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Panelists: Ridgewood needs to shine spotlight on artistic events

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Panelists: Ridgewood needs to shine spotlight on artistic events

OCTOBER 30, 2014    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2014, 4:06 PM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Jazz feasts, film festivals, classical chamber concerts, rock shows, art galleries.

The positive dual-consensus among those at an Oct. 29 forum, which explored the “role of arts and historic preservation” in the Central Business District (CBD), was that the arts offer experiential opportunities important for attracting visitors and binding a community together, and that, luckily, Ridgewood already has most, if not all, of the components.

It just needs to get the word out.

“Ridgewood is certainly not a cultural wasteland,” said Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli, who helped organize the forum. “I think if anything, what we need to do is [promote] it so we make it all known … It’s up to us to be good stewards of it.”

Residents on the new Ridgewood Arts Council are striving to do so, by working with the village’s network administrator, Dylan Hansen, to create a page on the village website – which is in the process of being revamped – that would be a “one-stop shop” for people looking for information on artistic goings-on in the village, noted Ridgewood Arts Council chair Linda Bradley.

The arts council, which became a village committee in 2014, is in the process of reinvigorating its general mission of promoting the arts in Ridgewood. The group has a broad definition of art that includes not just visual and performance arts, but fashion and the culinary arts, Pucciarelli said.

https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/panelists-artistic-events-need-to-be-in-spotlight-1.1123169

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Bergen County Police Will Conduct K-9 Drill and Locker Search at Ridgewood High School

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Bergen County Police Will Conduct K-9 Drill and Locker Search at Ridgewood High School
October 31,2014
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, the Bergen County Police Department plan to conduct a K-9 drill at Ridgewood High School sometime during the fall, according to school officials.The drill will be conducted on a random day  and lockers will be arbitrary searched .

“The K-9 exercise will occur this fall on a school day randomly selected by the Ridgewood Police Department as one of the required monthly lockdown drill scenarios. Students will be secure in their classrooms at the time of the drill and class interruption will be minimal. Instruction will not be negatively impacted, nor will students come in contact with the canines or police.

The intent of the K-9 search drill is to enhance security protocols, but the exercise will also address concerns regarding possible disruptions to the educational process that may be occurring clandestinely.  While it is a drill, any positive findings will be handled directly and appropriately by the Ridgewood High School administration, in accordance with New Jersey statute, Board of Education policy and police regulations.  ”

According to the Bergen County Police website ,the Bergen County Police Department Canine Unit was established in 1975 with two Police Officers and two German Shepherd Dogs. The initial K9 teams were trained by the Philadelphia Police Department to aid investigations using their keen sense of smell for tracking and building searches.  In the 30 plus years that the unit has been in existence it has evolved into a full time, full service K9 unit serving the law enforcement agencies of the region and the residents of Bergen County with comprehensive K9 functions. These functions include:

The Unit is currently comprised of dual purpose K-9 teams cross-trained in Narcotics detection, Explosive detection and Accelerant detection for arson investigation. Since its inception, the K9 Unit has responded to over 25,000 calls for service from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Since the K-9 Unit was established, it has been responsible for the seizure large quantities of controlled substances, the apprehension of numerous criminal actors, locating missing persons, locating evidence and proceeds from crimes scenes, and the seizure of large amounts of currency used in criminal activity.

In an email to parents, school officials said all schools are now required to conduct one fire drill and one school security drill per month.

 

 

 Esurance

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Driver taken into police custody following Ridgewood crash

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Photo credit:  Boyd A. Loving
Driver taken into police custody following Ridgewood crash
October 30,2014
Boyd A. Loving
5:12 PM

Ridgewood NJ, The female driver of a red Mini Cooper involved in a Thursday afternoon collision with a tandem axle dump truck was taken into police custody immediately following her release from The Valley Hospital, where she had been taken by ambulance for treatment of minor injuries sustained in the crash.  The incident occurred at the intersection of East Glen Avenue and Northern Parkway in Ridgewood at 1:50 PM.

