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“OPERATION HELPING HAND 4”

Heroin-006

March 24,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

 

Hackensack NJ, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo announced today the results of “Operation Helping Hand 4” – the fourth phase of an innovative law enforcement and public health initiative targeting the heroin and opioid crisis in Bergen County. The initiative was led by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office (“BCPO”), under the direction of Acting Prosecutor Calo and Chief of Detectives Robert Anzilotti, in coordination with Bergen County Executive James J. Tedesco III and Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino. Held from March 12 through 16, 2018, the initiative brought together Bergen County law enforcement from 30 agencies, Recovery Specialists from Children’s Aid and Family Services, clinicians and specialists from the Bergen County Department of Health Services, Division of Addiction Services, and professionals from New Bridge Medical Center to offer help to those suffering from the disease of addiction in Bergen County.

During the initiative, 37 individuals were arrested and brought to the BCPO to be processed. After they were issued summonses, largely for heroin possession, they were offered an opportunity to speak to a Recovery Specialist – a recovering addict, who has been clean and is trained to help them find treatment. This offer of help was in addition to, not in lieu of, criminal charges.

If the individual requested help, a trained clinician from the Bergen County Division of Addiction Services assessed him/her to determine the appropriate level of care and treatment needed. The clinicians, working closely with the Recovery Specialists and representatives from New Bridge Medical Center, then made arrangements for treatment, and law enforcement transported the individual to treatment.

Of the 37 individuals arrested during Operation Helping Hand 4, 19 have so far availed themselves of the treatment option, including 12 who are currently in 5-day detox programs, mostly at New Bridge Medical Center. As those individuals complete detox, longer-term treatment options are being arranged for them and their progress is being tracked by the Recovery Specialists. For those who did not avail themselves of treatment, the Recovery Specialists remain in touch with many of them and are prepared to offer help whenever they are ready to seek it.

A multi-jurisdictional task force comprised of law enforcement officers from the following agencies, under the direction of BCPO Chief Anzilotti, participated in the initiative: Bergen County Sheriff’s Office; Bergenfield Police Department; Cliffside Park Police Department; Clifton Police Department; Dumont Police Department; East Rutherford Police Department; Englewood Police Department; Elmwood Park Police Department; Fair Lawn Police Department; Garfield Police Department; Glen Rock Police Department; Hackensack Police Department; Lyndhurst Police Department; Mahwah Police Department; Morris County Prosecutor’s Office; New Milford Police Department; Norwood Police Department; Paramus Police Department; Passaic County Prosecutor’s Office; Paterson Police Department; Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; Ridgefield Park Police Department; Saddle River Police Department; Tenafly Police Department; Union County Prosecutor’s Office; Upper Saddle River Police Department and the Westwood Police Department.

Statistics compiled by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office indicate an increase in opioid use and drug overdoses in Bergen County from 2016 to the present. A preliminary analysis of overdose data by the BCPO Intel Unit and Narcotics Task Force revealed the following with respect to 2017:
507 total reported overdoses, 416 of which are currently identified as heroin/opioid-related.
Of the 308 reported overdoses, 131 were fatal overdoses; 111 of those were identified as heroin/opioid-related.
325 deployments of Narcan, the overdose reversal drug, by law enforcement officers, resulting in 245 lives saved. (Note: there were many other deployments – by parents, friends, family members, EMTs and in the ER that are not accounted for in this )

Acting Prosecutor Dennis Calo stated that “Operation Helping Hand 4 is part of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office and Bergen County law enforcement’s continuing effort to combat the opioid epidemic and help those who are affected by it. The Operation demonstrates the close cooperation of law enforcement, County government and Bergen County social service organizations in the fight against this epidemic and the results that are possible through that cooperation. We will continue the fight.”

Acting Prosecutor Calo would like to thank the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, the Bergen County Executive, New Bridge Medical Center, Children’s Aid and Family Services, the Bergen County Department of Health Services, Division of Addiction Services, as well as all the participating law enforcement agencies for their assistance with this initiative.

