Appeals court affirms decision to reduce Ridgewood firefighter’s award to $500,000 from $3.5M
Wednesday May 1, 2013, 12:29 PM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER
The Record
RIDGEWOOD — A panel of appellate court judges agreed the village only has to pay one of its firefighters half-a-million dollars — far less than the $3.5 million a jury awarded him in 2012 for emotional distress.
The decision, issued Tuesday, upholds a Superior Court judge’s May 2, 2012 ruling, reducing Kevin Reilly’s damages to $500,000.
Officials in Wyckoff, Midland Park and Glen Rock deposed in litigation against Ridgewood Water
Thursday, May 2, 2013
BY REBECCA GREENE
STAFF WRITER
Wyckoff Suburban News
Municipal officials of Midland Park, Wyckoff and Glen Rock are being deposed in the class-action lawsuit the towns filed against the Village of Ridgewood on May 11, 2012, claiming it was using water utility fees to shore up its municipal budget.
The lawsuit states that rate payers of the water utility of each town has been “saddled with the burden of increased costs to pay for things such as health insurance for village employees, police expenses, fire expenses, municipal attorney’s fees and engineering costs, none of which relate to the operation of the water utility, but, rather, directly benefit only the Village of Ridgewood.”
Reader says interesting that Valley is now refusing to answer questions about its business model
I find it interesting that Valley is now refusing to answer questions about its business model when understanding Valley’s business model is critical to the Planning Board’s ability to render an informed decision on the Master Plan.
If Valley is only adding 3 beds, then how exactly do they plan to recoup their $750 million investment? They can’t publicly say that they’ll increase outpatient services since resulting increase in traffic would overwhelm municipal infrastructure. It would be difficult even for Valley to find a traffic expert to testify that there would be no negative impact with this strategy.
Is the $750 million investment necessary to keep pace with Hackensack which has already won the battle over Pascack and has a 5 year head start in the modernization race? What if Valley’s 2012 assertion that Bergen County can’t support another hospital was right? $750 million starts to look like a huge gamble and the Planning Board should absolutely understand the risks associated with it.
It seems (again) like Valley is hiding something. Good for the Mayor for asking tough questions – let’s just hope he follows through and is not just grandstanding.
Reader says Every Ridgewood taxpayer should have their name on a plaque
RHS is funded by high property taxes. I have been paying them for more than 25 years. Is it right that someone who pays $1,000 gets their name on a plaque when others have paid (overpaid) for years.
And correct me if I am wrong, but would these plaque people donate if their name were not going to be posted in a place of prominence? Like Maple Park where folks write cute things about their kids?
Every Ridgewood taxpayer should have their name on a plaque. Some should have their names on multiple plaques just for paying high taxes or for paying taxes without a kid in the system.
Reader says just a profit driven business entity trying to constantly bully their way with the help of some self interested power brokers
More Valley double talk, it should be clear to everyone that Valley spins, distorts and downright lies instead of being forthright and consistent.
At least this Mayor is pointing out the inconsistencies unlike the previous circus act of our ‘representatives’. Actions still speak louder than words. If the Valley Board and its” leadership” had been pragmatic, responsible, and responsive from the start of this charade then this community would have been more receptive and a compromise would have been found.
Valley instead reminds all that they are just a profit driven business entity trying to constantly bully their way with the help of some self interested power brokers. My vote will be for what is best for the Village of Ridgewood and not what is best for Valley. Modernize wisely yes, expand outside reason no.
Foreign Holdings of US Securities Have Exploded
Published: Wednesday, 1 May 2013 | 12:37 PM ET
Foreigners now hold more than $13 trillion in American securities, a record set as the U.S. seeks to assert itself as the safest port in troubled global waters.
China and Japan combined owned more than $3.4 trillion, including $2.4 trillion in debt, a number that has grown since the data set was compiled.
The total value of U.S. stocks and bonds under foreign ownership rose 6.5 percent in 2012, with stocks actually rising more on a percentage basis, according to the most recent data from the U.S. Treasury.
Foreign holdings have more than doubled since 2005 and are getting close to the $15 trillion total size of the U.S. economy
Of the $13.26 trillion total, $4.2 billion was held in stocks, a 10.6 percent increase from 2011. Long-term debt holdings grew to $8.2 trillion, a 6.2 percent annual rise.
