Posted on Leave a comment

Midland Park Resident Reports Assault at Ridgewood Business

for Joyce Suss for Ridgewood News website use

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Police report a Midland Park, N.J. resident responded to Ridgewood Police headquarters on March 23rd to report being of the victim of an assault in the past. The victim reported the incident occurred while he was visiting a business on Godwin Avenue when the actor physically assaulted him causing minor injury. The victim was able to identify the actor but he did not wish to pursue complaints at this time.

Posted on 7 Comments

Van Dyk’s Ice Cream in Ridgewood has opened for the season

53028749 10218815710530983 6799074688610861056 n

photo courtesy of Ramon Hache

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, spring is in the air and Van Dyk’s Ice Cream  in Ridgewood has opened for the season. The local ice cream parlor reopened on March 2nd .

A longtime favorite of this Blog and of Ridgewood Mayor Hache , Van Dyk’s has many classic flavors . Mayor Hache paid a visit to Van Dyk’s to pick up his first dose of Salted Caramel Truffle in 2019

Van Dyk’s is open seven days a week 11:00 am till 9:00 pm according to their Facebook page.

Van Dyk’s Ice Cream
145 Ackerman Avenue
Ridgewood, NJ

Posted on Leave a comment

THE SOAR EXPERIENCE AND SOAR COUNSELOR IN TRAINING (CIT) PROGRAM

West Bergen Mental Healthcare

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, West Bergen’s Social Discovery Program is pleased to announce that it is again sponsoring the SOAR Experience, a program for children and teens, ages 6-16, with solid verbal skills who experience the social communication and social skills challenges seen in Level 1 Autism Spectrum Disorder (formerly known as Asperger’s Syndrome, HFA and Nonverbal Learning Disabilities) and related disorders such as Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder. The SOAR Experience, a therapeutic social skills program in a day camp-like environment,
will be held at the Center for Children and Youth, One Cherry Lane in Ramsey. The SOAR Counselor in Training (CIT) Program offers teens and young adults (14-24 years old) with the same diagnostic criteria listed above, vocational training and an opportunity to develop various work and
social skills.

Continue reading THE SOAR EXPERIENCE AND SOAR COUNSELOR IN TRAINING (CIT) PROGRAM
Posted on Leave a comment

Village of Ridgewood Snow Reminders

Snow Blizzard of 2016 Ridgewood CBD

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, the Village of Ridgewood reminds you that due to inclement weather certain procedures should be followed .

REMINDERS ABOUT GARBAGE PICKUP DURING SNOW EVENTS

Our sanitation and recycling employees will be picking up garbage and recycling, as long as the road conditions permit them to do so.  All garbage and recycling containers must be placed at the end of your driveways, and not in the street.  The Village will resume rear yard garbage collection as quickly as possible after the snowstorm, but please continue to place your garbage cans at the end of your driveway, until you have a clear path to them.  We appreciate your cooperation in keeping our Village employees safe. 

REMINDERS ABOUT SNOW REMOVAL

All sidewalks in residential districts must be cleared within 24 hours of the snow falling. Please do not place snow into the street; instead, place it back onto your own property.  In addition, if you have a fire hydrant on your property, please clear it of any snow accumulation.  

POWER OUTAGES

Due to icy conditions, there may be power outages.  Please stay away from downed wires.  Plan ahead and know where your flashlights are located.  If you experience a power outage, please do not call the Police Department unless there is an emergency.  Instead, please call PSE&G directly at 1-800-436-7734. 

Posted on Leave a comment

Ars Musica Chorale holds Open Sing March 12th

02

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Ars Musica Chorale will be hosting an Open Sing Rehearsal, Tuesday, March 12, 2019, 7:30-10:00 pm at the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood, 113 Cottage Pl, Ridgewood, NJ, as the chorus begins working on their next concert, A Total Embrace: Leonard Bernstein at 100. All singers welcome, especially tenors and basses. The repertoire for this concert will include Chichester Psalms, the Bergen County premiere of Mass chamber version, and extracts from West Side StoryCandide and On the Town. Music will be provided for this rehearsal. The performance is May 18, 2019 with the Adelphi Orchestra and the New Jersey State Children’s Chorus.

Continue reading Ars Musica Chorale holds Open Sing March 12th
Posted on 1 Comment

Tell-tale Signs That A Moving Company Is Reliable

realestate_forsale_theridgewoodblog

When moving, you want your belongings to be in safe hands and the charges to be reasonable. But that’s only possible if you hire the right company. If you’re moving for the first time, finding a reliable mover and avoiding the rogue ones can be quite a challenge. So how do you do it to make the process a smooth one?

Look out for these signs that show a moving company that can be trusted.

1. A High Level of Professionalism

A legitimate moving company will have physical and professional looking offices. Not only that but also uniformed workers. Their trucks will be marked with the company logo, contact details, and more. If you don’t observe all these in the company you intend to hire, it’s likely that you’re dealing with an unreliable mover, and the services you will get from them may not be what you’re ready for.

