Category: Bergen County

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Rep. Scott Garrett Announces 2016 Congressional Art Competition Winners

Scott Garrett Alexandra Gutierrez- with artwork

1st Place winner, Alexandra Gutierrez with Scott Garrett

May 26,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05) announced the winners of the 2016 Congressional Art Competition at Sussex County Community College in Newton this Saturday. The Congressional Art Competition is open to all 9th-12th graders from New Jersey’s Fifth District, and this year’s competition featured 90 pieces of artwork from New Jersey high schools in Bergen, Passaic, Sussex, and Warren Counties (full list below).

This year the winners were: 1st Place, Alexandra Gutierrez, “Split Vision,” Bergen County Academies; 2nd Place, Grant Brewster, “Forgotten,” Delbarton School; 3rd Place, Nicole Spangenburg, “Doug,” Wallkill Valley Regional High School; 4th Place, Nicole Spangenburg, “Rasta Man Dan,” Wallkill Valley Regional High School; 5th Place, Sophia Bevacqua, “Landscape,” Northern Highlands Regional High School; 6th Place, Nicolina Kanapinski, “Take Me For a Ride,” High Point Regional High School; 7th Place, Maansi Srivastava, “The Afternoon Glow,” Bergen County Academies; 8th Place, Sarah Vargas, “The Dreamer,” Bergen County Academies.

Each spring, the Congressional Institute sponsors a nationwide high school visual art competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent in the nation and in each congressional district. Since the Artistic Discovery competition began in 1982, more than 650,000 high school students have participated. Students submit entries to their representative’s office, and panels of district artists select the winning entries. The first-place winner from each congressional district is invited to attend a reception in Washington, D.C., and the winning artwork is displayed in the U.S. Capitol for a year. Read more here.

Students from the following schools will be participating (by county):

Bergen County Academies

Bergen County Technical High School (Student lives in district)

Bergenfield High School

Blair Academy

Delbarton School (Student lives in district)

Fair Lawn High School

Glen Rock High School

Hackensack High School

Hackettstown High School

High Point Regional High School

Indian Hills High School

Lakeland Regional High School

Newton High School

Northern Highlands Regional High School

Northern Valley Regional High School – Old Tappan

Ramsey High School

Ridgewood High School

River Dell High School

Wallkill Valley Regional High School

West Milford High School

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Mahwah mayor, top cop accused of plot to discredit a rival

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Mahwah’s mayor and police chief were behind a plot to discredit a public works official and political rival, pressing false allegations that he viewed pornography on a township computer that ultimately led to his death, a lawsuit alleges. Peter J. Sampson, The Record Read more

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Rep. Garrett Moves to Stop NJ Taxpayers from Funding Out of State Research Grants

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Reps. Garrett (NJ) and Foster (IL) Offer Amendment to Relieve “Payer States” like New Jersey

May 26, 2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ,  Reps. Scott Garrett (NJ-05) and Bill Foster (IL-11) introduced an amendment to H.R. 5055, the Energy and Water Appropriations Bill, that would stop “payer states” like Illinois and New Jersey from giving more money to smaller “taker states” by eliminating an out-of-date government program.

Every year, hundreds of billions of dollars is transferred out of “payer states” (those that pay more in federal taxes than they receive back in federal spending ), into “taker states” (those that receive more federal spending than they pay in taxes). One of the worst offenders of this redistribution is the National Science Foundation (NSF) Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), which is  special federal research spending that goes almost exclusively to small states that already receive far more federal spending than they pay in taxes.

“For too long, politicians have advocated for an ever-expanding federal government, confiscating more and more money from hard-working families in payer states like New Jersey,” said Garrett. “And what does this mean for these families? It means that they will continue to subsidize the countless ineffective, wasteful redistributive programs like the NSF EPSCoR. The people of New Jersey deserve to have their tax dollars spent in their state, not sent to Washington to be diverted and wasted by unelected bureaucrats, and the Foster-Garrett amendment would relieve the taxpayers of this burden.”

EPSCoR was first authorized by Congress in 1978 with goal of redistributing federal research dollars into states that did not get their “fair share” of research dollars.  However, because the “fair share” was determined on a per-state basis rather than a per-capita basis, it has devolved into another program that steers money into states that already get more than their fair share of federal spending.

What was intended to be temporary assistance to a select group of states to build their research infrastructure and then exit the program has become a permanent and growing pot of taxpayer subsidies.  Eligibility to participate in NSF EPSCoR opportunities is based solely on whether or not a state has received less than 0.75% of NSF research funding in the previous three years.  This means that the EPSCoR opportunities are based solely on whether or not a state has received less than 0.75% of NSF research funding in the previous three years.

The Foster-Garrett Amendment would eliminate this program so more money can stay in the pockets of New Jersey families.

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Rep. Garrett Gets “Shadowed” for Congressional Foster Youth Shadow Day

Scott Garrett and Maryana Stern
May 26,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05) welcomed Maryana Stern to be his shadow for a day as part of the fifth annual “Congressional Foster Youth Shadow Day.” Nearly 100 foster youth and alumni from across the country travelled to Capitol Hill to accompany members of Congress to work and get a behind-the-scenes look at the House of Representatives.

