Senate Democrats announced a bill to raise New Jersey’s Earned Income Tax Credit by ten percent Tuesday, predicting that the move would cost the state $120 million but generate $180 million worth of increased economic activity. The bill from Senator Shirley Turner (D-15) bill is the latest development in the legislature’s amorphous definition of “tax fairness,” the phrase that Governor Chris Christie lit on when asked about the compromises he is willing to make to raise the state’s gas tax in an attempt to fund the ailing Transportation Trust Fund. JT Aregood, PolitickerNJ Read more
In an interview with Spiked Online, radical feminist Camille Paglia unloaded both barrels on the Left’s “self-absoprtion” with gender identity, saying all the “hyper-self-consciousness about ‘Who am I? Where exactly am I on the gender spectrum?’ is mere navel-gazing, while in the Middle East, ISIS is beheading people.”
In the half-hour interview with Spiked’s Ella Whelan, the openly gay, contrarian feminist professor commented on several controversial issues, including the transgender debate, the so-called “campus rape culture,” and the censorship of honest discussions about what causes homosexuality. As usual, Paglia’s take on all of it probably won’t make her fellow feminists and LGBT activists happy.
Midland Park NJ, An elderly female/male couple sustained only minor injuries when their brand new 4-door Toyota Corolla crashed into a strip mall located at 644 Godwin Avenue, Midland Park at approximately 11:30 AM on Thursday, 05/05. Midland Park PD, FD, and EMS all responded along with a paramedic unit from The Valley Hospital and a BLS unit from Wyckoff. The victims were trapped in the vehicle until Midland Park firefighters removed a rear door to obtain access to the passenger compartment. The were both transported by separate ambulances to The Valley Hospital. A flatbed tow truck removed the Toyota from the building after PSE&G disconnected all gas & electric service. The section of the strip mall affected appeared to have been unoccupied and under renovation at the time of the crash.
HoHo Kus Nj, HoHoKus PD and EMS were called to the scene of an early afternoon construction accident on Wednesday, 05/04. An adult male sustained a serious head injury after falling 20 feet from a ladder at a home under construction on Hollywood Place in HoHoKus; there was no LOC. The victim was transported by ambulance to Hackensack University Medical Center. HoHoKus EMS was assisted by a paramedic unit from The Valley Hospital
New trucks for snow removal, upgraded voting machines and background checks for school-bus drivers are behind some of the cost increases in the county budget, members of the Board of Freeholders learned Tuesday during departmental hearings on the proposed spending plan for 2016. Todd South, The Record Read more
By Anthony G. Attrino | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on May 04, 2016 at 7:25 AM, updated May 04, 2016 at 9:02 AM
WYCKOFF – The Township Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to suspend police Chief Benjamin Fox as the state investigates an email he sent in 2014 appearing to condone racial profiling, according to Township Mayor Kevin Rooney.
Rooney said in a statement the suspension was necessary “to allow for the investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and their appointed monitor to continue without any chance for interruption.”
The Township Committee met in closed session April 19 to discuss issues related to the suspension. Fox was notified of the meeting but declined to attend, the mayor said.
Fox’s attorney, Arthur G. Margeotes, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Wednesday.
In the Dec. 2014 email to the police department, Fox stated he was concerned that misguided complaints about police would cause officers to react slowly in threatening situations.
YWCA Bergen County Celebrating 95 Years of Walking the Talk
Mon, May 09, 2016
Time: 6:30 PM – 10:30 PM
Location: Seasons, 644 Pascack Road, Township of Washington, NJ Cost: $125 per person
YWCA Bergen County Celebrating 95 Years of Walking the Talk Honoring Extraordinary Bergen County Women Including Two Ridgewood ResidentsYWCA Bergen County has announced on May 9, 2016 the organization will mark its 95th anniversary with “95 Years of Walking the Talk: A Celebration of YWCA Bergen County,” at Seasons in Washington Twp., NJ.
This will be a unique event for YWCA Bergen County and for its supporters. “We are planning an elegant, full-scale celebration,” says CEO Helen Archontou. “We want to draw in the entire community—members past and present, young families, with a special focus on welcoming men—as we take this moment to celebrate all that we’ve been, all that we are, and all that we will be.”
At the heart and center of the celebration are four incredible women:
• Joan Groome, Executive Director of the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce and former YW Development Director will be honorary legacy host. “Joan’s dedication to YWCA Bergen County helped build our organization and she continues to inspire us,” says YW CEO Helen Archontou.
• Ridgewood’s own Charlotte Samuels will receive YWCA Bergen County Young Leader Award. “Charlotte is an incredible young woman. Her achievements as an athlete and swimmer only begin to showcase her power and integrity.”
• Gina Plotino, a member of Women United in Philanthropy, and VP of Operations at Bergen County United Way will receive our YWCA Bergen County Beacon of Light Award for her dedication to lifting up and mentoring women and girls.
• Assemblywoman Valerie Vaineri Huttle will receive our YWCA Bergen County Woman of Action Award for her courageous work around key individual rights issues including ending campus sexual violence. Archontou says, “Valerie has been a friend to the YW and to all women as she courageously takes on the most meaningful battles.”
The program will also feature five “stand out” men from our community who will be there to “stand up” for Bergen County women.
