Category: Jersey City

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Two Men Sentenced to Prison in Connection with Largest Seizure of Fentanyl in New Jersey History

Opioid Fentanyl

January 30,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Trenton NJ, Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal announced that two men have been sentenced to prison in connection with a record-setting seizure last year by the New Jersey State Police of the super-potent synthetic opioid fentanyl. The seizure of 45 kilos of fentanyl – 40 kilos seized in North Bergen, together with five kilos seized in a related search in Willingboro – was the largest seizure ever in New Jersey.

Fentanyl is one of the deadliest opioids, with a potency that is 50 times greater than heroin. The 45 kilos – or nearly 100 pounds – of fentanyl seized by the New Jersey State Police in this investigation could have yielded over 18 million lethal doses, since a dose as small as 2 to 3 milligrams can be fatal.

The following two men pleaded guilty on Dec. 18 and were sentenced today and Wednesday, respectively, in Hudson County by Superior Court Judge Nesle A. Rodriguez:
Jesus Carrillo-Pineda, 31, of Philadelphia, Pa., was sentenced today to 10 years in state prison, including four years of parole ineligibility, on a charge of possession of heroin with intent to distribute (1st degree), and a concurrent sentence of seven years in prison on a charge of possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute (2nd degree).
Daniel Vasquez, 28, of Somerton, Ariz., was sentenced on Wednesday, Jan. 24, to six years in state prison on a charge of possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute (2nd degree).

“Many lives were undoubtedly saved as a result of this record-setting fentanyl seizure by the New Jersey State Police,” said Attorney General Grewal. “The 100 pounds of fentanyl trafficked into our state by these drug dealers could have generated enough lethal doses to kill the entire populations of New Jersey and New York City combined. Because dealers use this super-potent opioid to boost heroin and create counterfeit oxy pills, drug users are left to play a deadly game of Russian roulette each time they give way to their addiction.”

Attorney General Grewal added, “We’ll continue to fight the opioid epidemic on every front, by locking up major drug traffickers like these men, prosecuting crooked doctors who indiscriminately prescribe pain pills for profit, going after drug manufacturers who promote addiction through their illegal and mercenary marketing of opioids, deploying Narcan, and supporting drug treatment programs.”

“The 45 kilograms of fentanyl seized last year in this investigation brought home the scope of the problem we face in New Jersey with this highly lethal opioid,” said Director Elie Honig of the Division of Criminal Justice. “Three years ago, fentanyl was found in only about 2 percent of the heroin tested by the State Police; by late last year, it was found in nearly one-third of the heroin tested.”

“A seizure of this magnitude, which had enough lethal doses to wipe out the entire population of New Jersey twice over, in all likelihood prevented someone from ever taking their first dose, saving them from a life of misery and addiction,” said Colonel Patrick Callahan, Acting Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police. “I am proud of the outstanding work of the State Police Trafficking North and South Units and our law enforcement partners who are deeply committed to fighting the opioid epidemic both on the streets and off.”

While it has been spotlighted for killing Prince and other celebrities, fentanyl also is responsible for a growing death toll in New Jersey, where there were 417 overdose deaths from fentanyl in 2015, and over 800 deaths from fentanyl in 2016. Dealers commonly mix fentanyl with heroin or cocaine, or sell it in powder compounds or counterfeit pills disguised as heroin, oxycodone or Xanax. Given the tiny size of a lethal dose, drug users are dying because dealers are careless about how much fentanyl they put in such mixes and pills. Fentanyl is so potent that medics and police have been sickened by contact with it while responding to overdoses or making arrests. In addition to fentanyl, seven fentanyl analogs have been sold on the street in New Jersey. The Attorney General’s Office issued an emergency order last year adding those fentanyl knockoffs to the list of drugs subject to the strictest level of state control.

In the investigation involving Carillo-Pineda and Vasquez, detectives of the New Jersey State Police Trafficking North Unit developed information that a shipment of drugs was being delivered to a location in North Bergen. On June 28, 2017, State Police detectives, assisted by members of the North Bergen Police Department, located and arrested Carrillo-Pineda and Vasquez in the parking lot of a business in North Bergen after observing a drug transaction in which the 40 kilograms of fentanyl were transferred from a tractor-trailer occupied by Vasquez and a second man to the trunk of a Mercedes Benz driven by Carrillo-Pineda. The man with Vasquez, Jesus Yanez-Martinez, also was arrested, but the charges against him were dismissed on Wednesday, Jan. 24. The State Police searched the trunk of the Mercedes and seized the 40 kilos of fentanyl, which were individually wrapped inside two black duffel bags. They also found a handbag containing $1,050 in cash and a small quantity of heroin in the car.

