and the literary collection and computers will be packed up before demolition, according to the organizers on the project’s parent committee — RHS Home and School Association President Carol Olson, Jaime Frederick, Tina Telesco, Lori Weil and David Zrike.

“Every effort is being made to minimize disruptions to the students and the majority of the library dislocation and construction will take place during the summer,” the organizers said in a recent letter thanking residents and district officials for their support.

The design will “honor the feedback received from students, faculty and parents,” the group added. The final project, they said, will include both individual and group study spaces, including four conference rooms; areas to accommodate different activities; improved lighting and aesthetics; more and better technology; more seating and a variety of comfortable furniture; computer and printing stations; and enhanced research service.

The history of this project traces back to the spring of 2012, when a parent-driven fundraising campaign commenced to turn the old student library, last renovated in the 1960s, into what is called a “learning commons” — a study and work space that goes beyond the traditional definition of a “library.”

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/clubs-and-service-organizations/construction-to-begin-next-week-1.1030404#sthash.xSeCb1iV.dpuf

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Ridgewood to alter road fix plan

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Ridgewood to alter road fix plan

JUNE 7, 2014    LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 2014, 1:21 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

RIDGEWOOD — The Village Council agreed revisions need to be made to a street-improvement project that some residents and business owners have been critical of in recent weeks.

Although it may cost Ridgewood an extra $45,000 in capital funding, the governing body on Wednesday night accepted project modifications recommended by Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld.

The council will vote on the changes Wednesday.

The $500,000 project was the subject of a recent meeting between Ridgewood officials and residents of the neighborhood where the work is taking place.

Residents have opposed the project, saying it will create traffic snarls and endanger bicyclists.

Under the original plan, bike lanes as well as an 8-foot-wide, tree-lined median would be installed, swallowing up two traffic lanes where four currently exist.

Village officials maintained the work, as first planned, would improve safety for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians around Garber Square, as well as along Franklin Avenue and Broad Street. The project is expected to be completed in July.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-to-alter-road-fix-plan-1.1031128#sthash.ZgpIQhdm.dpuf

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Ridgewood Open Houses for June 8th 2014

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$560,000 – 324 VESTA CT, RIDGEWOOD NJ

$5,200 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1420941
297 GARDNER RD, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
5 Bedroom, 4 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, HO– USE
Barbara French, Sales Associate
Coldwell Banker, Ridgewood
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 6/8
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$425,000 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1404867
140 BELLAIR RD, Unit N, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
2 Bedroom, 2 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, CONDO
Donna Dever, Sales Associate
Coldwell Banker, Wyckoff/Franklin Lakes
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 6/8
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$525,000 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1415075
318 S VAN DIEN AVE, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
3 Bedroom, 2 Full Bath, RANCH
Christine Aderhold, Broker Associate
Coldwell Banker, Ridgewood
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 6/8
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$544,900 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1420155
196 W GLEN AVE, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 2 Full Bath, C/C
Cynthia Stadulis, Sales Associate
Coldwell Banker, Ridgewood
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 6/8
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$559,000 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1401791
329 FRANKLIN AVE, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 2 Full Bath, COL
Rita Lutzer, Sales Associate
RE/MAX Properties-Saddle River
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 6/8
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$560,000 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1421225
324 VESTA CT, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 2 Full Bath, C/C
Marilyn Nuber, Sales Associate
Keller Williams Village Square Realty
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 6/8
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$579,000 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1419577
365 PONFIELD PL, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 3 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, COL
Hae Seung Kim, Sales Associate
Realty 7, LLC – Palisades Park
Open House: 2:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 6/8
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$579,000 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1420231
726 MIDWOOD RD, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
5 Bedroom, 2 Full Bath, COL
Peggy Jung, Sales Associate
Coldwell Banker, Ridgewood
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 6/8
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$620,000 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1420599
219 GATEWAY RD, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
3 Bedroom, 2 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, COL
Marina Zingman, Sales Associate
Weichert Realtors Ridgewood
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 6/8
– See more at: https://www.njmls.com/NJ/BERGEN/RIDGEWOOD-open-houses#sthash.SyywpI7B.KRgjeFvk.dpuf

