Author: James

In Ridgewood, residents ask officials to try to block more towering utility poles
Wednesday, July 17, 2013    Last updated: Wednesday July 17, 2013, 11:27 PM
BY  CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER
The Record

RIDGEWOOD — A stream of Hope Street and Spring Avenue residents addressed the Village Council on Wednesday night, urgently asking that it do whatever it can to prevent further installations of 65-foot-tall utility poles along their blocks.

And officials said the village, indeed, will explore its legal and regulatory options, especially regarding whether installation of the poles and their high-voltage lines represent  any new safety hazards to the neighborhood.

Crews from Public Service Electric and Gas began erecting the towering poles more than a week ago.

The poles, far higher than those they are replacing, are being built to support wires that can transmit up to 69,000 volts. A total of 78 poles will go up in Ridgewood, connecting high-voltage lines from a Fair Lawn substation to one in Paramus.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/bergen/In_Ridgewood_residents_ask_officials_to_try_to_block_more_towering_utility_poles.html

Semantics Over Substance
July 17,2013
Michele Robins
5:36 PM

A CAREFULLY-WORDED MISSIVE FROM THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS’ COUNSEL PUTS VILLAGE RESIDENTS “ON NOTICE” THAT IT’S SEMANTICS OVER SUBSTANCE AT THE LOCAL NEWS OUTLET.

The words used by Mayor Paul Aronsohn  when he asked to have a nominally unflattering opinion piece in The Ridgewood News checked for “accuracy” seem to be more important to both him and the paper than the monumentally appalling fact that he is so very thin skinned that an intervention was necessary.  Whether it was to “withdraw”, “not to publish” or  to “confirm the veracity” of the Letter in question makes little difference to those villagers who have seen the all-too-frequent partisan side of our mayor. The fact is….whatever words were used, the letter was held.  You did it Paul…you know it, The Ridgewood News knows it and we know it……man up.

We have good cause to abhor the surveillance state
By Constanze Stelzenmüller

The Gestapo and the Stasi taught Germans a hard lesson, writes Constanze Stelzenmüller

High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email [email protected] to buy additional rights. https://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/d9818d66-ed75-11e2-8d7c-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz2ZM0gVGRJ

Ah, German hypocrisy! During the cold war, you marched waving “Ami, Go Home” placards, but still let us protect you against the Soviets. Now you moan self-righteously about the National Security Agency and GCHQ reading your emails and listening to your mobile phone. You don’t acknowledge that – unlike the US or the UK – you have had no domestic terror attack in the past 10 years. That’s because we gave you information to prevent them; guess where we got it? Anyway, your Federal Intelligence Service snoops as much as it can. Except it can’t do that much. Whereas we – oh yes, we scan! Could it be that you’re jealous?

That about sums up the American and British response to the uproar about alleged US and UK spying activities in Germany revealed by the whistleblower Edward Snowden.

https://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/d9818d66-ed75-11e2-8d7c-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2ZM0Zgz2A

Culture of Cowardice Continue to Prosper : Boston Marathon Bombings Suspect Featured On Rolling Stone Cover
July 16, 2013 11:59 PM

BOSTON (CBS) – Rolling Stone is stirring up controversy with its new cover.

The August issue of the music magazine features a photo of Boston Marathon bombings suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on the cover.

https://boston.cbslocal.com/2013/07/16/boston-marathon-bombing-suspect-featured-on-cover-of-rolling-stone/

Mort Zuckerman: A Jobless Recovery Is a Phony Recovery

More people have left the workforce than got a new job during the recovery—by a factor of nearly three.

By MORTIMER ZUCKERMAN

In recent months, Americans have heard reports out of Washington and in the media that the economy is looking up—that recovery from the Great Recession is gathering steam. If only it were true. The longest and worst recession since the end of World War II has been marked by the weakest recovery from any U.S. recession in that same period.

