James - THE RIDGEWOOD BLOG. - Page 3198 of 3731

Posted on April 18, 2014April 17, 2014 by James — 10 Comments

Ridgewood’s municipal budget calls for no new taxes

Ridgewood’s municipal budget calls for no new taxes

APRIL 17, 2014 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014, 2:56 PM
BY BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER

A preliminary $46.4 million budget presented by senior management and finance officials calls for no new taxes for the average Ridgewood taxpayer, a proposal that if adopted would mark the second consecutive year that village government offered residents a zero percent tax increase.

Based on the spending plan explained Wednesday by Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld and Chief Finance Officer Steve Sanzari, the average municipal property tax bill would amount to $3,959, a sum determined by the average assessed home value of $688,000. The proposed tax bill is $5 less than the total from last year’s adopted budget.

Sonenfeld cautioned that numbers presented this week could change through continued discussions with department supervisors and governing officials – council members Gwenn Hauck and Bernadette Walsh were unable to attend Wednesday’s special public meeting. A final operating budget summation and review of the 2014 capital expenses is scheduled for April 21, and both spending plans will be introduced by the council on April 23.

“This is just the beginning of the decision phase of the budget,” she said. “But this is also the start of longer-term conversations and longer-term plans for how we want to strategize and how we want to deliver government services going forward.”

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-s-municipal-budget-calls-for-no-new-taxes-1.998476#sthash.exHiJFpP.dpuf

Posted on April 18, 2014April 17, 2014 by James — 1 Comment

Ridgewood council candidates discuss issues at forum

Ridgewood council candidates discuss issues at forum

APRIL 17, 2014 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, APRIL 17, 2014, 5:25 PM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER

The three hopefuls for Ridgewood Council boast different backgrounds and varying work experiences, but all expressed similar concerns and viewpoints during Tuesday morning’s meet the candidates event. The 90-minute program, which took place at the Ridgecrest Apartment complex, was the first open forum that featured all three candidates.

According to Kevin O’Brien, president of the Ridgecrest Board of Trustees, the candidates were furnished with the same three questions at least one week in advance of the discussion. On Tuesday, O’Brien, who moderated the forum, publicly posed the questions to James Albano, Susan Knudsen and Michael Sedon.

Of the three candidates, two will be elected May 13 to serve on Ridgewood’s five-member, non-partisan governing body.

Similar to a political debate, each candidate was allotted a specific amount of time to answer questions, and periods for rebuttal responses were granted. Roughly 20 to 25 residents of various ages listened to the candidates’ opinions on the public’s perception of discord on the Village Council, areas where the municipality can add to or improve quality of life, and the governing body’s role in resolving the Valley Hospital expansion plan.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-council-candidates-discuss-issues-at-forum-1.998602#sthash.bxTk3MKn.dpuf

Posted on April 18, 2014April 18, 2014 by James — 3 Comments

Village of Ridgewood NOTICE : Friday, April 18 – Village Hall & Stable Closed – No Sanitation or Recycling Collection

Village of Ridgewood NOTICE : Friday, April 18 – Village Hall & Stable Closed – No Sanitation or Recycling Collection

On Friday, April 18th in observance of Good Friday, Village Hall and The Stable offices will be closed. Additionally there will no garbage or recycling collection on that date.

The Recycling Center, 205 E. Glen Ave., will be open Saturday, April 19 from 8AM to 3PM.

Posted on April 18, 2014April 18, 2014 by James — Leave a comment

After Nevada ranch stand-off, emboldened militias ask: where next?

After Nevada ranch stand-off, emboldened militias ask: where next?
BY JONATHAN ALLEN
Thu Apr 17, 2014 5:37pm EDT

(Reuters) – Flat on his belly in a sniper position, wearing a baseball cap and a flak jacket, a protester aimed his semi-automatic rifle from the edge of an overpass and waited as a crowd below stood its ground against U.S. federal agents in the Nevada desert.

