Borough of Ho-Ho-Kus OEM NJ Advisory: The bear cub has been sighted again in the area of Arbor Dr. Please use caution with children and small pets when outside.
file photo
JUNE 10, 2015, 8:46 AM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2015, 3:33 PM
BY CHRIS HARRIS AND STEFANIE DAZIO
STAFF WRITERS |
THE RECORD
HO-HO-KUS — A black bear cub was spotted in the borough on Wednesday morning but appeared to pose no threat to the public, police said.
Lt. Christopher Minchin, the officer in charge of the Ho-Ho-Kus Police Department, said the cub “exhibited normal behavior” and eventually moved on, heading south.
The cub was initially spotted on Sheridan Avenue around 7 a.m., close to the Waldwick line, Minchin said.
Police decided against intervening, but then the cub headed toward the Ho-Ho-Kus Public School on Lloyd Road. That’s when officers approached the cub, Minchin said, working together to direct the animal out of the borough.
JUNE 7, 2015, 10:19 PM LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, JUNE 8, 2015, 12:23 AM
BY JIM NORMAN AND JEFF GREEN
STAFF WRITERS |
THE RECORD
Some of the music fans at the Hot 97 Summer Jam clashed with law enforcement officers at MetLife Stadium on Sunday night, and State Police in riot gear called in two Bearcat armored personnel carriers and shot streams of pepper spray gas as angry concertgoers hurled bottles, according to reports from the scene.
State Police spokesman Sgt. Gregory Williams said he could confirm only that “additional troopers” had been dispatched to the stadium in East Rutherford, but he could not say how many. He said there were “multiple arrests” inside and outside the stadium, but that he could not give precise numbers.
The concert, with headliners Kendrick Lamar and Chris Brown, continued despite the unrest.
People at the scene said police used sound generators to produce a screeching, ear-pounding noise in an effort to disperse the crowd, only to see it regroup and attack with bottles at another site in the parking lot.
Hundreds of troopers and police officers called in from nearby communities pushed back against crowds of people angry that they could not get into the stadium, using clubs and riot shields, according to reports from the scene.
Ridgewood NJ , Assemblymen Robert Auth in February pushed for legislation to end county government in New Jersey now on Thursday, Connecticut and Rhode Island long ago abolished county government, while Massachusetts has eliminated most of its county governments.On March 26, 2015, Assemblyman Robert Auth made a motion to amend legislation, which grants Atlantic City as an Urban Enterprise Zone for 10 years (A-3920), to also extend the sales tax cut statewide.
Auth said we all live in districts that have lost jobs , which echoed what he said in February , “I’m watching businesses leave our state. A lot of it is in the district I represent,” said Auth. “I totaled up all the county budgets throughout the state. It’s like $6.5 billion a year in New Jersey. That’s a lot of money.” https://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/02/he_end_of_county_government_in_nj_bergen_county_la.html .
One of the most immediate and clear effects of sales tax on supply and demand involves an increase in the price of consumer goods. This occurs because businesses must pay more for the products they buy, including machinery, office furnishings and computer equipment. The higher cost of doing business translates into higher prices for new products. money.https://smallbusiness.chron.com/sales-tax-effect-supply-demand-20815.html
While sales tax affects supply directly, it only has an indirect effect on consumer demand. Besides altering the equilibrium price, which takes demand into account, sales tax also impacts consumers’ buying power. When sales tax rates are high, consumers spend more money on taxes and have less to spend on additional goods. This drives down general demand, or forces businesses to reduce prices to keep demand steady. This effect holds true even for items that are not subject to sales tax, such as grocery items and prescription drugs.https://smallbusiness.chron.com/sales-tax-effect-supply-demand-20815.html
American Pharoah became the first horse since 1978 to win the Triple Crown when he won the 147th Belmont Stakes on Saturday.
Jockey Victor Espinoza pushed Pharoah to the front soon after the race started, and Pharoah outclassed the field, pulling away down the stretch to make history. Frosted finished second, and Keen Ice rounded out the top three.
The Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes champion, American Pharoah began Saturday as a 3-to-5 favorite in the morning betting line, and those were the odds when the race began. He started from the fifth position in a field of eight.
