Mail carrier from Ridgewood among 7 charged in $2M tax refund scam
Wednesday May 29, 2013, 12:49 PM
BY PETER J. SAMPSON
STAFF WRITER
The Record
A mail carrier from Bergen County was among seven people charged in a federal criminal complaint unsealed on Wednesday with conspiring to fraudulently obtain more than $2 million in government tax refund checks using stolen identities.
Lourdes Ortiz, 40, of Ridgewood, and Gloria Rivera, 39, of the Bronx, were both U.S. Postal Service employees who allegedly accepted bribes to divert refund checks from their mail route in Queens, N.Y. They surrendered to postal agents on Wednesday.
Fausto Bernard, 48, of Newark, was arrested by postal inspectors and agents of the Internal Revenue Service and the Secret Service.
Another defendant, Luis Pena, 43, of Yonkers, N.Y., was arrested Tuesday night. The four are expected to be brought before a federal magistrate in Newark this afternoon for an initial appearance.
New rules will define Spelling Bee experience
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
BY THE RECORD’S STAFF
The Record
Indrani Das packed two suitcases for her trip to Washington for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. One carried her clothes. The other — far more important – contained the precious cargo that could make or break her quest to capture the national championship.
It was a 17-pound dictionary.
That oversized book, and an imposing stack of other materials, loom especially important this year because of a rule change that, for the first time, requires contestants not only to spell any word in the dictionary, but to define some of them, too.
The new rules, announced in late March after the national field was set, were a surprise to 13-year-old Indrani, an eighth-grader at River Dell Middle School who will represent North Jersey in the event this week.
“I always thought the Spelling Bee was just about spelling,” she said during an interview in her Oradell home, adding, “They should have told us earlier.”
“Real Housewives of New Jersey” “Joe” Giudice will go on trial July 15 on charges he posed as his brother to get a driver’s license
Tuesday, May 28, 2013 Last updated: Tuesday May 28, 2013, 6:21 PM
BY JOHN PETRICK
STAFF WRITE
Giudice in April rejected a plea deal that would have gotten him four years in state prison. The prosecution has maintained that that is its final offer.
The trial date was scheduled during a status conference on the case by state Judge Greta Gooden Brown in Paterson. Miles Feinstein, the defense lawyer for Giudice, and Jay McCann, a Passaic County assistant prosecutor, said in court that a mid-July start would give them reasonable time to prepare.
“We are happy that a trial date has been set and we look forward to Joe being exonerated,” Feinstein said following the brief hearing Monday, in which Giudice attended with his mother. Both declined comment.
State joins discussion on Graydon Pool ramp in Ridgewood
Tuesday May 28, 2013, 7:46 AM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
The wait for a 100 percent ADA-compliant ramp leading into Graydon Pool just became longer, and residents from all over Bergen County recognize the ramifications of the delay: wheelchair users and others with disabilities must wait at least one more year before they can enjoy the centerpiece of Ridgewood’s historic swimming park.
MARION BROWN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
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Daniel Saunders (left) and Cindy Randazzo of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection speak to residents during a meeting on accessibility at Graydon Pool.
New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) officials toured the grounds of the sandy-bottomed pool last week prior to a two-hour discussion with dozens of residents, all of whom supported full accessibility to the pool but were at odds with one another on the means of achieving it. The purpose of this week’s meeting, according to Daniel Saunders, administrator of the DEP’s Historic Preservation Office, was to “achieve balance” among all sides and help the village move forward with the project.
The discord between residents who support the installation of a concrete ramp at the pool and those seeking alternatives is at the root of the lengthy process, which is approaching three years. But after several public discussions and review of various schematics, the Ridgewood Council last fall approved a ramp design that would be constructed in time for the start of the 2013 swim season.
The Preserve Graydon Coalition letter published in the March 2, 2012, Ridgewood News :
To the editor:
Once again, paving threatens Graydon Pool – not the whole pool this time, but an important part of it.
The Village Council has applied to the County Freeholders for a $60,000 block grant for a concrete ramp leading into the 12-foot section of the swimming area. The ramp, including a $12,600 aluminum handrail drilled into the patio wall, would begin with a long concrete sidewalk at the corner of the bathroom building and cover the sand along the front of the Pavilion. It would circle the north spillway, then make two 90-degree turns before entering the water in a 34-foot stretch along the wall below the patio, ending with a landing platform of a few more feet.
In the grant application – posted at preservegraydon.org – the village cites as a basis for the design “our review and discussions with residents and those who use the facility.” Sounds good, but no needs assessment was done. No general discussions with residents were held. And this ill-conceived plan would neither satisfy Graydon patrons nor remove barriers; in fact, it would add some.
