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Judge: Christie can cut pension contribution payment

Gov. Chris Christie Discusses Candidates For Sen. Lautenberg's Seat

Judge: Christie can cut pension contribution payment

JUNE 25, 2014, 12:32 PM    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25, 2014, 11:06 PM
BY MELISSA HAYES AND JOHN REITMEYER
STATE HO– USE BUREAU
THE RECORD

Governor Christie won in court Wednesday, but the victory will likely be short-lived as he heads for a showdown with the Legislature over pensions and taxes today, a fight likely to go right back before the same judge.

POOL
Superior Court Judge Mary C. Jacobson asks a question arguments Wednesday, June 25, 2014, in Trenton.

At stake is the security of the state pension system, tax rates for New Jersey’s wealthiest residents and the viability of the next state budget. This fight between Christie, a Republican, and Democrats who control the Legislature comes as both have struggled to move the state out of a sluggish economy and have seen New Jersey’s credit rating downgraded six straight times.

The Legislature is readying today to advance a new state budget — supported by revenue from tax hikes that Christie opposes — that would make a bigger state payment into the pension fund and one that Christie has threatened to reject with his veto pen.

That could send the issue right back to state Superior Court Assignment Judge Mary C. Jacobson of Mercer County, who said Wednesday that Christie is allowed to reduce the pension contribution in the current fiscal year, which ends midnight Monday, by nearly $900 million to help close a $1 billion revenue shortfall.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/judge-christie-can-cut-pension-contribution-payment-1.1041080#sthash.wpBMsAVf.dpuf

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Ridgewood Police Issue Residential Burglary Alert and Remind Residents on Summer Vacation Precautions

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Ridgewood Police Issue  Residential Burglary Alert and Remind Residents on Summer Vacation Precautions 
June 25,2014

Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood police Department responded to a home on Van Emburgh Ave near Route 17 on Tuesday 6/24/14. Entry was made to the home between the hours of 10:30am and 5:30pm by removing the first floor window air conditioner and climbing through the window. We remind our residents to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the Ridgewood Police Department. If you have a first floor window air conditioner it is a good idea to make sure it’s properly secured. Anyone with information please contact the Ridgewood Police Detective Bureau 201-251-4537.


With summer vacations approaching we remind residents to take some basic steps to prevent your home from becoming the target of a burglary. 

• Have a neighbor pick up your mail and newspapers.

• During an extended vacation, make arrangements to have someone mow your lawn or trim your bushes.

• Leave lights on automatic timers.

• Notify the Ridgewood Police Department that you will be away.

• Ask a neighbor or friend to stop by your house periodically; have them open and close blinds, turn on different lights.

• Let your neighbors know when you are leaving and when you plan to return home and if you are expecting anybody at your house while you are away.

• Burglars want easy access to your home. Make sure all trees and shrubs are trimmed near all doors and windows where intruders might hide. Add exterior lights and consider lights that are activated by motion sensors.

• Burglars like to work quickly, so try to slow down their path into and around the house. You can accomplish this with:
1. deadbolt locks
2. window locks
3. bars placed in the tracks or track locks on all sliding glass doors and windows (if they would not impede your escape in an emergency)
4. locks on all doors and windows

• Don’t place the fact you are gone on your telephone answering machine.

• Don’t broadcast the fact that you’ll be away on Twitter, Facebook, craigslist, in your blog or anywhere else on the Internet.

• Don’t hide your keys on your property.

• A nosy neighbor is a burglar’s worst enemy. Get to know your neighbors and work out an arrangement to watch each other’s houses. Let them know when you will be gone and whether any deliveries are expected during your absence.

• Store jewelry and other valuables in a safe hiding place, such as a safety deposit box.
Go through each room and write down a list of possessions, including serial numbers. Take pictures of your valuables and keep them in a safe place or with a friend or relative. This will help in the event of a burglary.

If you would like a crime prevention survey of your home, contact the Ridgewood Police Department community Policing unit.

201-652-3900

Lt.Todd Harris [email protected]
Lt.Glenn Ender [email protected]

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Ridgewood High School graduates urged to earn happiness

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Ridgewood High School graduates urged to earn happiness

JUNE 25, 2014    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25, 2014, 6:29 PM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER

Facing a sea of red roses and white dresses covered in sparkling details, Ridgewood High School (RHS) Principal Tom Gorman told the Class of 2014 that life is not a fairytale, with one easy way to happiness.

