Matthew Birchenough , Staff Writer, @MattBirchenough2:43 p.m. EST December 29, 2016
GLEN ROCK — The Zoning Board is scheduled to hear a proposal for a high-density housing project on Prospect Street next month.
The application by Glen Park Village LLC is on the agenda for discussion at the board’s Jan. 4 work session, and the company is scheduled to present its project to the board at its regular meeting on Jan. 12, commencing a new phase in a three-year effort by the developer to build on the property.
BY EMILY SWANSON AND VERENA DOBNIK
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK (AP) — Emotionally wrenching politics, foreign conflicts and shootings at home took a toll on Americans in 2016, but they entered 2017 on an optimistic note, according to a new poll that found that a majority believes things are going to get better for the country this year.
A look at the key findings of the Associated Press-Times Square Alliance poll:
SO HOW WAS 2016?
Americans weren’t thrilled with 2016. Only 18 percent said things for the country got better, 33 percent said things got worse, and 47 percent said it was unchanged from 2015.
On a personal level, they were optimistic about 2017.
Fifty-five percent said they believe things will be better for them in 2017. That’s a 12-point improvement from a year earlier.
Americans interviewed about the poll’s results expressed some of that optimism.
URGENT – WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY
341 AM EST MON JAN 2 2017
…A WINTRY MIX THIS MORNING…
.A BAND OF PRECIPITATION ASSOCIATED WITH AN APPROACHING WARM
FRONT WILL PRODUCE A WINTRY MIX THIS MORNING. WHILE SIGNIFICANT
ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOW AND SLEET ARE NOT EXPECTED…POCKETS OF
FREEZING RAIN EMBEDDED IN THIS ACTIVITY WILL RESULT IN HAZARDOUS
CONDITIONS AT TIMES.
…WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM EST THIS
MORNING…
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN UPTON HAS ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER
ADVISORY FOR SNOW…SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN…WHICH IS IN EFFECT
UNTIL 10 AM EST THIS MORNING.
* LOCATIONS…PASSAIC…HUDSON…BERGEN…ESSEX AND UNION
COUNTIES IN NEW JERSEY. ORANGE AND ROCKLAND COUNTIES IN NEW
YORK.
* HAZARD TYPES…SNOW…SLEET AND FREEZING RAIN.
* SNOW AND SLEET ACCUMULATIONS…LESS THAN AN INCH.
* TIMING…MAINLY BETWEEN 7 AND 9 AM.
* IMPACTS…ICY ROADS AND WALKWAYS CAN BE EXPECTED.
* WINDS…EAST 5 MPH OR LESS.
* TEMPERATURES…UPPER 20S TO LOWER 30S.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW…SLEET…OR
FREEZING RAIN WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR
SLIPPERY ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES…AND USE CAUTION WHILE
DRIVING.
By Andrea Noble – The Washington Times – Updated: 2:28 p.m. on Thursday, December 29, 2016
The number of ambush-style killings of police officers in the U.S. reached a two-decade high this year, pushing law enforcement fatalities to their highest rate in five years, with 135 officers killed in the line of duty, according to a year-end report by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
Shootings were the number one cause of death for law enforcement in 2016, claiming the lives of 64 officers — including eight gunned down in two ambush attacks in Dallas and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in July. The report notes 21 of the officers were shot and killed in ambush-style attacks.
Firearms-related deaths were up 56 percent over the 41 officers killed by gunfire in 2015, but are still far below the all-time high of 156 officers killed by gunfire in 1973.
Paramus NJ, Paramus PD and EMS responded to a car vs. tree motor vehicle accident at the intersection of East Midland Avenue and Roedel Place on Thursday morning, 12/29. The injured driver was transported by a Paramus EMS ambulance to a local hospital. A paramedic team from The Valley Hospital assisted Paramus EMTs with the transport. The wrecked vehicle was removed from the scene by a flatbed tow truck.
SOMERVILLE, N.J. (AP) – The sentencing of a former New Jersey lawmaker who admitted to stealing more than $5.3 million from creditors for a business venture has been delayed until mid-January.
NJ.com reports (https://bit.ly/2icVBZ6 ) the sentencing of former Assemblyman Robert Schroeder was initially set for Dec. 22, but state prosecutors confirmed Tuesday that it’s been rescheduled for Jan. 13.
Ride-sharing companies such as Uber and Lyft have been operating in New Jersey for years, but the state doesn’t regulate how they contract with drivers, insure, or provide other protections to consumers.
That could change soon, pending Gov. Christie’s approval.
During a marathon session before the holidays, the Democratic-controlled Legislature voted overwhelmingly to pass a bill that specifies how much insurance ride-hailing companies must maintain, and establishes requirements for conducting background checks on drivers.
So-called transportation network companies would be prohibited from discriminating against riders based on their destination, race, age, sexual orientation, or gender identity, among other things.
MICHAEL L. DIAMOND, @mdiamondapp4 p.m. EST December 28, 2016
Three hospitals — two in Bergen County — sued after they were left out of a leading insurer’s preferred network.
Three hospitals – two in Bergen County – that were left out of the preferred network of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey’s Omnia plan can continue their lawsuit, a state judge has ruled.
Superior Court Judge Robert Contillo in Bergen County dismissed three of the hospitals’ claims. But he said three other claims – including one in which the hospitals take exception to Horizon’s marketing campaign – should be left on the table.
WOODBRIDGE, N.J. (AP) – About two years ago, red light cameras in New Jersey went dark, and opponents and supporters began the wait to see if the state Department of Transportation would scuttle or keep the program.
Two years later, they’re still waiting.
