Ridgewood boys take total control
TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014
BY PAUL SCHWARTZ
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
NEW YORK – Nearly five hours of competition in the first four divisions of the Big North meet Monday night led to several conclusions:
1. Ridgewood has an outstanding and deep boys team.
2. Zack Bazile of St. Joseph and Chris Estrella of Ridgefield Park are very, very good athletes who not many may have heard of yet, but everyone may be talking about them by the time this season is over.
3. The rest of the divisions have at least two very good teams.
The Ridgewood boys team scored the only runaway win of the night, taking command of the Freedom Division in the meet’s second event and going on to a 178-82 1/2 win over Indian Hills. They were joined by Bergen Catholic (United), Ramsey (Patriot) andRidgefield Park (American) as boys teams winners.
Structural Assessment , Irene Habernickel Family Park Horse Barn
Request for Proposals – Professional A-E Svs for Structural Assessment for Horse Barn – Open 2/13
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Requests for Proposals (RFP’s) will be received by the Village of Ridgewood, in the Level 3 Conference Room, at the Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey, on Thursday, February 13, 2014 at 4:00 p.m. prevailing time, then publicly opened and read aloud for:
“Request for Proposals
For Professional Architectural/Engineering Services
For the Structural Assessment of the Irene Habernickel Family Park Horse Barn 1057 Hillcrest Road”
The Village of Ridgewood is seeking proposals for professional architectural/engineering services to assess the condition of the Horse Barn at the Irene Habernickel Family Park for proposed uses.
The RFP package may be obtained from the Engineering Division Offices, Level 3, Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450, (201) 670-5500, extension No. 238. Proposal packages may be examined or picked up in person between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., at 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450, Monday through Friday. Prospective respondents requesting proposal documents be mailed to them shall be responsible for providing their own postage/delivery service remuneration. No proposal forms shall be given out after 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 11, 2014.
All prices quoted in the proposal must be net and exclusive of all Federal, State and Local Sales and Excise Taxes. Proposals may be submitted in person or by mail prior to the proposal opening, addressed to the Office of the Village Clerk. The Village assumes no responsibility for loss or non-delivery of any proposal sent to it prior to the date and time stated for receipt of proposals.
Each proposal must be enclosed in a sealed envelope with the name of the respondent thereon and endorsed, ” Request for Proposals
For
Professional Architectural/Engineering Services
For the
Structural Assessment of the Irene Habernickel Family Park Horse Barn 1057 Hillcrest Road”.
All respondents shall present satisfactory evidence of being authorized to do business in the State of New Jersey. All respondents shall also provide a copy of their New Jersey Business Registration Certificate with their proposal. All respondents shall adhere to the requirements presented in the “Request for Proposals”. The Village of Ridgewood reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, to waive any informality or to accept a proposal, which in its judgment best serves the interest of the Village.
” BIDDERS ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF N.J.S.A. 10:5-31 et seq. and N.J.A.C. 17:27). A complete statement as to these requirements is included in the Request for Proposals.
Village of Ridgewood Bid Notice – Coach Bus Transportation Services – Opens January 29
NOTICE TO BIDDERS
Sealed bid proposals will be received by the Village of Ridgewood, in the 3rd Floor Conference Room, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07451, on Wednesday, January 29, 2014 at 10:00 am prevailing time, and then publicly opened and read aloud by the Director of Parks and Recreations or his designated representative for the following project:
Supply of Coach Bus Trasportation Services
The work of the Contract shall be to supply: Coach Bus Transportation Service for the Village of Ridgewood, Department of Parks and Recreation as needed and described in the contract specifications.
Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from the office of the Ridgewood Parks and Recreation Department, 259 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07451, weekdays between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., by telephone (201) 670-5560, or by Email request to [email protected]. Documents may be examined or picked up in person between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the offices of the Parks and Recreation Department, 259 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07451, Monday through Friday. Prospective bidders requesting bid documents be mailed to them shall be responsible for providing their own postage/delivery service remuneration. No Specifications and/or Proposal forms shall be given out after 4:30 p.m. on Monday, January 27, 2014.
