River Vale NJ, In this interview the founder of Fair Share Housing stares that municipalities aren’t being forced to allow builders to build 5 market rate units for an affordable unit and that the narrative is “totally false.” For my friends around the State facing lawsuits from builders and Fair Share, are his claims accurate?
“Municipalities that don’t want to do their fair share claim that they’ll have to do five units for every affordable unit,” said Fair Share Housing Center Founder Peter O’Connor. “So, if their fair share were 200, they’d have to do 1,000 units. If it were 500, they have to do 2,500 units. That is totally false. The Supreme Court has given great deference to municipal decision making. And towns have a laundry list of 10 categories they can choose from to implement fair share. Only one is the development of market rate housing.”
NJ’s affordable housing crisis: how are towns meeting demand?
BY Briana Vannozzi, Correspondent | August 30, 2017, 3PM EST
The State Supreme Court’s Mount Laurel decision on affordable housing has confounded municipalities and complicated urban planning since it was handed down. There is still widespread dispute over the number of homes each municipality is required to provide. In the meantime, towns are finding creative solutions for those still Chasing the Dream. In the final part of our series, Correspondent Briana Vannozzi went to Mount Laurel where it all began.
Fair Share Housing Center’s Rev. Eric Dobson showed NJTV News cameras a newly constructed road to see the latest housing development inside the original Ethel Lawrence neighborhood of Mount Laurel. The affordable units of single family and town homes will be ready within a year.
“Many aren’t aware this affordable housing facility exists. So it seamlessly integrated into the town,” said Dobson.
Ridgewood NJ, the CDC and multiple states are investigating a multistate outbreak of human Salmonella infections linked to contact with pet turtles.
Thirty-seven people infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Agbeni have been reported from 13 states.
Illnesses started on dates ranging from March 1, 2017 to August 3, 2017 Of 33 people with available information, 16 have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. Twelve (32%) ill people are children 5 years of age or younger.
Epidemiologic and laboratory findings link the outbreak of human Salmonella Agbeni infections to contact with turtles or their environments, such as water from a turtle habitat.
In interviews, ill people answered questions about contact with animals during the week before becoming ill. Fifteen (45%) of the 33 people interviewed reported contact with turtles or their environments, such as water from a turtle habitat, before getting sick.
In interviews with 9 ill people about where their turtles came from, 6 reported buying a turtle from a flea market or street vendor, or receiving the turtle as a gift.
In 2015, state and local health officials collected samples from turtles at a street vendor. Whole genome sequencing(https://www.cdc.gov/pulsenet/pathogens/wgs.html) showed that the Salmonella Agbeni isolated from ill people in this outbreak is closely related genetically to the Salmonella Agbeni isolates from turtles. This close genetic relationship means that people in this outbreak are more likely to share a common source of infection.
Do not buy small turtles as pets or give them as gifts.
Since 1975, the FDA has banned selling and distributing turtles with shells less than 4 inches long as pets because they are often linked to Salmonella infections, especially in young children.
All turtles, regardless of size, can carry Salmonella bacteria even if they look healthy and clean. These outbreaks are a reminder to follow simple steps(https://www.cdc.gov/Features/salmonellafrogturtle/) to enjoy pet reptiles and keep your family healthy.
This outbreak is expected to continue since consumers might be unaware of the risk of Salmonella infection from small turtles. If properly cared for, turtles have a long life expectancy.
Waldwick NJ, Wanamaker Avenue, a middle-class neighborhood that according to residents has recently become infested with rats. After finding them all over their property some Waldwick residents say rats are taking over their neighborhood.
According to neighbors the first signs of the rats was in the spring, since then, the issue has begun to tailspin, with more and more neighbors reporting sightings of the animals, both dead and alive. Some have even set traps.
Residents claim the sudden invasion started with nearby construction of Waldwick Station a Russo Development and Terminal Construction Corporation project that began building an 111-unit apartment complex on Zazzetti Street, along the NJ Transit rail, last summer .
Glen Rock NJ, Glen Rock native Olivia Cecoltan, a Moldovan-born New Jersey girl attending Bergen County Academies, noticed the differences between the lives of children in Moldova and the United States began. In Bergen County pizza dinners and Toys-R-Us trips are a common part of a child’s life, it is difficult to understand that there are many places worldwide where other children do not have basic necessities.
