Sen. Bob Menendez swearing in Mayor Aronsohn at Ridgewood REORG by Boyd Loving
The Menendez Scandal: New Jersey Voters React
Embattled senator criticized by New Jersey pols, residents
New Jersey residents and local officials are uneasy about Sen. Bob Menendez (D., N.J.), the scrutiny he is under for possible ethical and moral improprieties, and his affiliation with a controversial ophthalmologist and wealthy donor.
Many of the New Jersey officials and constituents interviewed by the Free Beacon said Menendez is not being truthful about the flights he took on a private jet of controversial donor Dr. Salomon Melgen. Others said he abused his power as a senator in trying to enforce a Dominican Republic port security contract that benefitted the same donor.
Menendez should resign if the accusations are true, some constituents also said.
RFQ for Preparation Services for RFP to Develop Village Property
The Village of Ridgewood seeks the services of a skilled, competent respondent that will assist the Village in the preparation of a Request for Proposals for the long term lease of Lot 12, Block 3706, a parcel owned by the Village of Ridgewood.
Click Here https://mods.ridgewoodnj.net/pdf/manager/2013RFQParkLot.pdf for the “Request for Qualifications for Preparation Services for a Request for Proposals for the Development of Village Property, Block 3703, Lot 12, East Ridgewood Avenue.
Reader says Common sense dictates significant impact on the Village from 4 new developments in the CBD
It’s beyond odd. How can we weigh 4 projects individually when their collective impact has not been considered? Common sense dictates that parking will be more difficult, schools will get more crowded, traffic will be worse and infrastructure will have to be upgraded.
Yet the Mayor and his running mates seem fine with the developers’ assertions that there will be no negative impact brought on by any one of these projects. How can that be? Something smells funny.
Children’s show at the Community Center The Ridgewood Parks and Recreation Department is pleased to welcome innovative performer Kurt Gallagher on Tuesday, February 19th, 11 a.m. at the Anne Zusy Youth Center, Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue (snow date is 2/21). Known to many as a most innovative performer, Kurt promises a creative and fun-spirited show to be enjoyed by children and adults alike. You won’t want to miss it! To learn more about Kurt, please visit his website at www.kurtgallagher.com.
Admission is $5.00, ages 2 and up. It is suggested tickets be purchased in advance, either online at www.ridgewoodnj.net/communitypass or in person at the Recreation Office at the Stable, 259 N. Maple Avenue, weekdays between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. For additional information kindly contact the Recreation office at 201-670-5560.
Dragons and Dreams” presented by Sciencetellers Children’s show at the Community Center The Ridgewood Parks and Recreation Department is pleased to welcome Sciencetellers on Wednesday, February 20th, 11 a.m. at the Anne Zusy Youth Center, Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue. “Dragons and Dreams” is a spectacular adventure to be enjoyed by ages 5 to 95. With castles, kings, an Ice Sorceress, the Horn of Fire, two villagers and a daring journey to save an entire kingdom, spectators are swept away to a world where dragons are real, dreams come true, and only the most daring of people will survive to tell the tale! Admission is $5.00, ages 2 and up.
It is suggested tickets be purchased in advance either online at www.ridgewoodnj.net/communitypass or in person at the Recreation Office at the Stable, 259 N. Maple Avenue, weekdays between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. For additional information kindly contact the Recreation office at 201-670-5560.
Looking for love in all the right places in New Jersey
Tom De Poto/The Star-Ledger By Tom De Poto/The Star-Ledger
on February 14, 2013 at 6:47 AM, updated February 14, 2013 at 7:18 AM
Single? Looking for that special someone? Tired of the bar scene? Maybe you should move.
If you’re a guy, the best place to live in New Jersey is Somerset County, where women outnumber men 10 to nine. For gals, it’s definitely Sussex County, where there’s 13 men for every 10 women.
A study by Trulia found that among unmarried adults, 62 percent prefer to date someone who lives alone — not at home with their parents or with roommates. The real estate company compiled county-by-county data for The Star-Ledger to find out where those single men and women lived in New Jersey.
