CDC: U.S. Birth Rate Hits All-Time Low; 40.7% of Babies Born to Unmarried Women
By Terence P. Jeffrey
October 31, 2012
(CNSNews.com) – The birth rate in the United States hit an all-time low in 2011, according to a report released this month by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“The 2011 preliminary number of U.S. births was 3,953,593, 1 percent less (or 45,793 fewer) births than in 2010; the general fertility rate (63.3 per 1,000 women age 15-44 years) declined to the lowest rate ever reported for the United States,” said the report.
Facing backlash, Ridgewood stops parking enforcement for next two days
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2012
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Facing backlash and negative feedback from residents and others who patronize Ridgewood’s Central Business District, the village has suspended parking enforcement, particularly ticketing for expired meters, for today and Saturday.
During Hurricane Sandy and in the immediate days after the storm, the village permitted residents and shoppers to park in metered spots within downtown, including streets and lots, for free. Officials initially put enforcement back into effect Thursday morning.
Several village departments and officials advised residents about enforcement through local and social media, but those announcements were greeted with unfriendly responses. A reminder about parking enforcement posted Thursday on the Ridgewood Police Department’s Facebook page has already been removed.
“I just figured that there were no meters today,” Marcus DiNallo, a Midland Park resident, said Friday morning after parking his Toyota in the Chestnut Street lot. “I don’t know why [Ridgewood] would ticket people who probably are going through enough stress.”
Ridgewood Updates its Polling Places due to continued Power Outages
November 2,2012
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ , Due to continued power outages Election Day polling stations for some Ridgewood voters have been changed . Late Friday afternoon the Bergen County Clerk’s Office approved the alternate sites that were proposed by Ridgewood officials earlier Friday.
Registered voters who typically go to polling stations at Hawes, Orchard, Somerville and George Washington Middle School (GW) will continue to report to those locations next Tuesday.
Hawes School will also accommodate residents who traditional voted at Travell School and Benjamin Franklin Middle School and Somerville School will accommodate those who traditionally vote at Ridgewood High School. Willard School voters will vote at George Washington Middle school .
The fire department headquarters on East Glen Avenue will host voters who voted at Glen School and the Ridgewood Public Library during previous elections.
Additionally, the Bergen County Clerk’s Office has extended its hours for walk-in absentee ballots. The office, located at One Bergen County Plaza in Hackensack, is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 3 and Sunday, Nov. 4, and from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 5.
Outage update: We are making steady progress. In three days, we have restored service to more than 1 million PSE&G customers following Hurricane Sandy. The storm impacted 1.7 million of PSE&G’s 2.2 million electric customers. We’ve also increased the stability of our transmission system to ensure that the high-voltage lines can deliver the power.
Our estimate is that we will have virtually all of our impacted customers restored to service within the coming week. The majority of customers will be restored before then. After Nov. 9, there may still be isolated pockets of customers who have individual flooding or downed line issues that may take slightly longer.
The storm surge flooded a large number of substations along the Passaic, Hackensack and Hudson rivers, and the Arthur Kill, disrupting service to customers in Hudson, Essex and Middlesex counties. The magnitude of the flooding in contiguous areas is unprecedented. PSE&G had to take these stations out of service, wait for the flood waters to recede to assess the damage, dry out the equipment, replace equipment when necessary and re-energize the system to restore service. We continue to make progress on the substations affected by flood waters from the tidal surge. This is a painstaking process to thoroughly clean the equipment so that it can be safely re-energized.
The total number of people who have come from other states to assist is now more than 2,000. This includes additional line personnel, tree crews and substation operators.
PSE&G’s key areas of focus are:
• Repairing our damaged switching stations and substations in Hudson and Essex Counties so we
can energize them and deliver the power to customers.
• Gas refineries – We have restored power to the Conoco Phillips and Buckeye Pipeline gas
refineries. We are making progress on restoring the other two refineries that we serve in the area.
• Gas stations – We are working with the NJ Gasoline Service Association to identify gas stations
that have the commodity, but need power restored to get the gas flowing.
• Overhead infrastructure – We continue to clear trees, debris and downed wires from state, county and municipal roadways so we can begin repairing overhead infrastructure in Bergen and Passaic
Counties.
NJ Senator Bob Menendez gets amnesia after sex scandal?
November 02, 2012 11:55 AM EDT
According to a news report on Wednesday, NJ Senator Bob Menendez was recently back from his own alleged illicit sexual encounter with two women prostitutes in the Dominican Republic when he called for the firing of the Secret Service agents involved in the Cartagena sex scandal.
