Called, “a menace to the residents of North Jersey”
NOVEMBER 2, 2015, 7:13 PM LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2015, 8:55 PM
BY ABBOTT KOLOFF
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
Print
The reputed head of a North Jersey burglary ring that targeted affluent homes and a New York City accomplice were found guilty Monday of multiple counts of transporting stolen property across state lines related to dozens of burglaries that netted millions of dollars in cash and other items, federal prosecutors said in a news release.
Daniel “Tokyo” Gatson, 43, of North Bergen, and Anthony “Big Country” Hanks, 36, of Brooklyn, and their gang took part in 27 burglaries in six states, stealing $3.4 million in cash and property, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said.
Law enforcement authorities have called Gatson, who previously lived in Teaneck and Cliffside Park, one of Bergen County’s most prolific burglars.
In 1999, he famously scored $300,000 in jewelry, luxury cars and other items from the Englewood Cliffs home of former New York Knicks center Patrick Ewing.
State Superior Court Judge William Meehan once called Gatson and someone who had been committing burglaries since he was 18 years old and “has no intention of stopping.”
RCNG – Ridgewood Chamber Networking Group
AM – worth getting up early to be part of–
AM Networking in Ridgewood
Tuesday and Thursday
7:30am-8:45am
ConnectOne Bank
171 E. Ridgewood Ave.
201-445-2600 for more information
email: info@ridgewoodchamber.com
*******************************
PM NETWORKING IN RIDGEWOOD!
27 Chestnut Street
RCNG – Ridgewood Chamber Networking Group
every Wednesday,
Meet/Greet 5:30pm
Networking 5:45-6:45pm
rsvp 201-445-2600
info@ridgewoodchamber.com
************
RYPE- Ridgewood’s Young Professional Exchange
Networking for ages 40 and under Professionals.
Next Networking
Thursday, September 10th, 6pm
call 201-445-2600 info@ridgewoodchamber.com
meeting at 27 Chestnut Street.
go through restaurant’s patio and
take elevator to first floor.
Invite your business friends to join us!
rsvp to Allison-
afriedman@ywcabergencounty.org
*************
Woman’s Networking
BBLB-Brown Bag Lunch Bunch meet on
Tuesday’s – alternating between 9am & 11am
call for dates of times-201-445-2600
women supporting women at its best!
mark your calendar!
chamber office-27 Chestnut St.
This networking is designed to place real value on the advise and wisdom of today’s business women.
Engage, Encourage, Empower!
for more information call 201-445-2600
N E T W O R K I N G
still the best way to do business
The Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce is a
member of the ICC – Inter-Chamber Consortium.
The ICC is an organization of several Bergen County Chambers that come together to work with each other to help build relationships for
the area business owners.
ICC MONTHLY MEETING SCHEDULE
Cliffside Park Chamber of Commerce
September 14, 2015.
MegaNet Networking date to TBA
JUNE 17, 2015, 10:02 AM LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, JUNE 18, 2015, 12:20 AM
BY MARY JO LAYTON
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
Drug overdoses from illicit and prescription drugs claimed twice as many lives statewide in 2014 as auto crashes, becoming the leading cause of accidental death in New Jersey, according to a national report and state data released Wednesday.
In Bergen County, heroin overdoses rose sharply, one of the most dramatic increases in New Jersey last year, according to data provided by the state Medical Examiner’s Office.
But there are signs that in North Jersey that trend may be reversing, as more first responders are using the rescue drug Narcan to save people in the throes of an overdose. So far this year, the drug has been used 60 times, resulting in far fewer deaths, said Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli. Since Narcan was approved for use in 2014, more than 45 towns across North Jersey have deployed it to stop overdoses. The drug, which can reverse an overdose in as little as two minutes, is injected or inhaled.
Last month, Cliffside Park police responded to a call at a Day Avenue home and found a 34-year-old Fairview man lying on his back, a potential overdose victim. They administered two doses of the rescue drug in the form of a nasal spray and took the patient to Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen. Other saves occurred in Hillsdale, Lodi, Oakland and Ramsey in recent weeks.
