4 Vehicle Crash in Paramus temporarily Closes Lanes on 17 North at Century Road
September 19,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Paramus NJ, Four (4) vehicles collided on Route 17 northbound between Century Road and the Garden State Parkway at approximately 7:00 PM on Thursday, 09/17. At least two (2) adult victims were transported by separate ambulances to Hackensack University Medical Center’s (HUMC) main campus.
Two (2) of the four (4) vehicles involved in the crash, a Toyota Prius and a Nissan Altima, were heavily damaged and removed from the scene by a flatbed tow truck. The right travel lane and right shoulder of the roadway were closed while crews worked at the scene removing debris and the vehicles. Paramus PD and EMS responded along with a paramedic unit from HUMC.
September 18,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog .
Ridgewood NJ , we had heard rumors since early September that Chris Harris of North Jersey Media reportedly he gave NJMG 2 weeks notice. Its said according to sources he was going to write for People Magazine . Its turned out to be true and his last day was yesterday .
Readers were already asking, ” Mayors Mouth Piece Leaves North Jersey Media Where is the Mayors Press Secretary Chris Harris to put the spin on this story?” and some questioned , “WOW what is our Mayor going to do? He lost the editor of the Patch a few years back and now this. Who will spin his stories now?”
Chris was frequently criticized on this blog for being a little to enamored with our Mayor Paul Aronsohn , some readers referring to him as the Mayors PR department at North Jersey Media .
On his twitter page he says he is the “Unflinching true crime reporter for People Magazine” . We wish him the best of luck and we are sure the Mayor will develop a new mouth piece at North Jersey Media shortly .
SEPTEMBER 16, 2015, 9:43 AM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2015, 12:24 PM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
PARAMUS — A 27-year-old Clifton man who has an apparent affinity for Red Bull drinks was arrested Tuesday by authorities on three counts of robbery and kidnapping, and two weapons charges.
According to police, Eddie J. Johnson is accused of brandishing a knife and forcing men and women into cars, where he instructed them to drive to an ATM machine to withdraw cash for him or supermarkets to buy him energy drinks in bulk.
Paramus Police said Johnson first approached a woman back in February in the parking lot of Blink Fitness at the Outlets at Bergen Town Center, asking her for money. When she refused his request, Johnson had the woman drive him in her vehicle to an ATM to take out money.
Police said the woman purposely entered the wrong pin number for her account, so Johnson forced her to take him to the Pathmark in Elmwood Park, where he instructed her to buy $70 worth of Red Bull with her credit card. He fled on foot, energy drinks in hand.
Ridgewood NJ, Freeholder candidate John Mitchell visited Ridgewood Train Station this morning after attending the GOP Candidates night in Hasbrouck Heights pushing a Tax Reduction and Strict Budgeting strategy .
It was a “Win-Win” at the Ridgewood train station this morning…
…It was a “win” that I was able to help a commuter understand the intricacies of the unfair school funding formula and how it impacts his ever rising property taxes. And it was also a “win” that I had a chance to meet hundreds of residents in this beautiful town.
John Mitchell , “There are 70 towns in Bergen County and it continues to amaze me how diverse we are but at the same time united in what we want for our children and grandchildren. A good education, the opportunity to work, lower property taxes and a safe environment are what I heard consistently during my recent travels”
Paramus Nj , NJDOT employees and members of the Paramus Fire Department work to clean up the remainder of a foul smelling spill on Route 17 southbound between A&S Drive and Midland Avenue in Paramus late Monday afternoon, 09/14.
The spill was created when a load fell from a tractor trailer hauling animal waste shortly after 3:00 PM. All lanes of Route 17 south in the area of the spill were subject to closure. Heavy rubbernecking delays were reported northbound in the area as well. Paramus PD was also on the scene.
SEPTEMBER 13, 2015 LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY JIM BECKERMAN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
Say hello to Happy and Weepy.
You know them: twin masks, one the smiling face of comedy, the other the grimace of tragedy. They’ve been the official Emoji of theater for more than 2,000 years — ever since the days of the ancient Greeks, when actors did in fact wear outsize masks.
