Megan Burrow, Staff Writer, @MegBurrowPublished 8:29 a.m. ET Aug. 2, 2017
TEANECK — A Superior Court judge has ruled that the township must pay legal fees to Elie Jones, a township resident that Teaneck had sued to bar him from filing public records requests after he flooded the clerk’s office with hundreds of requests over the course of two months.
“I feel the township sued a resident improperly,” Jones said. “I’m statutorily allowed to request documents through the Open Public Records Act. They improperly sued me and this is the result.”
Ridgewood NJ, Governor Chris Christie is helping transform first responder communications in New Jersey by “opting in” to FirstNet. With his decision, FirstNetand AT&T will deliver a specialized wireless broadband network to New Jersey’s public safety community. This will make New Jersey one of the first states in the country to bring first responders advanced technologies that will help them save lives and protect communities.
“New Jersey is proud to take this important step for first responders in our state. The decision to join this network means FirstNet and AT&T will deliver a highly secure, next-generation solution for our public safety community, building, maintaining and operating it at no cost and no risk to our state,” said Governor Christie.
AT&T, in a public-private partnership with FirstNet, will drive innovation and create an entire system of modernized devices, apps and tools for first responders.
This is one of the most economical and technologically advanced decisions Governor Christie will make for the State’s first responders and the residents they serve. The FirstNet network will transform the way New Jersey’s fire, police, EMS and other public safety personnel communicate and share information. Specifically, FirstNet and AT&T will:
Connect first responder subscribers to the critical information they need in a highly secure manner when handling day-to-day operations, responding to emergencies and supporting large events, such as game day at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.
Create an efficient communications experience for public safety personnel in agencies and jurisdictions across the State during natural disasters. This includes seasonal hurricanes along the New Jersey Shore like Hurricane Sandy.
Enhance network coverage in rural areas. This will benefit first responders and residents throughout New Jersey’s topographically diverse landscape. First responders will also have access to dedicated network deployables for additional coverage and support when needed.
Drive infrastructure investments and create jobs across the State.
Usher in a new wave of innovation that first responders can depend on. This will create an ever-evolving set of life-saving tools for public safety, including public safety apps, specialized devices and Internet of Things technologies. It also carries the potential for future integration with NextGen 9-1-1 networks and Smart Cities’ infrastructure.
“Opting in to FirstNet underscores New Jersey’s commitment to ensuring first responders are capable of meeting constantly evolving challenges,” said Jared Maples, Acting Director of the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness. “As one of the first states to opt-in, New Jersey continues to be a national leader of public safety technology innovation.”
The FirstNet solution that will be built in New Jersey was designed with direct input from the State’s public safety community. As a FirstNet early builder participant, New Jersey shared best practices for the network’s implementation, especially as it relates to deployables. FirstNet has also been meeting with New Jersey’s officials and public safety personnel for several years to address their unique communication needs. This includes:
Giving first responders access to a reliable network connection and extending coverage along the Jersey Shore and in the Pine Barrens as well as other areas throughout the state
Taking extra steps to protect the network in hurricane-prone areas
Improving interoperability for public safety across the state as well as with neighboring states
Providing feature-rich services at highly competitive rates
“New Jersey has been at the forefront of public safety broadband, and with Governor Christie’s decision to join FirstNet, the state is once again leading the nation,” said FirstNet CEO Mike Poth. “FirstNet and AT&T are pleased to offer a plan that surpasses the challenges that New Jersey’s bravest face every day, and we look forward to delivering the network for public safety in the Garden State.”
The decision enables FirstNet and AT&T to begin creating an entirely new wireless ecosystem for public safety communications. New Jersey’s first responder subscribers will have immediate access to quality of service and priority to voice and data across the existing nationwide AT&T LTE network.
Preemption for primary users over the AT&T LTE network is expected by year-end. This means fire, police, EMS and other public safety workers will have dedicated access to the network when and where they need it – 24/7/365, like their mission.
“Governor Christie is making public safety a priority,” said Chris Sambar, senior vice president, AT&T – FirstNet. “His decision will bring an entirely new communications experience to New Jersey’s first responders. And it’s our honor to equip the state’s public safety community with the cutting-edge tools they need to help protect New Jerseyans every day and in every emergency.”
