Paramus NJ, The Bergen County Zoo will open a new, interactive seasonal exhibit featuring Budgerigars, often called “budgies,” which are small docile birds that can be easily trained and feed on small seeds. The exhibit features 350 budgies in a 2,400 square feet screened enclosure. Guests can enter the enclosure with a feeding stick and budgies will flock to the sticks and allow for close interaction between the guests and the birds. Admission to this exhibit is $2 per person and is separate from the zoo’s general admission fee.
Where: The Bergen County Zoo at Van Saun County Park, Paramus
When: July 20, 2018 at 12:30 pm
Who: County Executive Jim Tedesco and other county officials
Wyckoff NJ, With Township Committeemen Thomas Madigan and Timothy Shanley leading the way, Wyckoff’s governing body approved an ordinance this week banning the sale of marijuana in the township.
The ordinance, which supplements the town’s existing zoning code, prohibits the sale of marijuana, it’s derivatives and paraphernalia throughout the town. The ordinance does not prohibit the sale of medical marijuana prescribed by a physician and dispensed by a licensed pharmacist.
The ordinance was approved in a 4-0 vote of the township committee; Mayor Brian Scanlan was absent from the meeting. The ordinance has the support of the local police department and the Wyckoff Planning Board.
Republicans Madigan and Shanley said they acted now to prevent retail marijuana sales in the township because they are anticipating that Trenton politicians, including Gov. Murphy will legalize marijuana sales after the November election.
“We wanted to take preventive action before someone began investing in setting up a shop to sell marijuana in town,” said Madigan, a long-time resident and community volunteer.
“Retail marijuana sales are likely to bring with it an element of the drug culture that will not fit our community and could cause crime problems,” added Madigan.
Committeeman Shanley, the father of three young children and a baseball coach, said the ordinance is necessary “to protect the township’s children from exposure to the negative influences that will likely arise from the retail sale of marijuana in our town. If the legislature makes pot legal, we don’t want it sold in retail establishments in our town. I believe we can protect our neighborhoods by prohibiting the retail sale of marijuana in our town.”
“While many residents of New Jersey want marijuana legalization for a variety of reasons, it nevertheless brings with it some negative social concerns that have to be dealt with. Tim and I thought it was in the best interest of Wyckoff to get out front and begin addressing some of the concerns of legalizing pot for retail sales,” said Madigan.
Glen Rock NJ, Glen Rock Police have received some information about suspicious activity in the area of Grove and Forest overnight. Any residents who observed anything or think their vehicles were broken into please contact the GRPD Detective Bureau at 201-670-3948 or 201-670-3947.
Dear Mahwah, Ramsey and USR Residents and Friends,
It is time to organize our second protest against Toll Brothers at Apple Ridge. Following our first great protest this one promises to be even better!
Come and make your voices heard and protest the environmental damage that Toll Brothers are causing to our local environment and water. Bring family, friends and neighbors and support our community. Make some new friends, meet some old ones. Can’t stay for long, a short visit is great too! Short on time, drive by and honk your support!
Saturday July 21 12-4 pm.
269 E. Crescent Ave. Mahwah (on the Mahwah side of Apple Ridge)
Street parking is available, drinks and refreshments too!!
Bring signs, or your voice, wearing green is suggested and optional!
Hackensack NJ, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo announced the arrests of AASIM BOONE (DOB: 11/02/82; single; and unemployed) of 198 Waldo Place, Englewood, NJ, JOSLIN HARRINGTON (DOB: 11/13/85; single; and employed as a cafeteria worker) of 724 18th Avenue, Apt. 1, Irvington, NJ, JUSTIN DAHZY (DOB: 02/20/1999; single; and unemployed) of 44 Preston Street, Bogota, NJ, and VALERIE JOYNER (DOB: 07/08/1991; single; and employed as an aide at a residential care facility) of 19 Schirra Drive, Wanaque, NJ. The arrests are the result of a month-long investigation by a special task force comprised of members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office and the Englewood, Englewood Cliffs, Hackensack, Teaneck, Tenafly, Oradell, Paramus, and Rochelle Park Police Departments.
As a result of the investigation, Aasim BOONE, Joslin HARRINGTON, Justin DAHZY, and Valerie JOYNER were arrested on Monday, July 16, 2018 and charged with multiple counts of burglary and theft.
