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Ridgewood residents stake out seats for July 4 parade

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Ridgewood residents stake out seats for July 4 parade

JUNE 30, 2014    LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, JUNE 30, 2014, 1:21 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
Print

Folding chairs have begun lining the curbs of Ridgewood, which can mean only one thing: The Fourth of July is just around the corner.

A tradition for village residents, the annual marking of one’s territory along the July Fourth parade route starts two weeks in advance of the holiday.

“The Star-Spangled Banner,” and the people and events surrounding its composition, will be remembered this year, with the anthem serving as the parade’s theme.

In addition, the Ridgewood Historical Society will display a copy of a Currier and Ives print titled “The Star Spangled Banner” in the Schoolhouse Museum as part of the festivities.

While the parade is free, the annual fireworks display at Veterans Memorial Field that evening is not.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/community-events-and-announcements/ridgewood-residents-stake-out-seats-for-july-4-parade-1.1043480#sthash.vavieWrm.dpuf

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Ridgewood students, educators trying to find a way through the pressure

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Ridgewood students, educators trying to find a way through the pressure

JULY 1, 2014    LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, JULY 1, 2014, 3:22 PM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER

This past school year, Ridgewood High School (RHS) Assistant Principal Jeff Nyhuis dealt with a surprising problem.

He had to work with sports coaches to block out unscheduled time – during the summer. Some families have children playing so many summer sports, it’s a struggle for them to find time to vacation.

“It ends up encompassing the whole summer, so no one can really get away,” he said. “It’s ridiculous.”

It’s just one more indication of the P-word: Pressure. It’s a well-known word in Ridgewood.

And it’s a word that Ridgewood’s recent graduates, and RHS’ upcoming juniors and seniors, will learn even more about in the future as they struggle to stand out in a world that can be far more competitive and demanding than RHS. Some concerned educators and parents worry about RHS students who are already struggling too much to be the best in everything, working harder but not necessarily smarter, and sometimes forgetting to enjoy what they are doing.

In recent years, some concerned parents and educators have been fighting back against sources of stress (facing adults, as well as children), and this year was no exception. On the other hand, some parents and educators point out that pressure itself is not bad; challenge and competition can motivate and ready students for a tough world, they observe.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/ridgewood-students-educators-trying-to-find-a-way-through-the-pressure-1.1044279#sthash.B5w73MN4.dpuf

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Rep. Louie Gohmert: US Will Become ‘Third World Nation’ If Feds Don’t Enforce Immigration Laws

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Rep. Louie Gohmert: US Will Become ‘Third World Nation’ If Feds Don’t Enforce Immigration Laws

July 1, 2014 9:50 AM

WASHINGTON (CBSDC/AP) — Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, warns that the United States will become a third world nation if the federal government does not enforce its immigration laws.

Speaking to “The Sean Hannity Show,” the Republican lawmaker said the country will be destroyed if the U.S. continues to allow thousands of immigrants to cross the border illegally.

“You’ve got to follow the law. You cannot bring hundreds of thousands of people in this country without destroying the country,” Gohmert told Hannity. “Then there’s no place that people can dream about coming.”

Gohmert stated that it’s the government’s job to defend the U.S. “against anybody that would overwhelm the country and bring it down.”

“It’s always been such an irony, though, that people would flee a country that’s got … drug cartels, people that ignore the law, or bribe people to look the other way,” Gohmert said. “So they don’t have jobs there so they come to the United States because we’ve mostly been a nation of laws where the rule of law matters. But then once they are here, they say now we want you to ignore the rule of law, which ironically is like the country they came from.”

 

https://washington.cbslocal.com/2014/07/01/gohmert-us-will-become-third-world-nation-if-feds-dont-enforce-immigration-laws/

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Land of the free? Not so much. Americans’ sense of freedom drops, poll finds.

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Land of the free? Not so much. Americans’ sense of freedom drops, poll finds.

Americans are feeling ‘less satisfied with the freedom to choose what to do with their lives,’ according to a Gallup poll. The trend could be linked to a perceived rise in corruption.

By Gram Slattery, Staff writer

This Independence Day, Americans will celebrate the nation’s core values, especially freedom. But according to a new international poll, Americans have become significantly “less satisfied with the freedom to choose what they want to do with their lives.”

Seventy-nine percent of US residents are satisfied with their level of freedom, down from 91 percent in 2006, according to the Gallup survey, released Tuesday.