Paramus NJ , Paramus PD, EMS, and FD responded to aid an adult male motorcyclist who was involved in a Thursday afternoon, 08/03, collision on Route 17 southbound near A&S Drive. The victim was transported by ambulance to the Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) main campus; he was alert and conscious when the Paramus EMS team arrived at the crash site. A paramedic team from The Valley Hospital accompanied the ambulance to HUMC.
Glen Rock NJ, Heavy Rescue teams from Glen Rock FD and Hawthorne FD worked together on Wednesday afternoon, 08/02, to extricate a seriously injured driver from a 4-door blue colored Honda that was involved in a T-Bone collision with a black colored SUV on the exit/entrance ramp to/from Harristown Road and Route 208 northbound in Glen Rock. Once extricated, the victim was transported by a Glen Rock EMS ambulance to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center. Two (2) other individuals involved in the crash sustained minor injuries. A flatbed tow truck removed both wrecks from the scene. Due to the severity of injuries sustained by the Honda’s driver, Glen Rock Police conducted an extensive investigation into the crash, which resulted in the exit/entrance ramp involved being closed for an extended period. A paramedic team from The Valley Hospital assisted Glen Rock EMS with patient evaluation, treatment, and care.
Hawthorne NJ, Hawthorne PD responded to the intersection of Goffle Hill Road and New York Avenue on Wednesday afternoon, 08/02, to investigate a reported motor vehicle collision involving a baby deer. The responding uniformed patrol officers located the injured fawn lying on the lawn of a nearby home, and interviewed the adult female driver involved in the incident. Tyco Animal Control Services was dispatched as per protocol. Sadly, the animal’s injuries were serious enough to warrant putting it down (handled by Tyco). No summonses were issued in connection with the incident.
My hat goes off to her but she seems to be lonely in this fight. I don’t see any uproar from anybody else on the Republican side at least. Democ-rats agenda will continue the path of destruction in the name of socialism. Socialism tries to narrow the gap by destroying the rich so they can come come closer to the poor levels instead of trying to bring up the poor and increase their standards. In the end Bergen County and Ridgewood in particular will suffer terribly. We live in times of sadomasochism. These libs don’t care that even their living standards will go down and that of their children as long as their brain is happy with bringing “equality” to the world.
Hillsdale NJ, we have to laugh Congressman Josh Gottheimer gathered local business leaders for a roundtable on the Export-Import Bank with Former Chairman and President of the Export-Import Bank, Fred Hochberg. Hosted by Fornazor International, Inc., the group shared Export-Import Bank success stories and discussed ways that small- and medium-sized New Jersey manufacturers can leverage the opportunities afforded by the bank to expand their businesses .
Perhaps no one told Congressman Gottheimer that the Export-Import Bank is one of the most corrupt organizations in Washington and often referred as nothing more than corporate welfare .
A Gottheimer press release In New Jersey, this program has supported, $4,039,300,000 in exports, 25,811 jobs, and 219 companies — without costing the Treasury a single nickel. Congressman Gottheimer views Ex-Im as a great return on investment for the district, state, and country.
The reality is far different the Export Import Bank is nothing but corrupt corporate welfare. The 81-year old, government agency, the Export Import Bank cost taxpayers millions of dollars each year and it overwhelmingly benefitted big corporations and big banks. (Beware, incompetent government protocols allow for wild variations in costs). Recently, 42 Republicans and 176 Democrats forced a vote in the House of Representatives to reauthorize the bank.
Originally, the Export Import Bank (ExIm) was created in the 1930’s to assist small businesses unable to acquire private, bank loans. In 2012, Boeing received 83% of its loan guarantees through the Export Import Bank. Not to mention, Chase, Citibank and other big banks are essentially receiving risk-free loans from our government bank. What happened? Inevitably, a government subsidy attracts big businesses with powerful lobbyists to convert the program to their advantage. This happened and was the reason small government conservatives demanded an end to the ImEx.
Thus, upon losing their enormous government subsidies, big businesses and well-paid lobbyists are working hard to convince Members of Congress to reauthorize and fund the bank. According to Veronique de Rugy of the Mercatus Center, between 2007 and 2013 the Bank subsidized:
· $66.7 billion in sales by Boeing
· $8.3 billion for General Electric
· $5.2 billion for Bechtel
· $4.9 billion for Caterpillar and its subsidiary Solar Turbine
· $3.2 billion for CBI Americas
· $3.0 for Exxon Mobil
· $2.1 billion for Applied Materials
· $2.0 billion for Westinghouse
· $1.4 billion for Noble Drilling
In 2014 the left of center “HILL” wrote a very critical article on the banks dealings with Russia and what it called rampant fraud at the bank, ” In late July, the bank scrambled to halt their dealings with Russian companies, a week after the awkward news that the Obama administration had sanctioned some of the Bank’s previous Russian “customers” with close ties to Vladimir Putin.