Carrillo-Pineda also was charged – along with Omar Zeus Rodriguez, 38, of Willingboro – in connection with the seizure the next day in Willingboro of five kilos of fentanyl, nearly 40 kilos of heroin, and a smaller quantity of methamphetamine. The drugs were seized by the State Police Trafficking South Unit at Rodriguez’s residence, where Carrillo-Pineda had been staying. Rodriguez was loading suitcases into a Range Rover outside his residence when he was approached by detectives. The drugs were found in the suitcases and an open Fed Ex box in the vehicle’s trunk. Rodriguez, who currently is a fugitive, faces charges that include possession of heroin with intent to distribute (1st degree), possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute (1st degree), and possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute (2nd degree).

Deputy Attorney General Norma Garcia is prosecuting the case for the Division of Criminal Justice Gangs & Organized Crime Bureau, under the supervision of Deputy Bureau Chief Annmarie Taggart and Bureau Chief Lauren Scarpa Yfantis. Detective Sgt. Jeovanny Rodriguez was the lead detective for the investigation for the State Police Intelligence Section, Violent & Organized Crime Control Bureau North, Trafficking North Unit. Detective Garrett Cullen was the lead detective for the investigation for the State Police Intelligence Section, Violent & Organized Crime Control Bureau South, Trafficking South Unit. Attorney General Grewal commended the attorneys and all of the detectives and troopers who participated in the investigation for the State Police. He also thanked the North Bergen Police Department and Willingboro Police Department for their assistance.

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Josh Gottheimer and Phil Murphy are playing games, using gimmicks and illusions to take the eyes of the public off the true issue in New Jersey

phil murphy

New Jersey’s career politicians, like the Clinton Speech writer Gottheimer and out of touch elitist Phil Murphy are playing games, using gimmicks and illusions to take the eyes of the public off the true issue in New Jersey, the grotesquely high taxes it squeezes out of its very own citizens. They want to deflect the blame to D.C. and take the voter’s attention off their fellow Democrats. My friends, the citizens of New Jersey are not that stupid, our people want the politicians to cut the ever ballooning taxes that plague our state.

What needs to be done requires strength, intelligence and an uncompromising will to reduce spending in this state. It requires the leadership that will reverse this state’s anti-business climate to increase the tax base while reducing the tax burden. Sadly, I do not see any of this in Trenton. I see the grandstanding we are all accustomed to, not the leadership we so desperately need.

Gottheimer, who faces a challenge this November, may have gotten this idea from his former employers, the Clintons. Maybe his next suggestion is to have the Clinton foundation administer the charity.

The municipal, county and state officials should do what taxpayers want them to really do — cut taxes, cut spending — not come up with tax loopholes that either won’t pass muster or won’t be sustainable.

Gottheimer said, “The tax hike bill Congress passed last year is a ticking time bomb for New Jersey,” we are proudly declaring that New Jersey won’t shy from a fight. We won’t be America’s piggy bank.” I say to him, I no longer want to be Trenton’s piggy bank and the only ticking time bomb you need to worry about is the mad as hell citizens that want real tax reductions, not a pass the potato blame game.

“This is not partisan,” Mr. Murphy said. “This is a smart versus not smart.” I say, this is lazy and opportunist verses hard diligent work and tenacity. New Jersey is done with tricks and gimmicks, bring us change or resign! Pension reform, re-working the school funding formulas and instituting a pro-business environment is needed now.

Joseph Caruso
Your Friendly Neighborhood Taxpayer

Organization For Economic Growth

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New Jersey Transit Will Offer Extra Service For New Year’s Celebrations!

nyc-times-square-new-year-eve[1]

December 30 ,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, NJ TRANSIT is offering extra service for New Year’s Eve and early morning New Year’s Day to give customers additional travel options as they enjoy the festivities to ring in 2018 with family and friends.

NJ TRANSIT’s money-saving Family SuperSaver fare, which allows up to two children 11 and younger to travel free with each fare-paying customer, remains in effect. Usually limited to weekends, the Family SuperSaver Fare has been extended and will be in effect until 6 a.m. Tuesday, January 2, on all trains, buses and light rail lines.

“This is traditionally a time to enjoy special events in our region and many visitors are using NJ TRANSIT to get where they need to go,’’ said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Steven H. Santoro. “NJ TRANSIT is pleased to offer the Family SuperSaver Fare, which allows our customers to stretch their holiday budgets just a bit. So leave the car behind and use NJ TRANSIT to go the mall, get into New York City or gather at a loved one’s home during this busy season.’’