He was part of a 1,000-strong coalition of armed militia-men, cowboys on horseback, gun rights activists and others who rallied to Cliven Bundy’s Bunkerville ranch, about 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas, in a stand-off with about a dozen agents from the federal Bureau of Land Management.

The rangers had rounded up hundreds of Bundy’s cattle, which had been grazing illegally on federal lands for two decades. Bundy had refused to pay grazing fees, saying he did not recognize the government’s authority over the land, a view that attracted vocal support from some right-wing groups.

Citing public safety, the BLM retreated, suspending its operation and even handing back cattle it had already seized.

No shots were fired during the stand-off, which Bundy’s triumphant supporters swiftly dubbed the “Battle of Bunkerville,” but the government’s decision to withdraw in the face of armed resistance has alarmed some who worry that it has set a dangerous precedent and emboldened militia groups.

“Do laws no longer apply when the radical right no longer agrees?” said Ryan Lenz, a writer for the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors militia group activity.

Armed Americans using the threat of a gunfight to force federal officers to back down is virtually unparalleled in the modern era, militia experts said. But the BLM, which says it is now pursuing legal and administrative options to resolve the dispute, has won praise for stepping back and avoiding violence.

Energized by their success, Bundy’s supporters are already talking about where else they can exercise armed defiance. They include groups deeply suspicious of what they see as a bloated, over-reaching government they fear wants to restrict their constitutional right to bear arms.

https://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/17/us-usa-ranchers-nevada-militia-insight-idUSBREA3G26620140417?feedType=RSS&feedName=domesticNews

Posted on April 17, 2014April 17, 2014 by James — 1 Comment

Obama administration’s ‘Culture of intimidation’ seen in Nevada ranch standoff

Obama administration’s ‘Culture of intimidation’ seen in Nevada ranch standoff

Critics say fight isn’t first instance of feds’ ‘overkill’

Sending scores of armed agents along with helicopters and dogs to confront an elderly Nevada rancher over grazing fees may seem like overkill, but critics say it’s not inconsistent with the federal government’s recent approach to environmental enforcement.

The simmering truce between the Bundys and the Bureau of Land Management comes after high-profile raids last year by armed federal agents on small-time gold miners in tiny Chicken, Alaska, and guitar makers at the Gibson Guitar facilities in Tennessee.

That doesn’t include more subtle threats, such as recent efforts by the Obama administration to raise grazing fees or pressure permit holders to transfer their water rights as a condition of renewal, said Ryan Yates, director of congressional relations for the American Farm Bureau.

“Some have called it a culture of intimidation,” Mr. Yates said. “It’s issue after issue, threat after threat. It’s becoming harder and harder to keep those operations in business.”

The atmosphere was quiet but tense Tuesday at the Bundy ranch near Bunkerville, Nev., just days after Bureau of Land Management chief Neil Kornze pulled federal agents off the property and returned about 400 head of cattle to rancher Cliven Bundy.

Read more: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/apr/15/culture-of-intimidation-seen-in-nevada-ranch-stand/#ixzz2z9SVlPv7
Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter

Posted on April 17, 2014April 17, 2014 by James — 4 Comments

Republican senator plans to introduce bill to end NJ’s realty transfer fees

Republican senator plans to introduce bill to end NJ’s realty transfer fees

TRENTON — One day after Gov. Chris Christie said he would abolish reality transfer fees in New Jersey if given the chance, a fellow Republican responded with a bill seeking to do just that.

State Sen. Diane Allen (R-Burlington) said today she will soon introduce legislation that would repeal the fees that residents have to pay when selling a home here.

“When you sell your home in New Jersey, you’re getting whacked by this arbitrary tax, and that’s wrong,” Allen said. “This initiative will help struggling homeowners, including those who might be facing short sales or foreclosures. It will save property owners across this state a burden of thousands of dollars, which particularly hurts those who have lost equity in their homes due to the economic recession.”

