Category: Northvale

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NORTHVALE MAN, CHARGED WITH POSSESSION AND DISTRIBUTION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

08 23 18 Corey Barraclough1

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Northvale NJ, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo announced the arrest of COREY W. BARRACLOUGH (DOB: 10/05/1990; single; and unemployed) of 418 East Avenue, Northvale, New Jersey on the charges of Possession Of Child Pornography, greater than 1,000 files and Distribution Of Child Pornography, greater than 1,000 files. The arrest is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Robert Anzilotti.

Continue reading NORTHVALE MAN, CHARGED WITH POSSESSION AND DISTRIBUTION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

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Over A Dozen N.J. mayors were forced from office over criminal charges in the Last Decade

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October 1,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, New Jersey has a long and proud history of public corruption.  A dozen Garden State mayors who have been forced to resign over the past decade due to criminal convictions. Mostly Democrats (10) ,but a few Republicans trying to get in on the action .

Paterson Mayor Jose “Joey” Torres, a Democrat, pleaded guilty on Friday to conspiracy to commit official misconduct for having employees with the Department of Public Works perform work for the mayor and his family members while bilking the city out of overtime. Torres follows a long line of Mayoral criminality .

Passaic Mayor Alex Blanco, a Democrat, was sentenced in April to more than two years in prison after pleading guilty to a federal bribery charge for soliciting $110,000 in bribes from developers in exchange for sending federal housing funds their way.

Passaic Mayor Samuel “Sammy” Rivera, a Democrat, pleaded guilty in 2008 to extortion for accepting $5,000 in cash from an insurance brokerage firm. Rivera, who was among 11 public officials swept up in a statewide FBI sting, was sentenced to 21 months in prison.

Newark Mayor Sharpe James, a Democrat, was convicted in 2008 on federal fraud and conspiracy charges for helping a woman described as his mistress buy nine plots in a city redevelopment zone, among other acts of wrongdoing. James was sentenced to 27 months in prison.

Trenton Mayor Tony Mack, a Democrat, was sentenced in May 2014 to nearly five years in prison in connection with a $119,000 bribery scheme linked to a parking garage project operated by FBI informants.

Hamilton Mayor John Bencivengo, a Democrat, was released from prison in December 2014 after serving more than 18 months in federal prison. He was sentenced to 38 months in prison for accepting $12,400 in bribes from Marliese Ljuba, a close friend and health insurance broker for the school district.

Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammaranno, a Democrat, was among 44 people swept up in Operation Bid Rig. Cammarano, who’d been in office for only 22 days before his arrest, was sentenced in August 2010 to two years in prison, and later disbarred.

Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell, a Democrat, was sentenced in April 2012 to two-and-a-half years in prison after he was convicted of accepting $10,000 in cash through a middleman from Solomon Dwek, as part of Operation Bid Rig. Elwell, who resigned from his position shortly after his arrest, later lost an appeal challenging his conviction.

Northvale Mayor Paul Bazela, a Democrat and a former foreman for the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission, pleaded guilty to theft in March 2016 to having his workers perform renovations at the home of the commission’s former superintendent, Kevin Keogh, while on agency time. He was sentenced to three years in prison.

Guttenberg Mayor David Delle Donna, a Democrat, and his wife were each sentenced in 2008 to more than four years in prison for accepting more than $40,000 in gifts and cash campaign contributions from a local bar owner.

Of coarse Democrats don’t have all the fun ;

Manalapan Mayor Andrew Lucas, a Republican, was sentenced to five years in prison for fraud in connection with a $1.2 million farm deal. Convicted on charges of wire fraud, an illegal monetary transaction, loan application fraud, false statements to the IRS, aggravated identity theft, obstruction of a grand jury investigation and falsification of records in a federal investigation.

Chesterfield Mayor Lawrence Durr, a Republican, was sentenced in April 2016 to four years probation after he admitted to filing false ethics disclosure forms that failed to disclose his financial relationship with a real estate developer. Durr was accused in an indictment of selling development rights on his farm to Renaissance Properties at a profit and then using his official positions to advance the company’s interests in Chesterfield.

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Don’t get caught texting while driving through these small NJ towns

ridgewood police
file photo by Boyd loving
By Adam Hochron April 17, 2017 5:58 PM
Courtesy of United States Department of TransportationIf last year is any indication, police in some of New Jersey’s smallest municipalities will be giving out the largest number of distracted driving tickets during the month-long crackdown that ends April 21.

Bergen County 

Fairview: 114 tickets

Allendale 2
Alpine 2
Carlstadt 19
Demarest 5
Glen Rock 1
Hackensack 4
Hasbrouck Heights 13
Haworth 5
Leonia 4
Lyndhurst 19
Midland Park 4
North Arlington 19
Northvale 9
Norwood 2
Ramsey 1
River Vale 1
Upper Saddle River 19
Westwood 9
Wood-Ridge 4

Read More: Don’t get caught texting while driving through these small NJ towns | https://nj1015.com/dont-get-caught-texting-while-driving-through-these-small-nj-towns/?trackback=tsmclip

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Wyckoff Democrat launches campaign against Scott Garrett, Bailouts ,Bailouts and More Bailouts

Joshua S

February 8,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Wyckoff NJ, Former White House speechwriter  officially will seek to oust U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett (R-5th Dist.) with an announcement Monday afternoon in Northvale. U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) is scheduled to be there as well.

The Wyckoff Democrat Gottheimer is a former speech writer for President Bill Clinton and worked in corporate strategy for Microsoft. He grew up in North Caldwell and has lived for the past four years in Wyckoff with his wife and two children.

“Scott Garrett isn’t pro-family,” Gottheimer said. “He’s not pro-business. He’s Dr. No. Dr. No to everything, and that hurts families here in New Jersey.”

So what is Josh Gottheimer for ? In one word BAILOUTS!