“It was a pleasure to have Maryana shadow me this morning on Capitol Hill,” said Garrett. “She is an ambitious young woman who has overcome a lot, and it was great to show her around Congress and discuss issues that affect foster youth across the country. As a member of the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth, I know it’s important to ensure that our nation’s foster youth have the opportunities and support they need to succeed.”

In addition to shadowing Rep. Garrett, Maryana attended a lunch where members speak about the work Congress is doing to support foster youth. Rep. Garrett is a member of the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth. This bipartisan caucus unites over 160 Members of Congress to examine the challenges facing all foster youth and develop policy initiatives

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N.J. court to hear dispute on affordable-housing numbers

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The New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division will hear arguments June 6 on whether municipalities have an obligation to zone for affordable-housing units that they did not allow between 1999 and 2015. David O’Reilly, Inquirer

https://www.philly.com/philly/news/new_jersey/20160524_N_J__court_to_hear_dispute_on_affordable-housing_numbers.html

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2016 Memorial Day By The Numbers Report

Memorial_Day_Ceremony2_theridgewoodblog

file photo by Boyd Loving

May 25,2016

the Staff of the Ridgewood  blog

Ridgewood NJ, with Memorial Day weekend just a few days away, WalletHub today followed up its study on the Best States for Military Retirees by releasing its 2016 Memorial Day By The Numbers Report. This includes an expert Q&A on the meaning of Memorial Day and the manner in which we celebrate it as well an infographic full of factoids – both serious and fun – about various facets of the holiday.
You can find a handful of highlights of the report below.

  • 42+ Mil: Americans have served the country in war time.
  • 1.3 Mil: Members of the armed services have lost their lives in conflict.
  • 89% – Of Memorial Day weekend travelers will drive to their destination (2.1% increase from 2015).
  • 818: Hot dogs are consumed every second from Memorial Day to Labor Day (7 billion total).
  • 25%: More home-cooking fires happen on Memorial Day than average.
  • 900K+: Expected participants and spectators in Rolling Thunder, the annual Memorial Day motorcycle rally in Washington, DC.

For the complete Memorial Day 2016 Report, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/blog/memorial-day-stats/21363/

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Garrett Challenger Political insider Josh Gottheimer Surrounded by Scandals

Joshua S

May 24,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood bog

Ridgewood NJ ,Rep Scott Garrett’s  Democratic challenger Political insider Josh Gottheimer has lots of high profile friends he’s using to try to buy his way into Congress. Unfortunately for him, these “friends” believe the rules don’t apply to them – which means they have bit a habit of running into trouble with the law…Terry McAuliffe is just the latest in a series of scandals plaguing members of the “Gottheimer Cartel.”

Does Josh Gottheimer agree with his “friends” – that the rules don’t apply to him?

  • Gottheimer’s Clinton 2008 Campaign Mentor and Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe:Terry McAuliffe Under FBI Investigation For Possible Campaign Violations. “The FBI is investigating whether Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe’s 2013 campaign accepted illegal contributions.” (NBC News, 5/23/2016)
  • “Family Member” Hillary Clinton: FBI May Question Clinton. ”In addition to the FBI investigation, inspectors general at the State Department and the U.S. intelligence community are reviewing whether security procedures or laws were broken.” (ABC News, 5/23/2016)
  • Donor and Wife Beater Ibrahim Al-Rashid: Democratic Groups Keep Donations From Domestic Violence Convict. “Al-Rashid, the son of a Saudi multimillionaire, pled guilty in 2014 to a domestic assault charge against his estranged wife, who was formerly the finance director for Rep. Patrick Murphy (D, Fla.).” (Washington Free Beacon, 5/19/2016)
  • Donor and Disgraced Senator Bob “The Torch” Torricelli: Torricelli Angling for Return to US Senate by Supporting Clinton “Family Member” Gottheimer?“Former U.S. Sen. Robert Torricelli said if Hillary Clinton is elected president, he “might ask to do something” in her administration.” (NJ.com, 4/21/2016)
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Garrett Challenger Josh Gottheimer Faces New Questions for Accepting Donations from Saudi Wife Beaters and disgraced former NJ Senator

Josh Gottheimer
May 22,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Paramus NJ in what could be only considered a media event with no chance of swaying opinions 12 protesters called on Fidelity Investments storefront on Route 17 in Paramus to stop financially backing the campaign of CD5 Republican Congressman Scott Garrett.

The rally was made up of the same 12 people who have been protesting Garrett and supporting his opponent
Josh Gottheimer ,included Assemblyman Tim Eustace (D-38), representatives from New Jersey Citizen Action, Garden State Equality, College Democrats of New Jersey and Ramapo College Democrats. Apparently the few protesters were unaware that a branch office in New Jersey has almost zero input to Fidelity Investments corporate donation policy.

