Category: Bergen County

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EXPLAINER: GAUGING THE FUTURE OF SOLAR ENERGY IN NEW JERSEY

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TOM JOHNSON | APRIL 24, 2017

Does the fall-off in solar installations and loss of jobs indicate a slowdown in the sector?

What’s going on: Mostly business as usual: The unanswered question is whether that portends well for New Jersey’s solar sector, which has been prone to boom-and-bust cycles. The state’s solar industry is continuing to install new systems at a fairly good pace, although last month the number of deployments fell off dramatically from the rate of a year ago. In March, 889 residential systems were put in, roughly half the number installed 12 months earlier, according to the Office of Clean Energy. The number of nonresidential systems put also fell. That is only one month’s tally, but there are other signs the sector may be slowing. An industry survey of the sector nationwide released early this year found New Jersey lost 1,000 solar jobs in 2016 — at the same time the industry was growing at 25 percent nationwide.

https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/17/04/23/explainer-gauging-the-future-of-solar-energy-in-new-jersey/

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Why New Jersey has the highest rates of autism in the country

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By David Matthau April 24, 2017 4:26 AM

New Jersey has the highest rate of autism of any state in the nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control — but advocates say that’s in part because we screen for it more.

“One in 41 8-year-olds have autism here in New Jersey,” said Suzanne Buchanan, executive director or Autism New Jersey. Autism affects a person’s ability to socialize with other people, and it gives people a restricted range of behaviors, interests and activities.

Buchanan said there are a number of reasons why New Jersey’s autism rates are so high.

AUTISM IN NEW JERSEY

On Wednesday, April 26, at 7 p.m. New Jersey 101.5 will present a special autism town hall.

Experts will be available to answer your questions and update you with the latest information on this disorder. Follow NJ 101.5 on Facebook and watch it live.

“They can pretty easily be explained by the way the research is done and the reports that the researchers had access to,” she said. “Here in New Jersey we have access to both educational and health records, so if you expand the pool of kids that you’re screening, you’re going to find more kids.”

But there’s another reason.

Read More: Why New Jersey has the highest rates of autism in the country | https://nj1015.com/why-new-jersey-has-the-highest-rates-of-autism-in-the-country/?trackback=tsmclip

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Garden State Parkway Crash Leaves Car on shoulder of Route 4 westbound

Garden State Parkway Crash

photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook

April 24,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Paramus NJ, A Honda SUV traveling southbound on the Garden State Parkway (GSP) near Route 4 in Paramus on Sunday evening, 04/23, careened off of the roadway’s right shoulder, down a steep embankment, and wound up on the grassy shoulder of Route 4 westbound near an entrance ramp to the GSP southbound. Witnesses reported that the vehicle completely flipped over at least once during the crash. Paramus PD, FD, EMS, and Rescue Squad personnel all responded to aid the driver, who was transported by ambulance to Hackensack University Medical Center’s (HUMC) main campus with life threatening injuries. A paramedic team from HUMC also responded to the scene. The crash is being investigated by a trooper from the New Jersey State Police GSP Patrol Division, Bloomfield Barracks.

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1 in 2 millennials in NJ have an STD. Will $4.4M campaign help?

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file photo by ArtChick

By Michael Symons April 21, 2017 12:03 AM

Rates of sexually transmitted diseases are on the rise in New Jersey, and the state Health Department is spending $4.4 million on a campaign to reverse what is a national trend.

At a budget hearing Thursday, Health Commissioner Cathleen Bennett said New Jersey’s campaign includes testing, treatment, outreach to providers – and primary prevention through social media campaigns, where younger people absorb information.

“One in two sexually active 15- to 25-year-olds will get an STD unless they take action to prevent it,” Bennett said.

Senator Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May, called that statistic unbelievable – but wasn’t surprised, given conversations he’s had with younger patients in his job as a dentist.

“Not from a moral judgmental point of view but just from a health point of view, you know, try to scare the bejeebees out of them a little bit,” Van Drew said.