The jobless nature of the recovery is particularly unsettling. In June, the government’s Household Survey reported that since the start of the year, the number of people with jobs increased by 753,000—but there are jobs and then there are “jobs.” No fewer than 557,000 of these positions were only part-time. The survey also reported that in June full-time jobs declined by 240,000, while part-time jobs soared by 360,000 and have now reached an all-time high of 28,059,000—three million more part-time positions than when the recession began at the end of 2007.

https://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323740804578601472261953366.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_opinion

Sen. Michael Doherty decries accident figures being used to support bridge project

TRENTON – A state lawmaker and outspoken critic of a proposal to spend about a third of a billion dollars for the construction of a new Interstate 95 bridge just north of Trenton is accusing proponents of the project of “monkeying around” with accident figures.

Sen. Michael Doherty, (R-23), says crash statistics used in part to argue for the need of the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission’s $328 million bridge replacement are being exaggerated. He argues the annual crash figures cited by the commission fall significantly short of data kept by the New Jersey Department of Transportation. (Arco/PolitickerNJ)

https://www.politickernj.com/67192/doherty-decries-accident-figures-being-used-support-bridge-project

Christie with Jimmy Fallon

Christie, with cameo on new sitcom, says he isn’t launching an acting career

Governor Christie has done the late night television show circuit and now he’s appearing on a new sitcom, but don’t expect him to leave Trenton for Hollywood anytime soon.

The Republican governor, who is seeking a second term, was in New York yesterday for the taping of an episode of “The Michael J. Fox Show,” in which Fox plays a sportscaster with Parkinson’s disease. (Hayes/The Record)

https://www.northjersey.com/arts_entertainment/Christie_to_appear_as_himself_on_NBC_sitcom.html

Ridgewood Knights Induct New Leader as Centennial Year Begins

Ridgewood-NJ-July 17, 2013: The Ridgewood Knights of Columbus Council #1736 held an installation ceremony on Monday evening, July 9th, where Ridgewood resident Sean Noble was inducted as Grand Knight for the 2013/2014 year. The evening also honored Doug Findlay, who steps down after leading the Ridgewood council for the past two years. As with all former Grand Knights, Findlay will stay on as a trustee, providing guidance and advice to the new leadership throughout the year.

“Doug was an outstanding leader for our council, and the example he set encouraged many of us to get involved”, said Noble. “Under Doug’s leadership, we reached new milestones in our fundraising and charitable efforts”.

Noble takes the helm at a particularly meaningful time for the Ridgewood Knights. In addition to annual activities such as the stickball tournament, the seniors’ Christmas party, and the St. Patrick’s dinner dance, the Ridgewood council will be celebrating their 100-year anniversary. A full slate of events are planned throughout the year to commemorate the occasion.

file photo by Boyd Loving

PSE&G to hold meeting over size of utilities poles concerning Ridgewood residents
Tuesday July 16, 2013, 7:44 PM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER
The Record

RIDGEWOOD — Public Service Electric and Gas representatives plan to hold a meeting in two weeks so residents can air their concerns over the installation of 65-foot-tall poles along both Hope Street and Spring Avenue.

The towering poles are built to withstand powerful storms and can support wires that handle up to 69,000 volts. There will be 78 of them in the village to help connect high voltage lines from a Fair Lawn substation to one in Paramus. On Monday, village officials asked the utility to stop installation until a public meeting could be held where residents can ask PSE&G representatives questions about the program

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/Size_of_utility_poles_shock_Ridgewood.html#sthash.0sGiKIav.dpuf

Readers debate the Value of Central Dispatch

This is for all lay people who may not fully understand how the Administration at Central Dispatch really works. There is a Director, yes. There is also a Management Committee which oversees and ultimately makes most of the final decisions pertaining to the center. This committee consists of one representative from the Village of Ridgewood and one representative from the Boro of Glen Rock. There is also a third representative which is one of the CFOs from either of the two towns. I am not sure how you can blame a director who technically DOES NOT have the final say for many items such as the raising of the starting salary, raises, purchasing of new equipment, or even the hiring and/or termination of employees. The Director makes his recommendations to the Management Committee and either they agree or tell him to “Go scratch!” Ultimately, many of these problems fall in the hands of this committee and they should be the ones answering for the issues. There is only so much that a director can do if he does not have the support of his bosses.