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Ridgewood High School All Set for #NationalSchoolWalkout initiative

RHS_Sign_theridgewoodblog

March 11,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Nice to see the $105,000,000 school budget not go to waste and of coarse its always a please seeing adults use children for political purposes . The #NationalSchoolWalkout initiative is promoted by Women’s March Youth Empower. The national walkout is to take place March 14 at 10 a.m. for 17 minutes—one for each person who killed on the Marjory Stoneman Douglas campus on Valentine’s Day. Per the group’s web page, other participating high schools in Bergen County include Hackensack High School, Paramus High School, Lyndhurst High School, Fusion Academy in Englewood, Paramus Catholic High School, Ridgewood High School, Emerson Junior/Senior High School, Tenafly High School, Cresskill High School, Pascack Hills High School in Montvale, Northern Highlands Regional High School in Allendale, and Mahwah High School.

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Home foreclosure in Glen Rock Leads to Threats on Ridgewood Business

foreclosure[1]

January 19,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Police report that on January 12, a Tenafly, N.J. resident reported while at her place of business in the Village of Ridgewood a male party entered the business and made threats in the past. The reporting party advised the male was advised by an agent his home was being foreclosed in Glen Rock, N.J. on 1/10/18 and he came to the business on 1/12/18 and made harassing statements. The reporting party did not wish to sign a criminal complaint at this time and only requested documentation of the incident.

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Windfall as Ridgewood Rakes In Tax Prepayments

village-hall-theridgewoodblog

January 10,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood

Ridgewood NJ, ,according to the Bergen Record ( https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/bergen/ridgewood/2018/01/09/20-m-prepaid-taxes/1007599001/ )the Village of Ridgewood received an astonishing $21.2 million from residents looking to prepay their 2018 property taxes in December of 2017.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act signed by President Donald Trump on Dec. 22 now caps the amount of state and local taxes that can be deducted on federal income tax returns at $10,000. In a state where the average homeowner’s yearly property tax bill surpasses that number by almost $8,000, according to the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, residents headed to their local tax offices to try to pay by year’s end and deduct their 2018 property taxes from 2017’s federal taxes.

Ridgewood was not alone ,the Record reported that Montclair, residents jammed the coffers with $28 million and both Tenafly and Wayne saw more than $16 million each in prepayments.

Ridgewood Chief Financial Officer Robert Rooney told the Record that while Ridgewood’s $21.2 million total includes payments dating back to Dec. 1, $19 million of that was received within the last two weeks of the year, and $15 million in the three days after Christmas alone. Rooney added that the total payments in Ridgewood came from 3,500 separate transactions in a municipality where the average property tax bill is $17,180 per year.

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New Jersey Attorney General’s Office Charges the 100th Person with Superstorm Sandy Relief Funds Fraud

hurricane-sandy-relief

3 of the last 4 from Bergen County 

September 29,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Trenton NJ,  Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino announced that the Attorney General’s Office and its state and federal partners have charged 100 criminal defendants in their unprecedented collaborative efforts to root out fraud in disaster relief programs following Superstorm Sandy. Four new defendants were charged yesterday with filing fraudulent applications for federal relief funds related to Sandy, bringing the total charged by the Attorney General’s Office with this type of fraud to 100.

“Charging 100 defendants in these relief-fraud cases is a sad milestone in that it highlights how many people are willing, in the face of a historic disaster, to dishonestly exploit an offer of aid meant for those who were hardest hit,” said Attorney General Porrino. “At the same time, we’re proud of our collaborative efforts, which have recovered millions of dollars and sent an unmistakable message that those who commit this fraud will face serious criminal charges, now and during any future disasters. The 100 defendants we have charged were responsible for diverting nearly $6 million in relief funds.”

The Attorney General’s Office is continuing its aggressive efforts to investigate fraud in Sandy relief programs, working jointly with the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA), and the Offices of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Also assisting the taskforce is the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission, New Jersey Office of the State Comptroller, New Jersey Department of the Treasury Office of Criminal Investigation, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the non-profit National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB).

The defendants are alleged, in most cases, to have filed fraudulent applications for relief funds offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In many cases, they also applied for funds from a Sandy relief program funded by HUD, low-interest disaster loans from the SBA, or funds from HHS. The HUD funds are administered in New Jersey by the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs and the HHS funds are administered by the New Jersey Department of Human Services.