The Washington Times reports that Menendez was being interviewed by Michael Schneider of NJ Today about the tunnels that could exist between New Jersey and New York, as well as other news topics at the time, which included the Secret Service sex scandal in Cartagena, Columbia.
Schneider asked Sen. Menendez if he was shocked about the advance Secret Service team’s alleged activities with prostitutes in Cartagena, and Menendez said he was and that “If the facts are true, they should all be fired.”
At that time the NJ senator didn’t know that the facts were true, and that eventually eight members of the Secret Service detail would be forced from the Obama advance team detail. What two prostitutes in the Dominican Republic say he did know, however, was that he had told them he would give them $500 each for sex acts during his Easter trip to their country while he was staying at Casa de Campo.
The women say they got the short end of the deal, as he reneged and only paid $100 to each of them, which, as Americans now know was the reason the Secret Service sex scandal came to light as well, since it involved an angry prostitute not getting paid as she was promised. And now Obama battles this new sex scandal too as the election nears.
Senator Kevin O’Toole
Phone: 973-237-1360
Web: https://otoole.senatenj.com
Email: [email protected]
November 02, 2012 Important Post-Hurricane Information
Dear Friends:
As we all begin the process of coming up from under a storm that none of us has ever seen in our lifetimes, I’d like to begin by expressing my deepest sympathies and condolences to our fellow New Jerseyans in the Southern part of our state. The devastation that they are experiencing just can not be put into words.
As the clean up process begins and power is starting to be restored to many of us here in District 40, it is important to note that over 2 million homes in New Jersey lost power as a result of Hurricane Sandy. I and my office are on conference calls with all of the utilities multiple times a day getting status updates as to their progress. As your local elected officials contact me with power outage information, we are forwarding that information along to the appropriate utilities.
Throughout this process I have been in contact with your Mayors and Council members and the amount of work they are putting in to coordinate any and all information, as it develops, has been nothing short of extraordinary. In this time of confusion, frustration and difficulty the coordination that has occurred, beginning with the Governor, my office, the county Freeholders, and local officials has been remarkable. Every level of government and all elected officials are solely focused on ensuring that every resident gets their power back and life begins to return to normal as quickly as possible.
There is a lot of information being disseminated on an almost hourly basis. Here are some important numbers and resources for your reference:
For non-immediate health matters or other assistance:
Call 211 or go online at www.nj211.org for help with non-emergency issues, including basic human needs, support for seniors or persons with disabilities, children, or mental health issues.
To file a claim with FEMA:
Call 800-621-FEMA (800-621-3362). Make sure you register with FEMA. For a printable form, click here.
Information on Federal Aid Programs for State of New Jersey Disaster Recovery
To report a downed electrical line:
Contact your local energy provider (info below). Be prepared to give the nearest cross street or the number of a nearby pole that has not been damaged and is away from any downed wires; the pole number can be found on the metal tag attached to the pole.
PSE&G: 800-436-7734
Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L): 800-662-3115
Atlantic City Electric: 800-642-3780
Orange Rockland Electric: 1-877-434-4100
To report a gas leak, contact your local gas provider:
New Jersey Natural Gas: 800-427-5325
PSE&G: 800-436-7734
Road and Driving Conditions:
https://511nj.org/
To file an insurance claim, if you can’t find the company or agent’s number:
Call the NJ Department of Banking and Insurance at 1-800-446-7467 or go to www.dobi.nj.gov.
To report complaints about insurance companies:
Call the NJ Department of Banking and Insurance at 1-800-446-7467, click here to file a complaint online.
A printable complaint form is here: https://www.state.nj.us/dobi/complain.pdf
To report complaints about electric or gas utilities:
Call the NJ Board of Public Utilities: (800) 624-0241 or (609) 341-9188.
To report possible consumer fraud or price gouging by contractors or others:
State law makes excessive price increases illegal during a state of emergency, and for 30 days following the end of the emergency. Call the NJ Division of Consumer Affairs at 862-209-0130 or 973-220-3474.
To provide volunteer assistance in the cleanup and restoration effort:
Call 1-800-JERSEY-7 (1-800-537-7397). Backup numbers: 609-775-5236 or 908-303-0471.
Volunteers may also send an email to [email protected]. This service is managed by the NJ Business Action Center and the Governor’s Office of Volunteerism, both divisions within the NJ Department of State.
To request volunteer assistance:
Call ’211′ or go online at www.nj211.org.
Extension of motor vehicle document deadlines:
To ease the burden on customers who did not have a chance to visit a motor vehicle office in October, MVC Chairman and Chief Administrator Raymond P. Martinez has issued Administrative Order 2012-03 authorizing a 30-day extension for all driver’s licenses, vehicle registrations and vehicle inspection stickers that expired on October 31.
