photos courtesy of Village of Ridgewood Mayor Susan Knudsen
April 23,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, RBSA Opening Day Parade is always a big event . The RBSA is the official Ridgewood, Youth Recreation and Travel Baseball and Softball programs from kindergarten through 8th grade.
This year the weather seemed to conspire against us .The Pitch Hit and Run competition was postponed until a later date but the Food trucks are still here at Vets.
Ridgewood Mayor Susan Knudsen with RBSA President Jim Albano
The Food trucks were the Empanada Guy, Taco Truck, Jersey Johnny’s, Elephant Thai, Ice Cream Thai’m, The French Quarter and Pizza Vita. So no one was going to starve .
RBSA is more than just baseball & softball it is a community.
Ridgewood NJ, Mayor Susan Knudsen and Councilman Voigt speak about the Ridgewood Arts Council’s Emerging Artists Gallery Scavenger Hunt to be held on April 23rd at Van Neste Park from 11am-2pm.
Ridgewood NJ,Tax Freedom Day in New Jersey does not arrive until May 13 ,thats 133 days into the year. The only state with a later Tax Freedom Day is Connecticut.
Tax Freedom Day is a term coined by the Tax Foundation it represents the date on which residents have earned enough to pay all federal, state and local taxes for the year. The early birds are Mississippi, that day arrived on April 5. It was April 7 in Tennessee and April 8 in South Dakota.
New Jersey residents will pay 36 percent of their incomes to federal, state and local taxes in 2017, according to the tax policy nonprofit. On a national level, 31 percent of income goes out the door for tax purposes.
Key Findings
This year, Tax Freedom Day falls on April 23rd, 113 days into the year.
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.
Americans will pay $3.5 trillion in federal taxes and $1.6 trillion in state and local taxes, for a total bill of more than $5.1 trillion, or 31 percent of the nation’s income.
Americans will collectively spend more on taxes in 2017 than they will on food, clothing, and housing combined.
If you include annual federal borrowing, which represents future taxes owed, Tax Freedom Day would occur 14 days later, on May 7.
What Is Tax Freedom Day?
Tax Freedom Day® is the day when the nation as a whole has earned enough money to pay its total tax bill for the year. Tax Freedom Day takes all federal, state, and local taxes—individual as well as payroll, sales and excise, corporate and property taxes—and divides them by the nation’s income. In 2017, Americans will pay $3.5 trillion in federal taxes and $1.6 trillion in state and local taxes, for a total tax bill of $5.1 trillion, or 31 percent of national income. This year, Tax Freedom Day falls on April 23, 113 days into the year.
What Taxes Do We Pay?
This year, Americans will work the longest—46 days—to pay federal, state, and local individual income taxes. Payroll taxes will take 26 days to pay, followed by sales and excise taxes (15 days), corporate income taxes (10 days), and property taxes (10 days). The remaining six days are spent paying estate and inheritance taxes, customs duties, and other taxes.
When Is Tax Freedom Day if You Include Federal Borrowing?
Since 2002, federal expenses have surpassed federal revenues, with the budget deficit exceeding $1 trillion annually from 2009 to 2012. In calendar year 2017, the deficit is expected to shrink slightly, from $657 billion to $612 billion. If we include this annual federal borrowing, which represents future taxes owed, Tax Freedom Day would occur on May 7, 14 days later. The latest ever deficit-inclusive Tax Freedom Day occurred during World War II, on May 25, 1945.
When Is My State’s Tax Freedom Day?
The total tax burden borne by residents across states varies considerably due to differing tax policies and the progressivity of the federal tax system. This means that states with higher incomes and higher taxes celebrate Tax Freedom Day later: Connecticut (May 21), New Jersey (May 13), and New York (May 11). Residents of Mississippi bear the lowest average tax burden in 2017, with their Tax Freedom Day having arrived on April 5. Also early were Tennessee (April 7) and South Dakota (April 8).
How Has Tax Freedom Day Changed over Time?
The latest ever Tax Freedom Day was May 1, 2000; in that year, Americans paid 33 percent of their total income in taxes. A century earlier, in 1900, Americans paid only 5.9 percent of their income in taxes, so that Tax Freedom Day came on January 22.
