Summer Music Academy through the Ridgewood Community School
REGISTER NOW FOR DISTRICT SUMMER PROGRAMS
The Summer Music Academy provides lessons and performing opportunities for beginning, intermediate and advanced level musicians. Students from all districts are welcome! Program highlights include string orchestras, jazz bands, woodwind, brass and percussion ensembles, drum set classes and the 2014 Guitar Camp. All students are encouraged to join this dynamic program. Sessions run Tuesday, July 1 through Friday, August 1.
Click here for the brochure and registration form.
Senate Democrats struggle to define a message that can save their majority
By Karen Tumulty and Paul Kane, Published: March 28 E-mail the writers
Democrats are going into the 2014 midterm elections with their control of the Senate greatly imperiled and with the prospect of an Obama presidency completely hobbled in its final two years.
In response, the president and his party are struggling to come up with a broad economic message that can rebut, or at least deflect, the continued GOP assaults on the president and his new health-care law.
Thus far, what they have produced is a smaller, more targeted approach — one that seeks to gin up the enthusiasm that has been lacking in key parts of their base, but that strategy is a gamble since it targets many voters who historically spurn midterm elections.
FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT LATE THIS EVENING AND TOMORROW AM
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY
406 AM EDT SAT MAR 29 2014
…HEAVY RAIN AND FLOODING ARE POSSIBLE LATE TONIGHT INTO
SUNDAY…
…FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY
EVENING…
THE FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES FOR
* PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT…NORTHEAST NEW JERSEY AND
SOUTHEAST NEW YORK…INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS…IN SOUTHERN
CONNECTICUT…NORTHERN FAIRFIELD…NORTHERN MIDDLESEX…NORTHERN
NEW HAVEN…NORTHERN NEW LONDON… SOUTHERN FAIRFIELD…SOUTHERN
MIDDLESEX…SOUTHERN NEW HAVEN AND SOUTHERN NEW LONDON. IN
NORTHEAST NEW JERSEY…EASTERN BERGEN…EASTERN ESSEX…EASTERN
PASSAIC…EASTERN UNION… WESTERN BERGEN…WESTERN
ESSEX…WESTERN PASSAIC AND WESTERN UNION. IN SOUTHEAST NEW
YORK…NORTHERN WESTCHESTER…ORANGE… PUTNAM…ROCKLAND AND
SOUTHERN WESTCHESTER.
* FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING
* AS LOW PRESSURE TRACKS FROM THE TENNESSEE VALLEY TODAY AND INTO
THE MID ATLANTIC STATES BY THIS EVENING…STEADY RAIN WILL
DEVELOP BY THIS AFTERNOON. THE RAIN SHOULD THEN BECOME HEAVY AT
TIMES TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING.
* RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 3 INCHES AND LOCALLY UP TO 4 INCHES
COULD CA– USE FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS…AS WELL AS SIGNIFICANT
URBAN AND POOR DRAINAGE FLOODING.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A FLOOD WATCH MEANS THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR FLOODING BASED ON
CURRENT FORECASTS. YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE
ALERT FOR POSSIBLE FLOOD WARNINGS. THOSE LIVING IN AREAS PRONE TO
FLOODING SHOULD BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION SHOULD FLOODING
DEVELOP.
Bridgeaplooza : Port Authority chairman David Samson steps down
March 28, 2014, 03:45 pm
By Keith Laing
David Samson, the chairman of the New York and New Jersey Port Authority, has resigned in the wake of a scandal involving lanes being closed on the busiest bridge in the United States.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) has been under fire for months since it was revealed that high-ranking officials in his administration were involved in a decision last year to punish the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee, N.J., by closing lanes on the George Washington Bridge, which connects New Jersey and New York.
Christie said Friday that Samson, a political mentor to the governor, agreed with the findings of a report that was released by his administration earlier this week finding that knowledge of the bridge scandal did not go hired that the officials who have already been named.