Around the same time, the bank’s president, Fred Hochberg, was hauled before Congress to address concerns about rampant fraud at his institution after three employees were dismissed following allegations of corruption. Also called to testify was Johnny Gutierrez, himself one of the recently-dismissed bank officials. Gutierrez pled the Fifth Amendment and Hochberg’s testimony was less than illuminating. In addition, a recent report in The Daily Caller found several instances of conflicts of interest among members of the bank’s own advisory committee.”
The Export-Import Bank is backed by powerful corporate interests and corrupt politicians who make a living off of all the dirty deals .
Listening to Wall Street based business reporting you would believe that the nation’s foreclosure crisis is in the nation’s rear view mirror. Yet, in New Jersey in places like Newark, East Orange, Paterson and Atlantic City foreclosures are hollowing out entire primarily African-American neighborhoods. Go to any on line real estate tracking site like Zillow and you can see the carnage depicted graphically. Atlantic City has the highest foreclosure rate in the country.
On the ground in these places it has meant vacant zombie homes, where families were pressured out, and banks have failed to re-market these distressed properties, and they continue to depress local property values. Sometimes the derelict properties catch fire and threaten the lives of those left behind. For those remaining families in these places, that are desperately trying to hold on to their homes, this downward spiral makes holding on even harder, as they find their mortgages sinking deeper and deeper underwater.
But that is not the only economic force drowning these folks, as they tried to hold on to their piece of the American dream that often has been in their family for a couple of generations. The local governments have tried to make up for the slide of their ratable base by raising property taxes. In some cases like Atlantic City by double digits as in 2014 when that City’s property levy spiked by 29 percent in one year.
Ridgewood NJ, Sen. Richard Codey (D-Essex) introduced a bill in June 2016 that would allow New Jersey Police officers to survey drivers’ cell phones using an “electronic scanning device.” The device is called the ‘Textalyzer’ . , but the bill currently sits in the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee.
Under the Codey bill, a driver could be fined anywhere from $300 to $1,000 and have their license revoked for up to 10 years if they refuse to give their cell phone to an officer, depending on the number of past offenses.
Very similar to the states “Breathalyzer” ,where motorist are not free to refuse it.
Civil liberties groups worry the ‘textalyzer’ violates motorists’ privacy and the Fourth Amendment and is an other opertunity for police to conduct warrant-less searches .The device is plugged into a driver’s smartphone and time-stamped information is downloaded about apps used prior to an accident.
Skeptics point out that the “textalyzer” seems to be another opportunity for police to run tax collection services for the state of New Jersey ,with little or no impact on public safety . Like the states DWI or DUI laws skeptics insist likely suspects will be targeted by their ability to pay the fine .
Ridgewood NJ, In New Jersey you don’t need a fishing license if you are under the age of 16.
Anyone age 16 and older must have a valid license (see Exceptions) to fish the fresh waters of New Jersey with handline, rod and line, or longbow and arrow. This includes privately owned lakes and other waters. New Jersey does not require a general saltwater fishing license but there are a limited number of saltwater licenses and permits required. Additionally, most saltwater anglers need to register with the free New Jersey Saltwater Recreational Registry Program.
HAMMONTON — New Jersey peach farmers are reaping a bounty this summer with one of their largest crops.
New Jersey, which is the fourth-largest producer of peaches in the nation behind California, South Carolina and Georgia, is projected to produce between 55 million and 60 million pounds of peaches over 5,500 acres in 2017, according to the New Jersey Peach Promotion Council.
In 2015, farmers grew 42.2 million pounds on 4,700 acres valued at $27.6 million.
What says Jersey in July more than a Garden State blueberry?
Its sweet, tart purple pop is as much a part of summer as peaches, beaches and lightning bugs.
New Jersey’s state fruit is a longtime favorite, but the market for organic blueberries is particularly ripe, strengthened by a growing number of customers who don’t mind forking over the extra money — often at least a dollar more — for fruit grown in an environment free of most synthetic pesticides and fertilizers.