The application states that Ridgewood would spend an additional $15,000 in municipal funds on the concrete project. Yet with modern materials and devices, the desired effect could be achieved non-invasively, less expensively and to serve a far broader population.
Allendale’s Crestwood Lake, another municipal lake with a sandy beach, meets Americans with Disabilities Act requirements with a beach wheelchair that goes over sand, a floating wheelchair that goes into water and folds flat for storage (https://mobi-chair.com), and removable water-permeable roll-out mats (which Graydon doesn’t need).
At Graydon, a floating wheelchair could easily enter the water at the spot near the lap lanes in the 4-foot area where part of the low fieldstone wall has been removed. This shallower area, close to The Stable’s about-to-be-upgraded parking lot, would accommodate all ages and abilities, whereas a ramp into the deep end would be harder to reach and suit few or none. In any case, a water-safe wheelchair would have to be bought for water entry; metal wheelchairs are not used on sand or in pools.
Among many other problems: A ramp in the northeast corner would catch detritus floating toward the spillway, creating an unsightly safety hazard. Seniors and others desiring a firm, quick foothold into the water would not choose to traverse a 40-foot ramp. They merely want existing ramps upgraded.
Of likely concern to countless residents, whether Graydon patrons or not, is the large amount of impervious material that would be added to the flood hazard area 12 months a year in a pool used three months a year. Our village engineer noted at a recent meeting that we would never reduce flooding until we stopped paving the floodway. What part of Hurricane Irene don’t we understand?
If council members want Graydon kept natural, as four claim they do, and wish to make Graydon more barrier free without exacerbating flooding, they will seek better alternatives and withdraw the application, or if the grant money is offered, refuse it.
Marcia Ringel
Alan Seiden
Co-Chairs, The Preserve Graydon Coalition
Curriculum shift planned in Ridgewood schools
Tuesday May 28, 2013, 11:22 AM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
Beginning next fall, district students will experience a language arts curricular shift.
There will be a movement toward more grammar education, an increased emphasis on the introduction of more non-fiction texts into students’ overall coursework, and an earlier focus on typewriting skills in elementary school.
With a five-year plan, a team of K-12 administrators and teachers is addressing a dip in sixth grade students’ language arts proficiency test scores, which lag behind the scores of some sixth-graders in other districts that are socioeconomically similar to Ridgewood.
The plan will also implement both state recommendations and local feedback from parents, students and professionals with careers that require extensive language arts skills.
Texas legislature passes tax cuts for businesses
By Corrie MacLaggan
AUSTIN, Texas | Mon May 27, 2013 4:59pm EDT
May 27 (Reuters) – Texas lawmakers sent Governor Rick Perry more than $1 billion in proposed business tax cuts shortly before the end of the biennial legislative session on Monday.
The tax-cut package – the final piece of which was approved by the House and Senate late on Sunday – includes an extension of a business franchise tax exemption for small businesses and a rate cut for businesses of all sizes.
The Republican-majority legislature also approved about $300 million in electricity rebates.
Perry, a Republican, had called on lawmakers to pass tax relief for businesses. Thirty-five states are taking up tax reform in their current legislative sessions, according to a recent survey by the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Texas’ franchise tax legislation removes inequities and lowers the tax rate for more than 800,000 businesses, according to Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst, a Republican.
Passing the proposal “sends a clear message that we are committed to sustaining the country’s best climate for job creation and economic growth here in Texas,” Dewhurst said.
Obama officials are ‘criminalising journalism’, says Republican senator
Administration’s efforts to trace leaks called ‘heavy-handed’ after private emails seized
Nikhil Kumar
New York
Sunday 26 May 2013
The Obama administration has been accused of criminalising the press, as US lawmakers called for an independent investigator to look into the way the Justice Department conducts cases involving reporters.
President Barack Obama is facing widespread criticism for the aggressive way in which his government investigates leaks, after it emerged that officials had secretly seized phone records from the Associated Press and monitored personal emails of the Fox News reporter James Rosen.
Mr Obama last week directed his Attorney General, Eric Holder, to review the Justice Department’s procedures. Mr Holder is due to report back in July – but his position as the head of the department at the centre of the controversy has led lawmakers to question whether he is the right person to lead the review.
