VILLAGE SANITATION COLLECTION IN SNOW OR ICY WEATHER
As a reminder on days when snow or ice is forecast, residents will be required to bring their garbage cans to the curb for collection. VOR staff will only pick up garbage and recycling at the curb in snow or ice conditions. Ice condition is when ice is present in driveways and sidewalks. Due to numerous slip and falls today by Sanitation staff (some requiring Hospital visits) if your driveway was not clear your garbage has not been collected and should be placed on the curb for Friday.
Flawed bid process will delay Maple Field cleanup in Ridgewood
TUESDAY DECEMBER 17, 2013, 10:32 AM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The Ridgewood Council has rejected the lone bid it received for the Maple Park turf cleaning job, a move that will delay a much-needed procedure at one of the village’s most used fields.
According to a council resolution unanimously passed last week, the village will put the project back out for public bid because the initial bid process was declared flawed.
Climate change expert’s fraud was ‘crime of massive proportion,’ say feds
By Michael Isikoff
NBC News National Investigative Correspondent
The EPA’s highest-paid employee and a leading expert on climate change deserves to go to prison for at least 30 months for lying to his bosses and saying he was a CIA spy working in Pakistan so he could avoid doing his real job, say federal prosecutors.
John C. Beale, who pled guilty in September to bilking the government out of nearly $1 million in salary and other benefits over a decade, will be sentenced in a Washington, D.C., federal court on Wednesday. In a newly filed sentencing memo, prosecutors said that his lies were a “crime of massive proportion” that were “offensive” to those who actually do dangerous work for the CIA.
Beale’s lawyer, while acknowledging his guilt, has asked for leniency and offered a psychological explanation for the climate expert’s bizarre tales.
N.J. Assembly panel clears use of drones by police and fire departments
Monday December 16, 2013, 11:34 PM
BY MELISSA HAYES
STATE HO– USE BUREAU
The Record
A bill that regulates the use of drones by police and fire departments cleared an Assembly committee Monday.
Under the legislation, police would be allowed to use the unmanned aerial devices for search-and-rescue efforts and for ongoing criminal investigations. Fire departments can use the devices to monitor fires.
The bill aims to protect citizens’ privacy and requires that any records obtained by a drone that are unrelated to an ongoing criminal investigation be discarded within 14 days. It stipulates that evidence illegally obtained by use of a drone is prohibited from being used in criminal prosecutions.
The Assembly Homeland Security and State Preparedness Committee released the measure sponsored by Assemblywoman Marlene Caride, D-Ridgefield, Assemblyman Vincent Prieto, D-Hudson, and Assemblyman Daniel Benson, D-Mercer, Monday.
“Technology has changed our society, but has also raised concerns about privacy protections,” Caride said in a statement. “No one wants to restrict the ability of law enforcement to use technology when the need arises, but creating clear standards for the use of technology such as drones ensures everyone will be satisfied in the end.”
Teen pot use could hurt brain and memory, new research suggests
Brian Alexander, NBC News
Teenage pot smokers could be damaging brain structures critical to memory and reasoning, according to new research that found changes in the brains of heavy users.
Research released Monday in the journal Schizophrenia Bulletin showed the brains of young heavy marijuana users were altered in so-called sub-cortical regions — primitive structures that are part of the memory and reasoning circuits. And young people with such alterations performed worse on memory tests than non-using controls, despite the fact that the heavy users had not indulged for more than two years, on average, before the testing.
In legal terms, a federal judge’s decision Monday questioning the constitutionality of the National Security Agency’s massive call-tracking program seems almost certain to have no practical significance.
In political terms, it comes at a critical time for the NSA and President Barack Obama.