The following defendants were charged yesterday by complaint-summons:

Michael A. Avena, 65, of Wyckoff, N.J., allegedly filed fraudulent applications following Superstorm Sandy for FEMA assistance and state grants under the Homeowner Resettlement Program (RSP), the Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation (RREM) Program, and the Sandy Homeowner and Renter Assistance Program (SHRAP). As a result, he allegedly received approximately $201,861 in relief funds to which he was not entitled. Avena allegedly falsely claimed in his applications that a home he owns on 5th Avenue in Ortley Beach, N.J., which was damaged by Superstorm Sandy, was his primary residence when Sandy struck. It is alleged that, in fact, his primary residence at the time of the storm was in Wyckoff and the home in Ortley Beach was a vacation home. As a result of the alleged fraudulent applications, Avena received $31,900 from FEMA, a $10,000 RSP grant, RREM grant funds totaling $150,000, and $9,961 in SHRAP funds. Avena is charged with second-degree theft by deception and fourth-degree unsworn falsification.

Charles Tuohy, 55, and his wife, Joanne Benzoni, 64, of Tenafly, N.J., allegedly filed fraudulent applications following Superstorm Sandy for FEMA assistance and state grants under the Homeowner Resettlement Program (RSP) and the Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation (RREM) Program. As a result, the couple allegedly received $162,270 in relief funds to which they were not entitled. Tuohy and Benzoni allegedly falsely claimed in their applications that a home Benzoni owns on Lynn Ann Lane in Manahawkin, N.J., which was damaged by Superstorm Sandy, was their primary residence when Sandy struck. It is alleged that, in fact, their primary residence at the time of the storm was in Tenafly and the home in Manahawkin was a seasonal/weekend home. As a result of the alleged fraudulent applications, Tuohy and Benzoni received $2,270 from FEMA, a $10,000 RSP grant, and $150,000 in RREM grant funds. Tuohy and Benzoni are charged with second-degree theft by deception and fourth-degree unsworn falsification.

Paula Belotta, 56, of Colonia, N.J., allegedly filed fraudulent applications following Superstorm Sandy for FEMA assistance and a state grant under the Homeowner Resettlement Program (RSP). As a result, she allegedly received $12,270 in relief funds to which she was not entitled. Belotta allegedly falsely claimed in her applications that a home she owns on Fielder Avenue in Ortley Beach, N.J., which was damaged by Superstorm Sandy, was her primary residence when Sandy struck. It is alleged that, in fact, her primary residence at the time of the storm was in Colonia and the home in Ortley Beach was a seasonal/weekend home. As a result of the alleged false applications, Belotta received $2,270 from FEMA and a $10,000 RSP grant. Belotta is charged with third-degree theft by deception and fourth-degree unsworn falsification.

“Our unprecedented collaborative efforts to target Sandy relief fraud have been highly productive, as evidenced by the 100 defendants we’ve charged,” said Director Elie Honig of the Division of Criminal Justice. “The payoff from this anti-fraud program is not only the millions of dollars we are recovering, but also the deterrent message we hammer home each time new charges are filed. Thanks to these efforts, relief administrators in future disasters may be able to spend less time policing fraud, which is a drain on resources and a distraction from the vital task of aiding those in need.”

“The State’s continued vigilance against Sandy fraud demonstrates that we won’t stand for this reprehensible behavior,” said DCA Commissioner Charles A. Richman. “As such, my Department remains as committed as ever to working with our law enforcement partners to catch anyone who misuses our Sandy recovery programs.”

The new cases were investigated by detectives of the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice and special agents and inspectors of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, HUD Office of Inspector General, SBA Office of Inspector General, HHS Office of Inspector General and U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The National Insurance Crime Bureau assisted. Deputy Attorneys General Peter Gallagher, Valerie Noto, and Denise Grugan are prosecuting the new defendants under the supervision of Deputy Attorney General Michael A. Monahan, Chief of the Financial & Computer Crimes Bureau, and Deputy Attorney General Mark Kurzawa, Deputy Bureau Chief. Lt. David Nolan and Sgt. Fred Weidman conducted and coordinated the investigations for the Division of Criminal Justice, with others, including Special Civil Investigators Rita Binn and James Parolski.

Second-degree charges carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to$150,000. Third-degree charges carry a sentence of three to five years in prison and a fine of up to $15,000, while fourth-degree charges carry a sentence of up to 18 months in prison and a fine of $10,000. The charges are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

On Oct. 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy hit New Jersey, resulting in an unprecedented level of damage. Almost immediately, the affected areas were declared federal disaster areas, making residents eligible for FEMA relief. FEMA grants are provided to repair damaged homes and replace personal property. In addition, rental assistance grants are available for impacted homeowners. FEMA allocates up to $31,900 per applicant for federal disasters. To qualify for FEMA relief, applicants must affirm that the damaged property was their primary residence at the time of the storm.

