The Ridgewood High School Boys Track Team claimed their first championship at the Bergen County Relays since 2010
Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood High School Boys Track Team claimed their first championship at the Bergen County Relays (BCR) since 2010. Meanwhile, the Girls Track Team sailed to their twentieth victory at BCR, outpacing their nearest competitor by an impressive 39 points, on April 19 and 20 at River Dell High School.
Notable performances on the boys’ side include James Barnett and Storm Dublirer who each helped succeed in several key running and field events including the discus and the sprint medley. Similarly on the girls side, the trio of junior Laura Weisberger, and sophomores Kelly Cleary and Catherine Pagano led the team to their exciting victory. Pictured here is Alex Armatas running the 3×400 hurdle race.
Pope Francis gives church hundreds of new saints
May 12, 7:00 AM (ET)
By FRANCES D’EMILIO
VATICAN CITY (AP) – Pope Francis on Sunday gave the Catholic church new saints, including hundreds of 15th-century martyrs who were beheaded for refusing to convert to Islam, as he led his first canonization ceremony Sunday in a packed St. Peter’s Square.
The “Martyrs of Otranto” were 813 Italians who were slain in the southern Italian city in 1480 for defying demands by Turkish invaders who overran the citadel to renounce Christianity.
Their approval for sainthood was decided upon by Francis’ predecessor, Benedict XVI, in a decree read at the ceremony in February where the former pontiff announced his retirement.
Shortly after his election in March, Francis called for more dialogue with Islam, and it was unclear how the granting of sainthood to the martyrs would be received. Islam is a sensitive subject for the church, and Benedict stumbled significantly in his relations with Muslims.
Athletes train for Ridgewood Run
Friday, May 10, 2013
BY GAIL KISLEVITZ
CORRESPONDENT
The Ridgewood News
Runners come in all shapes and sizes, ages and abilities. It is the great equalizer of sports. It does not discriminate and welcomes newcomers into the fold of its supportive and passionate community, newcomers like Ridgewood’s Katie Eidschun.
Katie is one of those people who once you meet, you never forget. It could be her winning smile, or contagious personality or her zest for life. It could be that she has never let her Down syndrome define who she is. She is a hard worker employed at Smith Brothers restaurant in Ridgewood, lives in her own apartment in Allendale, plays tennis, and soon she will cross the finish line of the Memorial Day Ridgewood Run 5K.
It a great RED day at Keller Williams. Over 200 agents in our office participated in KW’s RED Day to volunteer.
One day every year all 700+ Keller Williams offices shut down and agents and staff spend the entire day giving back to the community. This photogenic group of folks from Keller Williams Ridgewood and Pascack Valley will be painting rooms and planting flowers at West Bergen Mental Healthcare, Inc., planting a garden at a school for Autistic children ( Reed Academy) and setting up a huge fundraising event for the Alpine Learning Group. I am proud to be associated with so many caring and selfless people. — with Patricia Hoyos- Hardeway, Randy Douglass, Ray Friedman and 47 others.
An unbelievable value, very close to Willard School. This handsome brick home has all the character you’d expect in a 1929 Ridgewood colonial – slate roof, brick fireplace, iron stair railing, tudor-style solid wood front door, braided bathroom floor tile, etc. Enter into the sunroom with large bow window then relax around the living room brick fireplace. Or have a seat in your formal dining room. The kitchen is well proportioned with room to sit in front of the box window overlooking the rear garden. Be sure to check out the stairs to the attic and the very usable basement You’ll love living in this friendly neighborhood surrounded by high end homes in one of Ridgewood’s most desirable areas.
Asking $525,000
3 bedrooms
1.5 baths
5884 sqft lot
Open House Sunday May 19 from 1 – 4pm
For more info please call Michael Shetler, 201-421-0506
West Side to Host Community Hymn Festival of Choirs On Sunday, May 19 at 7:30 p.m., choirs from multiple Bergen County churches of all denominations will participate in the 24th Annual Community Hymn Festival of Choirs at Ridgewood’s West Side Presbyterian Church.
The ecumenical event is open to the public. Free will offerings will be taken ($10 suggested). Presented by The American Guild of Organists’ Northern New Jersey Chapter, the annual festival and a fall campaign benefit the John R. Rodland Memorial Scholarship Fund for Church Music. The Rodland Scholarships are the largest such awards to church music majors in the nation. Since its inception in 1990, $206,450 has been awarded in scholarships to future church musicians. This year’s winner of a $9,000 first prize is Abigail Rockwood, a Doctor of Musical Arts candidate at the Eastman School of Music, studying with David Higgs. She was a student of Dr. Huw Lewis at Hope College, receiving her Bachelor of Music, and earned her Master’s Degree at the Cleveland Institute of Music, with Todd Wilson. “The Music of Pentecost” is the theme of this year’s festival. Organists and choir directors from participating churches will direct or play for the over-80-voice adult choir, children’s choir, hand-bell choir, and brass ensemble.