The results have been a reduction in deaths so far this year, with 11 people dying of heroin overdoses, compared with 42 who died all of last year in Bergen County, according to Molinelli, who has organized task forces to rein in the heroin trade in North Jersey.
“All the community outreach being done by addictive service groups, parent and school organizations and law enforcement has been substantial,” Molinelli said.
MAY 27, 2015 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2015, 8:56 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The village has brought in a new chief financial officer and its first-ever parking utility director with the hiring of Robert G. Rooney, who began his tenure earlier this month.
Rooney’s first day was May 4, and he “hit the ground running,” said Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld when she announced his hire. Sonenfeld had been temporarily serving as the village’s CFO and parking utility director, in addition to her other duties.
Rooney was ceremonially sworn in at the council’s May 13 meeting.
The new CFO has his roots in Bergen County, growing up in Fairview, Cliffside Park and Rutherford as well as attending Fairleigh Dickinson University in Teaneck. He has spent his entire career in public accounting, most recently working for Manhattan-based McGladrey in its public sector practice.
Rooney said his memories of Ridgewood come from having played basketball for Cliffside Park High School. He said he remembered how beautiful the high school was and the friendliness of village residents.
“When I lived in Bergen County, Ridgewood was always the cream of the crop,” Rooney said. “People always talked very highly of the municipality.”
Ridgewood NJ, In Ridgewood ,there seemed to be far less accidents involving pedestrians and automobiles this past year? I do not know the numbers .
So we asked Ridgewood Police Chief John Ward if we did have decrease what in your mind was particularly effective in mitigating pedestrian incidents. If we had an increase what policy can the Village , the Schools or the Ridgewood PD do to increase awareness of public safety and make our streets safer ?
The Chief took time out to respond , “We did have a decrease in pedestrian related accidents in 2014. I can say we have experienced a significant decrease in the level of injury to pedestrians. That being said in December (2014) we did have several but again still well below last year. As far as why, I can say we have increased our efforts in the areas of education and enforcement as well as the efforts in the area of engineering to enhance safety. As you know there are too many variables to attribute a causal nexus between our efforts and the reductions in pedestrian crashes , but one could argue that there appears to be a correlation.
While according to the Record there has been an increase state wide , the Chiefs efforts in Village suggest that simply “awareness ” from both drivers , walkers and cyclist may be the key .
N.J. pedestrian deaths rise; police look for reasons
APRIL 21, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, APRIL 21, 2015, 6:47 AM
BY JOHN CICHOWSKI
RECORD COLUMNIST |
THE RECORD
Sad to say, each time you read your favorite newspaper, there’s a good chance you’ll learn about someone like Anila Lluka or Lisa Borsellino or Donna Marie Wine, whose lives were cut short at the rate of one every other day in New Jersey — twice a month in Bergen County.
These deaths happen so routinely that we often barely recognize their significance because the victims were doing something as common as crossing River Street in Hackensack, where Borsellino was struck down last October, or Paramus Road in Paramus, where Lluka was killed last November.
Tragically, such passings have become much more frequent lately, according to updated figures recently released by the New Jersey State Police fatal accident unit.
Pedestrian deaths totaled 169 statewide last year, including that of Ms. Wine, a beautician who was standing with others on Grand Avenue at an outdoor market in Hawthorne last August when a truck plowed into her. In Bergen, walking deaths peaked at 24 last year. Victims included Stephen Petruzzello, a 22-year-old Cliffside Park police officer who was run down crossing Walker Street two days after Christmas while on the job with his partner.
With Bergen now accounting for more pedestrian fatalities by far than any other county in the state, traffic cops in many of its 70 municipalities have begun digging into their files to find better ways to prevent such deaths.
APRIL 17, 2015, 3:45 PM LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2015, 10:38 AM
BY JAY LEVIN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
Sol Abrams stopped at nothing to promote Palisades Amusement Park. If that meant having an elephant water-ski with a showgirl on the Hudson, so be it.
