By Monica Crowley – The Washington Times – Updated: 9:17 a.m. on Thursday, March 31, 2016
ANALYSIS/OPINION:
Do Bill and Hillary Clinton sense a breakdown in whatever deal they may have struck with President Obama to protect her presidential ambitions? Is whatever negotiation they may have been conducting over her email server problem and any inside information she may have on him now imploding? Or have the Clintons “won” the negotiation with Mr. Obama, freeing them to hit him publicly to get her elected?
Something has happened, which has led Mr. Clinton to openly slam Mr. Obama: ” If you believe we’ve finally come to the point where we can put the awful legacy of the last eight years behind us ” he said recently. A few days later, Chelsea Clinton launched a broadside on Obamacare’s costs. A classic Clintonian one-two punch, coming just days before a report that the FBI is seeking interviews with Mrs. Clinton’s top aides, and likely Mrs. Clinton herself. Most investigations interview the target last.
Clinton backers who tout their “realism” need to get real about how she’ll handle the shitstorm coming from Trump
STEVE ALMOND
There are many nauseating aspects of the new reality TV series, “America Picks a Prez,” which airs around the clock on every single channel on earth: the cynical, open-air conspiracy between our Fourth Estate and Donald “Ratings Viagra” Trump. Ted Cruz uttering the word “prayerfully“ while not exploding into a cloud of synthetic piety. Caucasian patriots heroically exercising their right to punch people of color.
Among these, let me nominate one more: listening to Hillary partisans explain to those of us who support Bernie Sanders just how naive we are. Only Hillary, we are told, has a real shot at winning in November. She’s the only one with a realistic grasp of how Washington works, whose moderate (and modest) policy aims might,realistically, be enacted. It often sounds as if Clinton’s central pitch to voters isn’t that she has a moral vision for the country, but that she owns the franchise on realism.
Bernie, meanwhile, is just a sweet-shouting rube whose quarter-century as a congressman and senator has somehow failed to instill in him an appreciation for the twin plagues of grift and gridlock.
For us benighted hippies, the standard counter-argument at this point is that our man understands all too well the magnitude of Washington’s dysfunction, which is why he’s calling for a political revolution: to obliterate the most heinous aspects of the status quo, starting with corporate-sponsored elections.
FEBRUARY 3, 2016, 4:58 PM LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2016, 7:57 AM
BY JOHN SEASLY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
Six young men have been arrested in connection with a string of armed robberies of gas stations and convenience stores throughout Bergen County, the acting county prosecutor announced on Wednesday.
The robberies happened between March 2014 and January. In one of the holdups, a gunman shot a gas station attendant with a 9-millimeter handgun and two other robberies involved “brutal assaults,” said Gurbir Grewal, the acting Bergen County prosecutor.
The prosecutor’s Special Investigations Squad began looking into the robberies in April 2014. Between March and June of that year, a pattern began to emerge as six Delta Gas Stations in five towns were targeted.
In each case, a gunman asked the gas station attendant for change for a $20 or a $50 bill, and as the attendant counted the change, the gunman pulled out a handgun and demanded the money, Grewal said.
On May 12, 2014 in Teaneck, an assailant pistol-whipped an attendant. On June 9 that year in Ridgefield Park, the gunman shot the attendant in the chest with a 9-millimeter handgun, then reached into his pocket and took the money, Grewal said. The attendant underwent surgery at Hackensack University Medical Center and survived.
In November 2015, in a joint investigation of two Lodi robberies by local police and the Special Investigations Squad, police identified David Thomas Jr., 21, of Lodi, as the gunman responsible for the Lodi robberies as well as those throughout Bergen County in 2014, Grewal said.
JANUARY 19, 2016 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, JANUARY 19, 2016, 3:41 PM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
TOWN JOURNAL
A Cappella groups from around Bergen County and the greater Tri-State Area are gearing up for the quarterfinal round of the International Championship of High School a Cappella (ICHSA) taking place at Northern Highlands Regional High School on Jan. 23.
Locally, groups representing Cresskill, Ridgewood, Paramus and host Northern Highlands will put their voices to the test against a number of schools from both New Jersey and New York.
The ICHSA Mid-Atlantic Regional competition will feature two rounds this year due to a boost in the number of high schools participating in the competition. The top three finishing groups on Saturday will compete in the semifinal round on March 19.
“It’s kind of exploding,” said Tom Paster, the director of the Northern Highlands group Highlands Voices, which has won the regional competition for the past five years in a row.
One of those newcomers is a group known as The Octaves, a collection of vocalists from Paramus High School.
The Octaves stand in contrast with many of the groups competing as it is completely run by its students. Junior Victoria Marchlewski handles the musical arrangements and vocal parts while Blu Frankel, a senior, runs the meetings and rehearsals.