The contractual obligation of the Village of Ridgewood under this Contract for these items is contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds from which payment for this Contract can be made.
Prices quoted must be net and exclusive of all Federal, State and Local Sales and Excise Taxes. Bids may be submitted prior to the bid opening in person or by mail, addressed to the Office of the Village Clerk. The Village assumes no responsibility for loss or non-delivery of any bid sent to it prior to the Bid opening.
Each bid must be enclosed in a sealed envelope with the name of the bidder thereon and endorsed, Supply of Coach Bus Transportation Services and must be accompanied by the following:
? A certified check, cashier’s check, or Bid Bond (Schedule B), drawn to the order of the Village of Ridgewood in the amount of $1,500.00;
? A Consent of Surety (Schedule A);
? A Corporation or Partnership Statement (Schedule C);
? A Non-Collusion Affidavit (Schedule D); a Statement of Responsibility (Schedule E);
? A copy of the bidder’s State of New Jersey Business Registration Certificate.
Any award or awards may be made at a later or subsequent time or meeting of the Village Council. All required schedules, that is Schedule A, B, C, D, E, and F, are required to be submitted on the forms attached to the bid documents. No other forms will be accepted.
The successful bidder shall comply with all applicable provisions of the Prevailing Wage Act, as determined by the New Jersey Department of Labor. All contractors, their subcontractors, and material suppliers shall comply with all applicable provisions of the Public Works Contractor Registration Act, pursuant to Public Law 1999 Chapter 238 and the Contractor Business Registration Program, pursuant to Public Law 2004 Chapter 57. Evidence of satisfactory registration shall be submitted at the time of the bid (where applicable).
The successful bidder shall furnish and deliver to the Village of Ridgewood a performance and payment bond (Schedule F) in the amount of 100 percent of the accepted bid amount as security for the faithful performance of the Contract. Additionally, the successful bidder shall furnish policies or Certificates of Insurance required by the Contract. In default thereof, said checks and/or bid bond and the amount represented thereby shall be forfeited to the Village of Ridgewood as liquidated damages, not as a penalty.
Proposals submitted by Bidders and/or Bidder’s Insurance Company(ies) not chartered in the State of New Jersey, must be accompanied by proper certificate(s) from the Secretary of State, indicating that such Bidders, Bidder’s Insurance Company(ies), and/or Surety Company(ies) is (are) authorized to do business in the State of New Jersey. The Village of Ridgewood reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to waive any informalities or to accept a bid which, in its judgment best serves the interest of the Village. No bids may be withdrawn for a period of sixty-days (60) after the date and time set for the opening of bids.
“BIDDERS ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF N.J.S.A. 10:5-31 et seq. and N.J.A.C. 17:27). A complete statement as to these requirements is included in the specifications.
Christie’s Call For Pension Concessions Sets Up Budget Battle With Sweeney
Governor’s State of the State initiatives target a familiar foe — public employee unions
Gov. Chris Christie yesterday called for a new round of public employee pension concessions, setting the stage for a bitter budget battle with Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) over changes to their landmark pension legislation — a confrontation in which Christie holds the ultimate power.
After a brief apology for the “Bridgegate” scandal that is already the subject of five investigations, Christie used his State of the State speech to argue that “further pension changes are needed” because the annual payments required to restore the pension system to solvency prevent the state from increasing the funding for education, crime prevention, infrastructure, and other needed programs or enacting a tax cut.
“For the Fiscal Year 2015 Budget, the increase in pension and debt service costs could amount to as much as nearly $1 billion,” Christie declared. “That’s nearly $1 billion we can’t spend on education. That we can’t invest in infrastructure improvement. That we can’t use to put more cops on the street.”