At a September possible Democratic candidate Gottheimer fundraiser that came less than a week after James Cicconi, the RINO Republican head of external affairs at AT&T Inc., and JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Peter Scher hosted another one for the Democrat.Attendees included executives from Blackstone, Comcast, Verizon, McGraw Hill, U.S. Telecom Association, Tribune Media, United Health, Ogilvy & Mather, Raben Group and Akin Group. The invitation for the event had said it was “an excellent opportunity to oust one of the most conservative members of the House of Representatives.”

Bloomberg News, which was the first to report plans for the Cicconi fundraiser, said some business executives had already been growing tired of Garrett. They were apparently bothered by his vote against big spending former Speaker John Boehner,and were troubled that he has opposed the crony driven , taxpayer funded corporate welfare,  Export-Import Bank.

Garret also strongly opposes bailouts and in 2010 said , “The American people are tired of the safety net that has been provided to Wall Street. They want to put an end to the continued bailouts, and the bill currently under consideration in the Senate fails to accomplish this task. Wall Street is not afraid of this bill – as a matter of fact, Goldman Sachs, the same bank that has been charged by the SEC with fraud — and which also happens to have been President Obama’s single largest corporate donor in 2008 — has endorsed much of it. Goldman supports the bill because they know that it gives them and others an advantage in the marketplace by allowing their shareholders and creditors to be bailed out if they get into trouble because of the risks they take. …. We must end the era of bailouts and stop rewarding banks like Goldman Sachs with regulation that fails to protect American taxpayers.”

This stand against corporate bailouts and industry sponsored Dodd Frank has made Garrett unpopular in certian parts of the business community . In 2011 Garrett issued a strongly worded statement on Dodd Frank and the institutionalized “too big to fail policy”  , “In the wake of the financial crisis of 2008, Democrats insisted that more regulation was the answer to our problems and that they had the right prescription to address the ailments of our financial system.  As it turns out, the 2,000 page bill they produced was not the right solution.  One year after it was signed into law, Dodd-Frank has done little to prevent another financial collapse, it has failed to streamline and simplify regulation, and it has actually codified ‘too big to fail’ and taxpayer bailouts into statute.  When the American people asked for limited government, less burdensome regulation, debt reduction and, most importantly, job creation, this was hardly the solution they had in mind.”

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Private equity investments rise in NJ, US

Private-equity_theridgewoodblog

JULY 8, 2015    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY KATHLEEN LYNN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

Private-equity firms poured more money into New Jersey companies last year, investing $16.7 billion in 104 companies, up $4.1 billion from the previous year.

New Jersey ranked ninth among the states for the amount of private equity invested, according to the Private Equity Growth Capital Council’s annual investment report.

“The rise in private equity investment in New Jersey and nationwide reflects a positive economic climate and the growth of private equity as an industry,” said James Maloney, a spokesman for the private equity council.

Among the most notable private-equity deals in New Jersey last year was a $90 million investment by Goldman Sachs in AvePoint, a Jersey City technology company. In addition, Onex Corp. became an equity partner in York Risk Services Group, a Parsippany-based risk management company, and General Atlantic Partners took a stake in CitiusTech Inc., a Princeton-based health care technology company.

In a more recent deal, Craftmaster Hardware of Northvale, which provides security hardware and locksmith supplies, was purchased this year for an undisclosed amount by Boston-based private-equity firm Capital Resource Partners.

Private-equity firms invested more than $486 billion in U.S.-based companies last year, increasing investment by $43 billion over the previous year. Nationally, private equity investors put more than half their money into two sectors, business services (29 percent) and consumer goods (22 percent). Information technology, energy, health and financial services accounted for most of the rest of the investments.

California ($56 billion), Texas ($52 billion), New York ($43 billion), Florida ($34 billion) and Illinois ($29 billion) led the states in the amount of private equity investments.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/private-equity-investments-grow-in-state-nationwide-1.1370167

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Rep. Scott Garrett Announces 2015 Congressional Art Competition Winners

Scott_Garrett_art_theridgewoodblog

May 29, 2015

NEWTON, NJ – Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05) announced the winners of the 2015 Congressional Art Competition.  This year’s top honor went to Norwood resident and Academy of the Holy Angels student Na Young Lee for her piece, “Crammed.”  This year’s competition featured 95 student entries and was hosted at Sussex County Community College in Newton. Meagan Khoury and Sherry Fitzgerald, both of Sussex County Community College, judged the competition.  The winners were announced at a ceremony on Saturday, May 16th.

“Congratulations to the winners and participants of the 2015 Congressional Art Competition,” said Garrett.  “I am amazed at the quality of work produced by these students.  Each student should be very proud of their efforts, and I want to thank their parents and teachers for encouraging and cultivating such exceptional talent.”

The Congressional Art Competition is an annual event held in congressional districts across the country.  The first place winner from each congressional district will have his or her artwork displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol alongside winning artwork from other high school students across the country.  The second, third, and fourth place winners will have their submissions displayed in Congressman Garrett’s Glen Rock, Newton, and Washington, D.C. offices.  Click here for more information about the nation-wide contest.

Below is a complete list of this year’s winners and participants.  Names without a corresponding link were unable to attend the May 16th ceremony.