In addition to the FEMA relief funds, HUD allocated $16 billion in Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for storm victims on the East Coast. New Jersey received $2.3 billion in CDBG funds for housing-related programs, including $215 million that was allocated for the Homeowner Resettlement Program (RSP) and $1.1 billion that was allocated for the Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation (RREM) Program. Under RSP, the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs is disbursing grants of $10,000 to encourage homeowners affected by Sandy to remain in the nine counties most seriously impacted by the storm: Atlantic, Bergen, Cape May, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean and Union counties. The RREM Program, which is the state’s largest housing recovery program, provides grants to Sandy-impacted homeowners to cover rebuilding costs up to $150,000 that are not funded by insurance, FEMA, SBA loans, or other sources.

The Small Business Administration provides low-interest disaster loans to homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and most private nonprofit organizations. SBA disaster loans can be used to repair or replace real estate, personal property, machinery and equipment, and inventory and business assets damaged or destroyed in a declared disaster. Renters and homeowners may borrow up to $40,000 to repair or replace clothing, furniture, cars or appliances damaged or destroyed in the disaster. Homeowners may apply for a loan of up to $200,000 to replace or repair their primary residence to its pre-disaster condition. Secondary homes or vacation properties are not eligible for these loans, but qualified rental properties may be eligible for assistance under the business loan program.

The Disaster Relief Act provided HHS approximately $760 million in funding for Sandy victims. The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) received approximately $577 million in Sandy funding through three grant programs, including the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) program, which received nearly $475 million to help five states (New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Maryland). New Jersey received over $226 million for a wide range of social services directly related to the disaster. New Jersey used SSBG funds to develop the Sandy Homeowner/Renter Assistance Program (SHRAP) to assist individuals/families with expenses for housing and other related needs.

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Registration is Open for the Ridgewood YMCA 44th Annual Charity Golf Outing

golf_theridgewoodblog

August 5,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Registration is Open for the Ridgewood YMCA 44th Annual Charity Golf Outing on September 25th
Proceeds to benefit the Ridgewood YMCA’s Social Responsibility Programs

The Ridgewood YMCA will hold its 44th Annual Charity Golf Outing on Monday, September 25, 2017 at the Knickerbocker Country Club in Tenafly, New Jersey. Proceeds from the event will support the Ridgewood YMCA’s Social Responsibility Programs.

As a cause-driven organization with a focus on youth development, healthy living and social responsibility, the YMCA offers everyone an opportunity to learn, grow and thrive. The Y’s Social Responsibility Programs address the needs of the community, striving to turn no one away, regardless of their ability to pay. Examples of the Y’s Social Responsibility Programs include Living Strong, Living Well, a strength and conditioning fitness program developed by Stanford University for cancer patients and survivors; Delay The Disease, a program designed to introduce the benefits of exercise to people with Parkinson’s disease; and Rainbows, providing peer support for children who have experienced a painful family transition such as divorce, separation, death of a loved one or abandonment.

The fun-filled day of golf, cocktails, and dinner begins at 9:30 a.m. with registration, brunch, and a shotgun start at 11:00 a.m., followed by the annual Park Avenue BMW Putt-Off Contest. The winner of this contest will get to drive a new BMW convertible for 3 months!

“The Ridgewood Y Annual Charity Golf Outing is a great day for all”, says Ken Levitsky, Committee Chairman. “Participants have the opportunity to play golf, see old friends, make new ones, bid on terrific prizes, and do something good for the community, all at the same time”.

Sponsorship opportunities and online registration for golfers are available at www.ridgewoodymca.org/golf.

For further information, please contact Jen Batelli at 201.444.5600, ext. 320.

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BERGEN BURGLARY TASK FORCE INVESTIGATION RESULTS IN ARREST OF BURGLARY DUO

Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S

June 11,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Hackensack NJ, Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal announced today the arrests of TYRONE GOINS (DOB: 02/14/80; single; and unemployed) of 90 Prospect Avenue, Hackensack, New Jersey and his brother, TRAVIS GOINS (DOB: 01/25/85; single; and employed as a driver) of 44 Brookway Avenue, Englewood, New Jersey. The arrests are the culmination of a three-month-long investigation by detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Squad under the direction of Chief Robert Anzilotti, along with a multi-jurisdictional burglary task force comprised of detectives from Fort Lee, Paramus, Cliffside Park, Tenafly, Saddle River, and Teaneck police departments.

