Category: Village of Ridgewood

>Well here is my opinion:

1st: BF is the only school without “Teen Angels” which is a group against cyberbulling – the main reason for the voluntarily ban. In GW we have a elective course about cyber bulling awareness and we go around schools (We can only do Orchard, Willard and Ridge for obvious reasons) teaching kids about what to do if you are cyber bullied. BF was going to start this program in their school but decided against it (last year I believe). If they were to just add a Teen Angel course then the whole issue would be solved.

2nd: You can’t get rid of facebook. Parents can close their kids accounts but they will just make a new one under a new name.

3rd: Student/Parent accountability: The principal of BF said that kids were posting updates at 3:30 in the morning on school nights. While I did mention “school” in that sentence the school has no authority when it comes to what happens in a pupils home. Parents should be the ones at fault for letting their kids say up that late. Simply add “Parental Controls” to your computer and problem solved.

In all: If BF were to have create a “Teen Angel” school then I guarantee that their would be less cyber bullying and if they had gone through with their plan to create it in the first place then this would have never happned.

Teen Angel Site: https://www.teenangels.org/

Peter Coti
George Washington Middle School Student

>MacMurphy’s Restaurant in Wlisey Square announces
our outdoor cafe is opening this week-end due to
the beautiful weather anticipated.

Join us for lunch or dinner for our usual regular menu
fare or sample our all day specials.

Dine w/ family and friends in the outdoor cafe and
don’t forget to ask what’s cold and on tap.
( Sounds like a blender drink week-end!! )
10 t.v.’s indoors if you want to watch sports.

Kentucky Derby will be featured on the big screen
on Saturday.

As life long residents of Ridgewood, stop in and say hello
to us and support local business.

Eileen & Scott Smith
MacMurphy’s
8 Godwin Ave.
201-444-0500

>Mayor’s new job costs town a meeting
Saturday, December 5, 2009
BY EVONNE COUTROS
The Record

https://www.northjersey.com/news/78581642.html

UPPER SADDLE RIVER — Mayor Kenneth Gabbert is shortchanging residents by reducing the number of monthly council meetings from two to one, and it happens to coincide with his being hired last month as Ridgewood village manager, says one councilman.

Wearing two hats is fine, but not when residents in Upper Saddle River will lose one council meeting a month, said Upper Saddle River Councilman Dennis Schubert.

“He has taken a very good job in Ridgewood, but it shouldn’t be to the detriment of Upper Saddle River,” Schubert said. “Since he took this job in Ridgewood, he has a meeting there on the second Wednesday and chosen to go to that instead of the meeting in Upper Saddle River. He has a conflict of meetings.”

Gabbert, who began his $165,000 a year job in Ridgewood on Nov. 2, says that’s not the case.

“Upper Saddle River handles Upper Saddle River’s schedule,” Gabbert said. “The council members in Upper Saddle River select the schedule that the council meetings are held. The mayor would only even vote if there’s a tie.”

Holding fewer meetings wasn’t an issue through 2009, Gabbert said.

“We’ve really kind of done it by default anyway — probably seven or eight of the meetings in 2009,” he said.

Meetings in Upper Saddle River are held the first Thursday and the second Wednesday of the month.

A reduction to one meeting will be a “month to month” evaluation, said Borough Administrator Ted Preusch. When the council meets on its regular Thursday, it begins two hours earlier to complete the work in one night rather than two.

“Based upon current issues, we can do two hours early on one night,” Preusch said. “I wouldn’t think you would be shortchanging the public because they have the opportunity to come to any meeting and the meeting that they normally do come to is the regular meeting of the mayor and council.”

https://www.northjersey.com/news/78581642.html

>Reader comments : Fancy Flyer from Cronk & Dowd

Everybody like the strollin’-through-downtown pix of our “like-minded” candidates in their his ‘n’ his outfits? Wait till they create a voting bloc with friend Aronsohn for a three-vote majority on our five-member council and get everything they want for at least the next two years. Or vote for Riche and Walsh, who think independently, so that the Council won’t tilt one way in every vote. Important!

>

New Jersey Residents:

Do Something Important!

The 2010 New Jersey Education Reform Rally will be tomorrow, Thursday, April 29, 6pm in Trenton, NJ. (A screening of The Cartel will occur immediately afterward at 7:30pm.)

The other side has their paid cronies… now it’s our turn. Tell them: Enough is Enough.

If you believe that New Jersey needs Education Reform now — come to Trenton’s State House Annex tomorrow, Thursday, at 6pm — and tell your friends & neighbors about it.

(No children will be pulled out of classrooms for this event.)

The Facebook Page for the Rally:
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=111332815571457

Tickets for the 7:30pm screening of The Cartel at the State Museum Auditorium, available here:
https://www.thecartelmovie.com/cgi-local/content.cgi?g=22#njswing

Please Join Us
We Need Your Help — Your Involvement Matters

Apathy Won’t Improve New Jersey Public Schools

It’s Your Turn to Be Heard

>Dear PJ:

Their was a power outage at 6:30 which affected Monroe from glen to north hillside/Monte vista. It took over 1 hour and 30 minutes for someone to arrive. During this period of time not ONE cop was seen in the area keeping people up to date, not even one cop came through. When the guy came he said “go home, this will only be a minute” then when I am walking home a transformer exploded 25 feet in front of me. When I asked “Will another one explode” he said no. Then 15 minutes later I leave and a wire explodes. It then took another 45 minutes to restore power. This job would have gone quicker if their was more then one guy working on the wire. And when he called for help all he got was a cablevision guy to sit around and watch. I would estimate 1000 people were effected by this, also I believe that some homes are still without power but I have not checked.