Consider them the mascots of the fall theater season in North Jersey.
Because happily, there are dozens of plays and musicals coming to our area in the next few months — from the lavish professional productions at Millburn’s Paper Mill Playhouse, to the dedicated amateurs who perform in a church basement.
And tragically, you’d be hard-pressed to get to them all, even if you wanted to.
There’s no disguising — with masks or otherwise — the sheer amount of theatrical activity that goes on in this part of the Garden State. They say that every clown secretly wants to be Hamlet — but so, apparently, does every accountant, lawyer, teacher, dentist and sales rep. How else to account for the proliferation of “neighborhood” theaters with their casts full of “shopgirls, schoolteachers, and counter-jumpers” — as Maurice Browne, in 1912, described the habitués of his Chicago Little Theater, the granddaddy of all community theater groups?
And that’s just for starters. What about the student theater groups, with ties to schools like William Paterson University and Bergen Community College? And the professional, Equity actors who appear in venues like Paper Mill and the Garage Theatre Company?
Any more actors in Bergen and Passaic counties, and they’d have to buy tickets and watch us.
Until that day, we local ticket-buyers can avail ourselves of the busiest theater season this side of Broadway. The choices are so many, and bewildering, you may not know whether to laugh or cry.
Firefighters battle Smokey Blaze at Waldwick PSE&G substation
September 14,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Waldwick NJ, Firefighters from countless Bergen & Passaic County, NJ communities battled a stubborn cooling oil fed fire at a Public Service Electric and Gas electric sub/switching station on Hopper Avenue in Waldwick, NJ.
The fire began shortly after 10:30 AM on Sunday, 09/13. Heavy smoke and visible fire were still present as evening approached. EMS resources from several communities were also summoned to assist with decontamination of personnel.
The Record reported “Just under 2,000 people in northern and central Bergen County were without power after an explosion at a PSE&G substation in Waldwick on Sunday morning, according to the utility” https://www.northjersey.com/photo-galleries/photos-smoke-billows-from-fire-at-pse-g-substation-in-waldwick-1.1409176
MEET: DISTRICT 38 ASSEMBLY CANDIDATES ANTHONY CAPPOLA & MARK DI PISA
BERGEN COUNTY FREEHOLDER CANDIDATES JOHN D. MITCHELL, KENNETH TYBURCZY & DAISY ORTIZ-BERGER
ISN’T IT TIME YOU ACTUALLY MEET THE CANDIDATES AND FIND OUT WHAT THEY STAND FOR AND THE COMMITMENTS THEY MAKE TO YOU, THE VOTER, ON HOW THEY WILL BE GOOD STEWARDS OF YOUR HARD EARNED TAX MONEY?
HEAR THEIR VISION FOR A BETTER DISTRICT 38 AND BERGEN COUNTY
ASK YOUR QUESTIONS—BE THERE, KNOW BEFORE YOU VOTE
Tuesday September 15th at 7:00pm – 9:00pm
VFW 513 Veterans Pl, Hasbrouck Heights, NJ 07604
SEPTEMBER 9, 2015, 8:04 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2015, 8:13 PM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
The Bergen County Freeholders on Wednesday approved a $1-million contract for an overflow parking lot that would enable the county to build an outdoor skating rink this winter in Van Saun County Park in Paramus.
But hold the Zamboni: There’s a rut in that plan. None of the six firms that had expressed an interest in building and operating the seasonal rink submitted a bid, county officials said.
County Parks Director Jim Koth said that as a result, the county plans to re-advertise the bidding for the rink contract after talking with the various firms to see what was it about the specifications that kept them from making bids.
Koth said he suspects some of it may have to do with the timing and the short duration of the rink-operator contract.
Under the terms of the parking lot contract awarded to Applied Landscape Technologies Inc. of Montville, the firm will have 100 days to build the lot. With a bid of $1,030,000, the firm was the lowest of seven bidders seeking to build the approximately 110-space lot on what is now a dirt lot south of the park’s carousel. The outdoor temporary ice rink would be built within the footprint of the overflow lot, Koth said. The lot also will provide additional parking for the nearby Bergen County Zoo.
file photo by Boyd Loving
SEPTEMBER 8, 2015 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2015, 8:03 AM
BY KATHLEEN LYNN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
Within weeks after they agreed to pay $5.5 million to settle allegations of investment fraud, a Bergen County father and son began selling bogus investments again, state authorities said Tuesday.