“They’re pretty much in charge,” said Amanda Faley, the original advisor to the group. “They run the meetings, send out messages, practice at houses on weekends and meet in my room or the auditorium during the week to rehearse and put stuff together.”
The Octaves are still a relatively young group, only about nine months old. They were formed during the spring in the last school year and were able to enter the A Cappella Festival at Northern Highlands last April. Right away, the nascent group was sharing the stage with high school groups from northern and central New Jersey as well as Casual Harmony from Rutgers University.
Since then, The Octaves have performed at other small functions around Paramus, such as the Relay for Life event at Bergen Community College, the Christmas tree lighting ceremony and a senior citizen breakfast at Paramus High School, but the big focus for the students has been the ICHSA competition.
“[The students] are so mature and so responsible,” said Faley. “A lot of teams, they have these big musical coaches who went to places like Julliard. They have professionals hired doing these things with these groups. I’m not making any arrangements or choreographing for them, which is really cool.”
Over at Ridgewood High School, both men’s and women’s groups are feverishly preparing sets of their own. Ridgewood will be sending both the Maroon Men and the Acabellas to the competition.
“The kids are doing well,” said Steven Bourque, the director of both groups. “They’re working hard and I have for the first time some student arrangements. Kids within the group arranged music for the competition.”
Bourque said the students are in the midst of working out an optimal visual component to go along with the songs. Bourque said the Maroon Men tend to favor rock and roll songs while the Acabellas gravitate more toward slower, more powerful songs.
“It’s figuring out how to create formations that are interesting, that don’t involve a lot of movement and getting it to be represent each song that we are singing,” said Bourque.
JANUARY 15, 2016 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2016, 12:31 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
A village woman tells the stories of the latest athletic phenomenon known as obstacle course racing in her latest book, documenting the role it has played in the lives of its participants.
Gail Kislevitz, a Ridgewood resident and veteran of 26 marathons, has completed her latest book entitled “Get Muddy,” which relates the personal tales of nearly two dozen obstacle course racers from all over the United States and their involvement in the sport.
There are various obstacle course races held all over the country known by names such as Tough Mudder, Warrior Dash and Spartan Race Series. The races have become an exploding trend and a fast-growing sport.
It was also a subject Kislevitz was a bit nervous to tackle in a book since she had never participated in an obstacle course race before. In her previous books, she wrote about topics that were more familiar, such as running marathons and triathlons.
“I had never done one,” said Kislevitz. “But I certainly knew about them and I knew people who had done them.”
NOVEMBER 16, 2015 LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY DEENA YELLIN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
Advanced Placement courses are all the rage in New Jersey this school year, with many high schools having added more of the college-level courses to meet surging demand.
Students and advocates of the courses cite their value as college preparation, and parents hope to save on the cost of college credits earned for free in high school.
But critical observers also are pointing to the amplified stress that AP courses put on already high-achieving students with packed schedules.
The courses, which lend cachet to a student’s résumé, have long been a staple across the nation. But now, many North Jersey schools, including those in Northern Valley Regional High School District and in Lodi, Bergenfield, Tenafly, Wayne, Emerson and Glen Rock, have launched additional AP courses.
The most popular have traditionally been AP English Literature and AP U.S. History, said staff of the College Board, which administers the AP tests and trains teachers. But school administrators cite a dramatic increase in the number of AP STEM courses added over the past few years, including at Northern Valley High School, which has launched AP physics, science, and computer science; Emerson, which added AP Physics I and II; and Glen Rock, which is adding AP computer science.
New Jersey students have done particularly well on the AP exams, with more than 72.8 percent scoring a 3 or higher — out of 5 — on AP exams in 2015, compared with the average of 60.5 percent internationally.
CHRISTIE ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES NEW INTERACTIVE FLOOD WARNING MAPS FOR PASSAIC RIVER BASIN
MAP DETAILS SIX-MILE STRETCH OF RIVER RUNNING THROUGH WALDWICK, HO-HOKUS AND RIDGEWOOD IN BERGEN COUNTY
Ridgewood NJ, The fourth in a series of online, interactive flood-preparation maps designed to aid emergency management personnel and to inform residents in the Passaic River Basin about flooding events in real time has been launched, Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin announced today. The Ho-Ho-Kus Brook Flood Inundation Map, covering a 6-mile span of the river in Bergen County’s Waldwick Borough, Ho-Ho-Kus Borough and Ridgewood, is the fourth map designated for the Passaic River Basin in response to recommendations made by Governor Christie’s Passaic River Basin Advisory Commission.
The map was developed in a partnership between the DEP and U.S. Geological Survey. Fifteen additional maps covering critical areas of the basin will be produced in coming months as part of a cooperative effort between the DEP, USGS and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Flood inundation mapping is among the recommendations in the commission’s 15-point plan for short-term and long-term measures to help mitigate flooding impacts in the basin. Governor Christie formed the commission in 2011 in response to a series of damaging floods in the basin, which covers significant portions of Bergen, Morris and Passaic counties.
