RHS girls gymnastics Karen Mendez is named Coach of the Year
December 9 2014
Ridgewood NJ, The Record has named RHS girls gymnastics coach Karen Mendez the Coach of the Year for that sport. In addition to her position as head gymnastics coach, Ms. Mendez, an alumna of RHS who excelled in gymnastics when in high school, is a Business Education Teacher, DECA Co-Advisor and School Store Advisor.
Click here for the announcement in The Record.
RHS Senior is Selected for United States Senate Youth Program
December 9 2014
Ridgewood NJ, RHS senior Gabriel Voorhis-Allen has been selected as one of only two students to represent New Jersey as a delegate to the United States Senate Youth Program (USSYP). The event will be held in Washington, D.C. on March 7 – 14, 2015. Gabriel will also receive a $5,000 college scholarship for undergraduate studies, with encouragement to pursue coursework in history and political science.
The program, founded in 1962 through Senate Resolution, selects each year two of the highest achieving students from each state, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Education system overseas. Delegates are selected through an extremely competitive merit-based selection process held at the state departments of education nationwide. The student leaders spend a week in Washington experiencing their national government in action. All transportation, hotel and meal expenses are provided by The Hearst Foundations.
Planning Board Meeting Schedule : Land Use Amendment of the Master Plan
Planning Board Amended Meeting Schedule – December 16th at BFMS
PLANNING BOARD AMENDMENT TO MEETING SCHEDULE
Special Public Meeting: Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Change of Location
In accordance with the provisions of the “Open Public Meetings Act,” please be advised that the Planning Board has scheduled a special public meeting and work session for TUESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2014, in the Benjamin Franklin Middle School Auditorium, 335 North Van Dien Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ – 7:30 P.M
The Board may take official action during this Special Public Meeting at which time the Board will continue the public hearing concerning a proposed amendment to the Land Use Plan Element of the Master Plan which would recommend changes in zone district classifications and boundaries within the Central Business District and surrounding area, creating the AH-2, B-3-R, and C-R Zone Districts and amending the existing C Zone District.
All meetings of the Ridgewood Planning Board (i.e., official public meetings, work session meetings, pre-meeting assemblies and special meetings) are public meetings which are always open to members of the general public.
The Big Budget Sellout
What’s in the spending bill? We skim it so you don’t have to
By Ed O’Keefe December 10 at 10:30 AM
A copy of the fiscal 2014 spending bill is arranged for a photograph in Washington Jan. 14. (Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg)
This item has been updated and revised.
The $1.01 trillion spending bill unveiled late Tuesday will keep most of the federal government funded through next September — and it’s packed with hundreds of policy instructions, known on Capitol Hill as “riders,” that will upset or excite Democrats, Republicans and various special interest groups.
So, what’s in the bill? We’ve sifted through the legislation, consulted supporting documents from Democratic and Republican aides, and called out some of the more notable and controversial elements below. (If you want to review detailed reports on all 12 parts of the spending bill, clickhere.)
Please note: This is a fluid report that will be updated to add more detail or correct errors. What notable changes did we miss? What notable changes did you spot? Contact us or share details in the comments section below:
ABORTION:
The bill once again bans using federal funding to perform most abortions; blocks the use of local and federal funding for abortions in the District of Columbia; and blocks the use of federal dollars for abortions for federal prisoners. Republicans say that there’s also new language directing the secretary of health and human services to ensure that consumers shopping for health-care coverage on the federal exchange can tell whether a plan covers abortion services.
AFFORDABLE CARE ACT:
The law is still funded, but there’s no new money for it. There’s also no new ACA-related funding for the Internal Revenue Service and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the two agencies most responsible for implementing the law. The bill also would cut the budget of the Independent Payment Advisory Board — what Republicans have called “the death panel” — by $10 million.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/12/09/whats-in-the-spending-bill-we-skim-it-so-you-dont-have-to/
Port Authority security costs have risen 40 percent in five years
DECEMBER 9, 2014, 10:12 PM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2014, 10:12 PM
BY SHAWN BOBURG
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
Few agencies know the horrors of terrorism as does the Port Authority. But more than 13 years after the 9/11 attacks toppled the Twin Towers, the cost of its police and security apparatus continues to mushroom at a rate some top officials are calling unsustainable.