“Genius? I’d give him that honor,” Vince Gargiulo, who runs the Palisades Amusement Park Historical Society, said of Abrams, who died Wednesday at home in New Milford. He was 89 and the last surviving member of the park’s management team.
For 20-plus years, until the day in 1971 that the landmark attraction straddling Fort Lee and Cliffside Park closed for good, Abrams, the consummate PR man, dreamed up ways to get Palisades Amusement Park on the airwaves and into the newspapers.
FEBRUARY 23, 2015 LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2015, 9:59 AM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
When Bergen County Protect and Rescue fell into desperate times late last summer, the general public stepped up with an overwhelming response to assist the county’s only no-kill animal shelter. Though given a crutch, the Cliffside Park-based operation is still in constant need of community support, as it barely covers the monthly $10,000 operating costs to care for some four dozen cats and dogs until they’re ready for adoption.
Ridgewood has taken notice.
The Willard School community took a different approach while planning its annual theme day, which took place earlier this month to rave reviews and overwhelming positive feedback.
A school-wide program, theme days in the past were typically geared toward student enjoyment and learning. Previous theme days incorporated events such as spelling bees or “Amazing Race” style activities that promoted cultural diversity and education.
“They were fun, but we wanted to do something that put the emphasis on the children making a difference during the day rather than another fun event,” said Pam Chmiel, this year’s theme day coordinator. “Willard has a great track record in bringing conscious programs to the school … so we presented our theme as ‘philanthropy’ – giving time, talents and treasure and taking action for the common good.”
Chmiel, together with the Willard Home and School Association, Principal Caroline Hoffman and other parents, rebranded theme day as Willard Service Day 2015, which they hosted on Feb. 4. Student activities still focused on fun and learning, but they also centered on “giving back to those less fortunate or going through a difficult time.”
GOP hopefuls line up for key Bergen freeholder elections
FEBRUARY 11, 2015 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
Four Republicans have declared an interest in running for three seats on the Bergen County Freeholder Board — and potential majority control of the board — this year.
Former Freeholder John Mitchell of Cliffside Park and Ramsey Councilman Ken Tyburczy are unopposed for Republican party line endorsements in the June primaries for the two three-year terms up for election.
They will take aim at seats now held by Democrats Tracy Zur of Franklin Lakes and Steve Tanelli of North Arlington, who are running for reelection.
Also, Dierdre Paul of Englewood and Daisy Ortiz-Berger of River Edge are vying for the party line in hopes of serving out the one year left in the term of James Tedesco, a Democrat, who left the board to become county executive.
Democrats currently hold a 5-2 majority on the board.
…Following the horrendous fire in Edgewater last night, donations of food andclothing were sent in immediately. The needs now are for pet supplies, health & beauty supplies and restaurant gift certificates.
Pet supplies, such as dog & cat food and kitty litter can be delivered to the Bergen County Protect & Rescue location at 302 2nd St (near Walker St) in Cliffside Park, NJ.
Health & beauty supplies can be delivered to the Edgewater Community Center at 1167 River Road, Edgewater, NJ.
Restaurant gift certificates (not necessarily upscale places; fast food places are fine) can also be delivered to the Edgewater Community Center or mailed to my fellow Rotarian, Brigitte Neumann at P.O. Box 215, Edgewater, NJ 07020.
Road Warrior: 2014 safer on the road but deadlier on foot
JANUARY 12, 2015, 9:37 PM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2015, 8:40 AM
BY JOHN CICHOWSKI
RECORD COLUMNIST |
THE RECORD
Despite all the potholes, unlit roadways and cellphone abuse that made driving a sour experience for many New Jerseyans last year, 2014 offered at least one sweet conclusion: The death count for drivers and passengers fell to its lowest level in several decades — 380 fatalities, according to preliminary state police figures. Even bicycling deaths dipped at bit to 13.
