Author: James

‘American Hustle’ renews old questions about Abscam
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 25, 2013, 11:31 PM
By MIKE KELLY
RECORD COLUMNIST

Experts advise buyers of health care coverage to double-check with insurers
WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 25, 2013, 11:12 PM
BY CARLA K. JOHNSON
ASSOCIATED PRESS

The deadline has passed, and so too the surprise grace period, for signing up for health insurance as part of the nation’s health care law.

Now what?

For those who were able to navigate the glitch-prone and often overwhelmed HealthCare.gov website, there’s still work to be done to make sure success online leads to actual coverage come the new year.

The first step experts recommend is to call your insurance company and double-check that it received your payment.

What if you missed the Christmas Eve deadline and still want insurance in 2014, as the health law requires of most Americans? You may be without health insurance for a month, but you can still sign up for coverage that will start in February.

“Be patient, because they’re trying to help you,” said Tina Stewart, a 25-year-old graduate student in Salt Lake City who succeeded in enrolling in a health plan Tuesday morning. “It will take time.”

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/Experts_advise_buyers_of_health_care_coverage_to_double-check_with_insurers.html#sthash.6BOifA6r.dpuf

Wishing You and Your Family a Merry Christmas 

N.J. Civil Service Commission amends proposed rule changes, but critics still not happy 

TRENTON — The battle over New Jersey’s civil service system continues.

Last week, a state Assembly panel advanced a resolution aiming to stop Gov. Chris Christie’s administration from instituting a set of proposed rule changes to the system, which governs how thousands of public employees in New Jersey are hired, promoted and fired and protects them from political retribution.

In response, the state Civil Service Commission today introduced a series of amendments that limit the scope of the overhaul to mollify critics.

Still, opponents say the amendments don’t fix their concerns and once again accused the Christie administration of trying to railroad the new rules through.

Under the current civil service system, employees receive jobs and move up based on examinations. But under the proposed overhaul, some jobs would be grouped together as part of a “band,” making it easier for manger to move employees from one position to another without exams. State officials say this will streamline promotions and save money.

“It introduces a more effective option to appointing authorities and employees,” Robert M. Czech, chair of the Civil Service Commission, said today.

Christie has said reforming the civil service system will be one of the focuses of his second term. (Johnson/Star-Ledger)

https://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/12/nj_civil_service_commission_amends_proposed_rule_changes_but_critics_still_not_happy.html#incart_river

Young Couples Moving Back Home To Save Money For Baby

December 22, 2013 11:59 PM

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – You’ve heard ofcollege graduates bunking with mom and dad as they look for their first job.

But today, some would-be moms and dads are saving for their new additions in a new way.

“Young couples, when they have a child or when they’re planning to have a child, are moving back in with their parents,” said Carmen Wong Ulrich, BabyCenter Financial expert,. “Ten percent of young women are staying, living at home with their parents to save money to have children. This is a new trend.”

Alexis Kort, her husband Josh and their baby Charlotte moved in with Alexis’ parents when they relocated to their hometown.

“You don’t necessarily think about it before you have a kid and then all of a sudden you’re like ‘Wait a second, how do we make this work financially?’,” said Kort.

https://miami.cbslocal.com/2013/12/22/young-couples-moving-back-home-to-save-money-for-baby/

As the clock ticks, retail traffic continues slide
Published: Monday, 23 Dec 2013 | 4:32 PM ET
By: Krystina Gustafson | Content Editor

Brick-and-mortar retailers saw no signs of relief last week, as store traffic in the final week before Christmas posted the third straight week of double-digit declines, according to the most recent report from ShopperTrak.

According to the analytics firm, traffic for the week ended Dec. 22—which included the crucial final weekend before Christmas—was down 21.2 percent year over year. The first two weeks of December saw double-digit decreases, which trailed a 4 percent decline over Black Friday weekend, it said.

In-store sales fell 3.1 percent from the same week in 2012, ShopperTrak added.

https://www.cnbc.com/id/101293199

filw photo Boyd Loving

Leaf Pick UP – December 23rd Update

Due to weather delays we are continuing to remove leaves in AREA C working up from Grove St. up towards Linwood Ave. The week of December 30th we should begin AREA D weather permitting. If weather permits we will return to Area A and B. This will take place after the 1st of the year some time.

You can also place leaves in a paper biodegradable bag and give us a call and we will pick them up. FREE LEAF BAGS are available at the Recycling Center while supplies last.

NEW YORK TIMES: OBAMACARE DECIMATES MIDDLE CLASS

The New York Times has finally conceded what critics of Obamacare have been claiming–the so-called “Affordable Care Act” devastates the country’s middle class families who “are caught in the uncomfortable middle: not poor enough for help, but not rich enough to be indifferent to cost.”

The Times profiles a family of four in New Hampshire with an annual income of around $100,000. Right now, “the cheapest insurance plan” they can find on the exchanges is about $1,000 a month. But if “they made just a few thousand dollars less a year — below $94,200 — their costs would be cut in half, because a family like theirs could qualify for federal subsidies.”

“Many of the biggest provisions of the Affordable Care Act are aimed squarely at the poorest of Americans,” the Times writes. “Under the law, states have the option of expanding Medicaid to a larger pool of people with the lowest incomes. To those earning more, the law provides subsidies to people earning up to four times the federal poverty level, or $45,960 for an individual and $62,040 for a couple.”

https://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2013/12/22/New-York-Times-Obamacare-Decimates-Middle-Class

file photo Boyd Loving

Pedestrian accidents in Ridgewood have left turns in common
MONDAY DECEMBER 23, 2013, 9:37 AM
BY  LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

For drivers who have hit a pedestrian in a Ridgewood crosswalk, the most common issue appears to be left turns.

Based on a study by The Ridgewood News of all pedestrian accident reports in the past three years, in about 65 percent of the 40 incidents involving pedestrians hit in a crosswalk – the most typical accident situation – drivers were turning left. In all but one of those 26 incidents, the driver was turning into a road across which a pedestrian was walking. It was the same story again and again in the police reports: Drivers turning left did not see the pedestrian, who occasionally also noted not seeing the driver, until hitting him or her. Occasionally, “sun glare,” darkness or the vehicle’s frame were blamed for obstructing the view.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/237017051_Pedestrian_accidents_in_Ridgewood_have_left_turns_in_common.html#sthash.D1jip23Y.dpuf

The ‘Next Great Baker,’ after the cameras switched off
MONDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2013    LAST UPDATED: MONDAY DECEMBER 23, 2013, 7:48 AM
BY  ELISA UNG
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

“I’ve turned into a miniature Buddy Valastro,” Marissa Lopez deadpans. In 2012, TLC viewers watched as “Cake Boss” Valastro anointed the long-haired Pompton Lakes pastry chef his “Next Great Baker,” handing her $100,000 and the chance to work for him.

Then the cameras turned off – and things really got interesting.

“The minute I won, I was like, I’m set. I’m going to open my own bakery,” said Lopez, 26. But she said Valastro told her: “Just wait a little. Pump the brakes. You might need a little bit more time to learn a little bit more. So stay with me, stay by my side, and you’ll learn the ropes.”

Though Lopez had previously been the pastry chef of Rocca in Glen Rock and a cake decorator at The Brownstone in Paterson, she took a job as a low-level employee at Valastro’s facility in Jersey City, toiling over small layer cakes and practically cowering in the Cake Boss’s presence.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/food_dining/236979121_The__Next_Great_Baker___after_the_cameras_switchd_off.html#sthash.8P8fZ0PY.dpuf