>Village Planning Board goes on “Witch Hunt” against Concerned Residents of Ridgewood supporters the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ- Once again the Village Planning Board is attempting to undermine the citizenry of Ridgewood and show blatant disregard for the hundreds of residents who have showed up at countless meetings to voice their concerns over the Vally Hospital expansion ie “Renewal” .
In another slap in the face to taxpayers and residents the planning board is attempting to gain knowledge of the contributors to the Concerned Residents of Ridgewood group that is currently engaging in a lawsuit against the Valley Hospital expansion. This grass roots organisation has continued to come under attack because its dares to challenge many of the assumptions of the “Valley Renewal” .
It looks to us like the Village Planning Board is engaging in a “witch hunt” in a attempt to quell the opposition, and perhaps take out revenge on Concerned Residents of Ridgewood supporters .
>Village Council Reaches New Parking Solution the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ – The Village Council has finally come to a decision on new parking fee’s for the CBD or Central Business District shopping area. The council has agreed to adjust the parking fee structure in Ridgewood. The new parking fee’s will take effect as soon as new signs are made.
The plan keeps street parking at the current 50 cents an hour, but reduces the cost in municipal lots to the old rate of 25 cents per hour. Hours of enforcement will also remain the same, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.There will be no more free parking in municipal lots on Saturdays.
The council also rolled out a A new innovation to be implemented by the village. the UP System or Unlimited Parking System, The UP System will allow a commuter, resident or downtown employee to purchase a “placard” to place on their rear view mirror that permits them to park in certain areas where there is a meter. The proposed parking pass would tentatively cost $1,300 per year. Details still need to be worked out.
>Family Brings Civil Rights Claim Against Ridgewood BOE for Sexual Orientation Based Bullying
January 26, 2011
The Case The complaint, which was filed Jan. 5, claims that 16-year old Matthew Zimmer – represented by his father, David – faced several months of bullying and improper treatment from peers and staff at Ridgewood High School (RHS) due to his sexual orientation.
Included in the Division of Civil Rights’ documentation of the case, Zimmer claimed examples of bullying occurred, including but not limited to:
A health teacher asking during class time if he was “out of the closet” in addition to several other discriminatory comments. The teacher is also alleged to have said to the class that being gay was “caused by having abnormal genes.”
Several students putting sticky notes on his backpack with words like “fat fag” and, at least one student sending a pornographic Facebook message.
Graffiti spelling the words “gay must die” being discovered in the school’s cafeteria. Zimmer said he and his friends saw the graffiti while they were sitting at their lunch table. Zimmer claimed his health deteriorated in early 2010. He gained more than 50 pounds, he said, and by March he withdrew from all courses on the RHS campus except for chorus, based on medical advice. He continued to work toward completing ninth grade by enrolling in classes online, participating in tutoring and home-schooling.
An internal investigation of Matthew’s claims was conducted by two employees of the Ridgewood school district from April through June of 2010, and found that no staff member had committed wrongdoing. The local investigation by the Equal Educational Opportunity (EEO) Officer in conjunction with the Director of Human Resources / Affirmative Action Officer for the district. According to a report by NorthJersey.com.
The two conducted interviews with 28 individuals, including 21 members of the RHS staff or administration, the district’s physician, and Matthew and his parents. Their findings were submitted to the district on July 13. The family then missed a deadline for an appeal, filing it with the County Superintendent instead of locally.
The New Jersey Supreme Court’s decision in L.W. v. Toms River Regional School District, 189 N.J. 381 (2007) provides a stringent legal standard that is applied in determining if a school district is to be held liable for student-on-student harassment based on sexual or affectional orientation. The Supreme Court held that under the New Jersey Law Against Discrimination (LAD) school districts are liable for such harassment when the school district knew or should have known of the harassment and failed to take actions reasonably calculated to end the mistreatment and offensive conduct.
The Division on Civil Rights investigates every complaint it receives, but only after preliminary investigation is conducted and probable cause can be established, does a second phase of litigation begin. A Finding of Probable Cause does not resolve a civil rights complaint. Rather, it means the State has concluded its preliminary investigation and determined there is sufficient evidence to support a reasonable suspicion that New Jersey’s LAD has been violated. The next step is “conciliation” where the division, the family and the board of education try to work out a settlement. If that doesn’t work, the case goes to trial before an administrative law judge.
The LAD provides that each Respondent found to have committed a violation is subject to a penalty of up to $10,000. The LAD also provides for other remedies, including compensatory damages and injunctive relief, such as changes in the employer’s policies and management/staff training.