Christie Administration Pushing for Sweeping Civil Service Changes
Rebuffed by Legislature, Christie goes for major regulatory changes through Civil Service Commission
Tired of waiting for the Democratic-controlled Legislature to send him a new civil service bill to replace the one he vetoed two years ago, Gov. Chris Christie is pushing sweeping changes through a Civil Service Commission he effectively controls.
Christie’s civil service overhaul is the latest in a series of high-profile battles with public employee unions that have defined his governorship and propelled him to national prominence. These have ranged from school vouchers and merit pay for teachers to a landmark pension and health benefits bill that not only forced public employees to pay more, but also eliminated the right of unions to bargain on health benefits for four years.
The Christie administration’s proposed civil service regulation would effectively reduce and consolidate the number of job titles by eliminating competitive examinations for promotions within broad “job bands,” giving managers greater flexibility in deciding which employees to promote.
Christie asserts that stripping away civil service restrictions will make government more efficient and thereby enable local governments to lower property taxes. But union officials say the proposed changes will substitute patronage and favoritism for merit in the promotional process.
Obamanomics : Wealth Gap Among Races Has Widened Since Recession
By ANNIE LOWREY
Published: April 28, 2013
WASHINGTON — Millions of Americans suffered a loss of wealth during the recession and the sluggish recovery that followed. But the last half-decade has proved far worse for black and Hispanic families than for white families, starkly widening the already large gulf in wealth between non-Hispanic white Americans and most minority groups, according to a new study from the Urban Institute.
“It was already dismal,” Darrick Hamilton, a professor at the New School in New York, said of the wealth gap between black and white households. “It got even worse.”
Given the dynamics of the housing recovery and the rebound in the stock market, the wealth gap might still be growing, experts said, further dimming the prospects for economic advancement for current and future generations of Americans from minority groups.
The Urban Institute study found that the racial wealth gap yawned during the recession, even as the income gap between white Americans and nonwhite Americans remained stable. As of 2010, white families, on average, earned about $2 for every $1 that black and Hispanic families earned, a ratio that has remained roughly constant for the last 30 years. But when it comes to wealth — as measured by assets, like cash savings, homes and retirement accounts, minus debts, like mortgages and credit card balances — white families have far outpaced black and Hispanic ones. Before the recession, non-Hispanic white families, on average, were about four times as wealthy as nonwhite families, according to the Urban Institute’s analysis of Federal Reserve data. By 2010, whites were about six times as wealthy.
Obamacare Poll Finds 42% of Americans Unaware It’s Law
Apr 30, 2013 4:03pm
A new poll finds that many Americans are confused about the health care overhaul legislation commonly called “Obamacare.”
The Kaiser Family Foundation released results of a non-partisan study today finding more than 40 percent did not even know the law was in place.
“Four in ten Americans (42%) are unaware that the ACA [Affordable Care Act] is still the law of the land,” the report says, “including 12 percent who believe the law has been repealed by Congress, 7 percent who believe it has been overturned by the Supreme Court and 23 percent who say they don’t know enough to say what the status of the law is.”
The survey showed public opinion on Obamacare is at its second-lowest rating in the past two years.
Less than half – 40 percent – of adults viewed the ACA favorably, whereas 35 percent said they viewed it unfavorably. Another 24 percent said they did not know or refused to answer.
Democratic Sen. Max Baucus, one of the original crafters of the bill, earlier this month predicted a chaotic implementation process for the Affordable Care Act. “I just see a huge train wreck coming down,” Baucus, D-Mont., said.
Boston police: 3 more suspects in custody in bombing case
Published: May 1, 2013 11:35 AM
Boston police say three more suspects have been taken into custody in the marathon bombings.
In a tweet Wednesday morning, the police department says only that three more suspects are in custody and more details will follow. Police spokeswoman Cheryl Fiandaca confirmed the tweet but referred all other questions to the FBI.
FEMA addresses flood maps in post-Sandy meeting with Bergen County towns
Tuesday April 30, 2013, 7:52 PM
BY KAREN SUDOL
STAFF WRITER
The Record
Six months after superstorm Sandy walloped the state, Federal Emergency Management Agency representatives met with local officials in Bergen County on Tuesday to address questions about home elevation requirements and flood-plain maps.
Officials from 23 Bergen County towns were invited to the two-hour event held at the county administration building in Hackensack. The county-sponsored meeting was the third in a series with FEMA and that are designed to connect towns with the resources needed to recover, said Peter Incardone, deputy chief of staff for the Office of the County Executive.