Read more: https://thehill.com/blogs/transportation-report/highways-bridges-and-roads/202060-nj-port-authority-chairman-resigns#ixzz2xLu29qSO
Follow us: @thehill on Twitter | TheHill on Facebook
Public hearing concerning a proposed amendment to the Land Use Plan Element of the Master Plan within the Central Business District
Special Planning Board Amendment to Meeting Schedule – April 1 Meeting
Special Public Meeting: Tuesday, April 1, 2014
In accordance with the provisions of the “Open Public Meetings Act,” please be advised that the Planning Board has scheduled a special public meeting and work session for TUESDAY, APRIL 1, 2014, in the GEORGE WASHINGTON MIDDLE SCHOOL AUDITORIUM, 155 Washington Place, Ridgewood, NJ beginning at 7:30 p.m.
The Board may take official action during this Special Public Meeting. The agenda for the meeting includes the following:
1. Continued public hearing concerning a proposed amendment to the Land Use Plan Element of the Master Plan, which amendment would recommend creation of new zone districts and changes in zone district boundaries within the Central Business District and surrounding area including AH-2, B-3-R, C-R and C Zone Districts.
2. Other Planning Board business per the agenda.
The proposed master plan amendment and related exhibits are at the office of the Secretary of the Ridgewood Planning Board on the third floor of Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey and are available for public inspection Monday-Friday between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. The amendment and exhibits are also posted as a courtesy on the Village’s website at www.ridgewoodnj.net.
All meetings of the Ridgewood Planning Board (i.e., official public meetings, work session meetings, pre-meeting assemblies and special meetings) are public meetings which are always open to members of the general public.
Valley Expansion and H-Zone Amendment on the Agenda for March 31st Planning Board Meeting
Planning Board Amended Meeting Schedule -March 31
PLANNING BOARD
AMENDMENT TO MEETING SCHEDULE
Special Public Meetings: March 31
In accordance with the provisions of the “Open Public Meetings Act,” please be advised that the Planning Board has scheduled special public meetings for:
• Monday, March 31, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium at the Benjamin Franklin Middle School, 335 North Van Dien Ave., Ridgewood, NJ, at which time the Board will continue the public hearing on the proposed H-Hospital Zone amendment to the Master Plan. An Executive Meeting will start at 7:00PM and end in time for the meeting.
The Board may take official action during these Work and Public Meetings.
All meetings of the Ridgewood Planning Board (i.e., official public meetings, work session meetings, pre-meeting assemblies and special meetings) are public meetings which are always open to members of the general public.
MARCH 28, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MARCH 28, 2014, 12:32 AM
Is hospital’s plan reasonable for Ridgewood?
Linda McNamara
To the Editor:
Your article “Planner OK with hospital’s proposal” (March 21, page A1) left the wrong impression with the casual reader.
One would have had to read the entire piece to know that the man hired by the Planning Board was charged only with assessing whether The Valley Hospital expansion proposal is reasonable. The question still remains, is it reasonable for Ridgewood?
Mr. May could only answer, “It’s not for me to say. I don’t look at the community, I look at the appropriateness of the facility.”
In my opinion, his testimony is rendered useless by his own words. He was hired by the Ridgewood Planning Board not by Any Town, U.S.A. No one is questioning Valley’s desire to modernize it’s facility. What is in question is the size of the expansion on a 15-acre lot in the middle of a residential neighborhood abutting a middle school.
As a homeowner who pays taxes, I am restricted to what I can build on my property. Valley pays no taxes and somehow we are willing to entertain the notion of changing our Master Plan, the existing hospital zoning and God knows what else to give Valley what it wants.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/letter-is-hospital-s-plan-reasonable-for-ridgewood-1.753095#sthash.cufsNAoi.dpuf
the fly says a lot of people stand to lose their investment
the fly listens but hears nothing , the silence is almost deafening , days since allegations were made of an anonymous email sent to Mike Sendon’s place of employment , the Village Hall remains silent .The dubious timing and nature of the emails leads to a very small pool of suspects . Fingers point to the Village Hall or perhaps Mikes old employer the Ridgewood News ,but insiders at the News have little to gain from attacking a former employee , so we are left with an even smaller pool of potential wrong doers .A recent story in the News looks to distance itself , casting an ever larger shadow over the scandal prone Village Hall . What no robo call ? Looks like a lot of people stand to lose their investment.
