the staff of the Ridgewood blog
River Edge NJ, Save the date and join us for the 242nd Anniversary of the British Invasion/American Retreat Across New Jersey , Sunday, November 18, 2018, 12 pm – 4 pm at the Bergen County Historical Society .
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Bogota NJ, Waterfront Revitalization on the Hackensack River Breaks New Ground with Launch of The River Club in Bogota, NJ, Bergen County
– Waterfront Promenade, Mixed-Use Development to Transform Former Hess Site –
Continue reading Waterfront Revitalization on the Hackensack River
file photo by Boyd Loving
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Fort Lee NJ, Libertarian Party candidate Murray Sabrin is going on the offensive against incumbent Democrat Bob Menendez.
“Bob Menendez is the quintessential example of why Americans are fed up with Washington politics. His time in the Senate has been an embarrassing, politically-driven circus devoid of any civility or critical thought,” Sabrin said. “United States Senators should spend more time defending the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and less time engaging in partisan gamesmanship. Bob Menendez is a crooked, unethical career politician. He is a disgrace and should resign immediately.”
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Fort lee NJ, The Port Authority will mark September 11th by flying the world’s largest free-flying flag at the George Washington Bridge .
Continue reading PORT AUTHORITY TO HOLD ANNUAL REMEMBRANCE SERVICE ON SEPTEMBER 11
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Fort Lee Nj, A Bronx, New York, man was sentenced today to 44 months in prison for robbing a bank in Fort Lee, New Jersey, at knifepoint in January 2017, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Andres Dominguez, 39, previously pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge William H. Walls to an information charging him with one count of bank robbery. Judge Walls imposed sentence today in Newark federal court. Dominguez was originally arrested on Jan. 13, 2017.
August 1,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood
Hackensack NJ, New Jersey is home to about 900,000 residents who are not United States citizens . That’ equals about 1 in 10 people in the state, according to most recent estimates. Census figures put Ridgewood’s non-citizen population at about 2,000, or approximately 8 percent of the village’s 25,500 residents.
The Ridgewood Public Library even hosts six-week program meets twice weekly for 90-minute classes. It uses the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services booklet “Learn About the United States, Quick Civic Lessons for the Naturalization Test.”
The federal government is planning to have the 2020 Census ask people their citizenship status. Many elected officials and community advocates say such a question could threaten federal funding for states like New Jersey.
The simple solution would be to create more US citizens in order to safe guard Federal Funds .
The next Census Day is set for April 1, 2020, and a 2017 release from the U.S. Census Bureau identified the date for wording of all Census questions to be submitted to Congress as March 31 of this year. So for those fighting for a question on citizenship status to be excluded, the clock has been ticking for months already.
To give you an idea of the magnitude of the issue the Ridgewood blog has listed the towns the have the largest concentration of Non-citizens in Bergen County .
Palisades Park
U.S.-born citizens: 6,887
Naturalized citizens: 6,057
Non-citizens: 7,215 — 35%
South Hackensack
U.S.-born citizens: 1,534
Naturalized citizens: 455
Non-citizens: 725 — 27%
Fairview
U.S.-born citizens: 6,843
Naturalized citizens: 3,687
Non-citizens: 3,608 — 25%
Little Ferry
U.S.-born citizens: 5,669
Naturalized citizens: 2,570
Non-citizens: 2,431 — 22%
Hackensack
U.S.-born citizens: 25,272
Naturalized citizens: 8,238
Non-citizens: 9,631 — 22%
Fort Lee
U.S.-born citizens: 16,475
Naturalized citizens: 11,398
Non-citizens: 7,941 — 22%
Leonia
U.S.-born citizens: 4,853
Naturalized citizens: 2,220
Non-citizens: 1,935 — 21%
Teterboro
U.S.-born citizens: 63
Naturalized citizens: 5
Non-citizens: 18 — 21%
Edgewater
U.S.-born citizens: 6,698
Naturalized citizens: 2,559
Non-citizens: 2,503 — 21%
Garfield
U.S.-born citizens: 17,663
Naturalized citizens: 6,885
Non-citizens: 6,251 — 20%
Ridgefield
U.S.-born citizens: 5,790
Naturalized citizens: 3,087
Non-citizens: 2,208 — 20%
July 20,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Fort Lee NJ, A Fort Lee, New Jersey, man today admitted generating phony tax refunds using personal identifying information stolen from current and former members of the U.S. army, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Shope Oluwo, 33, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Freda L. Wolfson in Trenton federal court to an indictment charging him with one count each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
From January through February 2016, Oluwo conspired with others, including Dermot Sutherland, 29, of Philadelphia, to obtain personal identifying information that was stolen from current or former members of the U.S. Army. Oluwo used that stolen information to create fake military identification cards and fraudulent W-2 forms bearing the victims’ names.