2. They’re Properly Licensed

Moving companies are required by the authorities to hold licenses for the business. Licensing requirements vary from region to another depending on the local laws. To avoid running into an illegitimate company, ensure they have the necessary papers for the moving business. You can ask to see the documents, or you can determine that through the websites of the relevant authorities.

3. They’re Adequately Insured

Anything can happen during transit and result in damage to your possessions or even lost items. Usually, moving companies can replace damaged items through insurance companies. But that’s only if they carry the necessary policies for that. If the company you intend to hire isn’t insured, take that as a warning sign and avoid them altogether. Also, ensure the insurance cover is specific; a blanket one may not cater for the goods being transported.

4. Positive Reviews

What do previous customers have to say about the company you intend to hire? Online reviews can help you weed out companies that are likely to give you a raw deal. To narrow things down, focus on websites that review moving companies. A good example is this site that contains customer reports for moving companies in different states. If you’re a resident of Newark, New Jersey and looking for information concerning Newark Movers, you might want to check it out. Remember, reviews that are mostly favorable indicate a reliable mover.

5. Visits to Give a Written Quote

A trusted moving company will visit your place to see the items to be moved before they issue you with a quotation. If that’s not possible, they will request a video of the same to estimate the cost. A rogue moving company will, on the other hand, not bother with that. They will instead blindly give their estimate over the phone or even online. Should that happen when looking for a mover, know that you’re dealing with the wrong company. You might end up paying more than what was stated initially since there was no written agreement.

Moving can drain you emotionally, not to mention the financial aspect. Hiring an illegitimate moving company makes the process even more stressful. To avoid that, be alert to spot the signs that indicate a moving business that can be relied upon to offer clean services. That way, the activity will go on as planned. You will not lose items or end up paying more money than what was stated in the agreement, plus you will be at peace throughout the process knowing that you’re dealing with a reliable company.

Posted on Leave a comment

Music For All Seasons- A Recital For Piano And Voice To Benefit The Florence Reinaur Memorial Scholorship Sponsored By The Ridgewood Choral

christmas-music-notes-border-singing_8355-1

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Music for all Seasons-A recital for Piano and Voice to Benefit the Florence Reinaur Memorial Scholorship sponsored by the Ridgewood Choral

Featuring Dmitri Kochtcheev, Piano and Laura Van Orden, Mezzo Soprano

Sunday, February 24, 2019 starting at 3:00pm at the Unitarian Society of Ridgewood 113 Cottage Place, Ridgewood, NJ 07450

$20 suggested donation

Posted on Leave a comment

Age Friendly Ridgewood Invites you to attend a Universal Design Forum

seniors working artchick

photo by ArtChick

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Age Friendly Ridgewood in partnership with the Village of Ridgewood invite you to attend our

Universal Design Forum:
How To Make Your Home a Better Place In Which To Grow Older
Wednesday, March 6
7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
Ridgewood Public Library – 125 North Maple Avenue

Continue reading Age Friendly Ridgewood Invites you to attend a Universal Design Forum
Posted on 1 Comment

Reader Comments on the Effect of “High Density Housing “

traffic3_CBD_theridgewoodblog

“Let us spell out what did this mean for the Village , it means an enormous increase in the population of the CBD and the Village of Ridgewood . Which means; more investment in school construction , more construction of parking facilities , more construction of water infrastructure , more investment in roads and traffic signals , sewage and more investment in Police , Fire and Emergency services .”

* More people = more congestion and strain on services.
* More school construction = more bonding just to keep up with old buildings
* More (unnecessary) parking = more bond debt to bail out CBD owners at the expense of resident taxpayers
* More water infrastructure = in a town where we are on restrictions year-round, not to mention that Ridgewood never met a public utility it didn’t want to own (so we get sued)
* More roads & signals = they are already behind on road maintenance and the parking department has a love for quarters.
* More uniformed services = as a nod to the unions who we love to pay out 6-figure salaries to.

Yeah, the three amigos really did it to us, so the mayor could deliver $$ to his Dem cohorts as he padded his political resume for consideration by his politico masters.

Posted on 1 Comment

Cardinal Joseph Tobin Letter On Clergy Abuse

Cardinal Tobin

February 13, 2019

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The revelations of clergy sexual abuse of minors throughout this past year have provoked feelings of shock, anger, shame, and deep sorrow throughout our Catholic community. Victims, their families, and the faithful are rightfully outraged over the abuses perpetrated against minors. Additionally, the failure of Church leadership to immediately remove suspected abusers from ministry is particularly reprehensible.

In an effort to do what is right and just, we are publishing the names of diocesan clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse of minors in the Archdiocese of Newark. This list of names is the result of an extensive review of Archdiocesan records dating back to 1940. All names were previously reported to law enforcement agencies.

The Archdiocese of Newark has a zero-tolerance policy for any type of mistreatment or misconduct involving children and young adults. No member of the clergy with a credible allegation of sexual abuse of a minor remains in ministry.