U.S. District Court Judge Richard Leon’s ruling that the NSA’s metadata program appears to violate the Fourth Amendment was issued just three days after a review group established by Obama delivered its report proposing more than 40 changes to the federal government’s surveillance programs. (Gerstein/Politico)
Where are they now? Former Ridgewood basketball player Linda Centeno
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
BY ED MILLS
STAFF WRITER
The Record
Athletic prowess on the court served as a revealing window to success in the medical field for Dr. Linda Centeno. The former Ridgewood High School basketball standout is now thriving as a clinical psychologist in the same village where she achieved scholastic stardom in the early 1990s.
The former Linda Zabielski, one of the Maroons’ spark plugs in those heady days, is serving North Jersey in a productive, diverse and essentially more central role as one of the top practitioners in her specialty.
“I mostly work with young women and teenagers on solving some of their problems that go along with growing up in the world today,” Centeno said. “Trying to deal with the anxiety and stress, and sometimes other problems like weight and self-image. It’s one of the ways I can give back for all I attained from my sports background in this area.”
Cheaper by the Dozen: PSE&G Offers 12 Tips to Save Money and Keep Warm
December 17, 2013
(Newark, NJ – Dec. 17, 2013) Winter warmth is on sale for Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G) residential gas customers, who will be saving about 33 percent on their bills this November and December thanks to a bill credit. On top of the credit — which will save the typical customer about $93 over two months’ usage — customers can save even more with these energy-saving tips.
1. Lower your thermostat by just one degree, which may reduce your heating bill by 3 percent. Save even more by lowering your thermostat 2 degrees during the day and 5 to 10 degrees at bedtime if health conditions allow.
2. Clean or replace the furnace filter on hot air heating systems.
3. Seal flues in fireplaces you don’t use.
4. Purchase and wrap an insulation blanket around the tank of your water heater. Wrap the hot water heater outlet pipe with inexpensive flexible insulating tubing to reduce the time it takes for hot water to reach your shower. Set your hot water heater to no more than 120 degrees.
5. Install low-flow shower heads and take a five-minute shower instead of a bath. The average household can save up to 25 gallons of water as well as the gas used to heat the water. Install water restrictors on your kitchen and bathroom faucets.
6. Install compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). They last about 10,000 hours – 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs – and use 60-75 percent less electricity.
7. Cover window air conditioners to reduce drafts. Install insulated or lined drapes on your windows.
8. Use weather stripping or one-sided sticky tape to seal up cracks and stop drafts in windows and doorframes. Caulk smaller gaps. Beneath doors, install common draft guards available at hardware stores.
9. On really drafty windows, use a shrink film insulation kit, or make one yourself from plastic and double-face tape.
10. If you have a door leading outside from your basement, hang a full-size sheet of plastic from the door frame to keep heat from escaping. Seal windows in the basement with plastic to create a barrier against the cold. Keep your garage door closed if the garage is attached to the house.
11. Seal wall switches and electrical outlets with small foam gaskets available at home improvement centers and hardware stores. Remove the cover plate, insert the gasket, and screw the cover plate back in place.
12. Complete a free home energy analysis online at www.pseg.com for recommendations on how to make your home more energy efficient.
For more energy saving tips, visit www.pseg.com/saveenergy to download an Energy Savers brochure and learn about a variety of payment options to help manage energy costs.
PSE&G announced in October that it would provide a two-month bill credit for its residential gas customers that would reduce the typical two-month bill to $188.65 from $281.75 for a savings of $93.10. Depending on meter reading schedules, many customers will see some of the credit in November and December, with the remainder in January.
The utility’s gas customers have seen nine decreases in a row for residential customers since January 2009 that saves the typical customer about $674 per year.
Photo (l to r): Daniel Kim, Leo Kwon, Mallory Peskens, Jessica Chang, Stephanie Pizza, Shayna Lyandvert, and Catherine Janson.
