Readers says Ridgewood Planning Board Backs off Gail Prices all or Nothing Comments
The PB meeting was interesting last night. The meeting started with a discussion about the downtown assisted living/garage proposal. I think Blaise said that the project is only financially viable if they can build 60 fee high with no compromise on the number of spaces. This PB agreed with the Mayor and sent the project to council who will vote on an ordinance and then the whole thing goes back to the PB. Based upon statements made by PB members, there seems to be strong PB support for this project.
The PB then began the H-zone discussion by stating the The Record, CRR and the residents who attended the meeting misunderstood statements made at the last meeting and changes can be made to Valley’s proposal if it is consistent with the findings of experts. After that heated discussion came to a close, the PB hospital expert testified that Valley had submitted a good plan which for all intents and purposes means that the Valley proposal cannot be altered , correct?? Anyway, you can’t make this stuff up.
Many of us cringe when we think we are going to lose an hour of our valuable weekend by “springing forward” this Sunday. I personally do not like losing an hour, but I do enjoy the extra daylight. I thought I would investigate how “Daylight Saving Time” started, the complaints about it and the benefits.
We have Benjamin Franklin to thank for coming up with the original concept. Franklin, who wrote the proverb “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise,” was among the first to suggest the idea. In 1784, Franklin was U.S.. ambassador to France, living in Paris, and awoke earlier than usual one morning to see light streaming through his window. He then had an idea that he could make use of the “free sunshine” for many more hours saving on expensive candles. He stated in an essay that is everyone would wake up earlier that could get more done in the daylight and save money on candles. The basic concept of “Daylight Saving Time”, DST, was introduced.
Some historians say that modern DST was first proposed in 1895 by George Vernon Hudson, an entomologist from New Zealand. Hudson presented a paper to the Wellington Philosophical Society that proposed a two-hour shift forward in October and a two-hour shift back in March. He followed up his proposal with an article in 1898, and although there was interest in the idea, it was never followed through.
Timeanddate.com says; “The invention of DST was mainly credited to William Willett in 1905 when he came up with the idea of moving the clocks forward in the summer to take advantage of the daylight in the mornings and the lighter evenings. His proposal suggested moving the clocks 20 minutes forward each of four Sundays in April, and switching them back by the same amount on four Sundays in September. The first Daylight Saving Bill was drafted in 1909 and presented to Parliament several times and examined by a select committee. However, the bill was opposed by many, especially farmers and thus the bill was never made into a law. Willett died in 1915 without getting the chance to see his idea come to life.”
Almost 200 years after Ben Franklin’s essay, the United States adopted the basic plan in an effort to conserve energy during World War I. The practice of changing the clocks has had a somewhat bumpy history in the United States. It was first established in 1918, but then repealed a year later. During World War II, the country again took up the practice to conserve energy from 1942 to 1945. In 1966 the United States officially adopted the Uniform Time Act of 1966, which outlined Daylight Saving Time to begin on the last Sunday of April and end on the last Sunday in October.
Ridgewood reopens request for proposals for Gap lot
MONDAY MARCH 3, 2014, 3:30 PM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Ridgewood is still seeking qualified developers to propose viable plans to convert a small East Ridgewood Avenue lot into a “first class, two-story facility.”
The village this month re-issued a request for proposals (RFP) to solicit individuals or firms interested in constructing a retail building at Lot 12, Block 3703, commonly known in Ridgewood as the Gap parking lot. Potential developers have until May 15 to answer the village’s RFP.
A similar RFP was issued last summer, but the filing deadline expired before any developer could submit a proposal. Two separate entities had expressed interest in a potential project, though neither responded in time, village officials said.
The RFP and subsequent development project are parts of the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce’s large-scale plan to bring at least one municipal parking facility to the Central Business District. In 2012, chamber officials unveiled a plan that would result in the construction of two downtown parking garages.