$735,000 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1415452
292 SPRING AVE, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
3 Bedroom, 2 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, TWNHS
Jacques Papanikolaou,
Filippo Papanicolaou, Sales Associate
Weichert Realtors Ridgewood
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 5:00 P.M. Sun. 6/8
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$739,000 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1421198
356 N MAPLE AVE, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 3 Full Bath, B/L
Lisa Sammataro, Sales Associate
Keller Williams Village Square Realty
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 6/8
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$812,000 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1421583
323 WALTHERY AVE, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
3 Bedroom, 3 Full Bath, COL
Lisa A. Queen, Sales Associate
Abbott & Caserta Realtors
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 6/8
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$959,900 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1419135
226 W END AVE, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 3 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, COL
Barbara Nudelman, Broker Associate
Coldwell Banker, Ridgewood
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 6/8
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$999,000 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1407185
234 PALMER CT, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 3 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, COL
Ettie Rais, Sales Associate
Coldwell Banker, Ridgewood
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 6/8
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$1,125,000 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1417841
216 LINCOLN AVE, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
5 Bedroom, 3 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, COL
Suzanne Lenihan, Sales Associate
Tarvin Realtors
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:30 P.M. Sun. 6/8
25
 
$1,150,000 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1400092
197 LINCOLN AVE, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
5 Bedroom, 3 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, COL
Mary E. Soriano, Sales Associate
Coldwell Banker, Saddle River
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 6/8
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$1,395,000 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1419715
184 BEECHWOOD RD, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
5 Bedroom, 4 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, COL
Jennifer Springer, Sales Associate
Tarvin Realtors
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:30 P.M. Sun. 6/8
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$1,429,000 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1421143
219 MADISON PL, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 2 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, COL
Joanne Delaney, Sales Associate
Tarvin Realtors
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:30 P.M. Sun. 6/8
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$1,599,000 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1415454
297 GARDNER RD, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
5 Bedroom, 4 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, COL
Barbara French, Sales Associate
Laura French Spada, Sales Associate
Coldwell Banker, Ridgewood
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 6/8
– See more at: https://www.njmls.com/NJ/BERGEN/RIDGEWOOD-open-houses#sthash.SyywpI7B.KRgjeFvk.dpuf


$1,695,000 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1408782
395 HIGHLAND AVE, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
5 Bedroom, 5 Full Bath, COL
Frances Ekblom, Sales Associate
Tarvin Realtors
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:30 P.M. Sun. 6/8
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$1,895,000 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1421369
263 MANOR RD, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
5 Bedroom, 4 Full Bath,
2 Half Bath, COL
Frances Ekblom, Sales Associate
Tarvin Realtors
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:30 P.M. Sun. 6/8
25
 
$2,595,000 in RIDGEWOOD
MLS # 1411204
310 HEIGHTS RD, RIDGEWOOD, NJ 07450
5 Bedroom, 5 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, COL
Victoria Wilkinson, Sales Associate
Solutions Realty, LLC
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 6/8
– See more at: https://www.njmls.com/NJ/BERGEN/RIDGEWOOD-open-houses#sthash.SyywpI7B.KRgjeFvk.dpuf

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Two attempted child luring incidents reported in Bergen County

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photo by Boyd Loving

Two attempted child luring incidents reported in Bergen County

JUNE 7, 2014, 3:31 PM    LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 2014, 3:35 PM
BY AARON MORRISON
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

Authorities in two Bergen County towns were dealing with reports of attempted child luring Saturday.

In Elmwood Park, a 10-year-old girl told police Saturday morning that a man driving a red sedan asked if she needed a ride. When she refused the offer, the man yelled at the girl and he sped off, said Sgt. Ralph Sigona of the Elmwood Park police. Detectives were reviewing security footage from a building near where the alleged luring attempt took place, added Sigona, who did not release the location of the incident.

Tenafly Schools Superintendent Lynn Trager described a similar incident, reported to police Friday evening, near the Stillman Elementary playground at Windsor and Tenafly roads. A student was approached by an “older teenager with short hair” at approximately 9:30 p.m.

The teen asked the girl to come with him, but she ran away and informed an adult, Trager wrote in an alert sent to parents.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/two-attempted-child-luring-incidents-reported-in-bergen-county-1.1031213#sthash.jNk0qP1h.dpuf

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Send in the Clowns; Rice’s credibility in question

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Send in the Clowns;  Rice’s credibility in question
By Alexander Bolton – 06/07/14 06:00 AM EDT

She doubled down on her statement Friday by insisting that Bergdahl deserved praise for volunteering to serve in a dangerous conflict.

“Let’s remember this is a young man who volunteered to serve his country. He was taken as a prisoner of war,” she said in a CNN interview.

National Security Adviser Susan Rice’s comments that Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl served with “honor and distinction” has amplified GOP criticism of President Obama’s prisoner swap and undermined Rice’s credibility on Capitol Hill.