Singers are invited to join the chorus at the only rehearsal on Thursday, May 16 at 7:30 p.m. Music will be provided. The church is at 6 S. Monroe St., corner of W. Ridgewood Ave. For more information, call the West Side Church Office at 201-652-1966, ext. *839.
May 11, 2013 By Michael Shetler Leave a Comment
Open Houses in Ridgewood, NJ
Starts: 05/12/2013 01:00 pm
Duration: 3 hours:
Ridgewood, NJ
07450
Michael Shetler is a local resident and NJAR Circle of Excellence recipient (2009, 2011) who is happy to serve you in this area. For more information about any of these local homes for sale please call Michael at 201.421.0506 cell or 201.445.4300 office.
Address List Price Bedrooms List Broker
1 415 Oak St $776,000 4 WEICHERT REALTORS
2 900 Glenview Rd $969,000 4 COLDWELL BANKER
3 812 Norgate Rd $1,159,000 3 TERRIE O’CONNOR REALTORS
Seeking Residents to Volunteer for Financial Advisory Board and Zoning Board of Adjustment
SEEKING RIDGEWOOD RESIDENTS TO VOLUNTEER TO SERVE ON THE COMMUNITY CENTER ADVISORY BOARD,
FINANCIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT
The Village Council is looking for residents who are interested in volunteering to serve on the Community Center Advisory Board, Financial Advisory Committee, and the Zoning Board of Adjustment.
The Community Center Advisory Board develops policies and procedures for the operation of the Community Center facility and assists in the fulfillment of the County Municipal Alliance Grant requirements. Membership includes: Senior Citizen residents; adult residents with children in the school system; and adult residents with no children in the school system.
The Financial Advisory Committee assists in the review and understanding of the financial considerations necessary to the operation of the Village and the Village’s preparation of the Annual and Capital Budgets; provides review, advice and recommendations to the Village Council on Village financial and budgetary matters; and prepares an annual report for the Village Council to assist the Councilmembers in their budget preparation. Members will preferably have strong finance, accounting, government and/or business backgrounds.
The Zoning Board of Adjustment hears variance applications and appeals from rulings and determinations arising from the enforcement of Village zoning ordinances.
All interested residents should fill out a Citizen Volunteer Leadership form (found on the Village website), and send it along with a cover letter indicating on which board(s) the resident wishes to serve, and a biography or resume to:
Biometric Database of All Adult Americans Hidden in Immigration Reform
By David Kravets
05.10.13
6:30 AM
The immigration reform measure the Senate began debating yesterday would create a national biometric database of virtually every adult in the U.S., in what privacy groups fear could be the first step to a ubiquitous national identification system.
Buried in the more than 800 pages of the bipartisan legislation (.pdf) is language mandating the creation of the innocuously-named “photo tool,” a massive federal database administered by the Department of Homeland Security and containing names, ages, Social Security numbers and photographs of everyone in the country with a driver’s license or other state-issued photo ID.
IRS Inquisition Update: IRS Targets some Jewish groups for political reasons
By Kevin Williamson
May 11, 2013 9:40 AM
Along with targeting tea-party groups, the IRS may also have given extra-special attention to the tax-exempt status of some Jewish groups for political reasons.
From the Jewish Press:
The passionately pro-Israel organization Z STREET filed a lawsuit against the IRS, claiming it had been told by an IRS agent that because the organization was “connected to Israel,” its application for tax-exempt status would receive additional scrutiny. This admission was made in response to a query about the lengthy reveiw of Z STREET’s tax exempt status application.
In addition, the IRS agent told a Z STREET representative that the applications of some of those Israel-related organizations have been assigned to “a special unit in the D.C. office to determine whether the organization’s activities contradict the Administration’s public policies.” . .
CBS anchor Scott Pelley: ‘We Are Getting Big Stories Wrong, Over and Over Again’
“Our house is on fire.”
12:09 PM, May 11, 2013 • By DANIEL HALPER
Our house is on fire,” said Pelley. The video of Pelley’s speech is courtesy of nowthisnews.com.
“These have been a bad few months for journalism,” he added. “We’re getting the big stories wrong, over and over again.”