Residents need to consider what they want village to be
MARCH 28, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MARCH 28, 2014, 12:32 AM
Residents need to consider what they want village ‘to be’
E. Martin Walker
To the editor:Kudos to Citizens for a Better Ridgewood (CBR) for challenging real estate planner’s preposterous projections of limited school impact. In our globalized economy characterized by free information flows, it’s unrealistic to assume families willing to live in one-bedroom apartments won’t move here simply for the schools. Projections based on “similar” communities are utterly meaningless for the simple reason that there aren’t any.We should be grateful that CBR responded to higher density proposals before the Planning Board. Its calling for “vision” around the “bricks and mortar” part of our future is a necessary, but insufficient condition for going forward. Can we now hear from a community planner? Without arriving at consensus about the kind of community we want, quibbling over building heights, number of units and traffic is like re-arranging chairs on the Titanic.
What do you want us to be? The OED defines “village” as a “collection of dwelling houses and other buildings, larger than a hamlet and smaller than a town…” Ridgewood began as a railroad town centered around shipping farm goods to NYC and the settlement of north Bergen by those seeking homes in the most desirable physical environment on earth (at least for nine months of the year) while making money in what was then one of the least desirable. Suburbanization changed the definition of “villages” and “towns” by creating communities no longer organized around trade, and Ridgewood is currently a perfect example of a community now fully organized around the economy of growing families. The surplus created by families is not money, but people, and nobody does it better!
A new poll shows that just 26 percent of Americans support Obamacare, but at the same time only 13 percent think the law will be completely repealed.
obama-health-law-fails-gain-support” target=”_blank”>The Associated Press-Gfk survey was completed before the White House announced this week that it had signed up 6 million people for private health plans through the state and federal exchanges under the Affordable Care Act.
The poll showed that 7 in 10 American believe the law will stay on the books with some changes.
The AP noted that support for the law has dropped 13 points since 2010, when 39 percent favored the law. Opposition also has dipped 7 percentage points from 2010, when it stood at 43 percent. The number of people on the fence, the AP reported, has tripled from 10 percent to 30 percent.
Christie vetoes bill that would have loosened limits on police, firefighter raises
Governor Christie vetoed a bill that would have loosened limits on how much local police and firefighters can be given in annual raises Thursday, setting up a yet to be scheduled final vote in the Assembly.
In 2010, a 2 percent limit on tax levy increases was passed. Beginning in 2011, local police and fire unions were also limited to 2 percent raises when they entered into the state’s binding arbitration process – a mechanism that occurs when the union and towns can not agree on a contract. This limit was put in place so government services wouldn’t have to be cut for towns to comply with the 2 percent tax cap.
The current arbitration limit will expire on April 1 and the legislature has been scrambling to extend it in some form – Republicans want a permanent hard cap while Democrats proposed a bill with some exceptions.
Today, both the Assembly and Senate approved the Democrats’ plan before it was conditionally vetoed by Governor Christie. This plan would have increased raises to 3 percent if the union had provided the town with savings on items like health benefits. In addition, it would have allowed unions who were subject to the 2 percent cap since 2011 to be immune from the new law’s limitations – Republicans argue this would have defanged the central point of the legislation. (Phillis/The Record)
2 more bone marow drives planned for Ridgewood man with lymphoma
MARCH 28, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MARCH 28, 2014, 1:21 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
Two drives will be held for Ridgewood man with lymphoma
RIDGEWOOD — Several failed attempts to find a bone marrow donor for Anthony Daniels proved to be a blessing for five other cancer patients.
For 22-year-old Daniels, though, the search continues.
Two more drives will be held Saturday morning to help find a match for Daniels, who was diagnosed at 19 with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a ferocious form of cancer of the immune system that attacks white blood cells.
Daniels has twice beaten the cancer into remission, but it returned again several months ago.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/health-news/search-still-on-for-bone-marrow-match-1.753259#sthash.Enm8r5Im.dpuf
Fishbein: It’s budget season
March 28, 2014 Last updated: Friday, March 28, 2014, 12:32 AM
By Daniel Fishbein
As is historically done at this time of year, last week the Ridgewood Board of Education (BOE) approved the district’s 2014-2015 preliminary proposed budget for submission to the executive county superintendent. The total budget for next year, which was developed with detailed input from administrators and principals in combination with figures from existing labor agreements, insurance estimates, General Fund revenues plus state aid and debt service, comes in at just under $100 million, at $99,405,376.