Allen plans to introduce the bill April 28. (Johnson/Star-Ledger)

https://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/04/after_christies_comments_republican_lawmaker_introduces_bill_to_end_njs_realty_transfer_fees.html#incart_river

Posted on April 17, 2014June 27, 2021 by James — Leave a comment

Over 60,000 New Jersey Students Take Part in Field Test of Online PARCC Exams

Over 60,000 New Jersey Students Take Part in Field Test of Online PARCC Exams
More than 62,000 New Jersey elementary and high school students were part of the nation’s first large-scale test of the online PARCC exams, an early trial that officials are calling a success — despite some glitches.

New Jersey’s participation over the past month was among the largest in the country, topped only by Illinois and Ohio.

And depending on who is talking, the trial went fairly well, with comments still coming in. NJ Spotlight is conducting its own survey, too, for our readers to share their experiences.

The chief spokesman for PARCC — the acronym for the Partnership for the Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers — said yesterday that the field tests, which involved more than 200,000 students in more than a dozen states, went about as expected, with no major problems but plenty of smaller issues to be addressed.

Taking place in more than 1,000 New Jersey schools, the trial was in the performance-based piece of the PARCC exams for language arts and math, in which students are asked to complete writing assignments or more complex math computations.

PARCC released new versions of the practice exam last week, allowing the public to take the language arts and math tests themselves. (Mooney/NJSpotlight)

https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/14/04/16/over-60-000-new-jersey-students-take-part-in-field-test-of-online-parcc-exams/

Posted on April 17, 2014April 17, 2014 by James — Leave a comment

PHILIP BAILEY from Earth Wind and Fire comes to Bookends in Ridgewood

PHILIP BAILEY from Earth Wind and Fire comes to Bookends in Ridgewood to sign his new book: Shining Stars: Braving the Elements of Earth, Wind and Fire

Friday, April 18th @ 7:00pm

Books available April 14th

Bookends is a legendary New Jersey Landmark! We are known for our incredible author events and have hosted well over 1,000 authors in the past 15 years!

All books MUST be purchased from BOOKENDS for any of our events and a valid Bookends receipt must be presented for entry.

Appearing authors will only autograph books purchased at Bookends and must have valid Bookends Receipt.
Availability & pricing for all autographed books subject to change.
Bookends cannot guarantee that the books that are Autographed will always be First Printings.
Autographed books purchased at Bookends are non-returnable.

While we try to ensure that all customers coming to Bookends’ signings will meet authors and get their books signed, we cannot guarantee that all attendees will meet the author or that all books will be signed. We cannot control inclement weather, author travel schedules or authors who leave prematurely.

Bookends, 211 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450 201-445-0726

Missed one of our events? We have Signed Books from some of our recent signings. Call the store to order 201-445-0726.

Posted on April 17, 2014April 17, 2014 by James — 2 Comments

Officials from Ridgewood’s Parks and Recreation Department make budget requests

Officials from Ridgewood’s Parks and Recreation Department make budget requests

APRIL 16, 2014 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2014, 5:40 PM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER

Supervisors and supporters of the Parks and Recreation Department pleaded with Ridgewood Council members last week, making their annual appeal for funding consideration and fewer budget cuts this year. Champions for the department also emphasized that employees continue to “do more with less,” but they cannot maintain high levels of service in the future without financial assistance.

The Ridgewood Parks and Recreation Department, headquartered at The Stable, has been doing “more with less,” according to department officials.

The recent session was the council’s latest meeting with various village supervisors in an attempt to trim the fat off of a municipal spending plan, which is just south of $50 million, and present a zero percent average tax increase to Ridgewood property owners. Council members are scheduled to introduce this year’s operating budget April 23, and they expect to hold a public hearing and vote on the plan May 28.

Parks officials have been dealt the brunt of financial reductions since the economic decline of 2008, and the department took one of the largest budget cuts between 2012 and last year. Last Thursday, Tim Cronin said running the department under such financial constraints “has been tough.”