Readers comment on Council’s Turn around on Police Recruit Hiring
Yes there was a meeting…. Unfortunately it won’t make the Amigo control news, can’t be printing retractions or acknowledging council actually to blame for mistake. it was very interesting to see the council do such a total 180 from last week. They were actually civil for a change. Maybe because one of the amigos didn’t make it there until the very end.. Residents came forward in unanimous support for Chief Ward slamming several of the council for their conduct towards the chief, for blaming him when it was their mistake and asking for the council to not punish the two young men who are the actual victim’s in this mess.
Even the lone opposition from last week was back peddling from his accusations and called for the two young men to hired.
Thank you Bernie Walsh for acknowledging the mistake was on the part of the council.
The Council agreed in principle to change the Ordinance. The Mayor came in 5 min before the end of the meeting. Nothing concrete said about reissuing the promise of employment to the two young men. As mention at the meeting the Village sent letters to the two candidates residing the promise of employment early this week. So I guess they fix have the problem but the candidates are sill in limbo.
The Knockout Game — NYT/NPR Say No Big Deal
By Larry Elder – November 28, 2013
The “knockout game” — and the media underreporting of it — combines the breakdown of the family with the media’s condescending determination to serve as a public relations bureau for blacks. The “game” is a dare in which a young man — all the perps appear to be male people of color, mostly blacks — tries to literally knock out an innocent bystander with one blow. Both National Public Radio and The New York Times say these reports of the “knockout game” being widespread are overblown and do not represent a trend. Really?
According to Colin Flaherty, author of “White Girl Bleed A Lot: The Return of Racial Violence to America and How the Media Ignore It,” the knockout game has gone national. He describes “knockouts” in Philadelphia, Atlantic City, St. Louis, Birmingham, Chicago, Charlotte, Milwaukee, Denver, Minneapolis, Georgetown, New York City, Greensboro, Baltimore, Las Vegas, Kansas City, Miami, Cleveland, Nashville, Peoria, Seattle, Saratoga Springs, Atlanta and a host of others towns and cities.
From a distance, the media can spot some lone idiot holding up an offensive sign at a tea party rally. But when it comes to black perp/white victim crime, there is a very different attitude. Consider the media reaction to the assault of three white girls on Halloween night, 2006, in Long Beach, Calif., just outside Los Angeles. Without provocation, a mostly black mob of 30 to 40 teens and adults brutally kicked, punched and pummeled three young white women, slamming them to the ground, ripping earrings from their lobes and beating them with a skateboard. One of the victims had 12 fractures in her face that required multiple surgeries, and had damage to her teeth and her eyesight. The women also suffered internal injuries and concussions. But for the efforts of a black good Samaritan, who waded into the crowd to help the girls, they might well have died.
The Los Angeles Times, the major metropolitan hometown paper, for one whole week did not write a single word about the Long Beach incident, which took place only twenty-some miles from the paper’s headquarters. Eyewitnesses to the brutal attack reported many in the mob yelling, “We hate white people, f*** whites!” during the rampage.
Ridgewood NJ, Last night on Halloween the Ridgewood Police Handed out Halloween Safety Treats. In addition to their patrol duties.
Officers were handing out safety glow sticks to young Trick or Treaters for Halloween . Above Officer Mark Butler helps these young ladies accessorize their costumes.
“Driver seriously injured in late night Ridgewood crash” arrested on drug possession charges
October 29,2013
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ , Ridgewood Police report that on October 29, 2013 at 11:35 PMa patrol responded to a motor vehicle accident on Fairfield Avenue. The responding officers found a single vehicle that had crossed into the opposite lane of traffic and left the roadway striking a tree. The driver was transported to Hackensack Medical Center by the Ridgewood Ambulance Corp.
During the investigation the investigating officers, Ptl Joseph Dibenedetto, Joseph Youngberg, and Sgt Heath James found what appears to be synthetic marijuana, heroin and hypodermic needles in the vehicle.
