Category: Village of Ridgewood

Accounting Gimmick: Ridgewood considers using $3M surplus
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
BY  CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER
The Record

RIDGEWOOD — The Village Council could conceivably draw $3 million from the village surplus, if it is intent on delivering a zero-percent tax increase while maintaining current staffing levels.

The $3 million solution to Ridgewood’s lingering budgetary concerns was floated by Village Manager Ken Gabbert at a recent council meeting.

The village’s present fund balance sits at $4.3 million, Gabbert said, adding that $800,000 of the money is restricted and cannot be touched.

That, Gabbert said, leaves $3.5 million in the surplus account the council could access to attain its stated goal of no tax increase for 2013.

Tapping into that money would prevent layoffs, increase funding to the library’s budget, and permit extended hours at Graydon Pool, Gabbert said.

The tactic gave Councilman Thomas Riche pause, because he said such a move would leave the village with a fund balance of just $500,000.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/203337361_Ridgewood_considers_using__3M_surplus.html

www.ridgewoodguild.com

3rd annual film festival in Ridgewood welcomes student work
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
BY  ELYSE TORIBIO
STAFF WRITER
The Record

WHAT: 3rd Annual Spring Film Festival.

WHEN: 6 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday.

WHERE: Clearview Cinema, 190 E. Ridgewood Ave., Ridgewood, 201-444-1235.

HOW MUCH: $15 per night, $25 for both nights, $12 for Ridgewood High School students and senior citizens. Tickets available at the door, Brownpapertickets.com and Mango Jam, House of DeCicco and Araya-Rebirth in Ridgewood.

“A Colorful Romance,” one of the feature-length entries in Ridgewood’s Spring Film Festival this year, opens with a short black-and-white sequence highlighting the village’s streets and landmarks like Ridgewood Avenue and Van Neste Square. The rest of the film follows awkward teenager Ted as he falls for Katie, the head cheerleader who literally brings color into his life via a secret Technicolor portal in the woods. The 64-minute film was made entirely by two teenagers.

“Being a former educator, I’m always in awe of the student filmmakers,” said Ridgewood Guild president Tony Damiano. “They’re all so enthusiastic, and the quality of the work we get from them is unbelievable.”

https://www.northjersey.com/arts_entertainment/movies/203140951_3rd_annual_film_festival_in_Ridgewood_welcomes_student_work.html

A Challenge To Those Who Support “Gay Marriage”
Vostra Guida
Apr 11 ,2013

(Washington State Attorney General has filed a consumer protection lawsuit against a florist who refused to supply flowers for a same-sex wedding.  The florist told the couple “I am sorry.  I can’t do your wedding because of my relationship with Jesus Chris.”  The lawsuit seeks to force the florist to supply flowers for gay weddings and seeks a $2,000 fine for every violation.)  

A Challenge To Those Who Support “Gay Marriage”
By Vostra Guida

The concept of so-called “gay marriage” is surrounded with high levels of emotions on all sides of the debate, and has come into even sharper focus this year due in large part to two cases recently argued before the Supreme Court, and the fact that the President of the United States and a slew of “Johnny-Come-Lately” politicians have endorsed the idea of government sanctioned gay marriage.

Yet for centuries, it was presumed that marriage is the union of a man and a woman, and today there are many federal laws that rely on the definition of “marriage” and/or “spouse” (including laws relating to social security, taxes, immigration, employee benefits, etc.).  At present, federal law (the Defense of Marriage Act) defines “marriage” as “only a legal union between one man and one woman as husband and wife.”  That same law also defines the word “spouse” as referencing only “a person of the opposite sex who is a husband or a wife.”   It should come as no surprise that I continue to support those definitions.

The main arguments in favor of gay marriage tend to focus on the “right” of homosexuals to be happy and to marry the person they love, and to be treated equally under the law.  But what we have not heard from supporters of gay marriage is what they propose for the new definitions of “marriage” and “spouse” to be used in connection with federal laws like the ones mentioned above.

So for those who have declared your support for gay marriage, I have a challenge for you:

1) Please propose new definitions of “marriage” and “spouse” that include homosexual relationships and that can be used in connection with federal laws.

2) If those definitions are not also inclusive of all varieties of relationships (for example, incestuous relationships, zoophilic relationships, or polygamous relationships — whether heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual) please provide the justification(s) for treating those relationships differently from typical heterosexual and homosexual relationships such that denying people who wish to enter into such marriages may be denied the same “right to be happy, marry who they love, and be treated equally under the law.”

In responding, please keep in mind that people involved in all of the aforementioned types of relationships are capable of conceiving children artificially (some requiring sperm or egg donations or a rented uterus) and/or are capable of adopting children, just like people in heterosexual and homosexual relationships.  Some may be too old to have children or have no interest in having children, just like people in heterosexual and homosexual relationships.

The above challenge is a serious exercise.  In order to understand whether redefining “marriage” and “spouse” is justified, workable, and generally a good idea, we need to know what the proposed new definitions will be and how those definitions are justified.

