In light of concerns voiced by some residents regarding Ridgewood Mayor Paul Aronsohn’s recent interactions with your editorial staff (“Our letters policy,” The Ridgewood News, July 26, page A6), I am prompted to ask whether you should continue publication of Mr. Aronsohn’s monthly “Mayor’s Corner” column.
Mystery Creature Sighting Stuns N.J. Town; No One Has First Clue What It Is
A Dog? A Fox? A Chupacabra? Your Guess Is As Good As People Of Ridgewood
August 2, 2013 7:12 PM
RIDGEWOOD, N.J. (CBSNewYork) – There has been a strange sighting of a strange creature in a suburban New Jersey town – and pictures of it have residents asking “What the heck is that?”
CBS 2’s John Slattery was working the day watch out of Manhattan, when his boss gave him this juicy assignment.
He took a vehicle out of Midtown. The sighting happened on Friday. He and his cameraman headed for the leafy community of Ridgewood, which was apparently being terrorized by an odd creature that lurks in and out of storm drains.
Slattery obtained video of the creature from a resident, but, like CBS 2’s reporter, was mystified.
A Cronut-like doughnut in Ridgewood
Saturday, August 3, 2013
BY ELISA UNG
STAFF WRITER
The Record
Ladies and gentlemen, the croissant-doughnut has arrived in North Jersey.
Not the Cronut, mind you. The Cronut is a term trademarked by Soho pastry chef Dominique Ansel to describe his half-croissant, half-doughnut that has crowds lining up before dawn, scalpers reselling the $5 confections for $100, and bakeries the world over trying to duplicate the recipe (including – no less — the Dunkin’ Donuts branches in South Korea).
Now, we can add Sook Pastry in Ridgewood to the list of those under the Cronut spell. Two bakers at the French patisserie and café, brothers Rutillio and Lorenzo Olivera, are responsible for the $2 croissant-doughnut that has been selling out by 10 a.m. every day for the past two weeks.
It is the shop’s basic croissant dough, shaped into a doughnut, fried in grapeseed oil and topped with a powdered sugar icing. How does it compare to the real thing?
Obamacare Full Frontal: Of 953,000 Jobs Created In 2013, 77%, Or 731,000 Are Part-Time
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 08/02/2013 09:04 -0400
When the payroll report was released last month, the world finally noticed what we had been saying for nearly three years: that the US was slowly being converted to a part-time worker society. This slow conversion accelerated drastically in the last few months, and especially in June, when part time jobs exploded higher by 360K while full time jobs dropped by 240K. In July we are sad to report that America’s conversation to a part-time worker society is not “tapering”: according to the Household Survey, of the 266K jobs created (note this number differs from the establishment survey), only 35% of jobs, or 92K, were full time. The rest were… not.
Failure to Launch : Record Number 21 Million Young Adults Living With Parents
August 2, 2013 9:25 AM
WASHINGTON (CBSDC) — A record number of young adults are living with their parents.
A new study from Pew Research finds that 36 percent of Millennials – young adults ages 18 to 31 – are living at their parents’ homes, the highest number in four decades. A record 21.6 million young adults were still living at home last year.
“Most of my friends that have graduated end up living back home because even if they have a job they can’t afford to pay rent and pay back their loans at the same time,” Stephanie Levonne, a 20-year-old college student living at home, told CBS News. “I know a lot of people that took out almost half or more of their tuition in loans which is $50,000 so it’s impossible to pay rent and live in New York City while paying off your loan.”
The number rose from 32 percent at the beginning of the Great Recession in 2007 and 34 percent in 2009.
Smartphone cradle, app detect toxins, bacteria
AP Photo/Michael Conroy
Technology Video
URBANA, Ill. (AP) — Afraid there may be peanuts or other allergens hiding in that cookie? Thanks to a cradle and app that turn your smartphone into a handheld biosensor, you may soon be able to run on-the-spot tests for food safety, environmental toxins, medical diagnostics and more.