Club awarded its fourth USGA championship, first since 1990 U.S. Senior Open
Paramus NJ, The Ridgewood Country Club home of the Barclay’s , has been selected by the United States Golf Association (USGA) as the host site for the 2016 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship. The fourth USGA championship to be held at Ridgewood is scheduled for July 18-23, 2016.
“We are thrilled to announce Ridgewood Country Club as the host site of the 2016 U.S. Girls’ Junior and sincerely appreciate the club’s generosity in opening its long-celebrated facilities to this generation of female players,” said Diana Murphy, USGA vice president and Championship Committee chairman. “This historic club will surely provide an excellent stage for the world’s most talented teenage female golfers and an extraordinary experience for all.”
Located less than 30 miles northwest of New York City, Ridgewood’s three 9-hole courses – East, Center and West – were designed by A.W. Tillinghast and opened for play in 1929. The course routing for the Girls’ Junior will incorporate holes from all three nines.
“Ridgewood’s members enthusiastically support the USGA’s ambitious efforts to grow the game, especially for girls, and it is our honor to work together to provide the best championship experience possible,” said Bruce Bitzer, President of Ridgewood Country Club. “As proven throughout our storied history, Ridgewood is a place that identifies great champions, and we could not be more excited to host players who represent the future of women’s golf at the 68th U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship.”
Ridgewood’s most recent USGA championship was the 1990 U.S. Senior Open, in which Lee Trevino prevailed by two strokes over Jack Nicklaus on the Center and West courses. The club also hosted the 1974 U.S. Amateur, won by Jerry Pate, 2 and 1, over John P. Grace, and the 1957 U.S. Senior Amateur, won by J. Clark Espie, 4 and 3, over Frederick J. Wright.
Other notable events held at Ridgewood include the PGA Tour’s The Barclays in 2014, 2010 and 2008, won by Hunter Mahan, Matt Kuchar and Vijay Singh, respectively; the 2001 Senior PGA Championship, won by Tom Watson; the 1981 LPGA Coca-Cola Classic, won by Kathy Whitworth, a World Golf Hall of Fame member who won a record 88 LPGA events; and the 1935 Ryder Cup Matches, in which the USA defeated Great Britain, 9-3.
The 2016 U.S. Girls’ Junior will be the 60th USGA championship conducted in New Jersey. The Garden State will also host the 2015 U.S. Senior Amateur at Hidden Creek Golf Club in Egg Harbor Township, the 2017 U.S. Women’s Open at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster and the 2018 U.S. Junior Amateur at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield.
The U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship was first conducted in 1949 and is open to female amateurs who have not turned 18 on or before the final day of that year’s championship and have a Handicap Index® not exceeding 18.4.
Notable champions include three-time winner Hollis Stacy, Mickey Wright, Nancy Lopez, Amy Alcott, JoAnne Gunderson Carner, Pat Hurst, I.K. Kim, Inbee Park and Lexi Thompson. Princess Mary Superal won the 2014 U.S. Girls’ Junior on the Meadow Course at Forest Highlands Golf Club in Flagstaff, Ariz. The 2015 championship will be conducted July 20-25 at Tulsa (Okla.) Country Club.
About the USGA
The USGA conducts the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open and U.S. Senior Open, as well as 10 national amateur championships, two state team championships and international matches, attracting players and fans from more than 160 countries. Together with The R&A, the USGA governs the game worldwide, jointly administering the Rules of Golf, Rules of Amateur Status, equipment standards and World Amateur Golf Rankings. The USGA’s reach is global with a working jurisdiction in the United States, its territories and Mexico, serving more than 25 million golfers and actively engaging 150 golf associations.
The USGA is one of the world’s foremost authorities on research, development and support of sustainable golf course management practices. It serves as a primary steward for the game’s history and invests in the development of the game through the delivery of its services and its ongoing “For the Good of the Game” grants program. Additionally, the USGA’s Course Rating and Handicap systems are used on six continents in more than 50 countries.
For more information about the USGA, visit https://www.usga.org.
Face it, Jersey pols, the people ain’t buyin’ what you’re sellin’.