Tom Toronto, President of Bergen County United Way; Anthony Cureton, President Bergen County, NJ NAACP; AJ Luna, Director of Bergen County, NJ Veterans
Services; Jeremy Lentz, Executive Director of the Teaneck International Film Festival; and Anthony Johnson, WABC-TV News journalist.
We will also take time out to “cut loose” on the dance floor. Arthur Murray Ridgewood has generously agreed to lead a special “Dancing through the Decades” feature.
Ridgewood resident Nell Doremus started the YW back in 1920 as a way to support single women who wanted to work and live on their own. Her dream has given way to a profound local legacy of service and support as YWCA Bergen County has pursued its mission of eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, dignity, and freedom for all, spreading its work beyond Ridgewood and throughout Bergen County.
“We are so very excited about honoring these remarkable women and about this fundraising and awareness building celebration,” says Archontou. “It’s a chance to open the community’s eyes to the full range of our programs and services.”
Providing free or affordable parking within walking distance of the shoreline is a key goal of a group studying ways to improve access to New Jersey’s beaches and waterways. Associated Press Read more
At a Cherry Hill fundraiser last Thursday, George Norcross, the Democratic power broker, sounded out Bergen County Democratic Party Chairman Lou Stellato on a politically sensitive gambit. Charles Stile, The Record Read more
Volunteers in Hackensack at a project sponsored by Oritani Savings Bank Charitable Foundation. National #RebuildingMonth
April 28,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Rebuilding Together is a Ridgewood based organization that helps neighbors who have worked all their lives and have been physically and financially able to maintain their homes in good condition. Now, due to illness, aging, economic hardships, or the loss of a spouse, they are unable to handle the repair work themselves. Their homes deteriorate or become unsafe. That’s where Rebuilding Together Bergen County can help.
Rebuilding Together brings together corporate and individual donors, skilled trades individuals, community organizations, and hundreds of general volunteers each year.
Together we transform the lives of low-income homeowners by improving the safety and health of their homes and revitalizing our communities. Our vision: A safe and healthy home for every person
One of 167 Rebuilding Together affiliates across the nation, Rebuilding Together Bergen County serves homeowners throughout the county and has made more than 500 homes safer and healthier since our founding in 1998.
Our programs include National Rebuilding Day (the last Saturday in April), Fire Safety (smoke- and CO-alarm installations and fire-safety education), and Critical Needs (primarily accessibility ramps and, if emergency funding permits, assistance with roofs, heat/hot water, and appliances).
Our volunteers include employees of our local and national corporate sponsors, members of faith-based or civic groups and organizations, as well as individuals from the community.
To volunteer, visit our “Get Involved” page.
For assistance with critical repairs and home modifications, go to the “Who We Help” page.
The announcement earlier this year by state Senator Kevin O’Toole that he will not pursue reelection promptly altered the political landscape in LD40, setting in motion the emergence of a new GOP establishment ticket that surfaced fully formed this morning. Max Pizarro, PolitickerNJ Read more
“I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Mayor Lizette Parker. Mayor Parker was a committed and principled advocate for the town she served and the people of Teaneck. Lizette’s role in our community leaves a bright legacy that will shine forever. My thoughts and prayers are with her friends, her family, and her beloved town during this difficult time.” Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05)
Funeral to be held Saturday for Teaneck mayor
Arrangements have been scheduled for the township’s mayor, Lizette Parker, who died Sunday. Mary Diduch, The Record Read more
Teaneck Mayor Lizette Parker dies at 44
Township Mayor Lizette Parker, the first African American female mayor in Teaneck and in Bergen County, died on Sunday, her family said. She was 44. Jeff Green and Jim Norman, The Record Read more
We live in a world of constant entertainment – but is too much stimulation boring?
Sandi Mann
Sunday 24 April 2016 01.00 EDT
It amazes me when people proclaim that they are bored. Actually, it amazes me that I am ever bored, or that any of us are. With so much to occupy us these days, boredom should be a relic of a bygone age – an age devoid of the internet, social media, multi-channel TV, 24-hour shopping, multiplex cinemas, game consoles, texting and whatever other myriad possibilities are available these days to entertain us.
Yet despite the plethora of high-intensity entertainment constantly at our disposal, we are still bored. Up to half of us are “often bored” at home or at school, while more than two- thirds of us are chronically bored at work. We are bored by paperwork, by the commute and by dull meetings. TV is boring, as is Facebook and other social media. We spend our weekends at dull parties, watching tedious films or listening to our spouses drone on about their day. Our kids are bored – bored of school, of homework and even of school holidays.
There are a number of explanations for our ennui. This, in fact, is part of the problem – we are overstimulated. The more entertained we are the more entertainment we need in order to feel satisfied . The more we fill our world with fast-moving, high-intensity, ever-changing stimulation, the more we get used to that and the less tolerant we become of lower levels.
Past practices are what got us in to the mess we’re in now in the state. Nothing about the status quo is acceptable. NJ and Bergen need clearer thinking and smarter decision making, not payments based on “past practices” without written policy or contractual obligation.
When taxpayer funds are involved, the process should be transparent. Let’s remember this man let Tommy Boy Rica walk free after the theft of at least $500,000 in quarters (and most likely much more) from the Village of Ridgewwod, and now his friend Mordaga, who resigned from Hackensack PD, has an unsealed case to deal with.