Oluwo provided the phony cards and W-2 forms to Sutherland, who posed as the victims and filed phony returns with a tax preparation company. Afterwards, Sutherland received debit cards from the tax preparation company that contained the ill-gotten refunds.
The conspiracy to commit wire fraud charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. The access device fraud charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 10 years in prison and $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. The aggravated identity theft charge carries a term of imprisonment of two years which must run consecutively to any other prison term. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 26, 2018.
Sutherland previously pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme and awaits sentencing.
U.S. Attorney Carpenito credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Leigh-Alistair Barzey; postal inspectors of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, under the direction of Acting Inspector in Charge Judy Ramos; and special agents of IRS–Criminal Investigation, under the direction of Acting Special Agent in Charge Bryant Jackson in Newark, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.
River Edge NJ, right from the Bergen County Historical Society:
April 16th, 1780. Ho-Ho-Kus would never be the same…
On Saturday the 15th inst. a detachment of cavalry, consisting of two Captains, six Subalterns, and about one hundred and twenty horse, were ordered from Staten-Island on an excursion in the Jersies. They embarked by four o’clock in the afternoon, and the whole were at Bird’s-Point by eight o’clock in the evening, when Capt. Diemar pursued his march to Dumeres’s, where he arrived without opposition by twelve o’clock that night, joining Major Du Buys, who with three hundred foot had crossed the North-River at Fort Lee. The troops marched on as quick as the badness of the roads would permit, arrived at New Bridge about half past two, where one shot was fired by the enemy; one continental officer and three militia were taken, the former by the Hessians, and the latter by Lieut. Col. Buskirk, who served as a volunteer on the expedition. Major Du Buys left one Captain and fifty foot at the Bridge, to secure the return of his Majesty’s troops on that road, the remainder marched on towards Paramus, but the day appearing, and the rebels having one hundred and fifty continentals at the town, and a steep hill at a mile distance in their rear, the surprize could not be effected, on account of the fatiguing march which the foot underwent, it was therefore judged necessary that the cavalry should lead the van, when they pushed on, and finding a rebel picket of about thirty foot, commanded by an officer, on the right hand side of Paramus, in a field, surrounded with a fence, who fired several shot without effect, and then took to their heels, when Captain Deimar intercepted them: Fourteen were killed on the spot, and the officer retired with the remainder to a house, where he and several more were killed and the rest taken in arms. Some deserters came to join the party, and the commanding officer of the cavalry getting intelligence that the rebels had taken possession of a stone-house, he ordered them to dismount, surround, and storm it, which they did sword in hand. The house where they entered was fired at, but advancing slowly on the floor, and crying out that no quarters would be given, unless they surrendered instantly, which they did; and Major Boyl, of the 3rd Pennsylvania regiment, three subalterns, and about 6 privates were taken at the house. The rebel major being wounded through the breast, and unable to be transported, Captain Diemar left him upon parole. The loss of his Majesty’s troops were some men wounded before the house, Capt. Diemar’s horse was shot through the body; after they had surrendered a shot was fired from the top of the house, which dangerously wounded one of the Queen’s Rangers; the house was then set on fire, and had it not been for the humanity of Captain Diemar all the prisoners would have been put to death.
The cavalry took one Major, one Capt. three Subalterns, and fifty-two privates, and being rejoined by Major DuBuy at Paramus, the rebels having collected some hundred militia on the hill near the town, it was not thought expedient to attack them: Having compleatly succeeded in the enterprize, and two officers and about forty rebels killed, the whole detachment returned in as regular an order as any military manoeuvre can admit. The rebels pursued the King’s troops towards the English Neighbourhood, but lost many men by the spirited behaviour of the Hessians and the detachment of Colonel Robinson’s corps. Too much praise cannot be given to the officers and men of the detachment of cavalry, who behaved with great gallantry. They returned the 16th by eight o’clock in the evening, to their quarters at Staten-Island, without a single man or horse being taken by the enemy, after a continued march of more than eighty miles without having their horses fed.
Such is the exertion of British soldiers who fight in a just cause and for the rights of the best of Sovereigns, against the dishonourable banditti who formerly were too happy and fell into temptation.