Evidence at the scene suggested that the Mini Cooper, which was traveling westbound on East Glen Avenue, may have crossed the center line and hit the dump truck, which was traveling eastbound on the same roadway.  Although the dump truck driver was uninjured, his vehicle and the Mini Cooper were both towed from the scene.  The Mini Cooper was impounded by Ridgewood PD.

Ridgewood PD, FD, and EMS responded.  A minor fluid spill was attended to by FD personnel.  A dog who was traveling in the Mini Cooper escaped from the vehicle after the crash, but was quickly captured by Ridgewood PD Patrol Officer Colin Donnelly.

Actions taken by police officers at the crash site were consistent with those taken when a driver is suspected of being under the influence of alcohol/narcotics.

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Photo credit:  Boyd A. Loving

Total DUI

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Christie’s Ebola Nurse Antagonist goes bike riding as DOD contradicts her!

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Christie’s Ebola Nurse Antagonist goes bike riding as DOD contradicts her!
Oct. 30  2014
By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog

This lady is a real trip, Save Jerseyans!

I’ve spoken to the nurses in my life since Kaci “the Brat” Hickox‘s story went viral; not one of them thinks it’s unreasonable, after an extended journey to Africa interacting one-on-one with Ebola patients, for a health care worker to spend 3-weeks in a hospital (or at home) to guarantee that this deadly virus doesn’t spread.

It’s not hard for anyone who isn’t a narcissist to understand why.

After all, the CDC was EGREGIOUSLY wrong – time and time again – when it came to this disease (1) coming to America and (2) the risk to health care workers caring for the infected. Ebola isn’t 100% understood and the “experts” continue to contradict themselves; researchers disagree, for example, on a few key points including the all-important incubation period.

But then again, most of nurses in my life aren’t nasty liberals who care more about making political points than protecting the American people. Check out what she did today:

https://savejersey.com/2014/10/christie-ebola-nurse-bike-ride-troops-quarantine/

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NJ CD 5:GARRETT EXPANDS LEAD , TAKES LEAD IN BERGEN

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Scot at  Lincoln Tech in Mahwah for the grand opening of their state-of-the-art CNC Manufacturing program!

NJ CD 5:GARRETT EXPANDS LEAD , TAKES LEAD IN BERGEN

Incumbent’s favorables and challenger’s unfavorables grow In what looked to be a potential surprise in New Jersey’s 5th House district contest, GOP incumbent Scott Garrett has extended his lead to a more comfortable 11 points over Democrat Roy Cho. A Monmouth University Poll conducted earlier this month showed the race to be a closer 5 point margin.
Garrett’s renewed engagement in the campaign since then has built his advantage to a level the six-term incumbent is more accustomed to seeing.
Among voters likely to cast their ballot in next week’s congressional race, 53% say they will support Scott Garrett and 42% will vote for first-time candidate Roy Cho. Another 2% say they will vote for the third party candidate and just 3% are undecided. Garrett’s support has grown over the past few weeks while Cho’s has remained stable. Two weeks ago, Garrett led Cho by 48% to 43%. Independents have shifted more decisively for Garrett, now supporting the incumbent 51% to 42% for Cho. Monmouth’s earlier poll had Garrett’s edge among this group at a more narrow 45% to
42%.
The poll also finds that Cho has lost the advantage he held in the Bergen County portion of the district. He trails Garrett there by 48% to 46%. Two weeks ago, Cho actually led in Bergen by 51% to 39% for Garrett. Garrett continues to maintain a large lead in the more conservative western portion of the district – 65% to 31%.
“This race was flying under the radar just one month ago. Garrett was running a phone-it-in campaign that was compounded by a misstep around Sandy recovery. The incumbent is now much more engaged in the race,” said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute. “While Cho has run a strong campaign, the national environment, as well as the underlying fundamentals of this district, are too favorable to Republicans for him to overcome a full Garrett offensive without outside help from national Democrats. That help never materialized, but it may not have been enough this year once Garrett swung into campaign mode.”The race seemed to turn on a Garrett campaign flyer touting his actions after Superstorm Sandy hit in 2012. Two weeks ago, 5th district voters were divided on Garrett’s assistance to New Jersey residents, but they were more positive about his actions for his own constituents. That distinction has evaporated. Nearly half of voters (44%) now say he did a good job helping people in New Jersey recover from Sandy while 28% say he did a bad job. Two weeks ago, 38% said he did a good job and 35% said he did a bad job statewide. Turning to his own district, 46% say Garrett did a good job helping his own constituents and 27% say he did a bad job. These findings are nearly identical to the Monmouth poll conducted two weeks ago.