Read More: 1 in 2 millennials in NJ have an STD. Will $4.4M campaign help? | https://nj1015.com/1-in-2-millennials-in-nj-have-an-std-will-4-4m-campaign-help/?trackback=tsmclip

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Why Bob McDonnell Won’t Save Bob Menendez

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file photo by Boyd Loving
APRIL 17, 2017 / RANDALL ELIASON

U.S. Senator Robert Menendez is facing trial this fall on corruption charges. His lawyers will claim the Supreme Court’s recent decision in the Bob McDonnell case means the charges against Menendez cannot stand. But the effect of the McDonnell case on the Bob Menendez trial is likely to be pretty limited.

New Jersey Democrat Menendez and his co-defendant Dr. Salomon Melgen were indicted in April 2015. (You can find my detailed analysis of the indictment here.) The case has been on hold for two years while Menendez pursued claims that his prosecution is barred by the Constitution’s Speech or Debate clause. The trial court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit rejected those arguments. The Supreme Court recently declined to hear his appeal, finally clearing the way for the case to go to trial.

But while Menendez was pursing his Speech or Debate appeals, the U.S. Supreme Court decided McDonnell v. United States. The Court reversed the convictions of the former governor of Virginia, holding that McDonnell did not perform “official acts” as defined by federal bribery law.

https://sidebarsblog.com/2017/04/17/robert-menendez-trial-effect-mcdonnell-case/

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20th guilty plea in $200M credit card scam in NJ

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By Adam Hochron April 18, 2017 6:28 PM

TRENTON — With the guilty plea of a New York man for conspiracy to commit bank fraud, nearly two dozen people have admitted to various roles in a scam that netted the conspirators more than $200 million in bogus expenses and purchases.

Habib Chaudhry, 49, of Valley Stream, New York, pleaded guilty on Tuesday. New Jersey’s Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick said Chaudhry had initially been charged in February 2013 but had been a fugitive until he was arrested in January of this year.

Fitzpatrick said the scam Chaudhry was involved in was a three-step process that included making fake identities, building up credit ratings for the identities and then borrowing or spending on the credit earned without repayment. He said before they were caught, the conspirators had caused more than $200 million in confirmed losses to businesses and other institutions.

Read More: 20th guilty plea in $200M credit card scam in NJ | https://nj1015.com/20th-guilty-plea-in-200m-credit-card-scam-in-nj/?trackback=tsmclip

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Accreditation Assessment Team Invites Public Comment For the Glen Rock Police

Glen Rock Hudson City

file photo by Boyd Loving

Accreditation Assessment Team Invites Public Comment

April 19,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Glen Rock NJ, The Glen Rock Police Department is scheduled for an on-site assessment as part of its program to achieve accreditation by verifying that it meets recognized professional best practices.

Administered by the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, the accreditation program requires agencies to comply with best practice standards in five basic areas: the administrative function, the personnel function, the operations function, the investigative function, and the arrestee/detainee function.

Agency employees and the public are invited to offer comments by calling (201) 815-7475 on April 30, 2017 between the hours of 10:00 A.M. and 12:00 Noon. Comments will be taken by the Assessment Team. Email comments can be sent to the police department at at [email protected].

Telephone comments are limited to 5 minutes and must address the agency’s ability to comply with the NJSACOP standards. A copy of the standards is available for inspection at the Glen Rock Police Department, 1 Harding Plaza, Glen Rock NJ 07452. Please contact Sergeant Frank Riggio at (201) 670-3941 ext. 8127 for more information.

Anyone wishing to submit written comments about the Glen Rock Police Department’s ability to comply with the standards for accreditation may send them by email to Harry J Delgado, Ed.S., Accreditation Program Manager, [email protected], by phone 856.988.5880, or write to the New Jersey State Association of Chief’s of Police, Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission at 751 Route 73 North, Suite 12, Marlton, N.J. 08053.