The driver Nicholas Demetro 25 of Ridgewood was arrested and charged with Possession of Marijuana, Possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of heroin. He was also charged with Drugs in a motor vehicle, failure to maintain lane, Failure to keep right, improper display of plates, and unsafe tires. The accused was released pending an appearance in Ridgewood Municipal Court.
Driver seriously injured in late night Ridgewood crash
10% in N.J. may be forced to switch health coverage
Tuesday October 29, 2013, 11:01 PM
BY LINDY WASHBURN
STAFF WRITER
The Record
One in 10 New Jerseyans will need to change their health coverage over the next year under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, industry experts say, despite repeated assurances from the Obama administration that those who liked their current plan could keep it.
Their policies currently do not include all of the health benefits required by the new law, such as pediatric dental and vision care, and had to be redesigned and repriced before the main part of the law takes effect in January.
Governor Christie added his voice to the mounting criticism from Republicans on Tuesday, saying that “people weren’t told the truth” about the Affordable Care Act.
“They were told they would be able to keep their policies if they liked them,” he said in an interview with “CBS This Morning.” “Now you hear hundreds of thousands of people across the country being told they couldn’t. The White House needs to square that with what was told to the American people and told to the Congress beforehand.”
About 150,000 New Jersey residents who buy their own insurance and 650,000 who get coverage through businesses with fewer than 50 workers have learned — or will learn over the next year — that they need to choose another option, said Ward Sanders, president of the New Jersey Association of Health Plans.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/10_in_NJ_may_be_forced_to_switch_health_coverage.html#sthash.mQPPefjw.dpuf
‘So much wrong’: Aetna CEO blasts Obamacare tech debacle
Published: Monday, 14 Oct 2013 | 12:57 PM ET
By: Dan Mangan | Health Care Reporter
Aetna’s CEO gave a harshly critical review Monday of the federal government’s Obamacare marketplace, saying, “There’s so much wrong, you just don’t know what’s broken until you get a lot more of it fixed.”
Asked on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” if he knew that the rollout of Healthcare.gov would be problematic, the insurer’s CEO, Mark Bertolini, said his giant company’s role as an alpha tester for the system gave it a sense of how many problems the health insurance marketplace faced on the eve of its launch.
“We were pretty nervous as we got further along,” Bertolini said. “As they started missing deadlines, we were pretty convinced it was going to be a difficult launch.”
(Read more: Rx for Obamacare? Feds mull rebuilding website)
His fears have been realized, he said, and the technological debacle seen at Healthcare.gov is one similar to just the handful he’s witnessed in his career.
“It’s nothing you ever like to repeat,” Bertolini said. “Because it’s very difficult. I’ve been there. It’s career-ending in a lot of cases.”
Reader: Valley expert will be invited back to answer to his contradictions an “undue BURDEN” on Valley. What????
When Valley’s experts testified last Spring, no one informed the public that the sessions were “quasi judicial”, and no one was given written information, power points or brochures ahead of time. How could any of us have “objected” or “cross-examined” these experts? And, of course, we could not afford to have legal representation during all of those meetings; we are living beyond our means as it is.
Now when there is the possibility that a Valley expert will be invited back to answer to his contradictions, we are told that this would cause an “undue BURDEN” on Valley. What???? What about the burden on us?
Often by going door to door, we have scraped up the $ to hire a lawyer and and expert for their precious time—time that is wasted by Drill. Many of us have children in college, and face a lousy return on the houses in which we invested–because of Valley. Many of us are caring for aging, ailing parents. We have left our children to the face their homework woes alone countless times to attend PB meetings (these started when my daughter was 8. She is now learning to drive, but still doesn’t understand when I can’t be there for her).
What about the burden on us? What about the burden we will be asked to bear if this ludicrous expansion happens????
Reader says the final decision resides with the Village Council the focus should shift to the Council Members.
