Category: Bergen County

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Click it or Ticket: NJ cops will pull over thousands of drivers for 2 weeks

ridgewood police

file photo by Boyd Loving

By Jen Ursillo May 21, 2017 8:00 PM

For two weeks, starting Monday and ending June 4, law enforcement agencies across New Jersey will be out and about pulling over drivers who aren’t wearing seat belts.

Gary Poedubicky, acting director of the state Division of Highway Traffic Safety, says 375 police agencies, including the State Police, are expected to take part in the campaign. In May 2016, 387 agencies participated.

“We’re trying to encourage motorists and passengers to buckle up,” he said. “Seat belts save thousands of lives every year but far too many motorists are still not buckling up. In our opinion, buckling is not an option. It’s a difference between life and death in a crash.”

Read More: Click it or Ticket: NJ cops will pull over thousands of drivers for 2 weeks | https://nj1015.com/click-it-or-ticket-nj-cops-will-pull-over-thousands-of-drivers-for-2-weeks/?trackback=tsmclip

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Life expectancy for each N.J. county, updated and ranked

Bergen_County_Seal-1

Bergen County had a life expectancy of 82.47, one of the highest in the state. It also had one of the biggest increases in the past three decades, going from 75.27 in 1980, an increase of 9.6 percent.

Updated May 19, 2017
Posted May 19, 2017

By Erin Petenko

New Jersey has seen big gains in life expectancy over the past three decades, according to research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. But those gains have not been distributed equally.

Life expectancy in the state varies from 77 to 82 years old, depending on in which county the person was born. Every county increased in life expectancy from 1980 to 2014, but some saw impressive increases, while others had lackluster growth. Find out the life expectancy of residents born in your county.

Disclaimer: This list is roughly in order from lowest to highest life expectancy, but because of the margin of error in the data, some counties are virtually tied.

https://www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/2017/05/how_life_expectancy_has_changed_in_each_nj_county.html#incart_m-rpt-2

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Meet New Jersey’s new “Cash Cow” speed traps

high speed chase Paramus PD

file photo by Boyd Loving

By Jeff Deminski May 19, 2017 12:38 PM

Yesterday, a bill made it out of an Assembly committee which could be a cash cow for a lot of towns. Part of a package of bills called “Antwan’s Law,” it would allow towns to establish permanent lower speed limits near schools. Right now you have school zones during certain times when schools are in session. Another part of this package triples the fine you pay. Interesting.

“Antwan’s Law” is named for Antwan Timbers Jr., a 17-year-old high school student who was struck and killed while walking on Route 130 in Burlington City last year. Sounds like the law makes sense, right? A student walking home at the end of his school day gets hit because some jerk is speeding, and it shouldn’t be allowed.

What if I told you Antwan was tragically killed at around midnight, not when school let out, and by a drunk driver? The school was closed. Empty. An equally tragic story, yes. But he wasn’t walking home from school. He was walking with a friend near a Wawa that happened to be near the school.

Read More: Meet New Jersey’s new speed traps | https://nj1015.com/meet-jerseys-new-speed-traps/?trackback=tsmclip

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Friday Night Multi-vehicle crash in front of The Barn Restaurant

Friday Night Multi-vehicle crash in front of The Barn Restaurant

photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook

May 20,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Wyckoff NJ, Wyckoff Police, Fire, and EMS responded to a multi-vehicle crash in front of The Barn Restaurant, 359 Sicomac Avenue on Friday evening, 05/19. Non-life threatening injuries were reported by the occupants of a pickup truck traveling on Sicomac Avenue that appeared to have been broadsided by a vehicle leaving The Barn’s driveway/parking lot. Two (2) vehicles in the crash sustained damage requiring their removal by tow trucks. Wyckoff Fire department disconnected the battery from a damaged sedan, and contained a minor crash related fluid spill. A field sobriety test was administered to a driver involved in the incident. No word as to whether any summonses were issued, nor if anyone was taken into custody.

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Teen with measles may have exposed others at Valley hospital

Valley Hospital

May 20,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, A teenager who became ill while at the Ramada Rochelle Park and was hospitalized at The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood and was  diagnosed with measles, a highly contagious disease, the state health department said Friday.

The 16-year-old, who was traveling in the United States with a tour group from Asia, may have exposed others at those locations between May 12 and 15.

According to Valley the staff took steps to control the spread of infection as soon as the patient arrived last Saturday. The patient arrived at the hospital from 9 a.m. on May 13 until 1 a.m. Sunday, May 14, she said. The health department said exposure may also have occurred on Monday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Anyone who came in contact with the teenager may develop symptoms as late as June 5.