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-s-parks-and-recreation-department-makes-budget-requests-1.997489#sthash.J0JGuQCe.dpuf

Posted on April 17, 2014June 27, 2021 by James — Leave a comment

Reader says all we have been saying for 7 years is Valley’s proposal is too big for Ridgewood

Reader says all we have been saying for 7 years is Valley’s proposal is too big for Ridgewood

If, FOR SEVEN YEARS, you had been attending meetings, spent hours on your computer trying to educate and inform people on the issue and get them to meetings, fundraised to pay lawyers and planners to get a reasonable proposal and donated thousands of dollars of your families hard earned money towards getting a reasonable proposal, you’d be a bit venomous too.

I think it would be a great idea for you to attend an upcoming Planning Board meeting and tell the Planning Board (and Valley Hospital) exactly what you just said…”You’re a friend/supporter of the hospital, but their proposal is too big for Ridgewood.” That’s all we have been saying for 7 years!!!

Posted on April 17, 2014June 27, 2021 by James — 3 Comments

Ridgewood YMCA Bookkeeper Accused of diverting funds for personal use

Ridgewood YMCA Bookkeeper Accused of diverting funds for personal use

April 17,2014

Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Police report that on April 10, 2014 Detective Jeffrey Casson concluded a two month investigation into theft from the YMCA.

On February 4, 2014 representatives from the Ridgewood YMCA filed a report with the Ridgewood Police Department regarding account discrepancies and possible theft.

After investigation by the Ridgewood Police Department with the full cooperation of the YMCA, it was determined that the YMCA bookkeeper, Catherine Easer 54 of Mahwah, had allegedly diverted YMCA funds and used YMCA accounts in the approximate amount of $40,000 for her personal use. On April 10, 2014 she was arrested and charged with 3rd Degree Theft and released.

All defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt

Posted on April 17, 2014June 27, 2021 by James — 2 Comments

Reader says Ms. Hauck has a long and close involvement with Valley Hospital and should recuse herself on any Valley vote

Reader says Ms. Hauck has a long and close involvement with Valley Hospital and should recuse herself on any Valley vote

A perceived conflict of interest by legal definition need not entail any financial or business relationship to make it appropriate for an elected or appointed official to recuse on a vote.

Ms. Hauck accepted over $800 on the day of her election from an officer of Valley Hospital. So there’s a little financial hit–not much, but it’s telling. She says she paid it back–so what? It’s on her official campaign contribution list that must be submitted and is posted online.

Before Aronsohn tapped her, no doubt to her amazement, to run for council and become his lapdog in exchange for a vote on Valley, she spoke publicly at a village council hearing, saying that she would trust Valley implicitly to do whatever they wanted.

There are many more indications of her long and close involvement with Valley, notably when she was vice chair of its women’s auxiliary, fundraising to the tune of millions of dollars–a financial relationship that did not put money in her pocket (she didn’t need it) but did put a ton of money in Valley’s. Suddenly she was running for council and abruptly ceased all Valley fundraising and social events. Very convincing.

In short, this was hardly supporting AIDS funding or any real charity, although Valley continues to call itself nonprofit with a treasure chest of many millions.

Officials have recused themselves from votes for much, much less. She may yet see the wisdom of doing so and should be so advised by the Village attorney–he’s paid to advise the council for the good of the Village, right?–since a vote on Valley from her would have serious ramifications, including opening the Village to lawsuits.

Posted on April 17, 2014June 27, 2021 by James — 9 Comments

Readers says RBSA email seems like a clear violation of the rules concerning a non-profit business participating in politics

Readers says RBSA email seems like a clear violation of the rules concerning a non-profit business participating in politics

Now this seems like a clear violation of the rules concerning a non-profit business participating in politics. Given the corporate sponsors for the teams, I presume that RBSA is a registered 401c3 organization.

Even if this email is just being sent to email addresses collected as part of the non-profit’s activities this is a huge violation of election law. The email is also completely unclear about who is organizing the committee. Is it the RBSA or is it Gary as an individual???

Subject: Albano For Council!

Ladies & Gents of the RBSA and Friends,

As you know, Jim is running for Village Council. While he is not just the “sports candidate”, the issue of the badly needed 90′ field, along with an all purpose field (read: soccer & lax) at Schedler is certainly a timely issue here.