But for those traveling New Jersey roadways on foot, 2014 marked the deadliest time in 18 years. Crashes killed 172 pedestrians last year, a figure that exceeded the previous year’s pedestrian tally by more than 30 percent and accounted for more than 30 percent of all the road deaths recorded in 2014.
file photo Boyd Loving
The most hazardous county by far was Bergen with 24 pedestrian fatalities, including an on-duty special police officer killed two days after Christmas in Cliffside Park — the second fatal crash to take an officer’s life in the county last year. The county’s pedestrian death count was so large that it doubled its driver death count, a highly unusual occurrence. Walking deaths were even greater than the combined pedestrian death counts in Camden (the second-deadliest county at 18) and Passaic (five).
New Jersey’s pedestrian figure was high enough to make the state’s traffic safety chief shake his head with worry.
file photo Boyd Loving
“Very discouraging — the worst year since 1996,” said Gary Poedubicky, acting director of the state attorney general’s Division of Highway Traffic Safety. “The numbers are much too high … something we’ll have to address as soon as possible.”
file photo Freeholder tells Ridgewood group to develop plan to save Schedler House
MITCHELL READY FOR FRESH BERGEN FREEHOLDER BID
DECEMBER 18, 2014
Meeting up with Mitchell at the Bergen County Young Republican meeting in Saddle Brook this week, he confirmed to me that he is now officially a candidate to return to the body he left in 2014.
“Here’s my speech, you can quote me, ‘I am running for freeholder,’” said Mitchell, who won a convincing victory on a ticket headed by Kathe Donovan and Mike Saudino in 2010, but was defeated by a mere 68 votes in 2013 by now County Executive-elect Jim Tedesco.
Mitchell, by far the hardest campaigner I have personally seen in action, will be a force to be reckoned with. Most expect him to enter the convention as one of the favorites, if it even gets that far.
Most are expecting an announcement by Ramsey Councilman Ken Tyburczy in the coming days that he is also running. The field appears to be clearing for the first time in recent memory for the two candidates to enter the general election unscathed. While some names are being mentioned for the third seat (the unexpired term of Tedesco), none of the four candidates who entered the freeholder race last year – nominees Bernadette Walsh and Bob Avery, as well as Brian Fitzhenry and Dierdre Paul – seem likely to run at this point according to those I speak with around the county.
For the general election, Mitchell has made significant inroads in two areas that Republicans have struggled with. Hailing from overwhelmingly Democratic Cliffside Park, Mitchell shows relative strength in the southeastern Democratic bastion of the county. He has also made strong inroads with the growing Korean community through years of sincere outreach.
DECEMBER 3, 2014, 12:16 PM LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014, 9:28 AM
BY HANNAN ADELY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
A small arts-themed high school in Paterson and a large Bergen County magnet school had perfect graduation rates in 2014 and were the only schools in their counties to achieve that distinction in a year when graduation rates went up across North Jersey, reflecting a statewide trend, according to state data released on Wednesday.
Across New Jersey, 88.6 percent of students who entered high school in 2010 graduated last spring, up about one percentage point from the year before. Throughout the state, minorities and low-income students had larger gains than the average student, but the achievement gaps remained wide.
The largest gains were in places like Paterson, Garfield, Cliffside Park and Passaic that are lower-income, urban and home to many immigrants. Those districts have made targeted efforts to help more students graduate by creating smaller schools, using more support staff and allowing failing students to make up credit via online classes, among other methods. Graduation rates at many smaller suburban districts stayed mostly steady, with only tiny gains or dips, largely because they have had strong graduation rates for years.
In Bergen and Passaic counties, a 100 percent graduation rate was achieved at two high-performing, but very different high schools.
AUGUST 17, 2014 LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, AUGUST 17, 2014, 11:31 AM BY KATHLEEN LYNN STAFF WRITER THE RECORD
In a sign of the housing industry’s rebound, two large North Jersey redevelopment projects — in Wood-Ridge and Cliffside Park — are picking up momentum after being stalled during the real estate downturn.
The steel framework is going up at the Towne Center project in Cliffside Park, and developers Fred Daibes and James Demetrakis of Edgewater now expect the project to open around September 2015.
And at the Wesmont Station redevelopment, on part of the old Curtiss-Wright factory site in Wood-Ridge, Pulte Homes has begun work on a section of 217 town houses, while nearby, land is being cleared for 104 affordable apartments.