2015 Congressional Art Competition Winners

1st Place
Student:  Na Young Lee
Title:  “Crammed”
School:  Academy of the Holy Angels
Residence: Norwood

2nd Place
Student:  Cindy Lee
Title:  “Bakekujira the Ghost Whale”
School:  Northern Valley Regional High School – Old Tappan
Residence: Norwood

3rd Place
Student:  Haley Fletcher
Title:  “Covetous”
School:  Lakeland Regional High School
Residence: Ringwood

4th Place
Student:  Yubin Lee
Title:  “Bounded”
School:  Bergen County Academies
Residence: Haworth

5th Place
Student:  Alessandra Ferrari-Wong
Title:  “Investigation”
School:  Bergen County Academies
Residence: Westwood

6th Place
Student:  Laura David
Title:  “Looking Ahead”
School:  Wallkill Valley Regional High School
Residence: Hamburg

7th Place
Student:  Kara Kovach
Title:  “Hot and Beardy”
School:  Wallkill Valley Regional High School
Residence: Franklin

8th Place
Student:  Anna Kristofick
Title:  “True Colors”
School:  Indian Hills High School
Residence: Wyckoff

Honorable Mentions

Student:  Hannah Kim
Title:  “Yin and Yang”
School:  Northern Highlands Regional High School
Residence: Upper Saddle River

Student:  Melanie Rosenblatt
Title:  “Zoe”
School:  Northern Highlands Regional High School
Residence: Upper Saddle River

Student: Julia Grace Shea
Title: “Indecisive”
School: Northern Highlands Regional High School
Residence: Ho-Ho-Kus

Student:  Nico Tolinkski
Title:  “Mutilation”
School:  Northern Highlands Regional High School
Residence: Allendale

Student:  Anna Allen
Title:  “Emotion in Full Color”
School:  Wallkill Valley Regional High School
Residence:  Stockholm

Student:  Nicole Spangenburg
Title:  “Dead End”
School:  Wallkill Valley Regional High School
Residence: Hamburg

All Participants

Student:  Na Young Lee*
Title:  “Crammed”
School:  Academy of the Holy Angels
Residence: Norwood

Student: Lydia Chen
Title: “The Road”
School: Bergen County Academies
Residence: New Milford

Student: Haine Cho
Title: “Parent”
School: Bergen County Academies
Residence: Northvale

Student:  Alessandra Ferrari-Wong*
Title:  “Investigation”
School:  Bergen County Academies
Residence: Westwood

Student: Gabrielle Fink
Title: “Promenade”
School: Bergen County Academies
Residence: Ridgewood

Student: Julia Fish
Title: “Fish Face”
School: Bergen County Academies
Residence: Glen Rock

Student: Lillian Hong
Title: “Soaked”
School: Bergen County Academies
Residence: Ramsey

Student: Ashley Lee
Title: “Best Memories”
School: Bergen County Academies
Residence: River Edge

Student:  Yubin Lee*
Title:  “Bounded” and “A Day in the Life of Edward Hopper”
School:  Bergen County Academies
Residence: Haworth

Student: Maansi Srivastava
Title: “Rolling Waves of Me”
School: Bergen County Academies
Residence: Harrington Park

Student: Sarah Vargas
Title: “Winter Expressions”
School: Bergen County Academies
Residence: Allendale

Student: Jessica Zhu
Title: “Cutting the Strings”
School: Bergen County Academies
Residence: Montvale

Student: Nicholas Banta
Title: “GWB”
School: Bergenfield High School
Residence: Bergenfield

Student: Isabelle Barraca
Title: “Uptown Girls”
School: Bergenfield High School
Residence: Bergenfield

Student: Adrian Dela Cerna
Title: “The Awakening”
School: Bergenfield High School
Residence: Bergenfield

Student: Veronica Chavez
Title: “Prima Ballerina”
School: Bergenfield High School
Residence: Bergenfield

Student: Darin Diaz
Title: “Shine Bright”
School: Bergenfield High School
Residence: Bergenfield

Student: Arianna Guce
Title: “Harrods”
School: Bergenfield High School
Residence: Bergenfield

Student: Melany Guerrero
Title: “Morning Dew”
School: Bergenfield High School
Residence: Bergenfield

Student: Jake Goldstein
Title: “The 100”
School: Bergenfield High School
Residence: Bergenfield

Student: Jarel Harris
Title: “Full Bloom”
School: Bergenfield High School
Residence: Bergenfield

Student: Abigail Lorenzo
Title: “My Reflection”
School: Bergenfield High School
Residence: Bergenfield

Student: Olympia Nikolopoulos
Title: “Coronation Day”
School: Bergenfield High School
Residence: Bergenfield

Student: Brenda Quijada
Title: “Letter from My Love”
School: Bergenfield High School
Residence: Bergenfield

Student: Giovanna Ramirez
Title: “Dark Horse”
School: Bergenfield High School
Residence: Bergenfield

Student: Ayanna Reyes
Title: “Conquer the World”
School: Bergenfield High School
Residence: Bergenfield

Student: Kristofer Rodriguez
Title: “Springtime in NJ”
School: Bergenfield High School
Residence: Bergenfield

Student: Nikki Rodriguez
Title: “Fondness of You”
School: Bergenfield High School
Residence: Bergenfield

Student: Maleah Rohan
Title: “Celestial”
School: Bergenfield High School
Residence: Bergenfield

Student: Robbie Torres
Title: “Spirit Guide”
School: Bergenfield High School
Residence: Bergenfield

Student: Karina Barragan
Title: “Untitled”
School: Hackensack High School
Residence: Hackensack

Student: Kathleen Caparo
Title: “Florence”
School: Hackensack High School
Residence: Hackensack

Student: Abigail DiGregorio
Title: “Pause”
School: Hackensack High School
Residence: Maywood

Student: Breanna Goins
Title: “Monochromatic Dream”
School: Hackensack High School
Residence: Hackensack

Student: Angie Melissa Tabares
Title: “Portrait” and “The Importance of Oral Hygiene”
School: Hackensack High School
Residence: Hackensack

Student: Emma Vuolo
Title: “Home”
School: Homeschooled
Residence: Mahwah

Student: Larissa Le Von-Zayas
Title: “Reflection”
School: Indian Hills High School
Residence: Oakland

Student:  Anna Kristofick*
Title:  “True Colors”
School:  Indian Hills High School
Residence: Wyckoff

Student: Mark Sabino
Title: “Anxiety” and “Refraction”
School: Indian Hills High School
Residence: Wyckoff