(In case anyone is wondering, like the other two candidates, Jim is opposed to the three high density housing projects before the Planning Board. He realizes however, that the vacant lots of long gone businesses neither benefit nor beautify the Village and is seeking sensible development, that enhances, rather than detracts from our quality of life.

Similarly, he feels the current Valley Hospital expansion proposal, like the one before it, is far too intrusive to the neighborhood and our community as a whole. He recognizes the need for a hospital to stay current and calls on Valley to withdraw the current plan and make more of a good faith effort to work with the community to find a plan that works for all.

If you have any specific questions you’d like Jim to address, he is always available.)

The key to winning is always getting your supporters to the polls. With a paltry 20-22% turnout (maybe less) expected on May 13, that will be even more true in this election. We need to get the youth sports community energized and involved, spearheaded by the largest youth organization in town, the friends and families of the RBSA!

I’m asking two things: will you please take an Albano lawn sign? And, would you be willing to be part of a committee that will coordinate our get out the vote effort? This will involve networking, making lists, sending emails and maybe making a few election day phone calls. The anti-sports forces are mobilizing, so this is crucial!

Please let me know – lawn sign and/or committee? Election is 4 weeks from today, so it’s a short sprint. Time to rock & roll. Thanks for anything you can do.

Gary

Please note new email: [email protected]

Posted on April 17, 2014April 16, 2014 by James — 1 Comment

Obamanomics: 86M Full-Time Private-Sector Workers Sustain 148M Benefit Takers

Obamanomics :86M Full-Time Private-Sector Workers Sustain 148M Benefit Takers

April 16, 2014 – 5:04 AM

Buried deep on the website of the U.S. Census Bureau is a number every American citizen, and especially those entrusted with public office, should know. It is 86,429,000.

That is the number of Americans who in 2012 got up every morning and went to work — in the private sector — and did it week after week after week.

These are the people who built America, and these are the people who can sustain it as a free country. The liberal media have not made them famous like the polar bear, but they are truly a threatened species.

It is not a rancher with a few hundred head of cattle that is attacking their habitat, nor an energy company developing a fossil fuel. It is big government and its primary weapon — an ever-expanding welfare state.

First, let’s look at the basic taxonomy of the full-time, year-round American worker.

https://www.cnsnews.com/commentary/terence-p-jeffrey/86m-full-time-private-sector-workers-sustain-148m-benefit-takers

Posted on April 17, 2014April 16, 2014 by James — Leave a comment

New Emails Show Lois Lerner Was in Contact With DOJ About Prosecuting Tax Exempt Groups

New Emails Show Lois Lerner Was in Contact With DOJ About Prosecuting Tax Exempt Groups

Katie Pavlich | Apr 16, 2014

According to new IRS emails obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request from Judicial Watch, former head of tax exempt groups at the IRS Lois Lerner was in contact with the Department of Justice in May 2013 about whether tax exempt groups could be criminally prosecuted for “lying” about political activity.

“I got a call today from Richard Pilger Director Elections Crimes Branch at DOJ … He wanted to know who at IRS the DOJ folk s [sic] could talk to about Sen. Whitehouse idea at the hearing that DOJ could piece together false statement cases about applicants who “lied” on their 1024s –saying they weren’t planning on doing political activity, and then turning around and making large visible political expenditures. DOJ is feeling like it needs to respond, but want to talk to the right folks at IRS to see whether there are impediments from our side and what, if any damage this might do to IRS programs. I told him that sounded like we might need several folks from IRS,” Lerner wrote in a May 8, 2013 email to former Nikole C. Flax, who was former-Acting IRS Commissioner Steven T. Miller’s chief of staff.

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2014/04/16/breaking-new-emails-show-lois-lerner-contacted-doj-about-prosecuting-tax-exempt-groups-n1825292?utm_source=TopBreakingNewsCarousel&utm_medium=story&utm_campaign=BreakingNewsCarousel

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