These dollars will provide an education for more than 5,800 Ridgewood Public Schools students, which constitute 25 percent of the village’s residents. This proposed budget, as always, is largely supported by the local tax levy, which I am happy to report is the lowest increase in a decade, 1.908 percent.
I use the term proposed budget because until the executive superintendent approves it and a public hearing is held at our regular public meeting on April 28, the budget cannot be formally adopted by the board. Please note that this year the BOE voted to move the annual school board elections from April to November, thereby eliminating the annual voter referendum on the proposed general tax levy that is at or below the statutory tax levy cap (currently 2 percent).
Each year it is an ongoing challenge to create a fiscally responsible budget while upholding the district’s mission of excellence. Excellence requires:
New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC (AT&T) filed an application forconditional use variance for the property located at 490 Route 17
County: Bergen
Printed In: The Ridgewood News, Ridgewood
Printed On: 2014/03/28
Public Notice:
Village of Ridgewood County of Bergen, State of New Jersey Zoning Board of Adjustment NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC (AT&T) (“Applicant”) filed an application forconditional use variance, height variance and other variances as set forth below along with minor site plan approval with the Village of Ridgewood Zoning Board of Adjustment. The Applicant is proposing to place a temporary 75′ pole with antennas located at the top of the pole and related cabling attached to the adjoining existing site. The property which is the subject of this application is located at 490 Route 17, Village of Ridgewood, New Jersey which is located in the OB-2 Zoning District and is designated on the Tax Maps as Block 4703, Lot 11(“Property”). Applicant is seeking the following variances, approvals and waivers: Conditional use variance [190-123(E)(1)] Variance for demonstration that no other functional space is available [190-123E(3)(a)] Height variance for the zone Variance for the requirement of co-location [190-123(E)(3)(d)] Variance for screening of antennas [190-123(E)(3)(e)] Variance for camouflaging of antennas and tower [190-123(E)(3)(f)] Variance for minimum distance from existing freestanding antenna [190-123(E)(3)(g)] Minor Site Plan approval TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the Applicant also seeks such approvals, waivers and variances from the requirements of the Zoning Ordinance as may be deemed necessary or required by Village of Ridgewood Zoning Board of Adjustmentat the hearing in this matter. TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the Village of Ridgewood Zoning Board of Adjustment will meet at 7:30 p.m. prevailing time, Tuesday, April 8, 2014 in the Village of Ridgewood Municipal Building, located in the Village Hall Courtroom, 4th Floor, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey at which time opportunity will be given to all those in interest to be heard and at which time the Board may approve, modify or deny the application. Any interested party may appear at the aforesaid hearing, either in person, or by their attorney, and be given the opportunity to be heard with respect to the aforesaid application. TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that the application for development and all supporting maps, site plans and documents are on file in the office of the Zoning Board of Adjustment, Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450 and are available for public inspection during normal business hours. This notice is given pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:55D-1 et seq. New Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC (AT&T) PinilisHalpern LLP Judith A. Fairweather, Esq. 160 Morris Street Morristown, NJ 07960 (973) 401-1111 Attorneys for the Applicant Ridgewood News-3660983 Fee: $33.21 March 28, 2014
Public Notice ID: 21190331.HTM
Photo credit: Boyd A. Loving Overturned dump truck Route 17 Ridgewood Closes down 17 South
March 28, 2014
Boyd A. Loving
10:43 AM
Ridgewood NJ, A dump truck carrying a full load of dirt overturned on Route 17 southbound under the Linwood Avenue, Ridgewood overpass on Friday morning. The driver was transported by ambulance to The Valley Hospital Ridgewood for evaluation.
Route 17 Southbound was completely closed between Paramus Road and Linwood Avenue while crews worked to remove spilled debris, right the truck, and tow it away. There was rubbernecking in the northbound lanes. Response by multiple agencies including Ridgewood PD, FD, Emergency Services, NJ State DOT, Ridgewood Public Works & Engineering, and Ridgewood Emergency Services.