Posted by Scott St Clair On June 05, 2015 1 Comment
By Scott St. Clair | The Save Jersey Blog
The 2015 New Jersey primary election came and went without me. That’s right: I didn’t vote, so sue me.
I live in the 29th Legislative District, which hasn’t supported anyone to the right of Henry Wallace or George McGovern since the Johnson administration – the ANDREW Johnson administration – so why bother? Additionally, there were no contested races – both the Republican and Democratic legislative nomination ballots featured candidates put up by the official party organizations and nobody else.
Since the last thing in the world I want to do is to further political party stranglehold control over the nominating process in New Jersey, I elected to pass. As P.J. O’Rourke entitled one of his books, “Don’t Vote It Only Encourages the Bastards.”
So then I get the lecture, this time from Max Pizarro at Thursday’s PolitickerNJ.com:
All right, don’t complain. You don’t like it? Fine. You think this state is a disaster area? Okay. But don’t complain. Just do not dare complain. Road rage? Suck it up. Violent crime? Suck it up. High property taxes? Suck it up.
Too much blood bled with the expectation – or at least the post-game public explanation – of that American-protected right to vote.
Last night, we didn’t earn the right to complain, as rain-bullied and civics-bothered “voters” allowed machine and independent expenditure PAC politics to blanket New Jersey in the absence of people power.
With all due respect, which means just the opposite whenever you hear it, put a sock in it, Max, because not voting is sometimes as much an expression of political will as voting. When you hold an election and nobody comes, what does that tell you about those who hold it?
I’m pretty sure my son did not do six deployments in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait, or my great-grandfather crouch behind a low, stone wall on Little Round Top some 152 years ago shy one month to protect entrenched political parties and bosses and fertilize a political system that ignores the people, prevents over half of them from participating and is a joke.
And all those problems you mentioned, Max? When the people who created them are the same people who control access to and are pretty much exclusively on the ballot, what exactly is the point of it all?
In looking around at various counties throughout the state, most of the turnout figures I saw were single-digit in nature, which tells me more about the product than it does the consumer. Face it, Jersey pols, the people ain’t buyin’ what you’re sellin’.
June 3, 2015
First visual of the proposed Hard Rock Casino at the Meadowlands in northern New Jersey.
ORLANDO, Fla., Hard Rock International, owner of one of the world’s most iconic and recognized brands, announced today its plan to build a casino at the Meadowlands in New Jersey. The proposed entertainment destination would be ideally situated in northern New Jersey and is projected to generate $400 Million of new tax revenues a year.
“With its close proximity to an international airport, the new casino would be designed to attract visitors from not only the 14 million adults in northern New Jersey and New York City, but also international travelers, making it a premier entertainment destination,” said Jim Allen, Chairman of Hard Rock International. “The significant tax revenue brought into New Jersey could go directly to aid in the development and reconstruction of Atlantic City’s casino and hotel industry.”
Reports show a casino in northern New Jersey would help draw visitors from other states, creating competition with New York andPennsylvania, who have taken more than $13 billion in revenue from New Jersey in the past eight years since they’ve expanded their gaming options.
“We’re thrilled to bring this great offering to the New Meadowlands Racetrack,” said Jeff Gural, Chairman of New Meadowlands Racetrack LLC. “With its expertise in gaming, hotels, restaurants, live events, entertainment, and retail offerings, Hard Rock International is the ideal partner for New Meadowlands Racetrack, bringing the globally recognized brand to the racetrack elevates excitement surrounding the project.”
The Hard Rock Casino will feature 5,000 slot machines and 200 gaming tables. The project will also feature ten restaurants and four bars; a multi-purpose Hard Rock Live showroom; New Jersey Music Hall of Fame; and “The Vault,” a music memorabilia museum expertly curated by Hard Rock – owners of the world’s largest music memorabilia collection. The entertainment destination will also offer retail shops and a six-story parking garage conveniently located just steps away from the casino grounds. Due to the $120 millioninvestment that owner Jeff Gural made in the Meadowlands in 2012, Phase One could be open as soon as Summer of 2016.
Hard Rock International is awaiting approval from the New Jersey Legislature to move forward with this project. For more information or to book a stay at any of the Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos, please visit www.hardrockhotels.com.
