Category: Village of Ridgewood

>12/14/09 — In honor of its one-year anniversary, Pizza Fusion 33 Godwin Ave.
Ridgewood, NJ 07450 Phone: 201-445-9010 Fax: 201-445-9020 https://www.pizzafusion.com/ridgewood is passing down savings to its customers.

On December 15 only, Pizza Fusion in Ridgewood will be selling personal organic cheese pizzas for $1 dollar only. Normally Pizza Fusion’s personal pizzas start at $6each, presenting customers a $5 savings on this special day. For large pizza orders, Pizza Fusion is offering another special — buy any 1 large pizza and get 1 pizza of equal or lesser value for only 1 cent.

“We’re looking forward to celebrating the first of many successful years in Ridgewood,” Nick Morin, co-owner of Pizza Fusion Ridgewood, states. “We encourage everyone to take advantage of these special offers, as we thank the residents of Bergen County for their patronage.”

Pizza Fusion’s well rounded menu offers something for everyone, from traditional pizzas and sandwiches to its extensive offering of handcrafted, specialty pizzas, like Four Cheese & Sundried Tomato, Sausage & Tri-Colored Peppers or the popular Founder’s Pie. Pizza Fusion’s award-winning, organic salads offer a tasty meal for a quick lunch or healthy dinner. Beyond its organic offerings, Pizza Fusion also offers a number of menu items for selective eaters, including vegan, vegetarian, lactose-free, and gluten-free pizza and other options.

Pizza Fusion Ridgewood’s anniversary offers described above are available for dine-in or takeout (no delivery). The $1 personal pizzas are limited to one per person; toppings are additional.

Pizza Fusion is considering Area Developer and Franchise candidates to open several locations throughout New York and New Jersey. For more information on Pizza Fusion opportunities, visit: https://franchise.pizzafusion.com.

About Pizza Fusion

Pizza Fusion combines a fresh, organic menu with an industry-leading environmental approach to restaurant service in chic dining destinations built to LEED certification standards. Pizza Fusion specializes in gourmet, organic pizza, ciabatta sandwiches, salads, and desserts. For additional information, visit: https://www.pizzafusion.com.

For editorial inquires, contact:

Eric Haley
Vice President of Communications
Pizza Fusion
2200 West Cypress Creek Rd.
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309
Office: (954) 449-7244
Fax: (954) 449-4957

>Ridgewood NJ Economic Downturn on CBSnews

From October 18, 2009

While Nero Fiddles and Rome burns there are now almost 40 vacancies in the central business district of Ridgewood. This blog over the last 3 years has warned time and time again that if things continue in the direction they are going our Village would be in jeopardy . The Village Council and the BOE have continued on a spree of tax and fee increases ,bad planning and irresponsible spending while our traditions and institutions have been degraded and or destroyed. What once made us special and unique is now under siege from the very people that should be protecting the Village. Weather it is the $9 million dollar Village Hall reck-avation , ill conceived parking rate increases ,a “stupid” math program ,$375,000 for a gold plated bath room and the complete and utter destruction of the “Home for the Holiday” tradition coupled with the desecration of the Village Christmas Tree ,yes its called a CHRISTMAS TREE! The Village has continued to move away from all the things that made this a great community .

Now before we blame Bush or the global economic meltdown ,it was all to obvious to most of us that for many years the number of residents connected to financial services was very significant. The fact that Ridgewood had over 16% of its work force employed in financial services was well known and was an often discussed FACT . Apparently it was well know by everyone except the Board of Ed and the Village Council and perhaps many of the merchants in town that never seem to be opened. Wall Street provided us with a gravy train to milk for every political whim . Alas the party is over ,Wall Street is no more .