“We here at the county are mindful of the fact that the circumstances that came to us as a result of Hurricane Sandy didn’t end a day, a week or a month after Sandy,” said Ed Trawinski, the county administrator.
One area of concern was FEMA’s flood maps. When the storm struck, FEMA was already working on revised flood plain maps but issued “advisory” maps for the coastal areas in December to guide rebuilding. The state subsequently adopted those maps that established a higher and significantly expanded flood plain and are used by insurance companies to set premiums as well as govern rebuilding.
Dog Owners: FREE Micro-chipping by NJ Federation of Dog Clubs and Ramapo Kennel Club on May 15
Lost pets with microchips are up to 20 times more likely to return home
What exactly is a microchip?
A microchip is about the size of a grain of rice and placed between your dog’s shoulder blades under a veterinarian’s supervision. Implantation is quick, easy and virtually painless — similar to a vaccine injection — and can be performed during a regular clinic visit.
A microchip is not a tracking device. It can only be “turned on” for a few seconds at a time by a handheld microchip scanner that is passed over to read the microchip’s unique encoded number. The microchip number is the only information stored in the microchip so it is very important you immediately enroll your pet’s microchip with your contact information.
By enrolling your pet’s microchip, your name, telephone numbers, emergency contacts and other vital information are linked to the microchip number and stored in American Kennel Club’s Companion Animal Recovery’s (AKC CAR) database. When a lost pet is found, AKC CAR is contacted and our recovery experts will call you to help reunite you with your pet.
The Responsible Pet Ownership Committee, along with AKC CAR, The New Jersey Federation of Dog Clubs and the Ramapo Kennel Club will be supplying free Micro-chips, implantation, and registration to the first 75 dogs who attend the May 15th clinic. This free implantation will be held in conjunction with the Village’s free rabies clinic. Dr. Sherif George Mosaad, from the Farview Animal Clinic in Paramus will be present to implant the micro-chip which is quick and painless and done with a syringe.
The clinic will be held on Wednesday, May 15, 2013 between 6:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. at the Recycling Center, East Glen Avenue, Ridgewood, and will be available for the first 75 dogs.
Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan , Sally Kellerman at Bookends
Wednesday, May 1st @ 7:00pm
Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan in the M*A*S*H movie, Sally
Kellerman, will sign her new book: Read My Lips
Books available: April 30th
Appearing authors will only autograph books purchased at Bookends and must have valid Bookends Receipt.Availability & pricing for all autographed books subject to change.
Bookends cannot guarantee that the books that are Autographed will always be First Printings.Autographed books purchased at Bookends are non-returnable.
While we try to insure that all customers coming to Bookends’ signings will meet authors and get their books signed, we cannot guarantee that all attendees will meet the author or that all books will be signed. We cannot control inclement weather, author travel schedules or authors who leave prematurely.
Bookends, 211 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450 201-445-0726
GET ON THE WALL: LEARNING COMMONS DONOR WALL DEADLINE IS EXTENDED TO MAY 15
The current library is the most utilized room in the school, visited by more than 1,700 students each day. It is more than 48 years old and is no longer compatible with the way today’s students interact and learn. With your support, the vision of a new Learning Commons — with attractive and efficient research and study space — can become a reality for the students at Ridgewood High School.
The Learning Commons will feature:
A state-of-the-art research center
Multi-purpose space for teaching and group study
Comfortable and inviting areas for individual and quiet study
Many opportunities for creativity and collaboration
We ask the support of the entire Ridgewood community to achieve our vision.
Our fundraising goal is $925,000! Please donate today!
Valley Hospital’s numbers challenged
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
BY MARY JO LAYTON
STAFF WRITER
The Record
After years of waging an expensive campaign and filing multiple lawsuits to block the opening of a Westwood hospital — claiming that there are already too many beds in Bergen County — The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood is pressing its case for an expanded facility that would include more than 450 beds.
The hospital has now been forced to defend its position, after questions from Ridgewood Mayor Paul Aronsohn about why Valley’s proposed bed count remains the same — as it has for six years — even though a 128-bed hospital is opening in June in Westwood.
Valley’s argument against the Westwood hospital — declines in population growth and admissions, 300 empty beds every night in Bergen County — fueled a regional health care battle that played out in court and behind the scenes in Trenton with high-powered lobbyists, sophisticated public relations campaigns and millions in market share at stake.