JUNE 3, 2015, 11:16 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2015, 11:28 PM
BY SCOTT FALLON
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
A small bridge over the Oradell Reservoir used by trains hauling millions of gallons of crude oil has deteriorated to the point that the rail company will soon replace the 86-year-old span’s entire deck, according to a federal government inspection report.
While federal officials have said the bridge is structurally sound, the report by the Federal Railroad Administration indicates the bridge is in worse condition than its owner, CSX Corp., acknowledged shortly after it was inspected in March.
The 25-foot bridge crosses the northeast corner of the reservoir, which supplies drinking water to 800,000 people. As many as 30 trains — each carrying up to 3 million gallons of volatile Bakken crude — cross the bridge each week along the CSX River Line on the way to refineries on the East Coast, prompting concerns from local officials, firefighters and water company executives.
The bridge was inspected by the Federal Railroad Administration on March 31, just a few days after The Record reported that government officials had no current reports on the bridge’s condition.
At that time, government officials said the bridge passed inspection and CSX executives said some railroad ties would be replaced “as a matter of routine maintenance.”
But the one-page inspection report — released to the newspaper this week, almost two months after it was requested under the federal Freedom of Information Act – reveals the bridge required serious attention. It states that the bridge deck showed enough deterioration that CSX had already determined to replace it. CSX also ordered trains to reduce speed from 40 mph to 25 mph on the span to “protect the railroad as well as the public for safe passage of trains,” according to the inspection report.
The Federal Railroad Administration employee who inspected the bridge declined to comment.
JUNE 3, 2015, 7:50 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2015, 9:25 PM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
The Bergen County Justice Center project under construction in Hackensack will cost an additional $1.3 million to build and take about 14 months more to finish, county officials revealed Wednesday.
The freeholders approved a change order Wednesday that calls for paying $1,329,797 more to Gilbane Building Co., the New Brunswick-based construction manager overseeing the project.
The vote to approve was 4-0 with three freeholders absent.
The added payment will keep the firm on site for an additional 14 months beyond its original contract, which was to have expired on July 1, said Ray Dressler, the county’s public works director.
At $147 million, the multifaceted project was already the largest in the county’s history, even before Wednesday’s vote.
Besides a new six-story Justice Center on Court Street, the project includes a new Public Works garage in Hackensack, a Public Works facility in Paramus, a parking deck and renovation of the 102-year-old courthouse.
JUNE 3, 2015, 8:24 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2015, 8:47 PM
BY STEVE JANOSKI
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
MIDLAND PARK – A prominent Muslim civil rights group (CAIR) is calling for the FBI to investigate an “act of hatred” in which someone carved a swastika into a wooden sign outside an Irving Street mosque on Memorial Day.
The New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations issued a statement Tuesday asking the FBI to investigate the carving of the 10-inch swastika and images of “male genitalia,” that appeared on the sign outside the Elzahra Islamic Center.
“These types of incidents should be investigated within the context of the rising level of Islamophobic sentiment in our society and treated with the seriousness they deserve,” said Nadia Kahf, the council’s board chairwoman, in a statement. “Public officials and interfaith leaders should speak out against acts of hatred and intolerance whenever they occur.”
Ibrahim Hooper, national communications director for the organization, said it was “incumbent” upon the FBI to look into the vandalism.
“If we were talking about just an isolated incident in a small community in New Jersey, that’s one thing. But unfortunately, we’re seeing a real spike in these kinds of incidents nationwide,” he said. “We see this incident as possibly part of that disturbing pattern.”
A spokeswoman for the FBI’s Newark field office said the bureau wasn’t involved in the investigation, and said it “looks like it’s being handled locally.”
The vandalism is being handled as a bias crime by borough detectives, meaning stiffer penalties could apply for whomever is apprehended and convicted, police Chief Michael Powderley said.
JUNE 3, 2015, 6:59 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 3, 2015, 7:05 PM
BY STEVE JANOSKI
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
WYCKOFF — Police arrested a Paterson man Tuesday night after he was found lying in a car that wasn’t his in the parking lot of the Wyckoff YMCA on Wyckoff Avenue.
