Showdown on the range: Nevada rancher, feds face off over cattle grazing rights
By Michael Martinez, CNN
updated 8:17 AM EDT, Fri April 11, 2014
(CNN) — A 20-year dispute between a Nevada rancher and federal rangers over illegal cattle grazing erupted into an Old West-style showdown on the open range this week, even prompting self-proclaimed members of militia groups from across the country to join the rancher in fighting what they say is U.S. “tyranny.”
What began as a legal fight between longtime rancher Cliven Bundy and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management has escalated as Bundy kept his cattle on the federal land, and the government has responded by beginning roundups of the livestock.
A confrontation teetered on violence Wednesday when Bundy family members and dozens of supporters angrily confronted a group of rangers holding Tasers and barking dogs on leashes near Bunkerville, about 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas.
Federal officials say a police dog was kicked and officers were assaulted.
Photos: Showdown in Nevada
Bundy family members say they were thrown to the ground or jolted with a Taser.
In the end, the rangers got into their white SUVs and drove away, a YouTube video of the incident showed.
“Get out of our state!” the cheering protesters yelled at the rangers as they departed in several vehicles. “BLM go away! BLM go away!” they added, referring to the Bureau of Land Management.
The entire incident is now under investigation, Amy Lueders, the bureau’s director in Nevada, said Thursday.
Voters in NJ split on whether to legalize recreational marijuana, poll shows
TRENTON — A poll released today shows New Jersey voters are evenly divided in their support for legalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana for recreational use — although the results show wide gaps among different sexes, age groups, and political affiliations.
The Quinnipiac University survey found that 48 percent of registered voters backed the idea, while the same number were opposed.
But gaps emerged when the groups were broken down:
• Men back legalization 54 percent to 43 percent, while women are opposed 52 percent to 43 percent.
• Voters 18 to 29 support legalization 56 percent to 43 percent, while voters over 65 disapprove 63 percent to 33 percent.
• Democrats are for it 55 percent to 41 percent, Republicans are against it 61 percent to 34 percent, and independents are divided, 48 percent to 48 percent.
“There’s enormous interest in the proposal to legalize marijuana, but voters split down the middle,” Maurice Carroll, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, said. “Republicans say no, Democrats say yes, and the highest support comes from younger voters.” (Johnson/Star-Ledger)
Ridgewood Library seeks return to 2009 funding level
APRIL 10, 2014 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2014, 2:55 PM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood Public Library is seeking a 1.9 percent increase over last year’s department budget, a sum that would return its municipal funding to 2009 levels. Library officials reviewed their proposed 2014 spending plan with Village Council members Monday afternoon, focusing their presentation on key elements of the $2.32 million budget.
Members of Ridgewood’s Emergency Services and Office of Emergency Management also detailed their respective spending proposals earlier this week, as the municipality inches closer to finalizing its 2014 budget. The village’s governing body is expected to introduce the municipal budget April 23, with a public hearing and vote to adopt scheduled for May 28.
Much of the library’s operating budget was dismantled about six years ago, when the global financial crisis rocked all levels of government. Since then, the library has attempted to do more with less, while trying annually to recoup its funding.
Director Nancy Greene provided several library highlights, such as a 10 percent increase in both attendance at library programs and the number of reference questions directed to staff members. Notable programs include English as a Second Language, special needs events, technology training and student-to-student homework help.
Village of Ridgewood Green RME Wins Biogas Project of the Year
April 10, 2014
(GLOBE NEWSWIRE)
Ridgewood NJ, The American Biogas Council today awarded Ridgewood Green RME the “Biogas Project of the Year Award” for a renewable energy project implemented at the wastewater treatment plant owned by the Village of Ridgewood, NJ.
The American Biogas Council selected the project in the Municipal category because of its excellence in all of its criteria: Innovation, Technology, Collaboration and Complexity. The goal of the project was to enhance anaerobic digestion at a municipal wastewater treatment plant so that enough biogas is produced through the Combined Heat & Power (CHP), meeting almost the entire plant’s energy needs to run the plant. A 50KW solar array was included to meet the goal along with a 240KW engine/generator.
The overall objective is to improve affordability, resiliency and sustainability of wastewater treatment operations for the Village of Ridgewood, New Jersey.