That 12 point drop pushes the US from among the highest in the world in terms of perceived freedom to 36th place, outside the top quartile of the 120 countries sampled, trailing Paraguay, Rwanda, and the autonomous region of Nagarno-Karabakh.

https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2014/0701/Land-of-the-free-Not-so-much.-Americans-sense-of-freedom-drops-poll-finds

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New Jersey’s Chris Christie Vows to Persevere on Pension Reform

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file photo by Boyd Loving

New Jersey’s Chris Christie Vows to Persevere on Pension Reform

Gov. Chris Christie said he would propose an overhaul to the state’s pension and health benefits system later this summer, revisiting an issue that burnished his national political image in 2011 but challenged him this spring when he scaled back promised funding. (Dawsey, Haddon/The Wall Street Journal)

https://online.wsj.com/articles/new-jerseys-chris-christie-vows-to-persevere-on-pension-reform-1404188010

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U.S. Supreme Court: Religious rights trump birth control rule

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U.S. Supreme Court: Religious rights trump birth control rule

WASHINGTON   — A sharply divided Supreme Court ruled Monday that some companies with religious objections can avoid the contraceptives requirement in President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul, the first time the high court has declared that businesses can hold religious views under federal law. (Sherman/The Bergen Record)

https://www.northjersey.com/news/u-s-supreme-court-religious-rights-trump-birth-control-rule-1.1043681

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Governor Chris Christie Promises New PARCC Approach

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Governor Chris Christie Promises New PARCC Approach
Jul. 01 Chris Christie, Common Core, Education no comments
By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog

Both sides of the aisle have big problems with Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) testing, Save Jerseyans, so during an under-reported exchange at last week’s town hall meeting in Haddon Heights, Governor Chris Christie told a teacher participant that he’d pitch a fresh proposal to address those concerns in 7-10 days.

The stakes are growing as the landscape darkens. New Jersey is facing extreme fiscal pressure as another budget fails to meet basic obligations without borrowing, and the Republican 2016 prospect is hoping to roll out a new pension and benefits reform package soon, too, all while presidential speculation and Bridgegate rumors keep Trenton on edge and his Administration off-balance.

What would a new approach to PARCC/Common Core even look like? Here’s what he had to say…

– See more at: https://savejersey.com/2014/07/christie-parcc-testing-common-core/#sthash.9qIdHTgz.dpuf

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Obama racking up judicial losses as Supreme Court rules on Obamacare, union dues

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Obama racking up judicial losses as Supreme Court rules on Obamacare, union dues

President Obama suffered two final defeats in the Supreme Court on Monday, capping a 2013-2014 term in which the justices delivered several judicial hits to the White House while taking a firm stand against the unchecked power of the state.

The administration’s losses on Obamacare rules and compulsory union dues served as a rebuke on the Supreme Court’s final day after months of judicial decisions to rein in big government on issues such as snooping without a warrant, campaign finance restrictions and Mr. Obama’s recess appointment powers.

Just as damning was the way the court ruled in some of those cases. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. corralled unanimous votes on privacy and recess appointments — cases that dealt stinging defeats to Mr. Obama, himself a lawyer and former lecturer on constitutional law.

In the more than five years that Mr. Obama has been in office, the court has rejected the government’s argument with a 9-0 decision 20 times.

During the eight years each in the administrations of George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, the government lost on unanimous votes 15 times and 23 times, respectively. That puts the Obama administration on pace to greatly exceed recent predecessors in terms of judicial losses.

Read more: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/jun/30/obama-racking-up-judicial-losses/#ixzz36DlnoddZ 

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Feel free to stop by The Ridgewood Elks during the 4th of July Parade and fireworks

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Feel free to stop by The Ridgewood Elks during the 4th of July Parade and fireworks

The Ridgewood Elks, located at 111 N. Maple Ave., will be open all day during July 4th.
Non-members are invited to join us in The Jolly Cork Lounge to purchase beverages
and cool off.

During the parade, we will have our outdoor booth set up to purchase hot dogs, 
hamburgers, snacks and beverages.


Proceeds help support the N.J. Elks Camp Moore, the Ridgewood Camp Sunshine,
and many other Elk organizations. Also, feel free to stop by during the fireworks.

Note: the Jolly Cork Lounge is open Monday through Saturday and non-members
can enjoy our lounge now, order cocktails, food, and watch sporting events on one of 
our 3 HD T.V.’s. Large banquet facility available for hire.