Ridgewood prepares for special election
Friday August 2, 2013, 9:16 AM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
The state will reimburse costs associated with the upcoming special primary election to fill the U.S. Senate seat made vacant by Sen. Frank Lautenberg’s death, according to Village Clerk Heather Mailander.
Ridgewood officials learned last week that the state will pay staffing costs for the upcoming special primary election on Aug. 13, and the following special general election on Oct. 16, Mailander said.
Thursday August 1, 2013, 11:09 PM
BY JAMES M. O’NEILL
STAFF WRITER
The Record
When the state’s ban on fracking expired this year, there was no immediate rush to resuscitate it in the Legislature because most believed there was no natural gas to be mined in New Jersey.
Turns out, however, an underground formation stretching from Trenton to Bergen County may contain more than 1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas — enough to meet the needs of every New Jersey household for five years.
While no energy companies have expressed interest in drilling in the state, geologists and industry experts say it could be a commercially viable gas reserve, one that could bring New Jersey many benefits — lower winter heating bills, cheaper electric rates, job creation and new sources of revenue for state and local governments.
“Clearly the ability to extract natural gas in this area would be game-changing, while raising new questions and excitement,” said Jim Benton, executive director of the New Jersey Petroleum Council.
Three men in NJ fatally struck by trains in the past 24 hours
Thursday, August 1, 2013 Last updated: Thursday August 1, 2013, 6:28 PM
BY MARY DIDUCH AND ABBOTT KOLOFF
STAFF WRITERS
The Record
Three men were struck and killed by NJ Transit trains over a period of less than 24 hours, including one in Fair Lawn during Thursday morning’s commute and another on the border of Westwood and Emerson.
Service was suspended for one hour on the Bergen County Line after Stephen Van Kirk, 59, of Fair Lawn, was struck at about 7 a.m. near the Radburn station in Fair Lawn, NJ Transit said.
Robert Derosa, 26, of Washington Township, was struck just after midnight on Thursday by a Hoboken-bound train on the Pascack Valley Line in a secluded, heavily wooded area on the Westwood-Emerson border, NJ Transit said.
On Wednesday, a 57-year-old Aberdeen man jumped in front of a train on the North Jersey Coast Line at about 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, the agency said.
Cory Booker has set up a campaign office at 15 Godwin Avenue in Ridgewood
Cory Booker chooses fundraiser with Oprah over forum with his Senate race rivals
Thursday August 1, 2013, 9:06 PM
BY MICHAEL LINHORST AND MELISSA HAYES
STATE HO– USE BUREAU
The Record
Three of the Democrats running for U.S. Senate were in Newark on Thursday for a forum to answer voters’ questions. The city’s mayor – Cory Booker – wasn’t.
Instead, Booker, now the front-runner in that Senate primary race, spent the evening in Jersey City at a $1,000-per-person fundraiser featuring Oprah Winfrey. “VIP” tickets, which included a photo with the mayor, cost $2,600 – the maximum campaign donation allowed under state law.
Donors could also meet the actor Denzel Washington, who was believed to be in attendance.
The fundraiser was expected to bring in about $250,000, according to Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop.
At the same time as the fundraiser, the three other Democrats running in the Aug. 13 primary were in a community center about seven blocks from Newark’s City Hall. Faded and peeling murals looked down on the candidates: Monmouth County Rep. Frank Pallone, Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver and Mercer County Rep. Rush Holt.
New era for Allendale water system
Friday, August 2, 2013
BY ALLISON PRIES
STAFF WRITER
The Record
ALLENDALE — The months-long process of changing over Allendale’s water system management from public to private concluded Thursday with a contract signing at Borough Hall.
Representatives from United Water and the borough gathered at 10 a.m. to ink the five-year, $590,000-per-year deal that will have the utility company handle day-to-day operations for the borough-owned utility.
Allendale will continue to set water rates, but United Water will handle testing, regulation compliance, billing and most of the maintenance as of Thursday, Mayor Vince Barra said.
“The borough is going to be able to avail itself of one of largest and best-run water companies in the country,” Barra said. “They have a tremendous amount of expertise and resources that we don’t have, having had only three employees [in the water department].”