“If we do not choose to reduce our soaring pension and debt-service costs, we will miss the opportunity to improve the lives of every New Jersey citizen, not just a select few,” he said, once again pitting the interests of the general public against those of public employees and their unions.
In fact, virtually every initiative in Christie’s State of the State speech targeted public employee unions, from his demand for zero payments for unused sick leave and Civil Service changes to reduce union protections in municipal consolidations to his push for extended school hours and an extended school year without any discussion of whether teachers would be paid for the additional work.
“This State of the State speech comes straight out of the Christie playbook we all know: When times are tough, he attacks public-sector workers and their unions,” Milly Silva, the executive vice president of Service Employees International Union Local 1199 who ran against Christie’s ticket as the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor in November, said last night. “This is going to set up a major battle with the Legislature.” (Magyar/NJSpotlight)
Despite ‘Bridgegate,’ ie Bridgeapoolza Christie’s Approval in New Jersey Still 59%
88% (including 75% of Democrats) say knowing what they know now they would still vote for Chris Christie as their governor.
Despite the 24/7 coverage of “Bridgegate” by much of the mainstream media, and the endless speculation about other potential Christie scandals, the New Jersey Governor still has 59% approval among adults in his state, according to aMonmouth University Poll:
Regulation, taxes and debt knock the U.S. out of the world’s top 10.
By
TERRY MILLER
Jan. 13, 2014 8:05 p.m. ET
World economic freedom has reached record levels, according to the 2014 Index of Economic Freedom, released Tuesday by the Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal. But after seven straight years of decline, the U.S. has dropped out of the top 10 most economically free countries.
For 20 years, the index has measured a nation’s commitment to free enterprise on a scale of 0 to 100 by evaluating 10 categories, including fiscal soundness, government size and property rights. These commitments have powerful effects: Countries achieving higher levels of economic freedom consistently and measurably outperform others in economic growth, long-term prosperity and social progress. Botswana, for example, has made gains through low tax rates and political stability.
Those losing freedom, on the other hand, risk economic stagnation, high unemployment and deteriorating social conditions. For instance, heavy-handed government intervention in Brazil’s economy continues to limit mobility and fuel a sense of injustice.
Will IRS bully people to sign up for Obamacare?
BY: Byron York January 13, 2014 | 5:25 pm | Modified: January 13, 2014 at 6:26 pm
The individual mandate, Obamacare’s requirement that all Americans have health insurance that includes “minimum essential coverage,” has been in effect for two weeks now. No one has noticed because nothing has happened. But it will.
The mandate is the heart of Obamacare; without it, supporters believe, the system won’t work. So the Obama administration hopes millions of Americans will voluntarily comply with the mandate and purchase government-approved coverage. If they don’t do it voluntarily, they’ll be punished.
Starting next year, the government will collect a penalty — the administration calls it a “shared responsibility payment” — from Americans who don’t go along with the Obamacare edict. The penalty starts small — just $95 per adult and $47.50 per child this year — but could conceivably reach thousands of dollars per family per year once the fee scale is fully in effect.
The threat of coercion lies behind the entire Obamacare scheme. The question for the coming year is, how coercive will the government be?
The Democrats who wrote the Affordable Care Act in 2009 gave the Internal Revenue Service power to collect Obamacare penalties. Many Americans are quite familiar with how coercive the IRS can be. Fearing public opposition to IRS threats, the law’s authors forbade the IRS from bringing criminal charges or seizing houses and property from those who don’t buy government-defined “minimum essential coverage.” But Democrats still gave the IRS significant authority.
“Although the Act provides that the IRS may not use criminal prosecutions, notices of federal tax liens, or levies on property to collect an unpaid penalty, the IRS may employ offsets against federal tax refunds,” the Obama administration wrote in its 2012 Supreme Court brief in defense of the mandate. “The IRS also may seek payment through correspondence or phone calls from IRS employees.”