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U.S. Supreme Court decisions: Booker v. Bell

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U.S. Supreme Court decisions: Booker v. Bell
TRENTON – In two separate but similarly controversial decisions released earlier today, the U.S. Supreme voted definitively on issues of religious rights for corporations and union dues requirements for part-time state workers. Both rulings, unsurprisingly, have legislators and political onlookers in New Jersey and across the country riled. (Brush/PolitickerNJ)

https://www.politickernj.com/76056/us-supreme-court-decisions-booker-v-bell

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Supreme Court rules against Obama in contraception case

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Supreme Court rules against Obama in contraception case

Some corporations have religious rights, a deeply divided Supreme Court decided Monday in ruling that certain for-profit companies cannot be required to pay for specific types of contraceptives for their employees. The 5-4 decision on ideological lines ended the high court’s term with a legal and political setback for a controversial part of President Barack Obama’s healthcare reform law. (Mears, Cohen/CNN)

https://www.cnn.com/2014/06/30/politics/scotus-obamacare-contraception/

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What Does Harris Mean for New Jersey?

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What Does Harris Mean for New Jersey?

Jun. 30 Big Labor, U.S. Supreme Court 
By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog

Many New Jersey owners of closely-held businesses are breathing a sigh of relief after today’s “Hobby Lobby” decision, Save Jerseyans. Another decision, however, had the potential to generate vastly greater consequences for Garden State taxpayers.

Did it? Yes and no.

You can read the Harris v. Quinn opinion here. Both of Monday’s big U.S. Supreme Court decisions were authored by Justice Samuel Alito, one of the Court’s reliable conservative votes.

The super short version (I’ve only had a chance to skim the opinion, and I make no pretense of being a constitutional expert)….

The Roberts Court stopped far short of overturning Abood v. Detroit Board of Education, a 1977 decision wherein SCOTUS ruled that public employees needed to support the core bargaining activities of the union that represented them collectively by paying dues regardless of an individual’s membership status preference.

In this particular case, the Plaintiff was a mother serving as a home care giver for her son and being paid by Medicaid to do so. Hence, she wasn’t truly a “public employee” despite the fact that her son’s care was publicly funded. Illinois and the SEIU were nevertheless trying to make her pay dues like any other home nurses under the applicable federal program.

Ghoulish, yes, and also a position indicative of the union’s prevailing desire to hold onto power by way of their precious union dues.

– See more at: https://savejersey.com/2014/06/harris-supreme-court-union-dues/#sthash.xtak0WPp.dpuf

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The Supreme Court Just Dealt a Devastating Blow to Public Unions

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The Supreme Court Just Dealt a Devastating Blow to Public Unions
By Sam Baker andEmma Roller
June 30, 2014

The Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision on Monday that mandatory public union dues violate some members’ First Amendment rights.

The case, Harris v. Quinn, involves Pamela Harris, a home-caregiver in Illinois who takes care of her disabled son. Harris is among home caregivers who have decided not to unionize through the Service Employees International Union, opting instead to bargain directly with the Medicaid recipients who decide how much money to allocate to their caregivers.

The case posed a challenge to so-called “fair-play fees,” which allow unions to collect dues from employees who aren’t in the union but who still benefit from the bargains unions strike with employers.

In the case of public-sector unions, though, the employer is the government. And for that reason, the challengers in Harris argued, the unions’ collective bargaining is inherently a political activity—unions are essentially lobbying the government.

https://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/the-supreme-court-just-dealt-a-devastating-blow-to-public-unions-20140630

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For 18 State House officials, pensions are a personal issue

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For 18 State House officials, pensions are a personal issue

Governor Christie has a deadline today to sign a budget for New Jersey’s upcoming fiscal year. When he does, he’s expected to strip out more than $1.57 billion worth of payments into the state pension system that Democrats included in the budget they sent to his desk last week. Christie has already cut $900 million in planned pension payments so he could balance the current year’s state budget, and more debate over keeping the pension system stable is expected in the months ahead. (Linhorst/The Bergen Record)

https://www.northjersey.com/news/for-18-state-house-officials-pensions-are-a-personal-issue-1.1043378

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Bergen exec gains support in contract fight

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Bergen exec gains support in contract fight

What started as an intramural battle over the balance of power between two of Bergen County’s top elected officials has assumed statewide dimensions. Six other counties are supporting County Executive Kathleen Donovan in her plan to challenge a contract negotiated by Sheriff Michael Saudino for his officers. (Rimbach/Bergen Record)

https://www.northjersey.com/news/bergen-exec-gains-support-in-contract-fight-1.1043071