The Port Authority’s 1,835-member police force is bigger than ever and growing still. Some officers racked up so much overtime last year that they tripled their salaries and ranked among the agency’s top earners. At the same time, the Port Authority is paying an unprecedented amount to private security companies to help guard airports and other facilities. And the costs could continue to climb as the agency assumes increasing responsibility for securing a nearly rebuilt World Trade Center.
When Port Authority commissioners meet this morning, they are scheduled to vote on a 2015 spending plan that dedicates nearly a quarter of every dollar spent on operations to police and security. The $658 million slated for public-safety operations is 40 percent higher than it was only five years ago and quadruple the 2000 level. That growth has come as the rest of the agency’s operating expenses remained flat the last decade, its non-police workforce shrinking.
“Neither the trajectory of the expenses nor the current level is sustainable,” Port Authority Chairman John Degnan said in an interview on Tuesday.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/port-authority-security-costs-have-risen-40-percent-in-five-years-1.1149278
Paramus’ Hudson City merger deadline put back 4 months
DECEMBER 10, 2014 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014, 1:21 AM
BY HUGH R. MORLEY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
* M&T extends $3.7 billion Hudson City deal to April 30 as Fed reviews would-be buyer’s money-laundering controls
The deadline for the $3.7 billion merger between Hudson City Bancorp Inc. of Paramus, New Jersey’s largest bank, and Buffalo-based M&T Bank Corp. has been held up for a third time, the lenders said Tuesday, extending the longest delay for any bank tie-up since the financial crisis six years ago.
With a Dec. 31 deadline looming, the banks said the merger, first announced in August 2012, would have to be completed by April 30, the companies said in a release. When the deal was first announced, it was the biggest takeover of a U.S. bank in 2012, according to Bloomberg News data.
The deadline extension follows similar announcements in August 2013 and January of this year. Bank mergers have generally taken longer to complete since the financial crisis, as regulators have placed more scrutiny and requirements on prospective partners. However, experts said the M&T-Hudson City deal is taking far longer than normal, even by current standards, and perhaps longer than any bank merger in memory.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/merger-tied-up-3rd-time-1.1149488
file photo Ridgewood Run
10-year-old runner from Ridgewood to compete at Nationals
DECEMBER 10, 2014 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 10, 2014, 1:21 AM
BY NEIL AMDUR
SPECIAL TO THE RECORD |
THE RECORD
They are as different as night and day. Camryn Wennersten, 10, is quiet and competitive, stubbornly unyielding. Her younger sister Peyton, 7, is outspoken, a “sparkle diva,” according to track coach John Murtaugh, who has worked with the sisters.
But the Wennersten sisters share a common passion, running, that appears to have no limits in a Ridgewood family steeped in sports. Last month their mother and father, Kevin and Taryn Wennersten, completed the New York City Marathon. On Thanksgiving Day, the entire family — Kevin, Taryn, Camryn, Peyton and their older brothers, Bryce and Triston — ran a 5-kilometer race in Upper Saddle River.
On Saturday Camryn, already the best in her age group in the county, state and mid-Atlantic region, will measure her skill and will in a 3-kilometer race at the USATF National Junior Olympic Cross Country championships in Myrtle Beach, S.C. More than 3,000 runners in categories from 8-and-under through 17-18 will compete.
https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/family/setting-the-pace-for-the-family-1.1149425
FEINSTEIN STRIKES BACK AFTER SPOOKS SPY ON HER!
Sen. Bob Kerrey: Partisan torture report fails America
Bob Kerrey8:51 p.m. EST December 9, 2014
Intelligence agencies need guidance to do better, Senate Democrats failed to provide it.