There is still time to prepare for the new reality,while I do agree that the schools and fields are looking a bit shabby to say the least,and a proper long there capital investment and student population strategy is necessary ,this didn’t just come about since the last BOE election. Past experience has show that the schools seem to have become more a fiefdom for consultants and the NJEA than the place to prepare students to meet the challenges of the future or at lest prepare them to meet the requirements of the high quality college education. Nor did the failing of the down town magically appear since October 2008. In stead of the TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE that the village was known for where both the BOE and VC would over deliver and under promise at a reasonable price has now been turned on its head . Our Village is now stuck on over promising and under delivering where all projects are decided not on there merritt but on whether they cost enough ,with the most expensive option being the preferred option but seldom being the best option.

It is time for everyone to step up and take responsibility for the disastrous situation we find ourselves in . We have to make some hard choices . First the VC needs to take a look at all the commercial fees it charges ,like the ICE machine fee a left over from the horse and buggy Ice man days and bite the bullet and get rid of all these commercial fees that make the down town uncompetitive. These fees must be reduced or gotten rid of. Next the Village Council in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce must work a lot harder to actually promote the village downtown to retailers and other merchants . Many towns like Englewood, Tenafly and Westwood have been impacted by the flight of retailers too a much lesser degree than Ridgewood. Take a look for yourself. Perhaps many of Ridgewood fine Realtors can also contribute to this marketing effort. Restoring the “Home for the holidays” to its former glory is also an excellent way to promote the town.

As for the schools a focus on preparing young minds for attending a high quality universities should be the only priority .In the “old days” Ridgewood Schools would brag about how many of its graduates would go on to college and how many would attend prestigious Ivy league schools. Now all I hear to the constant lowering of standards and the ” I glad we beat Newark, attitude”. Folks Ridgewood has nothing in common with a city like Newark what so ever ! This kind of attitude is both insulting and ridiculous and you should be grateful everyday that we don’t live with the kind of problems a city like Newark has to deal with.This town was build on “GREAT SCHOOLS” ! If we raise our expectations instead of the constant lowering of them we will once again return to the “TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE” we are so fond of exposing.

There is no reason in a town with so many opportunities for young people to have a government run community center . We have facilities at Graydon, the Ridgewood Public Library and the Stable just to name a few as well as many church ,synagogue ,private schools and the YMCA to provide all the needed support for absent parents . Again Ridgewood is not Newark !

Many residents have suggested that we get rid of the parking meters all together ,and there for get rid of all the costs to service and maintain the meters ,some feel that like the Garden State Parkway ,Ridgwood would lose less money with no meters at all . This may or may not be true I don’t know.

In the past we have made many suggestions ,while initially po-poed many have been adopted . What ever the case it is time to go back to some of the tried and true ideas that made Ridgewood such a Great Place to live . Some ideas will work and some will fail but anything is better than sticking to the current coarse of government assisted suicide for the Village.

In the next couple of months the Ridgewood blog is going to roll out a series of articles on both the History of the Village, the Tradition of Excellence and suggestions for what it may take to restore the luster to the Village. We encourage you to participate as much as possible in the discussion. We are looking to foster solutions which means that full and open debate is expected and required and those with bad intentions will be outed.

thank you,

PJ Blogger
and the Staff of the Ridgewood blog

>

MODERN SALON’S Maggie Mulhern decided to pop in to Industrie Hair Gurus, New Jersey, and see Tabatha Coffey in action on her home turf. Tabatha, from Bravo TV’S “Tabatha’s Salon Takeover” gives a tour

Industrie Hair Gurus
88 Godwin Avenue
Ridgewood, NJ 07450-3741
(201) 251-4600

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>

The Tobacco Shop of Ridgewood is beginning its 30th year in business, and what better way to celebrate than expanding our products and services worldwide.

Our selections of Pipes, Cigars, Tobaccos and Accessories are matched by no other. With 30 years of experience in the tobacco industry, our staff knows what the “luxury of smoking” is all about. Our knowledge of fine products has made our store one of the elite. Let us pass along our experience and expertise to you by supplying the products and knowledge needed to become the connoisseur you have longed to be.