George Bussanich of Park Ridge and his son, George Bussanich Jr. of Saddle River, settled state allegations of defrauding 26 investors in August 2014. Then – although the settlement barred them from selling investments – they almost immediately solicited $3 million from 15 of the same investors, the state attorney general said Tuesday.
“The audacity of these defendants is astounding,” said Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman in a statement. “After the Bureau of Securities exposed how this father and son deceived investors, securing a $5.5 million settlement against them, the defendants allegedly went right back to their old game, defrauding investors of another $3 million and even using some of the new funds to make payments under the settlement.”
SEPTEMBER 8, 2015, 2:11 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2015, 10:24 AM
BY STEFANIE DAZIO, MARY DIDUCH AND JIM NORMAN
STAFF WRITERS |
THE RECORD
TEANECK — Authorities seized 22 kilograms of heroin — said to have a street value of between $3.5 million and $5 million — and arrested a 25-year-old California man in what the state police described Tuesday as one of the most significant drug busts of the year.
Miguel Armenta-Villa of Bakersfield was arrested Friday and charged with first-degree possession of heroin and possession with the intent to distribute, the state police said in a statement.
Sgt. Jeff Flynn of the state police said the arrest and seizure prevented a massive amount of drugs from making it to the streets.
“This is certainly one of the largest seizures of the year,” Flynn said.
The state police said in a release that detectives, along with agents from the federal Drug Enforcement Agency, the New York City Police Department, the New York State Police and the Bergen County Sheriff’s K-9 Unit, made the arrest at 620 Bryant Ave. after a three-week investigation.
The address was not Armenta-Villa’s residence, authorities said.
The state police said detectives “subsequently searched the residence and seized 22 kilograms of heroin, which equates to 1.1 million decks with a street value of $3.5 to $5 million.”
Heroin is always “cut” or diluted at least once — often two or three times — with ingredients such as baby laxatives or aspirin to decrease the potency and stretch the drug to make more doses, Flynn said.
Sun, September 13, 2015
Time: 8:45 AM – 12:00 PM
Location: streets of Westwood, Emerson, Oradell, Haworth, Ha, Westwood, Emerson, Oradell, Haworth, Harrington Park
Cost: $50 per person
United Water’s 5th Annual Run the Reservoir Half Marathon will be held on Sunday, September 13, 2015 to benefit YWCA Bergen County. The Run the Reservoir race, which covers 13.1 miles and allows athletes to run through the streets of Westwood, Emerson, Oradell, Haworth, Harrington Park and River Vale, is Bergen County’s first half marathon and is unique because it enables runners to enjoy a 2.3-mile trail around the reservoir.
Registration will begin at 7:00 am with check-in and shirt/bib pick up. The half marathon will commence at 8:45 am with awards ceremony held at 12:00 pm for top three Men’s and Women’s Finisher’s in 14 Age Groups; 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th place over-all Male and Female. For full awards list, please visit www.RunTheReservoir.com. Race results will be provided by www.RaceForum.com.
Attracting novice and seasoned runners alike, the Run the Reservoir half marathon has quickly become a favorite among the running community due to its well-designed course through Bergen County’s residential roadways and trail along the Oradell Reservoir. Since its commencement, the turnout for the Run the Reservoir half marathon has increased each year.
Proceeds of the 2015 Run the Reservoir Half Marathon will go directly to support YWCA Bergen County who has been served the community since 1920 with programs that improve lives, inspire change and create opportunities. YWCA provides safe, welcoming places for women, girls and families to learn, share and grow; support women and girls on their paths to educational, career and financial success; and advocate for women’s rights and civil rights.
Race entry fee is $50 before August 1, 2015 or $60 after August 1, 2015 with a $3 discount for USA Track & Field members. For more information or to register online, please visit www.RunTheReservoir.com or email [email protected].