Independent experts have cast doubt on Rice’s judgment, given questions about whether Bergdahl was captured by the Taliban after deserting his post in Afghanistan. Even allies of the White House are suggesting she stay off the Sunday talk shows.

“When I saw her on TV making that honor and distinction comment it just seems so phony to me,” said Andrew J. Bacevich, a professor of history and international relations at Boston University. “I think she doesn’t think seriously about the content of the words and it gets her in trouble and it embarrasses the president.

“It’s a problem if you have people who say things that end up attracting such adverse attention,” he added.

Rice is under fire for touting Bergdahl’s military record, after his former platoon mates accused him of deserting his post and endangering the lives of his comrades.

Patrick Ventrell, Rice’s spokesman, said “she stands by what she said in this instance and stands by her service.”

But even Obama’s allies say Rice should lay low for a while to avoid attracting more flak on Capitol Hill and elsewhere in Washington.

“First she’s given incomplete talking points about Benghazi, then she’s dispatched to say on the talk shows that Bergdahl served with ‘honor and distinction.’ If I were Rice, I’d start taking Sundays off,” wrote Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson.

Robinson’s unsolicited advice to Rice meshes with what her fiercest critics on Capitol Hill are saying.

“My recommendation is that from now on Susan Rice stay home with her family and not go on any of the Sunday talk shows,” said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).


Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/208565-questions-loom-over-rices-credibility#ixzz33y2lpW3S

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37.2%: Percentage Not in Labor Force Remains at 36-Year High

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37.2%: Percentage Not in Labor Force Remains at 36-Year High
June 6, 2014 – 8:05 AM

(CNSNews.com) – The percentage of American civilians 16 or older who do not have a job and are not actively seeking one remained at a 36-year high in May, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In December, April, and now May, the labor force participation rate has been 62.8 percent. That means that 37.2 percent were not participating in the labor force during those months.

Before December, the last time the labor force participation rate sunk as low as 62.8 percent was February 1978, when it was also 62.8 percent. At that time, Jimmy Carter was president.

In April, the number of those not in the labor force hit a record high of 92,018,000. In May, that number declined by 9,000 to 92,009,000. Yet, the participation rate remained the same from April to May at 62.8 percent.

The labor force, according to BLS, is that part of the civilian noninstitutional population that either has a job or has actively sought one in the last four weeks. The civilian noninstitutional population consists of people 16 or older, who are not on active duty in the military or in an institution such as a prison, nursing home, or mental hospital.

https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/ali-meyer/372-percentage-not-labor-force-remains-36-year-high

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Surprise! The Government Now Can’t Even Guess How Much Obamacare Ultimately Will Ultimately Cost.

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Surprise! The Government Now Can’t Even Guess How Much Obamacare Ultimately Will Ultimately Cost.
Genevieve Wood June 06, 2014 

It’s no secret Obamacare is unaffordable. But now we also know that even the Congressional Budget Office can’t predict how much more this disastrous law will cost.

According to a footnote from a Congressional Budget Office report released in April but reported this week by Roll Call, the law’s true costs and long-term fiscal impact are simply impossible to track.

That’s a change in tune for the CBO, which originally reported in 2010 that Obamacare would pay for itself and over the course of a decade would decrease the deficit,

So what’s changed? Well, thanks to the constant modifications to the law, the only thing predictable about Obamacare’s provisions is that they’re unpredictable.  Many of the “savings” and “revenue” (read: mandates and tax increases) originally proposed to pay for this redesign of one-sixth of the U.S. economy, whether Medicare cuts or employer mandates, have been waived, stalled or simply not implemented, making a defensible revised forecast impossible.  The changes occurred because it became clear such measures were both politically unpopular and realistically unaffordable.

There are other reasons it’s virtually impossible to even guess how much Obamacare will ultimately cost. We learned this week that more than 2 million people—a whopping quarter of those enrolled in Obamacare—who  signed up for insurance via Obamacare’s health care exchanges have discrepancies in their records and paperwork. Apparently the government has inaccurate or inadequate information regarding the income levels of more than 1 million people who signed up and can’t verify the immigration or citizenship status for more than 900,000. That means some current enrollees may not be eligible for Obamacare subsidies and may lose their coverage or may have been given too generous a subsidy and eventually will have to pay the government back.