Continue reading Cardinal Joseph Tobin Letter On Clergy Abuse
Posted on Leave a comment

Ridgewood Fire and Police Respond To A Business Emergency at 1am

52274789 2444564812284458 531002165607530496 n

photo by Wahid Essafi

Ridgewood NJ, “B” Shift responding to a local business to tape a tarp up after the front window of their store collapsed at 1 AM. many residents are well aware that anytime any place you can rest assured the Ridgewood Police and Fire department will be there to help! 

this was posted in a Facebook group by the business owners  :

Continue reading Ridgewood Fire and Police Respond To A Business Emergency at 1am
Posted on 4 Comments

Ridgewood Water Litigation ;the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Mayor Hache fills us in on all the details and where we stand . Since 2010, the governing bodies of the three communities outside of Ridgewood served by Ridgewood Water (Gen Rock, Midland Park and Wyckoff) have been engaged in a law suit, which challenged the allocation of expenses by the Village for the water company’s budget. The 3 towns felt that a 21 percent increase in rates in 2010 was excessive. The actual rate per 1,000 gallons is not excessive and, in fact, is in the lower middle of rates offered by other neighboring water utilities and still much cheaper than Suez. The challenge was started by the governing body of Wyckoff, whose auditor is a member of the former auditing firm of the Village when similar allocation methods procedures were used by the Village for the Water Utility budget. The claim argued that the methodology used by the Village in allocating percentages of Village expenses to the Water Utility was unfair (since it was not actual expenses) to the 3 towns and it caused the rates for water usage to be unreasonably excessive to the rate payers of the 3 towns and those rate payers were subsidizing the property taxes of Village residents.


The methodology used by the Village had been accepted by the Local Finance Board of the State in 2004, and the Village continued using that method throughout the years. This litigation which was started in 2010 (and amended in each of 2011 & 2012), finally reached trial in 2017. The trial court decided that the ordinances which approved rate increases in 2010, 2011 and 2012, did not have an adequate factual basis in the record that would warrant the rate increases that were adopted by the Village. As a result, the Court required the Village to hire an expert to calculate what the appropriate rate increases for the years in question should have been.
The Village (while still disagreeing with the Court’s decision that the record lacked an adequate factual basis), complied with the preparation of the rate study by hiring the most qualified expert in the field of water rate studies, Howard Woods. Mr. Woods completed his rate study and has recognized that the Village did not adopt excessive rates during those years challenged by the 3 towns.

The three communities decided to appeal the Court’s decision, and that appeal is pending; the Village cross-appealed on those issues raised by Plaintiffs. Their requests to stay the rate study pending the outcome of the appeal has been denied (at least for now) by the trial Judge. The rate study was presented to the Village Council in early 2018. The Village Council adopted an ordinance to adopt rates established by the Woods study, with the purpose of establishing rates for the years of 2010 through 2017.

Posted on Leave a comment

RIDGEWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY presents “A Tour of the Hidden Archives”

51419509 2318217934889096 8877291019616387072 o

photo courtesy of the Ridgewood Public Library

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

RIDGEWOOD PUBLIC LIBRARY presents “A Tour of the Hidden Archives”
Tuesday, Feb. 5, 11am Registration Required at Ridgewood Public Library website or call 201-670-5600. Take a backstage tour of the Ridgewood Public Library’s hidden gems with Local History Librarian Sarah Kiefer. In this rare opportunity you’ll get a glimpse at what the Bolger Heritage Center has to offer. Learn how to research your home, find information on your ancestors, and gain insight on the history of Ridgewood. In addition, you’ll get a guided tour of their most recently added 1869 and 2018 panoramas which they now have on display on the 2nd floor of the library, thanks to the generous donation of Glenn and Beth Jorgensen.

Posted on 7 Comments

Reader says , “The ONLY way to keep property taxes from rising exponentially is to encourage long time residents with no children in the schools to stay put”

ridgewood real-estate

file photo by Boyd Loving

“The ONLY way to keep property taxes from rising exponentially is to encourage long time residents with no children in the schools to stay put. We do not ask for anything other than basic services such as police, fire, and plowing the snow and picking up leaves. Many of us spend time at our summer or winter homes, in order to meet the 181 day requirement to be a resident of a more tax friendly state so we don’t even vote here . Of the 14 homes on my block, only 6 have school age children. If you chase the other 8 homeowners out with higher taxes, chances are about 100% that the purchasers of these homes will have children, so add 12-15 students to the roster. Due to cheap interest rates the homes are more affordable to more buyers who struggle with a big mortgage for 10 years while their kids are in school, then bail out as soon as they graduate . I grew up here and historically empty nesters would stay since it is a nice place to live. The trend of turnover has been accelerated by these people who are “marginal” by financial qualifications who need to bail out and go back to cheaper living such as a small condo in mahwah or renting in NYC.
The old timers ask for very little. Do us a favor and keep the charm of the village. Keep your dumb lawn signs off the property , rake your leaves so they don’t blow in my yard ,fix the peeling paint on your house, and keep your rubbish barrels in the back yard.
Or chase us out and your kids will be on split sessions unless you want a huge tax increase to expand the school”