“Happiness is earned,” he said. “It is not a system based on awards and rewards, based solely on wants. When pursuing happiness, many times there are no raises, promotions or awards.”

As he spoke to about 400 students and several hundred more in attendance at Tuesday’s graduation, the principal’s point was that in American culture “happiness as a pursuit is strongly encouraged” – yet how to get there can be unclear.

Promising students that they will not find happiness simply through professional success or “by pursuing money, material possessions or fame” (though they may be fortunate enough to acquire those things), he invoked the struggle of Nelson Mandela and the research of Dan Buettner, who wrote “Thrive,” a book focusing on happiness.

Mandela’s 27-year imprisonment while fighting against apartheid exemplified the importance of “delayed gratification,” helping others, and having faith in something larger than oneself. And Buettner’s work illustrated that true happiness has many components.

Buettner, Gorman said, found that 40 percent of happiness is related to one’s daily thoughts and actions. Buettner’s research on “true happiness,” Gorman observed, included several key themes: the development of a caring group of healthy friends; working at meaningful jobs; engaging in enriching hobbies; staying in reasonable shape; volunteering one’s time and services; and belonging to a faith-based community.

“He also found that true happiness involves the pursuit of worthy goals,” Gorman said. “You need to believe in something bigger than yourself, something that transcends you. This gives hope and we cannot live without faith, love, and especially hope.”

Gorman told students to “remember you are not alone in your pursuit of happiness, and be true to yourself and others. And may you all live happily ever after.”

On Wednesday, the principal said he got his inspiration for the speech from a magazine article.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/ridgewood-high-school-graduates-urged-to-earn-happiness-1.1041312#sthash.xpY66TuE.dpuf

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Afternoon Crash in Ridgewood

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photos by Boyd Loving

Afternoon Crash in Ridgewood
June 25,2014
Boyd A. Loving
4:46 PM

Ridgewood NJ, The driver of white 4-door sedan lost control of her vehicle on North Van Dien Avenue near Linwood Avenue in Ridgewood shortly after 3 PM on Wednesday, 06/25 and crashed into a utility pole.  

No one was injured in the crash, nor was there any loss of electric service in the area, but the vehicle sustained damages necessitating its removal by a flatbed tow truck.
Ridgewood PD investigated the mishap. Uniformed Ridgewood PD officer seen in photos is Patrol Officer Robert Hirsch.
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US economy suffers worst decline in 5 years

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So the US economy contracts -2.9% annualised and it’s foreign policy has become incoherent. 1937 all over again? Paul Mason  @paulmasonnews

US economy suffers worst decline in 5 years

By Associated Press

June 25, 2014 | 10:20am

The US economy shrank at a steep annual rate of 2.9 percent in the January-March quarter as a harsh winter contributed to the biggest contraction since the depths of the recession five years ago. But the setback is widely thought to be temporary, with growth rebounding solidly since spring.

The first-quarter contraction reported Wednesday by the Commerce Department was even more severe than the 1 percent annual decline it had estimated a month ago. Besides the harsh winter, much of the downward revision reflected a drop in health care spending. Another factor was a bigger trade deficit than initially estimated.

Though such a sharp decline would typically stoke fears of another recession, analysts see it as a short-lived result of winter storms that shut factories, disrupted shipping and kept Americans away from shopping malls and auto dealerships. They say the economy is rebounding in the April-June quarter. Many expect growth to reach a robust annual rate of at least 3.5 percent this quarter.

https://nypost.com/2014/06/25/us-economy-shrank-2-9-in-q1-worst-decline-in-5-years/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=NYPTwitter&utm_medium=SocialFlow

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Are You Dumb Enough to Trade $10 Billion for $560 Million?

 

Dunce-cap

Are You Dumb Enough to Trade $10 Billion for $560 Million?
Jun. 25 s 
By Irwin M. Fletcher | The Save Jersey Blog

Author’s Note: I’m not THAT dumb, Save Jerseyans.

Why do we ALWAYS have the same argument over a millionaires tax?