I regret having to write a piece that is critical of the Democratic members of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. Most of them are former colleagues and friends. I hope they will remain friends after reading this.
For eight years I served on this committee. I know how difficult and important the work of providing tough and fair oversight of our nation’s$50 billion top-secret intelligence network.
I will wait until I have fully read and considered Tuesday’s report to enter the debate over whether the CIA handled interrogation of detainees in an appropriate manner. Thanks to the 2005 and 2006 efforts of Senator John McCain I do not have to wait to be certain our interrogation policies and procedures are aligned with our core values.
I also do not have to wait to know we are fighting a war that is different than any in our country’s past. The enemy does not have an easy to identify and analyze military. In the war against global jihadism, human intelligence and interrogation have become more important, and I worry that the partisan nature of this report could make this kind of collection more difficult.
file photo Boyd Loving Cat CPR
Kindness of Ridgewood community prevails in face of tragedy
DECEMBER 8, 2014 LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2014, 11:29 AM
BY JODI WEINBERGER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Two separate house fires broke out Nov. 28, causing severe damage and killing two cats.
Fire Chief James Van Goor said firefighters tried to deliver CPR to the two cats that had been hiding in an upstairs bedroom as a fire raged through the basement of a home on South Pleasant Avenue.
Homeowners Keith and Lauren Imbruglia made it out of their house with another pet, a rescued bulldog, unharmed. Their three children were not home at the time. The cats, sisters, had been adopted two years ago.
Van Goor said firefighters responded to the home at 3 p.m.; an investigation later determined that the blaze was caused by smoldering embers falling down through a “clean-out shoot” that was open in the family’s fireplace.
The Imbruglias had been using their fireplace for the first time in a house they had just moved into in July.
To completely extinguish the flames, Van Goor said firefighters had to knock down a wall in the basement.
“The basement was going really good,” the chief said. “There was a lot of fire in the basement and it was rolling over the top of the ceiling. There is extensive smoke damage on the first and second floors and the basement was completely burned out.”
COURTESY RIDGEWOOD POLICE
A Ridgewood homeowner’s surveillance footage showing the burglary suspect.
Ridgewood cops hunting burglar; note rash of break-ins
DECEMBER 9, 2014, 9:17 PM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2014, 9:22 PM
BY JIM NORMAN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — The burglar smashed a first-floor window of a village residence with a large rock, then — with security alarms blaring and lights glaring — he dashed up the stairs into a guest bedroom and grabbed an armload of Tiffany jewelry and heirloom baby toys before escaping in what is believed to be a dark-colored pickup truck, according to police.
But there was something the burglar — still unidentified Tuesday — may not have been counting on in Friday’s break-in: The homeowners had “a really elaborate security system,” said Detective Douglas Williams, and as a result, police have clear pictures and video footage of him as he tried the front door and pressed his ear against it to determine if anyone was home.
Once he decided the coast was clear, Williams said, the burglar broke in, activating the alarm sirens and turning on the lights in the home.
With the alarm activated, he barely had time to run into the one bedroom and dash back down the stairs, Williams said, and he had no time to ransack other rooms in search of valuables.
The detective said the security video also shows the pickup truck circling the block just before the burglary. He said it appeared to be a late model, full-size pickup, possibly with an extended cab.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-cops-hunting-burglar-note-rash-of-break-ins-1.1149235
Elijah Cummings Savages Gruber: ‘Absolutely Stupid,’ ‘Incredibly Disrespectful’
By Brendan Bordelon
December 9, 2014 10:19 AM
Democratic congressman Elijah Cummings tore into MIT professor and Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber on Tuesday for his remarks on American voters and the passage of the Affordable Care Act.
The ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee made GOP chairman Darrell Issa’s opening statement sound tame by comparison.