SEPTEMBER 5, 2015 LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY RICHARD NEWMAN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
Creditors’ hearings for the “Kitchen Cousins” personal bankruptcy cases have been pushed back to Sept. 30, and a new court filing in Newark shows that the legal wrangling may soon get more complicated.
John Colaneri of Ramsey, who appears on several HGTV home-improvement shows with his cousin Anthony Carrino of Jersey City, has asked for court approval to retain Joseph B. Fiorenzo of the Newark law firm Sills Cummis & Gross PC to lead his challenge to a large debt they allegedly owe to a Tenafly couple.
The couple, Robert and Peng Avery, had sued Colaneri and Carrino for allegedly botching the renovation of their Engle Street home.
Fiorenzo, who did not respond Friday to requests for comment, leads the law firm’s complex business litigation group.
Both entertainers list in their court filings $857,894 in unsecured debt owed to the Averys, resulting from an arbitration award that included the tripling of certain damages, which involved state consumer-fraud law violations. The award amount was what prompted the HGTV stars to file separate personal Chapter 11 filings on July 27, according to Wayne bankruptcy lawyer David L. Stevens, who is representing the cousins.
The renovation of the Averys’ home was not featured on any of the cousins’ cable TV shows, which include “Kitchen Cousins,” “Cousins Undercover” and “America’s Most Desperate Kitchens.”
SEPTEMBER 4, 2015, 11:22 AM LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2015, 11:24 AM
BY KARA YORIO
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
Rumors surrounding the next cast of Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” continue even as filming is apparently already underway for Season 7 of the once wildly popular reality series.
Teresa Giudice
Kathy Wakile and Rosie Pierri will be “friends” of the main cast, which is not expected to include season six newcomers Amber Marchese, Teresa Aprea and Nicole Napolitano, according to an ETonline report this week, which cited two sources close to the show. They haven’t been asked back, the report added, which also said Dina Manzo will not return.
As The Record reported in July, current prison inmate Teresa Guidice is expected to return to the show that made her famous when she is done serving time. She will be joined by Melissa Gorga, Jacqueline Laurita.
Gorga seemed to confirm that filming had already begun with a couple of late July Instagram posts that showed her son and cameras set up in her home with the hashtags #rhonj and #setlife.
The rumors continue that Traci Johnson, wife of former Giant Tiki Barber, could join the cast, but that hasn’t been determined, according to ETonline, which also reported that Bravo sought out “Jersey Shore” alum Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi as well as Geraldo Rivera’s wife Erica Levy to join the cast. Levy declined, the website said.
Gorga’s Instagram account fueled the Johnson and Polizzi rumors as she posted photos of the three of them together having “a liquid lunch,” as well as some pictures with Gorga and Johnson’s daughters playing together in a pool. Gorga also posted a few shots with Cake Boss Buddy Valastro’s family, sparking some to think his wife, Lisa, may become part of the group.
Giudice had already continued her television life, in some capacity, while in prison, as she took part in filming of husband Joe Guidice’s Bravo special, The Record previously reported.
SEPTEMBER 6, 2015 LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2015, 1:20 AM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
The operators of Bergen Regional Medical Center have applied for state approval to add 10 beds to its drug- and alcohol-detoxification unit in the face of an epidemic of heroin-related cases in North Jersey.
News of the move came less than two weeks after three freeholders urged Bergen County Executive James Tedesco to “pursue a dialogue” with the private operator of the county-owned hospital in Paramus to expand its 54-bed detox unit.
Bergen Regional CEO Susan Mendelowitz responded in an Aug. 26 letter to Tedesco, noting that the hospital had already applied to add 10 more beds to the unit. She said the additional beds were in response to what she called “the intensity of the drug and alcohol epidemic we face.”
She also noted that the hospital has two other longer-term units, including one for patients who also have mental-health disorders plus an outpatient treatment program for substance abuse.
“I believe we are all on the same page with our commitment to provide appropriate care and treatment options for this ever increasing epidemic,” she wrote.
Tedesco spokeswoman Alicia D’Alessandro called the hospital’s decision “a step in the right direction.”