Source: The Royal American Gazette (New York,) April 20, 1780.
US NEWS STATE of NJ RANK:
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Eleven (not even the TOP 11 BTW) of the top 25 on the list are magnet or Vocational schools (which is not “more than half the top 25” but I guess math is hard for you)
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Also these PUBLIC (non-magnet) Schools are ranked AHEAD of Ridgewood:
#5 – Elizabeth High School
#6 – Princeton High School
#7 – Chatham High School
#10 West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North
#11 – Livingston High School
#12 – Summit Senior High School
#13 – Millburn High School
#14 – Glen Ridge High School
#15 – Ridge High School, Basking Ridge
#18 – West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South
#19 – Mountain Lakes High School
#20 – Tenafly High School
#23 – Northern Highlands Regional High School
#25 – Montgomery High School
#26 – Ridgewood High School
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US NEWS NATIONAL RANK:
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RIDGEWOOD IS RANKED #583 (almost below 600) in NATIONAL Rank
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US NEWS COLLEGE READINESS (arguably the most important ranking)
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RIDGEWOOD HAS A 53.6% COLLEGE READINESS rating (barely half of the students graduate as ready for college).
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STATE OF NJ’s OWN SCHOOL RANKINGS
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You are also ignoring that THE STATE OF NJ ranked Ridgewood High School as 83 out of the 385 NJ high schools.
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Neighboring Glen Rock was ranked #13
(the top twelve on the NJ State list are specialized “academies” and vocational schools which have academic standards for acceptance)
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Here’s some other (local) schools that are ranked higher than Ridgewood:
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#20 – Pascack Hills (Pascack Valley)
#25 – Northern Valley – Demarest
#28 – Tenafly
#29 – Mahwah
#45 – Northern Valley – Old Tappan
#46 – Pascack Valley
#48 – River Dell
#52 – Indian Hills
#55 – Emerson
#56 – Fair Lawn
#60 – Northern Highlands
#61 – Fort Lee
#72 – Waldwick
#73 – New Milford
#76 – Bergenfield
#82 – Ramapo
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Then Ridgewood at #83
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But at least we beat out Dumont (ranked #84)
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No Matter how you look at the data, it IS NOT good news for Ridgewood.
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My God… we’re not even better than Bergenfield? Waldwick? etc…
Maybe we need a bigger budget. How about $125 million and a goal to break into the top 75…
Bergenfield, Dumont, Ramapo… Those towns must have massive budgets
The State of NJ ranks Ridgewood High School as 83 out of the 385 NJ high schools.
Apologies for being off by 1 in the original post (was counting the “header row” by mistake)
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Lets see how bad Ridgewood #83 ranking really is…
.
Neighboring Glen Rock was ranked #13
(the top twelve are specialized “academies” and vocational schools which have academic standards for acceptance)
.
Here’s some other (local) schools that are ranked higher than Ridgewood:
.
#20 – Pascack Hills (Pascack Valley)
#25 – Northern Valley – Demarest
#28 – Tenafly
#29 – Mahwah
#45 – Northern Valley – Old Tappan
#46 – Pascack Valley
#48 – River Dell
#52 – Indian Hills
#55 – Emerson
#56 – Fair Lawn
#60 – Northern Highlands
#61 – Fort Lee
#72 – Waldwick
#73 – New Milford
#76 – Bergenfield
#82 – Ramapo
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Then Ridgewood at #83
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But at least we beat out Dumont (ranked #84)
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Embarassing.
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But let’s approve the $110 Million budget.
It’s money well spent.
We’ll keep deluding ourselves that we have great schools.
It’s all part of the “Tradition of Excellence”
What a dramatic decline. Fishbein and Gorman should take responsibility for this. Who holds their feet to the fire? In the meantime parents are oblivious as long as they feel good about “the new leaders (their kids)” being “vocal” about national issues
learn to save a life
March 30,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The Stop the Bleed program is a national awareness campaign and a call to action. Stop the Bleed is intended to cultivate grassroots efforts that Ridgewood Emergency Services will actively participate in. No matter how rapid the arrival of professional emergency responders, bystanders will be the first on the scene. Stop the Bleed trains and empowers the bystander to stop active, life threatening bleeding. Similar to how the public learns and
performs CPR, the public must learn proper bleeding control techniques, including how to use their hands, dressings and tourniquets. Victims can quickly die from uncontrolled bleeding within 5 to 10 minutes from onset.