As for Bergen County taking over dispatch, ask any other town who has made the switch and see if they are happy. I am sure they will respond with a big NO and that the quality of the service has definitely gone down. If you are a resident of any of the towns that Central Dispatch services and you don’t mind listening to the phone ring 9 or 10 times when you dial 9-1-1 or waiting an extra 10 minutes for a police officer to arrive at your home because of a dispatch delay, then plead your case to your council members and save an extra few dollars in taxes by switching to the County. By the way, once you make the switch, there is no going back!

Right. The management committee is just as guilty for not doing their jobs and stepping in. They have no idea what goes on in there and do whatever the director stays. How can they represent and manage a 911 center when they have no clue what goes on?? Of course they are going to listen to the director no matter how wrong he is. Just my two cents

No municipality that has switched over to the County for 911 call answering and/or radio dispatch has complained publicly.

The “check with those towns who have switched over and I’m sure they’ll tell you how poor the service is” is nothing more than a scare tactic perpetrated by employees of NWBCD.

Dump NWBCD now and begin saving money now.

photo by Boyd Loving

Reader says No rationale explanation offered as to why they just didn’t use the existing PSEG right of way

No rationale explanation offered as to why they just didn’t use the existing PSEG right of way through Glen Rock and Ridgewood.

During the hurricane in October a telephone pole on Melrose Place crashed down in a westerly direction, snapped near the base like a breadstick. It wasn’t even that close to the corner, but it fell all the way across West End Avenue, blocking that important thoroughfare for days. The lights and wires of course went with it and were strewn all over the place. If it had hit a house/car/pet/person, forget about it.

That was the old, “short” kind of pole. If it had been twice as high, it would have hit the house on the west side of West End for sure.

Photo by Boyd Loving

The Record: Pay to go
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
The Record

ELECTED officials need to be extra careful when it comes to accepting gifts, especially when they come from a developer with a project pending in town.

That was not the case earlier this month in Ridgewood when the mayor and council members attended a $1,000-per-person fundraiser for Governor Christie free of charge courtesy of John Saraceno, who has applied to build a 52-unit apartment complex on East Ridgewood Avenue.

Saraceno’s generosity may have absolutely no impact on his application, but that is not the point. When a developer pays for elected officials to attend just about any event, it looks bad to the public. A handful of residents criticized the arrangement at a subsequent council meeting, and rightly so.

Mayor Paul Aronsohn defended getting complimentary tickets, noting that Saraceno’s application is months away from being heard by the Planning Board, which is now wrapped up with considering a project proposed by The Valley Hospital.

That statement is not persuasive. Taking a gift from a developer is not right regardless of whether the builder’s application is before the Planning Board tomorrow, next week or in six months.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/215779051_The_Record__Pay_to_go.html#sthash.wjZ9naDa.dpuf

Partnership for rising freshmen booked in Ridgewood
TUESDAY JULY 16, 2013, 9:36 AM
BY  LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Award-winning books like John Green’s “The Fault in Our Stars,” about a teenage girl with terminal cancer, and Sherman Alexie’s “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” about a teenage boy living on a Native American reservation, deserve to be read.

And, if rising Ridgewood High School (RHS) freshmen want to read them, this summer they will have a chance to discuss them – and, in the process, meet new friends before that first nerve-wracking day at RHS.

In a new joint venture, RHS and Ridgewood Public Library are teaming up to offer rising freshmen a summer book club to discuss Green’s and Alexie’s novels and/or six other titles, including a journalist’s non-fiction work, two memoirs, a dystopian fantasy and a work of historical fiction.

Beginning this week, recent graduates of both Benjamin Franklin and George Washington middle schools who read one of the eight titles can meet with RHS upperclassmen mentors and other library volunteers to discuss the books.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/215663011_Partnership_for_rising_freshmen_booked_in_Ridgewood.html#sthash.K30Puoyr.dpuf