Author: James

Reader says the reason those other districts moved their vote was so they could dispense with the budget vote.

my question is this….

why can’t they move the vote to november AND move the budget vote then? the only reason those other districts moved their vote was so they could dispense with the budget vote.

it seems like we could/should keep the vote. i know it obviously has little impact but it certainly is at least symbolic. we can blatantly see when the will of the voters is overridden by the VC/BOE.

-Thed.

Reader says Donovan’s Opposition to Police Merger is the Problem

Yudin supports Saudino in his bid to consolidate the Bergen County Police Department with the Sheriff’s office. The county committee that voted him into power again last year favor this move. If a strong majority of republican party committeemen and committeewomen believe he’s doing the job they expect him to do, how can this be called a horrible track record?

Donovan’s unaccountable recalcitrance is the problem as far as her rocky relationship with Yudin goes. She needs to give up her obstruction to needed reform that will save taxpayers millions every year. She also needs to give up on the notion that the BCRO exists to support her every political whim.

file photo Ridgewood PD in Action

Reader says Cops should “walk the beat”

Having a cop walking the beat interacting with residents is good public relations, and part of any ‘community policing’ program. The only officers I knew were those that grew up here and attended RHS with me, but they have all retired.

If the officers were more interested in being ‘part of the community’ that would be a good thing. Residents would be more inclined to ‘confide’ in them which would help them do their job.

The Mensa Education & Research Foundation has named John Otterstedt of Ridgewood, N.J., the recipient of the 2013 Distinguished Teacher Award.
November 15, 2013

Ridgewood NJ, The Mensa Education & Research Foundation has named John Otterstedt of Ridgewood, N.J., the recipient of the 2013 Distinguished Teacher Award. He is a third-grade teacher at Hawes Elementary in Ridgewood, N.J. Nominated by a fellow teacher, Michael C. Feeney.

Otterstedt was described as “a dedicated and zealous educator who demanded — and got — the very best from his students.” Otterstedt’s approach is anything but run-of-the-mill. He’s known for subtly “tricking” his most-reluctant third-grade students into better expressing themselves through associative writing prompts, and he’s even videotaped lessons for a student unable to attend classes due to health issues. Students who struggle in his class are given “immediate and extensive attention,” and communication between this teacher and parents is paramount. “Mr. Otterstedt’s commitment and dedication to his students is an example of what makes him a great teacher. We are honored to present him the Distinguished Teacher Award,” said Mensa Foundation President Dave Remine.

The Mensa Distinguished Teacher Award recognizes a teacher, professor or instructor at any educational level who has had an especially positive influence on the education or life of a Mensa member. To find out more about the Mensa Foundation Awards, visit mensafoundation.org/awards.

The Mensa Education & Research Foundation has been a strong voice in supporting intelligence. The Foundation fosters the best and brightest through scholarships and awards, and encourages research and intellectual inquiry through the Mensa Research Journal and various Colloquiums. Governed by a volunteer Board of Trustees, the Mensa Foundation is a 501c(3) organization and is funded by support from American Mensa, Mensa members and other charitable donations. To learn about the Foundation, visit https://www.mensafoundation.org.

House votes to let Americans keep health plans; 39 Dems defy Obama
By Tom Howell Jr.The Washington Times

Nearly 40 House Democrats defied President Obama and helped the Republican majority pass a bill Friday that lets Americans keep, for one year, health plans that do not comply with Obamacare.

The defections from 39 members of Mr. Obama’s party highlighted the pressure on Congress to help people who lost coverage because of the president’s signature law, as balky websites keep a veil over alternative plans and pressure mounts on the Democrat-led Senate to forge a remedy.

