Eying a White House bid, New Jersey’s Chris Christie faces economic challenges at home
NEWARK, N.J. — As he casts his eye toward a potential presidential bid, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie must also take on some work at home. First up: a statewide address expected to touch on nagging economic issues that could complicate his political plans.
Observers expect Christie to use his fifth State of the State address on Tuesday to define his tenure as governor on his own terms, while not missing the chance to articulate his rationale for a potential run for president. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
Christie’s Transit Chief Slams Proposed PATH Cuts, Says Services Should Be Extended
Gov. Christie’s head of transportation said Monday he is against any cutbacks in PATH service between New Jersey and Manhattan, opposing a report commissioned by his boss and Gov. Cuomo that suggested eliminating overnight service to save the Port Authority millions of dollars each year.
“This is not the way I would save money,” Jamie Fox, who once served as deputy executive director of the Port Authority, told a meeting of the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority. “Mass transit is the future of this state.” (Thompson/NBC)
BREAKING: Ridgewood Police : 2 Arrest made in Church Investigation
January 5, 2015
Ridgewood NJ , We are very pleased to tell you that we have made two arrests in connection with the Old Paramus Reform Church investigation. Our Police force worked tirelessly with other agencies to achieve this result in a very short period of time. I am very proud of the professionalism of our Police and the speed with which this investigation was conducted. I have attached below the press release with more details to this E-Notice.
Best Regards,
Roberta Sonenfeld
Village Manager
201-670-5500, ext. 203
On January 12th, 2015 the Ridgewood Police Department made two arrests in relation to the Old Paramus Reform church investigation.
Joseph M Galli from Somerville NJ age 21 was arrested and charged with:
2C:17-3(B)(1) – Criminal Mischief in excess of $2000 – 3rd degree
2C:39-4A – Possession of a Firearm for an unlawful purpose – 2nd Degree
2C:39-5F – Possession of an Assault Firearm – 2nd Degree
2C:39-3B – Possession of a Sawed Off Shotgun (Short Barreled Rifle) – 3rd Degree
2C:39-9B – Manufacturing a Sawed Off Shotgun (Short Barreled Rifle) – 3rd Degree
The accused is currently in the custody of the Onslow county sheriff’s department of North Carolina awaiting extradition to Bergen County.
Alexander Norrell from Ridgewood NJ age 22
2C:5-2A1 – Conspiracy to Commit Criminal Mischief [2c:17-3a(2)]
2C:5-2A1 – Conspiracy to Commit Possession of a Firearm for an Unlawful Purpose [2C:39-4A]
Bail set at $75,000 no 10%. Alexander Norrell was served his complaints at the Bergen County Jail and reprocessed. This bail was in addition to the $30,000.00 previously set on the Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Paraphernalia, and possession of High capacity magazine charges. The accused is currently in Bergen county jail unable to post the updated $105,000.00 bail no 10%.
While this matter is still under investigation, we wanted to provide information of these arrests to hopefully provide some level of comfort for our community which has been understandably shaken by this event. To help further alleviate any further concerns it should be said that there are no other suspects believed to be involved in this incident.
The Ridgewood Police department would like to thank the Bergen County Prosecutors office, Bergen County Sheriff’s office, the Bergen County Regional SWAT team, NCIS, ATF, Somerville Police Department and all the other agencies who have and continue to assist with this multi-faceted investigation.
Additionally we would like to thank our community leaders and the public for their trust and patience during this investigation.
While this incident is still under investigation, we would like to reassure the public that we will continue to do everything in our power within the confines of the constitution to ensure the ongoing security of our community.
All defendants are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
-PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH YOUR NEIGHBORS-
Governor Christie to nominate 9 for Bergen County Superior Court judgeships
JANUARY 12, 2015, 4:43 PM LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, JANUARY 12, 2015, 10:14 PM
BY JOHN REITMEYER AND PETER SAMPSON
STAFF WRITERS |
THE RECORD
Governor Christie has notified legislative leaders that he will nominate nine attorneys to fill vacant Superior Court judgeships in Bergen County, a strong sign of hope that emergency procedures put in place months ago to ease a crippling case backlog could soon be lifted.