Scratch that, Save Jerseyans. Why do Democrats and newspaper editors, aka Harry & Lloyd, our friends from Dumb and Dumber, ALWAYS ignore the facts of this argument? I’m getting sick and tired of the facts staring them right in the face and then, instead of responding to logic and reason, they lie to our faces. When they say that people do not leave, that people do not flee a state when they institute a millionaires tax, grab a fire extinguisher, aim it at their pants and get ready to pull the pin.

Wealth flees, Save Jerseyans. Wealth flees. And here is what the FACTS tell us what happens when a state, any state, raises its millionaires tax.

In the first fiscal year they are enacted, taxes generally raise anywhere from 90 to 95% of the publicly estimated revenue to be raised. Sometimes it is more, sometimes it is less. This occurs for 3 main reasons: 1) They are usually retroactive for the current fiscal year, and since DeLoreans don’t come standard with flux capacitors, taxpayers can’t do much about avoiding taxes in June on income already earned 6 months ago in January; 2) Moving/fleeing doesn’t happen overnight. While millionaires have the resources to leave the state due to taxes, it takes some time. So while they cut through the red tape, their income stays and is taxed at the new higher rate; 3) The projections employed are usually the rosy best case scenario ones to make the TV sound bite better. $600 million sounds better than $500 million when you’re trying to close a budget gap. But the best case scenario is hardly ever the real case scenario.

It is also a fact that after the fiscal year of implementation, tax revenues come nowhere near projections. Nowhere near. The first years collections are a one-time windfall. Revenues fall drastically in year two. The funds that the millionaires tax was supposed to raise aren’t materializing. Not there. Year three, the gap between projected tax revenues and collected revenues is even bigger! Heck, sometimes it’s BELOW then where they started three years ago! States are collecting less income taxes than before their millionaires tax! By year four and year five, the tax revenue situation is so bad that Harry & Lloyd start up the same argument again.

– See more at: https://savejersey.com/2014/06/millionaire-tax-state-budget-analysis/#sthash.1Mv0P16u.dpuf

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Ridgewood Education Foundation Commits to 1:1 Technology

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Ridgewood Education Foundation Commits to 1:1 Technology 
June 9, 2014 

Ridgewiood NJ, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Daniel Fishbein has announced the receipt of a grant of $250,000 from the Ridgewood Education Foundation for the district’s new 1:1 Computer Device Initiative.The Ridgewood Education Foundation (The Foundation) will issue its first disbursement of $100,000 to the Board of Education at its July 23 meeting. Ongoing disbursements of $50,000 will be issued annually thereafter for an additional three years.“The 1:1 computer device initiative is the next step in the District Technology Plan and an important aspect of our goals for twenty-first century learning,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Daniel Fishbein.“On behalf of the Ridgewood Board of Education, I wish to thank The Foundation for their leadership and vision to partner with us in this exciting new program as part of their ongoing commitment and support of the district’s mission of excellence.”

Specifically, the grant will allow the district to purchase and distribute Google tablet Chromebook technology at all levels, K-12, starting in September at the high school and moving into the middle and elementary schools over the next several years.

Chromebooks and the accompanying suite of apps called Google Apps for Education (GAFE) and Google Drive allow users to store and share files from any device that has an Internet connection. As part of the1:1 initiative, the district has provided GAFE accounts to all students. Students in grades 6-12 have also been issued email accounts for internal use only. Using GAFE and Google Drive, students will be able to
access their work at school and home throughout their years in the district. Teachers will be able to provide instant feedback to students on their assignments and easily monitor student contributions to group work. All work done using GAFE is managed by the Ridgewood Public Schools in a safe and closed environment and is the property of the Ridgewood Board of Education

“Clearly from the district’s vision and plan the role of technology will be increasingly important in enhancing academics,” said The Foundation president Jennie Wilson. “The Trustees of The Foundation felt this was an important initiative for Ridgewood schools and vital to twenty-first century learning skills across the district. The vote to fund this grant to the schools was unanimous and very exciting for all trustees. It supports academics and fits perfectly with our mission to enhance education in the Ridgewood Public Schools.”

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At 14, Ridgewood resident set to become an Eagle Scout

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At 14, Ridgewood resident set to become an Eagle Scout

JUNE 20, 2014    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JUNE 20, 2014, 12:31 AM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER

With a makeshift shelter collapsed, rain pelted Vaed Prasad square on his face. A once billowing campfire was extinguished by the downpour, leaving Prasad in the middle of nowhere, nothing but darkness and the unknown of the upstate New York wilderness around him.