The CBS newsreader was quick to take at least partial blame. “Let me take the first arrow: During our coverage of Newtown, I sat on my set and I reported that Nancy Lanza was a teacher at the school. And that her son had attacked her classroom. It’s a hell of a story, but it was dead wrong. Now, I was the managing editor, I made the decision to go ahead with that and I did, and that’s what I said, and I was absolutely wrong. So let me just take the first arrow here.”
N.J. may close motor vehicle inspection stations, forcing drivers to pay
Friday, May 10, 2013 Last updated: Saturday May 11, 2013, 12:01 AM
BY MICHAEL LINHORST
STATE HO– USE BUREAU
The Record
New Jersey drivers who get their cars tested for free every other year at a state inspection station may find themselves having to pay $50 or more at a private garage.
The state is still in the early stages of deciding whether to privatize the inspections, and any change is at least three years away, Raymond Martinez, the Motor Vehicle Commission’s chief administrator, told an Assembly committee this week. He said it was too soon to know precisely how much a privatized system might cost drivers or save the state.
But that hasn’t stopped Democrats from raising questions about why New Jersey would consider changing the current inspection system, which Martinez has said boasts “very little wait times” and “very high customer satisfaction.”
Bergen County Executive Kathleen A. Donovan holds line on Freeholder Pay-to-Play Ordinance
May 11,2013
Hackensack NJ, As she stated she would, Bergen County Executive Kathleen A. Donovan has vetoed Freeholder Ordinance 13-06 voted upon by the Freeholder Board on May 1, 2013, which is an ill-conceived attempt to weaken what has been described as one of the strongest ordinances banning pay-to-play in the State of New Jersey.
The pretext given by the freeholders for passing this ordinance, that the prior ordinance they enacted approximately a year ago is somehow unconstitutional, fails to pass the “smell test.” As the County Executive promised during her campaign, she will continue to use her power to block a return to the corrupt practice of pay-to-play that was all too rampant under the prior Democratic Machine.
In her veto letter, Donovan states, “It is my belief that candidates for office need to have the freedom to raise funds consistent with their First Amendment right to deliver their message to the voters. And, unfortunately, as anyone who runs for office knows, we cannot depend on so-called “free media” provided by newspapers and others. But there is also a need for candidates to be transparent so that voters know exactly who is paying for the distribution of those messages.”
Donovan emphasized her position that there should be one statewide law covering pay-to-play disclosure to limit the influence of both vendors and political leaders whose power lies in the political purse. “We in Bergen County, are all too aware of the impact of late, undisclosed money “wheeled” in from all over the state and probably elsewhere, to unfairly tip the balance in an election,” stated Donovan.
Donovan cited numerous reasons for the veto including language that does not sufficiently prevent “wheeling”, a practice that needs to be stopped. Also cited as unacceptable is the increase in contribution limits as well as weakening the penalties to those entities found in violation of the ordinance.
“We need to guarantee transparency, thereby instilling a level of confidence in voters,” said Donovan. County Executive Donovan’s veto was delivered to the Clerk to the Freeholder Board on Thursday, May 9, 2013.
Mother’s Day Essay Contest Winner From Carousel Cakes
Carousel Cakes is a family owned business, located in Nanuet, NY, founded in 1965 by Martin Lefkowitz, selling over 40 different varieties of cakes. Their Red Velvet Cupcake was named one of Oprah’s Favorite Things in “O” Magazine. This family bakery did it again when Oprah chose their new Blue Velvet Cake to be on her December 2012 “O” List.
Mother’s Day is here again and it is always a very exciting time of the year for Carousel Cakes. “We do love it, as moms and grandmas can get that sweet gift for their day, and our experience shows that a cake is an important part of many family’s celebrations,” says co-owner, Nancy Finkelstein. “As this is officially the second busiest holiday (according to the National Retail Federation), we are already operating at full capacity getting everything ready for Sunday. Carousel has been doing this now for 38 years, so we are well-prepared for these seasonal peaks in our business as people are increasingly using our online store to send cakes all over the country, and surprising their loved ones.”
This year. Carousel Cakes ran an essay contest called the “Cake for my Wonderful Mother Contest”. They asked entrants to write an essay about how their mother inspired them.
Nancy Finkelstein explained how “the submissions we received were so moving. There is nothing more beautiful than the selfless giving of a mother. This was a theme that we saw running through all of these essays. It was very difficult to choose a winner. Some of us were in tears as we read through them. We ended up giving a little something to everyone who entered.”
You can read the winning essay at https://carouselcakes.com/moms/