Paterson resident Zakiy I. Muhammad, 20, allegedly climbed into the car sometime after it was left there by a 68-year-old woman going on a tour-bus daytrip, Police Chief Benjamin C. Fox said in a statement. When the bus returned from the trip and dropped the woman off, she “found a man lying inside with the seat reclined.”
She yelled at him to get out, but Muhammad allegedly replied that “God told him to be here,” Fox said. The bus driver and others came to the woman’s aid, and the bus driver managed to get the man out of the car and into the bus, where they waited for the police.
Sgt. Michael Ragucci, Sgt. Thomas Tully and Officers Kevin Pinches and William Christopher responded at 11:04 p.m.
JUNE 2, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, JUNE 2, 2015, 3:50 PM
BY LYNN BRUGGEMANN
CORRESPONDENT |
MIDLAND PARK SUBURBAN NEWS
MIDLAND PARK – Less than two weeks before the Elzahra Islamic Center planned to welcome the public to an open house at its newly established mosque, its leaders were forced to report the defacement of a sign at its entrance in what police are calling a bias incident.
Imam Moutaz Charaf reported the vandalism to the police department on Memorial Day, May 25, and estimates the damage at about $500. In the meantime, the sign has been altered to eliminate the appearance of the offensive symbols.
According to the police report, Patrolman Mark Berninger and Sgt. Gregory Kasbarian responded and found a swastika and “male genitalia” had been carved into the sign situated at the entrance of the mosque at 218 Irving St.
Police Chief Michael Powderley said the bias incident is being investigated by Detective Sgt. John Gibbons.
“It appears this is an isolated incident and the police have not received any other reports of this vandalism occurring in town,” Powderley said in interviews this week.
Powderley said since 2011 there have been “numerous incidents” in which swastikas have been featured in vandalized property.
“There were three separate incidents at the high school,” he said.
He said he has increased patrols in the area of the mosque.
MAY 31, 2015, 2:25 PM LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2015, 2:25 PM
BY LINDA MOSS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
Two men and an accomplice stole two late-model Mercedes-Benz automobiles, apparently left unlocked and with the keys in them by the valet at the Ridgewood Country Club lot in Paramus on Saturday night, according to Borough Police Deputy Chief Robert Guidetti.
Department detectives were investigating the theft of a 2015 S55 four-door black Mercedes and a 2014 S550 white Mercedes sedan, which took place around 7:30 p.m. at the Midland Avenue club, Guidetti said.
Both vehicles had been parked by the club’s valet service, the deputy chief said.
A black car then drove into the club’s lot and two men got out, with each one jumping into one of the Mercedes vehicles, Guidetti said. The suspects then drove off in the two cars, and their accomplice took off in the black car.
“It’s not a carjacking,” Guidetti said. “The cars were parked at the valet … and these guys entered the cars. … They were able to start both cars and drove away.”
The two stolen cars had apparently been left unlocked with the keys in them, the deputy chief said.
“For vehicle theft tips, I will tell you, never leave your keys in a vehicle and always leave your car locked,” Guidetti said.
Paramus issued an alert for the vehicles to surrounding towns, but they had not been found, the deputy chief said.
MAY 31, 2015 LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2015, 2:43 PM
BY ELISA UNG
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
tonight, CNN
Globe-trotting chef and Leonia native Anthony Bourdain has brought viewers to his home state before, but this time he wanted to do it differently.
“It’s easy enough to sell New Jersey if you’re going to beautiful farmland and attractive bedroom communities and fine dining,” he said in a recent phone interview. “And I thought, you know what? I’m going to make Jersey look awesome by going to all the places that have been most traditionally screwed.”
So for tonight’s episode of “Parts Unknown,” he features the history and people of Camden, Atlantic City and Asbury Park. And he tries to “make even the refineries look somehow magical,” he said. “That was the challenge — to look at what most people make fun of about New Jersey or look down their noses at, and still sell it as an amazing place brimming with potential and beauty, if you bother to look.”
His first stop? A childhood favorite – the hot dog stand Hiram’s in Fort Lee, where he says he still goes a few times a year with his daughter, Ariane, 8.