Serco, Inc., a government contractor hired to track down and verify the missing information, released a statement saying, “Current system access and functionality…limits the ability to resolve outstanding inconsistencies.” That means the government’s websiteis again was not up to par and much of the work to resolve the data discrepancies will require hands-on work to figure out who among these 2 million people should be getting insurance and subsidies through the exchange and who should not. In other words, there will need to be a significant number of extra staffers brought onto fix this mess. Guess the Obama administration finally is delivering on those “job creation” promises—too bad it’s at the taxpayers’ expense.

Not all the bad news regarding the spending train wreck that is Obamacare emanates from Washington. Many of the statesthat chose to set up their own exchanges spent hundreds of millions of federal dollars to do so—and yet ended up with exchanges that don’t work.

As we approach the next enrollment period in November, lawmakers in those states are frantically trying to figure out whether they can get more dollars from Washington to fix their problems or if they are going to have to use their own state funds. State Rep. John Delaney, a Democrat in Maryland, worries his state will have to divert dollars from education, fixing potholes and other programs to fix its broken exchange. “You can’t just print money in the states,” he said,

That’s right.  But the printing presses in Washington have been overused for some time as well—and  states that gladly jumped on the Obamacare bandwagon and took the bait shouldn’t be let off the hook by Congress.

So to sum up, the CBO can’t calculate Obamacare’s future costs, confusion about enrollees’ actual salaries could lead to wildly varying numbers on how much it costs this year, and there’s no telling how much money some states ultimately will weasel out of Washington to set up Obamacare.

Talk about a monstrosity of a government program.

What we do know for sure is that Obamacare will cost far more than President Obama and all those who voted for it in Congress told us it would. Which most of us realized all along.

Genevieve Wood advances policy priorities of The Heritage Foundation as senior contributor to The Daily Signal.

https://dailysignal.com/2014/06/06/surprise-government-now-cant-even-guess-much-obamacare-ultimately-will-ultimately-cost/?utm_source=heritagefoundation&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=morningbell

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Eisenhower had a second, secret D-day message

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Eisenhower had a second, secret D-day message

Eisenhower had a message for the world if D-day had failed. Any blame, he wrote, “is mine alone.” (REPEAT)

Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower was anxious and restless the night of June 5, 1944. He’d been working 20-hour days at his headquarters at Southwick House outside Portsmouth, England, planning the D-day invasion. The assault had already been postponed once by foul weather.

Eisenhower wasn’t sleeping well. He was drinking far too much coffee. He was smoking up to four packs a day of unfiltered Camels, according to Keith Huxen, senior director of research and history at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans.

The notes Gen. Eisenhower prepared for D-Day, win or loseOPEN LINK

And now Allied troops were launching. There was no turning back.

“Up to that point he was basically the most powerful man in the world — and then it’s out of his hands,” Huxen said. “There’s nothing he can do except hope the machinery he built works.”

In his private quarters inside a trailer on the Southwick grounds, Eisenhower wrote an Order of the Day to his troops. The first draft was typed. Eisenhower edited it in pencil.

https://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-eisenhower-d-day-message-story.html

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Concerns about hospital proposal

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Concerns about hospital proposal

JUNE 6, 2014    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JUNE 6, 2014, 12:31 AM
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Concerns about hospital proposal
Marcia Ringel

To the editor:

At two recent Planning Board meetings, residents were invited to share their concerns about Valley Hospital’s expansion proposal. This letter roughly reiterates my statement on May 20.

A child says, “I want a pony.” The parent says, “How about a puppy — or a guppy?”

Child’s counteroffer: “How about a slightly smaller pony with setbacks and an above-ground parking lot?”

The family doesn’t spend eight years discussing where a horse could be stabled or what it would eat. Just: “No pony.”

Valley Hospital’s revised proposal is a slightly smaller pony.

In the past 42 years I have entered Valley as an inpatient, outpatient, parent and visitor. But Valley feels less caring to me now. Our community has been treated with contempt by our community hospital, marketing madly with millions saved in taxes on the backs of this community. What began as David and Goliath morphed into David and Godzilla.

I feel perplexed as my neighbors must repeatedly remind our elected and appointed officials that we love our village, begging them not to destroy it in the name of progress or for fear of litigation.

I feel alarmed that almost every year a new group of residents has felt compelled to band together to protest the handing over of our public lands and space.

I feel betrayed by our Board of Education, who wimped out when they should have spoken out.

I feel dismayed that this issue has overshadowed five council elections.

Ridgewood neighborhoods are adjacent to schools, fields, parks, shops and a hospital. We lived in harmony for many years. That delicate balance must return.

Several decades ago the late Barney Van Dyk told me that he wanted to include indoor seating in his ice cream store, nestled among homes on Ackerman Avenue. But he graciously accepted the zoning board’s refusal, understanding that zoning laws protect residents. Ice cream is still eaten in the parking lot.