Key recommendations of the plan called for better information to help prepare for and respond to flooding emergencies. “The Christie Administration remains committed to addressing flooding issues in the Passaic River Basin through mitigation, property acquisitions, de-snagging efforts and emergency preparedness and response,” Commissioner Martin said. “These easy-to-use online maps offer real-time information to residents about conditions during significant rainfalls and will assist local, state and federal officials in making critical decision to protect the public in the event of flooding.” “This flood preparedness tool highlights how our agencies and local officials are working together to create more resilient communities, and to provide better flood preparedness and responses to flooding,” added USGS Associate Director for Water Bill Werkheiser.
In addition to this latest map, flood inundation maps are being developed for Lodi, Ridgewood and Upper Saddle River along the Saddle River; for Little Falls, Pine Brook, Chatham, Millington and Clifton along the Passaic River. Maps are also being created for Pompton Lakes, Mahwah and Oakland along the Wanaque River; for two locations in Wanaque along the Wanaque River; for Pompton Plains along the Pompton River; for Riverdale and the Macopin Intake Dam along the Pequannock River; and for Little Falls along the Peckman River. Previous flood inundation maps were produced for a 2.75-mile reach of the Saddle River in Lodi; a 4.1-mile stretch of the river in Saddle River Borough; and for a 5.4-mile span of the river running downstream from Ho-Ho-Kus Borough through the Village of Ridgewood and Paramus Borough to the confluence with Hohokus Brook in the Village of Ridgewood.
To view the Hohokus Brook map, visit: https://wimcloud.usgs.gov/apps/FIM/FloodInundationMapper.html?siteno=01391000. A click on the map shows the stream flows and water depths for the stretch of the stream that extends from White’s Lake Dam in Waldwick Borough, downstream through Ho-Ho-Kus Borough to Grove Street in the Village of Ridgewood.
Monitoring tools include current stream gauges, which provide real-time data via satellites to the USGS and the National Weather Service. The flood inundation map shows where floodwaters are expected to travel. Emergency management officials and residents can use this information to evaluate the potential threat of floodwaters to property and infrastructure.
Through the website, users will also have the option to receive email notifications in real time of critical thresholds reached in the river via the USGS WaterAlert. To view the Scientific Investigations Report (SIR 2015-5064) documenting the development and methods used to create the flood inundations maps, visit: https://dx.doi.org/10.3133/sir20155064 For current conditions for USGS stream gauge 013910000 Hohokus Brook at Ho-Ho-Kus, visit: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?site_no=01391000
For information on the Governor’s 15-point Passaic Basin plan and the Passaic River Basin Flood Advisory Commission, visit: https://www.nj.gov/dep/passaicriver/
VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD VILLAGE COUNCIL
REGULAR PUBLIC MEETING
AUGUST 12, 2015
8:00 P.M.
1. Call to Order – Mayor
2. Statement of Compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act
3. Roll Call – Village Clerk
4. Flag Salute and Moment of Silence
5. Acceptance of Financial Reports
6. Approval of Minutes
7. Proclamations
A. Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over 2015 Statewide Crackdown
B. Declare September Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
C. Declare September National Preparedness Month
8. Comments from the Public (Not to exceed 5 minutes per person – 30 minutes in total)
9. Motion to Suspend Regular Public Meeting and Convene Special Work Session
10. Special Work Session – See Attached Agenda
11. Motion to Adjourn Special Work Session and Reconvene Regular Public Meeting
12. Manager’s Report
13. Village Council Reports
14. ORDINANCES – INTRODUCTION
3494 – Amend Chapter 265 – Vehicles and Traffic – 15 Minute Parking Meter – Establishes a third
15-minute parking meter on the east side of North Walnut Street, closest to East Ridgewood Avenue
3495 – Capital Ordinance – Construction of Handicapped Ramp at Graydon Pool Parking Lot ($35,000)– Appropriates this money for the construction of a handicapped ramp at the Graydon Pool parking lot. The amount appropriated will be paid back through a Community Development Block Grant.
3496 – Amend Chapter 249 – Streets and Sidewalks – Barricades –Establishes the use of Village barricades in residential areas as well as in the Central Business District for various events
3497 – Amend Chapter 145 – Fees – Establish Deposit Fees for Use of Barricades – Establishes a deposit fee of $125 for the use of barricades in residential areas and $500 as a one-time fee for the use of Village barricades by groups, churches, and non-profits. This deposit will be returned as long as the barricades are returned and are not damaged. If the barricades are not returned or are damaged, the deposit will pay for the replacement or repair of the barricades.