Read more: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/nov/15/house-votes-let-americans-keep-health-plans-39-dem/#ixzz2kni2eUV2

The Ninth Annual Ridgewood High School Alumni Art Show

The Ridgewood High School Department of Fine & Applied Art is looking for alumni to participate in the Ninth Annual Alumni Art Show. Last year’s show was a great success and we hope to reach even more of our alumni this year. The exhibition will be a showing of work created after graduating from RHS. It will be held in the Carroll Art Gallery, Room 137, from Dec. 15, 2013 – Jan. 10, 2014. There will be a reception for the artists on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2013, from 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. Artists will need to drop off their ready-to-hang artwork during the week of December 9th in order to participate. If anyone has questions, they should contact the Department of Fine & Applied Arts at 201-670-2800 ext. 20542, or email the department in care of [email protected].

Event information and other news is continually updated on the Arts at Ridgewood Public Schools’ Twitter profile: @Arts_at_RPS and Facebook account page, www.facebook.com/TheArtsatRPS

All students, alumni, friends, family and staff are invited to the reception as well as to view the exhibition. The Gallery is open during school hours.

Ridgewood Police : The Dangers of Leaves on the Roads

When leaves accumulate on the roadway and become wet, they can get extremely slippery, making the driving conditions similar to driving on ice. If the temperature drops below freezing, the wet leaves will freeze and turn into dangerous icy leaves on the roadway. Besides reducing the car’s traction, causing skidding and the possibility of losing control of the vehicle, leaves often cover the painted road markings, making it difficult to know the locations of the lanes.

• Slow down if you are driving on a road covered with leaves, especially when driving around turns.
• Allow yourself plenty of room to stop in an emergency. Keep a greater distance between you and the car in front of you.
• Leaves make it difficult to see potholes and bumps in the road.
• A pile of leaves raked to the side of the road is an inviting place to a child. Children enjoy jumping into the leaf piles or burrowing down into them and hiding. Never drive through a leaf pile. Use caution going around turns and where children are playing.
• Keep your windshield leaf free to avoid wet leaves getting stuck under the windshield wiper blades.

In order to avoid the possibility of a fire hazard from the exhaust system or catalytic converter, never park your vehicle over a pile of leaves .

Ridgewood’s finance committee recommends streamlined budget process
Thursday November 14, 2013, 3:42 PM
BY  DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News

Ridgewood’s new numbers-crunching, finance-savvy board wants to alter ways in which the village handles and reports its money matters, and those committee members want to implement changes now.

The Financial Advisory Committee, formally assembled four months ago, offered a laundry list of recommendations to the Village Council on Wednesday, stating that it hopes to develop a “more streamlined process for the determination and adoption of the operating and capital budgets.” Having already met with and received “broad consensus” from Ridgewood’s acting village manager and chief finance officer, the committee is primed to apply changes to the 2014 budget process.

Committee members briefly detailed the group’s recommendations, categorizing them into short- and long-term objectives.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/231954781_Ridgewood_s_finance_committee_recommends_streamlined_budget_process.html

Shade Tree Commission is firmly planted in Ridgewood
Thursday November 14, 2013, 3:57 PM
BY  DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News

Addressing the years of ongoing pleas from residents and municipal officials alike, the Ridgewood Council has formally established a Shade Tree Commission. A resolution creating a seven-member body with two alternates was unanimously approved at Wednesday’s council meeting.

Property destruction caused by felled trees during recent hurricanes and storms exacerbated the need for the new group, which will be assigned a variety of roles. During a discussion earlier this month, Councilwoman Bernadette Walsh said the commission will take on tasks related to tree maintenance, including grant writing, educational initiatives and other work to assist the village’s taxed Parks and Recreation Department.

Members, however, will ultimately serve in an advisory role to the Ridgewood Council. Walsh, who as a member of the Ridgewood Environmental Advisory Committee (REAC) helped draft the board’s mission statement, likened the commission’s duties to those of existing groups such as the Financial and Citizens Safety Advisory committees.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/231956561_Shade_Tree_Commission_is_firmly_planted_in_Ridgewood.html#sthash.USyDx6Mr.dpuf