The birds are singing, the sun is shining and FINALLY the snow has melted! It is time to trade in those snow boots for sneakers and dust off the bicycles. There is no better way to celebrate the arrival of spring than to grab some friends and family members and sign up for our Annual Hike or Bike through Ridgewood!
Click Here to Register Online!
Sunday, May 3, 2015
Van Neste Square
Ridgewood, NJ
11:30 Registration Opens
1:00 Bike Ride Starts
1:30 Walk Starts
Select Your Course: 3 Mile Hike or 15 Mile Bike Route
Both routes start at Van Neste Square in the middle of downtown Ridgewood. Participants of all ages can grab their sneakers, bicycles, scooters, wagons, or strollers and hit the pavement!
Come for the Walk or Ride, Stay for the Fun
At the end of the route, join us for an afternoon of music, food and games. Prizes will be awarded to our top fundraisers.
Your Participation Can Make a Difference in the Lives of Local Homeless Families
Help us achieve our goal of raising $50,000. All proceeds will be used to support the Family Promise Network and New Leaf Transitional Housing programs.
AWARDS AND PRIZES
All participants receive a Family Promise t-shirt while supplies last
Participants who raise $250 or more are eligible for a prize drawing
Participants who raise $500 or more are eligible to win a bike valued at $500 donated by CycleSport of Park Ridge
Winner’s Cups will be presented to those who raise the most money in each category: Individual, Team and School
April 19 at 2:00pm
West Side Presbyterian Church
6 s Monroe St
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Ensemble Companio, a chamber choir directed by Joseph Gregorio, is proud to announce its performance entitled ‘Love’s Faces’ at West Side Presbyterian Church, in Ridgewood, NJ on April 19th, 2015 at 2:00pm. The performance is sponsored and coordinated by the West Side Concert Series. Admission is free to the public.
‘Love’s Faces’ features works by Arcadelt, Passereau, Stainer, Duruflé, Lars-Erik Larsson, and a commission by Vince Peterson; arrangements of popular music by The Beatles, Billy Joel, and Randy Newman; and folk music from around the globe.
Founded in 2011, Ensemble Companio comprises 24 accomplished choral musicians and performs throughout the northeastern United States. The choir was awarded the 2012 American Prize in choral performance (community division) for its vibrant sound and moving interpretations, and was invited to perform at the 2013 Fall Conference of the Pennsylvania chapter of the American Choral Directors Association. Ensemble Companio’s mission is to build bridges between people through authentic, inspiring performances of the finest choral music.
April 3, 2015, 5:05 PM Last updated: Friday, April 3, 2015, 5:08 PM
By CHRIS HARRIS
Staff Writer |
The Record
RIDGEWOOD — Village officials have shut the doors over at Finca, a tapas restaurant that opened along East Ridgewood Avenue a little less than three months ago.
A notice adorning Finca’s front door Friday claims the eatery will remain closed “until further notice due to fire code violations.” The notice further says the restaurant will “reopen as soon as possible” while inviting patrons to visit its nearby sister restaurant, Cravings Tapas Bistro.
Ridgewood Fire Chief James Van Goor said on Friday that Finca was cited Thursday evening for nine violations to both the fire and building codes.
Americans Not in Labor Force Exceed 93 Million for First Time; 62.7% Labor Force Participation Matches 37-Year Low
By Ali Meyer
April 3, 2015 – 8:58 AM
CNSNews.com) – The number of Americans 16 years and older who did not participate in the labor force–meaning they neither had a job nor actively sought one in the last four weeks–rose from 92,898,000 in February to 93,175,000 in March, according to data released today by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
That is the first time the number of Americans out of the labor force has exceeded 93 million.
Also from February to March, the labor force participation rate dropped from 62.8 percent to 62.7 percent, matching a 37-year low.
Five times in the last twelve months, the participation rate has been as low as 62.8 percent; but March’s 62.7 percent, which matches the participation rate seen in September and December of 2014, is the lowest since February of 1978.
Former Hewlett-Packard chief Carly Fiorina on Thursday blasted Apple CEO Tim Cook’s opposition to Indiana’s religious freedom law as “hypocrisy.”
Fiorina, a potential 2016 GOP presidential contender, said Cook had a double standard and cited Apple’s operations in other countries with controversial laws about gays and women in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.
“When Tim Cook is upset about all the places that he does business because of the way they treat gays and women, he needs to withdraw from 90% of the markets that he’s in, including China and Saudi Arabia,” Fiorina argued. “But I don’t hear him being upset about that.”
Fiorina said his stance exposed a “level of hypocrisy here that is really unfortunate.”
She added that Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act contained “nothing objectionable” and that Cook’s criticism stemmed from “narrow special interests” rather than reality.