The main leverage the IRS will have is the refund “offset.” That simply means if a taxpayer is due a refund, but has also incurred an Obamacare penalty, the penalty will be subtracted from the refund. So a taxpayer who has a $500 refund coming but incurs a $695 Obamacare penalty will receive no refund.
In addition, that taxpayer might face a letter and a phone call — or a series of them — from the IRS telling him to pay the rest. Anyone who has received a letter or phone call from the IRS knows the experience can be quite intimidating. Or, in the words of the administration’s Supreme Court brief: “Offsets, correspondence, and phone calls are consistently some of the most productive tools in the federal tax collection process.”
N.J. residents face frustration, confusion over Obamacare
Nearly 2.2 million Americans have selected insurance plans through the Affordable Care Act and federal officials said glitches in the enrollment process continue to be smoothed out. But in North Jersey, many residents remain frustrated and confused, waiting for insurance.
It’s been 14 days since the first policies went into effect, but some in North Jersey say they are still unable to complete an application on the troubled government website, while others say they have enrolled but are awaiting a bill from an insurance company so they can pay their premium. Still others have yet to receive the cards showing they have coverage. And then there are those who report that they qualified for the newly expanded Medicaid program and are waiting to hear back from the state, which operates it.
David Oscar, an insurance broker whose company manages health policies for 2,000 small businesses and 600 individuals in New Jersey, said his customers are complaining about all parts of the process.
“It’s insane out there,” Oscar said. “Customers still can’t get through the federal marketplace and the insurance systems can’t keep up with the demand. People are upset, angry and frustrated.”
Of the nearly 900,000 uninsured residents in New Jersey, 34,751 selected insurance plans through the federal marketplace by the late December enrollment deadline, according to numbers released Monday by the federal Department of Health and Human Services. Another 71,142 were told they qualified for free Medicaid coverage.
It is unclear, however, how many enrollees have paid their first premium and actually have coverage — federal officials have repeatedly declined to provide those numbers to reporters. (Williams/The Record)
Bridgeapoolza: Christie Story Attracts Little Public Interest
Recent Opinions of New Jersey Governor Are Largely Unchanged
The public paid far more attention to last week’s cold snap than to the controversy swirling around New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. There also has been little short-term change in opinions about Christie: 60% say their opinion of Christie has not changed in recent days, while 16% now view him less favorably and 6% more favorably.
The national survey by the Pew Research Center, conducted Jan. 9-12 among 1,006 adults, finds that just 18% paid very close attention to Christie’s apology on Jan. 9 for the highway lane closures ordered by his aides. By contrast, 44% very closely followed news about the cold winter weather that gripped much of the U.S. and 28% tracked news about the economy.
The Woman’s Club of Ridgewood will host its Annual Youth Event “The Tomb of Doom, A Murder Mystery Evening” on February 28th!
A wonderful evening for children aged 8-14 is planned, featuring the award winning Knock ‘Em Dead Comedy troop from Long Island. An interactive theater performance that has received rave reviews, it’s a great night out for your kids! Shop at the Baazar for costume items & accessories, visit the moustache bar, enjoy hot food or order a glass of Gloom & Doom punch. Details can be found in the flyer or contact the Woman’s Club of Ridgewood to reserve a seat.
North Jersey bookstores write new chapters into their business models
MONDAY JANUARY 13, 2014, 6:40 AM
BY ANDREW WYRICH
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
* Owners diversify to stay competitive
To combat intensifying competition from technology-based rivals, North Jersey independent bookstore owners are writing new chapters into their business models by hosting author events, offering tech-driven reading options and providing consulting services for school districts.
The introduction of e-readers, tablets, websites such as Amazon.com and large wholesale stores selling steeply discounted books has increased competition for independent bookstores over the last decade, forcing remaining book vendors to look for new ways to add to their bottom line.
“Bookstores need to study their past and analyze it thoroughly,” said Mary L. Brown, the owner of Books Bytes & Beyond in Glen Rock. “We asked ourselves how we could service the people we are close with better.”