Boutique Resorts are Ja-making Honeymoons More Intimate
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>New Jersey Pension Reform : Don’t let lawmakers play us for chumps, Christie tells Middletown crowd
Don’t let lawmakers play us for chumps, Christie tells Middletown crowd
The public needs to pressure state legislators to enact health care and pension reform this year, before the state digs itself further into a financial hole, Gov. Chris Christie told more than 200 people who braved Wednesday’s snowstorm to hear him speak. (Penton, Asbury Park Press)
Governor Christie and his Education Department announced that a record number of charter school applications had been approved in the latest round of the program. (Ahearn, The Record)
>N.J. toll collectors, to keep jobs, may get paid less
Toll collectors on the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway are considering concessions to keep their jobs from shifting into private hands. The union that represents turnpike collectors has proposed returning between $9 million and $14 million, Turnpike Authority board member Michael DuPont said. (The Associated Press)
02/01/11 7:30PM Planning Board Public Meeting 02/02/11 7:30PM Village Council Work Session 02/08/11 7:30PM Board of Adjustment Public Meeting 02/09/11 8:00 PM Village Council Public Meeting 02/15/11 7:30 PM Planning Board Public Meeting
>Obamacare: Medicare official doubts health care law savings
By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR, Associated Press – Wed Jan 26, 1:08 pm ET WASHINGTON – Two of the central promises of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul law are unlikely to be fulfilled, Medicare’s independent economic expert told Congress on Wednesday.
The landmark legislation probably won’t hold costs down, and it won’t let everybody keep their current health insurance if they like it, Chief Actuary Richard Foster told the House Budget Committee. His office is responsible for independent long-range cost estimates.
In Ridgewood, which got $98,941, schools Superintendent Daniel Fishbein said he spent part on special education aides. Considering previous state cuts, he wanted to make sure the district used its share lest it be taken away. “We were concerned all of a sudden it would be gone,” he said.
Districts must ask the state for reimbursements of expenses they want covered by the fund. These spending figures show how much the state paid out by Dec. 31. Some districts might have spent more but have yet to seek repayment, Education Department officials said. A New Jersey School Boards Association survey, however, confirmed that most districts planned to save the money for next year. … https://www.northjersey.com/news/state/114627609_Many_schools_have_left__stimulus_funds_unused.html
>Slopes behind ropes: fear of lawsuits closing great New Jersey sledding hills – Will Citizens Park be next?
Slopes behind ropes: fear of lawsuits closing great New Jersey sledding hills Published: Wednesday, January 26, 2011, 9:00 AM By Brian Donohue/The Star-Ledger
It’s one of the simple, most wonderful pleasures of life: zooming down a snow-covered hill just fast enough for a touch of fear to quicken your pulse. Maybe it’s a solo run. Maybe you’re clinging to a loved one as you tear down the hill tandem. Surely, sledding is one of those things that makes it worth toughing it out and living in New Jersey when sunnier climes often beckon.
Unfortunately, it’s getting tougher and tougher to find a place to do it. For the past two years on Ledger Live, we’ve taken viewers suggestions and hit the road in search of New Jersey’s best sledding hills. But more and more, we found, the hills that have thrilled generations of sledders are now closed.
>Governor Christie took steps to suspend the six PVSC commissioners without pay
Christie to 6 of 7 PVSC commissioners: you’re gone
Landing like a cannonball in the middle of the Passaic Valley Sewarage Commission, Gov. Chris Christie this evening issued letters to six of the seven PVSC notifying them that he has kickstarted removal proceedings for cause. (Pizarro, PolitickerNJ)
>Congresswoman Michele Bachmann’s Response to State of the Union
Bachmann’s Response to State of the Union As prepared for delivery:
Good evening, my name is Congresswoman Michele Bachmann from Minnesota’s 6th District. Two years ago, when Barack Obama became our President, unemployment was 7.8 percent and our national debt stood at what seemed like a staggering $10.6 trillion dollars.
We wondered whether the President would cut spending, reduce the deficit and implement real job-creating policies.
Unfortunately, the President’s strategy for recovery was to spend a trillion dollars on a failed stimulus program, fueled by borrowed money.
>Job creation most important, N.J. Democrats say (?)
Democratic legislators from New Jersey praised President Obama’s call for measures to create jobs and revive the economy.
“Job creation is the most important issue for South Jerseyans and all Americans,” U.S. Rep. Rob Andrews said in the wake of the State of the Union Address. (Staff, Courier-Post)