“Of course, we’re only talking about the quantity of men and women, not whether they’re your idea of a great date,” said Jed Kolko, Trulia’s chief economist.
NJ Transit: More Sandy damage to equipment than originally thought
Wednesday, February 13, 2013 Last updated: Wednesday February 13, 2013, 9:39 PM
BY KAREN RO– USE
STAFF WRITER
The Record
NJ Transit said Wednesday that more rail cars and locomotives — 342 — were damaged by superstorm Sandy than originally thought and that the cost of the storm to the agency has risen to $450 million.
Originally, 323 pieces of equipment were reported as damaged and the costs of the storm was thought to be $400 million.
But even as the agency revised upwards its damage and cost estimates, officials could not say where the equipment would be placed if a similar storm were to occur in the near future
The history of Valentine’s Day–and the story of its patron saint–is shrouded in mystery. We do know that February has long been celebrated as a month of romance, and that St. Valentine’s Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. But who was Saint Valentine, and how did he become associated with this ancient rite?
The Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine’s actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.
Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons, where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, an imprisoned Valentine actually sent the first “valentine” greeting himself after he fell in love with a young girl–possibly his jailor’s daughter–who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter signed “From your Valentine,” an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories all emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic and–most importantly–romantic figure. By the Middle Ages, perhaps thanks to this reputation, Valentine would become one of the most popular saints in England and France.
Five Democrats to compete for 3 Bergen freeholder seats
Wednesday February 13, 2013, 8:03 PM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN
STAFF WRITER
The Record
Five Democrats will compete for their party’s line to run for three seats on the Bergen County Board of Freeholders this year.
The Democratic candidates are:
Jim Tedesco, a former Paramus Mayor. Christopher Tully, who is serving his second term as a Bergenfield councilman. Lorraine Waldes, the president of the River Vale School Board. Robert Kovic, a former Ridgefield councilman who previously worked in the County Counsel’s office. Monica Honis, a former Teaneck councilwoman.
They will compete at the party’s county convention in March. The top three vote getters will face Republican incumbents Maura DeNicola, John Felice and John Mitchell all of whom are running for a second term.
Readers Ask, Do these Planning Board Resignations have anything to do with that purported “pressure”?
At the last Village Council meeting, someone mentioned that they heard that members of the planning board were feeling pressured by Aronsohn and Pucciarelli. Do these resignations have anything to do with that purported “pressure”? Yes, I know the “pressure” is a mere rumor, but just wondering if anyone knows anything more.
They were both smart to get out before Aronsohn and Pucciarelli push along their construction agenda. Anybody else think it’s odd that we have 4 housing projects in the works, yet still no solution to parking and revitalizing the business district?
Ridgewood Council to consider bid on Graydon Pool ramp
Wednesday February 13, 2013, 11:01 AM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
The Ridgewood Council is expected to award a bid for the construction of a new ADA-compliant ramp at Graydon Pool.
According to Village Manager Ken Gabbert, the lowest responsible bid came in at approximately $48,000. At last Wednesday’s work session meeting, the manager reported that 12 bids were received.
Ridgewood previously received a Community Development Block Grant to offset $55,000 of the ramp’s cost. The village also appropriated $40,000 of its own money to fund the remainder of the project after Ridgewood staff estimated that the final cost of the project might exceed $90,000.
Sen. Robert Menendez at Ridgewood REORG photo by Boyd Loving
DHS chief: Menendez intern should have been deported earlier
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Wednesday that she didn’t order immigration agents to delay arresting an illegal immigrant and registered sex offender working for Sen. Robert Menendez’s New Jersey office in the middle of his re-election campaign last year.
Republicans said U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents’ failure to arrest Luis Abrahan Sanchez Zavaleta in October showed the holes in President Obama’s new non-deportation policies, which try to steer immigration authorities away from arresting all but the most serious criminal immigrants.
According to Sen. Charles E. Grassley, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, documents show that agents had planned to arrest the man in October, ahead of the November election, but it was put off until December.
