APRIL 29, 2015, 5:13 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2015, 5:13 PM
BY KIBRET MARKOS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
Two attorneys were arrested and charged with simple assault on Wednesday after they got into a heated dispute that turned into a fist fight at the Bergen County Courthouse in Hackensack, authorities and witnesses said.
Costantino Fragale, 42, and Jeffrey Mandel, 43, were in a deposition in a room on the fourth floor about 1 p.m. when the dispute erupted, said Anthony Cureton, spokesman for the Bergen County Sheriff’s Department, which is in charge of security at the courthouse.
“There were verbal arguments, and there was a fight,” Cureton said. He said he did not know what caused the dispute.
Witnesses said they heard a commotion in a jury-deliberation room that doubles as an attorney conference room, and later saw one of the attorneys had a bloodied face. More than a dozen sheriff’s officers showed up at the scene and broke up the fight, they said.
Fragale and Mandel were later released without bail.
APRIL 29, 2015, 10:52 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2015, 10:57 PM
BY JIM NORMAN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
WYCKOFF — A police officer investigating a report of a possible burglary went to the wrong home and fatally shot a German shepherd dog that lunged at him and bit him on the boot, Police Chief Benjamin Fox said Wednesday.
Fox said police received the call at 3:45 p.m., reporting the possible break-in at 621 Lawlins Road. Patrolman Kyle Ferreira responded and mistakenly went to 622 Lawlins Road, Fox said.
Ferreira received no answer when he knocked on the front door of the wrong house, Fox said, so he went to the rear of the house and let himself into the back yard through an unlocked fence gate. When he got to the rear of the house, the patrolman saw an open window and believed he had found a possible point of entry for a burglar, Fox said.
Ferreira drew his revolver and approached the window, believing he might encounter a burglar, but “a large, growling German shepherd lunged out the open window, bit the officer on his right foot and latched onto his boot,” Fox said in a statement.
APRIL 30, 2015 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY REBECCA GREENE
CORRESPONDENT |
WYCKOFF SUBURBAN NEWS
Wyckoff — Two mayors having difficulty getting hold of each other has resulted in a stalemate when it comes to solving issues residents are having with their Ridgewood Water bills.
Wyckoff Mayor Kevin Rooney and Ridgewood Mayor Paul Aronsohn say they have made attempts to speak to each other and both are expressing frustration about the time between returned phone calls and emails.
The Village of Ridgewood operates Ridgewood Water, a utility that serves Wyckoff, Midland Park, Glen Rock and Ridgewood. Wyckoff residents have been complaining about large bills they have recently received that reflect actual use versus estimated use going back several years.
When one resident complained at a recent Township Committee meeting about the $1,071 “surcharge” bill he received, Rooney told the resident he has tried several times to contact Aronsohn to resolve the issue. He said his attempts prior to the committee meeting were unsuccessful.
PARAMUS – More than 100 people attended a fundraiser Tuesday night for Republican Bergen County Freeholder candidate John Mitchell.
The event, held at Biagio’s in Paramus, drew a host of GOP stalwarts from around Bergen County. Those in attendance included Bergen County Republican Organization Chairman Bob Yudin; Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino; state Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi (R-39), 38th Legislative District candidates Anthony Cappola and Mark DiPisa; and former 38th Legislative District candidate Fernando Alonso, an attorney from Oradell who is a senior lecturer and the director of several programs for Hispanic students at Fairleigh Dickinson University. (Bonamo/PolitickerNJ)
April 28,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog ,Bergen County Mosquito Control and County Executive James Tedesco
“This morning, I went with County Public Works and Mosquito Control officials, as well as Freeholder Tom Sullivan, to release Gambusia fish into a marshy area known for mosquito breeding. These fish eat mosquito larvae and help reduce the mosquito population in our county.” County Executive James Tedesco
Ridgewood NJ, Bergen County Mosquito Control Program is based on a system of “Integrated Pest Management” consisting of surveillance source reduction, water management, and biological and chemical control.
Mosquito Control in Bergen County is an ongoing, year round program.
In early spring, the surveillance and application program begins. Surveillance entails looking for larvae and applying materials to prevent hatching. After the pre-season is completed, a regularly scheduled inspection and control program begins in the eleven districts covering the 70 municipalities.
Nearly 4000 specific breeding sites are routinely inspected and larvae is collected and identified. If mosquito larvae is found, Bacillus Thuringiensis (BTI) is applied. BTI is a selected larvicide which affects mosquito and black fly larvae and causes no harm to :
Animals
Beneficial insects
Birds
Humans
Marine life
Pets
Vegetation
Wildlife
During the warmer months, mosquito breeding habitats are stocked with Gambusia, a small fish with a hearty appetite for mosquito larvae. During this time a variety of traps are installed county-wide to monitor the adult mosquito population.