Ridgewood Village Project
A biogas production system was designed to optimize the production of electricity from methane, and was constructed through a retrofit at the existing Water Pollution Control facility. Ridgewood Green RME, an entity comprised of Natural Systems Utilities (NSU), Middlesex Water Company (MWC), and American Refining and Biochemical (ARB), through a 20-year public-private partnership with the Village of Ridgewood, made the up-front capital investment to retrofit the new equipment to optimize the anaerobic digestion process and convert methane gas to electricity. Bio-Organic Catalyst, Inc. (partner with NSU) also assisted in the development of the project and continues to provide an enzyme product that increases biogas production. In addition, the production of electricity is enhanced through co-digestion with food wastes such as brown grease to increase biogas production. The heat required for anaerobic digestion is also generated by heat recovery off the engine, further increasing plant efficiency and reducing emission of greenhouse gases. In turn this biogas conversion facility now eliminates the need to flare the methane to the atmosphere, as previously required.
“Our public-private partnership among NSU, Middlesex and ARB makes Ridgewood a national leader in sustainable municipal wastewater treatment,” said Village of Ridgewood Mayor Paul Aronsohn. “Producing energy at our facilities reduces cost while powering the facility with approximately 100% renewable energy, and provides environmental benefits for the community. To be able to accomplish this at no capital cost to the taxpayer, while realizing substantial environmental benefits for the Village, is something we can all take pride in,” added Aronsohn.
A total of four solar generation facilities were constructed on several properties throughout the Village of Ridgewood to provide renewable energy. Installations at Village Hall, the Fire Department, the EMS Building and the Water Pollution Control Facility, have been producing electricity since February 2013. The biogas engine, the workhorse of the project, has undergone energy optimization testing and has since been successfully integrated into the wastewater treatment process. The facilities are being operated by Village employees in concert with Ridgewood Green RME.
In addition to cost savings from the utility bill, additional income is generated by selling all the renewable energy certificates (RECs) to 3Degrees, a leader in the renewable energy marketplace. RECs produced by the biogas technology at Ridgewood and the related solar projects have a relatively high value because of their unique characteristics, compared to other Green-e Certified National RECs. 3Degrees is purchasing Ridgewood’s premium RECs and, in turn, supplying Ridgewood water pollution control plant with lower cost Green-e Certified National RECs, equivalent to almost the entire plant’s energy needs, thereby ensuring the plant is powered with renewable energy, while maximizing the return on investment in the project. The sale of these RECs is part of the overall economic package that allows for the supply of lower cost electricity, ultimately benefiting Ridgewood utility customers.
“Many municipalities are struggling with aging infrastructure, underperforming utility facilities and severely constrained municipal budgets. This project demonstrates how partnerships with municipal and industrial leaders can achieve a lower carbon footprint while converting wastes to valuable resources for use in the local community. By repurposing an existing facility in this way, everyone benefits — the environment, the Village residents and our renewable energy investors,” said Chuck Gordon, CEO Natural Systems Utilities.
“Optimizing energy production in this manner demonstrates the unique relationship between water, wastewater and renewable energy where the integration of these commodities has resulted in environmental and economic benefit for all parties,” said Dennis Doll, Middlesex Water President and CEO. “In addition to helping the Village realize cost savings, the project is improving air quality and lowering energy costs, truly helping the Village to become more sustainable,” added Doll.
NSU, MWC and ARB worked with several key partners on various components of the project including Bio-Organic Catalyst, Inc., HDR-HydroQual Engineers and Advanced Solar Products. Bio-Organic Catalyst, Inc., (partner with NSU) provides optimization of the anaerobic digestion process with addition of an enzyme product which increases biogas production. HDR-HydroQual Engineers provided engineering design services and construction assistance for the project. Advanced Solar Products provided turn-key installation of the solar panels at the four Village locations.
Photo credit: Boyd A. Loving Ridgewood crash sends driver to hospital with painful head injury
April 11,2014
Boyd A. Loving
1:27 PM
Ridgewood NJ ,The male driver of a Honda Accord was transported by ambulance to The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood following a collision in which his vehicle was rear ended on Linwood Avenue westbound over Route 17 in Ridgewood. Emergency responders on the scene reported that the victim was complaining of severe head pain resultant from his head striking an interior door post. Several Ridgewood PD, FD, and EMS units responded to assist the victim. The exit ramp from Route 17 northbound to Linwood Avenue westbound was closed for 30 minutes while the victim was attended to and the vehicle removed by flatbed tow truck. Police on the scene did not indicate if any summonses were issued in connection with the incident.