Seven members of the RHS Wind Ensemble have been selected to perform in the 2014 All-Bergen County Band
Ridgewood NJ, Seven members of the RHS Wind Ensemble have been selected to perform in the 2014 All-Bergen County Band. More than 400 students from around the county competed for just 85 seats. Congratulations to sophomore Stephanie Pizza, who qualified for both the piccolo and the flute; juniors Hangyul (Leo) Kwon, who qualified on the clarinet; Jessica Chang, who also qualified with the clarinet; Daniel Kim, who qualified on the alto and tenor saxophone; Mallory Peskens, who qualified on the trombone; Catherine Janson, who qualified as the assistant principal French horn; and senior Shayna Lyandvert, who qualified as the principal mallet percussionist. The All-County Band concert will be held on Sunday, January 12 at Westwood Jr-Sr High School, beginning at 3 pm.
N.J. lawmakers advance bill banning special education placement bonuses for superintendents
Lawmakers worried that public school superintendents could be swayed by financial gain approved legislation Monday to ban certain bonuses.
The bill would bar school districts from paying bonuses to superintendents who keep special education students in their local program rather then sending them to an out-of-district program – which could be more expensive, but may better suit the student.
“By prohibiting bonuses for special education placements, we will ensure that practitioners are not tempted to make decisions strictly for monetary gain,” said Sen. Teresa Ruiz, D-Essex. “The goal of any school district is to find the best programming and supports for a child, whether it is in-district or out-of-district.”
The legislation comes after the Asbury Park Press reported some school districts offer such bonuses for their superintendents. In Freehold Regional High School District, the paper found a superintendent received a $5,910 bonus for reducing the number of students sent to out-of-district special education programs.
“Children with learning disabilities need to be enrolled in the programs that best meet their educational needs. Any contractual agreement that creates an incentive to place a child in a particular program, whether it is in-district or otherwise, is cause for concern,” Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, said.
The measure passed unanimously in the Senate Education Committee, and it now heads to the full Senate. An Assembly version passed that chamber unanimously in June. (Linhorst/The Record)
file photo by Boyd Loving of Cory Booker in Ridgewood
Where is Cory Booker on Obamacare Now?
December 17,2013
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
“I firmly support the Affordable Care Act as a vital step in the right direction. I believe that the ACA has begun, and will continue, to significantly transform our health care landscape. For example, right here in New Jersey, the Affordable Care Act has closed the Medicare donut hole for 109,000 Medicare beneficiaries and will save middle class New Jerseyans more than $1,000 per year by 2019.” Sen Cory Booker
Ridgewood NJ, So with the “Obamacare fiasco ” getting worse by the minute has anyone bothered to ask our Senator in hiding Cory Booker about his thought on Obamacare ?
While he was keen to rattle off the the much touted “The United States spends more on health care than any other nation, but we fall far short of achieving the best health outcomes among our peers. The effects of paying more for less have been devastating for American families:” during the campaign one can hardly now say Obamacare will meet any of the original objectives and justifications for the law.
Even Governor Christie Called Obamacare a ‘Train Wreck,’ Glad NJ Has No Health Exchange ,“This is just an awful law that made no sense. I’m glad that the train wreck’s not mine, it’s his,” the governor said, referring to President Obama. “It’s a train wreck that anyone who has managed anything ever in their lives could have seen coming.”
CBS News reported the “more than two million Americans have been told they cannot renew their current insurance policies — more than triple the number of people said to be buying insurance under the new Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare.”
Nearly 800,000 New Jersey residents’ health-care plans will not longer exist in 2014, forcing insurers to create new ones for individuals and small business owners that hew to the Obamacare’s new regulations, The New Jersey Star Ledger found in early October.
So where is Cory and why is NO ONE ASKING HIM ANY QUESTIONS ?
Can America compete in a global economy in the future? Results of a test given in 65 countries show U.S. 15-year-olds fell from 25th to 31st in math since 2009. In science they went from 20th to 24th and in reading from 11th to 21st. The National Center for Education Statistics analyzed the results of the 2012 Program for International Student Assessment. The 510,000 students in the study represent countries making up 80 percent of the world’s economy. U.S. scores have been around average since the early 2000s except in math where they are less than average. Poland and Ireland moved ahead of the U.S.