IMPORTANT NOTE: NJ TRANSIT is prohibiting all beverages on all of its trains, light rail vehicles and buses on Sunday, December 31, 2017, and the early morning hours of Monday, January 1, 2018. This policy will be strictly enforced.

For complete schedule and fare information, customers may visit njtransit.com or call 973-275-5555.

“The Commuter Tool Kit – The Tools You Need for a Better Travel Experience’’ is a colorful campaign designed for both the everyday commuter and visitor travelling on
NJ TRANSIT’s rail, bus, light rail and Access Link systems. Several features such as the mobile app, trip planner, ticket purchase options, travel information and travel savings are highlighted in the campaign. The brochure is printed in both English and Spanish.

The Commuter Tool Kit is available in brochure form, on the NJ TRANSIT website, in digital displays and delivered through the agency’s social media channels.

Customers can also take advantage of other ways to save money. NJ TRANSIT works with promotional partners throughout the year to offer discounts to many entertainment venues. Customers can go to njtransit.com/deals for special offers on show tickets, admission costs and travel this holiday season.

Today Saturday, December 30, trains will operate on a weekend schedule. Buses will operate on a Saturday schedule with extra inbound service to New York. Consult timetable or visit njtransit.com to view the Bus Holiday Service Guide for details. Newark Light Rail will operate on a Saturday schedule. Hudson-Bergen Light Rail and River LINE will operate on a weekend schedule. Consult njtransit.com for more information.

On New Year’s Eve, Sunday, December 31, trains will operate on a weekend schedule. In the evening, there will be extra train service to New York. Extra train service will be in place to New York and Hoboken from approximately 4 p.m. until 10 p.m. Meadowlands service will be in place for the Giants vs. Redskins game at 1 p.m. Special printable schedules that cover the period from 6 p.m. on New Year’s Eve until 6 a.m. on New Year’s morning are available at njtransit.com. Rail travel information for New Year’s Eve is also available via the Trip Planner and Station-to-Station features on njtransit.com.

Buses will operate on a Sunday schedule with additional early evening service inbound and extra outbound service from PABT after midnight on selected routes. Customers are advised to consult timetables or visit njtransit.com to view the Bus Holiday Service Guide for more details.

Hudson-Bergen Light Rail will operate on a weekend schedule with additional trips operating between Tonnelle Avenue and Hoboken beginning at approximately 5 p.m. Newark Light Rail will operate on a Sunday schedule. River LINE will operate on a Saturday schedule. River LINE and Hudson Bergen Light Rail will both operate additional service after the New Year festivities during the early hours of January 1. Specific trip information will be available on njtransit.com.

After midnight (early January 1), additional late-night trains will operate on most rail lines with one-seat ride service available on certain Raritan Valley Line and North Jersey Coast Line trains until approximately 5 a.m. Some trains that normally depart New York/Hoboken/Newark between midnight and 1 a.m. are cancelled and will be replaced with later trains. After 5 a.m., trains will operate on a weekend/major holiday schedule after. Customers should visit njtransit.com for details, including special printable schedules that cover the period from 6 p.m. on New Year’s Eve until 6 a.m. on New Year’s morning. Expanded bus service will be provided from the Port Authority Bus Terminal (PABT) until approximately 2 a.m. Some routes will be departing from alternate areas within the PABT. Visit njtransit.com to view the Bus Holiday Service Guide for specific schedule details and departure gate assignments.

On New Year’s Day, Monday, January 1, after 5 a.m., trains will operate on a weekend/major holiday schedule. Bus service will vary by route. River LINE will operate on a Sunday schedule. Newark Light Rail will operate on a Sunday schedule. Hudson-Bergen Light Rail will operate on a weekend schedule. Bus service will vary by route. Customers are advised to visit njtransit.com for details.

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Many New Jersey Towns Allowing Prepayment of Property Taxes

Ridgewood_-Village_Hall_theridgewoodblog

December 22,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Jersey City NJ, Jersey City today said it will allow residents to prepay their entire 2018 estimated tax bills this year if they want to try to take advantage of a deduction the bill has curtailed.

Property taxes are now entirely deductible, but starting next year taxpayers will only be able to deduct up to $10,000. Residents in high-tax states like New Jersey have been flooding local tax collectors with calls asking to prepay their taxes this year so they can attempt to deduct them when they file their 2017 tax returns in April.