Ridgewood Emergency Services is participating in the National “Stop the Bleed” Day on Saturday, March 31 st at their Headquarters: 33 Douglass
Place. 3 PM- 5 PM or 7 PM to 9 PM.
Please RSVP to: emstraining@ridgewood911.org
The State of NJ ranks Ridgewood High School as 83 out of the 385 NJ high schools.
Apologies for being off by 1 in the original post (was counting the “header row” by mistake)
.
Lets see how bad Ridgewood #83 ranking really is…
.
Neighboring Glen Rock was ranked #13
(the top twelve are specialized “academies” and vocational schools which have academic standards for acceptance)
.
Here’s some other (local) schools that are ranked higher than Ridgewood:
.
#20 – Pascack Hills (Pascack Valley)
#25 – Northern Valley – Demarest
#28 – Tenafly
#29 – Mahwah
#45 – Northern Valley – Old Tappan
#46 – Pascack Valley
#48 – River Dell
#52 – Indian Hills
#55 – Emerson
#56 – Fair Lawn
#60 – Northern Highlands
#61 – Fort Lee
#72 – Waldwick
#73 – New Milford
#76 – Bergenfield
#82 – Ramapo
.
Then Ridgewood at #83
.
But at least we beat out Dumont (ranked #84)
.
.
Embarassing.
.
But let’s approve the $110 Million budget.
It’s money well spent.
We’ll keep deluding ourselves that we have great schools.
It’s all part of the “Tradition of Excellence”
March 16,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The Stop the Bleed program is a national awareness campaign and a call to action. Stop the Bleed is intended to cultivate grassroots efforts that
Ridgewood Emergency Services will actively participate in. No matter how rapid the arrival of professional emergency responders, bystanders will be
the first on the scene. Stop the Bleed trains and empowers the bystander to stop active, life threatening bleeding. Similar to how the public learns and
performs CPR, the public must learn proper bleeding control techniques, including how to use their hands, dressings and tourniquets. Victims can
quickly die from uncontrolled bleeding within 5 to 10 minutes from onset.
Ridgewood Emergency Services is participating in the National “Stop the Bleed” Day on Saturday, March 31 st at their Headquarters: 33 Douglass
Place. 3 PM- 5 PM or 7 PM to 9 PM.
Please RSVP to: emstraining@ridgewood911.org
December 13,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Simply put, the situation involving Parkmobile constitutes a blatant case of FRAUD.
Officers of Parkmobile convinced elected officials to adopt a formal resolution that approved the signing of a contract with their company. The adopted resolution stated in plain English that the Village would not be charged in any way, shape, or form. All costs were to be paid for by users on a per transaction basis. Then, Parkmobile somehow convinced former Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld to sign a contract granting Parkmobile a percentage of the parking revenue from every transaction involving their app.
Bait and switch, plain and simple. One bill of goods was sold to the Council, another was sold to Roberta Sonenfeld.
FRAUD I say. I maintain the contract is invalid because it is in direct conflict with what our elected officials were told, and what they approved via resolution.
I’m about to call up that attorney who is handling the case against the Board of Education (Rosemarie Aronold of Fort Lee) and ask her to file a class action suit against Parkmobile for triple damages, court costs, and attorney’s fees.
FRAUD, FRAUD, FRAUD!
November 27,2017
Murray Sabrin Professor of Finanace at Ramapo College
I sent the following letter to Tom Moran about his column. https://www.nj.com/opinion/index.ssf/2017/11/njs_millionaires_tax_hike_is_losing_support_moran.html
Your editorial today misses several points. If Murphy wants to spend more, then all New Jerseyans should pay higher taxes. Your support of his tax hike on upper income individuals and families is nothing less than “Willie Sutton” economics. In addition, I have been living in a Fort Lee 171 family co-op for ten years, about 25% of the shareholders leave for FL for half the year. They have been FL residents for many years, from what I gather. A higher top marginal rate will really accelerate the exodus.
Murphy’s tax and spending plan will face a fundamental economic reality, government spending does not boost an economy. Less regulations will make New Jersey more attractive to the business community as will lower marginal tax rates.
New Jersey should have one of the best state economies in the nation based on several factors. Instead, both Republicans and Democrats have implemented policies that in the final analysis have driven businesses out of the state in the 40 years I have been living here. In addition, New Jersey is far down on the list of companies that are looking to expand. The laws of economics and principles of finance cannot be overridden by statist politicians. In short, Murphy should check his premises about how an economy works.