“I think this is a ginned-up controversy by people who play identity politics that has divided the nation in a way that is really unhelpful,” Fiorina added.
Cook, who came out as gay last year, criticized the Indiana measure when it was signed into law last week. The CEO said it ran counter to Apple’s policies on tolerance.
“I think that’s probably the only logical conclusion when you have less than half of your per pupil expenditures actually making their way into the classroom,” Burke said. “You have a system in which the administrative bloat has really gotten out of control and that puts a tremendous strain on state budgets which is part of what we see playing out here.”
Where are your education dollars going in New Jersey?
The data shows $8,588 dollars a year is used for classroom costs including teacher salaries, books and supplies, while the rest goes for staff pensions and benefits, administrative costs, debt service, operational costs and transportation.
Lindsey Burke, an education policy fellow at The Heritage Foundation, believes it’s a system that appears to be spiraling out of control. (Matthau/NJ101.5
Reader asks I am not sure about Christie but will PJ be attending?
RHS Class of 1980 35th Reunion
October 24, 2015
Sheraton Mahwah Hotel
The Class of 1980 Waits to See if Chris Christie Will Attend Reunion
LIVINGSTON, N.J.—While many Republicans are wondering if New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will enter the 2016 race for president, his former high-school classmates have a more immediate question: Will he attend their 35th-anniversary reunion?
Mr. Christie has been a devoted member of Livingston High School’s class of 1980, helping to organize reunions before he became governor and keeping up with his classmates through Facebook. (Haddon/Wall Street Journal)
Says White House misleading Congress, American people with fact sheet
BY: Adam Kredo
April 2, 2015 5:40 pm
LAUSANNE, Switzerland — Just hours after the announcement of what the United States characterized as a historic agreement with Iran over its nuclear program, the country’s leading negotiator lashed out at the Obama administration for lying about the details of a tentative framework.
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif accused the Obama administration of misleading the American people and Congress in a fact sheet it released following the culmination of negotiations with the Islamic Republic.
Zarif bragged in an earlier press conference with reporters that the United States had tentatively agreed to let it continue the enrichment of uranium, the key component in a nuclear bomb, as well as key nuclear research.
Zarif additionally said Iran would have all nuclear-related sanctions lifted once a final deal is signed and that the country would not be forced to shut down any of its currently operating nuclear installations.
Following a subsequent press conference by Secretary of State John Kerry—and release of a administration fact sheet on Iranian concessions—Zarif lashed out on Twitter over what he dubbed lies.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) on Wednesday blamed media “hype and hysteria” for the backlash against Indiana’s controversial religious liberty law.
Speaking with conservative radio host Charlie Sykes on the “Insight 2015” show, Walker, a potential 2016 presidential contender, was asked if he would sign a similar bill into law.
“We don’t need to,” Walker said, noting that Wisconsin already had such legislation. “In Wisconsin, we have it in our constitution. That’s the remarkable thing.
Hillsdale drive aims to find match for Ridgewood boxer
APRIL 2, 2015 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY LIANNA ALBRIZIO
STAFF WRITER |
PASCACK VALLEY COMMUNITY LIFE
The blue-eyed, inspirational Ridgewood boxer, who more and more people have come to know and admire through the lens of two Pascack Valley residents’ multi-award winning documentary film “To Be Strong,” continues to do just that. And not to mention, fighting for his life.
In another effort to aid in the search for a matching bone marrow donor for 23-year-old Anthony Daniels, who is battling Hodgkin lymphoma for the third time, Delete Blood Cancer DKMS will hold a drive for him, and other patients with similar cancers in need of a life-saving donor, on Saturday, April 18 at Hillsdale’s Veterans Park from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Daniels was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma — a type of blood cancer that can compromise one’s ability to fight infection — in 2011 when he was just 20 years old. While genetics, age, and certain viral infections can play a role in developing the disease, the cause is unknown. Since his diagnosis, Daniels beat the disease twice before, but it returned a third time in August 2013. He has since been in search of a bone marrow donor to replace his current marrow, which is diseased from hundreds of hours of chemotherapy and radiation treatments that he underwent in the past four years.
Washington (CNN)Federal prosecutors indicted Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez on corruption charges on Wednesday for allegedly using his Senate office to push the business interests of a friend and donor in exchange for gifts, according to the Justice Department.
The case, brought by the Justice Department’s public integrity unit, sets up a high-stakes battle between a New Jersey senator who has fought off investigations for years, and federal prosecutors and the FBI who have spent years pursuing him.
Americans will collectively spend more on taxes in 2015 than they will on food, clothing, and housing combined
Washington, DC (Mar 31, 2015)—Tax Freedom Day, the day when the nation as a whole has earned enough money to pay its federal, state, and local tax bill for year, will arrive 114 days into the year on April 24, according to the annual report released this morning by the nonpartisan Tax Foundation.