Unlike many Olivia decided yo do something about the plight of children and set up the Hand in Hand Project (HIHP) a not-for-profit organization committed to improving the lives of underprivileged children in Moldova.
Moldova is known as the poorest country in all of Europe, so you can imagine the struggles children endure there. Moldova is a nation sandwiched between Romania and Ukraine in Eastern Europe. The area was occupied by several tribes until it was officially under Roman rule. The medieval Principality of Moldavia was constantly invaded and taken over by various European powers; it was eventually part of Bessarabia and then part of Greater Romania until World War II. It became part of the Soviet Union until the Moldovan people declared independence in 1991. It is now known as the poorest country in Europe. The median income is about 4909 Moldovan Lei, or $249 US Dollars. The Moldovan median income is less than the average monetary value of gifts each American child receives each Christmas, or $271.00!
This summer, Hand in Hand Project held the “Hand in Hand Project Summer Camp” for children exposed to domestic violence at “Mary’s House” in Moldova! The also set up a crowd funding and raised $2000 to aid in their efforts .
The Hand in Hand Project is currently partnering with several organizations in Moldova, including the Orphanage of Straseni which currently serves 58 children from ages 7 to 16.With almost no publicity due to the country’s small size and little impact on the world, orphans in Moldova are in dire need of assistance.
Another goal of this project is to spread awareness of the cause that the Hand in Hand Project stands for among students, faculty, and staff at the Bergen County Academies in Hackensack, NJ. In such a highly competitive school, in which it seems like getting a 4.0 GPA is the goal in life and anything lower makes a student a second-class citizen, many children need to take a step back and be more appreciative of the grand opportunities afforded them and the amazing lives they already lead by the age of 18.
I have always loved our country for the opportunities it provides. I am the child of parents who did not come from wealth but came from blue collar workers, a first generation American roofer on my dad’s side and a sea captain on my mom’s. From an early age I was pushed to succeed, to learn and to work hard. I stumbled along the way, almost failing out of high school at one point but managed to turn myself around becoming the first woman in my immediate family to graduate from college and transitioning into the person I am today. My life has not been an easy one. I have overcome many obstacles and failures but the things that always stayed with me were my work ethic and my willingness to learn from my mistakes. I have held every job a person could, from being the neighborhood babysitter to the shrimp de-veiner girl at a fish market to a successful lawyer and elected official. I have had money and I have had no money. I have traveled to and worked in other countries and have seen first hand how much we take for granted in our own country. I see the anger and hatred that people currently have and it candidly confuses and saddens me. Should our country work harder to ensure everyone is treated equally regardless of skin color, sexual preference, religion, gender, etc.? Absolutely. Have awful things occurred against people of color or in the name of religion throughout mankind’s history? Yes. Should we have more open and real dialogue on current issues involving race and religion? Yes. Are most people in today’s society racist, bigots, anti-Semites, Nazi’s, white supremacists or any of these items? No. I have been in public office for 5 years and I have prided myself on listening with an open heart to differences of opinion on all topics and issues. I am not someone who views issues as black or white but rather sees most issues are inherently grey without a right or wrong option. But this is the first time in 5 years that I fear for the future of our society as well as my own safety. We must stop the ramping up of hatred and labeling everyone who may not agree on every issue as racist, bigoted, Nazi, snowflakes, Antifa, etc. In the current climate it is dangerous and will result in violence if we continue down this path. I speak with hundreds of people each week. Almost everyone I meet or speak with falls on a bell curve with respect to their own beliefs. While not everyone will agree on all issues I find that most people ebb and flow on certain items depending upon their own life experiences. Very rarely do I encounter those who are the outliers that the press tries to make us believe are the norm and not the exception. Let us make a vow as Americans to respect one another, to bring back the ability to engage in meaningful dialogue on even the toughest of issues, to agree that people have the right to have a difference of opinion and to stop the labeling and name calling. Our country and our children deserve better from all of us
Paramus NJ, On Sunday, August 27, 2017, detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Fatal Accident Investigation Unit, under the direction of Chief Robert Anzilotti, along with members of the Paramus Police Department, under the direction of Chief Kenneth Ehrenberg, and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Department, under the direction of Sheriff Michael Saudino, investigated a fatal motor vehicle collision in which two passengers of a 2001 Ford Mustang were ejected and killed as the car crashed along Route 4 East, into the Bergen Town Centre parking lot in Paramus, New Jersey.
