Category: Bergen County

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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

ridgewood police
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

The-future-Bus

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

Sweeney & Prieto

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

ridgewood real-estate

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

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N.J. State Police troopers have to pay their own tolls, court rules

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file photo by Boyd Loving

By S.P. Sullivan | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on April 14, 2017 at 10:23 AM, updated April 14, 2017 at 4:51 PM

TRENTON — The New Jersey State Police does not have to reimburse state troopers for toll fares during their commute to and from work, an appeals court has ruled in a dispute between the state and the troopers’ union.

The two-judge panel found on Thursday that an arbitrator was mistaken in declaring the practice “an established term and condition of employment.”

For years, the operators of the state’s major toll roads, the New Jersey
Turnpike Authority and the South Jersey Transportation Authority, allowed troopers and other state employees to pass through their toll booths in personal vehicles free of charge.

But in 2010, Gov. Chris Christie called for an end to free rides for non-emergency vehicles. Soon after, a report from the state comptroller also flagged the practice in a report identifying $43 million in waste within the Turnpike Authority.

https://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2017/04/nj_troopers_have_to_pay_their_own_tolls_court_rule.html

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Late Friday Crash Leaves Vehicle Heavily Damaged

Late Friday Crash Leaves Vehicle Heavily Damaged

photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook

April 15,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Waldwick NJ, Waldwick PD and EMS responded to multiple 911 telephone calls of a reported motor vehicle crash on Route 17 northbound near East Prospect Street late Friday afternoon, 04/14. Responding units located a 4-door Honda Accord sedan off the right side of the roadway. The vehicle appeared to have struck a tree and a concrete barrier after leaving the travel lanes. The adult male driver was evaluated by Waldwick EMS personnel. It is not known whether he was transported to a hospital. The heavily damaged vehicle was removed from the scene by a flatbed tow truck. There was no visible indication that another vehicle was involved in the crash. Ho-Ho-Kus PD units assisted with traffic control.

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NJ Governors Race : Rullo Accuses Rogers of simply posturing for the NJ Lt Governor job

joe rullo

April 15,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Steve Rogers, a township commissioner in Nutley has been after outsider Joseph Rudy Rullo from the start of his campaign . Yesterday Rullo turned up the heat accusing Rogers of simply posturing for the Lt Governor job.

In a Facebook post Joseph Rudy Rullo said ,”I believe the rumor Rogers is in race to take away votes from our campaign and posturing for Lt Governor was validated today. Between him announcing one year late into our campaign using much of our platform as a guide and targeting our support and last few months of defending Guadagno. I challenge Rogers to pledge not to accept Lt Governor position if offered by any of the establishment candidates! Like my other two opponents he has been in office for over a decade and ladder climbing is unacceptable at the expense of Draining The Swamp In Trenton and fixing NJ. This is another reason his campaign hasn’t resonated with non establishment voters who don’t trust career politicians and their calculated political motives!!!!”

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Glen Rock Reinstates Officer Who Sued Borough After His 2014 Firing

Glen Rock Police Dept

April 15,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Glen Rock NJ, according to Glen Rock mayor Bruce Packer who announced at Monday’s Borough Council meeting former Glen Rock police officer Matthew Stanislao, who was fired by the borough in October, 2014 and later sued the borough claiming he was the victim of discrimination because he is gay, has now been reinstated to his former position after he and the borough reached an out-of-court settlement that will give him two-and-a-half years’ worth of back pay and $750,000 in damages.

Officer Stanislao sued the borough in October 2014, one week after he was notified that he had been fired. In his suit he alleged that several officers had sexually harassed him for being gay.

Packer said “In the spirit of moving forward, the Borough pursued, and has now achieved, a full and final settlement, which will reinstate Mr. Stanislao to the Glen Rock Police Department.’

Packer stated the Stanislao will return to work on or before May 5, and the mayor added that the borough’s insurance company will cover $600,000 of the settlement. He also said the portion of the settlement that the borough will pay has already been figured into the annual budget for this year.

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NJTPC to host Special Guest Speaker Assemblyman Robert J. Auth

Assemblyman Robert J

Where : 650 American Legion Drive, Teaneck N J
When :  April 18 – 7pm

(Don’t forget to bring a pantry item for the American Legion food drive-support our veterans’ good works)

Teaneck NJ, We are pleased and fortunate to have as our guest speaker Robert J. Auth, Assemblyman for NJ D39. Assemblyman Auth received his B.A. from New York University with majors in History and Philosophy. He serves in the Assembly on the Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee, Commerce and Economic Development Committee and the Education Committee. He is also the Chief Executive Officer at Plaza Travel and Insurance Services Ltd., a company he founded in 1985. In the past, he was a teacher for the North Bergen School District from 2004 to 2006. He is an aircraft pilot having flown since 1982.

We look forward to hearing Assemblyman Auth’s input and information on the following bills, which he is sponsoring on subjects and issues that affect us all:

A4884   “Empower the Principal Act”; eliminates local school superintendents and prohibits schools from having more than one assistant or vice-principal  
 
A4481 Decreases petroleum products gross receipts tax rate on certain petroleum products; dissolves Transportation Trust Fund Authority; establishes “New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund Account Commission.”
 
ACR28 Proposes constitutional amendment to establish revenue responsibility through annual State appropriations cap limiting spending growth to one percent per year over six years and a permanent revenue responsibly fund reserved for reducing State pension benefit liabilities.
 
A376 Concerns county government dissolution

Remember…….Assembly representatives may not be in your district but can do good work which will benefit us in all districts, so come and hear what is being said and know who the Assembly representatives are that are working to make NJ a better state and a less ‘taxing’ state.

See you Tuesday!  Bring a friend!!