One of the first things you learn in business is; “who is the decision maker?” That is the person you need to get to. If I remember correctly no matter what the Planning Board decides the final decision resides with the Village Council. If that is correct then the focus should shift to the Council Members.
Forget dealing with the hired gun Valley has sitting at the table objecting to what kind of coffee is going to be served. Start attending Village Council meetings and in the time allocated for open comments bring the arguments directly to the Council. No one from Valley is going to object, interrupt, or even show up. Let the puppets on the Planning Board continue their charade of “trying to follow the rules.” Focus on the Council Members who are going to have the final say. If I’m not mistaken we have another election in the not too distant future. I would assume the Valley debacle and the Urban Jungle that will be Ridgewood will be items #1 and #1A for anyone running for office or re-election.
Reader says Valley has bought influence at every level of government in town.
Don’t be naive people. The only remaining explanation to the surreal proceedings on the Valley expansion is money. Valley has bought influence at every level of government in town. They also have deep enough pockets to be a threat to the town legally if they don’t get their way.
And where there aren’t direct cash transactions, there are conflicts of interest everywhere. Councilwoman Hauck was a Valley Vice President and ran their black tie fundraisers for several years. PB Member Mr Grant works for Turner Construction and only makes a living when projects like this get approved. Councilman Pucciarelli has done work for Valley as well, and while he has temporarily recused himself, he’s making noise about rescinding his recusal .
Driver seriously injured in late night Ridgewood crash
Boyd A. Loving
12:32 AM
Ridgewood NJ, The driver of a white Nissan Sentra was transported by ambulance to Hackensack University Medical Center following the late night crash of his vehicle head on into a tree on Fairfield Avenue near Oxford Place in Ridgewood.
photos by Boyd Loving
Ridgewood PD, FD, and EMS units all responded to the scene of the accident upon receipt of multiple 911 calls. A minor fluid spill was contained by FD units as Ridgewood EMS personnel, with the assistance of paramedics from The Valley Hospital, worked to stabilize the victim on scene prior to transport. The wrecked Nissan was removed by flatbed tow truck. The accident remains under investigation by Ridgewood PD. The victim’s condition is unknown at this time.
A black box in your car? Some see a source of tax revenue
The devices would track every mile you drive —possibly including your location — and the government would use the data to draw up a tax bill.
By Evan Halper
October 26, 2013, 7:11 p.m.
WASHINGTON — As America’s road planners struggle to find the cash to mend a crumbling highway system, many are beginning to see a solution in a little black box that fits neatly by the dashboard of your car.
The devices, which track every mile a motorist drives and transmit that information to bureaucrats, are at the center of a controversial attempt in Washington and state planning offices to overhaul the outdated system for funding America’s major roads.
The usually dull arena of highway planning has suddenly spawned intense debate and colorful alliances. Libertarians have joined environmental groups in lobbying to allow government to use the little boxes to keep track of the miles you drive, and possibly where you drive them — then use the information to draw up a tax bill.
RHS Students pursue recycling initiative for the 2013-2014
10/27/13
Ridgewood NJ, The Students for Environmental Action Club (SEA) applied for and were the recipients of an Environmental Awareness Challenge presented by the Bergen County Utilities Authority, worth $1,000. RHS Principal Dr. Tom Gorman and SEA Advisor Alison Reeg attended the grant presentation ceremony and were inspired by many other environmental grant challenges.
Now placed throughout the school are blue recycling bins (for plastic) and green recycling bins (for paper). SEA will continue to pursue their recycling initiative for the 2013-2014 school year in the hope that the RHS recycling program will be truly successful. (l. to r.) BCUA Commissioner George P. Zilocchi, BCUA Commissioner Richard D. Schooler, BCUA Vice Chairman Ronald Phillips, Bergen County Freeholder Tracy S. Zur congratulate RHS Principal Tom Gorman and SEA Advisor Alison Reeg.