Ridgewood blog Jobs : experienced in outdoor work for a landscaping company
I am looking to hire someone who is experienced in outdoor work for a landscaping company. Email me at [email protected] if you or someone you know is interested thank you
Ridgewood Run notes: Big day for Rozhko
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
The Record
Fruitful day
Olena Rozhko already had taken second in the Women’s 5K at Monday’s Fred D’Elia Ridgewood Run. Rozhko was tired, but she still competed in the Women’s Masters Mile and was able to come out on top in that event in 5:17.
“She basically was almost completely exhausted and she felt sick, but she had enough energy to start the race,” said Rozhko’s husband, Sergey Romanenko. “She’s a real warrior.
“She wanted to do whatever it took, and she showed a lot of courage.”
Rolanda Bell of Springfield Gardens, N.Y., earned the 5K title in 16:35 with Rozhko finishing second in 17:39.
The 40-year-old Rozhko and Romanenko, who live in Morristown and are originally from the Ukraine, are the parents of 3-year-old son, Nikita, who watched his mom’s double-duty performance.
July 4th in Ridgewood is a very special day that our entire area looks forward to all year. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Honoring our Declaration of Independence.” We are an all-volunteer community group that coordinates the day’s events and does not receive direct funding from the Village of Ridgewood.
Our committee is thrilled to have a descendent of a signer of the Declaration of Independence as our Grand Marshal. Thornton Lockwood, “Thorny”, is a descendant of Declaration signer Josiah Bartlett, and a first cousin, eight times removed, of Benjamin Franklin.
The Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration began in 1910 when the local papers, the civic section of the
Woman’s Club and the Ridgewood Fire Department joined forces to create a “safe and sane” holiday with an emphasis on Patriotism. It has grown into one of the largest celebrations in the New York City area and has been featured on CNN and Good Morning America as well as local New York stations. The celebration was once again named Best Parade and Fireworks by the readers of 201 Magazine.
We are actively preparing for what we know will be a spectacular celebration, it is vital that we have community support. Please consider helping to “Support the Tradition”. Because of generous support from the community, we have one of the best small town Independence Day celebrations, and if every family who enjoys our celebration contributed just $10, the day’s expenses would be covered. Donations may be made online at www.ridgewoodjuly4th.org or mailed to Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration, Inc., PO Box 140, Ridgewood, NJ 07451.
Additional information and answers to many of your questions can be found on the Ridgewood Fourth of
July Celebration’s website at www.ridgewoodjuly4th.org.
Washington launches four different investigations into IRS scandal
Capitol Hill aides spent their Memorial Day weekend scanning hundreds of pages of documents related to the IRS scandal in order to prepare their bosses for what will inevitably be a frantic month of June involving multiple simultaneous investigations into government wrongdoing. By the time lawmakers return to session next week, at least four different investigations will be underway.
As The Daily Caller has reported, at least five different IRS offices including Cincinnati, Ohio; Baltimore, Maryland; Chicago, Illinois and El Monte and Laguna Niguel, California improperly targeted conservative nonprofit groups for extra scrutiny between 2010 and 2012.
The IRS’ shenanigans, chronicled in a damning report by Treasury Inspector General J. Russell George, started when a “team of [IRS] specialists” came together in April 2010 to process the tax-exempt nonprofit status of conservative groups that might be “potential political operations” (page 13 of the IG report). The IRS added “additional specialists” to this effort in December 2011.
The Sharyl “PIT BULL” Attkisson approach
By DYLAN BYERS | 5/24/13 12:10 PM EDT
Sharyl Attkisson has problems.
The Obama administration won’t answer the CBS News correspondent’s questions because her investigations — into Benghazi, Fast and Furious, Solyndra — often reflect negatively on it. Some colleagues at CBS News, where she has worked for two decades and earned multiple Emmy awards, dismiss her work because they perceive a political agenda. And now, she says, someone may have hacked into her computers.
Attkisson’s one piece of solace may come from finally gaining some like-minded colleagues in the media. For years, Attkisson has been one of the few mainstream reporters pursuing critical stories about the Obama administration. Today, as “scandal season” takes hold in Washington, she has seen her longstanding skepticism of the White House and the Justice Department become the conventional attitude among a formerly deferential Beltway press corps.
Ridgewood NJ, Thank you to all the rescue groups and shelters, volunteers, employees and the people who came out in the rain to adopt yesterday! 114 pets were adopted and over 1,000 people attended!
While that is half the number of pets adopted and people in attendance at the Adopt-A-Pet Day last fall, we know that was only due to the stormy weather. We still think the event was a huge success, and we would like to thank all of you for making it such a great day! Our next event is September 29th, and we look forward to recording-breaking numbers! Let’s get these animals the loving homes they deserve!