Jersey City had initially said it would cap prepayments of next year’s bill to two quarters , a common limit other New Jersey municipalities have , but Mayor Steve Fulop, a Democrat, said he decided today to allow residents to pay all four quarters this year.

Village of Ridgewood 1st Quarter Preliminary Property Taxes Due February 1, 2018

There is a 10 day grace period.  Since the 10th falls on a Saturday and the following Monday is a holiday (Lincoln’s Birthday), payments must be recieved in this office no later than Tuesday, February 13, 2018.  Postmark is not accepted.  Taxpayers who did not receive a bill last September should contact our office at 201-670-5500 ext 511  or visit our web site at www.ridgewoodnj.net for property tax amounts billed and paid.  A reminder to those taxpayers who received added tax bills last October, you will need to pay on the added bill as well as the orignal bill you received in September. As per NJSA 54:4-64 sec.3:  “The validity of any tax or assessment, or the time at which it shall be payable, shall not be affected by the failure of a taxpayer to receive a tax bill, but every taxpayer is put on notice to ascertain from the proper offical of the taxing district the amount which may be due for taxes or assessments against him or his property”.  Please mail your payments to the Village of Ridgewood Tax Collector, 131 N. Maple Ave., Ridgewood, NJ  07450-3287 or payments may be dropped off in the Village mail box at the rear main entrance.  You may also wish to consider enrolling in our ACH program where property tax payments would be automatically deducted from your checking account when due.  New enrollments or changes must be received at least two weeks prior to the due date.

 

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Friday Sermon at Jersey City, NJ: Imam Aymen Elkasaby Prays to Be Martyred on the Threshold of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Which Is “Under the Feet of the Apes and Pigs”

jersey city islamic center

December 14,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Jersey City NJ , Friday Sermon at Jersey City, NJ: Imam Aymen Elkasaby Prays to Be Martyred on the Threshold of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Which Is “Under the Feet of the Apes and Pigs”

Sheikh Aymen Elkasaby, imam of the Islamic Center of Jersey City, dedicated his Friday sermon on December 8 to U.S. President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Imam Elkasaby challenged the assumption that Israel is invincible, quoting from the Quran to demonstrate that the Jews “are the most cowardly of nations.” “So long as the Al-Aqsa Mosque remains prisoner in the hands of the Jews… So long as the Al-Aqsa Mosque remains under the feet of the apes and pigs, this nation will remain humiliated,” he said. Towards the end of the sermon, Imam Elkasaby prayed for Allah to grant him “martyrdom on the threshold of the Al-Aqsa Mosque” and to annihilate “the plundering oppressors” down to the very last one. At the end of the sermon, a community member stood up and invited the congregation to a demonstration in Times Square to protest the decision by the “lunatic” U.S. president. The videos of Imam Elkasaby’s sermon was posted on the YouTube account of the Islamic Center of Jersey City.

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New Jersey Transit Issues Beverage Ban During Santacon

nj_transit_windows9449

December 6, 2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, NJ TRANSIT is prohibiting liquid beverages on all of its trains, light rail vehicles and buses on Saturday December 9th and the early morning of Sunday December 10th to coincide with the annual SantaCon event in New York City.

This policy will be strictly enforced.

Reminder: All beverages, including alcohol, are not permitted on NJ TRANSIT buses at any time regardless of event.

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Federal Tax Reform Might Push New Jersey to Reform Tax System

for sale Ridgewood_Real_Estate_theRodgewopodblog

file photo by Boyd Loving

December 5,2017
Joseph Bishop-Henchman

Ridgewood NJ, New Jersey has long been the punching bag of state tax scholars. The state has the worst state business tax climate of the 50 states and the third highest overall state and local tax burden (behind only Connecticut and New York). Any New Jersey resident knows they pay the highest property taxes in the country, but other taxes are also high: income taxes (5th highest top rate), corporate taxes (6th highest in collections), sales taxes (16th highest in collections), cigarette taxes (10th highest), and gas taxes (8th highest) are all high, and New Jersey is currently one of two states with both an estate and an inheritance tax (the estate tax half is scheduled to be repealed in 2019, but we’ll see if the new Governor changes this). The state has more outbound net migration than any other. One bright spot: you can drink away your sorrows, with a mere 12-cent per gallon beer tax, lower than 40 other states.

The state and local tax deduction considerably reduces the sting of New Jersey’s tax bill, and it’s no coincidence that four of thirteen Republican nay votes on the House tax bill came from New Jersey representatives. New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney and newly elected Governor Phil Murphy, both Democrats, had pledged to make a higher income tax on millionaires a key early priority in 2018.