Methodology
In the denominator, we count every dollar that is officially part of net national income according to the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the numerator, we count every payment to the government that is officially considered a tax. Taxes at all levels of government—federal, state, and local—are included in the calculation. In calculating Tax Freedom Day for each state, we look at taxes borne by residents of that state, whether paid to the federal government, their own state or local governments, or governments of other states. Where possible, we allocate tax burdens to each taxpayer’s state of residence. Leap days are excluded, to allow comparison across years, and any fraction of a day is rounded up to the next calendar day.
Ridgewood NJ, Councilman Ramon Hache and his family +1 speak about the Ridgewood Arts Council’s Emerging Artists Gallery Scavenger Hunt to be held on April 23rd at Van Neste Park from 11am-2pm.
What happens when you leave your dog at home alone: Scientists reveal the stress pets go through when isolated Two leading canine behaviour experts have revealed how dogs react to isolation Dogs will spend up to half an hour howling, barking and whining when left alone But some dogs will feel anxious for hours and will urinate out of stress Owners can help their pets cope with separation by following four simple steps
By Daisy Dunne For Mailonline
PUBLISHED: 11:25 EDT, 21 April 2017 | UPDATED: 11:47 EDT, 21 April 2017
Few dog owners enjoy leaving their pet alone while they head off to work.
But most dog lovers have no idea how their animals cope once they have been left alone.
Now scientists have revealed how dogs spend up to half an hour howling, barking and whining after their owner leaves them alone.
Ridgewood NJ, Few things are as much fun as splashing around at the beach or in a backyard pool, but not every child is confident about taking the plunge.
“For some children, the idea of getting in the water and trying to swim can be a bit frightening,” says K.J. Hales, author of It’s Hard to Swim, the second and most recent addition to the Life’s Little Lessons by Ellie the Wienerdog educational picture book series (www.ellietheweinerdog.com).
“But with the proper positive reinforcement, they can overcome their fears and discover just how much fun swimming can be.”
May is National Water Safety Month, a good time for parents to consider teaching their children how to swim. The American Academy of Pediatrics supports swimming lessons for most children 4 years and older. Water safety classes can also reduce the risk of drowning in younger children, the pediatrics group reports, but advises that because children develop at different rates, not all will be ready to swim at the same age.
Hales, who offers teachers’ guides and educational activities to go along with the lessons in her books, says she chose swimming as one of Ellie the Wienerdog’s adventures because it’s a valuable skill that all children should learn.
“Most children are around water in some form, whether it’s a pool, a river, a pond, a lake or the ocean,” she says. “So learning to swim isn’t just for fun. It’s also important for safety.”
The Pediatric Academy cites several water-safety tips for parents, including:
• Never – even for a moment – leave small children alone or in the care of another young child while in bathtubs, pools, spas or wading pools, or near irrigation ditches or standing water. • Empty water from buckets and other containers immediately after use. • To prevent drowning in toilets, young children should not be left alone in the bathroom. • Closely supervise children in and around water. With infants, toddlers and weak swimmers, an adult should be within an arm’s length. With older children and better swimmers, an adult should be focused on the child and not distracted by other activities. Bath seats cannot substitute for adult supervision. • If children are in out-of-home child care, ask about exposure to water and the ratio of adults to children. • If you have a pool, install a four-sided fence that is at least 4-feet high to limit access to the pool. The fence should be hard to climb (not chain-link) and have a self-latching, self-closing gate. Families may consider pool alarms and rigid pool covers as additional layers of protection, but neither can take the place of a fence. • Parents, caregivers and pool owners should learn CPR. • Do not use air-filled swimming aids (such as inflatable arm bands) in place of life jackets. They can deflate and are not designed to keep swimmers safe. • All children should wear a life jacket when riding in a boat. Small children and non-swimmers should also wear one at water’s edge, such as on a river bank or pier.
“When Ellie finally swims, she realizes that learning something new is wonderful and if you give it a try, you can do anything you wish,” Hales says. “This is a lesson I hope all children will take to heart, not only when learning to swim, but also when facing any challenge that comes their way.”
About K.J. Hales
K.J. Hales (www.kjhales-author.com) is author of the educational children’s books series, Life’s Little Lessons by Ellie the Wienerdog (www.ellietheweinerdog.com). The latest book in the series is It’s Hard to Swim. The purple wiener dog character is based on Hales’ own dachshund by the name of, you guessed it, Ellie.