Charter School Applications Remain Strong, Despite Few Approvals by State
Administration’s reluctance to sign off on new charters doesn’t do much to discourage nearly 40 new applicants
Even as the Christie administration approves fewer new charter schools, interest in opening these facilities remains high, with nearly 40 applications coming in last week for the latest round of review.
Thirty-eight applications were received in all, although that number may be culled after preliminary reviews are conducted by the state Department of Education to determine if the proposals are complete.
The high number of applications reflects the enduring interest in operating these schools, even as the state throttles back on approvals. In the round of applications this past March, 38 proposals yielded just three approvals.
Overall, 14 of this year’s applications are repeat submissions; nearly a dozen come from the larger education management organizations that are coming to dominate New Jersey’s charter landscape. (Mooney/NJSpotlight)
North Jersey consumers and retailers have beef with rising meat prices
APRIL 11, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 2014, 1:21 AM
BY ANDREW WYRICH
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
* Higher feed costs, smaller herds driving costs
Backyard grillers can expect to get a strong case of heartburn this year because the cost of beef has soared.
For years, severe droughts in the western and southern United States have driven the price of feed such as corn and hay to record highs, causing ranchers to sell cattle they could no longer feed. The diminished herds are causing beef prices to swell to all-time highs for North Jersey butchers, delis and the customers seeking steaks and burgers.
The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association said the years of drought in the big beef-producing states such as Texas and Nebraska pushed the production of beef down by 2 percent in 2013. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said the nation’s cattle population has fallen to 87.7 million, the lowest since 1951.
This has driven the retail price for round choice steak to $5.284 per pound in February, up from $4.899 per pound at the same time in 2013, according to the USDA. The prices have stayed over $5 a pound since November, according to the most recent available data.
The cattle crisis has put pricing pressure on North Jersey butchers, supermarkets, delis and restaurants.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/beef-prices-leaving-consumers-with-a-bad-taste-1.899171#sthash.BuaVQ1NN.dpuf
Analysis: Wall Street skeptical of N.J.’s pension reforms
APRIL 10, 2014, 10:15 PM LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2014, 10:20 PM
BY JOHN REITMEYER
STATE HO– USE BUREAU
THE RECORD
Governor Christie is calling for pension reforms, but analysts from the Wall Street ratings agency Standard & Poor’s said on Thursday that it’s unclear if that will put the state on a better financial footing.
Their concerns came a day after the agency lowered New Jersey’s bond rating, making it third worst among U.S. states.
In major speeches this year, and at many public events lately, Christie has said he wants to work with lawmakers to come up with new reforms, changes like those he negotiated with Democrats in 2011.
During a town-hall-style event in Fairfield on Wednesday, Christie said he would “force this discussion” again with lawmakers.
“I’m going to put a plan out there, and they’re going to have to deal with it,” Christie said.
But on Thursday, spokesman Kevin Roberts would not say exactly what Christie is considering at this stage.
“The governor has been clear that he is engaging the Legislature, and absent an indication from them that they are willing to recognize reality and negotiate next-step reforms in a bipartisan way, he will put forward a proposal of his own,” Roberts said.
Roberts also disputed the notion from the ratings agency analysts that recent changes to the pension formula and debt restructurings have pushed costs on to future budgets.
And it’s that uncertainty from Christie, along with his recent budget practices, like over-eager estimates for tax revenues that fall short, that have analysts concerned.
After years of skipped or only partial contributions from the state, the public employee pension system remains grossly underfunded and continues to weigh down New Jersey finances.
The burdensome pension payment — Christie’s latest spending plan calls for a record, $2.25 billion contribution that is still only a fraction of what actuaries say the state should be spending on an annual basis to bring the fund closer to solvency — was among the factors cited by Standard & Poor’s in announcing its move on Wednesday.