“As far as I can tell, we are here today to beat up on Jonathan Gruber for stupid — I mean absolutely stupid — comments he made over the last few years,” he began, staring angrily at the hapless professor.
“Let me be clear, I am extremely frustrated with Dr. Gruber’s statements,” Cummings continued. “They were irresponsibly, incredibly disrespectful, and did not reflect reality. And they were indeed insulting.”
Christie, Cuomo urged to sign Port Authority reform bills
DECEMBER 9, 2014, 5:33 PM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2014, 6:15 PM
BY JOHN SEASLY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
Politicians and advocates from New York and New Jersey urged governors Chris Christie and Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday to approve two bills reforming Port Authority procedures.
The two bills hold the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to higher standards of transparency and accountability. They were passed unanimously by both states’ legislative bodies. Cuomo and Christie must now decide the bills’ fates. The bills will be sent to Cuomo by mid-December. Christie has until Dec. 28 to act. Both governors must approve the bills for them to take effect.
“I’m confident he’s going to sign it,” New Jersey state Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle said of Christie, after remarking that she had recently raised the issue in person with the governor. Sen. Robert Gordon wasn’t as confident, but still hoped Christie would sign.
“Governor Christie said he was going to usher in a new era of transparency and accountability. Here’s a chance for him to do that,” Gordon said.
The bills enforce laws about open meetings, financial disclosure and public records. Currently, the Port Authority, as a bi-state agency, is exempt from public records laws. The bills also require the agency to submit detailed budgets, undergo annual independent audits and hold at least six public hearings before voting on proposed toll increases.
The debate over how to reform the Port Authority comes as a panel appointed by both governors is expected to propose its own reforms in the coming weeks. It’s unclear if those recommendations will affect the proposed bills before the governors, or if they will cover the same ground.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/christie-cuomo-urged-to-sign-port-authority-reform-bills-1.1149208
Report of Izod Center deal was ‘error,’ American Dream developers say
DECEMBER 9, 2014 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2014, 6:40 PM
BY JOHN BRENNAN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
American Dream Meadowlands developer Triple Five, which has been touting scores of leases and commitments to the 2.9 million-square-foot shopping and entertainment complex, on Tuesday backed away from a claim about taking over the adjacent Izod Center.
The four-page “Monthly Status Update” distributed to a number of real estate brokers at a shopping center conference in New York this week refers to an intention to “Re-brand Izod Center to American Dream Center in partnership with the owners of Barclays Center & Live Nation.”
But the 33-year-old arena is owned and operated by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, and agency President Wayne Hasenbalg said “that decision hasn’t been made, and we have no conversations with [Triple Five] about that. We are the entity that would decide to whom we turned over operations.”
Alan Marcus, a spokesman for Triple Five, said the arena notice was in error, but said he could not explain how it ended up in the status update. The update, distributed to many attendees at the International Council of Shopping Centers convention at the Javits Center, which ended Tuesday, also listed FAO Schwarz, Saks Fifth Avenue, Lord & Taylor and scores of other retailers.
“The only thing that would be accurate to say is that should Izod become available for lease, purchase or otherwise, we would undoubtedly participate in any privatization process, given our commitment to expanding entertainment opportunities in conjunction with American Dream,” Marcus said.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/nj-state-news/report-of-izod-center-deal-was-error-american-dream-developers-say-1.1149225
Breakfast with Santa December 13th
Ridgewood Chamber of commerce
Breakfast with Santa – Call for reservation 201/652-1070 Visit Santa in the Park – 12Noon to 3PM
Santa is at his house in Ridgewood-bring your list.
8:00am-12:00Noon Breakfast with Santa-The Office Beer Bar & Grill
12Noon-4:00pm Visit Santa at his house – Memorial Park @ Van Neste Square
Kilwins serving hot chocolate Weather permitting
Free Parking in Ridgewood Lots on Saturdays
The Ridgewood Village Council has approved FREE Parking in the Ridgewood metered lots on Saturday, December 13, 20 and 27.