If you are anywhere near the New York/ New Jersey Metropolitan area, it is well worth your time to stop in and see our display of over 400 high-end pipes. With such a collection on hand, you will surely find a piece that fits your persona and specifications. You will also find our 500 square foot walk-in humidor stocked with well over 700 facings of the most exclusive premium cigars, truly creating “a kid in a candy store scenario!”

If you have time to stay, select a fine cigar and find your way upstairs to the 360 degree balcony lounge. Make yourself an espresso and sit back and relax in one of the many leather wing-backed chairs. Unwind and embrace all the enjoyments a fine cigar has to offer.

The Tobacco Shop of Ridgewood 10 Chestnut Street Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450

Phone: 201-447-2204 Email: [email protected]
Hours: Monday – Saturday 10:00AM – 5:30PM and Thursday Night 6:30PM – 8:30PM

https://tobaccoshop.com/index.html

>For feds, more get 6-figure salaries
Average pay $30,000 over private sector
By Dennis Cauchon
USA TODAY

https://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20091211/1afedpay11_st.art.htm?loc=interstitialskip

The number of federal workers earning six-figure salaries has exploded during the recession, according to a USA TODAY analysis of federal salary data.

Federal employees making salaries of $100,000 or more jumped from 14% to 19% of civil servants during the recession’s first 18 months — and that’s before overtime pay and bonuses are counted.

Federal workers are enjoying an extraordinary boom time — in pay and hiring — during a recession that has cost 7.3 million jobs in the private sector.

The highest-paid federal employees are doing best of all on salary increases. Defense Department civilian employees earning $150,000 or more increased from 1,868 in December 2007 to 10,100 in June 2009, the most recent figure available.

When the recession started, the Transportation Department had only one person earning a salary of $170,000 or more. Eighteen months later, 1,690 employees had salaries above $170,000.

The trend to six-figure salaries is occurring throughout the federal government, in agencies big and small, high-tech and low-tech. The primary cause: substantial pay raises and new salary rules.

“There’s no way to justify this to the American people. It’s ridiculous,” says Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, a first-term lawmaker who is on the House’s federal workforce subcommittee.

Jessica Klement, government affairs director for the Federal Managers Association, says the federal workforce is highly paid because the government employs skilled people such as scientists, physicians and lawyers. She says federal employees make 26% less than private workers for comparable jobs.

USA TODAY analyzed the Office of Personnel Management’s database that tracks salaries of more than 2 million federal workers. Excluded from OPM’s data: the White House, Congress, the Postal Service, intelligence agencies and uniformed military personnel.

The growth in six-figure salaries has pushed the average federal worker’s pay to $71,206, compared with $40,331 in the private sector.

https://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20091211/1afedpay11_st.art.htm?loc=interstitialskip

>


Happy Chanukah from the Staff of the Ridgewood blog.

>
Fear triggers gold shortage, drives US treasury yields below zero
By Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
Last Updated: 9:26AM GMT 11 Dec 2008

https://www.usrarecoininvestments.com/coin_articles/gold2.htm

The investor search for a safe places to store wealth as the financial crisis shakes faith in the system has caused extraordinary moves in global markets over recent days, driving the yield on 3-month US Treasuries below zero and causing a rush for physical holdings of gold.

“It is sheer unmitigated fear: even institutions are looking for mattresses to put their money until the end of the year,” said Marc Ostwald, a bond expert at Insinger de Beaufort.

The rush for the safety of US Treasury debt is playing havoc with America’s $7 trillion “repo” market used to manage liquidity. Fund managers are hoovering up any safe asset they can find because they do not know what the world will look like in January when normal business picks up again. Three-month bills fell to minus 0.01pc on Tuesday, implying that funds are paying the US government for protection.

“You know the US Treasury will give you your money back, but your bank might not be there,” said Paul Ashworth, US economist for Capital Economics.

The gold markets have also been in turmoil. Traders say it has become extremely hard to buy the physical metal in the form of bars or coins. The market has moved into “backwardation” for the first time, meaning that futures contracts are now priced more cheaply than actual bullion prices.