The Monmouth University Poll found that positive views of the incumbent have increased over the past two weeks while there has been a similar increase in negative views of the challenger. Currently,46% of voters have a favorable view of Scott Garrett – which is up from 40% – while 30% have an unfavorable view – similar to 29% from two weeks ago. A smaller number of voters (29%) have a favorable view of Roy Cho – which is basically unchanged from 30% – while 16% have an unfavorable opinion – up from 7% two weeks ago. Fully half (54%) of likely voters in New Jersey’s 5th district have no opinion of Cho and 24% have no opinion of Garrett.

Garrett has a very slight edge on the issue of voter trust. When asked which candidate is honest and trustworthy, 26% of 5th district voters say only Garrett is, 19% say only Cho is, and 15% say both are. Another 24% of likely voters say that neither candidate is honest and trustworthy and 16% have no opinion.

The Monmouth University Poll was conducted by telephone from October 27 to 29, 2014 with 427 New Jersey voters likely to vote in New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District November general election. This sample has a margin of error of + 4.8 percent. The poll was conducted by the Monmouth University Polling Institute.

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Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Bell: the PolitickerNJ Interview

Jeff Bell

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Bell: the PolitickerNJ Interview

Using the immigration issue and what he hears as President Barack Obama’s double talk on the subject, Republican U.S. Senate candidate Jeff Bell has tried to wrangle Latino voters in his bid to upset U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) next Tuesday. (Pizarro/PolitickerNJ)

https://politickernj.com/2014/10/republican-u-s-senate-candidate-jeff-bell-the-politickernj-interview/

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Christie, Obama trade jabs as details of N.J. Ebola quarantine plan emerge

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Christie, Obama trade jabs as details of N.J. Ebola quarantine plan emerge

As Governor Christie and President Obama sparred Wednesday over mandatory quarantines for travelers exposed to Ebola patients, a draft of the state’s strategy to deal with the virus outlined how it would enforce those quarantines, transport people to hospitals and treat children of parents who may have to be isolated. (Jackson/The Bergen Record)

https://www.northjersey.com/news/christie-obama-trade-jabs-as-details-of-n-j-ebola-quarantine-plan-emerge-1.1121398

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WHAT FUELS ISLAMIC STATE RECRUITMENT? JOHN KERRY VS. REALITY

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WHAT FUELS ISLAMIC STATE RECRUITMENT? JOHN KERRY VS. REALITY
October 29, 2014 Elan Journo

The Islamic State, the jihadist force rampaging in Iraq and Syria, has succeeded in recruiting fighters because — wait for it — there’s no peace between Israel and the Palestinians. So claims the U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry. Now to be fair, he sees that as one cause, but nonetheless a factor significant enough to mention. Kerry’s talking point, which alludes to anger on the Arab streets, encapsulates an actual theory. It’s the idea that jihadists (many of whom deploy the tactic of terrorism) are moved by the desire to redress some bundle of grievances. What to make of that theory?

The scholar Michael Rubin offers a sarcastic tweak of a Clinton-era slogan: “It’s the Ideology, Stupid!” Rubin suggests that we ought instead to look at the ideas that jihadists embrace, and points out some of the facts that belie that alleged grievances-terrorism link that Kerry and others put forward.

the most oft-cited grievances — poverty and lack of education — have no statistical link to terror. Suicide bombers tend not to be those with the least opportunities; rather, they tend to be those from educated, middle-class backgrounds. In the Gaza Strip, Pakistan, Turkey, and elsewhere, recruitment occurs in the schools. Nor do we see a rash of terrorists and murders arising from the ten poorest countries on earth.

Read the whole thing.