“Tax Freedom Day gives us a vivid representation of how much we pay for the goods and services provided by governments at all levels,” said Tax Foundation Economist Kyle Pomerleau. “Arguments can be made that the tax bill is too high or too low, but in order to have an honest discussion, it’s important for taxpayers to understand cost of government. Tax Freedom Day helps people relate to that cost.”
While the national date arrives nine days after the tax filing deadline, each state’s total federal, state, and local tax burden varies greatly. Tax Freedom Day arrives earliest in Louisiana on April 2 and Mississippi on April 4. On May 13, Connecticut and New Jersey will be the last states to reach Tax Freedom Day this year.
Key takeaways from the report:
Tax Freedom Day is one day later than last year due mainly to the country’s continued steady economic growth, which is expected to boost tax revenue especially from the corporate, payroll, and individual income tax.
Americans will collectively spend more on taxes in 2015 than they will on food, clothing, and housing combined.
Americans will pay $3.3 trillion in federal taxes and $1.5 trillion in state and local taxes, for a total bill of more than $4.8 trillion, or 31.1 percent of the nation’s income.
If you include annual federal borrowing, which represents future taxes owed, Tax Freedom Day would occur 14 days later on May 8.
Tax Freedom Day is a significant date for taxpayers and lawmakers because it represents how long Americans as a whole have to work in order to pay the nation’s tax burden.
Historically, the date for Tax Freedom Day has fluctuated significantly. The latest-ever Tax Freedom Day was May 1, 2000 – meaning that Americans paid 33% of their collective incomes towards taxes. A century earlier, in 1900, only 5.9% of national income was required to pay the tax bill, and Tax Freedom Day fell January 22.
How Government-Imposed ‘Net Neutrality’ Is Recipe for Crony Capitalism
Alden Abbott / @AldenAbbott1 / March 30, 2015
The Federal Communications Commission’s Feb. 26 regulation imposing highly restrictive regulations on the Internet (“Open Internet Order”) threatens to undermine the vibrant economic growth and innovative consumer offerings that have characterized the largely unregulated Internet sector.
Unless and until the Open Internet Order is thrown out by the courts or displaced by a new law of Congress, it will place Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and firms with which they interact under a regulatory cloud, with the heavy hand of government a real threat to curb novel business practices that until now have spawned the emergence of countless new beneficial services, such as iTunes and Netflix.
As Heritage Foundation Senior Research Fellow James Gattuso recently put it:
Devised for the static monopolies, public-utility regulation will be corrosive to today’s dynamic Internet. There’s a reason the phrase “innovative public utility” doesn’t flows easily from the tongue. The hundreds of rules that come with public utility status are geared to keeping monopolies in line, not encouraging new or innovative ways of doing things. (The FCC has indicated it will refrain from enforcing the bulk of these rules, but if you believe that, I have a water-front property in Wyoming to sell you.)
Even worse, by imposing burdens on big and small carriers alike, the new rules may actually stifle chances of increasing competition among broadband providers.
The Open Internet Order is, however, more than just another Obama administration burden (admittedly a huge one) placed on the American private sector and on economic growth.
Like so many other Obama administration programs, it is an invitation to cronyism. As Heritage Foundation President Jim DeMint and Heritage Action President Mike Needham have explained, well-connected businesses use lobbying and inside influence to benefit themselves by having government enact special subsidies, bailouts and complex regulations. Those special preferences undermine competition on the merits firms that lack insider status, harming the public.
The Federal Communications Commission has a long record of shielding powerful incumbents from competition.
The Open Internet Order encourages cronyism by establishing an extremely broad “no unreasonable interference or unreasonable disadvantage” standard for Internet conduct, to be applied on a “case-by-case” basis that balances the benefits of innovation against harm to end users and “edge providers” (firms like Google, LinkedIn and Facebook that provide Internet content and related services). The Federal Communications Commission will provide guidance through “enforcement advisories” and “advisory opinions,” and the Commission’s Enforcement Bureau can request written opinions from outside organizations.
Cutting out the Washington speak and bureaucratese, the Federal Communications Commission is saying that the inherently vague and malleable language that determines whether an Internet business practice is given a thumbs up or thumbs down will turn on “opinions” that will require the input of high-priced lawyers and advisers.
Smaller and emerging firms that cannot afford to pay for influence may be out of luck. Moreover, large established companies that are experts at the “Washington game” and engage in administration-approved activities or expenditures (such as politically correct green projects or the right campaign contributions) may be given special consideration when the Federal Communications Commission sages decide whether an Internet business practice is “unreasonable” or not.