Student: Rachel Wikfors
Title: “The Gift”
School: Indian Hills High School
Residence: Oakland

Student: Ashley Amador
Title: “Acceptance”
School: Lakeland Regional High School
Residence: Ringwood

Student: Christieana Farrell
Title: “Self Portrait”
School: Lakeland Regional High School
Residence: Ringwood

Student:  Haley Fletcher*
Title:  “Covetous”
School:  Lakeland Regional High School
Residence: Ringwood

Student: Jordan Rockwell
Title: “Bad Moon on the Rise”
School: Lakeland Regional High School
Residence: Ringwood

Student: Jonathan Rojas
Title: “The Stigmas of Technology”
School: Lakeland Regional High School
Residence: Ringwood

Student: Carter Boyd
Title: “False Security”
School: Newton High School
Residence: Newton

Student: Aidan Healy
Title: “High Point”
School: Newton High School
Residence: Newton

Student: Tamara Recalde
Title: “Remove the Chicken”
School: Newton High School
Residence: Newton

Student: Aurora Abzug
Title: “Europe”
School: Northern Highlands Regional High School
Residence: Upper Saddle River

Student: Jennifer Asnis
Title: “London”
School: Northern Highlands Regional High School
Residence: Ho-Ho-Kus

Student: Grace Basralian
Title: “Cubism”
School: Northern Highlands Regional High School
Residence: Ho-Ho-Kus

Student: Alexandra Berndt
Title: “Greece”
School: Northern Highlands Regional High School
Residence: Allendale

Student: Juliette Boyajian
Title: “Innocence”
School: Northern Highlands Regional High School
Residence: Saddle River

Student: Sara Dec
Title: “Depiction”
School: Northern Highlands Regional High School
Residence: Allendale

Student:  Hannah Kim*
Title:  “Yin and Yang”
School:  Northern Highlands Regional High School
Residence: Upper Saddle River

Student: Nathan Kim
Title: “Monkey”
School: Northern Highlands Regional High School
Residence: Allendale

Student: Sofia Mirante
Title: “Skull”
School: Northern Highlands Regional High School
Residence: Allendale

Student: Michelle Morin
Title: “Sun Goddess”
School: Northern Highlands Regional High School
Residence: Upper Saddle River

Student: Satsuki Okamoto
Title: “Fall Still Life”
School: Northern Highlands Regional High School
Residence: Allendale

Student: Rachael Reinke
Title: “Broken Clock”
School: Northern Highlands Regional High School
Residence: Upper Saddle River

Student:  Melanie Rosenblatt*
Title:  “Zoe”
School:  Northern Highlands Regional High School
Residence: Upper Saddle River

Student: Julia Grace Shea*
Title: “Indecisive”
School: Northern Highlands Regional High School
Residence: Ho-Ho-Kus

Student:  Nico Tolinkski*
Title:  “Mutilation”
School:  Northern Highlands Regional High School
Residence: Allendale

Student: Mary Wang
Title: “Summer Cravings”
School: Northern Highlands Regional High School
Residence: Upper Saddle River

Student: Jenna Jeeyoon Kim
Title: “Provence, France”
School: Northern Valley Regional High School – Demarest
Residence: Closter

Student: Celine Kim
Title: “Hidden”
School: Northern Valley Regional High School – Old Tappan
Residence: Old Tappan

Student:  Cindy Lee*
Title:  “Bakekujira the Ghost Whale”
School:  Northern Valley Regional High School – Old Tappan
Residence: Norwood

Student: Bhumi Patel
Title: “$unset in the Hamptons”
School: Pope John XIII High School
Residence: Franklin

Student: Brianna Struble
Title: “Flower”
School: Pope John XXIII High School
Residence: Lafayette

Student: Malavika Menon
Title: “Portrait of a Kenyan Woman” and “Drake”
School: Ramapo High School
Residence: Wyckoff

Student: Julie McNamara
Title: “Home”
School: Ramsey High School
Residence: Ramsey

Student: Nick Metz
Title: “Selfie [to the Fifth Power]”
School: Pascack Valley High School
Residence: Hillsdale

Student:  Anna Allen*
Title:  “Emotion in Full Color”
School:  Wallkill Valley Regional High School
Residence:  Stockholm

Student:  Laura David*
Title:  “Looking Ahead”
School:  Wallkill Valley Regional High School
Residence: Hamburg

Student: Merinda Gruszecki
Title: “American Addictions” and “Society of Malcontent”
School: Wallkill Valley Regional High School
Residence: Franklin

Student:  Kara Kovach*
Title:  “Hot and Beardy” and “Her Eyes Speak Volumes”
School:  Wallkill Valley Regional High School
Residence: Franklin

Student: Rebecca Kowalenko
Title: “Winding Path”
School: Wallkill Valley Regional High School
Residence: Hamburg

Student: Kylee Nicolai
Title: “Sitting in What Remains”
School: Wallkill Valley Regional High School
Residence: Hamburg

Student: Nicole Rotunda
Title: “Beach Escape”
School: Wallkill Valley Regional High School
Residence: Franklin

Student:  Nicole Spangenburg*
Title:  “Dead End”
School:  Wallkill Valley Regional High School
Residence: Hamburg

Student: Alexandria Stampone
Title: “Bleeding Heart”
School: Wallkill Valley Regional High School
Residence: Franklin

Student: Sarah Stapel
Title: “Vulnerability”
School: Wallkill Valley Regional High School
Residence: Franklin

Student: Ariana Blaeuer
Title: “Jesus of Suburbia”
School: West Milford High School
Residence: Hewitt

Student: Katherine McNaught
Title: “Hydranga”
School: West Milford High School
Residence: West Milford

Student: Allyssa Milne
Title: “Razzmatazz”
School: West Milford High School
Residence: West Milford

Student: Julia Norman
Title: “Mountainous Daze”
School: West Milford High School
Residence: West Milford

Student: Daniela Kaim
Title: “Winter Leaves”
School: Westwood Regional High School
Residence: Township of Washington

Student: Danielle Russo
Title: “Daily Dose”
School: Westwood Regional High School
Residence: Township of Washington

Student: Hana Tucker
Title: “Passage to New York”
School: Westwood Regional High School
Residence: Westwood

*signifies that the student received a medal or an honorable mention.