Measles is spread through contact with an infected person’s mucus or saliva or through the air when someone coughs or sneezes.

If you suspect you were exposed please contact a health provider. Valley is informing all patients who were treated at the hospital during the specific times the patient was there, as well as employees, physicians and volunteers.

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Glen Rock Police Fire and EMS rush to Scene after SUV Strikes Tree

Glen Rock Police Fire and EMS rush to Scene after SUV Strikes Tree

photos courtesy of Boyd Lovings Facebook

May 19,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Glen Rock NJ, Glen Rock PD, FD, and EMS personnel rushed to aid the driver of a silver colored Nissan Rogue after it crashed into a large tree in front of 44 Radburn Road, Glen Rock on Friday morning, 05/19. The vehicle flipped after hitting the tree, causing damage that pinned the driver inside. The victim was freed by Glen Rock FD members and then transported by a Glen Rock EMS ambulance to The Valley Hospital. Injuries to the victim appeared to have been non life threatening. A paramedic team from The Valley Hospital was also at the scene. A flatbed tow truck removed the wrecked Nissan. Glen Rock PD is investigating the accident’s cause.

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Small plane carrying family vanishes in Bermuda Triangle

tidal-wave

By David K. Li and Kate Sheehy

May 16, 2017 | 12:49pm | Updated

A Tribeca event planner, her ­pilot boyfriend and her two young sons disappeared in a plane in the Bermuda Triangle, and authorities said Tuesday they found a “debris field” near where the aircraft was last heard from.

The group had just spent Mother’s Day in Puerto Rico and was flying to Florida when the small twin-engine plane disappeared at about 2:10 p.m. Monday, according to officials.

On board were 40-year-old Skylight CEO Jennifer Blumin, her 4- and 3-year-old sons and her boyfriend, Nathan Ulrich, 52, of Lee, NH, authorities and family members said.

Ulrich, an Ivy-League-educated former Coast Guard auxiliarist, is the ex-husband of actress Rae Dawn Chong.

https://nypost.com/2017/05/16/small-plane-carrying-four-new-yorkers-goes-missing-near-bahamas/

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Fatal plane crash near Teterboro: What we know about the accident so far

Teterboro Airport Crash

Updated May 16, 2017
Posted May 16, 2017

By Paul Milo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Paul Milo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

A Learjet took off from Philadelphia and crashed on approach at Teterboro

The Learjet 35A, a twin-engine jet often used for business or personal travel, was built in 1981. It was coming in for a landing when it crashed in an industrial area of Carlstadt around 3:30 p.m. Both occupants of the plane were killed and the crash caused a fire with dark billowing smoke that could be seen for miles. Buildings in the area and parked cars caught fire but were quickly extinguished by local fire departments.

https://www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/2017/05/the_plane_crash_near_teterboro_what_we_know_what_w.html?ath=9c46bfc08d76232bb5a5e00eeaf0bfa2#cmpid=nsltr_strybutton

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Fishers rejoice: State adding major surplus of trout to N.J. waters

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Michael Sol Warren | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
By Michael Sol Warren | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on May 14, 2017 at 9:32 AM, updated May 14, 2017 at 9:33 AM

Who says there aren’t plenty of fish in the sea?

In a boon for New Jersey fishers, the state Division of Fish and Wildlife, part of the Department of Environmental Protection, announced last week that because of high productivity at the Pequest Trout Hatchery, extra trout will be added to each load of fish in state-stocked waters for the rest of the spring stocking season.

According to an email from DEP spokesman Bob Considine, approximately 4,000 additional trout were included in this week’s stocking. A similar amount is expected to be added to trout loads for the final two weeks of the spring stocking season. Considine added that every water stocked by DFW will receive some of the surplus trout.

https://www.nj.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2017/05/extra_trout_to_be_stocked_in_new_jersey_rivers.html

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Bill to legalize recreational marijuana in N.J. set to be unveiled

marijuana

By Brent Johnson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on May 14, 2017 at 10:00 AM, updated May 14, 2017 at 2:10 PM

TRENTON — A state lawmaker on Monday is scheduled to unveil legislation that would legalize, regulate, and tax recreational marijuana in New Jersey.

State Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Union) will formally announce the Democratic-sponsored measure at a noon news conference at the Statehouse in Trenton.

Medical marijuana is already legal in the state. But if this bill becomes law, New Jersey would become the ninth state to legalize pot — joining Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington, as well as the District of Columbia.