Now, however (Politico):

“We’re going to have to re-evaluate everything” if a federal bill repealing the state and local tax deduction becomes law, New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney said Wednesday in Atlantic City. Just days before, Sweeney had said he would make passage of a millionaires tax his chief priority in the new administration. “I’m just saying that what’s happening in Washington is concerning the hell out of me,” he added.

The changes to SALT are likely driving the reassessment. As ITEP, a group that promotes millionaires’ taxes, has explained, the state and local tax deduction “makes state income tax hikes a good deal,” since “income and property taxes are effectively less costly to state residents than are sales and excise taxes.” Take it away and New Jersey residents must pay full freight for their state and local governments. That may explain the seemingly contradictory rhetoric that millionaires taxes won’t affect the economy but eliminating the SALT deduction will be terrible.

New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney recently remarked that “We’re going to have to re-evaluate everything” if a federal bill repealing the state and local tax deduction becomes law.

If federal tax reform prompts New Jersey to re-evaluate its tax code, it’s long overdue.
New Jersey has long been the punching bag of state tax scholars. The state has the worst state business tax climate of the 50 states and the third highest overall state and local tax burden.

In the 1960s, railroad scholar George Hilton noted that the state’s practice of loading its property tax burden onto interstate commerce had ruined the viability of every railroad crossing the state.

A 2003 state report dryly observed that state revenues had grown 1,700 percent since 1970, compared to population growth of 19 percent and inflation growth of 483 percent.
The state adopted a sales tax in 1966 and an income tax in 1976, both with promises that they would be used to reduce crushing property tax burdens.
Today New Jersey still has the nation’s highest property taxes, but with high income and sales taxes as well. It’s probably time for a rethink.

If federal tax reform prompts New Jersey to overhaul its tax code, it’s long overdue. There are 244 townships, 265 boroughs, 49 cities, 15 towns, 3 villages, and 677 school districts. The three-member board running Tavistock, NJ, is a majority of the borough’s 5 inhabitants. A 1912 article recounted the history of New Jersey tax administration, which is a seemingly unending tale of bloated local government, corruption, and inequitable assessment. In the 1960s, railroad scholar George Hilton noted that the state’s practice of loading its property tax burden onto interstate commerce had ruined the viability of every railroad crossing the state. A 2003 state report dryly observed that state revenues had grown 1,700 percent since 1970, compared to population growth of 19 percent and inflation growth of 483 percent. The state adopted a sales tax in 1966 and an income tax in 1976, both with promises that they would be used to reduce crushing property tax burdens. Today New Jersey still has the nation’s highest property taxes, but with high income and sales taxes as well. It’s probably time for a rethink.

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Earthquake felt in North Jersey

Earthquake00[1]

November 30,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, yes that was an earthquake you felt . An earthquake in Delaware was felt as far as North Jersey today. The United States Geological Survey reports that a 4.1 magnitude earthquake was detected northeast of Dover around 4:47 p.m. Thursday. That earthquake was about 8 kilometers deep.

“WTF was that? Was that an earthquake” a reader responded to the slight shaking and readers from New York City, all over Bergen county and as far south as Philadelphia reported a little shaking going on. Many Ridgewood residents reported feeling it.

Emergency officials have not said if there was any damage or injuries because of the earthquake. Originally the earthquake was reported as 4.4 magnitude, but the USGS later downgraded it .

New 12 reports that Today’s earthquake is reminiscent of the 2011 earthquake in Virginia. The 5.8 magnitude earthquake was felt across over a dozen states, including New Jersey, and parts of Canada.

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John McCann Announces His Candidacy for Congress in New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District

2John McCann Announces His Candidacy for Congress in New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District

November 30,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Paramus NJ ,  Surrounded by his family and hundreds of supporters at VFW Post 6699 in Paramus, John McCann announced his candidacy for Congress in New Jersey’s 5th District.

John J. McCann is a conservative leader who has successfully fought for conservative principles at every level of government. A resident of Oakland, McCann is General Counsel to the New Jersey Sheriffs Association and former Cresskill Councilman. In addition, John served as Counsel to the Bergen County Sheriff and he was involved in the effort to defeat HillaryCare in the United States Senate.

“I am working to protect the American Dream for people who work hard and play by the rules to help create jobs and opportunity for all Americans, and to safeguard the freedoms that are under attack by liberal politicians in Washington,” said McCann.