3498 – Establish Policy for Maintenance of Tree Wells – Establishes a policy whereby the owner of a property is responsible for the maintenance of the interior of the tree wells located in/on the sidewalk by weeding, removing debris and maintaining the overall clean appearance of the tree wells
3499 – Amend Chapter 265 – Vehicles and Traffic – U-Turn Prohibition and Parking Restrictions at Willard School –Establishes no U-Turns on portions of Morningside Road and California Street; no parking on portions of Morningside Road and no stopping or standing areas on portions of Morningside Road in the area of Willard School
15. ORDINANCES – PUBLIC HEARING
3485 – Prohibit U-Turns in Various Locations in Central Business District
3486 – Amend Chapter 265 – Vehicles and Traffic – Establish Stop Signs at Westbrook Road and Norgate Drive
3487 – Amend Chapter 265 – Additional Valet Parking Loading Zone – Chestnut Street
3488 – Lease of 1057 Hillcrest Road
16. RESOLUTIONS
THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTIONS, NUMBERED 15-228 THROUGH
15-256 ARE TO BE ADOPTED BY A CONSENT AGENDA, WITH ONE VOTE BY THE VILLAGE COUNCIL. THERE IS A BRIEF DESCRIPTION BESIDE EACH RESOLUTION TO BE CONSIDERED ON THE CONSENT AGENDA. EACH RESOLUTION WILL BE READ BY TITLE ONLY:
15-228 Title 59 Approval – Snowplowing Services – Approves the plans and specifications for Snowplowing Services (November 1, 2015 through May 1, 2016, inclusive) in the Village of Ridgewood, prepared by the Engineering Division, pursuant to Title 59
15-229 Award Contract – Snowplowing Services – Awards a contract to the lowest responsible bidder, ConQuest Construction, 20 Carver Avenue, Westwood, NJ
15-230 Award Contract – Snow Removal – Sidewalk and Deck Clearing Services – Awards a contract to the lowest responsible bidder, Downes Tree Service, Inc., 65 Royal Avenue, Hawthorne, NJ
15-231 Award Contract – Printing Services ($50,000) –Awards a contract to Ridgewood Press, 609 Franklin Turnpike, Ridgewood, NJ. This is necessary due to payments exceeding $17,500 with this vendor during the 2015 calendar year.
15-232 Award Contract – Emergency Repairs of Graydon Pool Well (NTE $15,118.75) – Awards an emergency contract to Rinbrand Well Drilling Co., Inc., 14 Waldron Avenue, Glen Rock, NJ
15-233 Award Professional Services Contract – Consulting Engineering Services – Ridgewood Water (NTE $147,300) – Awards a no-bid professional services contract to Arcadis U.S., Inc., 17-17 Route 208 North, Fair Lawn, NJ. The required Pay to Play forms have been filed.
15-234 Award Professional Services Contract – Emergency Laboratory Services – Water Department (NTE $33,865) – Awards a no-bid professional services contract to Agra Environmental Laboratory Services, 90½ West Blackwell Street, Dover, NJ. The required Pay to Play forms have been filed.
15-235 Award Professional Services Contract – Lead and Copper and Water Quality Parameter Testing & Compliance Services – Ridgewood Water (NTE $68,100) – Awards a no-bid professional services contract to Agra Environmental Laboratory Services, 90½ West Blackwell Street, Dover, NJ. The required Pay to Play forms have been filed.
15-236 Award Professional Services Contract – Groundwater Under the Direct Influence of Surface Water – Ridgewood Water (NTE $88,250) – Awards a no-bid professional services contract to Leggette, Brashears & Graham, Inc., 600 East Crescent Avenue, Upper Saddle River, NJ. The required Pay to Play forms have been filed.
15-237 Title 59 Approval – Siding Repairs to Traffic and Signal Building – Approves the plans and specifications for Siding Repairs to the Traffic and Signal Building, 561 Prospect Street, Glen Rock, NJ prepared by the Engineering Division, pursuant to Title 59
15-238 Award Partial Contract – Siding Repairs to Traffic and Signal Building (NTE $33,478.22) – Awards a partial contract to the lowest responsible bidder, Stone Creek, Inc., 10 First Street, Lodi, NJ
15-239 Award Professional Services Contract – Maintenance Agreement for SCADA System and Software Support (NTE $15,625) – Water Pollution Control Facility –Awards a professional services contract to Keystone Engineering Group, 590 Lancaster Avenue, Suite 200, Frazer, PA
15-240 Award Contract Under State Contract – Ford
F-150 Pick-up Truck – Parking Utility (NTE $29,335) – Awards a contract under State contract to Winner Ford, 250 Berlin Road, Cherry Hill, NJ
15-241 Award Contract Under State Contract – Snowplows (NTE $9800) – Awards a contract under State contract to Van Dine Motors,
135 Railroad Avenue, Hackensack, NJ
15-242 Award Contract Under State Contract – Bulletproof Vests (NTE $22,800) – Awards a contract under State contract to Lawmen Police Supply – New Jersey, 7115 Airport Highway, Pennsauken, NJ
15-243 Authorize Change Order – Emergency Service Repair to Water Pollution Control Facility SCADA System (NTE $3,824.58) – Authorizes a change order to Keystone Engineering Group, 590 Lancaster Avenue, Suite 200, Frazer, PA. This change order is necessary for the labor effort related to troubleshooting the existing Thickener Feed Pump #1 and Wet Well Pump #3 controls in the WPCF’s SCADA system.