These “rent a mob” protests have been in response to controversial remarks Garrett “allegedly” made last year that he would not support the House Republican campaign arm because of support for gay candidates.
No evidence or transcripts have ever surfaced as to the nature of these “alleged” comments . Most insiders suspect the entire controversy was manufactured by former House Speaker  John “cry baby” Boehner. Who Garrett had voted against his disastrous tenure as Speaker of The House.

While the media loves events like theses that are custom tailored to fit the “evil ,mean ,GOP ” narrative Garrett’s Democratic opposition Josh Gottheimer has had far worse problems with donors . It seems Josh Gottheimer campaign has been partly financed by foreign money .Accepting donations from son of a billionaire Saudi businessman, and infamous wife beater Ibrahim Al-Rashid . Even Senator Harry Reid won’t take Al-Rashid’s money, yet political insider Josh Gottheimer has embraced Al-Rashid, to the disgust of residents of the Fifth District.

To make matters worse Gottheimer has also accepted donations from disgraced NJ Senator Bob “the Torch” Torricelli an Englewood Democrat who abandoned his bid for a second term in the U.S. Senate 13 years ago under an ethical cloud . So bad was Torricelli’s discretion’s he was forced out by his own party. Torricelli quite following a series of seamy revelations that he’d accepted lavish gifts from businessman David Chang, which in turned prompted the Senate Ethics Committee to issue a formal letter of admonishment.

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Paramus Police Report Bear Sightings on Midland Avenue

bearsilhouette
May 19,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Paramus NJ, according to the Paramus Police there have been numerous bear sightings on Midland Ave. west of Rt.17 if seen dont approach,call the Police Dept.

According to New Jersey Fish and Wild life , “Since the 1980s the Garden State’s black bear population has been increasing and expanding its range both southward and eastward from the forested areas of northwestern New Jersey. Within the most densely populated state in the nation, black bears are thriving and there are now confirmed bear sightings in all 21 of New Jersey’s counties.”

The most common bear problem New Jersey’s residents experience is black bears getting into their garbage. Bears are attracted to neighborhoods by garbage odors, so properly securing your garbage is one of the best ways to prevent bears from becoming a nuisance in your community.”

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Jersey Shore tourism; nobody’s in charge

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The Shore is heading into the summer without its biggest marketing arm. The Jersey Shore Convention & Visitors Bureau has no funding, no executive director and no website, leaving the promotion of the Shore’s tourism industry to Monmouth and Ocean counties – and individual towns and businesses. Michael L. Diamond, Asbury Park Press Read more

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Gottheimer Accepts Money from Infamous Wife Beater

Josh Gottheimer

May 18,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, It turns out, there is something on which Hillary Clinton and Scott Garrett agree: You can tell a lot about someone by the company they keep.

While @HillaryClinton ’s  hypocrisy sparked a backlash on twitter, she inadvertently outed one of her “family” members – Josh Gottheimer – for his questionable associations.

As more comes to light about Gottheimer’s circle of associates, constituents in the Fifth District are growing more and more worried about his efforts to push his way into Congress.

The latest member of the “Gottheimer Cartel” to be publicly identified is the son of a billionaire Saudi businessman, and infamous wife beater Ibrahim Al-Rashid. Even Harry Reid won’t take Al-Rashid’s money, yet political insider Josh Gottheimer has embraced Al-Rashid, to the disgust of residents of the Fifth District.

Just how low will Gottheimer sink to get what he wants?

 

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Bike Rider Hit at Ben and Jerry’s Intersection in Ridgewood, information sought

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file photo by Boyd Loving
May 15,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood Nj, We picked this post up from it Takes a Ridgewood Village page on Facebook.We had to read it twice I could not believe it .

from Audra Guscott Shelko‎

Hi everyone. I’m looking for some help. My son, John, was riding his bike home from Ridgewood Cycle yesterday, May 14th . Around 3:30PM he was struck on his bike by an SUV in the Ben & Jerry’s intersection. The car threw him from the bike, and ran over the bike but was able to stop before hitting him again while on the ground. The driver asked if he was OK and then left. She didn’t get out to wait with him for help, offer to call mom or ask how he was getting home on a broken bike. I called the police when he got home and John wasn’t able to provide much information. It happened quickly and he was pretty shaken up.

Other drivers stopped to ask if he was OK but no one contacted the police. So I’m posting to see if anyone was at Ben & Jerry’s, East Coast Burger or in town for sidewalk sale days and saw/heard anything. If so, please contact the Ridgewood Police or me at [email protected].

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Second Uber Bill Introduced in NJ Legislature

Marco Rubio Speech On Innovation At Uber's DC Offices

 

Last week, Senators Joe Kyrillos (R-13) and Paul Sarlo (D-36) announced a bill aimed at creating statewide regulations for ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft. Today, Assembly Democrats Joe Lagana (D-38), Troy Singleton (D-7) and John Wisniewski (D-19) introduced a similar bill in the assembly (A3695). Alyana Alfaro, PolitickerNJ Read more