The downgrade was bad news for Christie, a Republican who has tried to portray his administration as having improved New Jersey’s finances after years of Democratic mismanagement. But the analysts said New Jersey is still dealing with some economic struggles while most other states have enjoyed fuller recoveries that have put their budgets back on solid ground.
The lower rating for New Jersey’s debt also comes just as state lawmakers are reviewing Christie’s latest spending plan, a $34.45 billion budget that is the largest in state history. The credit rating is an important factor in the budget talks because it helps determine how costly any future borrowing or refinancing will be.
Christie used the downgrade’s announcement to apply more pressure on Democratic lawmakers to enact new pension system changes, something they are reluctant to do yet again.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/analysis-wall-street-skeptical-of-n-j-s-pension-reforms-1.898753#sthash.A1QigG3e.dpuf
Hearing date set for proposed cell tower in Ridgewood
APRIL 11, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 2014, 12:31 AM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
The Zoning Board of Adjustment will discuss at its next meeting AT&T’s application to reinstall a temporary cell tower at the Route 17 Exxon Mobil station.
AT&T is hoping to reinstall a temporary cell phone tower that was removed in February.
The meeting is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 22.
According to the zoning board’s attorney, Bruce Whitaker, “the first half” of the meeting will be devoted to the application, and AT&T will be bring a radio frequency engineer, a civil engineer and a planner to testify.
The temporary equipment requires a use variance, and various bulk variances, such as side and rear yard setbacks. AT&T is requesting waivers from site plan and design standard requirements found in the Village Code, according to the agenda for the board’s April 8 meeting. The board had planned to discuss the tower application at the end of Tuesday’s meeting, but officials decided at 10 p.m. that the meeting was running too long.
Despite the variances required for the placement of a temporary cell tower in Ridgewood, an unapproved 100-foot temporary AT&T cell tower previously sat for months at the same Exxon Mobil location.
Ridgewood council members, school board trustees talk taxes
APRIL 10, 2014 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2014, 2:46 PM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
After receiving a short presentation on next year’s preliminary school budget, members of the Village Council questioned the Board of Education (BOE) on Monday about “efficiencies” and expressed an interest in more collaboration to potentially save taxpayers money.
District officials, meanwhile, highlighted the high performance level of Ridgewood’s schools and several already-existing fiscal efficiencies, while noting that Ridgewood’s school district receives relatively little state aid in comparison to poorer districts.
The two elected bodies have collaborated in several ways in the past year. In September, the council confirmed that the district owned Heermance Place and could therefore reserve it for Ridgewood High School faculty parking. In February, the council extended a smoking ban in village parks to sidewalks outside of BOE properties (including fields and schools). Now, the council is also discussing the potential of allocating the district a police officer specifically entrusted to the schools, known as a school resource officer, or SRO.
After Monday’s budget presentation in the BOE building, some council members, all of whom but Councilman Tom Riche were present, suggested there may be future ways to increase the district’s efficiency. Last year, the council managed to present taxpayers with a flat budget increase, and is working on doing the same this year. Ridgewood’s school budget for next year, which accounts for about two thirds of residents’ property taxes, includes a 1.908 percent local tax levy increase.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/ridgewood-council-members-school-board-trustees-talk-taxes-1.898582#sthash.Dfi1OmS6.dpuf
Ridgewood hopes to conduct audit before employee sentenced for half-million quarter theft
APRIL 10, 2014, 5:56 PM LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2014, 5:56 PM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — Officials hope to conduct a complete forensic analysis of the village’s financials before the June sentencing of a former employee who recently admitted stealing $460,000 in parking meter quarters.
At the council’s meeting Wednesday night, Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld explained that she had met with representatives from the Joint Insurance Fund, which she said would fund the audit.
“We’d like to get this done in the next two weeks,” Sonenfeld said.
An independent review of the method by which the village manages its parking meter revenues will also be undertaken, she added.
That, Sonenfeld said, would be paid for by the village.
The results from both analyses, Sonenfeld noted, could serve to guide village officials as they mull what future actions to take to prevent theft.
Last month, Thomas Rica admitted taking handfuls of quarters out of the parking meter coin storage room in Village Hall.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-hopes-to-conduct-audit-before-employee-sentenced-for-half-million-quarter-theft-1.898724#sthash.fXYnsVao.dpuf
Ridgewood urged to investigate email sent to candidate’s employer
APRIL 11, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 2014, 12:31 AM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
Candidate’s former employer contacted
The village will respond to continued calls for an investigation of a purported anonymous message sent to the employer of a Ridgewood Council candidate, but officials caution that they are still uncertain which direction to follow.