The DOT has yet to render a final report and make recommendations to lawmakers on the ultimate fate of camera enforcement in the state. The cameras, which capture images of vehicles at intersections, were turned off on Dec. 16, 2014.
Last year, NJDOT officials said they were still crunching numbers, but gave no timetable when they planned to release the findings, based on 2014 data and five years of numbers from 73 red light camera monitoring intersections in 25 towns. A spokesman said it would be “several months” before the report was finalized.
Ridgewood NJ, Representatives from the Bergen County Police Chiefs Association recently accompanied Santa Claus to The Valley Hospital Pediatric Unit and Pediatric Emergency Room to give holiday gifts to hospitalized children. Pictured here are (standing back row, from left to right): Aleyamma Varghese, R.N., Bergenfield; Heather Evers, APN, Ocean Grove; Chief Frank Regino, Westwood; Lori Check, Fair Lawn; Chief Daniel Maye, Bogota; Christine Trent, Kinnelon; Chief William Skidmore, Edgewater; Retired Chief Fred Stahman, Glen Rock; Janine Cook, Saddle Brook; Tom Hauck, FBI; and Chief Michael Cioffi, Englewood Cliffs. Front row (from left to right): Nadine Morton, Waldwick; Santa; and Kristin Harmon, R.N.
Ho Ho Kus NJ, Train traffic on NJ Transit’s Main and Bergen Lines was halted in both directions through Ho-Ho-Kus on Sunday evening, 12/25 after the adult female driver of a 4-door Acura sedan became disoriented and drove her vehicle onto the tracks just north of the Ho-Ho-Kus train station platform. The vehicle was removed from the tracks by a flatbed tow truck. There was no damage to the tracks and following removal, the vehicle was able to be driven away on its own power. Ho-Ho-Kus PD, Ridgewood PD, and NJ Transit PD officers responded to the incident.
Tom Nobile , Staff Writer, @TomNobile5:16 p.m. EST December 23, 2016
The tribe has also been charged with moving soil without permission.
MAHWAH — The Ramapough Lenape Nation must go to court to fight summonses issued by the township alleging that the Native American tribe erected teepees and tents on a property off Halifax Road without permission.
RIDGEWOOD, NJ, The American Water Works Association New Jersey Section (AWWA NJ) has continued its mission as the authoritative resource on safe water by delivering testimony on two issues critical to New Jersey’s safe drinking water. On November 3, 2016, AWWA NJ Chair Michael Furrey provided written and oral testimony for the NJ Senate Environment and Energy Committee in Trenton regarding Hexavalent Chromium. Senator Bob Smith, Chair for the Committee, made a request to the drinking water industry for technical testimony on this emerging contaminant. Hexavalent Chromium (also known as ‘chromium-6’ or ‘Cr(VI)’) was the contaminant depicted in the film “Erin Brockovich.”
Cr(VI) is currently regulated under a US drinking water standard for total chromium of 0.1 mg/L, set in 1991. EPA is currently revising its risk assessment for Cr(VI). The AWWA NJ recommends that the NJ Water Quality Institute reconvene and examine a science-based strategy to address Hexavalent Chromium.
On November 30, 2016, members of the AWWA NJ Infrastructure Management Committee provided testimony to the Joint Task Force on Water Infrastructure in Trenton NJ. AWWA NJ leaders joined former Governor James Florio in providing critical testimony to the Committee for developing a comprehensive strategy to address water infrastructure and lead contamination issues. AWWA NJ will be partnering with NJDEP, USEPA, NJ Water Works, AEA (Public) and the NJUA (Private) to help the NJ legislature address this important issue.
AWWA published a report in 2014 called “Buried No Longer,” which concluded that restoring existing water systems as they reach the end of their useful lives and expanding them to serve a growing population will cost at least $1 trillion over the next 25 years, if we are to maintain current levels of water service.
On September 16, 2016, the U.S. Senate approved S. 2848, the Water Resources Development Act or WRDA. The House is still working on its own version of a WRDA bill. A key water infrastructure element in S. 2848 is a provision for $70 million so the new Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act loan program, or WIFIA, can start making actual loans. In the two previous fiscal years, Congress has provided funds for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to set up WIFIA administration. Another important element is $100 million to the state revolving loan fund program to assist communities where there has been a drinking water emergency, such as Flint, Mich.
Information about Hexavalent Chromium and Water Infrastructure, along with copies of AWWA NJ’s written testimonies on these issues, are available at www.njawwa.org.
About AWWA NJ
AWWA New Jersey Section is part of the American Water Works Association (AWWA), the world’s largest association of water professionals with over 50,000 members. The AWWA New Jersey Section represents over 1,300 members united in a mission to provide New Jersey residents with a safe and reliable supply of drinking water. Members include most of New Jersey’s public and investor-owned water utilities along with engineering and environmental professionals and allied industry businesses. AWWA works to make advances in public health, safety and welfare by uniting the efforts of the full spectrum of drinking water professionals.
By Jonathan D. Salant | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on December 22, 2016 at 2:24 PM, updated December 23, 2016 at 8:43 AM
WASHINGTON — Social Security recipients who owe student loans have found their payments garnished to pay off their debt and some have been forced into poverty as a result, according to a report released Thursday by the investigative arm of Congress.
The Government Accountability Office said 114,000 Americans receiving Social Security payments either because of their age or disability have had their payments cut because of outstanding debt, an increase of 540 percent over a decade. More than two-thirds of recipients in default, 69 percent, were on disability.
Most of the money collected, 70 percent, went to pay interests and fees, not to reduce the outstanding balance. Among those over 65, the number receiving Social Security benefits below the poverty grew to 67,300, up from 8,300 in 2004, the GAO said.