Address/Location
Glen Rock Police Department
1 Harding Plaza
Glen Rock, NJ 07452

Contact
Emergency: 9-1-1
Non-emergencies: 201-652-3800

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Don’t get caught texting while driving through these small NJ towns

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file photo by Boyd loving
By Adam Hochron April 17, 2017 5:58 PM
Courtesy of United States Department of TransportationIf last year is any indication, police in some of New Jersey’s smallest municipalities will be giving out the largest number of distracted driving tickets during the month-long crackdown that ends April 21.

Bergen County 

Fairview: 114 tickets

Allendale 2
Alpine 2
Carlstadt 19
Demarest 5
Glen Rock 1
Hackensack 4
Hasbrouck Heights 13
Haworth 5
Leonia 4
Lyndhurst 19
Midland Park 4
North Arlington 19
Northvale 9
Norwood 2
Ramsey 1
River Vale 1
Upper Saddle River 19
Westwood 9
Wood-Ridge 4

Read More: Don’t get caught texting while driving through these small NJ towns | https://nj1015.com/dont-get-caught-texting-while-driving-through-these-small-nj-towns/?trackback=tsmclip

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Paramus resident’s commuter proposal gets attention

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Melanie Anzidei , Staff Writer, @melanieanzideiPublished 6:08 a.m. ET April 17, 2017 | Updated 11 hours ago

PARAMUS — The efforts of one concerned commuter saw the first signs of fruition last week.

In its latest newsletter, the borough published a commuter survey intended to gauge Paramus residents’ views regarding their commutes to and from work. That survey, which has been months in the making, was the result of a call to action by resident Robert Denicola last year.

The 13-question survey asked residents whether they used public transportation for their commutes, the kind of transportation they used, and the lengths of their commutes. It also asked if residents would support a borough shuttle to “lessen your commuting burden,” and if they would be willing to pay for that service.

https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/bergen/paramus/2017/04/17/paramus-residents-commuter-proposal-gets-attention/100484282/?utm_campaign=new-jersey-politics&utm_content=2017-18-04-9409832&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=New%20Jersey%20Politics

 

 

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Is American Retail at a Historic Tipping Point?

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Is American Retail at a Historic Tipping Point?

By MICHAEL CORKERY

APRIL 15, 2017

Along the cobblestone streets of SoHo, Chanel handbags and Arc’teryx jackets are displayed in shops like museum pieces, harking back to the height of the neighborhood’s trendiness. But rents there are softening, and the number of vacant storefronts is rising.

Today, some of the most sought-after real estate by retailers is not in SoHo, but five miles away in Red Hook, a gritty Brooklyn enclave with a shipbuilding past. E-commerce merchants are vying to lease part of a huge warehouse space, spanning 11 acres, that would allow them to deliver goods the same day they’re ordered online.

The profound reordering of New York’s shopping scene reflects a broad restructuring in the American retail industry.

E-commerce players, led by the industry giant Amazon, have made it so easy and fast for people to shop online that traditional retailers, shackled by fading real estate and a culture of selling in stores, are struggling to compete. This shift has been building gradually for years. But economists, retail workers and real estate investors say it appears that it has sped up in recent months.

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/04/15/business/retail-industry.html?referer=https://www.bing.com/search?q=historic%20tipping%20point%20retail%20ny%20times&form=MB10782&mkt=en-US&setlang=en-US

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Brush fire at the Ramapo County Reservation

Brush fire at the Ramapo County Reservation

photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook

April 18,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Mahwah NJ, A Monday afternoon, 04/17, brush fire at the Ramapo County Reservation on Ramapo Valley Road in Mahwah required the services of mini pumpers and fire personnel from Mahwah, Ramsey, Hillburn NY, and the NJDEP’s Forest Fire Service. Mahwah EMS and PD also responded to the incident. Hiking trails throughout the Reservation’s “upper area” were closed as crews fought the smokey blaze. A Forest Fire Service helicopter was also called in to assist in the fire suppression efforts.