I would add that the thirteen years since 9/11 are the story of America’s ongoing refusal to look seriously at the ideas motivating the jihadist cause.

There’s more to say on why scholars, diplomats, Arab leaders, and some jihadists (e.g. Hamas) view the Israel/Palestinian conflict as The Core Issue in the Middle East, from which all the woe of the region emanates. Let me just note: that view is false — the Syrian civil war is one of many countervailing data points — and that I intend to cover this topic in future writing.

 

https://ari.aynrand.org/blog/2014/10/29/what-fuels-islamic-state-recruitment-john-kerry-vs-reality

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CDC admits droplets from a sneeze could spread Ebola

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CDC admits droplets from a sneeze could spread Ebola
By Bob Fredericks
October 29, 2014 | 4:48am

Ebola is a lot easier to catch than health officials have admitted — and can be contracted by contact with a doorknob contaminated by a sneeze from an infected person an hour or more before, experts told The Post Tuesday.

“If you are sniffling and sneezing, you produce microorganisms that can get on stuff in a room. If people touch them, they could be” infected, said Dr. Meryl Nass, of the Institute for Public Accuracy in Washington, DC.

Nass pointed to a poster the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention quietly released on its Web site saying the deadly virus can be spread through “droplets.”

“Droplet spread happens when germs traveling inside droplets that are coughed or sneezed from a sick person enter the eyes, nose or mouth of another person,” the poster states.

Nass slammed the contradiction.

https://nypost.com/2014/10/29/cdc-admits-droplets-from-a-sneeze-could-spread-ebola/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=NYPFacebook&utm_medium=SocialFlow

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As Dems lose Latinos, Senate could follow

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As Dems lose Latinos, Senate could follow
October 30, 2014, 06:00 am
By Alexandra Jaffe

Democrats have lost their grip on Hispanic voters heading into Election Day—and in turn could lose the Senate because of them.

Even though Latinos split heavily for their party in 2012, mounting evidence suggests Hispanics could sit the midterms out after immigration reform has fallen from the White House agenda.  


“There’s no question it’s going to affect Democrats in this midterm. There’s no one to blame but Democrats themselves,” said Arturo Carmona, executive director of Hispanic engagement group Presente Action.

A Pew poll out Wednesday revealed Democrats suffered an eight-point drop in support from Hispanic voters nationwide since 2010, down to 57 percent. Meanwhile, Republicans gained six points over the past four years, with 28 percent now saying they support a generic Republican House candidate.

The new survey provided hard numbers for the anecdotal evidence that President Obama’s delay of executive action to halt deportations of illegal immigrants is coming back to haunt Democrats.

The frustration with the president and his party among Hispanics is palpable and increasingly visible. In recent weeks, Obama has faced multiple hecklers shouting their frustration after the White House punted an executive order until after the November elections.

Carmona said he’s already seeing fallout from the prolonged inaction and broken promises from President Obama and congressional Democrats on immigration reform, and that “the president’s ongoing broken promises have certainly depressed the engagement in the Latino community.”

“We’re fighting an uphill battle here,” he added.

https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/senate-races/222298-latinos-fall-out-of-love-with-democrats

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Cho campaign runs out of gas

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Cho campaign runs out of gas

Stile: new energy for Roy Cho fails to attract donors

A routine campaign event along the banks of a scenic lake in Oakland on Wednesday illustrated just how much life has changed for Roy Cho, the 33-year-old Democrat running for New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District. (Stile/The Bergen Record)

https://www.northjersey.com/news/stile-new-energy-for-roy-cho-fails-to-attract-donors-1.1121617

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Obama Could Replace Aides Bruised by a Cascade of Crises

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Obama Could Replace Aides Bruised by a Cascade of Crises

By MARK LANDLEROCT. 29, 2014

WASHINGTON — One day this month, as the nation shuddered with fears of an Ebola outbreak and American warplanes pounded Sunni militants in Syria, President Obama’s national security adviser, Susan E. Rice, invited a group of foreign policy experts to the White House to hear their views of how the administration was performing.