The package of judicial candidates, which includes a mayor and a municipal prosecutor, is expected to be announced by the governor today when the Senate holds its first quorum of the year. The governor is also scheduled to deliver the annual State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at 2 p.m.
“This is good news,” said Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, D-Teaneck.
“I think they’re all good people,” said Sen. Gerald Cardinale, R-Demarest.
Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak declined to comment on the pending judicial nominees on Monday.
The unusually high number of judicial vacancies — Bergen County has a total of 36 judgeships — forced Assignment Judge Peter E. Doyne to implement a series of emergency measures in September to keep criminal cases on schedule as he awaited action from lawmakers in Trenton.
Rumana confident in LD40 support, regardless of what 2015 may bring
Faced with the possibility of a fiery primary battle at the end of this year, Republican Assemblyman Scott Rumana (R-40) remains confident that he and his district running mate have the support needed to stave off any challenges to his home turf. (Brush/PolitickerNJ)
The Ridgewood Police Department will be holding a press conference in regards to arrests made in the shooting incidents at the Old Paramus Reform Church
January 13,2015
Ridgewood Nj, The Ridgewood Police Department will be holding a press conference in regards to arrests made in the shooting incidents at the Old Paramus Reform Church. The press conference will take place on Tuesday, January 13th at 4:30pm. It will be held in the Sydney Stoldt Court Room, located on the 4th floor of Ridgewood Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue Ridgewood, NJ 07450.
Village of Ridgewood Police
Office of the Police Chief
131 North Maple Avenue
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
201-251-4537
Village of Ridgewood CBD Panel Discussions – January 21, 2015 at 7:30PM
Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli has scheduled another CBD Panel Discussion for January 21, 2015 from 7:30PM to 9PM. It will be held in the Village Hall Court Room. The two topics for discussion will be – CBD Parking and Blue Laws.
Village of Ridgewood Civility Roundtable – January 20th – All are Welcome!
Mayor Paul Aronsohn will be holding a Roundtable meeting to discuss related to more civility in our public discourse. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 20th at 7:30pm in the Senior Lounge at Village Hall.
Rev. Jan Phillips will lead the discussion. We will drill down on ways to take the civility conversation forward.
Garrett Gets off to a fast Start in 114th Congress by Introducing Nine Bills
Jan 9, 2015
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05) issued the following statement after introducing nine bills on the first day of the 114th Congress:
“The American people deserve leadership and fresh ideas to fix the problems facing our country. I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and the new Senate majority to send these bills to President Obama’s desk, so we can get our country moving again.”
Below is a list of the bills that were introduced:
H.R. 113 – The Federal Reserve Accountability and Transparency Act of 2014 (FRAT) Act
The FRAT Act would ensure greater accountability and transparency at the Fed and re-establish Congress’ robust oversight over the agency’s rulemaking functions. In particular, the FRAT Act would require the Fed to increase its responsiveness to Congress, increase the transparency of its regulatory activities, and foster accountability in its international negotiations.
H.R. 114 – The Jerusalem Embassy and Recognition Act
The Jerusalem Embassy and Recognition Act would recognize Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel and require that the U.S. Embassy in Israel be moved from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
H.R. 115 – The Freedom of Travel Act
The Freedom of Travel Act would protect Americans’ Fourth Amendment rights by denying the TSA the authority to conduct unreasonable and intrusive searches of individuals outside of airports.
H.R. 116 – The Small Business Freedom of Commerce Act
The Small Business Freedom of Commerce Act would allow a small business operating in the United States to elect to be exempt from any federal rule or regulation issued on or after January 20, 2009. The small business would be required to notify the federal agency that issued the rule or regulation that it has elected such exemption, and makes the exemption effective 30 days after such notification.
H.R. 117 – The Reclaiming Individual Liberty Act
The Reclaiming Individual Liberty Act would strip the unconstitutional individual mandate contained in the president’s health care bill.