State Aid:
Department of Health and Senior Services
New Jersey Department of Health – Directory of Local Health Departments in New Jersey
NJ DEP’s Hurricane Sandy Page – precautionary wastewater measures, how municipalities can apply for emergency land use permits, when to boil their water, and much more.
As more information becomes available, my office will provide you with that information. As is always the case, if you are having any difficulties, please do not hesitate to contact my office at 973-237-1360 or via email at [email protected].
Christie Administration Announces Restoration of Limited Rail Service to Newark on Friday
Christie Administration Announces Restoration of Limited Rail Service to Newark on Friday
Northeast Corridor Service to Operation on a Special Schedule Between Trenton and Newark Penn Station
North Jersey Coast Line Service to Operate Between Woodbridge and Newark Penn Station
Raritan Valley Line Service to Operate Between Raritan and Newark
Trenton, NJ – The Christie Administration announced the restoration of limited rail service on three of NJ TRANSIT’s rail lines starting Friday, November 2, as part of the Administration’s ongoing efforts to restore NJ TRANSIT service as soon as it becomes possible. This service restoration includes service along three lines: Northeast Corridor service between Trenton Transit Center and Newark Penn Station, North Jersey Coast Line service between Woodbridge and Newark Penn Station, and Raritan Valley Line service between Raritan and Newark Penn Station. A special schedule will be posted on njtransit.com by 7:00 p.m. this evening.
“As the backbone of the NJ TRANSIT rail system, the restoration of Northeast Corridor service is a significant step in providing a level of service to NJ TRANSIT’s customers,” said Transportation Commissioner and NJ TRANSIT Board Chairman James Simpson. “Our work is far from done, as we still face a number of operational challenges, but we will continue working tirelessly to further restore service where we can safely do so.”
Service to Penn Station New York will resume following Amtrak’s restoration of the Hudson River Tunnels and it’s signal system is complete.On Thursday, November 1, NJ TRANSIT restored the majority of bus service throughout the state, operating full service on 68 bus routes in northern New Jersey and 18 bus routes in southern New Jersey, and restoring partial service on 58 bus routes in northern New Jersey and 17 routes in southern New Jersey. Also on Thursday, River Line service was restored between the Trenton Transit Center and the Entertainment Center in Camden, operating on a Sunday schedule. Limited Access Link paratransit service resumed operation as well.
NJ TRANSIT is advising customers of the following:
Rail Service:
Northeast Corridor: On Friday, November 2, service will resume between Trenton Transit Center and Newark Penn Station, operating on a special schedule.
North Jersey Coast Line: On Friday, November 2, service will resume between Woodbridge and Newark Penn Station, operating on a special schedule. Rail service between Bay Head and Woodbridge remains suspended. An assessment of rail infrastructure has revealed significant damage across the system, including:
Morgan Drawbridge in South Amboy sustained damage from boats and a trailer that collided into the bridge.
There are wires and trees down, as well as rail washouts (no ballast under the tracks), between South Amboy and Bay Head.
Raritan Valley Line: On Friday, November 2, service will resume between Raritan and Newark Penn Station only, operating on a special schedule. Rail service between High Bridge and Raritan remains suspended.
Morris & Essex, Montclair-Boonton, Main/Bergen and Atlantic City Rail lines: Service remains suspended. An assessment of rail infrastructure has revealed significant damage across the system, including:
There is major damage due to downed trees between Summit and Millburn, as well as in Denville and Morristown. There is also overhead wire damage, including signal wires, with support poles down in Lyons and Bernardsville. In addition, rail washouts (no ballast under the tracks) occurred at Kearny Junction, where Midtown Direct service connects to the Northeast Corridor. Rail washouts also occurred at several tracks in Hoboken Terminal and at Netcong Station.
Elsewhere on the rail system, local power outages have prevented NJ TRANSIT rail operations from being able to further test crossing gates and operating signals. In addition, hundreds of downed trees have fallen across the rail system, which have caused damage to overhead wires and signal wires. Several rail stations have sustained flood damage, including Hoboken Terminal.
Bus Service:
Bus service is operating on 68 bus routes in northern New Jersey and 18 bus routes in southern New Jersey, providing service over the entire routes with no detours or truncations. For a complete list, visit njtransit.com.
Partial service is operating on 58 bus routes in northern New Jersey and 17 routes in southern New Jersey, with detours or truncations due to ongoing impacts from Hurricane Sandy. For details, visit njtransit.com
Bus service on routes not listed remains suspended until further notice. Power outages in local communities have resulted in the loss of traffic control devices critical to safe operation in some areas. Downed tree limbs and power lines continue to make many roads impassable. Personnel are in the field reviewing and assessing these conditions in order to ensure that service is restored as soon as it becomes safe to do so.