61st Sponsor Show Painting Images at Ridgewood Art Institute
Sun, April 14, 2013 – Thu, May 02, 2013
Time: 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM

Ridgewood Art Institute, 12 East Glen Ave., Ridgewood, NJ 07450

All are welcome to the opening reception of the 61st Annual Sponsor Show on April 14th from 2 – 4 pm at the Ridgewood Art Institute located at 12 East Glen Avenue in Ridgewood, NJ.

The Sponsor Show, our biggest fundraiser of the year, guarantees each sponsor a painting from the exhibition for a contribution of $275. This year’s show, entitled “Visions of Light” features artwork with beautiful light effects.

***Sponsors claim a painting of their choice at a lottery style drawing on the evening of May 3rd at
8:00 PM. Attend the opening reception to enter a ticket giveaway to the Bergen PAC. The exhibition is free and open to the public from April 14 through May 2, 2012. Gallery hours are Mon. – Fri. (10:00 AM – 8:00 PM), Sat. (10:00 AM – 3:00 PM), and Sun. (12:00 PM – 2:00 PM) Sponsorships can be purchased in person at the Institute or online at www.ridgewoodartinstitute.org.

Please visit the website or call (201)
652-9615 for additional information.

AG releases NJ Safe Task Force report

The state Attorney general today released the report of the safety task force created by the governor in the wake of the Newtown, CT, school shootings.

The 83 page report from the NJ Safe Task Force offers a series of 50 recommendations for curbing gun violence in the state.  The recommendations focus on several key areas including gun control, urban violence, mental illness, substance abuse, gun violence, violence in the media and school security.

Darryl Isherwood-PolitickerNJ.com

https://www.politickernj.com/64586/ag-releases-safety-task-force-repor

6TH GRADE SPRING MIXER At Ridgewood Community Center

RIDGEWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL MIXERS Sponsored by Ridgewood Recreation and the NJ Governor’s Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Village teens have the opportunity to come together as both George Washington and Ben Franklin Middle Schools join to form a “mixer”. Each evening offers students a chance to get acquainted with future classmates while enjoying music and dancing with DJ Sound Illusion, refreshments, fun and games. 6th Grade – Friday, April 12th, 7:30 to 9:30 pm 7th/8th Grades – Friday, April 19th, 7:30 to 9:30 pm (Ridgewood teens only)

The Anne Zusy Youth Center, 131 N. Maple Avenue (NOTE: all parents must drop off and pick up youth in the rear lot of Village Hall at the Community Center entrance.) A donation of $8 will be requested at the door. All donations will benefit the Community Center. Adult chaperones are always needed. Please contact the Recreation Office at 201-670-5560 if you are able to volunteer.

4 gay NFL players could come out on the same day, Brendon Ayanbadejo says
By Andrew Sharp on Apr 5 2013, 10:25am

Ravens linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo was released by Baltimore this offseason, and on the heels of comments earlier this week where he suggested that he was cut in part because of his outspoken stance on gay rights and equality issues, Ayanbadejo clarified himself to the Baltimore Sun on Friday. During an hour-long interview he made it clear that he harbors no resentment toward the Ravens, and respects them for the support they offered him throughout his career both on and off the field. But that’s not all.

https://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2013/4/5/4186668/gay-nfl-players-announcment-brendon-ayanbadejo

photo by Artchick photography

16.2% Effective Youth Unemployment Rate

Opportunities remain scarce for young people after years of debt-fueled government spending

Washington, DC – (4/5/13) – Generation Opportunity, a national, non-partisan organization advocating for Millennials ages 18-29, is announcing its Millennial Jobs Report for March 2013. The data is non-seasonally adjusted (NSA) and is specific to 18-29 year olds:

The youth unemployment rate for 18-29 year olds specifically for March 2013 is 11.7 percent (NSA).

The youth unemployment rate for 18-29 year old African-Americans for March 2013 is 20.1 percent (NSA); the youth unemployment rate for 18-29 year old Hispanics for March 2013 is 12.6 percent (NSA); and the youth unemployment rate for 18–29 year old women for March 2013 is 10 percent (NSA).

The declining labor force participation rate has created an additional 1.7 million young adults that are not counted as “unemployed” by the U.S. Department of Labor because they are not in the labor force, meaning that those young people have given up looking for work due to the lack of jobs.

If the labor force participation rate were factored into the 18-29 youth unemployment calculation, the actual 18-29-unemployment rate would rise to 16.2 percent (NSA).

Evan Feinberg, President of Generation Opportunity and one of the first Millennials to run for Congress, issued the following statement:

“March was another lost month for my generation. Young people are finding fewer opportunities and are being saddled with the costs of our country’s unsustainable deficits.

“Some people will try to blame the laughably small cuts to government spending known as the sequester – but aside from the Post Office, government actually added 9,000 jobs last month.

“After years of deficit spending and government meddling in the economy, 1 in 6 of us don’t have a job. Half of us are doing no better than a part-time job. All the while, we are all stuck with a bill that keeps getting bigger. It’s like we’re the last one to leave the bar and everybody else ran out without paying their tab.”