In response to a reported increase of residential burglaries in the eastern part of Bergen County, detectives from the affected towns met and shared information about the burglaries. As a result, a task force was formed and a joint investigation began.

On the evening of June 8, 2017, task force detectives were conducting physical surveillance in the Borough of Cliffside Park. TYRONE GOINS and TRAVIS GOINS were observed in a vehicle that circled the same blocks for a period of time. Shortly after the vehicle left the area, detectives confirmed that a burglary had been committed to a residence on Washington Avenue in Cliffside Park. Detectives were able to locate the suspects’ vehicle and conduct a motor vehicle stop.

TYRONE GOINS and TRAVIS GOINS were each charged with one count of Burglary, in violation of N.J.S.A. 2C18-2A(1), a crime of the 3rd degree, for the Washington Avenue, Cliffside Park burglary along with an additional count of Burglary, for an April 27th, 2017 residential burglary to a Cliffside Park residence on West End Avenue. The investigation is ongoing and more charges are expected.

Tyrone GOINS and Travis GOINS are currently lodged in the Bergen County Jail, pending a detention hearing.

Prosecutor Grewal states that the charges against the defendants are merely accusations and that the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and would also like to thank the Fort Lee, Paramus, Cliffside Park, Tenafly, Saddle River and Teaneck Police Departments for their assistance with this investigation.

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Superintendent of Schools comments on the Ridgewood Schools $105 million budget

Dan Fishbein 10

May 9,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Daniel Fishbein, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools comments on the Ridgewood Board of Education $105 million budget :

Spring is a time of abundance, with buckets of rain, sprouts of new foliage and flowers and pollen, and oh yes, the realities of tax returns and in the case of school districts, budgets.
 
Each year the Ridgewood Board of Education works hard to develop a budget for the following school year that provides for our exceptional instructional and co-curricular programs, as well as the maintenance and operations of our facilities.
 
The budget for the 2017-18 school year, which was approved on May 1 by the Board of Education, allots approximately $105 million to maintain our excellent staff, uphold our rigorous academic offerings, and support new initiatives. Next year’s budget will allow us to add new staff, maintain and upgrade instructional technology equipment, implement a new K-5 Science curriculum and other new or revised courses at the middle and high school levels, launch full-day Kindergarten and undertake a variety of renovation projects around the district.
 
The numbers tell the story.
 
The excellence of our academic, athletic, arts and social/emotional programs in our elementary, middle and high schools is regularly proven by the consistent high reach that our students achieve in nationally recognized programs and tests.
 
Statistics from Ridgewood High School – high ranking by US News and World Report – exemplify how we excel as a district. Our students perform very well on all measures, having for example, seven finalists, nine semi-finalists and 70 commended students in the National Merit Scholarship program over the last two years.
 
In the SAT and ACT, our class of 2016 performed at a very high level.
                                   SAT                                    ACT
           RHS                1759                                    26
           NJ                   1520                                    23.1
           USA                1490                                    21
 
On the AP exams, over 80 percent of our students scored 3 or higher and 134 students were named AP Scholars by the College Boards.
 
Over 95 percent of our Class of 2016 pursued a college or university education this past fall, with 84 percent of their chosen schools classified as competitive, more competitive, or most competitive.
 
And while academics are extremely important, excellence requires breadth in programming. We also provide a very full range of co-curricular and extra-curricular programs that includes fantastic fine and performing arts programs, 29 very successful sports programs and over 100 clubs and activities.
 
Excellence has a price.
 
Simply stated, our ability to offer the variety and depth of services and programs and make an impact in our students’ lives requires a budget of $105 million dollars.  The standard of excellence for Ridgewood students is a costly endeavor, yet an excellent investment in their future.
 
In fact, the State of New Jersey has determined that the 2016-2017 per-pupil cost of a Ridgewood education is $15,119, which is a relatively low per-pupil expenditure when compared to our neighboring districts and others across the state.  Let’s take a look:

Bergen Academies: 27,852
Northern Valley — Old Tappan / Demarest:19,964
Princeton: 19,964
Ramapo/Indian Hills: 19,479
Teaneck: 9,922
Tenafly: 17,049
State of New Jersey: 15,714
 
We couldn’t do it without you.
 