FREE WORKSHOP FOR ALL THE PARENTS & KIDS WHO WANT TO BE IN SHOW BUSINESS: Emmy Winner Martha Byrne To Present: “How To Avoid The Sharks and Get Into Show Business” at the Ridgewood Guild International Film Festival
April 22,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ , Actress Martha Byrne, a three-time Daytime Emmy Winner, will be conducting a special workshop at the RIdgewood Guild International FIlm Festival on Wednesday, April 26th, 2017 from 5:00 – 5:45pm at the Ridgewood BowTie Cinema, 190 East Ridgewood Avenue in Ridgewood, NJ. The title of the interactive workshop will be “How To Avoid The Sharks and Get Into Show Business.” In the presentation Martha will speak to parents and children about what she has learned and what can be the path to success. The presentation is a must for anyone wanting to be an actor or actress. The presentation is free to the public.
Ridgewood NJ , the over looked issue for the central business district is not parking , but congestion . There are just to many choke points in the CBD. Be they caused by ill planned “traffic easing” with suicide bike lanes or PSE&G upgrades it has become increasingly difficult to get in or out of the Central Business District.
Currently West Ridgewood Ave and Godwin are almost impassable .The proposed Hudson street garage ,because of its very location will make matters even worse by limiting access via Broad Street.
Over development will only make things worse ,contrary to assurances high density housing on Franklin will further restrict traffic at the Franklin and Broad intersection , virtually cutting off the Westside from the East side of town .
Maple is difficult at best , leaving only Prospect and Oak street as possible alternatives . Currently large events in the Village take a minimum of 45 minutes to and hour to arrive and park .
It is well know that retail is a fast changing environment with most shopping now done on line . In order for stores to survive they must become “destination shops” holding events to attract customers , so traffic is only going to get worse .
The answer given by the powers that be is always ,”we need garage” and residents at the new developments will not , have kids,drive, park ,have visitors or shower.The lack of credibility makes Comedy Central look like a serious news network.
Our point is instead of pushing hidden agenda’s with ulterior motives primary pursued by developers and their friends we need a comprehensive plan that factors in moderate development, infrastructure , retail, restaurants , mass transit , pedestrians,cycles and parking .
Millenials watch a video calling on the millennial generation to help end the problem of extreme poverty around the globe at the IMF/World Bank Group’s Spring summit on April 10, 2014. Miguel Juarez Lugo / Zuma Press file
By his twenties, Kyle Kaylor imagined he would be living on his own, nearing a college degree, and on his way to a job that fulfilled him.
Instead, at 21, he found himself out of school, living with his parents, and “stuck” working as a manager at a fast food restaurant scraping to make hand-to-mouth.
Launching into adulthood has been tricky, he said.
“It became too difficult financially to be in school and not working,” says Kaylor, who dropped out of Lincoln Christian University, in Illinois, after one semester because of a money crunch. “And without schooling, you can’t get a job that you can survive on, so I had to move back home,” he said.
Ridgewood NJ, An early Thursday morning, 04/20, two (2) vehicle crash at the intersection of Linwood and North Maple Avenues in Ridgewood resulted in one (1) person sustaining a life threatening head injury and closed a portion of North Maple Avenue for approximately three (3) hours while RIdgewood PD conducted an accident investigation. The seriously injured victim was reportedly taken by ambulance to Hackensack University Medical Center’s main campus. No further details about the crash are currently available.
As a member of the Citizens Safety board, I can tell you we and the police and the town are well aware of how dangerous that particular corner is. Additionally, I was the safety chairperson for BF for a long time. Roseanne is a dedicated employee and has literally risked her life many times crossing those kids. People drive through there in criminal fashion – speeding and flagrantly ignoring her. Speeding cars cut it so close and fast they have even clipped her STOP sign while it’s in her hand! I’ve stood there in the morning observing and she does not haplessly waddle, nor does the job render her out of breath.
If anything, it is HER corner that is dangerous enough to warrant extra manpower. True accidents do happen, and it’s tragic, but I often wonder about the people who drive that carelessly. I wonder if they think about the fact that their desperate need to pick a few seconds or minutes to get where they are going could result in the the knowledge – for the rest of their lives- that they killed another human being.
Ridgewood NJ , the website NICHE issued report cards on places to live in New Jersey. The website says ,the 2017 Best Places to Live ranking provides a comprehensive assessment of the overall livability of an area. This grade takes into account several key factors of a location, including the quality of local schools, crime rates, housing trends, employment statistics, and access to amenities in an attempt to measure the overall quality of an area.