Photo by Boyd Loving

Accusations fly in brawl at ‘Real Housewives of New Jersey’ event
Thursday, April 4, 2013    Last updated: Thursday April 4, 2013, 10:57 PM
BY  CHRIS HARRIS AND VIRGINIA ROHAN
STAFF WRITERS
The Record

RIDGEWOOD — The Posche II boutique’s grand opening was anything but posh when fists started flying at a “Real Housewives of New Jersey” event last weekend.

And now, village police have been fielding cross-complaints of assault and threats.

The bloody brawl erupted inside an East Ridgewood Avenue hair salon, which was not yet open, as television cameras rolled on Jacqueline and Christopher Laurita and Giuseppe “Joe” Gorga, who allegedly took on a Paramus man.

The fights have come to be expected at “Housewives” events — and Posche events in particular.

https://www.northjersey.com/arts_entertainment/Brawl_breaks_out_at_Real_Housewives_of_NJ_event_in_Ridgewood_police_confirm.html

Guest Conductor Michael Parloff

“Piano & Winds”

presented by the Ridgewood Concert Band

featuring
Pianist Paul Van Ness  and
Guest Conductor Michael Parloff

Friday, April 5 8:00pm
Prelude Performance by the Hawthorne HS Band
7:30pm

West Side Presbyterian Church
Ridgewood, New Jersey

Tickets may be purchased online or at the door. : Adult $20; Senior $15; Student $7 www.ridgewoodband.org

‘Stupid’ doggie seat-belt bill won’t get Christie backing

Its about time some body said it

New Jersey’s cats and dogs won’t have to submit to seatbelt-like harnesses when they ride in the car so long as Chris Christie is governor.

Christie said he won’t sign a “stupid” proposal pending in the Legislature that would require motorists to secure the animals while in moving vehicles.

Democrats who control the Senate and General Assembly are wasting their time with the measure, said the first-term Republican confronting a shortfall in revenue and whose constituents face the highest residential property taxes in the nation and the worst unemployment rate in three decades.

“This will tell you everything you need to know about how New Jersey runs under the Democrats,” Christie, 50, said yesterday in his monthly “Ask the Governor” broadcast on Ewing-based WKXW-FM radio. “They’re actually spending their time on this.”   (Young, Bloomberg)

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-09-28/-stupid-doggie-seat-belt-bill-won-t-get-christie-backing.html

55 percent of small business owners would not start company today, blame Obama
September 26, 2012 | 10:39 am

Fifty-five percent of small business owners and manufacturers would not have started their businesses in today’s economy, according to a new poll that also reports 69 percent say President Obama’s regulatory policies have hurt their businesses.

“There is far too much uncertainty, too many burdensome regulations and too few policymakers willing to put aside their egos and fulfill their responsibilities to the American people,” said Jay Timmons, president of the National Association of Manufacturers, which commissioned the poll along with the National Federation of Independent Businesses. “To fix this problem, we need immediate action on pro-growth tax and regulatory policies that put manufacturers in the United States in a position to compete and succeed in an ever-more competitive global economy.”

The poll reports another ominous statistic for job creation: “67 percent say there is too much uncertainty in the market today to expand, grow or hire new workers.” Why? Because “President Obama’s Executive Branch and regulatory policies have hurt American small businesses and manufacturers,” according to 69 percent of the business owners surveyed.

Here are the key findings in the poll, as highlighted by NAM:

67 percent say there is too much uncertainty in the market today to expand, grow or hire new workers.
69 percent of small business owners and manufacturers say President Obama’s Executive Branch and regulatory policies have hurt American small businesses and manufacturers.
55 percent say they would not start a business today given what they know now and in the current environment.
54 percent say other countries like China and India are more supportive of their small businesses and manufacturers than the United States.

https://washingtonexaminer.com/55-percent-of-small-business-owners-would-not-start-company-today-blame-obama/article/2509069#.UGNuRpjLQph

“snooki” by www.artchick.biz

“This bill will permit local officials to make sure taxpayers don’t get ‘Snook’-ered”

Bill would let towns regulate reality TV shows

As if “Jim” McGreevey didn’t make New Jersey dumb enough ? 

A bill introduced Monday would give towns where  are filmed more control over the Situation. (Not to mention Snooki and JWoww, too.)

Assemblyman Ronald Dancer (R., Ocean) introduced the legislation for the “Snookiville Law,” which would let towns license and regulate the filming of reality shows and impose conditions, including requiring crews to pay for additional police officers.

Dancer said in a statement that New Jersey has a tradition of being a desirable setting for reality shows such as Jersey Shore, The Real Housewives of New Jersey, and Cake Boss.

“These shows can attract crowds, which can benefit local businesses and challenge a community’s resources,” said Dancer, whose district includes parts of Ocean, Burlington, Middlesex and Monmouth Counties. “This bill will permit local officials to make sure taxpayers don’t get ‘Snook’-ered or public safety is compromised when reality stars such as Snooki or JWoww come to town.”   (Parry, Associated Press)

https://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/20120925_Bill_would_let_towns_regulate_reality_TV.html