Especially as the majority of the budget is funded by our resident taxpayers, you might want to know that next year’s cost to homeowners is an additional yearly increase of $11 per $100,000 assessed home value. As a reference point, the average assessed Ridgewood home of $696,093 will see a tax increase of $76.56.
 
It is important for me to say thank you for your continued support of our schools, programs and students. The Ridgewood community is a critical partner in our mission of excellence, from the budget that you support through taxes, to the co-curricular and extra-curricular programs that cannot exist without the additional funds that you regularly raise through parent organizations such as HSAs, Booster clubs, individuals and organizations.
 
We are also particularly fortunate and grateful to our large organizational donors such as The Foundation and The Valley Hospital, hose large gifts supplement the budget and help ensure our ability to enhance our schools and the educational experience of every Ridgewood student.
 
We want to hear from you.
 
It’s great that I often receive emails or phone calls from residents who have questions, suggestions and, yes, even criticisms on day-to-day and larger issues affecting the Ridgewood Public Schools. I always welcome that one-on-one dialogue. This year, we are also seeking more formal feedback from our parents and guardians, who’ll be e-mailed our biennial satisfaction survey on May 8.
 
We do this survey every two years to gather data on how we are doing in our schools and as a district. Our last survey in 2015 received a 35.6% response rate, and while this number is very good, we want to beat it this year. Please know that your input is important and valued, so I do hope you will take a few minutes to complete the survey when it arrives in your inbox.  
 
Soon the rains will stop, the flowers will be in full bloom and we’ll be relaxing in our yards and enjoying the green spaces in our beautiful village.  However, the grass isn’t growing under our feet! We are already planning for the 2017-2018 school year, when will welcome the inaugural full-day kindergarten class… the future RHS Class of 2030!  Ouch… that number hurts!
 
As always, please feel free to contact me with your questions or concerns

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The 3 high schools in each county with the best SAT scores

sat-test-2

Updated May 03, 2017
Posted May 03, 2017

By Kathleen O’Brien | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

The average SAT score in New Jersey high schools varied greatly among the state’s 21 counties last school year.

Some counties had multiple high schools with average scores above 1,300, while other counties did not have a single school with an average score better than 1,200 out of 1,600.

The average SAT score among New Jersey’s public high schools overall was a 1,075 out of 1,600 last school year, but plenty of schools posted significantly more impressive scores.

The range of scores also varied. Some counties had one school that far outperformed its neighbors, and others saw close competition for the top spot.

Specialized schools with selective enrollment and run by county vocational districts once again dominate the list of highest average scores, taking home the top 12 spots.

Here are the top three average scores in each county:

BERGEN COUNTY

1) Bergen County Academies

Location: Hackensack

Score: 1,470

2) Bergen County Technical School

Location: Teterboro

Score: 1,330

3) Tenafly High School

Location: Tenafly

Score: 1,307

https://www.nj.com/education/2017/05/high_schools_with_the_top_3_sat_scores_for_each_co.html?ath=a661ed5d8cb41fa9dc524c06f451a07d#cmpid=nsltr_stryheadline

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Ridgewood Places 7th in the NICHE :2017 Best Places to Live in New Jersey

New Ridgewood Council Gets Down to Village Business

file photo by Boyd Loving

April 21,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ , the website NICHE issued report cards on places to live in New Jersey. The website says ,the 2017 Best Places to Live ranking provides a comprehensive assessment of the overall livability of an area. This grade takes into account several key factors of a location, including the quality of local schools, crime rates, housing trends, employment statistics, and access to amenities in an attempt to measure the overall quality of an area.

Ridgewood came in 7th with neighbors Glen Rock 11th  and Ho Ho Kus came in at number 20.

#7 Works Here: Ridgewood is a great town for young adults to raise their children. Ridgewood is a very tight knit community where everyone helps out and knows one another. The center of town has a good amount of shops and top rated restaurants in the county which attracts a very positive ribe throughout the town. Ridgewood residents are great supporters of the local businesses. Also, young children used the center of town as a safe haven to meet up with friends. They utilize the shops, restaurants, and movie theater; everything is within walking distance! Ridgewood has a fantastic school system that challenges students and allows for high college acceptance rates. The faulty is outstanding and does not leave anyone behind. Ridgewood’s school system also offers a wide variety of afterschool activities for the children, including camps at the town pool! Overall Ridgewood is an outstanding town and a wonderful community for families to grow.