Light Rail Service:
River Line is operating on a Sunday schedule between Trenton Transit Center and the Entertainment Center in Camden.
Hudson-Bergen Light Rail and Newark Light Rail service will remain suspended until further notice. There is currently no estimated time for resumption of service. An assessment of rail infrastructure has revealed significant damage across the system, including:
Newark Light Rail sustained flooding in Newark Penn Station, as well as major debris damage between Newark Penn and Branch Brook Park stations.
Hudson-Bergen Light Rail experienced track washouts at Port Imperial and West Side Avenue stations, as well as trees in the overhead wire in Weehawken and flooding in Hoboken.
Access Link:
Access Link service is operating in the following regions:
Region 2, which includes Burlington, Camden, Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem counties.
Region 3, which includes Atlantic, Cape May and Southern Ocean County.
Sources, emails point to communication breakdown in Obama administration during Libya attack
By Jennifer Griffin
Published November 02, 2012
FoxNews.com
Senior counterterrorism officials felt cut out of the loop the night of the attack on the Benghazi consulate, according to emails that were shared with Fox News by military sources who are familiar with discussions of how to respond the night of the Sept. 11 attack.
Top State Department officials decided not to send an interagency rapid response unit designed to respond to terrorist attacks known as a FEST team, a Foreign Emergency Support Team. This team from the State Department and CIA has a military Joint Special Operations Command element to it and has been routinely deployed to assist in investigations — for instance, after the USS Cole bombing and the bombings at the U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.
((BOOM)) Burger MAHWAH ,180 Rt 17 S, Mahwah, NJ 07430
(201) 529-1806 & Rochelle Park 375 West Passaic Street Rochelle Park, NJ 07662
(201) 843-2666
Thankfully Our power is back on…
WE ARE NOW OPEN FOR BUSINESS IN ROCHELLE PARK & MAHWAH
For those still having power issues..
We have a 24 station powerstrip available for you to use and also FREE WI-FI, please feel free to come and use to :
CHARGE YOUR PHONE
CHARGE YOUR COMPUTER
— USE OUR WI-FI
Come one come all.
NJ TRANSIT has extending the validity period for October monthly passes until Wednesday, November 7
For the latest travel information, customers should listen to broadcast traffic reports, visit or access NJ TRANSIT’s Twitter feed at @NJ_TRANSIT. Additionally, NJ TRANSIT will provide the most current service information via the My Transit alert system (www.njtransit.com/mytransit), which delivers travel advisories for your specific trip to your cell phone, PDA or pager. Service information is also available by calling (973) 275-5555.
Last jobs report before election shows economy in ‘virtual standstill’
FOX NEWS
November 2,2012
The final monthly jobs report before Election Day offered a mixed bag of economic evidence that quickly became political putty for the presidential candidates, with the unemployment rate ticking up to 7.9 percent but the economy adding a better-than-expected 171,000 jobs.
At the same time, the number of unemployed grew by 170,000, roughly the same amount — to 12.3 million.
The October numbers allow President Obama to argue the economy is technically growing under his watch. But they also allow Mitt Romney to argue that the new jobs are not making much of a dent in the unemployment problem. Both campaigns quickly set to work putting their spin on data that, if nothing else, underscores the slow pace of the recovery.
“That’s 9 million jobs short of what (Obama) promised,” Romney said at a rally in Wisconsin shortly before noon. “Unemployment is higher today than when Barack Obama took office.”
The rate was 7.8 percent the month Obama took office. “Today’s increase in the unemployment rate is a sad reminder that the economy is at a virtual standstill,” Romney said in a separate written statement. “When I’m president, I’m going to make real changes that lead to a real recovery, so that the next four years are better than the last.”
Former Bureau of Labor Statistics chief Keith Hall told Fox Business Network that at this rate, “we’re still talking nine or 10 years” before the economy gets back to normal.
Bloomberg Diverts Food, Generators from Devastated Staten Island to NYC Marathon
by Michael Patrick Leahy 1 Nov 2012
Fresh off his “climate disruption”-driven endorsement of President Obama, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has chosen to divert critical food supplies and power generators from desperate residents of Staten Island to Sunday’s New York City Marathon. Gothamist reports:
[T]hose urging the city to halt the run believe that the thousands of Marathon volunteers could direct their efforts towards post-Sandy relief and cleanup, “and they also argue that the event will divert thousands of police from important hurricane-related duties.” But despite petitions circulating, work started up again yesterday on the Marathon route.