A practicing attorney, John McCann advises Sheriffs across the state on both legal and policy issues as General Counsel to the New Jersey Sheriffs Association. During his career, McCann has been a legal advisor for many Chiefs of Police, as well as serving as General Counsel for the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation in New York City. In 2010, McCann helped elect the first Bergen County Republican Sheriff in nine years and then he served as General Counsel for the Sheriff of Bergen County, where he played an integral role keeping the office’s budget below the rate of inflation. John was credited with saving taxpayers over a million dollars in inmate medical spending, while at the same time drafting and implementing a new family leave policy that dramatically reduced overtime costs. Most significantly, he is recognized for shepherding through a legal strategy that eliminated a redundant law enforcement agency in Bergen County, saving taxpayers millions of dollars.

“Voters are tired of words without action. We need to elect people who have a track record of actual success,” said McCann. “Throughout my career, I’ve worked to protect taxpayers, keep our community safe and defend the Constitution.”

As a candidate for office in 1995, McCann first proposed a 2% property tax cap for New Jersey and, while serving on the town council in Cresskill, John fought against 10% municipal pay increases. On the town council, John worked to build a recreation center without any taxpayer money, which continues to operate solely through the fees it generates. As a Fellow working in the United States Senate in 1993-94, John McCann created the chart that helped shift public opinion in opposition to President Clinton’s proposed HillaryCare legislation.

“My campaign is to create a more affordable future for families in New Jersey,” McCann said. “The liberal agenda pushed by lifelong bureaucrat Josh Gottheimer isn’t right for New Jersey, and isn’t right for the people of the 5th congressional district.”

“John McCann is the right candidate to bring the republicans back in control of the 5th district,” said Ginnie Littell, Former Republican State Chairman.
John and his wife, Sharon, have been married for 27 years. They raised their two daughters in Cresskill and now reside in Oakland. Sharon is a high-risk obstetrician who has delivered thousands of babies who may not have made it to term. She has repeatedly received New York Magazine’s “New York’s Best Doctors” award in Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Their daughters currently attend Georgetown University and Fordham University. In 1981, while on duty working for Brinks, John’s father was shot in a holdup perpetrated by people associated with domestic terrorism.

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New Jersey’s public-pension system currently holds less than 38 percent of what the state owes its retirees

Phill Murphy Clear Water

November 27,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Trenton NJ, according to Michael Lilley in the article New Jersey Public Unions, Ascendant https://www.city-journal.org/html/new-jersey-public-unions-ascendant-15568.html ,

“New Jersey’s public-pension system currently holds less than 38 percent of what the state owes its retirees, which amounts to a $135 billion shortfall. Adding to this unfunded liability, the state also owes retirees $67 billion for future health-care payments, and has set aside no money for that obligation. That’s a combined tab of $202 billion. The entire state budget, by contrast, is $35 billion. To fund its obligations properly, the state would have to put aside $4.8 billion a year, or almost 15 percent of the budget; those costs are expected to grow to $11.3 billion by 2027. Unreformed, the cost of these benefits is unsustainable. During his campaign, Murphy promised to fix the pension system by fully funding it, though he wouldn’t give specifics.”

A very ugly reality for the governor elect , but even uglier for taxpayers is the fact that ,” Murphy’s problem, however, is that his biggest allies, especially the teachers’ union, contributed mightily to the pension mess over the years by winning plush benefits, acquiescing to accounting gimmicks that made the system look well-funded, and fighting against cost-saving reforms. Murphy has already proposed $1.3 billion in new taxes, and without making the changes to the pension system that the unions oppose, the state’s taxpayers face years of additional tax increases and spending cuts to pay the pension bill.”

Lilley goes on , “Murphy’s pledge helped win endorsements from the NJEA and other public-sector unions. By law, public school teachers must join the NJEA or, if they decline, pay a so-called agency fee to the union representing 85 percent of dues. The money is deducted from their paychecks, which are largely funded by local property taxes. Last year, the NJEA took in over $120 million in union dues and agency fees. Since 1994, the union has collected $1.85 billion, and it has invested much of this money in New Jersey politics: since 1994, the NJEA has spent $874 million on political activities, or about 56 percent of its annual operational expenditures, an average of $38 million a year.”

A beholden bought ad paid for  politician and a massive pension short fall can mean only one thing ,massive new taxes .