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THE LIST: TOP 10 PUBLIC CONTRACTORS AND THEIR POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS

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COLLEEN O’DEA | APRIL 17, 2017

Complexity and confusion about the law may have discouraged contractors from contributing directly to candidates and parties last year

For more than a decade, New Jersey’s pay-to-play laws have provided a check on businesses’ ability to contribute money to politicians in the hope of getting a government contract in return.

Last year, political contributions by public contractors dropped to the second-lowest level since restrictions took effect, according to a report released by the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission earlier this month. The $8.1 million in contributions from businesses was 11 percent lower than in 2015 and less than half the high of $16.4 million reported in 2007.

Jeff Brindle, ELEC’s executive director, said the lack of gubernatorial or legislative elections in 2016 may account for some of the decline, but the complexity of the law is also discouraging contractors from contributing directly to candidates and parties.

Under pay-to-play laws, all businesses that have $50,000 or more in public contracts and have made political contributions must disclose both contract and contribution details to ELEC by March 30th of the previous year. There are some exceptions, but most firms with state contracts totaling $17,500 or more cannot give more than $300 to candidates, political parties, and legislative leadership committees. A business that violates the prohibitions must either ask for a refund of any excess contribution promptly or relinquish its contracts for four years.

https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/17/04/16/the-list-top-10-pay-to-play-public-contracting-firms/

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Unused sick days are costing us billions, as Democrats dawdle

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Updated on April 16, 2017 at 3:31 PMPosted on April 16, 2017 at 3:30 PM

BY STAR-LEDGER EDITORIAL BOARD

[email protected]

Sick pay is for those who get sick. If you don’t get sick, you shouldn’t get sick pay. Period.

The same goes for all fringe benefits. If you’re not disabled, you don’t get disability. If you’re not unemployed, you don’t get unemployment. This is not complicated.

Until you put politics into the mix.

New Jersey, the state with the highest property taxes in the nation, still allows public workers to collect big payouts for their unused absences. It’s a perk unheard of in the private sector, but we’re all paying dearly for it.

https://www.nj.com/opinion/index.ssf/2017/04/unused_sick_days_are_costing_us_billions_as_democr.html#incart_river_home

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Taxes atop the agenda as New Jersey picks a new governor

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BY MICHAEL CATALINI Associated Press

TRENTON, N.J.

New Jersey taxpayers will be filing their taxes this year in the midst of pitched primary fights to succeed Republican Gov. Chris Christie.

Tax Day on Tuesday comes just as voters are expected to get a closer look at the personal financial information of the Democratic and Republican candidates who are vying to become one of the country’s most powerful chief executives, with the power to appoint prosecutors, judges, Cabinet officers and a host of other officials. New Jersey and Virginia are the only two states with governor’s races this year.

New Jersey election officials are scheduled to release the candidates’ personal financial information Monday.

Read more here: https://www.newsobserver.com/news/business/article144813394.html#storylink=cpy

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Here’s where your N.J. lawmakers in Washington got all that cash for their campaigns

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Updated April 15, 2017
Posted April 15, 2017

By Jonathan D. Salant | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

All 12 U.S. House members from New Jersey have one thing in common: They raised more money than their opponents last year.

Eleven incumbents were re-elected in November. The 12th, Rep. Scott Garrett (R-5th Dist.) was outraised by his Democratic challenger, former White House speechwriter Josh Gottheimer, and lost his bid for an eighth term.

The lawmakers will tell the Federal Election Commission this weekend how much they’ve raised during the first three months of 2017 for their upcoming re-election campaigns. Here’s where they got their money from to run their last races. Data is from the Center for Responsive Politics, a Washington-based research group, and covers the period Jan. 1, 2015, through Dec. 31, 2016.

https://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/04/your_lawmakers_are_raising_money_for_their_next_el.html#incart_river_home