The Wood-Ridge and Cliffside Park redevelopments are moving forward at a time when home building — especially multifamily building — is on the rise again in New Jersey, after falling to post-World War II lows in the wake of the recession and housing bust. This year, New Jersey home construction approvals are running at their strongest pace since 2006, about 29 percent ahead of last year’s level.
“You’re seeing a convergence of long-term trends toward more multifamily, transit-oriented residential development and the housing market emerging from the deep recession that the industry was in,” said Christopher Jones, vice president for research at the Regional Plan Association.
“There’s a pent-up demand for housing, and builders are getting into position to meet this demand,” said Ralph Zucker, head of Somerset Development, the master developer at Wesmont Station.
JUNE 3, 2014 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2014, 8:08 AM BY SCOTT FALLON STAFF WRITER THE RECORD
United Water will spend $220 million over the next three years to replace leaky water mains, valves and other aging infrastructure to help prevent the annual loss of billions of gallons of drinking water, executives said Monday.
The money, from a special fee imposed on ratepayers, will be used to replace as much as 450 miles of water mains, mostly in Bergen and Hudson counties, where the average underground pipe is 70 years old. That would account for 20 percent of the company’s 2,200 miles of water mains.
“It’s not a situation where you’re just going to go out and say we’re going to replace everything immediately,” said Robert Iacullo, executive vice president of United Water, which serves 800,000 residents in the two counties. “You’re going to prioritize where the frequency of main breaks have been, how critical it is in terms of population being served.”
Iacullo announced the plan at a news conference in Cliffside Park, where U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez and Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-Paterson, were drumming up support for a bill that would make it easier for local governments to get money to make repairs to aging water systems. The Sustainable Water Infrastructure Investment Act of 2014 would remove the federal cap on municipal bonds used to pay for sewerage and water system upgrades.
“The longer you wait to fix them, it only gets worst and more expensive,” Pascrell said as a United Water crew fixed a broken valve behind him.
Like many of New Jersey’s water utilities, United Water loses much more water than the industry standard of 15 percent. About 26 percent, or 10.6 billion gallons, was unaccounted for in 2011, the bulk of that from burst water mains, holes in corroded pipes or leaky joints, experts have said. United Water has averaged more than one water main break per day over the past five years.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/united-water-plans-big-fixes-in-north-jersey-1.1027933#sthash.CnAaotLu.dpuf
Family has a long history of saving soles in Ridgewood
APRIL 25, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, APRIL 25, 2014, 12:31 AM BY BETSY MURPHY CORRESPONDENT
Business celebrates 60 years in village
It’s a family business.
Vincent Barbuto, a shoemaker, came from Italy and opened a shoe repair shop in Paterson, Parker Shoe Repair, 92 years ago. Today, his grandson, Vinnie, owns Quality Shoe Repair in Ridgewood.
“My grandfather owned that Paterson store and the family worked there,” says Vinnie. “My father, two uncles and an aunt. My aunt used to deliver shoes on her bicycle.”
His Uncle Tony, 72, opened stores in Montclair, Cliffside Park, then Paterson on Ellison Street about 30 years ago and is still there.
Vinnie’s father, Frank Barbuto, was 4 years old when he came here from Italy. While growing up, he worked and honed his skills with his father. Drafted into the Korean War, he lost a leg when he was 18 and spent 16 months at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington D.C. Soon after he came home, he opened his first shop in Ridgewood at the corner of Franklin and Maple avenues.
“It’s where Corday Cleaners used to be,” says Vinnie. It was two years later that he moved with his brother, Tony, to 18 Oak St., the shop’s location ever since. That was in 1954.
In 1957, he married his wife, Margaret. They had two children, Theresa and Vinnie. A homemaker, Margaret sometimes took Frank his dinner when he worked late.
Margaret took over the bookkeeping and, as the children grew, she worked when needed. She worked first with her husband, Frank, then with her son, dealing with customers at the counter, until she died at 86.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/family-has-a-long-history-of-saving-soles-1.1002999#sthash.eVL0k04m.dpuf
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