In June 2018, the Hackensack Police Department contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Squad and provided information that led detectives to a rental vehicle being used by BOONE and others to commit numerous residential burglaries throughout Bergen County and to the formation of the task force. After tracking the vehicle in question and using multiple law enforcement databases, a historic timeline was produced in connection with the multiple burglaries that occurred.Through witness interviews, surveillance, video and other law enforcement investigative techniques, search warrants and arrest warrants were issued.
As a result of information obtained during this investigation, several arrest and search warrants were executed for the individuals and locations involved in this coordinated criminal enterprise. On July 16, 2018, members of the task force arrested BOONE, HARRINGTON, DAHZY, and JOYNER at various locations in Bergen County and Essex County. They were charged with residential burglaries in Bergen County , in the towns of Paramus , Hackensack ,Teaneck , Tenafly, Oradell and Englewood .
Glen Rock NJ , Glen Rock EMS transported one (1) driver to The Valley Hospital following a two (2) vehicle crash at the intersection of Grove Avenue and Prospect Street on Wednesday evening, 07/18. Both damaged vehicles were removed from the scene by a flatbed tow truck. Glen Rock Police and Ridgewood Police also responded.
Paramus NJ, A Wednesday morning, 07/18, multi-vehicle chain reaction crash on Route 4 westbound at Paramus Road, Paramus resulted in one (1) driver being transported by ambulance to a local hospital. Paramus Police and Fair Lawn Police responded to the incident along with an ambulance from Hackensack University Medical Center’s main campus. A flatbed tow truck was summoned to remove the wrecked vehicles. Significant traffic back ups were reported on Route 4 westbound through the Paramus area.
Ridgewood NJ, Senator Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth County) today issued praise to the Supreme Court Committee on Municipal Court Operations, Fines and Fees for their comprehensive report which, after a 16 month investigation, “revealed a number of significant concerns where aggressive reform is needed. Many of those issues identified by the Committee undermine both the administration of justice and the independence of the Municipal Courts.”
“In law enforcement and judicial systems, profit is the mortal enemy of justice,” Senator O’Scanlon said. “We must take real steps towards reforming municipal court and ticketing procedures. Policing for profit is an unacceptable practice that tarnishes the reputation of all our upstanding police officers and often results in devastating consequences for petty infractions.”
“Municipal Courts should be about the administration of justice, not a profit center to plug holes in local governments’ budgets,” O’Scanlon continued. “In the twenty-five years since our Courts were last reformed, too many towns have come to rely on fines to fund their municipal operations and too many local judges have turned into de facto tax collectors. This is not justice and it has to stop.”
Among the reforms that O’Scanlon is considering are:
• Enhanced screening and training for municipal court judges
• Extending the terms and possibly create tenure for municipal court judges
• Reworking how fine revenue is distributed to remove direct profit motivation.
• Increased use of technology in administering local justice.
• Encouraging court consolidation.
“Policing for profit has become the norm for too many municipalities. It has become so accepted that many local officials don’t believe they’re doing anything wrong. Pressure to write more tickets and generate more revenue is routinely applied to police. When considering the hiring of judges there is open discussion of how aggressive candidates will be in generating revenue. That perverts our justice system and damages peoples’ faith and trust in our police. Neither the institution nor our dedicated cops deserve that. Our overarching goal should be the greatest amount of compliance and safety with the LEAST amount of punishment. Ticket revenue need to be used to modify behavior when necessary, not to balance budgets.”
O’Scanlon has been working with the Administrative Office of the Courts to ensure reforms are appropriate and effective. His reform plan announcement comes at the same time as the release of the Supreme Court Committee on Municipal Court Operations, Fines, and Fees report.
“We are grateful for the extensive work that the committee has done here in putting together forty-nine recommendations to address these serious issues. Many of the issues and policy ideas we are tackling in our reforms are addressed in the report. I look forward to continuing the process of implementing the Committee’s other recommendations and restoring faith in our justice system.”
O’Scanlon acknowledged that these reforms will be initially unpopular with municipal officials who have been using fines to balance their budgets. He challenges those officials to join him in continuing to reform government with greater efficiencies.
“When we implemented the two percent local spending cap eight years ago, many officials thought it was doomsday. But we also gave them the tools to do the job and the best and brightest got to work and created savings and efficiencies,” O’Scanlon said. “Now many towns are consistently passing budgets within the cap while maintaining services. We need to keep doing that and more, especially regarding this issue which is one of justice and fundamental fairness.”