Officers responded to the Bergen Town Centre parking lot on Sunday, August 27, 2017 at approximately 1:09 a.m., on multiple reports of a serious, roll-over, motor vehicle crash. There, officers found the heavily damaged Ford Mustang. All four occupants of the vehicle had been ejected and were found near the vehicle in the parking lot. One of the victims, a 19 year old female Garfield, New Jersey resident, was dead upon police arrival. The other three victims, two Garfield females, both of whom are believed to be in their early twenties; and a 23 year old Paterson male, were transported to Hackensack University Medical Center. After her arrival, one of the Garfield female victims succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead. The other female remains hospitalized with serious injuries. The Paterson male was treated and released. At this time, the Prosecutor’s Office is not identifying the vehicle occupants, pending further investigation and notification of next of kin.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation and no determination has yet been made relative to any potential criminal or motor vehicle charges. Prosecutor Grewal would like to thank members of the Paramus Police Department and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Department for their assistance in this ongoing investigation.
Advisory: ROAD CONSTRUCTION NOTICE: Berkeley Place – Carlton Place – Elmwood Avenue
ROAD CONSTRUCTION NOTICE:
Berkeley Place – Carlton Place – Elmwood Avenue
On Monday August 28th milling will take place in preparation for paving. On Wednesday & Thursday August 30th and 31st paving will be done.
All vehicles must be removed from these streets by 7:30AM. Emergency No Parking Regulations will be enforced. Vehicles left on the street obstructing roadway repairs will be towed at the owner’s expense.
Access to these roadways during and immediately after paving will be limited. Residents should plan according.
Any question, please contact the Glen Rock DPW at (201) 670-3980.
file photo by Boyd Loving The Paramus Police Department is cracking down August 18 thru September 4
Impaired Driving Enforcement Crackdown to be Conducted Locally as Part of National Campaign
August 27,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Paramus NJ, Police agencies from around New Jersey are gearing up for the state’s largest annual drunk driving crackdown. The 2017 “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” Statewide Labor Day Crackdown begins August 18 and concludes on September 4. During the campaign, local and state law enforcement officers will conduct sobriety checkpoints and roving patrols targeting motorists who may be driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs.
“Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” is a national campaign designed to raise awareness about the dangers of drinking and driving through high-visibility enforcement backed up by educational activities including national radio and television advertisements, posters, banners and mobile video display signs. The campaign looks to curtail impaired driving during the busy summer travel season, including the Labor Day holiday period.
“Despite years of enforcement and public awareness efforts, too many people still make the unfortunate decision to get behind the wheel while impaired. Nearly 30% of all motor vehicle fatalities in New Jersey are alcohol related,” said Gary Poedubicky, Acting Director of the NJ Division of Highway Traffic Safety. “This is a zero tolerance campaign. If drivers are caught operating their vehicle while impaired they will be arrested,” he added.
As part of the initiative, the Division of Highway Traffic Safety provides grants to local police agencies throughout the state to run the two-week campaign. During last year’s crackdown, participating agencies made 1,649 DWI arrests.
Law enforcement agencies participating in the Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over 2017 crackdown offer the following advice:
• If you plan to drink, designate a driver, someone who will not drink alcohol, before going out.
• Take mass transit, a taxi or ask a sober friend to drive you home.
• Spend the night where the activity is held.
• Always buckle up, every ride, regardless of your seating position in the vehicle. It’s your best defense against an impaired driver.
• If you’re intoxicated and traveling on foot, the safest way to get home is to take a cab or have a sober friend or family member drive you to your doorstep
Kelly Nicholaides, Staff Writer, @rovingwriter Published 6:18 a.m. ET Aug. 26, 2017 | Updated 8:50 a.m. ET Aug. 26, 2017
GARFIELD — Merchants and homeowners are bracing for an eminent domain fight since their properties were included in a redevelopment study. Mayor Richard Rigoglioso points to news and magazine clips he is collecting that characterize Garfield as one of the worst places to live in New Jersey as to why redevelopment is needed to regrow the city.
Rigoglioso wants to change the negative perception–beginning with redeveloping the six block area surrounding the Passaic Street train station.
“It’s a tough area to live in, overpopulated with a lot of 2 to 3 family units and absentee landlords. These six blocks haven’t changed for the better,” said Rigoglioso after the Aug. 24 Planning Board meeting. “If we redevelop the area, we can gain Transit Village status, like what Bloomfield did to improve the area around their train station. We want people to visit Garfield and spend money here.”