The worsening conditions even drove a friend and fellow Boy Scout from the secluded grounds in favor of the main camp, where safety and comfort were more readily available. It certainly wasn’t the ideal way to earn the Wilderness Survival merit badge, but Prasad stayed put at a time he could have fled.

“I was all alone in a place known with bears and other dangerous animals, and I might have thought about leaving. But I persevered because it was another milestone that I was excited about,” recalled Prasad. “Looking back … it was a good experience. When I was lying in my bed a week later, I realized how we take some of these things for granted. Sometimes, we forget how important it is to have things such as shelter.”

Prasad has learned a lifetime of lessons, many of them through his scouting experiences. His pursuit for the Wilderness Survival badge, which he eventually earned after that fateful night a few years back, demonstrated a commitment and fortitude uncommon for a teenager, and that type of dedication has paid off.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/clubs-and-service-organizations/at-14-resident-set-to-become-an-eagle-scout-1.1038516#sthash.mhlvmVCd.dpuf

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Ridgewood Boys Track & Field foursome crowned All-Americans in 4-x-800

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Ridgewood Boys Track & Field foursome crowned All-Americans in 4-x-800

JUNE 20, 2014    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JUNE 20, 2014, 12:31 AM
BY MATTHEW BIRCHENOUGH
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR

The Ridgewood High School boys 4-x-800-meter relay team returned from the New Balance Outdoor Nationals with national recognition as well as local pride after earning All-America honors with a relay performance that also claimed the top spot in Bergen County record books.

The quartet of sophomore Michael Thurston and seniors Brian Collins, David Frering and Luke Dublirer clocked 7:39.57 to finish fifth in the race last Saturday in Greensboro, N.C. St. Xavier (Ohio) placed first in 7:37.26.

The top six finishers in each event earned All-American status at the meet held last Friday through Sunday.

“Being All-American, that will last forever,” RHS head coach Josh Saladino said Monday. “It was nice to see the kids just enjoying the accomplishment that they were able to achieve.”

The Maroons also reclaimed the county record in the event, which they had surrendered just 10 days earlier.

The squad ran the relay in 7:44.09 at the June 4th State Meet of Champions (SMOC) in South Plainfield, surpassing the county 4-x-800 mark it set last season. However, Bergen Catholic edged out the Maroons in that race, running 7:42.95, to take not only the gold medal but the Bergen record as well.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/sports/high-school-sports/boys-track/rhs-relay-ranks-among-america-s-best-1.1038655#sthash.0mgaeOpo.dpuf

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The $300-per-hour ‘summer planner’ for teens

Marines

humm how about the US Marines

The $300-per-hour ‘summer planner’ for teens
By Tara Palmeri
June 23, 2014 | 2:46am

Deep-pocketed parents are shelling out big bucks to make sure their kids are able to navigate one of life’s biggest hurdles — summer.

For about $300 an hour, experts will assist teens in managing their fun in the sun, all in an effort to help them craft that killer “How I Spent My Summer Vacation” essay and land a spot at a top college.

“In terms of writing his college essays, it was pretty much a slam-dunk,” said Marla Isackson, 57, of Tenafly, NJ, who hired “professional summer planner” Jill Tipograph to plan two trips for her son Josh, who now attends Yale.

“We made an investment in our child. It was important to us, and it was our priority.”

Josh spent two summers in China and used the experience to write the college essay that got him into the Ivy League school.

“When you apply to college, [they] look at a kid in his or her entirety in terms of interests and grades and standardized tests,” Isackson said. “The kids want to present themselves as a story.

“The fact that China was a part of his story, I think, made his story much more authentic and believable — who is this kid, what are his interests, what makes him tick,” she added.

https://nypost.com/2014/06/23/parents-can-hire-a-summer-planner-for-kids-at-300-per-hour/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=NYPFacebook&utm_medium=SocialFlow

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Tonight , New York Times Bestselling Author, ELIZABETH GILBERT, Book signing at The Ridgewood Public Library

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Tonight , New York Times Bestselling Author, ELIZABETH GILBERT, Book signing at The Ridgewood Public Library  

TONIGHT, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25TH @ 7:00pm!!!