15-244 Rescind Change Order – Benjamin Franklin Middle School Drop-Off – Rescinds the change order awarded to J.A. Alexander, Inc., by Resolution #15-216 on July 15, 2015, due to the fact that the award was erroneously made, based on a different contractor’s prices
15-245 Authorize Change Order – Benjamin Franklin Middle School Drop-Off (NTE $89,000) – Authorizes a change order to Rockborn Trucking and Excavation, Inc., 12 Taylor Road, Wharton, NJ. This change order is necessary in order to create a drop-off at the Benjamin Franklin Middle School.
15-246 Authorize Change Order and Approve Agreement with Washington Township – Paving – Hampshire Road and Standish Road –Authorizes a change order to Rockborn Trucking and Excavation, Inc., 12 Taylor Road, Wharton, NJ. The change order will allow the Village’s contract to be amended to allow for paving both the Ridgewood and Washington Township sides of Hampshire Road and Standish Road. It is agreed that Washington Township will pay an amount not to exceed $118,000 for this change order.
15-247 Approve Shared Services Agreement – Fuel (Ridgewood Board of Education) – Approves a Shared Services agreement with the Ridgewood Board of Education for the remainder of 2015 and the full calendar year of 2016 to provide designated vehicle fueling to designated Board of Education vehicles
15-248 Approve Membership in Middlesex Regional Educational Services Commission Cooperative Purchasing Program – Approves the Village’s membership in the Middlesex Regional Educational Services Commission Cooperative Purchasing Program and authorizes the Village Manager to enter into an agreement with the Lead Agency for said Cooperative Purchasing Program
15-249 Establish Green Business Recognition Program –Establishes a Green Business Program which will be administered by the Village of Ridgewood Green Team and will recognize businesses in the Village that practice and promote sustainable practices
15-250 Approve Renewal of Liquor License – M & C Drugs, Inc., t/a Harding Pharmacy – Approves the annual renewal of the liquor license held by M & C Drugs, Inc., t/a Harding Pharmacy
15-251 Approve Annual Renewal of Liquor Licenses – Approves the annual renewal of liquor licenses for Ridgewood Lodge No. 1455 BPOE, and the Upper Ridgewood Tennis Club
15-252 Approve Person to Person Liquor License Transfer – M & C Drugs, Inc. t/a Harding Pharmacy to Maple Avenue Liquors, LLC – Approves the person to person transfer of the liquor license held by M & C Drugs, Inc., t/a Harding Pharmacy to Maple Avenue Liquors, LLC. The new owner of the liquor license will retain it in pocket status, with no licensed premise, until such time that a suitable location is found to site the license.
15-253 Authorize Execution of Settlement Agreement with NJDEP – Authorizes the execution of the
Stipulation of Settlement and Withdrawal of Request for a Hearing Agreement and authorizes the settlement of the matter in the amount of $55,000.00
15-254 Hire Professional Consultant for COAH
(NTE $2000) – Approves the payment to Dr. Burchell as the Principal Investigator to prepare the Burchell Fair Share Analysis to establish the Village of Ridgewood’s obligation
15-255 Award Emergency Contract – Cleaning of Water Tanks (NTE $27,000)- Awards a contract for emergency services to Liquid Engineering Corporation, 7 East Airpot Road, Billings, Montana to achieve compliance with the USEPA and NJDEP regulations
15-256 Award Contract – Leasing and Maintenance of Police Vehicles (NTE $30,000) – Awards the second year of a three-year contract to Enterprise Fleet Management, 1550 Route 23 North, Suite 101, Wayne, NJ
THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTIONS, NUMBERED 15-257 THROUGH
15-259, WILL BE CONSIDERED SEPARATELY AND READ IN FULL:
15-257 Acceptance of Open Space Committee Recommendations Concerning the Schedler Property
15-258 Apply for Grant – Schedler House
15-259 Award Contract – Financial Feasibility Study for Hudson Street Parking Lot
17. Comments from the Public (Not to Exceed 5 minutes per person)
JUNE 19, 2015, 11:43 PM LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2015, 12:18 PM
BY STEPHANIE AKIN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
In the past 10 days, two teenagers were killed in traffic accidents — a 16-year-old died while trying to cross Route 46 in Lodi and a 13-year-old Cresskill boy was killed riding his bike to school. Two bodies were found along the cliffs of the Palisades, including that of an 18-year-old — also from Cresskill — who was dumped there after she died of a heroin overdose last summer. And a bridge inspector was swept to his death by high waters in Passaic, washing up in Rutherford three days later.