A tipster, who wishes to remain anonymous, told us there were lots of workers in and out of the park today, who had “started before the storm and then came back starting yesterday.” Trailers are lined up from around 71st to 66th Streets on Central Park West, a food truck was set up today, and “generators have been sitting there at least a week.” The tents that were taken down prior to the storm have also been set back up, and there is a stage set up near 73rd Street.
Considering all the volunteer help and NYPD attention that’s already being diverted to the Marathon, the added sight of generators and food being channeled to the event is probably going to strike some New Yorkers as a little misplaced—we’re thinking of the ones who are currently lined up waiting for the National Guard to ration out MREs and bottles of water.
Staten Island residents are frantically calling for help, ABC News reported on Thursday:
The residents of Staten Island are pleading for help from elected officials, begging for gasoline, food and clothing three days after Sandy slammed the New York City borough.
“We’re going to die! We’re going to freeze! We got 90-year-old people!” Donna Solli told visiting officials. “You don’t understand. You gotta get your trucks down here on the corner now. It’s been three days!”
Staten Island was one of the hardest-hit communities in New York City. More than 80,000 residents are still without power. Many are homeless, and at least 19 people died on Staten Island because of the storm.
PSE&G : 10 Days till full Restoration ,but Majority of Customers will be Restored before then
Our best forecast as of now is that we will have virtually all of our impacted customers restored to service within the next seven to 10 days. THE MAJORITY OF CUSTOMERS WILL BE RESTORED BEFORE THEN. There may still be isolated pockets of customers who have individual flooding or downed line issues that may take slightly longer.
OUTAGE UPDATE: At this time approximately 1 million PSE&G customers have had their power restored following Hurricane Sandy. About 716,000 customers are currently without power. The storm impacted 1.7 million of PSE&G’s 2.2 million electric customers.
Our crews work to restore power to the largest numbers of customers first, taking into account “priority customers” such as hospitals, police and fire stations, water and sewer facilities, communications facilities (TV, radio and telephone), and customers on life-sustaining medical equipment (See graphic illustration below). If someone in your family relies on life-sustaining medical equipment, it is important to let the utility know as soon as the equipment is installed. We then focus on restoring power to homes and businesses, starting with the circuits with the largest numbers of customers.
The Ridgewood Public Schools will REMAIN CLOSED on Thursday, November 1 and Friday, November 2,
The Ridgewood Public Schools will REMAIN CLOSED on Thursday, November 1 and Friday, November 2, due to the after-effects of Hurricane Sandy. Please share the message below with friends and neighbors who may be without power:
11.01.12: UPDATED ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT
6:30 p.m.:
Dear RPS Parents/Guardians,
I want to assure you that the Ridgewood Board of Education and the Village of Ridgewood officials are doing everything possible to get the village restored and back to normal as quickly as possible.
While we do not yet have a time table for electricity to be re-established to all of our buildings, if power has been restored, the school break scheduled for next week will be cancelled and schools will be open next Wednesday through Friday, November 8-10. We are able to plan to open the schools at that time because the Teachers Convention has been cancelled due to damage in Atlantic City caused by Hurricane Sandy.
I understand that to some, having the schools open will be great and to others, who made plans to be away, this may be problematic.
For those still without power at this time, Somerville School will be open tomorrow, Friday, November 2nd from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. to charge cell phones and other electronic devices.
In addition, SAT testing scheduled for this Saturday, November 3rd has been postponed by the College Board until Saturday, November 17th.
Lastly, school and Youth outdoor sporting activities will start again soon and it is important to understand there are still many dangerous areas in the village due to storm damage. Please be careful. I do think it is important to re-engage our students in a very safe and organized manner.
Please be safe, be patient and check on your neighbors.
Daniel Fishbein, Ed.D Superintendent Ridgewood Public Schools
Stuck on Stupid : Nonunion Ala. crews turned away from Sandy recovery
Posted: Nov 01, 2012 11:05 PM EDT Updated: Nov 02, 2012 9:43 AM EDT
By WAFF.com
SEASIDE HEIGHTS, NEW JERSEY (WAFF) –
The hurricane-ravaged east coast has been receiving north Alabama help, but crews learned they’ll be doing work in Long Island, New York instead of in New Jersey.
SLIDESHOW
Utility crews volunteer for Sandy
Utility crews volunteered with Sandy recovery. See photos.
Crews from Decatur Utilities headed up there this week, but Derrick Moore, one of the Decatur workers, said they were told by crews in New Jersey that they can’t do any work there since they’re not union employees.
The crews that are in Roanoke, Virginia say they are just watching and waiting even though they originally received a call asking for help from Seaside Heights, New Jersey.