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Federal Tax Reform Might Push New Jersey to Reform Tax System

Phill Murphy -Sara Medina del Castillo

November 20, 2017
Joseph Bishop-Henchman

Ridgewood NJ, New Jersey has long been the punching bag of state tax scholars. The state has the worst state business tax climate of the 50 states and the third highest overall state and local tax burden (behind only Connecticut and New York). Any New Jersey resident knows they pay the highest property taxes in the country, but other taxes are also high: income taxes (5th highest top rate), corporate taxes (6th highest in collections), sales taxes (16th highest in collections), cigarette taxes (10th highest), and gas taxes (8th highest) are all high, and New Jersey is currently one of two states with both an estate and an inheritance tax (the estate tax half is scheduled to be repealed in 2019, but we’ll see if the new Governor changes this). The state has more outbound net migration than any other. One bright spot: you can drink away your sorrows, with a mere 12-cent per gallon beer tax, lower than 40 other states.

The state and local tax deduction considerably reduces the sting of New Jersey’s tax bill, and it’s no coincidence that four of thirteen Republican nay votes on the House tax bill came from New Jersey representatives. New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney and newly elected Governor Phil Murphy, both Democrats, had pledged to make a higher income tax on millionaires a key early priority in 2018.

Now, however (Politico):

“We’re going to have to re-evaluate everything” if a federal bill repealing the state and local tax deduction becomes law, New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney said Wednesday in Atlantic City. Just days before, Sweeney had said he would make passage of a millionaires tax his chief priority in the new administration. “I’m just saying that what’s happening in Washington is concerning the hell out of me,” he added.

The changes to SALT are likely driving the reassessment. As ITEP, a group that promotes millionaires’ taxes, has explained, the state and local tax deduction “makes state income tax hikes a good deal,” since “income and property taxes are effectively less costly to state residents than are sales and excise taxes.” Take it away and New Jersey residents must pay full freight for their state and local governments. That may explain the seemingly contradictory rhetoric that millionaires taxes won’t affect the economy but eliminating the SALT deduction will be terrible.

If federal tax reform prompts New Jersey to overhaul its tax code, it’s long overdue. There are 244 townships, 265 boroughs, 49 cities, 15 towns, 3 villages, and 677 school districts. The three-member board running Tavistock, NJ, is a majority of the borough’s 5 inhabitants. A 1912 article recounted the history of New Jersey tax administration, which is a seemingly unending tale of bloated local government, corruption, and inequitable assessment. In the 1960s, railroad scholar George Hilton noted that the state’s practice of loading its property tax burden onto interstate commerce had ruined the viability of every railroad crossing the state. A 2003 state report dryly observed that state revenues had grown 1,700 percent since 1970, compared to population growth of 19 percent and inflation growth of 483 percent. The state adopted a sales tax in 1966 and an income tax in 1976, both with promises that they would be used to reduce crushing property tax burdens. Today New Jersey still has the nation’s highest property taxes, but with high income and sales taxes as well. It’s probably time for a rethink.

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Jersey City Police union calls on Democrat Mayor Fulop to release tape of alleged bid-rigging

Mayor Steven Fulop

file photo Democrat Mayor Fulop

September 30,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Jersey City NJ, Carmine Disbrow the president of a Jersey City police union that is in a contract dispute with Democrat  Mayor Steve Fulop’s administration is calling on the mayor to release a recording of the mayor’s top staffers allegedly discussing their efforts to rig a bid in 2014.  According to depositions filed as part of a discrimination lawsuit, two Jersey City employees claimed that in 2014, three top Fulop administration officials tried to influence a public bidding process for an energy consultant in favor of a company.

Jersey City POBA Statement On Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop:

September 28, 2017

Carmine Disbrow, President, JC POBA:

Mayor Fulop has been quick to rush to judgement against the men and women of the Jersey City Police Department, yet when it comes to wrongdoing in his office he is silent. This again shows that in every instance he is willing to put his own politics ahead of moving Jersey City in the right direction.

To say that he passed the audio on to corporation counsel Jeremy Farrell, another political appointee, is nothing more than attempting to sweep things under the rug, and an insult to us all. The question remains what steps did Mayor Fulop take to root out what appears to be corruption that was happening right under his nose.

The Jersey City POBA is standing alongside so many other residents and community groups to demand that he release the tapes and come clean about what he knows about his appointees steering taxpayer funded contracts to politically connected vendors.

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Ridgewood becomes the first Bee City in New Jersey!

Ridgewood swarm of bees

file photo by Boyd Loving

September 18,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Its official Ridgewood becomes the first Bee City in New Jersey! To learn more about this important and amazing program visit https://www.beecityusa.org/
Bee City USA endorses a set of commitments for creating sustainable habitats for pollinators, which are vital to feeding the planet.

Bee City USA fosters ongoing dialogue in urban areas to raise awareness of the role pollinators play in our communities and what each of us can do to provide them with healthy habitat.

