O’Toole flips on Wisniewski at SCI hearing: ‘This is America’
TRENTON — During a hearing of the Select Committee on Investigation this morning, state Sen. Kevin O’Toole went off on the committee co-chair, Assemblyman John Wisniewski, for attempting to “censor” his comments on the legislative body’s ongoing investigation in the George Washington Bridge 2013 lane closures. (Brush/PolitickerNJ)
https://politickernj.com/2014/
North Jersey transportation agency targets efforts to rebuild Bergen, Essex drawbridge
The authority voted Monday to add the Kingsland Avenue Bridge, which connects Lyndhurst and Nutley, on its priority list. It also recommended using $750,000 to fund a study to determine how to rebuild the bridge, which is used by more than 40,000 vehicles daily. (Hayes/The Bergen Record)
Members of Ridgewood PBA local 20 make toy donation to Social Services Association of Ridgewood
If you would like to donate to the Social Services Association of Ridgewood please visit their website at https://www.ssaridgewood.org/ or call 201-444-2980.
Enclave to Host On-Site Open House at 257 East Ridgewood Avenue
Enclave to Host On-Site Open House December 9th
RIDGEWOOD, NJ, December 9, 2014 – The developers of Enclave, a proposed 52-unit luxury apartment building on Maple Avenue between East Ridgewood and Franklin, will host an open house to present new data that answers lingering questions about prospective resident populations and other issues that have arisen during recent Planning Board hearings.
The meeting will be held at 257 East Ridgewood Avenue – the property that has applied to be considered to a Master Plan Amendment that would allow upscale apartments in Downtown Ridgewood – at 7:30 p.m. on Tues., Dec. 9th.
“Ridgewood’s planner has done a thorough job in modeling impacts and assessing benefits from prospective luxury apartment development in Downtown Ridgewood, but the legally required format to convey information has frustrated the public,” says John Saraceno, developer of the Enclave and himself a Ridgewood resident.
“Ridgewood residents have asserted a nearly unprecedented challenge to their planning professionals and planning board members to assure rents and household sizes,” says Mr. Saraceno. “Some cynics believe those demands are a ploy to confound the process; but we took our neighbors at their word and we have developed data that supports the previous submissions of professionals – including those employed by the Village. The numbers are undeniably persuasive and to sincerely interested people, the resulting data set that should allay their concerns.”
Of the four properties that have applied for consideration as luxury apartment locations, two are on the sites of former car dealerships; one is the site of the former DMV inspection location; and the final is the Enclave. Each of the sites is zoned for office and/or other commercial uses whose traffic and quality of life impacts will be greater than the proposed residential development, but whose property tax contributions will be lower. Each site essentially allows the same scope of development for other uses and each allows residential development. The proposed amendment increases allowable heights modestly (by less than 4 feet) and would allow the developers to use their current buildable area (square footage) for residential rather than the currently permitted commercial or residential-above-retail.
“We have held five previous sessions in discussion formats where we can explore the data and explain things in a friendlier environment, and it is very helpful for people who are truly interested in obtaining information. We also think that actually having people on the site will bring the project to life and demonstrate the advantageous of allowing retail rather than currently permitted uses.
“With the testimony of the Planner behind us and the final public comment period in front of us – plus now knowing the prospective resident profile – we felt it was a good time to have one last session to clear up any remaining doubts about the appeal of adding luxury residences downtown to sites where they are clearly the most beneficial, least impactful future use.”
www.downtownridgewood.com hosts a variety of documents related to the submissions to the Planning Board from the four developers applying for status under the proposed amendment.
Critics say survey figures inflate threat of on campus rapes
DECEMBER 9, 2014 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2014, 12:07 AM
BY HANNAN ADELY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
The alarming government statistic that one in five women is sexually assaulted while in college has been cited by the Obama administration and in frequent news reports as it has become a rallying cry for changes on campus.
But critics claim the assault figure — taken from a survey that includes questions about acts that range from forced kissing and touching to rape — is inflated and unrepresentative, and is leading to panic and hasty decisions by college administrators who need to address a complex problem.
“It’s not a question of whether the university needs to address this,” said Samantha Harris, director of policy research at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, which advocates for students’ rights at colleges and universities. “It is allowing a moral |panic to prevail and preventing clear heads from crafting a |solution that is fair to every-|one involved.”
Experts say that getting accurate findings on rape and sexual assault is challenging and depends on how the crimes are defined and measured.
Despite that, other large studies have found similar rates of rape and assault among women. Advocates for women say that even if the statistic is inflated, the problem is real and that takes away nothing from its significance.
The one-in-five number, gleaned from a 2007 survey by the National Institute of Justice, a division of the Justice Department, was at the forefront of a report issued in January by a White House task force on sexual assault. The statistic was highlighted in news coverage of two reported rapes at Ramapo College and William Paterson University in Wayne in the past three weeks that resulted in the arrests of 10 students.