This means that firms that are willing to pay more for better Internet access to challenge such powerful firms as Netflix in video services or Google in search activities or Facebook in social networking may be out of luck, if they are less effective at playing the Washington influence game than at competing on the merits. Those who doubt this need to know that the Federal Communications Commission has a long record of shielding powerful incumbents from competition. For decades the Commission maintained AT&T’s telecom monopoly by keeping out of the market new cellular service and telephone equipment providers, and protected dominant broadcasters by preventing cable companies from providing competing video services.
In sum, the benefits to American consumers and the overall American economy generated by a regulation-free Internet—not to mention the ability of entrepreneurs to thrive, free from cronyism—may soon become a thing of the past, unless action is taken by Congress or the courts. American citizens deserve better than that from their government.
Isn’t $80.00 a month a bit excessive? How much does a typical employee earn? Was that ever investigated or was $80.00 chosen because it sounded good?
It is bad enough that hourly parking rates have been doubled. Ridgewood may find that it’s parking problem is solved because people won’t pay those rates. (and an extra .35 cents if you use your smart phone!).
January – December 2015
Ridgewood Parking Permits – RPP
Hourly meter rates in all Village lots and streets are now $.50 per hour from 10AM to 6PM,
Monday through Saturday.
RPP – Ridgewood Parking Permit provides ‘coinless’ convenience and can be used for unlimited parking at all lots. Annual permits are issued for a calendar year to residents at a cost of $750. RPP are issued to Non Residents at a fee of $1,500 and require parking in the Cottage Place or Rt. 17 Park & Ride Lots. As in the past, you can pay by check or cash. We have added a credit card feature that will have a 3% convenience fee charged to the purchaser.
Applications are available at the Village Hall Reception Desk or by Clicking Here, Monday to Friday, 8:30AM to 4:30PM starting December 19, 2014. Applicants – residents and non residents – must show current Driver’s License and valid Vehicle Registration(s) for up to three vehicles. For flexibility, you can list 3 vehicles on a permit, but the permit can only be used by 1 car for 1 parking space at a time.
All lots including the Train Station Lot will require a free Ridgewood Commuter/Resident Parking Sticker in addition to the purchased RPP. Resident/Commuter parking stickers are issued annually for free to residents only at the Village Hall Reception Desk. This sticker confirms you are a resident.
RPP permit can be used in any metered space in lots to provide unlimited parking from the hours of 6am to 2am. They are not valid for street parking. The hangtag permit must be displayed on the rearview mirror when the vehicle is parked. RPP does not guarantee availability of a parking space.
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Central Business District Employee Permits – CBDEP
Hourly rates in all Village lots and in streets are now $.50 per hour for a maximum of 3 hours. Street and Lot meters are regulated from 10AM to 6PM, Monday through Saturday. Vehicles parking for more than 3 hours will be in violation and subject to a ticket. Repeat parking is also prohibited.
CBD employees have the opportunity to purchase CBD Employee Parking permits issued on a monthly basis. These permits provide parking in either the Ken Smith Property (at the corner of N. Broad/Chestnut and Franklin) or the Cottage Place Lot. Monthly permits are issued to employees of Central Business District businesses at a cost of $80 per month. CBDEP are reduced after the 15th of the month to $40. Permits may be purchased by check, credit card, or cash. Lost permits are not replaced.
Applications are available at the Village Hall Reception Desk or by Clicking Here, Monday to Friday, 8:30AM to 4:30PM. Applicants must document that they are employed by a Ridgewood business and show their current Driver’s License and valid Vehicle Registration (s) for up to three vehicles. For flexibility, you can list 3 vehicles on a permit, but the permit can only be used by 1 car for 1 parking space at a time.
CBDEP can be used in any space at the Ken Smith property or any metered space at Cottage Place Lots to provide unlimited parking during the hours of 6am to 2am. The hangtag permit must be displayed on the rearview mirror. CBDEP does not guarantee availability of a parking space.
Please refer to the Ridgewood Parking Guide that provides information and maps for locating parking lots in the Village at www.ridgewoodnj.net .
Stuck on Stupid :N.J. economy not generating big bucks in state budget, lawmakers told
By Samantha Marcus | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
TRENTON — New Jersey’s mediocre economic recovery has the state Legislature’s financial analysts betting low on how much money the state will take in next year.
But that doesn’t mean there will be another big battle between the Legislature and Gov. Chris Christie’s office over revenue forecasts this year.
The nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services, known in recent years for offering a sobering take on the state’s tax collections that challenge the Christie administration’s more optimistic estimates, suggested there will be no such conflict this year.
“I am pleased that this year’s budget discussions will not feature a clash of conflicting revenue forecasts,” David Rosen, the Legislature’s budget and finance officer, told the state Assembly Budget Committee this morning. “The OLS believes the executive’s forecasts are reasonable.”