At least two residents urged current council members this week to look into an email that was delivered last month to the editor of the Staten Island Advance, a newspaper where Ridgewood resident Michael Sedon was employed. Sedon told The Ridgewood News that the email, whose sender is unknown, suggested that a conflict of interest existed if he continued to work as a reporter while campaigning during the municipal election season.
WASHINGTON — Kathleen Sebelius, the health and human services secretary, is resigning, ending a stormy five-year tenure marred by the disastrous rollout of President Obama’s signature legislative achievement, the Affordable Care Act.
Mr. Obama accepted Ms. Sebelius’s resignation this week, and on Friday morning, he will nominate Sylvia Mathews Burwell, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, to replace her, officials said.
The departure comes as the Obama administration tries to move beyond its early stumbles in carrying out the law, convince a still-skeptical public of its lasting benefits, and help Democratic incumbents, who face blistering attack ads after supporting the legislation, survive the midterm elections this fall.
Officials said Ms. Sebelius, 65, made the decision to resign and was not forced out. But the frustration at the White House over her performance had become increasingly clear, as administration aides worried that the crippling problems at HealthCare.gov, the website set up to enroll Americans in insurance exchanges, would result in lasting damage to the president’s legacy.
Issa Accuses Cummings of Colluding with the IRS
By Eliana Johnson
April 9, 2014 4:16 PM
The war between Oversight Committee chairman Darrell Issa and the committee’s ranking member, Elijah Cummings, rages on.
Issa on Wednesday accused the Maryland Democrat of colluding with the Internal Revenue Service in its targeting of the conservative nonprofit group True the Vote, whose founder, Catherine Engelbrecht, said she received multiple letters from Cummings in 2012 and personal visits from the IRS and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Explosives. Engelbrecht’s True the Vote is one of the many conservative groups that claims to have been improperly targeted by the IRS while it scrutinized the applications of tea-party groups.
In a letter signed by his five subcommittee chairmen, Issa raised the possibility that Cummings coordinated with the IRS, “surreptitiously” contacting the agency to request information about True the Vote.
E-mails unearthed in the course of Issa’s investigation into the IRS’s inappropriate targeting of right-leaning groups show that in January 2013, a member of Cummings’s staff contacted the IRS asking for any publicly available information on True the Vote. The matter was discussed by IRS officials that included Lois Lerner, the former exempt-organizations chief who retired in the wake of the targeting scandal. One of Lerner’s deputies, Holly Paz, subsequently sent the organization’s 990 forms to Cummings and his staff — not an illegal disclosure of taxpayer information, though sources say the exchange of such information was not routine.
Menendez campaign donor and Fla. eye doctor is nation’s highest paid Medicare physician
TRENTON — A West Palm Beach ophthalmologist and U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez’s close friend and major benefactor is Medicare’s $21 million man.
That’s how much Salomon Melgen, a retinal specialist, earned from treating elderly and disabled patients in 2012. He is Medicare’s highest reimbursed physician in the nation, according to never-before disclosed billing information released today by the Obama administration.
Ophthalmologists like Melgen were among the most highly compensated on the list of 770,000 physicians and health care organizations in the database. But Melgen earned more than 60 times than his average peer, taking in $20.8 million to treat 894 patients who underwent 94,000 procedures, according to the federal database.
Melgen’s relationship with Menendez came under scrutiny last year when New Jersey’s senior senator acknowledged he had accepted trips to the Dominican Republic in the doctor’s personal jet without reporting them on his campaign spending reports. Menendez went to bat for Melgen when Medicare audited the doctor and questioned $8.9 million in services billed from practice, according to a report in The Washington Post. Quoting Menendez aides, the Post said Menendez initially contacted federal officials in 2009 about the government’s audit of Melgen, complaining to the director overseeing Medicare payments that it was unfair to penalize the doctor because the billing rules were ambiguous, the aides said.
FBI agents raided Melgen’s office, Vitreo-Retinal Consultants Eye Center, last year. (Livio/Star-Ledger)