It’s the type of trend that has no pattern or discernable cause. But the seemingly relentless stream of bad news has dominated media coverage across North Jersey, banging a drumbeat of danger in the suburbs that has only been amplified by national stories like Wednesday night’s mass slayings at an African-American church in Charleston, S.C.
“It’s a lot for a little community,” said Cresskill Police Chief Edward Wrixon. “It’s been very trying on me and the officers and the townspeople. The one good thing I see in it is how we all work together, and I think we are doing a damn good job.”
Law enforcement officials and experts on criminology and psychology said that it is unlikely that more people are dying in North Jersey this summer than in any other year. Instead, they said, the extraordinary details of many of these incidents — the young victims and the seemingly random strikes of fate — create a sense of heightened sensitivity to similar events, leading to the impression of an uptick.
There is also a bright side to a spate of gruesome news stories, they said. It helps create a conversation about mortality in an American culture that often resists talking explicitly about death.
“There’s a macabre human interest in it,” said Keith Durkin, a professor of sociology, psychology, sociology and criminal justice at Ohio Northern University. “It mirrors our anxieties. But it alleviates them and makes us confront the realities of our fears.”
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.
Posted by Matt Rooney On June 09, 2015 0 Comment
By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog
Did you hear that noise, Save Jerseyans?
It’s thousands of public sector union heads exploding in unison.
The New Jersey Supreme Court issued an 5-2 opinion in the pension payment case (Christopher Burgos v. State of New Jersey) on Tuesday morning, reversing a lower court’s directive to the Christie Administration to make a billion dollar pension payment. Click here to read it. For a little background on the Christie/pension payment controversy, click here.
The majority opinion (which did not include Chief Justice Rabner) relied on the text of the Debt Limitation Clause:
“No matter how worthy the cause to be advanced by Chapter 78, the Debt Limitation Clause speaks directly to this situation and, in pertinent part, commands:
“‘The Legislature shall not, in any manner, create in any fiscal year a debt or debts, liability or liabilities of the State, which together with any previous debts or liabilities shall exceed at any time one per centum of the total amount appropriated by the general appropriation law for that fiscal year, unless the same shall be authorized by a law for some single object or work distinctly specified therein. . . . [N]o such law shall take effect until it shall have been submitted to the people at a general election and approved by a majority of the legally qualified voters of the State voting thereon.’”
“The purpose to be achieved by the Debt Limitation Clause dovetails with the Framers’ intent for a fiscally responsible annual budget process,” the majority continued. “Efforts to dedicate monies through legislative acts other than the annual appropriations act have no binding effect. They are read as impliedly suspended when contradicted by the budgetary judgment of the presently constituted Legislature acting in concert with the Governor in their constitutionally prescribed budget formation roles. Those debt limitation and appropriations-related constitutional clauses conflict with the contractual language of Chapter 78 and thwart plaintiffs’ impairment claims.”
Ridgewood NJ, In honor of Maestro Eric Dale Knapp’s 10th Anniversary, the New Jersey Choral Society will present Verdi’s magnificent sacred choral work “Messa da Requiem” on Saturday, June 6 at 7:30 pm in the West Side Presbyterian Church, 6 South Monroe St, Ridgewood. NJCS will be joined by the Connecticut Choral Society. Organist Linda Sweetman-Waters and a 61-member symphonic orchestra will accompany the choruses.
Verdi, known for his dramatic and melodic operas such as “Rigoletto,” “La Traviata” and “Il Trovatore,” composed the “Messa da Requiem” in 1874 in memory of Alessandro Manzoni, an Italian poet and novelist whom he admired. His glorious “Requiem” uses vigorous rhythms, sublime melodies and dramatic contrasts to express the powerful emotions of the text.
Other highlights of the program include the world premiere of David Gotay’s “Earthen Vessels,” which is dedicated to Eric Dale Knapp, New Jersey Choral Society and Connecticut Choral Society, Gustav Mahler’s stunning “Choral Finale” from the “Resurrection Symphony No. 2,” and Richard Strauss’ “Beim Schlafengehen.”
Guest soloists for Verdi’s “Messa da Requiem” are soprano Megan Knapp, mezzo-soprano Teresa Buchholz, tenor Kirk Dougherty and bass Jared Schwartz.