Becoming a Bee City helps advance Ridgewood’s Sustainable Jersey efforts.
Interesting “Bee” reads and links:
https://www.nnjbees.org/about/
https://www.northjersey.com/…/bee-story-here-work…/371331001/
Special thanks to Frank Mortimer and all of our Ridgewood beekeepers!

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Village of Ridgewood Wants to Become New Jersey’s First Bee City

Ridgewood swarm of bees

file photo by Boyd Loving

September 9,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Resident Frank Mortimer Jr. put forward the idea to the Village Council that Ridgewood should become the first Bee City in New Jersey . The Ridgewood Wildscape association is also a big supporter
and has previously done plantings at Twinney’s Pond Park  and Kings and Gypsy Pond Parks.

So what’s a Bee City ?Bee City USA fosters ongoing dialogue in urban areas to raise awareness of the role pollinators play in our communities and what each of us can do to provide them with healthy habitat.
The Bee City USA program endorses a set of commitments, defined in a resolution, for creating sustainable habitats for pollinators, which are vital to feeding the planet.By becoming a Bee City USA affiliate, local leaders can improve their community’s environment, eating habits, and even economy.

A “honey bee” is any member of the genus Apis, primarily distinguished by the production and storage of honey and the construction of perennial, colonial nests from wax. Currently, only seven species of honey bee are recognized, with a total of 44 subspecies, though historically six to eleven species are recognized. The best known honey bee is the Western honey bee which has been domesticated for honey production and crop pollination. Honey bees represent only a small fraction of the roughly 20,000 known species of bees. Some other types of related bees produce and store honey, including the stingless honey bees, but only members of the genus Apis are true honey bees. The study of bees, which includes the study of honey bees, is known as melittology.

In the United States, there are over 4,000 species of native bees. Familiar bees visiting garden flowers are the colorful, fuzzy, yellow-and-black striped bumblebees, metallic-green sweat bees, squash bees, and imported honeybee. These flower-seeking pollen magnets purposefully visit flowers to collect pollen and nectar for food for themselves and their young.

Pollination, quite simply, is the way many plants reproduce. Since plants are immobile, they require assistance with their reproduction, and that’s where pollinators come in. They take pollen from one plant to another, thereby making plant reproduction possible.

But in recent years some scientists think the world’s bees are in trouble, addressing the underlying problems contributing to their demise, from the use of dangerous pesticides to the destruction of their habitat, is painfully slow. While this issues is still up for debate. When it comes to actually working out why the bees are dying the confusion is even greater. Some Scientists think something called the varroa mite is partly responsible for the bee emergency. They suck the blood of infected insects, weakening their immune systems.

An industrious worker bee may visit 2,000 flowers per day. She can’t carry pollen from that many flowers at once, so she’ll visit 50-100 flowers before heading home. All day long, she repeats these round trip flights to forage, which puts a lot of wear and tear on her body. A hardworking forager may live just 3 weeks.

A single honey bee worker produces about 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime. For honey bees, there’s power in numbers. From spring to fall, the worker bees must produce about 60 lbs. of honey to sustain the entire colony during the winter.It takes tens of thousands of workers to get the job done

Looking to save the bees ,Beekeeping  has become very popular in recent years along with the positive view of the healing powers local honey especially the view local honey helps fight allergies.

The maintenance of honey bee colonies, commonly in hives, by humans. A beekeeper (or apiarist) keeps bees in order to collect their honey and other products that the hive produces (including beeswax, propolis, pollen, and royal jelly), to pollinate crops, or to produce bees for sale to other beekeepers. A location where bees are kept is called an apiary or “bee yard”.

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FBI: NEW JERSEY MAN WANTED TO BLOW UP PRESSURE COOKER BOMB IN NEW YORK CITY

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Eyewitness News
Friday, May 05, 2017 11:38PM

POINT PLEASANT, New Jersey (WABC) –A New Jersey man is facing charges after authorities say he planned to construct and use a pressure cooker bomb in support of ISIS.

Gregory Lepsky, 20, of Point Pleasant, was arrested on February 21 and is charged with one count of attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

According to the criminal complaint, Lepsky was taken into custody after he threatened to kill the family dog. The dog was found with a large slash to its back, but was still alive. Lepsky reportedly stabbed the dog because, in his view of Islam, the dog was “dirty.”

Following the arrest, officers searched the residence and reportedly found a new pressure cooker stored behind a roll of bubble wrap in his bedroom closet.

https://abc7ny.com/news/fbi-man-wanted-to-blow-up-pressure-cooker-bomb-in-nyc/1957612/