Ridgewood came in 7th with neighbors Glen Rock 11th and Ho Ho Kus came in at number 20.
#7 Works Here: Ridgewood is a great town for young adults to raise their children. Ridgewood is a very tight knit community where everyone helps out and knows one another. The center of town has a good amount of shops and top rated restaurants in the county which attracts a very positive ribe throughout the town. Ridgewood residents are great supporters of the local businesses. Also, young children used the center of town as a safe haven to meet up with friends. They utilize the shops, restaurants, and movie theater; everything is within walking distance! Ridgewood has a fantastic school system that challenges students and allows for high college acceptance rates. The faulty is outstanding and does not leave anyone behind. Ridgewood’s school system also offers a wide variety of afterschool activities for the children, including camps at the town pool! Overall Ridgewood is an outstanding town and a wonderful community for families to grow.
# 11 Current Resident:GR is a great little town- close to NYC & culture, easy access to mountains & the beach. Pretty streets & houses, nice people, & a cute little downtown. You know everyone & they know you (the +/- of such a small town). A bit insane for sports & academics. Students feel pressured to succeed/excel, but there is lots of support to help you. Kids from GR go to a wide variety of excellent colleges, but not many to the Ivy’s.
#20 Niche User:As a long time NJ resident we looked closely at every town in Northern NJ and HHK had the best of everything we were looking for. The schools were great, lots of well educated families, a town you could walk to, great restaurants, the ability to get really involved in the town or not at all and reasonable taxes compared to the rest of Bergen County. After 6 years of living here my wife and I agree this is the best town to live in and raise a family.
Bergen County received a grade of F, with 22 “orange alert” days because of bad air quality.
Updated April 20, 2017
Posted April 20, 2017
By Len Melisurgo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
The air quality in New Jersey has gotten better during the past year, but it still ranks among the worst in the nation because of high concentrations of ground-level ozone pollution, according to a new report issued by the American Lung Association.
The New York-Newark metro area was listed among the “25 Most Polluted Cities” for both ozone smog and fine-particle pollution. The Philadelphia metro region, which includes Camden County and other parts of western New Jersey, was ranked the 22nd worst for ozone, even though it met the national standard for year-round particle pollution, the report says.
In terms of ozone pollution, 11 New Jersey counties received an F grade, one received a D and three received a C.
Ridgewood NJ, Several young artist participants speak about the Ridgewood Arts Council’s Emerging Artists Gallery Scavenger Hunt to be held on April 23rd at Van Neste Park from 11am-2pm.
Ridgewood NJ, April 20, or 4/20, is known by many as “Weed Day” in some circles because the date corresponds with a numerical code for marijuana. There are many legends and rumors as to where the name came from .
However one thing is true for Garden Stater’s it was first reported by The Star-Ledger’s Editorial Page Editor Tom Moran in a Sunday column arguing passionately for legalization. Joseph Rudy Rullo, a declared Republican candidate for New Jersey governor in 2017, also supports marijuana legalization.
Rullo claimed this morning that ,”420k revenue in the first quarter after recreational marijuana is passed when I’m Governor in 2018 will give new meaning to this day!”
Today many 4/20 supporters celebrate the day with events being held all over the country .
In Toronto, Canadian medical marijuana hub Lift will be out providing tokens for free rides on public transit on 4/20 to promote safe travel to those celebrating the holiday.
HIGH TIMES is hosting a Cannabis Cup in San Bernardino, California, April 21-23, which will include major musical acts like Wu-Tang Clan and A$AP Ferg, vendors, exhibitions, and much more.
The first-ever Bud Drop will countdown to 4:20 on 4/20 at a party in San Francisco. The event is hosted by greenRush, a cannabis delivery marketplace, which was founded by two people with years of previous experience behind New Year’s event promotion.
In New Jersey, the East Coast Cannabis Coalition will be holding a rally at Trenton City Hall (319 East State St.) at 2 p.m. followed by a march (leisurely, we presume) to the State House at 2:30 p.m., with a rally for marijuana legalization there followed by a smoke-out at 4:20 p.m.
Four states now permit the recreational use of marijuana, with certain restrictions, including age: Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, plus Washington, D.C., while other states have removed jail time for possessing of small amounts of marijuana, including New York, Maryland, Delaware, Connecticut and Massachusetts. And 23 states permit the use of medical marijuana, including New Jersey.