It appears that hedge funds in distress are being forced to cash in profits on gold futures to cover losses elsewhere or to meet redemptions by clients. But smaller retail investors – and perhaps some big players – are buying bullion in record volumes to store in vaults.

The latest data from the World Gold Council shows that demand for coins, bars, and exchange traded funds (ETFs) doubled in the third quarter to 382 tonnes compared to a year earlier. This matches the entire set of gold auctions by the Bank of England between 1999 and 2002.

Peter Hambro, head Peter Hambro Gold, said the data reflects a “remarkable” shift in the structure of the market. The rush to safety reflects a mix of fears about the fragility of world finance and concerns that the move towards zero interest rates could set off an inflationary surge further down the road, and possibly call into question the worth of some paper currencies.

The near paralysis in the “repo” markets may prove to be no more than pre-Christmas jitters as banks square their books.

However, there are some signs that extreme monetary stimulus by the US Federal Reserve and other banks is starting to have unintended consequences.

The Bank of Japan is it is reluctant to cut its rates to zero again because of the damage this causes to the money markets, which serve as a key lubricant of the credit system. The US is now starting to face the same dilemma.

https://www.usrarecoininvestments.com/coin_articles/gold2.htm

>Dear Supporters,

Last Saturday, thousands of people took to the streets of New York City to protest Attorney General Eric Holder’s outrageous plan to transfer 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other admitted war criminals to the United States for trial in a civilian court in New York City. The protest sent a clear message to the politicians in Washington: the terrorists who targeted innocent men, women and children and who were captured by our military on a foreign battlefield should not have the same rights and legal protections as American citizens. We will fight them all the way!

Opposition to this dangerous policy began on November 9, 2009, when 300 9/11 family members sent a letter to President Obama, urging him not to transfer these enemy combatants to US soil for trial. Thanks to your signatures, the number of signers now exceeds 135,000.

Four days later, on November 13th, Holder announced his decision to bring unrepentant, committed Islamic terrorists to a civilian court in lower Manhattan where they can mock their victims and rally their fellow terrorists just blocks away from where 2,752 people were murdered. He made this decision without consulting the Department of Homeland Security, New York City’s police commissioner or its mayor.

In response to this decision, 9/11 families, first responders and military families have joined together to stop Holder from giving Khalid Sheikh Mohammed the platform he craves in the heart of New York City. To support their efforts, Keep America Safe, theBravest.com and 9/11 Families for a Safe and Strong America, formed the 9/11 Never Forget Coalition.

With this new coalition, we can combine the firepower of all supporting organizations to target this one specific issue for reversal. This effort has been met with overwhelming support. Since its inception, the Coalition has gained the support of the Center for Security Policy, ACT For America and the Uniformed Retired Firefighters Association, among others.

The rally in New York City was a warning shot to the members of Congress. Now the fight needs to move from the streets of New York to the offices of Congress. By a wide margin, recent polls show that Americans do not support this policy. We will target any member of Congress who ignores the will of the people on this issue.

We are asking every person who objects to the terror trials to contact Congressional offices in Washington and in local districts. Phone calls, letters and personal visits can keep the pressure on Congress.

Even if you don’t receive a personal response, they are getting your messages. If you don’t do anything, you will guarantee they will never hear you. Action is needed on your part — on our part — to preserve the chance that our voices will be heard and terrorists captured on the battlefield will be kept out of our civilian courts.

We are not asking you for your money or your vote; we are asking for something far more valuable: your time. This is not an appeal for you to do something for us. This is an appeal asking you to raise your voice.

Put your Congressmen and Senators on record.

Today, Keep America Safe launched the video “Raise Your Voice,” which was shot on location this past Saturday at the rally in New York. We encourage you to respond to this video via YouTube with a short video report of what your representative told you when you called, emailed or visited.