Ridgewood NJ, PSE&G is alerting its customers not to be defrauded by a scam in which individuals misrepresenting themselves as PSE&G employees threaten to turn off electric and gas service if payment is not made to them that day.
The scam, which has been reported across the country, involves payments using Green Dot MoneyPaks and seems to be targeting Hispanic neighborhoods in PSE&G’s service territory. As noted on the MoneyPak packaging and on the company’s Web site (www.moneypak.com), to protect themselves from fraud, consumers should treat the MoneyPak like cash and only use the MoneyPak number with businesses on their approved partner list.
“We take very seriously any attempt to defraud our customers,” said Joseph A. Forline, vice president of customer solutions for PSE&G. “We are working closely with law enforcement to investigate these scams. In the meantime, we ask our customers to be wary of callers who demand immediate payment and threaten service termination. When in doubt, hang up and call PSE&G directly at the phone number listed on your bill.”
PSE&G alerted the public to a similar scam in January 2012. Reports indicate that this scam is again targeting Hispanic customers, but this time not exclusively.
Here is how the scam works:
• A Spanish- or English-speaking individual pretending to be a PSE&G employee calls customers saying their service would be disconnected if they do not make a payment using a prepaid debit card. In some cases, the call is prerecorded.
• Customers are told to purchase a Green Dot MoneyPak at a pharmacy or convenience store, use cash to put money onto the card, and then provide the number on the card to the person who called them.
• Customers are advised that if they do not immediately call back and provide the MoneyPak information, their service will be turned off that day.
• Typically, after the customer provides that MoneyPak number, the scammer transfers the funds to a prepaid card, and cashes it in at an ATM.
What to do if you get a call
When PSE&G makes an outbound phone call to customers, customer-specific information is shared with the customer. That information includes the account name, address, number and current balance. If customers do not receive this correct information, they likely are not speaking with a PSE&G representative. If customers feel uncomfortable and they know they have an outstanding balance that needs to be resolved, they should hang up and call PSE&G directly at 1-800-436-7734 or visit a local PSE&G Customer Service Center. Service Centers are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM with locations listed on customer bills and online at: https://www.pseg.com/centers.
Any customer who has doubts about the legitimacy of any call from PSE&G, especially one in which payment is requested, should call the utility directly.
PSE&G is working with law enforcement to investigate the matter and is also reaching out to its contacts at local community service agencies asking them to spread the word to their clients.
Photo by Boyd Loving Senator Menendez at Ridgewood REORG
Pressure builds on Sen. Robert Menendez: Is it enough to topple him?
The New Jersey senator is accused of political favors, bribery, and prostitution. But those charges are difficult to prove, and experts say Menendez has the popularity to ride out the political storm.
By Husna Haq, Correspondent / February 12, 2013
Even as pressure on New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez (D) continues to mount over allegations of political favors, bribery, and prostitution, political analysts suggest the controversy, at this point, is unlikely to end the stalwart senator’s 40-year political career.
Over the weekend, calls for Senator Menendez to resign his post as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee gained momentum, with a New York Times editorial pressing him “to relinquish his leadership role.” The Senate Ethics Committee is currently investigating allegations of his misconduct.
But with little public outcry against Menendez in his home state or among his Senate colleagues – and with allegations of political favors hard to prove – Menendez could survive if further allegations do not emerge.
In N.J., police deter complaints, ACLU finds
Barbara Boyer and James Osborne, Inquirer Staff Writers
Posted: Wednesday, February 13, 2013, 3:01 AM
More than three-quarters of New Jersey police departments failed to give the public correct information when they were asked how to file a complaint against officers, the American Civil Liberties Union has found.
The organization Tuesday released a report based on a 2012 survey of 497 departments. It followed a similar study conducted in 2009 that produced similar findings. “The results remained disconcerting,” the report said. “Once again, a majority of local departments provided inaccurate information in response to the most basic questions regarding individuals’ rights to file [internal affairs] complaints.”