Adulticiding to control the adult population is only done when necessary, from a truck or hand held unit, not by helicopter, in response to adult mosquito surveillance and identification.
The NJ State Mosquito Control Commission funds a Biological Control Program which uses five species of mosquito-eating fish which are raised at the DEP’s Division of Fish, and Wildlife’s Charles O. Hayford Hatchery in Hackettstown.
These fish are distributed at no charge to county mosquito control agencies. Where practical, these fish control mosquito populations and reduce the need for pesticides.
During the winter months, hand labor and heavy equipment is used to clear and desilt ditches, streams and ponds to allow for free movement of water. Tide-gates and dikes are inspected and repaired to prevent flooding of low-lying areas and water in ditches and brooks are lowered to minimize mosquito breeding.
MOSQUITO PREVENTION TIPS
Bergen County Executive James Tedesco Encourages Residents to Take Simple Precautions
It’s time to take important steps to protect yourself and your family against West Nile Virus (WNV) infection and mosquito annoyance in general.
WNV is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito, so it’s important to take steps to prevent getting mosquito bites and to clean or remove items on your property that can serve as mosquito breeding grounds.
Individuals can take a number of measures around the home to help eliminate mosquito-breeding areas, including:
• Dispose of cans, buckets, plastic containers, ceramic pots or similar containers that hold water on your property.
• Properly dispose of discarded tires that can collect water. Stagnant water is where most mosquitoes breed.
• Drill drainage holes in the bottom of outdoor recycling containers.
• Clean clogged roof gutters every year, particularly if the leaves from surrounding trees tend to plug drains.
• Turn over plastic wading pools when not in use.
• Turn over wheelbarrows and don’t let water stagnate in birdbaths.
• Aerate ornamental pools or stock them with fish.
• Clean and chlorinate swimming pools not in use and remove any water that may collect on pool covers.
For stagnant pools of water, homeowners can buy Bti products at lawn and garden, outdoor supply, home improvement and other stores. This naturally occurring bacteria kills mosquito larva, but is safe for people, pets, aquatic life and plants.
Additionally, these simple precautions can prevent mosquito bites, particularly for people who are most at risk:
• Make sure screens fit tightly over doors and windows to keep mosquitoes out of homes.
• Consider wearing long-sleeved shirts, long pants and socks when outdoors, particularly when mosquitoes are most active at dawn and dusk, or in areas known for having large numbers of mosquitoes.
• When possible, reduce outdoor exposure at dawn and dusk during peak mosquito periods, usually April through October.
• Use insect repellants according to the manufacturer’s instructions. An effective repellant will contain DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus. Consult with a pediatrician or family physician if you have questions about the use of repellent on children, as repellant is not recommended for children under the age of two months.
WNV is an arboviral disease which people can acquire through the bite of a mosquito that has fed on an infected bird. WNV is not directly transmitted from birds to humans. About one in 150 persons, or less than 1 percent of those infected with West Nile virus will develop a more severe form of the disease. Symptoms of more serious illness include severe headache, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness and paralysis.
The elderly are at higher risk of more severe disease. Bergen County’s WNV surveillance, control, and prevention activities involve the coordinated efforts of a number of federal, state and local agencies. These include DHSS, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the State Mosquito Control Commission, the Rutgers Center for Vector Biology, local and Bergen County Health Departments, and of course our Bergen County Department of Public Works Division of Mosquito Control.
For more information about mosquito control in Bergen County,
call the Health Hotline: 201-225-7000 or visit the website:https://www.co.bergen.nj.us/index.aspx?nid=325
To contact the Bergen County Division of Mosquito Control about a mosquito problem, call 201-634-2880.
No rabies found in second coyote killed in Norwood
APRIL 28, 2015, 4:19 PM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 2015, 8:14 PM
BY NICHOLAS PUGLIESE
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
NORWOOD — The coyote that was shot by a borough police officer Thursday and was found dead in a trap Sunday has tested negative for rabies, a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection said Tuesday.
The coyote was the second to be killed in a scare that gripped Norwood last week after a man was bitten by a coyote while he was walking his dog on April 19.
The day after that incident, a coyote attacked the tires of a police car and was shot dead. That coyote tested positive for rabies, making it only the seventh recorded case of a rabid coyote in New Jersey but the second in Bergen County in less than a month.