We have no dearth of fine hospitals. Even New York is coming: Memorial Sloan-Kettering in Basking Ridge and in the fall, physicians’ offices in Paramus for the Hospital for Special Surgery.

Village Planner Blais Brancheau’s recent report said Phase 2 of the hospital expansion might not happen. Of course it would, as would Phase 3, causing decades of unstoppable derangement — a tax-exempt Juggernaut that no wall, buffer or traffic island could mitigate.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/letter-concerns-about-hospital-proposal-1.1030466#sthash.qhqYB8WM.dpuf

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Issues with road project

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Issues with road project

JUNE 6, 2014    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JUNE 6, 2014, 12:31 AM

Issues with road project
Kira Semler

LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

With regard to the article that appeared in the Friday, May 30, 2014 edition entitled, “Road project moving ahead,” I am in agreement with the thoughtful editorial letters submitted by Ridgewood residents regarding the fiasco with the paving of the road under the railroad bridge. I would like to add my comments:

1. The decision to reduce the lanes to one each way is ridiculous and seems to lack even a small thread of common sense.

2. Concerned residents attended this meeting with a panel of Village of Ridgewood employees and council members. Residents’ opinions/concerns fell on deaf ears.

3. How much are the cameras going to cost for the monitoring of this insanity? How about the extra manpower? Another cost the residents of the Village of Ridgewood will have to bear.

4. Will any cost overruns for later modifications be borne by the Village Council and the village manager? You know the answer to that question: There is no accountability and costs will come out of the pockets of the residents of the Village of Ridgewood.

5. What about the impact on the CBD? Of course, no one even gave that a thought.

6. I do not believe there was a study done on this project. No one heard about it until it was printed in the newspaper two weeks ago. The reason this project was not previously announced is simply because the village council did not want to hear any feedback.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/letter-issues-with-road-project-1.1030448#sthash.ystHaBUK.dpuf

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Ridgewood board approves temporary cell phone tower

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file photo Boyd Loving

Ridgewood board approves temporary cell phone tower

JUNE 6, 2014    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JUNE 6, 2014, 12:31 AM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
objections of a group of residents, the Ridgewood Zoning Board of Adjustment approved AT&T’s application to place a temporary cell tower at the Exxon Mobil station site on Route 17 in Ridgewood.

The removal date of the temporary tower, which will sit on a trailer, is Dec. 31, 2014, according to Zoning Officer Tony Merlino.

“This removal date was a condition of the approval, along with fencing/screening requirements,” Merlino noted in an email to The Ridgewood News.

At least 18 residents opposing the project were present at the meeting, according to Merlino.

Resident Diane Haderthauer, who lives near the tower and helped alert her neighbors to the issue, said she and other residents are concerned about what will happen after the temporary tower is removed. At that point, AT&T has said it plans to take steps to upgrade a permanent 120-foot tower that is already located nearby on Franklin Turnpike. This tower currently looks like a flagpole.

Haderthauer said the concern of the residents is “if they do remove this temporary struc-ture, how will that affect the flagpole?”

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/temporary-tower-ok-d-1.1030279#sthash.ObqhRBec.dpuf

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Traffic engineers testify on Ridgewood housing proposals

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Traffic engineers testify on Ridgewood housing proposals

JUNE 5, 2014    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, JUNE 5, 2014, 3:40 PM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER

Echoing the earlier findings of a consultant hired by the village, traffic engineers testifying at the latest multifamily housing hearing said that their proposed use would result in less additional downtown traffic than other allowable uses.

About 15 residents, including several leaders of the grassroots group opposing unrestrained development, Citizens for a Better Ridgewood (CBR), attended the hearing on Tuesday in the Benjamin Franklin Middle School auditorium.

In the case of The Dayton, where 106 units are proposed for the abandoned Brogan Cadillac site (currently used as a commuter parking lot), an expert said a residential use would generate less traffic than the current use.

“What’s proposed would not result in a detrimental traffic impact … I think that’s important to understand,” said The Dayton’s traffic expert Karl Pehnke, an associate for Langan Engineering. “The applicant could actually produce less traffic than could otherwise be expected.”

The 52-unit Chestnut Village complex proposed for Chestnut Street, on the site of a former vehicle inspection station, would also generate less traffic than other permitted uses, including medical offices, an expert for the developer said.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/traffic-engineers-testify-on-ridgewood-housing-proposals-1.1030111#sthash.6WrFpIJ6.dpuf