Keeping the borough current with growing state and federal regulations became too onerous for the small municipality, leading officials to send the management of the system out to bid.
It received three bids: United Water’s $590,000 bid, a Ridgewood Water bid for $970,000 and a bid from Newark Water for $1,018,190.
The United bid will save the borough about $193,000 per year, Barra said, money that can go toward capital improvements and stabilizing water rates.
Badge sales at Graydon Pool in Ridgewood are up this year
Friday August 2, 2013, 9:03 AM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
This season at Graydon Pool, some patrons are hunting for Wibit. But many more don’t seem to care.
Badge sales have increased considerably among residents this year compared with the same period last year, Graydon officials said, despite the absence of the floating obstacle course, which was kept in storage this year to offset the costs of extending the pool’s hours.
According to badge security supervisor Mary Hefferan, the total number of badge sales in June was almost “double what it was last year at the same time,” she said.
This year, 2,772 residents and 281 non-residents have bought seasonal badges so far – 3,053 in total, said Department of Parks and Recreation Director Tim Cronin.
Valley Hospital expansion plan raises many questions
Friday, August 2, 2013
BY BARBARA WILLIAMS
STAFF WRITER
The Record
RIDGEWOOD — It’s a murky task: Keep details such as truck traffic and air monitoring in mind, but don’t make a decision based solely on those factors when determining if The Valley Hospital’s request to nearly double in size should be approved.
That is the charge Planning Board members face when they are expected to vote this fall on a proposed amendment to the village master plan that would allow the larger hospital on the 15-acre site. They need to decide if the inherent benefit of an expanded hospital outweighs the hardship for neighbors and the effect of six years of construction on children going to school next door.
Residents opposed to the plan continue to attend hearings on the project, peppering experts with questions, hoping to illustrate how the construction and complex will affect their quality of life.
“We’re not really sure what Planning Board members can take into consideration when they make their decision,” said Marla Sherman. “We’re not sure how much weight members will give expert testimony versus public input. But I want to be at the meetings so the Planning Board doesn’t take everything Valley is saying at face value.”
Residents said they are fearful the village is on the cusp of having its small-town character permanently altered.
“I really think the Planning Board has to be very careful — Ridgewood could be a whole other town in another 10 years,” said Lorraine Reynolds. “It could go from a nice little town to a city like Hackensack with medical buildings surrounding the hospital instead of single-family homes.”
Technicality bans Ridgewood swim team from championship meet
Thursday August 1, 2013, 3:34 PM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
The Graydon swim team has been barred from competing in next week’s Bergen County Championships because of a technicality surrounding attendance at mandatory league meetings. But a group of parents and friends are petitioning for the team’s reinstatement, claiming the ban unfairly penalizes the 92 children who make up the squad and the dozen or so who qualified for the county meet.
The nine-person executive board at the New Jersey Pool Manager’s Association (NJPMA), the event organizer, last week levied a one-year ban on the Ridgewood-based swimming team, citing its championship eligibility rule that swimming pool “managers or a representative from their facility must attend four (4) out of five (5) NJPMA monthly meetings between March and July to compete in the championships.”
Graydon’s team was issued the penalty because it failed to meet that requirement, with pool management missing two meetings – one more than the allowable amount. Ridgewood parents contend that Graydon’s manager, Steve Diamond, was absent from the last meeting for a legitimate personal reason.
Ridgewood residents question benefits of Valley Hospital’s proposed expansion
Thursday August 1, 2013, 4:01 PM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
Residents heard the responses provided by The Valley Hospital’s project planner, but many left Tuesday night’s Planning Board meeting believing one key question was never answered: How will doubling the size of the existing facility benefit Ridgewood?
Public questioning of Valley’s planner Joseph Burgis resulted in contentious exchange and remarks between the applicant’s experts and many residents. At one point, the hospital’s lead counsel even offered an apology following a heated exchange with Mayor Paul Aronsohn.
Several residents requested Burgis’ input on the expansion’s positive impact on the village, not necessarily on the entire area. At least four residents used their time at the audience podium to pose the same inquiry, with each one claiming that the question has never been appropriately addressed.