The Environmental Working Group, a nonprofit that compiles information on potentially harmful chemicals and pesticides in food and consumer products, maintains a list of 48 fruits and vegetables for which the group analyzes pesticide residue testing data from the USDA. Domestic blueberries were ranked as the 17th most contaminated type of produce. Imported blueberries followed close behind, at No. 20 (strawberries and spinach, at No. 1 and 2, are the worst offenders).
But ever pull up to the supermarket to find it’s clean out of organic blueberries? Or, when you do find them, do you ever notice that not many have been grown here?
The Organic Trade Association says in 2016, 13.6 percent of all fruits and vegetables bought in the U.S. were organic, with sales for all organic products in the country reaching almost $50 billion in 2016, way up from from $3.6 billion in 1997.
Ridgewood NJ, no surprise here that state Democrats are funding over building in Bergen County and looking to destroy the quality of life ,turning the county into another borough of Manhattan .
“Anyone who follows me knows I have been fighting to bring rational discussion to the over development crisis impacting most of our communities. As a result I have been labeled a racist, xenophobe and a whole host of awful and untrue things by a non profit organization Fair Share Housing Development. Imagine my surprise today when I saw that their top donor list includes gubernatorial candidate Phil Murphy! And we wonder why our communities are receiving no help from their representatives in Trenton.” , Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi .
In Ridgewood this blog has long warned of over development , even warning residents to not vote for a Hudson County Mayor .
Unfortunately the warnings went unheeded and after the “3 amigos ” reign of terror in the Village is now faced with 4 major high density housing developments that will deplete the Village of Resources , pressure water,sewer, fire ,police and education as well as lower property values and increase tax rates.
Mahwah NJ, Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal issued a warning to the Township of Mahwah over the enforcement of Township Ordinernce 1806 limiting access to Mahwah’s recreational facilities .
Yesterday ,Grewal sent a strongly worded letter to Mahwah Township Police Chief James N. Batelli, directing him not to enforce Mahwah Township Ordinance No. 1806. Copies of the letter were also delivered to Mahwah Mayor William Laforet, members of the Mahwah Township Council, and the Mahwah Township Attorney.
In the Letter Grewal spelled out problems he had with the ordinance including saying , enforcement raises serious legal issues such as “racially influenced policing ” and “violations of individual constitutional rights”.
The Township of Mahwah had passed the ordinance, which took effect Thursday hopping it would provide protection against what residents have called an organized incursion from Rockland County of Hasidic families who’ve recently swarmed parks in Mahwah, Montvale, Ramsey and Upper Saddle River by the busload.
Here comes Dino Don – one of the few living people with a dinosaur named after him!
July 28,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Leonia, NJ , This week’s Super Star of Science is “Dino” Don Lessem, the world’s leading popular presenter of dinosaurs– via his movie and theme park collaborations, exhibitions, expeditions, books, and television documentaries. Don will share the stories of his adventures and dinosaur excavations from around the world! From Mongolia, China to the Arctic Circle, Don has explored for dinosaurs and made major discoveries. In Patagonia, he dug up and reconstructed the world’s record-sized plant-eating and meat-eating dinosaurs!
In recognition of his support of paleontology, “Dino” Don had a giant plant-eating dinosaur named after him —Lessemsaurus. “It has a huge belly and a tiny brain, like its namesake,” says Lessem.
Don will also share the story of his experiences as an advisor to Steven Spielberg on the film Jurassic Park, to Universal Studios for its Jurassic Park ride and to Walt Disney Productions for its Animal Kingdom Dinoland attraction and Dinosaurs film.
In addition to his more than 50 books for adults and children ,“Dino” Don has answered more than 11,000 letters to his “Ask Dino Don” column in Highlights Magazine, the nation’s largest-circulation children’s magazine. He’s hosted and written NOVA and Discovery Channel documentaries and his pioneering Microsoft CD,Dinosaurs sold 1 million copies.
“Dino” Don will be wowing the crowds at Field Station: Dinosaurs this Saturday, 7/29/17 at 11:30am, 1:15pm and 2:30pm. His presentations are included in the price of park admission.
Field Station: Dinosaurs
Overpeck County Park | Leonia, NJ
Phone 855.999.9010 | Fax 973.748.3010 | [email protected] |
FieldStationDinosaurs.com