Besides video reports, we encourage you to join the Coalition’s Facebook page and file your report on its wall. You can also post a brief line directed to @Never911Forget on Twitter, telling the world who is with us and who stands against us. We also urge you to report your findings to local and national radio, telling the hosts what your representatives told you. All of these things can make a difference and will keep the pressure on Congress.

Let’s find out who the real leaders are in the U.S. Congress and who is willing to fight back.

Sincerely,

Tim Brown and Debra Burlingame
Co-founders, 9/11 Never Forget Coalition

P.S. This Friday night, Fox News Channel’s “Hannity” program will be an hour-long town hall special featuring 9/11 family members and first responders who are furious that members of Congress are letting admitted war criminals have civilian trials on US soil. The Coalition will be represented in the audience and we urge you to tune in and hear their reasons for opposing these trials. “Hannity” airs at at 9pm EST, with a replay at 12 midnight EST.

>ACORN Document Dump: Citibank Jeopardizes Customers for ACORN

by Derrick Roach

https://biggovernment.com/author/droach/

What does the Persian Gulf emirate of Dubai and ACORN have in common? Both of them have some bankers on Wall Street worried. …

It is understandable why Wall Street would be concerned about Dubai. Why would they be concerned about ACORN? On October 24, 2009, Biggovernment.com revealed that the San Diego office of ACORN dumped thousands of documents into a dumpster in advance of an investigation into the organizations activities by California Attorney General Jerry Brown. I retrieved the documents from a shared public dumpster located behind the local ACORN office. The documents that were retrieved filled the back of my Suburban. Much of what was retrieved was truly trash, items such as banana peels, coffee grounds and marketing materials. After sorting through the documents, though, the 20,000 documents that were retained included sensitive personal information, financial records and documents outlining the internal and political workings of ACORN. One of the documents obtained by Biggovernment.com shows that ACORN had business relationships with 28 major financial institutions for the purpose of assisting homeowners whose mortgages were in foreclosure.

https://biggovernment.com/author/droach/

>America’s Best High Schools 2010 ,

#11. High Technology High School

Location: Lincroft, NJ
Enrollment: 255
Economically Disadvantaged Students (% of Total Enrollment): n.a.
Minority Enrollment (% of Total): 7.1
Quality-Adjusted Exams Per Test Taker: 3.6
College Readiness Index: 98.9

Despite the high cost of education in the State of New Jersey ,according to US New and world Report only one school made the grade

https://finance.yahoo.com/college-education/article/108341/americas-best-high-schools-2010?mod=edu-k12_education

>Christie: With or without NJEA, education changes coming
December 08, 2009 • 8:00 pm
By Bob Ingle
Chris Christie

https://blogs.app.com/politicspatrol/2009/12/08/christie-with-out-without-njea-education-changes-coming/

Gov.-elect Chris Christie says not only can we reduce spending, we have to. And if the Legislature can’t go along, he will use his veto. He says they won’t have enough votes to override.

Appearing on 101.5 FM’s “Ask the Governor” (Governor-elect edition) Christie says he will speak out and name names and pointed out, he already has. ”Get used to it, you have four years coming” of his tell it like it is style.

He says business taxes will drop in July when some taxes are scheduled to expire. He said he won’t renew them.

In the short term, he said, the property tax link to funding education can’t be changed. He said he wants to try other ways before de-linking because that is just tax-shifting and he wants tax reduction.

Asked what he would do to help unions thrive, Christie said the only way to do it is make business thrive by lowering business taxes.

He said he doesn’t think the time is right to increase the cost of labor via laws to hike prevailing wages.

A state worker said she saw waste and corruption and wanted to know what he would do to clean it up. Christie said he will do all he can to fix it. Christie said he told staff its job is not to replace Democratic hacks with Republican hacks. Their job is to do away with needless jobs.

Christie said he will evaluate political appointees, not wholesale eliminate appointees.

Christie said he has put forward specific ideas for reducing taxes, auditing school boards, for instance. “One we get those results, tying the amount of school aid to reduction of middle management costs.” He also said he wants school board elections moved to November.