“The national trend is toward legalization,” Scutari told NJ Advance Media on Friday. “It’s absolutely necessary to save our neighborhoods from drug dealers. And we can use the tax revenue. And people are smoking it anyway.

https://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/05/bill_to_legalize_marijuana_in_nj_set_to_be_unveile.html

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The fall of retailers means doomsday for malls

clock_cbd_theridgewoodblog

By Jonathon Trugman

May 14, 2017 | 2:12am

American retail culture may well have reached a tipping point.

Major department stores are floundering about like fish in a rapidly draining pond after reporting dreadful earnings last week.

The time-honored multigenerational giants like Macy’s, Sears and JCPenney are all looking at a dramatically different future.

Macy’s stock collapsed 17 percent after Thursday’s first-quarter report. And high-end retail behemoths like Nordstrom are getting clobbered, too. Shares of that politically petulant retailer fell 11 percent Thursday on news of its first-quarter results.

Better take a good look, because this may be last call for the mall.

https://nypost.com/2017/05/14/the-fall-of-retailers-means-doomsday-for-malls/

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Are NJ police salaries fair? Cops in high-crime areas get less

Honda-Civics-collide-Ridgewood-Police-Ridgewood-Fire-Deparrtment3-300x225

file photo by Boyd Loving

By Sergio Bichao May 15, 2017 4:00 AM

With reporting by David Matthau

Most police officers in New Jersey are earning six-figure salaries before overtime and benefits.

A New Jersey 101.5 analysis of municipal police salaries found the median police salary last year was about $105,000 — an increase of 4 percent since 2012. For comparison, the median household income in the state is $72,000.

But the highest-paid cops are not always the ones patrolling dangerous city streets.

The police departments with the most generous payrolls are often in towns that go decades without experiencing a homicide. According to use-of-force reports that departments file with their county prosecutor, cops in these highly paid towns often retire without ever having to fire their weapon in the line of duty.

Read More: Are NJ police salaries fair? Cops in high-crime areas get less | https://nj1015.com/are-nj-cops-salaries-fair-cops-in-high-crime-areas-get-less/?trackback=tsmclip

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Scutari to Unveil NJ Marijuana Legislation

up-in-smoke_theridgewoodblog

By JT Aregood • 05/12/17 4:36pm

State Sen. Nick Scutari. JT Aregood for Observer

State Sen. Nick Scutari (D-Union) will be unveiling long-awaited legislation to regulate and tax marijuana in New Jersey on Monday, he announced today.

The proposal has no chance while Gov. Chris Christie remains in office. But with the Republican’s term ending in January, and all the major Democratic candidatesfor governor this year in favor of legalization, Scutari’s plan is likely to serve as an important blueprint for the next administration if a Democrat wins office. The leading Republican candidates — Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno — have said they favor decriminalizing but not fully legalizing the drug.

https://observer.com/2017/05/scutari-to-unveil-nj-marijuana-legislation/

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10 MORE Commandments for driving in New Jersey (as chosen by you!)

Vehicle slides off the roadway into Goffle Brook Pond in Hawthorne

file photo by Boyd Loving

By Double Down May 12, 2017 12:28 PM

Only in New Jersey. You would think listing the 10 Commandments for the rules of the road here in the Garden State would be enough, right?  Yeah, not so much.

There’s so much craziness on NJ’s roads that we came up with a second  list of 10 Commandments for all the people who wrote in and commented on Facebook, Twitter or on our website with some fantastic suggestions. From the left lane laggers to the drivers who think their turn signals were optional equipment on their car, we have heard your cries for sanity on the roads and we are posting them for all to read and (hopefully) adhere to.

Read More: 10 MORE Commandments for driving in New Jersey (as chosen by you!) | https://nj1015.com/10-more-commandments-for-driving-in-new-jersey-as-chosen-by-you/?trackback=tsmclip

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Rare wildflower blooms in only one place on Earth – New Jersey

Rare wildflower

USA TODAY NETWORKJames M. O’Neill, The (Bergen County, N.J.) Record

WOODLAND PARK, N.J. — Despite the large, heavy-duty waterproof boots he wore, Scott Sherwood stepped with a dancer’s delicacy through a mucky meadow, trying to avoid crushing the tiny yellow wildflowers blooming all around him.

After all, this flower grows only in this one location in New Jersey — and no place else on Earth.

https://www.app.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/05/13/rare-wildflower-only-blooms-only-new-jersey/321008001/