H.R. 118 – The Surface Transportation and Taxation Equity (STATE) Act
The STATE Act would return primary responsibility for transportation and infrastructure projects back to the states without increasing taxes. This legislation would increase the revenue available to states while enabling them to prioritize projects based on safety, traffic needs, and improved commerce without being subject to federal mandates.
H.R. 119 – The Budget and Accounting Transparency Act
The Budget and Accounting Transparency Act would increase transparency in federal budgeting by ensuring the full costs of federal credit programs are included in the budget and in cost estimates for legislation.
H.R. 120 – The War Powers Repeal Resolution
The War Powers Repeal Resolution would repeal the War Powers Resolution and return the power to go to war to its rightful place—the United States Congress.
H.R. 121 – The Local Education Authority Returns Now (LEARN) Act
The LEARN Act would give states the option to opt out of No Child Left Behind. In return, the federal government would provide taxpayers of the opt-out state a tax credit, thereby keeping money in the pockets of taxpayers instead of sending it to Washington, D.C. This method immediately cuts the authoritative and financial strings of the federal government so that state and local governments can set their own educational standards while ensuring maximum parental involvement.
TRENTON – Several bills centered on hunting, including two controversial proposed measures, were released by the state Senate Environment and Energy Committee on Monday.
The two most controversial bills, both passed by a slim 3-2 margin, centered on where and how hunting should be allowed in New Jersey, particularly on Sunday.
One of the Senate bills (S1683) released authorizes Sunday bow hunting on federal military installations. (Bonamo/PolitickerNJ)
More expected to flee New Jersey as baby boomers age
For Raymond Francisco, landing a job at the General Motors auto plant in Linden at 25 years old was like winning the lottery.
The New Brunswick native was a welder by trade, and enjoyed working hard for the good money he made at the plant. But when GM announced in 2002 it would close the factory — about six years after he started — Francisco decided he had to go where the jobs were.
That meant packing up his wife, two small children and moving to Lordstown, Ohio, where GM offered him another job at an assembly plant.
People are leaving New Jersey at a higher rate than 47 other states, just behind New York, which is No. 1, and Illinois, according to James Hughes, a demographer and dean of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. (Kachmar/Asbury Park Press)
Poll: NJ voters feel state headed in wrong direction
JANUARY 13, 2015, 6:47 AM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, JANUARY 13, 2015, 6:48 AM
BY HERB JACKSON
WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT |
THE RECORD
As Governor Christie goes before the Legislature to deliver his annual State of the State speech today, residents are skeptical about his motives and increasingly pessimistic about New Jersey’s direction, a new poll says.
Just 36 percent of the state’s voters believe New Jersey is headed in the right direction, while 49 percent say it’s on the wrong track, according to the new PublicMind poll released today by Fairleigh Dickinson University. That’s a decline from last March, when 41 percent said right direction and 45 percent said wrong track.
The poll also found those who disapprove of the job Christie is doing exceed those who approve by 47 percent to 39 percent. In January 2014, those numbers were almost reversed, with 48 percent approving and 39 percent disapproving.
Entering his sixth year as governor, Christie will deliver the annual address required by the state constitution at 2 p.m. in the state Assembly chamber.
“This is the first time Governor Christie faces a public with numbers like these in regard to his leadership,” said the poll’s director, FDU political science professor Krista Jenkins.
Many New Jerseyans believe Christie has his sights set beyond Trenton.
U.S. military social media accounts apparently hacked by Islamic State sympathizers
Hackers claiming allegiance to the Islamic State took control of the social media accounts of the U.S. military’s Central Command on Monday, posting threatening messages and propaganda videos, along with some military documents.
The command’s Twitter and YouTube accounts were eventually taken offline, but not before a string of tweets and the release of military documents, some of which listed contact information for senior military personnel. A Centcom spokesman confirmed their accounts were “compromised,” and said later that the accounts have been taken offline while the incident is investigated more.
“CENTCOM’s operation military networks were not compromised and there was no operational impact to U.S. Central Command,” a military statement said. “CENTCOM will restore service to its Twitter and YouTube accounts as quickly as possible. We are viewing this purely as a case of cybervandalism.”