While there have been reports of a third coyote in the Norwood area, the state DEP spokesman, Larry Hajna, said that “at this point we don’t have any reports of aggressive coyotes,” adding that the department would continue to respond to reports of aggressive coyotes as necessary.
If you’re ever taking a nighttime drive along New Jersey’s Garden State Parkway, keep your eyes peeled as you approach Exit 82, and with any luck — or maybe lack of it — you’ll see one of New Jersey’s most often seen ghosts, the “Parkway Phantom.”According to Asbury Park Press, many of New Jersey’s “most notable ghosts,” such as the Parkway Phantom, are said to haunt the realms of New Jersey’s roads and highways, likely because that’s where the human vessel the ghost once occupied experienced some dire trauma, leaving its body no longer working or, in other words, dead.
New Jersey motorists have been reporting roadside apparitions and highway ghosts like the Parkway Phantom for decades, the ghosts apparently having no choice but to wander the area of road where their death occurred. Perhaps they don’t realize, or understand, that their turn at life has come to a traumatic halt, and no matter how much they wave and try to flag down the help of passing New Jersey motorists, their transition to ghost has put hope out of reach.
APRIL 23, 2015, 8:57 PM LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2015, 9:02 PM
BY TODD SOUTH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
HACKENSACK — Bergen County Executive James J. Tedesco presented his budget to the freeholders Thursday afternoon, showing that a combination of mandated expenses and debt coming due would mean a $17 million increase to the tax levy.
For the owner of the average home in the county, assessed at $324,000, that translates to a property tax increase of $12.73.
Tedesco illustrated that figure as the cost of two foam-topped Starbuck’s specialty coffee drinks with extra expresso shots and caramel — drinks that he placed on the freeholders’ round table.
Under Tedesco’s $531 million spending plan, the total $387 million tax levy would mean the county portion of the tax bill on an average home would be $762.28, up 1.7 percent from 2014.
APRIL 22, 2015, 5:18 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22, 2015, 5:20 PM
BY STEVE JANOSKI
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
MIDLAND PARK — A December 2014 state inspection of Midland Park’s three schools did not find evidence of fraudulent markings in the buildings’ boiler logbooks, a claim made in a recent lawsuit by two former custodians who contend they were fired after pointing out inconsistencies in those logbooks.
Kerri H. Gatling, public information officer for the Department of Labor & Workforce Development, said that the department found no violations during its Dec. 30 visit, only “minor issues” with the logbooks that were not cited.
“Under state law, a licensed operator is needed in the building when the building is occupied and the boiler is operating,” Gatling said, adding that the boilers were shut down during the inspection because school was not in session. As a normal course of action, she said, inspectors will return once more when the boilers are operating.
APRIL 22, 2015, 11:45 AM LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2015, 12:01 AM
BY SCOTT FALLON AND LINDY WASHBURN
STAFF WRITERS |
THE RECORD
A coyote that was killed by a state wildlife officer this week after it attacked the tires of a police car in Norwood has tested positive for rabies — and the hunt continues for another coyote that could also have the disease, state officials said on Wednesday.
Officials say the coyote with rabies may be the same animal that bit a man in the borough on Sunday, but they noted they can’t be sure.
“There is no guarantee that we got the right coyote, which is why we’re still out here,” David Chanda, director of the state Division of Fish and Wildlife, said at a news conference in Norwood.
It is only the seventh time that rabies has been confirmed in a coyote since 1989, when the variant of the disease that spreads through raccoons first entered the state from Pennsylvania, said Colin T. Campbell, the state public health veterinarian.
APRIL 23, 2015 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY REBECCA GREENE
CORRESPONDENT |
WYCKOFF SUBURBAN NEWS
Wyckoff — Dozens of residents have complained to the Township Committee after receiving bills from Ridgewood Water containing surcharges for what are alleged to be under-paid quarterly billing cycles going back several years.
Paul Coppola of Birchwood Drive told the governing body on April 14 that he was “shocked” when he received a bill labeled as a “surcharge” for $1,071.
“Ridgewood Water has been less than forthcoming, have operated in less than good faith, and have participated in what I would call questionable business practices,” Coppola said.
Coppola said he failed to get an explanation of why he received the extra bill, although Ridgewood Water said it may have been that he changed over his telephone service.
“I have not changed my phone lines, I have not upgraded to FIOS and I have not done any construction,” Coppola said. “They could not explain why they were not reading my meter.”
The surcharge is for four years and Coppola said Ridgewood Water offered him four years with no interest to pay the debt.