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Click It or Ticket campaign in N.J. is looking for more than seat belts

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file photo Boyd Loving

Click It or Ticket campaign in N.J. is looking for more than seat belts

MAY 23, 2014, 11:19 PM    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MAY 23, 2014, 11:52 PM
BY DAVE SHEINGOLD
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

The yearly Click It or Ticket campaign aimed at increasing seat-belt use is turning into a catchall for police departments across New Jersey, which are writing more tickets for violations such as hand-held cellphone use, expired registrations and reckless driving, than for failing to buckle up, according to state data.

As studies show that more and more New Jersey drivers are buckling up, the number of seat-belt summonses issued by police departments funded by the federal program has dropped, and tickets issued for other infractions have soared during the annual two-week campaign, raising questions about whether the effort still serves its stated purpose..

An analysis by The Record of statewide Click It or Ticket data found that police wrote 20,000 tickets to seat-belt and child-restraint scofflaws state­wide under the program in 2013, down by more than half from the 53,200 written in 2007. At the same time, the number handed out for all other violations has jumped from 33,400, to 44,000. As a result, only about 30 percent of tickets written under the program now are issued for seat-belt infractions.

Police departments in Hackensack, South Hackensack, Garfield, Northvale and the city of Passaic are among those in Bergen and Passaic counties seeing significant drop-offs.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/click-it-or-ticket-campaign-in-n-j-is-looking-for-more-than-seat-belts-1.1022775#sthash.7C9GkBPN.dpuf

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Rep. Scott Garrett Announces 2014 Congressional Art Competition Winners

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Rep. Scott Garrett congratulates Old Tappan Resident Soyoung Park for taking first place in the 2014 Congressional Art Competition with her piece, “Seeking For True Happiness.”

Rep. Scott Garrett Announces 2014 Congressional Art Competition Winners
May 14, 2014

MAHWAH, NJ – Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05) announced the winners of the 2014 Congressional Art Competition.  This year’s top honor went to Old Tappan resident Soyoung Park of Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan for her piece, “Seeking For True Happiness.”  This year’s competition, which boasted 79 entries from 33 Fifth District towns, was hosted by the Ramapo College in Mahwah and was judged by Eva Fazzari from Ramapo College, Gregg Biermann from Bergen Community College, and Meagan Khoury from Sussex Community College. The winners were announced at a ceremony on Saturday, May 10th.

“Congratulations to the winners of the 2014 Congressional Art Competition, this year’s work is both creative and inspired,” said Garrett.  “I commend the students, teachers and parents for encouraging these wonderful pieces of art, and I thank Ramapo College and the group of volunteers who helped to make this year’s competition one of the best we’ve ever had.  I’m looking forward to seeing the winning piece hanging in the U.S. Capitol.”

The Congressional Art Competition is an annual event held in congressional districts across the country.  The first place winner from each congressional district will have his or her artwork displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol alongside winning artwork from other high school students across the country.  The second, third, and fourth place winners will have their submissions displayed in Congressman Garrett’s Glen Rock, Newton, and Washington, D.C. offices.  Click here for more information about the nation-wide contest.

2014 Congressional Art Competition Winners

1st Place
Student: Soyoung Park
Title: “Seeking For True Happiness”
School: Northern Valley Regional High School at Old Tappan
Hometown: Old Tappan

2nd Place
Student: Laura David
Title: “Alex”
School: Wallkill Valley Regional High School
Hometown: Hamburg

3rd Place
Student: Mark Bastidas
Title “My Mother”
School: Bergenfield High School
Hometown: Bergenfield

4th Place
Student: Kamille Gomez
Title: “Easy Breezy”
School: Bergen County Academies
Hometown: Teaneck

5th Place
Student: Sofia Mirante
Title: Untitled
School: Northern Highlands Regional High School
Hometown: Allendale

6th Place
Student: Julianna Scionti
Title: “Self Portrait”
School: Northern Highlands Regional High School
Hometown: Allendale

7th Place
Student: Adrian Dela Cerna
Title: “Midnight Winter Walk”
School: Bergenfield High School
Hometown: Bergenfield

8th Place
Student: Alyaa Elsaadany
Title: “Jane Doe Thinks Liberty Is Dead”
School: Newton High School
Hometown: Andover

Honorable Mentions

Student: Rachel Young Seo Yoon
Title: “A Thirst for Beauty”
School: Saddle River Day School
Hometown: Norwood

Student: Hannah Kim
Title: “Portrait”
School: Northern Highlands Regional High School
Hometown: Upper Saddle River

Student: Emma Brennan
Title: “Torched”
School: Bergen County Academies
Hometown: Ridgewood

Student: Haine Cho
Title: “Lovebirds”
School: Bergen County Academies
Hometown: Northvale

Student: Jessica Zhu
Title: “Kiss of a Dolphin”
School: Bergen County Academies
Hometown: Montvale

Student: Nico Tolinski
Title: “Whisper”
School: Northern Highlands Regional High School
Hometown: Allendale

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High-Income Whites Put Booker Over the Top

Bergen-County

High-Income Whites Put Booker Over the Top
By Rick Shaftan | The Save Jersey Blog

It’s not often that a Republican wins Wallington, South Hackensack, Lyndhurst, Ridgefield and Rochelle Park and loses Oradell, Old Tappan, Norwood, Woodcliff Lake and Northvale but that’s what happened in this month’s U.S. Senate election.