Come shop and dine in Ridgewood!
Menorah Lighting to Celebrate Chanukah
All are Welcome!
Menorah Lighting takes place at Memorial Park at Van Neste Square – Tuesday, December 16 at 5:30PM. Lighting times are posted for the rest of the week on the fence in the park.
Gloria – A Festive Holiday Concert
NJ Choral Society – West Side Presbyterian Church
New Jersey Choral Society presents “Gloria,” a festive holiday concert Bergen and Essex County
Experience festive music of the season as the New Jersey Choral Society presents “Gloria,” a concert of sacred and traditional holiday carols on Saturday, December 6 at 8:00 pm and Sunday, December 7 at 3:00 pm at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, 30 North Fullerton Ave., Montclair. A third performance will be presented on Tuesday, December 16 at 7:30 pm at the West Side Presbyterian Church, 6 South Monroe St., Ridgewood. The joyous and uplifting program features John Rutter’s “Gloria”, the New Jersey premieres of “Glory to God” by Julian Revie and “Gloria” by Rick Ryan (a member of the Connecticut Choral Society) and David Hamilton’s elegant work of Christmas worship “Gloria.” Excerpts from Daniel Pinkham’s Fanfares, “Sanctus” from Verdi’s Requiem and “Bogoroditse Devo” (“Ave Maria”) by Rachmaninoff will also be featured. Some traditional carols such as “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” “Angels We Have Heard on High” and “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” will be included as well. The chorus will be accompanied by organist Linda Sweetman-Waters, a Brass and Percussion Ensemble, and the Junior High School Chorus from the New Jersey Home School Association under the direction of Noelle Dachis. 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 this past summer in France. Come one hour prior to concert time for The Inside Line, a complimentary lecture that provides an insightful and intimate discussion of the music for all ticket holders. Tickets are $25.00 for general admission, $22.00 for students, seniors, and patrons with disabilities and $12 for children 12 and under (add $5.00 at the door). Group discounts are also available. For reservations or more information, visit www.njcs.org or call the New Jersey Choral Society at (201) 379-7719. In support of the Center for Food Action, the New Jersey Choral Society will be collecting nonperishable food items at this concert. The Church of the Immaculate Conception and Westside Presbyterian Church are both 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.
Breakfast With Santa – Visit Santa House December 20th
Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce
Breakfast with Santa – reservations at 201/652-1070 Visit Santa in his house in the park Noon to 3PM www.experienceridgewoodnj.com
YWCA Solstice Yoga Workshop 12/20
Introductory Classes
YWCA Offers Solstice Yoga Workshop on December 20th YWCA Bergen County will be holding two Solstice Yoga classes for all ages and levels on Saturday, December 20, 2014. Intro to Yoga, a light-hearted, introductory class taught by Colleen Fontes, a certified instructor of over 20 years, will be held from 3:00 – 4:00 p.m. A short break and refreshments will follow. At 4:30 p.m. there will be a second class, Winter Solstice 108 Sun Salutations for regular yoga practitioners, led by instructors Colleen Fontes, Fran Milde, and Christa Hughes. All participants must bring a yoga mat. Classes will be held at the YWCA, 112 Oak Street, Ridgewood. Movement@YW members can participate for free; for non-members there is a suggested donation of $10 per person per class. Participants should be in general good health and able to sit, stand and lie down. For more information and to register, call Colleen Fontes at 201-444-5600 x351.
Orpheus Club Men’s Chorus
Holiday Concert
Orpheus Club Men’s Chorus of Ridgewood Concerts on the calendar. First one is Sat Dec 20 at 7:30 pm at the Ridgewood United Methodist Church, and the second is Sunday Dec 21 at 4 PM.
Is NJ among the most corrupt states? Political reporters think so
New Jersey ranks among the most corrupt states in the nation, according to a new study, which surveyed political reporters for their view on the subject. (O’Neill/NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