# 11 Current Resident:GR is a great little town- close to NYC & culture, easy access to mountains & the beach. Pretty streets & houses, nice people, & a cute little downtown. You know everyone & they know you (the +/- of such a small town). A bit insane for sports & academics. Students feel pressured to succeed/excel, but there is lots of support to help you. Kids from GR go to a wide variety of excellent colleges, but not many to the Ivy’s.

#20 Niche User:As a long time NJ resident we looked closely at every town in Northern NJ and HHK had the best of everything we were looking for. The schools were great, lots of well educated families, a town you could walk to, great restaurants, the ability to get really involved in the town or not at all and reasonable taxes compared to the rest of Bergen County. After 6 years of living here my wife and I agree this is the best town to live in and raise a family.

1 Princeton Meadows
2 Plainsboro Center
3 Princeton
4 Princeton Junction
5 Short Hills
6 Heathcote
7 Ridgewood
8 Chatham
9 Upper Montclair
10 Tenafly
11 Glen Rock
12 Demarest
13 Bernards Township
14 Westfield
15 Bradley Gardens
16 Glen Ridge
17 Dayton
18 Morris Township
19 Chatham Township
20 Ho-Ho-Kus

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Reader asks Anyone want to correlate School Budget to SAT scores and see how poorly we are really doing?

sat-test-2

Excluding the specialized high schools, the top 20 list is:

——————————————–
===== Below 1325 combined SAT =====
1) (1322) Millburn
2) (1321) West Windsor-Plainsboro South
3) (1317) West Windsor-Plainsboro North
4) (1313) Montgomery
5) (1307) Tenafly
——————————————–
6) (1302) Princeton
===== Below 1300 combined SAT =====
7) (1283) Bernards Township (Ridge HS)
8) (1281) Jersey City (Dr. Ronald McNair HS)
9) (1276) Northern Valley – Demarest===== Below 1275 combined SAT =====
10) (1273) Edison (John P Stevens HS)
——————————————–
11) (1262) Ridgewood
===== Below 1250 combined SAT =====
12) (1243) Allendale – Northern Highlands
13) (1236) Livingston
14) (1233) Haddonfield
15) (1227) Chatham
——————————————–
16) (1225) East Brunswick
===== Below 1225 combined SAT =====
17) (1223) West Morris Mendham
18) (1221) Pennington (Hopewell Valley Central HS)
19) (1221) Marlboro
20) (1221) New Providence
21) (1221) Westfield
——————————————–
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Anyone want to correlate School Budget to SAT scores and see how poorly we are really doing?

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Ridgewood Receives 1.23 inches of Rain

water storage

file photo by Boyd Loving

April 2,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ,recent rains are making head way toward alleviating  the drought in Jersey,The Division of Water Supply and Geoscience within the Department of Environmental Protection, regularly monitors various water supply conditions within the state based on the different Water Supply Regions. The water supply conditions aid the Department in declaring the regions as being within one of the four stages of water supply drought, Normal, Drought Watch, Drought Warning, and Drought Emergency.
Bergen County finds is self still under a “drought warning” as of March 26th ,but what does that mean?

A drought warning represents a non-emergency phase of managing available water supplies during the developing stages of drought, and falls between the Watch and Emergency levels of drought response. The aim of a Drought Watch is to avert a more serious water shortage that would necessitate declaration of a water emergency and the imposition of mandatory water use restrictions, bans on water use, or other potentially drastic measures.  Under a drought warning, the commissioner of the DEP may order water purveyors to develop alternative sources of water or transfer water between areas of the State with relatively more water to those with less.  While mandatory water use restrictions are not imposed under a Warning, the general public is strongly urged to use water sparingly in affected areas.

Friday’s heavy rains coupled with melting snow may help to alleviate the situation, but don’t go out an celebrate just yet  :

BERGEN COUNTY

Teterboro Airport: 1.45 inches
River Vale: 1.32 inches
Palisades Park: 1.26 inches
Ridgewood: 1.23 inches
Tenafly: 1.05 inches

(  https://www.nj.com/weather/index.ssf/2017/04/nj_rainfall_totals_from_march_31_storm.html )

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Out Of Sight Shouldn’t Be Out Of Mind: A Cautionary Tale About Checking Your Gas Pipes

PSEG

March 31,2017
DAVID PLOTKIN, PSE&G CUSTOMER

Ridgewood NJ, It’s easy to take things we don’t see for granted – like the gas pipes in our home. I’m sure like many other homeowners, I never thought much about what was going on behind my walls. I had gas service, so everything was surely fine, right? I couldn’t have been more wrong.