The cause can’t be money spent on education as some districts in New Jersey pay upwards of $30,000 per student. Because of idiotic state Supreme Court rulings, more than 60 percent of the state’s education budget goes to just 31 of 600 school districts, a chief reason the state’s property taxes are through the roof. The Legislature sat on its hands as if the court were all three branches of government instead of just one. Anybody with two brain cells to rub together can see throwing money at the problem has made no difference in three decades. Class size doesn’t matter either except to education special interests like unions which support them largely because they mean more dues-paying teachers. We need to take a realistic look at what is working elsewhere and why we can’t measure up. (Ingle/Asbury Park Press)
Early snows remind many residents of promises made by the mayor on a newly reinvigorated leave pickup the results seems mixes at best .
While everyone realizes and early snow plays havoc with the pick up schedule some are growing weary of the excuses ; “Change you can believe in , If you like the plan you can keep it and vote for team Aronsohn.”
While some residents saw improvement : “I thought this was the best I’ve seen the streets in years. Hats off to the men and women of Public Works.”
Others spoke of the same old , same old ; “On Friday before. The storm I contacted the Village Managers Office and indicated that Colonial Road has piles of leaves which creates a hazard. The impending storm would make it worse and that the Village should remove the piles ASAP. I was told that the Street Department would inform me of the pick-up schedule. I was referred to the street department. I spoke with an identified man who indicated that they did not have a pick up schedule and didn’t know when the piles would be removed. Maybe it is time for the Mayor to stop the marquee projects and focus on the basic of local government like picking up leaves and removing snow piles. We cut the budget and the essential services too. Get back to the basics.”
Future use of Ridgewood’s Schedler property will require balancing act
Monday December 16, 2013, 12:58 PM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
For the first time in more than a year, the Ridgewood Council publicly addressed the future use of the municipally owned Schedler property, and one unmistakable conclusion was reached: The process of determining an appropriate development will take time.
The debate within the community began even before the village used grant money to acquire the property from the Schedler estate in 2009. Ridgewood’s Open Space Committee formalized the discussions early last year and opened a series of information-gathering sessions with all residents, who provided input on how they thought the 7-acre, tree-filled tract should be used.
In a report handed to the Village Council last fall, the committee considered resident suggestions and recommended that the land be converted into a 60/90 baseball diamond with an outfield area that can be used for other field sports such as soccer. The 60 measurement refers to the distance between home plate and pitching rubber, and the latter equals the number of feet from one base to the next.
House Report: Ill-Trained Obamacare Navigators Encouraging Fraud, Jeopardizing Private Info
The Obama administration decided that Obamacare Navigators, tasked with helping Americans enroll in a health insurance plan, would not undergo mandatory background checks. Now, in the ten weeks since the launch of Healthcare.gov, the ill-trained Navigators have put Americans’ sensitive health and tax information at risk.
Breitbart News has obtained a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee report on the Obamacare Navigators that will be released Monday. It has found that Obamacare Navigators have been giving Americans misinformation and, in some cases, actively encouraging enrollees to commit fraud in order to raise their subsidies. To complicate matters further, there is no way for Americans to find out whether their Navigators are properly certified.
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said at a Congressional hearing that it was “possible” for convicted felons to become Navigators. The report, titled Risks of Fraud and Misinformation with ObamaCare Outreach Campaign: How Navigator and Assister Program Mismanagement Endangers Consumers, concludes that is only one of many worries Americans should have about Navigators.
The Oversight Committee, chaired by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), and HHS actually learned that “poorly-trained Navigators gave consumers incorrect information about the health care exchanges, violated HHS rules and procedures, and even encouraged applicants to commit tax fraud in some instances.” Moreover, this was learned from various news reports due to the complete lack of any internal oversight.
