Category: Village of Ridgewood

>3 Democrats size up facing Garrett
Thursday, December 29, 2011  
BY ZACH PATBERG
STAFF WRITER
The Record

The redrawn congressional map is not a week old, and Democrats are already gearing up to challenge Rep. Scott Garrett, R-Wantage, in a district that became more Bergen County-centric and less conservative.

State Assemblywoman Connie Wagner, D-Paramus, said she is “seriously considering” entering the 5th District race. A Facebook page created this week — Draft Connie Wagner for Congress — had attracted nearly 250 followers by Thursday.

In Passaic County, Freeholder Director Terry Duffy has formed an exploratory committee to “test the waters” and has reached out to party leaders.

State Sen. Bob Gordon, while calling his commitment to stay in Trenton a “moral obligation,” did not shut the door entirely on a congressional run.

“In politics, you never say never,” said the Fair Lawn Democrat, who emerged victorious from a fierce reelection battle less than two months ago. “But I really feel I need to focus on addressing the state issues here.”

https://www.northjersey.com/news/136418143_3_size_up_facing_Garrett.html

>50 FACTS ABOUT THE U.S. ECONOMY THAT WILL SHOCK YOU
Posted on December 18, 2011 at 3:55pm by  

“Even though most Americans have become very frustrated with this economy, the reality is that the vast majority of them still have no idea just how bad our economic decline has been or how much trouble we are going to be in if we don’t make dramatic changes immediately,” writes The Economic Collapse (TEC).

For those unfamiliar with this site, TEC is an economic blog that regularly compiles a comprehensive list of the most startling and unsettling facts about the U.S. economy.

Why? Because Americans need to understand that U.S. economy is precariously balanced on the edge of full-blown collapse.

“If we do not educate the American people about how deathly ill the U.S. economy has become, then they will just keep falling for the same old lies that our politicians keep telling them. Just ‘tweaking’ things here and there is not going to fix this economy,” the site explains.

Indeed, America’s economic situation has become increasingly unstable. However, what’s arguably more disconcerting than the state of the U.S. economy is the fact many Americans are largely–if not completely–unaware of just how serious things have become.

“America is consuming far more wealth than it is producing and our debt is absolutely exploding,” TEC explains. “If we stay on this current path, an economic collapse is inevitable. Hopefully the crazy economic numbers from 2011 that I have included in this article will be shocking enough to wake some people up.”

It might behoove Blaze readers to share the facts listed below with family and friends.

https://www.theblaze.com/stories/50-facts-about-the-u-s-economy-that-will-shock-you/

>AOL Needs ‘Immediate Action,’ Investor Says
By Edmund Lee – Dec 21, 2011 12:50 PM ET

AOL Inc. (AOL), losing as much as $500 million annually in its display advertising business, must take “immediate action” to stem shareholders’ losses, activist investor Starboard Value LP said.

Starboard, which said it holds a 4.5 percent stake, sent AOL a letter dated today that outlines its poor performance, estimating the Internet company sees “staggering” operating losses in display ads.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-21/aol-should-take-immediate-action-to-stem-losses-investor-says.html

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After end of ARC, NJ Transit focuses on privatizing parking, expanding rail lines

>50% toll increase slated for NJ Turnpike and Garden state Parkway on January 1st. 

The second phase of a toll increase approved in 2008 by the Corzine administration will go into effect on the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden state Parkway at 6:30am January 1st 2012 .

There were four public hearings in the fall of 2008. With the approval of then Gov. Jon Corzine, the Turnpike Authority Board of Commissioners adopted the two-phase toll increase after the final hearing on October 10, 2008. The rst phase went into effect Dec. 1, 2008. The second phase will go into effect Jan. 1, 2012.

How much will tolls increase? 53 percent on the New Jersey Turnpike, 50 percent on the Garden State Parkway. For speci c toll rates, see the revised toll tables on the Turnpike Authority Web site (www.state.nj.us/turnpike/toll-rates.html).

If the Turnpike Authority has been cutting costs and reducing the number of employees, why is a toll hike necessary? The additional revenue from the two-phase toll increase is not being used to pay operating costs. Instead, the revenue is funding the New Jersey Turnpike Authority’s $7 billion capital program and other transportation projects.

What projects are in the capital program? The revenue has enabled the Turnpike Authority to nance a 10-year, $7 billion capital program that includes the Turnpike widening between Interchanges 6 and 9, the Parkway widening south of Toms River and dozens of other projects that will relieve congestion, restore bridges, improve interchanges, expand the use of intelligent transportation systems, and increase safety on both roadways.