Comparing the 2013 special with the 2012 presidential reveals some interesting comparisons.

Statewide, Lonegan ran 4 percent ahead of Mitt Romney – enough to have elected Romney had he run that much better nationwide.  But Bergen County was one place where Lonegan actually ran behind Romney.

That’s news to people South of Route 4 where the former Bogota Mayor exceeded the 2012 Romney percentage by 10 points in Ridgefield, 11 points in Palisades Park, 12 points in Bogota and 16 points in South Hackensack.

But go North of 4 to the traditionally Republican part of the county and there’s a different story.  Lonegan dropped 14 points behind Romney’s 52 percent in Booker’s home town of Harrington Park, 13 points behind Romney’s 63 percent in Old Tappan and 10 points behind Romney’s 57 percent in Woodcliff Lake.

Lonegan’s drop from 28 to 17 percent in Teaneck is heavily caused by a major drop in the GOP vote share among Orthodox Jews. Mitt Romney won 58 percent of the vote in the four big Teaneck Orthodox districts (9, 10, 11 and 12) compared with just 28 percent for Lonegan, turning a 514 vote Obama deficit into a 749 vote Booker margi

– See more at: https://savejersey.com/2013/10/booker-lonegan-bergen-county-results/#sthash.SpE0sR2y.dpuf

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Skepticism over Obama’s effort to rein in college costs

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Skepticism over Obama’s effort to rein in college costs
Friday August 23, 2013, 11:46 PM
BY  PATRICIA ALEX AND LESLIE BRODY
STAFF WRITERS
The Record

For many middle-class families struggling to afford college, President Obama’s proposal to rein in those costs by linking federal aid to a new rating system amounts to little more than an abstraction.

“A proposal’s just a proposal,” said Emily Kerr, 20, of Maple Shade, who has put school on hold to work full time as a medical receptionist while she repays student loan debt she accrued at Burlington County College. “I’m not poor enough to go to school on grants, and I’m not rich enough to pay out of pocket.”

Kerr is looking for a second job that she hopes will provide enough income to allow her to return to school. “When it comes to paying for classes, I get very anxious.”

She is not alone. After a decade of escalating college tuition and fees, the middle-class anxiety is pervasive and immediate.

Michelle Ryan Lauto, 22, who grew up in Bogota and Northvale, has $8,000 in student debt but no college degree. She left Pace University after two years because of the costs. Now she is a nanny.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/Skepticism_over_Obamas_effort_to_rein_in_college_costs.html#sthash.VpLcxqbK.dpuf

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Bergen County Central dispatch

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file Photo by Boyd Loving

Bergen County Central dispatch
December 27.2012
Bergen County Executive Kathleen A. Donovan

As a general rule, we encourage local government to save money by consolidating services. So we like Bergen County’s plan to offer police and fire dispatch service to all 70 municipalities through the county’s new, but so far underused, dispatch center in Mahwah.

The idea sounds like a free service, but it really isn’t. The county’s plan is not to specifically charge municipalities, but county taxpayers would still support the system, not to mention maintaining what is officially called the Public Safety Operation Center. Ever since the $12.4 million center opened in 2010, the county has struggled to line up towns to use it.

Up until now, the county has been charging towns to use the system relevant to their needs. So far, 11 towns have signed up for complete dispatch services – police, fire and ambulance – and nine others use the county system for 911 calls only.

Rather than try to sign up new towns to use the system, the county now has a different idea. Forget about trying to enlist new users; just make the dispatch system available to every municipality in the county for no additional charge. The county administration theorizes that since property taxpayers already are paying for the operation center and its staff, making dispatch services available to all towns makes sense.

We agree.

It is often counterproductive for one local government entity to pay another local government entity for a service. All that accomplishes is transferring property taxes from one arm of government to another.

Still, there are hurdles to overcome before a centralized, county dispatching system becomes reality. The county would lose $1 million a year if it stops charging the towns that now pay. To offset that loss, the county has asked the state for a share of 911 fees annually generated by phone bill surcharges. It’s not known if that’s going to happen.

Some municipalities now paying for county dispatch may chafe at the idea that others may get the same service without paying. As the mayor of Northvale told The Record when apprised of the county plan, “That’s great, but what about the people that already paid?” Well, the easy answer to the mayor is that his town paid for a service it received, but that it may no longer have to do so. Notwithstanding that sentiment in Northvale, it’s hard to see mayors complaining about not having to pay for a service directly,

There also has been some griping about how the county’s proposal became known. David Ganz, the incoming freeholder chairman, said he was “embarrassed” to learn about the plan from a newspaper article. Perhaps the freeholder board should have been briefed in advance, but let’s not criticize a good idea because of how it became public.

When people need a cop, an ambulance or the fire department, they often pick up the phone. As long as the emergency service they need gets to their door quickly, they likely don’t care where the dispatcher is sitting. If Bergen County can assume emergency dispatch services for all 70 municipalities, it could be a pretty good deal for county taxpayers.

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The county’s two Democratic freeholders have scheduled a trio of dates on their “listening tour”

Bergen County Sheriffs department theridgewoodblog.net

file photo Boyd Loving

The county’s two Democratic freeholders have scheduled a trio of dates on their “listening tour” to hear from residents on the controversial proposal to merge the county police department with its sheriff’s office
NJ Tea Party Coalition

At the meeting in Oakland last evening, we understand there were few attendees, some of who said that they didn’t even know about this and didn’t know the issues ???*How do they know of the event but not the subject??? *There is concern that there is a side agenda to these meetings;
* No meetings are scheduled in the southern end of Bergen – why is that???? * Is this a real listening tour and who is listening to whom?

BERGEN COUNTY – The county’s two Democratic freeholders have scheduled a trio of dates on their “listening tour” to hear from residents on the controversial proposal to merge the county police department with its sheriff’s office.