Ridgewood gets 7 proposals for downtown site
DECEMBER 9, 2014 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 9, 2014, 1:21 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — The village has received seven proposals from four developers who are all interested in redeveloping a 2.07-acre portion of Ridgewood’s downtown.
The proposals are being considered as the Planning Board continues hearing testimony on a master plan amendment sought by three developers who want to build high density, multifamily housing complexes downtown.
Officials said the seven plans, which were opened last week, include provisions for much-needed parking. The parcels to be redeveloped are at the corner of Franklin Avenue and North Walnut Street.
Most of the proposals would augment the amount of available housing and retail space in downtown Ridgewood, said Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld. However, she would not provide specific details or costs “relative to the plans,” claiming in an email that doing so could “impact our future negotiations” with the four developers.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-gets-7-proposals-for-downtown-site-1.1148868
NJ TRANSIT ANNOUNCES SYSTEMWIDE CROSS-HONORING IN ADVANCE OF NOR’EASTER
Customers advised to check njtransit.com before traveling
December 8, 2014
NEWARK, NJ — As the season’s next Nor’easter storm moves toward the region, NJ TRANSIT operations, customer service and police personnel are taking steps to minimize delays and ensure service reliability and safety. All customers are strongly advised to check njtransit.com before traveling for up-to-the-minute service information before starting their trip.
Systemwide Cross-Honoring in Effect: To give customers additional travel options during expected winter weather conditions, NJ TRANSIT will offer full system wide cross-honoring for the entire service day Tuesday, December 9, enabling customers to use their ticket or pass on an alternate travel mode—rail, bus or light rail. For example, customers who normally take the bus from Rutherford to the Port Authority Bus Terminal may use their bus pass or ticket on the train from Rutherford to New York Penn Station. Similarly, customers who normally take the bus between Atlantic City and Lindenwold may use the Atlantic City Rail Line instead at no additional charge.
NJ TRANSIT will closely monitor the crowds at New York Penn Station, Hoboken Terminal and the Port Authority Bus Terminal and make adjustments to service as necessary.
The Corporation is preparing to minimize disruptions and delays to the extent possible, particularly in light of the potential Nor’easter that may impact portions of the area starting tonight. Rail and light rail crews and equipment are on standby to quickly respond to downed trees, power outages or other issues that may arise. In addition, NJ TRANSIT will be positioning locomotives at strategic locations across the rail system to rapidly respond in the event of a disabled train.
Customers are advised of the following:
Systemwide: NJ TRANSIT plans to operate a regular weekday schedule on Tuesday, December 9. Depending on the impact of the storm, it may be necessary for NJ TRANSIT to modify service as conditions change.
Bus Service: While every effort will be made to continue operating bus service throughout the state, customers may experience delays or detours on their routes in the event of extreme winter weather conditions. Customers are advised to plan accordingly and anticipate disruptions to bus service.
Travel Advice:
For the latest travel information, visit njtransit.com or access our Twitter feed at @NJ_TRANSIT prior to starting your trip. In the event of delays or service adjustments, NJ TRANSIT will provide the most current service information via the My Transit alert system, which delivers travel advisories for your specific trip to your cell phone, PDA or pager. (If you are not yet a My Transit subscriber, we encourage you to sign up at www.njtransit.com/mytransit) Service information is also available by calling (973) 275-5555 or from broadcast traffic reports.
Listen closely to public address announcements at stations for late-breaking service information.
Build additional travel time into your trip to a station, terminal or bus stop.
Stairs, flooring and platforms can be slippery, so please use caution when walking along wet surfaces or any outdoor surface exposed to the weather. Use extra care when boarding or exiting buses and trains.
Report slippery or unsafe conditions to bus operators, train crews or
NJ TRANSIT staff.
If you park, ensure your car is stocked with a snow brush and ice scraper so you can clear your car upon returning to the lot.
NJ TRANSIT is prepared to handle the impending winter weather:
Snow plows and salt spreaders are ready for service and snow-removal contracts are in place with outside vendors.
NJ TRANSIT is well-stocked with 16,000 bags of snow-melting supplies, and hundreds of shovels and snow blowers.
NJ TRANSIT has performed maintenance and testing on its two rail-mounted jet snow blowers in the event they are needed to help clear train tracks of snow and ice, particularly in rail yards.
More than 750 rail switches, switch heaters and overhead wires were inspected as part of NJ TRANSIT’s preventative maintenance program.
Onboard heating systems, thermostats, weather stripping and electronic components have been inspected on NJ TRANSIT railcars, light rail cars and locomotives.
Bus maintenance personnel have inspected and performed necessary maintenance on a fleet of nearly 2,200 buses – from the heating and airbrake systems, to the engine fluids, tires, windshield wipers and doors.