Hope this interests you for your next blog. Also isn’t it funny that PSE&G took forever to respond to residential areas but it only takes a few hours for the businesses to get power during the black out a few months ago? Granted the cables are underground but the whole town was filled with PSE&G workers.

Thanks for your time

Peter Coti
GWMS Student and Ridgewood citizen

>

>PUBLIC EMPLOYEE UNIONS (PART 1 OF 2): ARE THEY TO BLAME FOR OUR BUDGET CRISIS?

PUBLIC EMPLOYEE UNIONS (PART 2 of 2): ARE THEY TO BLAME FOR OUR BUDGET CRISIS?

>Bombace will retire as fire chief this week

https://www.northjersey.com/news/92185729_Bombace_will_retire_as_fire_chief_this_week.html

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

BY MICHAEL SEDON
The Ridgewood News
STAFF WRITER

Ridgewood Fire Chief Jim Bombace is set to retire Friday after 30 years of service to the village and its residents.

He was hired on Monday, July 7, 1980, a date that Bombace provided instantaneously because “well, you never forget that day.” After nearly 20 years with the department, Bombace became fire chief in May 2000.

“[The department is] very professional,” he said. “These guys are some of the best in the firefighting business in the state of New Jersey, and quite arguably maybe the country. We’ve got a great group of guys, and it’s been an honor and a privilege to be the chief of the Ridgewood Fire Department. And I’m certainly going to miss a lot of the camaraderie.”

There is also the feeling that comes when a firefighter saves a life or someone’s property that Bombace said he would miss after he departs.

“It’s a wonderful feeling when somebody says ‘Thank you for coming and helping us,’ and that’s something I’m going to miss,” Bombace said.

The biggest change in the department under Bombace’s watch was the computerized record-keeping system, he said. Before the department installed its own computer network, it relied on Central Dispatch’s system, which was slower.

“It’s made reporting a little faster, a little easier, and we don’t have to rely on connections to Central Dispatch,” the chief said.

Bombace said he would be available in an advisory role if the department needed his experience, and he planned to remain in Ridgewood as a resident for some time, working on some home projects.

A new fire chief has not yet been named.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/92185729_Bombace_will_retire_as_fire_chief_this_week.html

>The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a new analysis of ObamaCare, confirming that our nation’s health care costs will increase rather than decrease under ObamaCare. This violates a pledge President Obama made to the nation on September 10, 2009 last year.
CMS concluded:

• National health care expenditures will increase by $311 billion.
• Health care increases to 21% of GDP by 2019.
• ObamaCare spends more than $828 billion for health care coverage. (CMS didn’t analyze all the tax increases, such as HSAs, FSAs, increasing the AGI threshold, etc.)
• The government will spend $410 billion to expand Medicaid.
• Medicaid enrollment increases by 20 million new beneficiaries.
• 18 million people will be uninsured (excluding 5 million illegal immigrants).
• Uninsured and those employers who don’t offer coverage will pay $120 billion in taxes.
• 50% of seniors will lose their Medicare Advantage plans.
• Some of the Medicare cost-control mechanisms may not be sustainable.
• Community Living Assistance Services and Supports (CLASS) will run a deficit in 15 years.
• The $5 billion for High Risk Pools is not enough.
• Doctors may drop out of Medicare because of the changes in Medicare reimbursement rates.
• Medicare “savings” may be difficult to achieve.

>Who do you like for Village Council?

Doug Cronk 42 (11%)

Brian Dowd 47 (13%)

Bernadette Walsh 135 (37%)

Tom Riche 137 (37%

>Schundler: teacher wage freezes would yield $765 million

Tool kit legislation championed by Gov. Chris Christie would provide local governing bodies with more negotiating leverage and slice down salaries while save teachers’ jobs overall, says state Department of Education Commisisoner Bret Schundler. But the detailed contents of that tool kit are still not available as teachers in multiple school districts face the chopping block, even in school districts where teachers allowed certain salary give-backs if not full wage freezes. (Pizarro, PolitickerNJ)
https://www.politickernj.com/max/38637/schundler-teacher-wage-freezes-would-yield-765-million

>

The Cartel will be playing at Bergen County Community College’s Anna Ciccone Theater this coming Wednesday at 7:30pm. Tickets are available on our website: https://www.thecartelmovie.com/

Here is a bio on Mr. Bowdon:

Bob Bowdon, The Cartel’s director, has been a New Jersey-based television producer, reporter, news anchor, and commentator for the past fifteen years. His varied career has seen him producing television shows; hosting news programs; conducting in-depth on-camera interviews; appearing in satirical news sketches for the Onion News Network; anchoring regional news broadcasts covering New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut; and shaping Bloomberg Television’s World Financial Report. He is president of Bowdon Media, an Internet marketing firm, and holds degrees in mechanical engineering, engineering management, and film production from Purdue University, Stanford University, and New York University. The Cartel is his first film.

And a short snyopsis of the movie:

Teachers punished for speaking out. Principals fired for trying to do the right thing. Union leaders defending the indefensible. Bureaucrats blocking new charter schools. These are just some of the people we meet in The Cartel. The film also introduces us to teens who can’t read, parents desperate for change, and teachers struggling to launch stable alternative schools for inner city kids who want to learn. Behind every dropout factory, we discover, lurks a powerful, entrenched, and self-serving cartel. Balancing local storylines against interviews with education experts, the film explores what dedicated parents, committed teachers, clear-eyed officials, and tireless reformers are doing to make our schools better for our kids. Together, these people and their stories offer an unforgettable look at how a widespread national crisis manifests itself in the educational failures and frustrations of individual communities. The Cartel takes us beyond the statistics, generalizations, and abstractions that typically frame our debates about education, and shows us our educational system like we’ve never seen it before.

>In what has become almost a regular ritual the Paramus Police Continue to Spot Check Motorist on Ridgewood Avenue near the Parkway school.