Paramus NJ, the Paramus Police have issues a CRIME ALERT: DISTRACTION BURGLARY ATTEMPT. Paramus residents recently reported two instances of “Distraction Burglary Attempts” . First in the area of Paramus Road and Johnson Court was almost the victim of a diversion burglary. One suspect approached the homeowner and stated he was a police officer and needed to see the residents backyard.
Meanwhile a second suspect entered the unlocked front door of the home where he was confronted by a second resident. Suspect 2 stated he was with the water company and needed to check their pipes. Both suspects are described as olive skin possibly Hispanic. The suspects fled in a white pickup truck prior to stealing anything. If you are not sure whether a person is a legitimate water company worker, utility worker or police officer call your local police to confirm. Anyone with information is asked to call us at 201-262-3400
Glen Rock NJ, according to the Glen Rock Police , A Glen Rock man reported that his bicycle, valued at $200, was stolen from the NJ Transit Bergen County Line Train Station during the day. He had left the bicycle unlocked next to a bench before getting on a train at about 8AM and discovered it missing when he returned at 4 PM.
There have been a series of these types of robberies at NJT train stations along both the Main Line and the Bergen Line including some in Ridgewood , please lock your bikes up !
The Glen Rock detective bureau is currently investigating a series of bicycle thefts from both the Main Line and Bergen County Line Boro Hall NJ Transit train stations. As of this time there are no known witnesses or evidence. Anyone with information is asked to contact detectives at (201) 670-3947 or (201) 670-3948. Anyone who suspects they are witnessing a theft in progress should call 9-1-1.
By Anjalee Khemlani, August 25, 2017 at 7:56 AM
Stockton University professors Christina Cavaliere, left, and Donna Albano. – (STOCKTON UNIVERSITY)
Professors at Stockton University at looking at how the $1.24 billion craft beer industry — as well as distilleries — can be a force for economic development in the Garden State.
“Distilleries in New Jersey are contributing to a sense of place in New Jersey,” said Christina Cavaliere, an assistant professor of hospitality and tourism management at Stockton, in Galloway.
She said the national trend contributes to other industries, including hospitality and agriculture, according to a statement from the university.
Mahwah NJ, the Bergen Rockland Eruv Association got approval from the local utility company to use its poles for the eruv, Mahwah says the materials violate township’s 20 year old ordinance against posting on utility poles. At a meeting on Aug. 18 the council voted to issue summonses if the eruv was not removed.
The Bergen Rockland Eruv association claims the order violates their constitutional and civil rights. The religious group has threatened to sue Upper Saddle River if the town tries to remove the markers. And a federal lawsuit, has already been filed against Mahwah . Mahwah has brought in Holwell Shuster & Goldberg LLP to represent Mahwah Township in the lawsuit brought upon by the Rockland Bergen Eruv Fund.
Residents and elected officials of both Mahwah and Upper Saddle River have reacted with outrage and concern after seeing the eruv markings given their view that no one asked their permission. Most of Northern Bergen County has viewed the eruv expansion as a power grab and a threat to their community autonomy .
A group called Mahwah Strong has been establish by local residents who have come together for the purpose of preserving the welcoming, inclusionary lifestyle of Mahwah Township. The group not a fan of the eruv but also distanced it self from recent acts of vandalism , reiterating they do not condone acts of vandalism.
Vandalism of the eruv pushed Mahwah Police Chief James Batelli to issue a statement saying in the area of East Crescent Avenue the eruvim was hit with “some type of blunt object” that damaged the piping. The incidents, according to the chief, likely happened on Friday evening. There were no reports of anyone seeing or hearing the vandalism occur.
Chief Batelli said it “appears that the eruvs were specifically targeted,” and that the department is already investigating similar incidents that happened in July as a hate crime. Mahwah Mayor Bill Laforet is offering a $1,000 reward for information about the vandalism.
So what is an eruv , an eruv, in modern terminology, is a technical boundary that allows Jews to carry in public areas on Shabbat. It is one of those traditions which has blossomed from a basic Torah principle into a highly complicated legal matter.
Under Jewish law on Shabbat, it is forbidden to carry anything–regardless of its weight, size or purpose–from a “private” domain into a “public” one or vice versa, or more than four cubits (approximately 6 feet) within a public domain. Private and public do not refer to ownership, rather to the nature of the area. An enclosed area is considered a private domain, whereas an open area is considered public for the purposes of these laws.