Advance tickets are $35.00 for adults; $30.00 for students, seniors, and patrons with disabilities. (Add $5.00 at the door). Discounted group pricing is also available. Come one hour prior to performance time for The Inside Line, a complimentary lecture for all ticket holders that provides an intimate and entertaining preview of the music. For reservations or more information, visit www.NJCS.org or call the New Jersey Choral Society at (201) 379-7719.
Established in 1980, the New Jersey Choral Society is one of the state’s most prestigious choral groups, well-known for presenting outstanding and unique programs. Under the direction of Eric Dale Knapp, NJCS performs three major concerts annually in Bergen and Essex counties. They have performed at Carnegie Hall and the White House and have toured internationally in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, China, Australia, England, and last summer in France.
West Side Presbyterian Church is wheelchair accessible. Funding has been made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.
West Side Presbyterian Church ,Ridgewood, New Jersey
Special Guest
Ramapo College Chorale – Dr. Lisa Lutter, Director
Soloist
Diana Powers Rettie – Flute
Buy Tickets Now https://ridgewoodband.org/purchase/singleticket.aspx
Program Highlights
American Hymnsong Suite – Dwayne Milburn
Major Dwayne S. Milburn is a native of Baltimore, Maryland. In 1986 he graduated from UCLA with a BFA in Music and received a Masters of Music in Orchestral Conducting from the Cleveland Institute of Music in 1992. In 1993 he became the Director of Cadet Music for the Unites States Army Military Academy at West Point. He received his Ph.D. in Music from UCLA in 2009 and is in great demand as a conductor, composer, arranger and clinician. Milburn notes that “American Hymnsong Suite is firmly rooted in [his] family history as church musicians.” He grew up singing and playing many different hymns, including the four hymns featured in this work: Prelude on “Wondrous Love” (“What Wondrous Love Is This”), Ballad on “Balm in Gilead,” Scherzo on “Nettleton,” and March on “Wilson.” Milburn says that “whilst many audience members will certainly make various religious connections to the piece, the ongoing goal is to introduce all listeners to the richness of our American musical heritage.”
Program notes compiled by Marcie Phelan.
Lincoln Portrait – Aaron Copland
Lincoln Portrait was commissioned by Andre Kostelanetz for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra in early 1942. Copland initially chose Walt Whitman as his subject, but immediately picked Lincoln instead when Kostelanetz suggested a historical government figure. For the narration, which occurs only in the Portrait’s third and final section, Copland used Lincoln’s words, adding his own brief descriptions of the former president. Characteristic of Copland’s populist and patriotic music, Lincoln Portrait quotes traditional popular tunes: “Springfield Mountain” and Stephen Foster’s “Camptown Races,” while the largest portion of the musical work is Copland’s own genius.
Program notes compiled by Marcie Phelan.
Battle Hymn of the Republic- Peter Wilhousky
Battle Hymn of the Republic originated when Julia Ward Howe, the wife of a prominent Boston abolitionist, visited a Union army camp in Virginia during the Civil War. There she heard soldiers singing “John Brown’s Body” to a tune attributed to William Steffe, a Philadelphia insurance salesman, and probably composed in 1855 or 18566. Howe decided to write new verses more fitting to the conflict between the North and theSouth. Her “Battle Hymn” was published in The Atlantic Monthly in February 1862 and has expressed America’s resolve during every conflict since. The arrangement heard here was prepared by Mr. Wilhousky, a New York-based chorus master. This setting has become the definitive rendition of the work as it never fails to stir the emotion of its audience.
Program notes compiled by Marcie Phelan.
Washington Greys – Claudio Grafulla/L. Schissel
This classic march is Grafulla’s most widely known composition, and it has been arranged and rearranged for countless contemporary bands. Research indicates that The Washington Greys were the 8th Regiment of New York, based at Kingsbridge Armory in the Bronx. Their name is chiseled in stone in the Armory entranceway. The 8th became the 258th Field Artillery and is still part of the 42nd InfantryDivision (Rainbow) of the Army National Guard. Prior to the Civil War, gray was a standard color for military uniforms; it was not until the development of the Confederacy that the Union uniform color became blue. The Washington Greys were the original honor guard for George Washington when he was welcomed back to New York City after the British evacuated in 1783. The Washington Greys March is Grafulla’s most famous work because of the way the march is constructed. It is musically cohesive, with its running sixteenth notes and a responding rich bass voice making a magnificent counterpoint. This very spirited march demands virtuosity from its performers.
Program notes compiled by Marcie Phelan.
Marching through Georgia – John Philip Sousa/Brion
Sousa marches often bear a dedication to people, places, or events. Marching Through Georgia is a powerfully inventive patrol setting of Henry Clay Work’s immensely popular 1865 civil war song. It was written to commemorate William Tecumseh Sherman’s famed and decisive Union Army “March to the Sea” which historically broke the backbone of the rebellious Confederacy. The patrol setting gives the listener the aural view of the band approaching from the distance, sounding full as it passes, and fading in its retreat.