David Ganz (D-Fair Lawn) and Joan Voss (D-Fort Lee) had announced their intentions to embark on the tour last month, prior to a vote on whether the county should hold a non-binding referendum on the consolidation in November.

Ganz and Voss been among the most vocal backers of the referendum and the proposed merger, both of which have caused a deep divide between officials in the county – including the freeholders and County Executive Kathleen S. Donovan.

The ballot question, authorized by a 4-2 vote by the board earlier this month, remains scheduled to coincide with Election Day Nov. 6.
However, Donovan has filed a lawsuit that claims the board overstepped their authority by authorizing the merger earlier this month, and aims to stop the referendum before any ballots are cast.

Today, Ganz and Voss announced that the tour will kick off on Aug. 27 at the Oakland Senior Center.

That will be followed by dates at the
Northvale Borough Hall on Aug. 30.
Each of the meetings is scheduled for 6 p.m.

“We have already heard from the Sheriff, the County Police, the Prosecutor, the County Executive, and some of our colleagues on the Freeholder board,” Ganz said in a statement. “It’s time to hear what the people of Bergen County have to say.

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>Payouts for unused sick days vary in North Jersey towns

>Payouts for unused sick days vary in North Jersey towns


Here’s a breakdown of data provided by Christie’s office for the obligation in each town in Bergen County:

Allendale – no obligation

Alpine – total obligation, $850,523.00; obligation per taxpayer, $1,169.46

Bergenfield – total obligation, $701,579.00; obligation per taxpayer, $83.44

Bogota – total obligation, $398,360.00; obligation per taxpayer, $162.76

Carlstadt – no obligation

Cliffside Park – total obligation, $100,000.00; obligation per taxpayer, $13.27

Closter – total obligation, $1,704,092.00; obligation per taxpayer, $549.02

Cresskill – total obligation, $319,192.00; obligation per taxpayer, $107.24

East Rutherford – total obligation, $1,101,518.00; obligation per taxpayer, $172.98

Edgewater – total obligation, $1,480,618.00; obligation per taxpayer, $266.69

Elmwood – total obligation, $2,004,685.00; obligation per taxpayer, $324.27

Emerson – total obligation, $400,926.00; obligation per taxpayer, $148.38

Englewood – total obligation, $5,353,655.00; obligation per taxpayer, $576.40

Englewood Cliffs – total obligation, $2,150,583.00; obligation per taxpayer, $793.98

Demarest – no obligation

Dumont – no obligation

Fair Lawn – total obligation, $1,635,758.00; obligation per taxpayer, $132.70

Fairview – total obligation, $1,473,045.00; obligation per taxpayer, $444.53

Fort Lee – total obligation, $9,225,587.00; obligation per taxpayer, $706.40

Franklin Lakes – no obligation

Garfield – total obligation, $2,692,885.00; obligation per taxpayer, $373.63

Glen Rock – total obligation, $1,004,087.00; obligation per taxpayer, $238.49

Hackensack – total obligation, $18,875,368.00; obligation per taxpayer, $1,030.51

Harrington Park – total obligation, $594,486.00; obligation per taxpayer, $356.08

Hasbrouck Heights – total obligation, $237,175.00; obligation per taxpayer, $55.77

Haworth – total obligation, $489,559.00; obligation per taxpayer, $370.61

Hillsdale – total obligation, $201,417.78; obligation per taxpayer, $56.48

Ho-Ho-Kus – total obligation, $1,283,024.58; obligation per taxpayer, $847.04

Leonia – total obligation, $551,626.93; obligation per taxpayer, $195.06

Little Ferry – total obligation, $227,896.00; obligation per taxpayer, $66.81

Lodi – no obligation

Lyndhurst – no obligation

Mahwah – total obligation, $2,033,561.94; obligation per taxpayer, $175.99

Maywood – total obligation, $140,840.00; obligation per taxpayer, $40.81

Midland Park – no obligation

Montvale – total obligation, $468,626.00; obligation per taxpayer, $129.63

Moonachie – total obligation, $552,913.00; obligation per taxpayer, $272.68

New Milford – total obligation, $2,738,820.00; obligation per taxpayer, $578.04

North Arlington – total obligation, $80,000.00; obligation per taxpayer, $17.53

Northvale – total obligation, $847,361.00; obligation per taxpayer, $402.78

Norwood – total obligation, $282,132.00; obligation per taxpayer, $135.63

Oakland – no obligation

Old Tappan – no obligation

Oradell – no obligation

Palisades Park – total obligation, $1,591,795.00; obligation per taxpayer, $328.29

Paramus – total obligation, $575,800.00; obligation per taxpayer, $38.45

Park Ridge – total obligation, $772,804.00; obligation per taxpayer, $230.36

Ramsey – total obligation, $2,425,192.27; obligation per taxpayer, $373.12

Ridgefield – no obligation

Ridgefield Park – total obligation, $678,973.00; obligation per taxpayer, $157.71

Ridgewood – total obligation, $7,203,566.23; obligation per taxpayer, $861.41

River Edge – total obligation, $733,050.20; obligation per taxpayer, $197.51

River Vale – total obligation, $1.00; obligation per taxpayer, $0.00

Rochelle Park – no obligation

Rockleigh – no obligation

Rutherford – total obligation, $3,620,854.00; obligation per taxpayer, $569.54

 Saddle Brook – total obligation, $1,295,495.00; obligation per taxpayer, $202.96

Saddle River – total obligation, $412,800.00; obligation per taxpayer, $318.05

South Hackensack – total obligation, $539,525.00; obligation per taxpayer, $320.47

Teaneck – total obligation, $4,379,922.16; obligation per taxpayer, $335.08

Tenafly – no obligation

Teterboro – total obligation, $94,299.77; obligation per taxpayer, $42.01

Upper Saddle River – total obligation, $986,895.00; obligation per taxpayer, $338.73