Host Eric Johnson reminded Christie the teachers union, NJEA, was no friend of his during the campaign. Christie agreed. He said contrary to published reports, the NJEA had not contacted his office about a meeting after the election.

“Teachers are not the problem. It’s the over-politicized of the leadership of their union.” He said he will work with the union but if they don’t he will make education changes anyway.

https://blogs.app.com/politicspatrol/2009/12/08/christie-with-out-without-njea-education-changes-coming/

>N.J. Gov.-elect Chris Christie to call for audit of school boards
By The Associated Press
December 08, 2009, 9:51PM

https://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/12/nj_gov-elect_chirs_chirstie_to.html

Chris Faytok/The Star-Ledger

N.J. Gov.-elect Chris Christie during his campaign for governor in Whippany.TRENTON — Gov.-elect Chris Christie says he will call for an audit of all school boards when he becomes governor and wants to move school board elections to November.

During New Jersey 101.5’s “Ask the Governor” program on Tuesday, Christie also suggested tying education funding to a reduction of “middle management” in school districts as he looks to cut property taxes and close an $8 billion budget deficit for the upcoming fiscal year.

Nearly half of all property taxes, which are the highest in the nation at an average of $7,000 a home, go toward education funding.

https://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/12/nj_gov-elect_chirs_chirstie_to.html

>December 4, 2009

Health care reform, yes. But at what cost?
Senate’s excise tax proposal is the wrong approach
By Barbara Keshishian, NJEA President

America needs health insurance reform, and we need it now. But we do not need the kind of reform that the Senate is currently debating, which would shift massive costs onto many middle-class workers who have insurance through their employers. The problem is a sneaky excise tax, ostensibly levied on insurance companies, which would be passed directly on to employees and employers in the form of higher premiums.

The excise tax would be levied against insurance companies on premiums exceeding a certain threshold, which begins as low as $8,500 for single coverage and is slated to rise much more slowly than the average increase in the cost of insurance. In effect, it means that while initially it may affect only a small number of middle-income families, within just a year or two, it will begin to capture many more insurance policies.

One projection, based on the average cost of family insurance coverage provided through the School Employees’ Health Benefits Program, shows that the excise tax is likely to kick in by year two. By year ten, based on projected growth in the cost of insurance, the tax could well exceed $10,000 on a family premium. That cost will certainly pass from the insurance company to the employer who pays the premium. Employers will attempt to shift the burden to employees. The end result: higher costs for middle class families.

Even worse, the quality of insurance coverage will almost certainly decline. To minimize or avoid the impact of the excise tax, employers and employees will be forced to consider reduced benefits, again leaving families more vulnerable to unexpected – and potentially uncovered – medical costs. Ultimately, the excise tax would trigger a race to the bottom, raising costs, lowering quality and putting a greater burden on middle-class families who can ill afford it.

There is a better way. The House of Representatives has passed health care reform legislation that accomplishes essentially the same reform objectives as the Senate version without passing the bill on to middle-class workers. Instead, the House bill finances this critical reform with a modest surcharge on individuals whose adjusted gross income is over $500,000, or couples earning over $1 million.

Both bills greatly expand coverage. Both contain provisions to benefit low-income families and senior citizens. Both ultimately reduce the federal deficit. But the House bill is paid for by asking the super-wealthy to step up and contribute their fair share. The Senate bill, as currently written, tries to sneak another tax onto middle-class families.

During his campaign last year, President Obama promised that individual taxpayers earning less than $250,000 per year would not see their taxes increase during his administration. He took the additional bold step of telling wealthy Americans that they might be asked to contribute a little more. The House bill keeps that promise. The Senate bill violates the spirit, if not the letter, of the president’s pledge.

It is time for our senators to decide whose interests they represent: the super-wealthy, who will benefit from the Senate’s taxing scheme, or the middle-class families who are counting on them for real health care reform.

https://www.njea.org/page.aspx?a=4145