APRIL 21, 2015, 8:59 AM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 2015, 9:59 PM
BY SCOTT FALLON AND STEFANIE DAZIO
STAFF WRITERS |
THE RECORD
State wildlife staffers armed with guns patrolled a Norwood neighborhood in search of at least one coyote that may be rabid as reported sightings of the animals across Bergen County on Tuesday forced some schools to keep children indoors and animal control officers to set traps.
The heightened attention on coyotes comes as two men in the county were attacked by the animals in separate incidents this month — a rare occurrence that state officials say is likely due to a rabies infection.
“They typically would not be approaching people unless they are sick,” said Larry Hajna, a spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection.
A coyote that bit a Saddle River man on April 6 has tested positive for rabies, only the sixth coyote identified as rabid in New Jersey in the last 25 years, according to state records. Another coyote that bit a Norwood man Sunday is being tested for rabies. Results are due back today.
State wildlife officials believe that another aggressive and possibly sick coyote is on the loose in the wooded Fox Hill section of Norwood.
APRIL 20, 2015, 4:46 PM LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, APRIL 20, 2015, 4:47 PM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
The new Bergen County Justice Center – the biggest public works project in the county’s history – will cost more than the original $147 million price tag, County Executive James Tedesco said.
The new Department of Public Works facility in Paramus, part of the overall project, will wind up costing more than anticipated when the bonds to pay for it were approved by the freeholders in a unanimous vote in April 2014, he said.
Tedesco said he does not yet know how much more money will be needed. The county will have to borrow more or cut back on renovation of the historic 103-year-old court house in Hackensack, the final phase of the project.
The first two phases include a new six-story Justice Center on Court Street that will house the County Prosecutor’s office, the Sheriff’s Office and the Probation Department; and a five-story parking deck and new DPW garage on River Street in Hackensack.
The garage on River Street is largely completed. The last slab of pre-cast concrete for the parking deck on Court Street was installed last week, and the new Justice Center building is under construction and should be completed by November 2016.
The DPW complex in Paramus – which features bays where 30,000-pound vehicles can be lifted – originally was set to be completed this spring. That opening has been pushed to later this summer, Tedesco said.
Marauding coyote caught in Norwood; two dens found near school
APRIL 20, 2015, 5:05 AM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 2015, 6:31 AM
BY DEENA YELLIN AND STEFANIE DAZIO
STAFF WRITERS |
THE RECORD
Print
NORWOOD — A strangely aggressive — and possibly rabid — coyote that had bitten a resident’s leg Sunday night and later attacked a police cruiser was captured Monday evening and sent to a state laboratory for testing, borough police reported.
Delivering the news on their Facebook page, police also issued an additional caution: They said two coyote dens had been found near the Norwood Public School and that traps would be placed near the dens.
“The aggressive Summit Street coyote was just captured and is [en] route to the State Lab for testing,” a police statement issued about 8:40 p.m. stated. “Unfortunately, two dens have been found near the school and it is unknown if our Summit Street problem has been solved.”
State wildlife staff members had set traps in the borough’s Fox Hill area to catch — and potentially kill — the coyote.
At one point during the search Monday evening, borough police reported that the coyote had just attacked the tires of a police car on Villa Court and then had escaped capture. “Please be careful,” statement warned. “This is in the area of the NORWOOD PUBLIC SCHOOL!!!”
To resident inquiries after the coyote’s capture, police advised that school children not be allowed outside activities while investigators made sure the dens were clear. But in late evening, other residents reported on the department’s Facebook page that they had seen two other coyotes in the area.
North Jersey vets, pet owners worrying dog flu virus could surface here
APRIL 18, 2015 LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2015, 10:57 AM
FROM STAFF AND NEWS SERVICE REPORTS |
THE RECORD
A canine flu outbreak has sickened many dogs in the Midwest, but whether the potentially deadly bug will make its way here is still anybody’s guess.
“It’s a hard question to answer but with today’s mobile society and people bringing their pets wherever they go, I’m concerned about that — that it could hit the West or East Coast,” said Dr. John DeVries, assistant director of the Oradell Animal Hospital in Paramus.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Veterinary Medicine says the virus has sickened at least 1,000 dogs in Illinois, Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana. Recent tests from the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory have identified the strain as H3N2. Clinical assistant professor Keith Poulsen says it’s not yet known how effective current vaccines are against this strain, which is believed to have come from Asia.
He said an older strain, H3N8, has also been detected in the region.
Both viruses can cause persistent cough, runny nose and fever in dogs. Experts say a small percentage will develop more severe symptoms. The H3N2 infection has been associated with some deaths.