New York health insurer Oscar to pay members who walk more
By Caroline Humer
Mon Dec 8, 2014 2:10pm EST
(Reuters) – Oscar Health Insurance, which sells health plans on Obamacare exchanges in New York and New Jersey, said it will pay members up to $240 per year in Amazon.com Inc gift cards for the thousands of steps they take each day.
The plan is the latest effort by venture-capital backed Oscar to distinguish itself in the individual insurance market, where it is rare to offer members incentives to improve their health. Employer-sponsored health plans regularly use incentives such as lower premiums or higher contributions as part of their “workplace wellness” programs.
Oscar made its debut in New York last year with the rollout of President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, and now has 17,000 members. The national healthcare law bars insurers in the individual market from discriminating against consumers on the basis of their relative health or age, and provides subsidies for low-income households to buy coverage.
https://www.reuters.com/article/2014/12/08/us-usa-healthcare-oscar-idUSKBN0JM25F20141208
file photo Boyd Loving
Pew: 75% ‘better informed’ because of Internet news sites, don’t feel ‘overloaded’
By Paul Bedard | December 8, 2014 | 12:19 pm
The Internet is revolutionizing news consumption, with more than seven in 10 telling Pew Research Center that they are better informed than they were five years ago because of the news websites they visit daily.
In Pew’s latest survey of Internet use, 75 percent said they are “better informed” about national news, and a near equal 74 percent on international news.
Just as importantly, 72 percent said that having so much information at their fingertips was a good thing and didn’t make them feel overloaded.
The survey bolsters a previous Pew report that found many Americans shifting from print and TV to Internet based news outlets. The new survey shows that Americans are benefiting from the shift.
Overall, a whopping 87 percent said that the Internet and cell phones “have improved their ability to learn new things, including 53 percent who say it has improved this ‘a lot,’ ” said Pew.
“Americans like lots of information choices and don’t feel particularly oppressed by the growing flows of material into their lives,” said Lee Rainie, director of Pew’s Internet, Science and Technology Research. “Even through all the tech change in the past generation, people said they are coping fine and relish new options they have to get and share the information that matters to them.”
Most Americans See Race Relations Worsening Since Obama’s Election
Dec 7, 2014 11:00 AM EST
A new Bloomberg Politics poll shows deep divisions over the outcomes of police shootings of unarmed black men.
Julie Bykowicz
President Barack Obama had hoped his historic election would ease race relations, yet a majority of Americans, 53 percent, say the interactions between the white and black communities have deteriorated since he took office, according to a new Bloomberg Politics poll. Those divisions are laid bare in the split reactions to the decisions by two grand juries not to indict white police officers who killed unarmed black men in Ferguson, Mo., and Staten Island, N.Y.
Both times, protesters responded with outrage and politicians called for federal investigations. Yet Americans don’t think of the cases as a matched set of injustices, the poll found. A majority agreed with the Ferguson decision, while most objected to the conclusion in the Staten Island death, which was captured on video. The divergent opinions—52 percent agreed on Ferguson compared with 25 percent who approved of the Staten Island outcome—add to an ongoing discussion that was inflamed when Officer Daniel Pantaleo was seen in the July video putting what appeared to be a chokehold on Eric Garner, a 43-year-old man suspected of selling untaxed cigarettes. Garner could be heard saying, “I can’t breathe,” and died of a heart attack in what a medical examiner ruled a homicide. The grand jury decision not to charge Pantaleo came just 12 days after a similar panel in Ferguson declined to charge Officer Darren Wilson, who in August shot to death 18-year-old Michael Brown. That altercation was not captured on video, and the prosecutor presented evidence of a physical confrontation between the two men before the fatal shots were fired.
https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2014-12-07/bloomberg-politics-poll-finds-most-americans-see-race-relations-worsening-since-obamas-election
New York Rangers announced today that the team has agreed to terms with free agent defenseman Chris Falzone on a 1 day contract.
Chris Falzone, 15, is a diehard hockey fan from from Atlantic Highlands,NJ .He started skating when he was seven years old and played on travel hockey teams and was just beginning his high school career, when he was diagnosed with cancer at the start of his freshman year. Hockey gave him a reason to fight through the darkest days of cancer and chemotherapy, and as sick as he was, the only thing he ever asked the doctors was “when can I play again.” When first diagnosed, he was told he would never be able to play again and would need a full hip replacement; however his treatment options changed and he was placed in a semi body cast instead, that was colored Rangers blue; which was not popular as he was being treated in a hospital in Philadelphia, among doctors and nurses that were Flyers fans. Through his treatment, he watched Rangers games and Team USA in the Olympics. He spent four months in physical therapy working hard in the hopes he would be able to play hockey again. In late July, 2014 he was cleared to begin skating and has now rejoined his travel hockey team and is about to try out for his high school hockey team.