Wyckoff NJ, Orange & Rockland today warned the public about a phony-bill payment scheme in which imposters pose as utility company representatives and call customers, demanding immediate payment for what they fraudulently claim are delinquent electric and gas bills.
Unsuspecting utility customers across the nation, most recently at in Orange & Rockland’s service territory, have been bilked by these bogus claims by crooks who insist on payment the day of the contact.
Here is how the scam works:
A Spanish or English-speaking individual posing as a utility company employee calls customers saying their service would be disconnected if they do not make an immediate payment using a prepaid debit card. In some cases, the call is pre-recorded.
Customers are told to purchase a Green Dot MoneyPak at a pharmacy or convenience store, use cash to put money onto the card, and then provide the number on the card to the person who called them.
Customers are advised that if they do not immediately call back and provide the MoneyPak information, their service will be turned off that day.
Typically, after the customer provides the MoneyPak number, the scammer steals the customer’s money by transferring the funds from the MoneyPak to a prepaid card and then cashing it in at an ATM.
O&R urges anyone who is contacted in this fashion to break off contact with the crooks and call O&R Customer Service at 1-877-434-4100.
If you are contacted by someone who says they represent O&R and you wish to verify their identity, either ask for their photo ID card, if they are at the door, or call O&R at 1-877-434-4100 to verify their identity and the nature of their business with you. Orange & Rockland employees are trained to cooperate with this request and happy to comply with an identity verification request.
Remember, when in doubt, hang up the phone or break off contact, and call O&R at 1-877-434-4100 to verify that the person you are dealing with is an Orange & Rockland employee conducting legitimate business.
Glen Rock NJ, Glen Rock Police Department is reporting that a few residents have reported a new scam to us that people should be aware of. This is a new twist on the “sextorsion” scam where suspects try and blackmail victims with the threat of releasing some type of sexual or embarrassing video/behavior to everyone on their contact list if they do not pay. The twist in this case is that the scammer actually has your correct password and makes you believe they might actually have some embarrassing content. These passwords were obtained via a large data hack in the past, however, it has been enough to scare quite a few people into paying. Read the attached article for full details. The GRPD Detective Bureau is also available to answer questions and assist residents as well. We can be reached at 201-670-3948 or 201-670-3947.
Paramus NJ, A Tuesday morning, 07/17, motor vehicle collision involving two (2) vehicles at the intersection of Forest Avenue and Spring Valley Road, Paramus required the services of Paramus Rescue Squad’s “Jaws of Life” to free the driver of a 4-door sedan who was trapped in her vehicle post crash impact. Paramus Police and Paramus EMS also responded to the incident. Paramus EMS ambulances transported two (2) crash victims to Hackensack University Medical Center’s main campus. Both vehicles, the sedan and an SUV, were removed by flatbed tow trucks.
Paramus NJ, Paramus Police Department has issued a crime alert for car break ins and burglaries and attempted theft.
CRIME ALERT: Over the last couple of nights several nearby communities have been struck by auto crime during the overnight hours. Please lock your cars, remove valuables and bring your key fobs inside. Don’t become a victim!!
River Vale Police Department
July 13 at 1:42 PM ·
Last night we had residents report 4 car burglaries and 1 attempted theft. Neighboring towns report similar events. Once again, in the vast majority of incidents the owners left keys and/or key fobs in the vehicle – making the car an easy target for thieves. Organized car thieves are believed to utilize technology that detects vehicles with key fobs inside.
Do not make yourself a victim by leaving your vehicle accessible to thieves. Residents are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to always REMOVE key fobs and keys from their vehicles – even when the cars are parked inside a garage. In addition, residents should be sure to REMOVE VALUABLES from their vehicles and remember to LOCK CAR DOORS and activate the alarms where applicable.
As always, residents are asked to remain alert and contact your local police promptly regarding suspicious persons or incidents.
Wallington NJ, A Wallington, New Jersey, man was sentenced today to 63 months in prison for purchasing live child sex shows from individuals overseas, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Stephen Hallett, 67, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Kevin McNulty to an information charging him with receipt of child pornography. Judge McNulty imposed the sentence today in Newark federal court.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court.