Program notes compiled by Marcie Phelan.
Spring Song – Jean Sibelius arr. Patrick Burns
Sibelius wrote extensivelyand wonderfully for orchestra, yet relatively few of his tone poems are performed regularly in this country, apart from Finlandia, and the Swan of Tuonela. Spring Song is a hymn to nature tinged with a hint of the wintry melancholy that can linger into the sub-arctic spring of Sibelius’s beloved Finnish homeland. Mr. Burns has honored both the composer and the Ridgewood Concert Band with his concert band arrangement of this Sibelius jewel composed originally in 1894. Although gentle and wistful in its opening, the work also contains some lovely and memorable melodies that will now be available to performers and audiences alike in this delightful new setting, as the Ridgewood Concert Band premiers this new arangement.
Program notes compiled by Marcie Phelan.
Precious Metal – D.J. Sparr
Precious Metal is a concerto for flute and winds and is based on the three metals of which the flute is made. Each metal is a descriptive title that influenced the construction and materials of each movement of the work. In the first movement, Silver Strettos, the flute is heard as bright and pristine within the simple and pure melodic material and the call and response canonic orchestration. In the second movement, Platinum Sheen does not have the glimmer of silver, so the orchestration in this movement is not as flashy as in the first movement, but as with platinum, the orchestration is strong and durable – using the low instruments of the ensemble for a strong foundation. Gold Rush begins with a solo flute motive based on material from the first movement but now in a minor key. The ensemble interrupts with a pulsating crescendo that leads to a virtuosic flute cadenza. The middle section of this movement features a long accelerando with a soaring flute melody that ultimately leads to a musical accompaniment to a westward bound journey into the sunset, a search for gold and riches.
Top Ridgewood Agent Michael Shetler Closes $7 Million in 2014
Ridgewood, NJ, January 10, 2015 –(PR.com)– Michael Shetler, a top Ridgewood agent with Keller Williams Village Square Realty, completed over $7 million in real estate sales in 2014. He recorded 20 transaction sides including sales and rentals in Glen Rock, Ridgewood, Mahwah, Allendale, Upper Saddle River, Waldwick, Fair Lawn, Englewood, Teaneck and Lodi.
Michael’s real estate business focuses primarily on Bergen County, NJ. His website is BuyingInBergen.com.
Michael is an agent with Keller Williams Village Square Realty in Ridgewood, NJ. The office is the top-producing real estate office in the entire New Jersey MLS (NJMLS), with over $419 million in sales volume and 744 transactions in 2014. It’s the second consecutive year the office has been ranked number one in the NJMLS. (Based on NJMLS data.)
He has earned the NJAR® Circle of Excellence Sales Award in 2009, 2011 and 2013. In 2014 he finished in the top 7% of agents in his office, ranked by sales volume.
Michael is off to a fast start again in 2015. By the end of the first full week of January he had recorded over $2 million in sales and has more than $1,150,000 in sales under contract.
His latest deal was the sale of his listing at 137 Cortland Dr. in Saddle River Grand, Saddle River, NJ. The closing price of $2,236,250 is the highest price yet recorded by the New Jersey MLS in Saddle River Grand. This new construction ultra-luxury gated community was built by Woodmont Properties with between 4,400 to 5,800 square feet of livable space in each unit. Amenities include concierge service, pool, grand Clubroom, outdoor barbecue and exercise rooms.
A Glen Rock resident, Michael has been working as a full-time real estate agent in neighboring Ridgewood since 2005. He’s a member of the Glen Rock Business Council and The Religious Communities of Glen Rock. He’s also a volunteer with Boy Scout Troop 27.
Streaming Devices Poised to Dominate Viewing Preferences As Seven in 10 TV Viewers Stream Programming
Second NATPE||Content First and Consumer Electronics Association content delivery study shows live TV decline, rise of multi-screen viewing
Las Vegas, Nev. (January 8, 2015) – While the television continues to provide the best quality picture and viewing experience, the way content is being discovered and consumed is changing dramatically, especially for millennials. According to the preliminary results of the second NATPE||Content First and the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)® joint research study on consumers’ attitudes toward television viewing, just 55 percent of millennials use TVs as their primary viewing platform, while streaming devices – laptops, tablets, and smartphones – are poised to dominate their viewing preferences.
CEA and NATPE commissioned the study, conducted by E-Poll Market Research, to evaluate the TV content distribution landscape, explore the dynamics at play against the background of exploding consumer choices and determine how consumers find TV content and view it across different platforms. The initial findings were released today during a panel session held at the 2015 International CES®. Owned and produced by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®, the 2015 CES, the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies, runs January 6-9, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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