Practically, it is forbidden to carry something, such as a tallit bag or a prayer book from one’s home along the street and to a synagogue or to push a baby carriage from home to a synagogue, or to another home, on Shabbat.
The answer is a technical enclosure which surrounds both private and hitherto public domains and thus creates a large private domain in which carrying is permitted on Shabbat. Colloquially this is known as an eruv. The eruv is usually large enough to include entire neighborhoods with homes, apartments and synagogues, making it possible to carry on Shabbat, since one is never leaving one’s domain.
A wall can be a wall even if it has many doorways creating large open spacesIt is technical, because theoretically the eruv should be a wall. However, a wall can be a wall even if it has many doorways creating large open spaces. This means that a wall does not have to be solid. Therefore, the eruv enclosure may be created by telephone poles, for example, which act as the vertical part of a door post in a wall, with the existing cables strung between the poles acting as the lintel of the doorframe. As such, the entire “wall” is actually a series of “doorways.” Added to that there may be existing natural boundaries and fences.
While there are an increasing number of eruvs being established throughout the world in traditional Jewish communities, support for the practice is not universal.
There is the concern that if there is an eruv in a community, those who rely on it may very easily forget when they travel to communities without an eruv, and carry on Shabbat.
A second concern is that if the eruv breaks during Shabbat, no one will know. As a result, they will conduct themselves as if there still is a functioning eruv, this breaking the rules of Shabbat.
It is imperative that an expert rabbi oversee the construction of any eruv The final and perhaps the major concern is that because an eruv allows an exception to the prohibition against carrying on Shabbat, it is quite natural for anyone regularly using an eruv to forget that this is an exception; forgetting that there is a prohibition against carrying on Shabbat
Ridgewood NJ, Democrat Senator Bob Menendez is about to go on trial for corruption in New Jersey and a federal judge has ordered that the Senator physically remain in the court room throughout the entire process.
Senator Menendez countered by filing a request to the court asking if he could leave for votes in the Senate. Federal prosecutors filed a scathing opposition to the request and reminded him he isn’t above the law simply because he is a U.S. Senator.
“After being indicted twice for depriving the people who elected him of their right to his honest services, defendant Robert Menendez now demands that this Court disrupt his criminal trial so that he can perform his duties as a United States Senator. Defendant Menendez was indicted in 2015 and 2016 for bribery, conspiracy, honest services fraud, false statements, and violating the Travel Act. Those indictments allege a seven-year bribery conspiracy in which he traded the power of his public office for a lavish lifestyle that included private jet rides and vacations in Paris and the Caribbean,”
They continued , “The only reason defendant Menendez’s trial is scheduled for September 2017, almost two-and-a-half years after he was first indicted by a grand jury, is because he has spent that time pursuing a meritless argument that the Constitution immunizes him from prosecution—an argument that has been rejected by every judge to have considered it. Now he seeks to use his status as a United States Senator to pick and choose the dates on which his criminal trial will be conducted.”
Adding , “the Arrest Clause does not exalt Members of Congress to a status above the law:It is, therefore, sufficiently plain that the constitutional freedom from arrest does not exempt Members of Congress from the operation of the ordinary criminal laws,even though imprisonment may prevent or interfere with the performance of their duties as Members.”
Ending with ,”This is not the first time defendant Menendez has sought special treatment from this Court. At defendant Menendez’s very first appearance, he asked to be exempted from the routine requirement that defendants surrender their personal passports because of his status as a United States Senator,” the response continues. “This case began with defendant Menendez being treated like any other defendant, and it should end that way….only a United States Senator can try to hide behind the very office he corrupted to avoid accountability to the public for his actions.”
Advisory: ROAD CONSTRUCTION NOTICE: South Highwood Avenue – Highwood Terrance – Ferguson Place
ROAD CONSTRUCTION NOTICE:
South Highwood Avenue – Highwood Terrance – Ferguson Place
On Saturday August 26th milling will take place in preparation for paving. On Wednesday & Thursday August 30th and 31st paving will be done.
All vehicles must be removed from these streets by 7:30AM. Emergency No Parking Regulations will be enforced. Vehicles left on the street obstructing roadway repairs will be towed at the owner’s expense.
Access to these roadways during and immediately after paving will be limited. Residents should plan according.
Any question, please contact the Glen Rock DPW at (201) 670-3980.