Will we see any immediate benefits from the capital plan? Yes. The work is creating thousands of private sector jobs. A study done for the New Jersey DOT and the Federal Highway Administration by Rutgers University in 2009 found that, on average, each $1 million of spending on transportation infrastructure projects in New Jersey sustains 10 jobs for a year. That means the Turnpike Authority’s $7 billion capital program will create or sustain some 70,000 jobs.

How do the toll rates on the Turnpike and Parkway compare to other toll roads around the country? At 4.8 cents per mile, the Garden State Parkway will remain among the lowest-priced toll roads in the U.S., less expensive even than rural toll roads such as the Oklahoma Turnpike and the West Virginia Turnpike. The New Jersey Turnpike, at 11.4 cents per mile, will remain less expensive than similar urban toll roads such as the Miami-Dade Expressway and the Massachusetts Turnpike, both of which cost around 20 cents per mile, and the Delaware Turnpike (I-95), which costs about 35 cents per mile.

https://www.state.nj.us/turnpike/documents/njta_toll_incre_2012.pdf

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> “Letter: Rejection of Valley was affront to Ridgewo…”: Mr. Halaby’s wife, Cynthia Halaby, is on the Valley Board of Trustees

The author of the letter, Rurik Halaby, states that “My interest in Ridgewood village politics was recently ignited by hearings on The Valley Hospital Renewal.”

His wife, Cynthia Halaby, is on the Valley Board of Trustees and addressed the Valley Renewal hearings in early November.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/133672623_Hearings_are_winding_down.html

I think Mr. Halaby should pay a little more attention at home if he only recently became interested in what he refers to as Ridgewood “politics”.

>“The Prisoner” Opening credits

>234 mayors endorse Christie plan to alter public employee’s sick leave and vacation benefits
THURSDAY, 08 DECEMBER 2011 21:34

BY TOM HESTER SR.

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

As Gov. Chris Christie’s office Thursday announced that a bipartisan group of 234 mayors support the governor’s proposal to change how public employee sick leave and vacation pay is allotted, Assemblyman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex) said the legislation is unconstitutional.

The mayors, Republicans and Democrats from every county have joined Christie’s in calling for what he sees as the Democratic-controlled Legislature’s delay in acting on the proposal. The governor argues his proposal would save taxpayer dollars and deliver budget relief to cities and towns.

11 mayors joined the Christie at a press conference in Teaneck, including Bergen County Executive Kathe Donovan and Teaneck Mayor Mohammed Hameeduddin, to call for “action on critical, common sense reforms that will provide significant taxpayer savings and give mayors the tools they need to manage their budgets and hold down property taxes for New Jersey families.”

https://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/state/234-mayors-endorse-christie-plan-to-alter-public-employees-sick-leave-and-vacation-benefits

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112th Christmas Bird Count
Citizen Science in Action

The count period for the 112th Christmas Bird Count will begin on December 14, 2011. Please check the Current Year’s Results link to the right to find out what CBC circles reported on the 111th CBC.

From December 14 through January 5 tens of thousands of volunteers throughout the Americas take part in an adventure that has become a family tradition among generations. Families and students, birders and scientists, armed with binoculars, bird guides and checklists go out on an annual mission – often before dawn. For over one hundred years, the desire to both make a difference and to experience the beauty of nature has driven dedicated people to leave the comfort of a warm house during the Holiday season.

https://birds.audubon.org/cbc?gclid=CLHD2dDf9KwCFUbf4AodByK9Rg#

>11 Leading Health System CEOs Share Top Goals for 2012
Written by Sabrina Rodak | December 07, 2011

Bob Garrett, President and CEO, Hackensack (N.J.) University Medical Center. Hackensack University Medical Center’s goals include reopening Pascack Valley Hospital, working on several construction projects, continuing a physician alignment strategy and enhancing the network development strategy. Hackensack UMC is planning an ED expansion that will double its size, include fixed private rooms and feature pods — different areas within the emergency department that are devoted to specialties such as geriatrics, cardiology and oncology. In 2012, Mr. Garrett hopes to complete construction of the new Heart & Vascular Hospital. In addition, the hospital aims to build a comprehensive wellness center. “It will include a large fitness component as well as wellness programs and community education. It will be the largest fitness and wellness center of its kind in the region,” Mr. Garrett says.

https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/hospital-management-administration/11-leading-health-system-ceos-share-top-goals-for-2012.html