Hallett purchased live child sex shows from individuals located in the Philippines. He admitted that on Feb. 4, 2015, he received a webcam transmission of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct. Hallett also admitted purchasing live webcam shows of children engaging in sexually explicit conduct on dozens of occasions between 2013 and 2015.
In addition to the prison term, Judge McNulty sentenced Hallett to five years of supervised release and imposed a $5,000 Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act assessment.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Brian Michael in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s sentencing.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Danielle Alfonzo Walsman, Co-Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Public Protection Unit in Newark.
photos courtesy of Joe Burns American Legion Post 53
July 11,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ho-Ho-Kus NJ, on June 27th the borough of Ho Ho Kus dedicated a historical sign at The Hopper – Zabriskie Family Cemetery in Ho-Ho-Kus. Located on at the lower train station parking lot. This hidden historical treasure was an Eagle Scout project by Alex Melarti, with help from Stan Kober. The project included a major cleanup, repairs, painting, adding mulch and gravel paths, erosion prevention, plantings, a new bench and the historical sign.
Pictured here(L to R) John Hanlon, Planning Bd President, Council President Doug Troast, Stan Kober, Project Liason, Scout Alex Melarti, Councilman Steve Shell, Borough Admin. Bill Jones, Chief Chris Minchin, and Councilman Kevin Crossley – special thanks to long time resident Joe Burns American Legion Post 53 for the pictures.
Glen Rock NJ , Glen Rock is embarking on a major Milling and paving project .The details of the 2018 Milling/Paving & Roadway Crack Sealing Projects can be accessed by clicking below.
REMINDER: THIS WORK BEGINS TODAY MONDAY JULY 9th.
Notice signs will be placed in right-of-ways and homeowners will be given flyers in advance of any work being done. Each grouping of streets requiring anywhere from 1-3 days depending on weather conditions and any other unanticipated delays.
There will be no parking AT ALL on roadways while work is being completed.
Needed vehicles should be removed from your driveway and the street by 7:30am each day that work is being performed.
Vehicles left within the work zone will be TOWED AT THE OWNER’S EXPENSE.
DPW will work with homeowners for access during paving and can be reached at 201-670-3980 until 3:30PM on any weekday.
The details of the 2018 Milling/Paving & Roadway Crack Sealing Projects are listed below. Additionally please see the attached “Notice to Residents”.
Notice signs will be placed in right-of-ways and homeowners will be given flyers in advance of any work being done. Work will be done on the following roads and in this order with each grouping of streets requiring anywhere from 1-3 days depending on weather conditions and any other unanticipated delays:
Borough of Glen Rock – Roadways – Asphalt Overlay List (2018)
Milling & Paving Contractor: Fitzpatrick & Son, Inc, of Oak Ridge, NJ
Starting: Monday, July 9, 2018
(Dunham/Plymouth, then counterclockwise through the Borough (ie Wilson, Tonawanda, etc.)):
STREET
LENGTH
LIMITS (From):
LIMITS (To):
Dunham Place
1690
Plymouth/ Lowell
Cul-De-Sac
Plymouth Road (2 of 2)
(Lowell, to Dunham)
600
Dunham
Windham
Wilson Street
480
Main
Birchwood
Tonawanda Road
930
Ferndale
Birchwood
Roxbury Place
750
Tonawanda
Bradford
Aberdeen Place
290
Roxbury
Cumberland
Bradford Street
1150
Maple
Main
Robert Court
505
Maple
Cul-De-Sac
Romary Court
545
Harristown
Cul-De-Sac
Benson Road
700
Harristown
Spottswood
Spottswood Road
1130
Delmar
Benson
Emerson Road
935
Hamilton
Berkeley
Devonshire Place
795
Rock
Cul-De-Sac
Buckingham Place
490
Ackerman
Devonshire
Rockingham Place
340
Ackerman
Devonshire
Borough- DPW Yard (All)
429
G.R. Square
G.R. Square
There will be no parking AT ALL on roadways while work is being completed.
Needed vehicles should be removed from your driveway and the street by 7:30am each day that work is being performed.
Vehicles left within the work zone will be TOWED AT THE OWNER’S EXPENSE.
DPW will work with homeowners for access during paving and can be reached at 201-670-3980 until 3:30PM on any weekday.
Borough of Glen Rock- Roadway Crack Sealing List (2018)
Crack Seal Contractor: to be determined (Summer ’18)