She was peppered with critiques of the president’s Syria and China policies, as well as the White House’s delays in releasing a national security strategy, a congressionally mandated document that sets out foreign policy goals. On that last point, Ms. Rice had a sardonic reply.

“If we had put it out in February or April or July,” she said, according to two people who were in the room, “it would have been overtaken by events two weeks later, in any one of those months.”

At a time when the Obama administration is lurching from crisis to crisis — a looming Cold War in Europe, a brutal Islamic caliphate in the Middle East and a deadly epidemic in West Africa — it is not surprising that long-term strategy would take a back seat. But it raises inevitable questions about the ability of the president and his hard-pressed national security team to manage and somehow get ahead of the daily onslaught of events.

https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/30/world/middleeast/mounting-crises-raise-questions-on-capacity-of-obamas-team.html?_r=0

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Hackensack questions Hackensack University Medical Center’s plan to use mobile unit for Ebola care

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Hackensack questions Hackensack University Medical Center’s plan to use mobile unit for Ebola care

OCTOBER 30, 2014    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2014, 12:41 AM
BY MARY JO LAYTON AND TODD SOUTH
STAFF WRITERS |
THE RECORD

Hackensack University Medical Center’s strategy to use its mobile satellite emergency department to treat potential Ebola patients is running into a few wrinkles: Federal health authorities haven’t yet approved its use, and it may have to relocate from its spot behind a fast-food restaurant.

Federal and state health authorities inspected the unit Saturday to assess Hackensack’s readiness as one of three hospitals Governor Christie designated as the primary care centers should Ebola cases emerge in New Jersey. Inspectors with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had issues with the plan, though neither officials at the CDC nor the hospital offered details about those concerns.

The MSED, as it’s known — comprising three trailers and licensed as an emergency department and intensive care unit — may have to move from Newman Street. The location, nearly half a mile from the hospital campus and by a McDonald’s restaurant, is in a flood zone, the Hackensack mayor and city manager said.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/hackensack-questions-hackensack-university-medical-center-s-plan-to-use-mobile-unit-for-ebola-care-1.1121710#sthash.GHitWB0I.dpuf

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Reader says Preservation implies a “status quo” do nothing again ,others disagree

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Reader says Preservation implies a “status quo” do nothing again ,others disagree

By preserving, you are absolutely doing “something”. It is not an easy job either.

In 2011, Ridgewood was ranked #26, by Money Magazine, as one of the best places to live. This year the new list came out and we are not even on it. There are three towns in NJ that are, #16 Parsippany, with 800 acres of “preserved land”, #26 Franklin Lakes – 1/3 of which is farmland or recreation “preservation” and #27 Piscataway – rich in history and “preservations incuding….”. All three of these top NJ picks use the word “Preservation” in describing their towns. By treating preservation as if it “doing nothing” you are moving farther from what makes a place a great place to live.

I agree let’s start “preserving”. Of course you do understand that by reducing ratables your taxes will go up…..big time !! Perhaps you are willing to pay more tax for added ‘green space” but are your neighbors so inclined ? Also, have you seen the giant office complexes along Rt 10 in Parsippany or the huge industrial warehouses in Piscataway ? These complexes offset a lot of the local tax burden. Are you suggesting that Ridgewood allow construction of similar facilities within its borders to help offset taxes here ?

Esurance

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Support for police chief

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Support for police chief
Anne LaGrange Loving

Regarding “Ridgewood police chief cleared of wrongdoing” (Page L-2, Oct. 24):

I am very happy that the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office has cleared Ridgewood Police Chief John Ward of any criminal wrongdoing in the investigation into his hiring of two police recruits this year.

Chief Ward is quoted as saying he hopes that the public’s faith in him has been reaffirmed. Rest assured, the residents of Ridgewood never lost faith in Ward, as witnessed by the many, many residents who attended and spoke in his defense at two contentious Village Council meetings earlier this year.

Furthermore, those residents condemned the manner in which our elected officials conducted their questioning of our police chief, and in their last-minute retraction of the job offers to the police recruits.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/the-record-letters-monday-oct-27-1.1118596#sthash.H5oN2ssV.dpuf