As part of Garden of Dreams Week, the Rangers will be hosting Garden of Dreams Night vs. the Penguins on Monday, December 8 at Madison Square Garden to help raise awareness for the Garden of Dreams Foundation and to make dreams come true for children facing obstacles. Throughout the evening, Garden of Dreams programming will be a focal point of all areas of the game presentation and will allow for many children to enjoy once-in-a-lifetime opportunities at MSG..
The Incredible Shrinking Incomes of Young Americans
It’s repetitive for some to hear, but important for everybody to know: You can’t explain Millennial economic behavior without explaining that real wages for young Americans have collapsed.
American families are grappling with stagnant wage growth, as the costs of health care, education, and housing continue to climb. But for many of America’s younger workers, “stagnant” wages shouldn’t sound so bad. In fact, they might sound like a massive raise.
Since the Great Recession struck in 2007, the median wage for people between the ages of 25 and 34, adjusted for inflation, has fallen in every major industry except for health care.
file photo by Boyd Loving
Ridgewood Emergency Management Advisory: Flood Watch in effect for Bergen Co. area Tues. AM thru Late Tues. Night.
National Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch for Bergen Co. from Tues. morning through late Tues. night.
A slow moving Nor’Easter will pass through the area Tuesday. Rain will be heavy at times with 2 to 3 inches possible by the time the event ends Tues. night . . . with localized higher amounts.
High winds are also likely . . . 20 to 35 mph sustained winds with max. gusts 40 to 60 mph.
The main impact will be urban and poor drainage flooding . . . but some small rivers and streams across Northeast New Jersey and the Lower Hudson Valley may reach or exceed bankfull. This same region received 1 to 2 inches of rainfall just a couple of days ago.
A Flood Watch means there is a potential for flooding based on current forecasts. You should monitor later forecasts and be alert for possible Flood Warnings. Those living in areas prone to flooding should be prepared to take action should flooding develop.
Mickey and math? Disney launches education apps
DECEMBER 8, 2014 LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2014, 1:21 AM
BY BARBARA ORTUTAY
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS |
WIRE SERVICE
Mickey is getting into math — and science, art, reading and even teaching social skills.
The Walt Disney Co. is launching a new line of learning tools designed to help parents encourage kids 3 to 8 to learn outside of school. Disney Imagicademy begins with a series of mobile apps but will later expand into other products such as books and interactive toys. Over time, the target age will also grow to include older kids.
To start, Disney is launching an iPad app called “Mickey’s Magical Math World” on Thursday, focused on math-based activities such as counting, shapes, logic and sorting. Within the app, there are five add-on activities such as “Minnie’s Robot Count-Along” and “Goofy’s Silly Sorting.” The basic app is free to use, but the enhanced activities cost $4.99 each or $19.99 for all five. Future apps, on subjects ranging from life science using characters from Disney’s “Frozen” to creative arts, will be similarly priced. The apps are ad free, keeping with laws that prevent targeting online advertising at kids under 13.
A companion app for parents lets grown-ups follow along with what their kids are doing even if they are using a separate mobile device. It also suggests a bevy of offline activities, such as creating “rocket racers” using toilet paper tubes, duct tape and balloons, or making a colorful “quilt” out of tissue paper to learn shapes.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/disney-launches-education-apps-for-youngsters-1.1148361
Pascrell, Garrett find a ‘no’ vote they agree on
“I am looking forward to a complete and thorough reform of our tax code in the new Congress. America sent a very clear message in November. We desperately need tax reform that promotes fairness for everyone, not just carve-outs for a well-connected few. Unfortunately, though I support some of the measures included in today’s legislation, this bill is far outweighed by special interest tax giveaways, and I cannot support it.” Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ)
DECEMBER 7, 2014, 11:19 PM LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2014, 11:20 PM
BY HERB JACKSON
RECORD COLUMNIST |
THE RECORD
Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. bucked his party last week and joined only 19 other Democrats in opposing the extension of dozens of expired tax breaks, including some he had said a day earlier were important to New Jersey residents.
Rep. Scott Garrett, a Republican with a much longer history of breaking with his party, joined him in the “no” column as one of only 26 Republicans against the tax package.
It’s an understatement to say that Garrett, of Wantage, and Pascrell, of Paterson, do not usually agree. Data compiled at opencongress.org show that the veteran North Jersey representatives voted the opposite way on three out of every four votes during the past two years, and even on this bill, they voted the same way for different reasons.
The vote could also be a sign that Pascrell, who is finishing his ninth term in the House, is starting to act out against his party’s leadership.
After Republicans won their biggest House majority since World War II last month, Pascrell was harshly critical of Democratic strategy, arguing that his party’s candidates were too timid about discussing improvements in the economy.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/jackson-pascrell-garrett-find-a-no-vote-they-agree-on-1.1148270