Bookends, an independent bookseller that has been in downtown Ridgewood for 30 years, moved from its original location in 2010 to lower its rent and focus on hosting author events to boost revenue.
“Our author events are typically attended by 50 to 2,000 people, depending on who the author is,” said Bookends co-owner Walter Boyer, whose wife, Pat, books the authors.
Boyer said Bookends hosts up to 100 author events a year and the money earned from customers buying signed copies of the books makes up one-third of the store’s yearly revenue.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/239868291_North_Jersey_bookstores_write_new_chapters_into_their_business_models.html#sthash.4PZPDcCs.dpuf
Ridgewood Education Foundation plans new direction
MONDAY JANUARY 13, 2014, 1:06 PM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The Ridgewood Education Foundation (REF) is thinking bigger.
With a new campaign officially announced at a REF fundraiser last week, the private organization formerly known for its micro-grants for individual classrooms will now focus its energies on “truly innovative” grants and projects that affect more Ridgewood students district-wide.
A first $100,000 grant has already been given to the Board of Education (BOE) to aid the district with implementing Ridgewood High School’s (RHS) 1:1 technology initiative.
The REF will also make a $100,000 commitment to “21st century learning.”
“[Twenty-first century learning] is not limited to technology or STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics),” the organization noted in a press release. “It is about collaboration, creativity, project-based learning, critical thinking skills, civic literacy.”
The Record: Gadfly,Annoying and needed
TUESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2014
THE RECORD
THE DEFINITION of a gadfly is not very appealing. It literally describes a variety of fly that bites or annoys livestock. In the political realm, the dictionary definition of gadfly is “a persistent, irritating critic; a nuisance.”.
There are doubtless many local elected officials who would agree with the unflattering descriptions of gadflies. But that is too dismissive.
The term may not sound endearing, but political gadflies are vital to democracy. As described in a recent story by Record Staff Writer Chris Harris, gadflies are typically the man or woman who comes to virtually every town council or school board meeting. At times, they’re the only ones in the audience.
When the public portion of the meeting begins, they just about always command the floor. They may ask about a resolution on the agenda, question the mayor about an ongoing issue or bring up a problem around town that needs the governing body’s attention.
What makes gadflies valuable, and at times annoying to public officials, is that their regular presence at meetings makes them well equipped to comment on any number of issues. They are most likely to understand the ins and outs of governing, knowing, for instance, the difference between a resolution and an ordinance and which council member heads the public works committee. That puts them in a good position to point out the council’s shortcomings.
For years, Chris Christie was one of the country’s most gifted political thespians: More than any other contemporary Republican, he mastered the art of crafting dramatic moments for TV and online consumption and watching the nation thrill to the raw force of his personality.
Now, the New Jersey governor, whose aides once took pride in creating viral videos of his town hall smack-downs, is battling a set of adversaries wielding many of the same media tools against him.
The Garden State’s unfurling retribution scandal — in which at least three Christie associates have been tied to a scheme to deliberately disrupt traffic near the George Washington Bridge — has quickly become a case study in the evolution of the powerful messaging apparatus that national Democrats have built in the Obama era.
The Christie uproar would be a sensational story under any circumstances, thanks to the governor’s status as a leading presidential contender and a set of raw facts that are alternately troubling and profoundly entertaining. Christie’s aides and appointees didn’t need much help getting themselves into deep trouble. But with only a minor show of force from an array of entities on the left, “Bridgegate” has become a full-blown national political maelstrom.
And this time, Christie may not be stronger than the storm.
Most voters following the Bergen County intrigue likely found out about it last week, when the Record newspaper obtained emails showing that Christie’s deputy chief of staff had sent a message apparently green-lighting the closure of lanes on the George Washington Bridge.
But for nearly a month prior to the publication of those emails, the Democratic National Committee was plugging away at an anti-Christie message that has now become the talk of the political world and that a web of liberal groups, politicians and talk-show hosts have joined together to amplify. (Burns/Politico)