New York Times Bestselling Author, ELIZABETH GILBERT will discuss and sign her book: THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS at The Ridgewood Public Library.

THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS ($20.00) at Bookends 

Call Bookends Bookstore to reserve your seat (201)445-0726

Hotwire US

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Chamber RHS Scholarship Golf Classic 2014

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Chamber RHS Scholarship Golf Classic 2014
Thu, July 17, 2014
Time: 11:30 AM – 9:30 PM

Ridgewood Country Club, 96 W. Midland Avenue, Paramus, NJ

While you’re playing your best game ever, know you are also helping children by supporting the Chambers RHS Scholarship Fund- “their future is in your hands”. 

The Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce is devoted to empowering children through education.

For more details, please call us at 201-445-2600 or email [email protected] www.experienceridgewood.com

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Village of Ridgewood Employment Opportunity – Director, Building Department

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Village of Ridgewood Employment Opportunity – Director, Building Department

Director of Building Department

Full-time position. The Village of Ridgewood seeks a Construction Official to act as the Chief Administrator of the Building Department; zoning license preferred. Seeking a strong leader and manager with a proven track record in implementing technology solutions and establishing streamlined processes that are driven by customer needs and compliance with NJ Uniform Construction Code. While actively enforcing the UCC, Village ordinances, zoning and property maintenance ordinances, the selected individual must also demonstrate their commitment to continual process improvement as well as optimizing customer satisfaction. 

Salary commensurate with experience and qualifications. Village of Ridgewood is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. Send cover letter, resume and references to [email protected] or fax to 201/652-2318 by July 9, 2014.

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Pensions center stage today for Christie in court

Gov. Chris Christie Discusses Candidates For Sen. Lautenberg's Seat

Pensions center stage today for Christie in court

Wednesday, June 25th, 2014, and though Gov. Chris Christie is talking pension reform, the most vital pension conversation, at least in the short term, is being held in a Trenton courtroom this afternoon. (Symons/The Asbury Park Press)

https://www.app.com/story/news/politics/capitolquickies/2014/06/25/pensions-center-stage-today-for-christie-and-in-court/11345877/

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Congratulations to the RHS class of 2014 ,Grad of 1952 looks back

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class of 2014 photo Ridgewood PD

Congratulations to the Ridgewood High School class of 2014.

RHS grads turning 80 looks back at the class of ’52

JUNE 20, 2014    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JUNE 20, 2014, 12:31 AM
BY DEIRDRE FLANAGAN WARD
SOCIAL EDITOR

The reunion may be over, but for a group of committee grads from Ridgewood High School Class of 1952, the party never ends. On a balmy mid-week evening (these kids don’t worry about work the next day because most of them are retired!) the group got together at the home of Anne (Ward) and Hank Allen in Glen Rock for some light fare, delicious libations, lively conversation and birthday celebrations. Marking their 80th birthdays were classmates Roy Tarvin, Claire Carter, Lois Clapp, Nancy Jeanne Alward, Judy Kaiser, Connie Macchi, Bob Croland, Donald Heller, Bruce Crocco, Anne Allen, Joan Van Ry, Carole Frank and Mimi Maxfield. Classmate Jim Craig, who was not able to attend, was celebrated in spirit. In addition to toasting a remarkable lifetime achievement, several members of the group also reminisced about their longstanding friendships; some forged in their kindergarten years, others as neighborhood pals, and then there were the childhood sweethearts.

The committee, although not planning a reunion this year, meets on a regular basis because they enjoy each others’ company – spouses included. A number of the gals additionally branched off to start “The Lunch Bunch” as a social adventure in dining. The venture proved to be so popular it expanded into weekend getaways. And not to be confused with senior citizen outings, these gals take to the road and drive themselves! The group has been very active and diligent in reaching out to classmates over the years, which explains the high attendance rate at reunions and other affairs. They even started a newsletter to keep people up to date and recently initiated a giving back movement by making a donation to the RHS Learning Center. Individually, and collectively, the committee members and longtime friends are testimony to the fact that 80 may be their chronological status, but forever in their hearts they will remain the ages they were in 1952.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/celebrations/rhs-grads-turning-80-embrace-52-1.1038651#sthash.8hvmo6Vi.dpuf