Waldwick – total obligation, $1,214,624.00; obligation per taxpayer, $324.61

Wallington – no obligation

Washington – total obligation, $567,071.00; obligation per taxpayer, $162.59

Westwood – – total obligation, $1,060,665.00; obligation per taxpayer, $247.79

Woodcliff Lake – no obligation

Wood-Ridge – total obligation, $1,417,724.00; obligation per taxpayer, $425.22

Wyckoff – no obligation

https://blog.northjersey.com/thesource/1768/payouts-for-unused-sick-days-vary-in-north-jersey-towns/

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>Veterans Day ceremonies planned throughout Bergen County

>Veterans Day ceremonies planned throughout Bergen County

BERGENFIELD Ceremonies will begin Friday at 11 a.m. at borough hall, followed by rededication of the monument at Veterans Memorial Park on New Bridge Road. bergenfieldboro.com or (201) 387-4055.
CARLSTADT Services will be conducted at Memorial Park Friday at 11 a.m. (201) 939-2850.
CLIFFSIDE PARK A service with Father Willie Smith and Rabbi Engelmayer of Temple Israel will take place Friday at 11 a.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church, 555 Palisade Ave., followed by refreshments. (201) 941-0643.
DEMAREST An outdoor ceremony at the Northern Valley Regional High School flag pole will begin Friday at 11:15 a.m., followed by a 1 p.m. assembly at Tenakill Middle School. The American Legion will hold a ceremony Friday at 11 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Park. (201) 768-5386.
EDGEWATER The traditional ceremony will take place Friday at 11 a.m. at Memorial Park, Route 5 and River Road. 943-1700, ext. 3131.
FAIR LAWN Ceremonies at the municipal building, 8-01 Fair Lawn Ave., will be hosted by the Fair Lawn Veterans Council Friday at 11 a.m. fairlawn.org or (201) 794-5340.
GARFIELD The fourth annual Veterans Day Gala will be held Friday from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Royal Manor, 454 Midland Ave., with a four-course luncheon, happy hour, dancing to live band, show, boutique shopping and door prizes, Registration required. $50-$55. aceshows.com or (800) 831-9801.
HACKENSACK A brief ceremony honoring veterans will be followed by refreshments Friday at 11 a.m. at the Courthouse Green, Main and Court streets. hackensack.org or (201) 646-3980.
LEONIA American Legion Post No. 1, 399 Broad Ave., will host ceremonies Friday beginning at 11 a.m. (201) 592-1332.
LITTLE FERRY Ceremonies will be conducted in front of Memorial and Washington schools on Liberty Street Friday at 11 a.m.. Afterward, food and refreshments will be served at the VFW at 100 Main St. (201) 641-6186.
MAHWAH Mahwah’s ceremonies will take place Friday at 11 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Park on Franklin Turnpike. mahwahtwp.org or (201) 529-5757.
NEW MILFORD The annual ceremony will taker place Friday at 11 a.m. at the Veteran’s monument in front of borough hall, 930 River Road. newmilfordboro.com or (201) 967-5044.
NORTHVALE Northvale VFW Memorial Post 162 will conduct a ceremony Friday at 11 a.m. in front of the municipal building, 116 Paris Ave., with refreshments following at the American Legion Hall on Paris Avenue. boroughofnorthvale.com or (201) 767-3330.
OAKLAND Annual ceremonies will be held Friday at 11 a.m. at Veterans Park, 1 Veterans Drive. oakland-nj.org or (201) 337-8111.
PARK RIDGE The Wyckoff Midland Park VFW Post 7086 will hold ceremonies Friday at 11 a.m. at Midland Park Veterans Park. co.bergen.nj.us/parks or (201) 336-7267.
RIDGEFIELD PARK A traditional service will be held Friday at 11 a.m. at the Ridgefield Park Flagpole, Euclid Avenue and Mt. Vernon Street. ridgefieldpark.org or (201) 641-2612.
RIDGEWOOD Ceremonies will take place Friday at 11 a.m. at Graydon Park and include a rededication ceremony for a plaque being installed to honor the memory of the 14 Ridgewood casualties from World War I. (201) 670-5510.
RUTHERFORD A ceremony hosted by Rutherford Veterans Alliance will start Friday at 11 a.m. at the WWI monument on Park Avenue near the Rutherford Post Office and travel from monument to monument with different participants giving speeches about each war. rutherford-nj.com or (201) 939-9895.
TEANECK The Patriotic Observance Advisory Board will conduct ceremonies Friday at 11 a.m. on the Municipal Green. teanecknj.gov or (201) 488-6800.

https://www.nj.com/news/local/index.ssf/2011/11/veterans_day_ceremonies_planne.html

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>A non-binding ballot question in November about the reopening of Pascack Valley Hospital?

>My questions: WHY our Council hasn’t done so as the other Councils did? Isn’t Ridgewood, va the Valley, directly linked to this??

The REQUEST DEADLINE IS TOMORROW AT 10 AM!!

Votes set on reopening of hospital
Thursday, August 20, 2009
The Record

Many towns in northeastern Bergen County will have a non-binding ballot question in November about the reopening of Pascack Valley Hospital.

Councils in 11 towns — River Vale, Park Ridge, Montvale, Oradell, Hillsdale, Washington Township, Old Tappan, Northvale, Harrington Park, Emerson and Westwood — have approved resolutions asking for the ballot question. Closter was to hold a special meeting about it Wednesday night.

The question asks whether voters favor the expenditure of “resources through the attendance and participation at public hearings or other proceedings by municipal officials in support of the application” by Hackensack University Medical Center to reopen the Westwood site as a 128-bed community hospital.

The deadline for the towns to request the addition to the ballot is Friday at 10 a.m.

— Lindy Washburn

https://www.northjersey.com/news/health/hospitals/53759887.html