It began on a cold January day when a friend dropped off her daughter for a playdate with my daughter. While she was in my house, she thought she smelled gas. We knew this wasn’t something to be taken lightly, so I called PSE&G. Service Specialist Eric (E.G.) Madsen promptly arrived. He took a gas reading and immediately shut off the gas lines to our house. He had a hunch that there might be a leak in the inside gas pipes. He told my wife, who was home alone at the time, that she needed to leave immediately and call an HVAC company to test the pipes.

When the HVAC company arrived what they found was chilling and terrifying. There was indeed a leak in our pipes. In fact a leak is an understatement — there was a substantial hole! Gas was in the ground — and in our walls. The gas pipes inside our house needed to be replaced. We lived in a hotel while the pipes were dug up and replaced. Once that was done a few days later, Mr. Madsen returned to turn on the gas. While I was sitting in my kitchen waiting, I asked him just how much gas was in my walls. His reply sent chills down my spine . “Gas explodes at between 5 percent and 15 percent,” he said. “You were at 15 percent.” We dodged a bullet that day. As a result, the plumbing inspector for the Borough of Tenafly now is checking all the gas pipes in the homes in our neighborhood.

Life lessons are learned every day. With those lessons it’s important to keep things in perspective. We often times get caught up with what’s around us. We focus on what we can see. When things are invisible to the eye, like the gas pipes in our home, we just assume everything is alright. Thankfully, Mr. Madsen didn’t do that. I believe he might have saved our lives, and those of our neighbors. He says that he was just doing his job. It is not often we have the opportunity to thank the people who keep us safe. In fact, we often take them for granted. So, thank you Mr. Madsen.

If I can leave you with one final thought, it would be not to take your pipes for granted. Get them checked. And, if you think you smell gas, call PSE&G!

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Ridgewood and Glen Rock Make America’s 100 Richest Places list

CBD Ridgewood by ArtChick
file photo by ArtChick
March 25,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood bog

Ridgewood NJ, in a Bloomberg report on America’s 100 Richest Places ,cities and towns with ties to Wall Street and the Silicon Valley, and a smattering of communities in between, boasted the highest U.S. household incomes in 2015, according to a Bloomberg analysis of census data. Ridgewood came in 67th on the list with and avage household income of $219,566 .

Atherton, California, in the technology corridor between San Francisco and San Jose, topped the list as America’s wealthiest town, while more than one-third of the nation’s 100 richest households were located within 50 miles of New York City.

Here are some of the top 100 from New Jersey

19. Upper Saddle River, $276,982
34. North Caldwell, $251,248;
41. Franklin Lakes, $243,441;
43. Rumson, $242,158;
49. Upper Montclair, $236,382;
56. Glen Ridge, $227,198;
61. Tenafly, $222,633;
67. Ridgewood, $219,566;
70. Summit (Union), $215,515;
72. Chatham (Morris), $213,408;
73. Woodcliff Lake, $211,473;
79. Bernardsville (Somerset), $206,277;
92. Glen Rock, $197,914.
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Wife sues driver who killed her jogging husband

BergenCountyCourthouse

By Anthony G. Attrino | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on March 21, 2017 at 6:35 AM, updated March 21, 2017 at 8:48 AM

TENAFLY – The wife of a man struck and killed by a car during an early morning jog last fall has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the driver, according to court documents.

Robert E. Hyer Jr., 63, was killed as he tried to cross East Clinton Avenue at Woodland Street in Tenafly. (Google Maps)

Robert E. Hyer Jr., 63, of Tenafly, was killed Oct. 25, 2016, as he crossed East Clinton Avenue at Woodland Street in Tenafly, according to a lawsuit filed March 13 in Bergen County Superior Court.

The driver was Raffaella Garritano, 58, of Englewood Cliffs, according to attorneys for Hyer’s wife Andrea McDermott Hyer, 54.

“Garritano operated that vehicle in such an inattentive, careless, reckless and negligent manner so as to strike and violently knock (the victim) to the ground,” the suit states.

https://www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/2017/03/wrongful_death_suit_filed_against_driver_who_hit_j.html?ath=a661ed5d8cb41fa9dc524c06f451a07d#cmpid=nsltr_strybutton