Ridgewood NJ, RHS teachers have been selected by North Jersey Media Group as “Outstanding Educators” in different categories. Winning teachers from Ridgewood are: Jeffrey Haas for Art, Craig Bunzey for Physical Education/Coaching, Jessica Leigh for English and Lillian Labowsky for Science. The teachers, nominated by high school students throughout Bergen and Passaic counties, were recognized as having most impacting and making a significant difference in their students’ lives. They will be honored in a special section in The Record on Sunday, June 12, and at a celebratory breakfast on June 13 at Ramapo College of NJ in Mahwah.
Ridgewood NJ, Since the Tyler Clementi Foundation began a partnership with AT&T a few months ago, they have been able to expand our reach and work to end bullying. TCF collaborated on an extensive poll of New York-area teens and parents to uncover attitudes and behaviors related to cyberbullying. The results were substantial. Nearly half of all teens say they have been bullied online. 8 in 10 know someone who has been the victim of cyberbullying.Read the full results of our poll here!
On May 14th TCF joined AT&T and the All American High School Film Festival in kicking off an exciting opportunity for 100 New York-area student filmmakers, as they compete at the national Teen Film Festival. The teens created films focused on the personal effects of cyberbullying. We are honored to be a partner for this incredible event. The films produced and the relationships built during this weekend will create more compassion and respect at high schools across the New York area.
The videos are a powerful and emotional lens into the experience of being cyber-bullied, by teens and for teens. Check out one of the submissions below:
As lawmakers consider a Democratically sponsored bill to raise the state’s minimum wage to $15 an hour in as soon as five years, state Republicans are pointing to the wage hike’s potential impact to New Jersey’s already strained budget. In his testimony at the Senate Labor Committee hearing where that bill advanced Monday, Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon predicted that healthcare providers who receive state funding would turn to the state to offset the cost. JT Aregood, PolitickerNJ Read more
photo (Left to right) Carmen Rodriguez-Peralta, Elizabeth Ostling, and John Ferrillo at Boston area performance earlier this season.
Boston Symphony musicians to perform in Ridgewood June 12
May 16,2016
the astaff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Boston Symphony Orchestra Principal Oboe John Ferrillo and Associate Principal Flute Elizabeth Ostling are performing a concert Sunday, June 12, 3 p.m., at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 155 Linwood Avenue, in Ridgewood. Admission is free, with an offering taken to benefit Young Life Bergen County.
Ferrillo lived in Ho-Ho-Kus during 16 years with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Ostling, raised in Ridgewood, is also the Principal Flute of “America’s Orchestra,” the Boston Pops. Joining them will be pianist Carmen Rodriguez-Peralta, who chairs the music department at Middlesex Community College. Ferrillo and Ostling have led their respective orchestral sections under many of this generation’s most renowned conductors, at Symphony Hall in Boston, the Tanglewood summer festival, Carnegie Hall, on national and international tours, and for many recordings and broadcasts.
The program includes three works by J.S. Bach, Igor Stravinsky’s witty “Pulcinella” suite that evokes 18th Century Italian music, an offertory by W.A. Mozart, two brief contrasting pieces by French modernist Olivier Messiaen, Charles-Marie Widor’s Romantic era suite for flute, and Enrique Iturriaga’s “Vendor’s Call and Dance” performed by Rodriguez-Peralta, a specialist in the music of her native Latin America.
Ferrillo has been a member of the San Francisco Symphony and a concerto soloist with the Boston Symphony. He studied at the Curtis Institute of Music with John deLancie and has participated in the Marlboro and other major summer music festivals. He teaches at the New England Conservatory and Boston University, and was formerly on the faculties of the Juilliard School and Mannes School in New York.During her high school years Ostling was the Ridgewood Symphony Orchestra’s piccoloist, principal flute of the All-State Orchestra, first-chair flute of the All-Eastern Band, a concerto competition winner at the Juilliard Pre-College, and then studied at the
Curtis Institute. She won the first prize at the Koussevitzky Competition for Woodwinds, and has premiered two compositions written expressly for her. She has soloed with the Boston Pops and New Jersey Symphony. She teaches at Boston University.
Rodriguez-Peralta is a Temple University graduate and did further study at Catholic University and the Juilliard School. She has offered piano performances, master classes, and lectures throughout the U.S. and internationally, and was an Artists International Young Musicians Audition winner. Of her debut, The New York Times said she is “a thoughtful musician; her playing is full of intelligence and poetry… a pianist well worth hearing.”Young Life Bergen County, the beneficiary of the recital’s offering, is a branch of an interdenominational Christian organization that works with 2 million teens and is currently celebrating its 75th anniversary. The area program, launched by local sponsors in late 2014, features lively high school Club events, “Wyldlife” for middle and junior high students, Campaigners small-group meetings, and week-long summer camps at nearby Lake Champion and other facilities.
Ridgewood NJ, Today May 17th is the deadline to register for New Jersey presidential primary. The GOP is settled but Democrats can still feel the Bern (Bernie Sanders ) or vote for Hillary Clinton.
In New Jersey, both the Republicans and the Democrats hold their primaries on the same day. This year it’s June 7.
If you are not registered, you need to register by May 17 in order to cast a primary ballot. (Use these links if you can’t remember if you are registered or if you’re looking for your polling location.)
New Jersey does not have online voter registration, Burns said.
“You have to print the form out, physically sign it, and mail it in,” she said. Forms are available through the state Division of Elections website, at county board of elections, at municipal town halls, and at social services agencies such as motor vehicle offices.
People can also call the League office to request that one be mailed to them. That number is 800-792-VOTE (8683).
On the registration deadline day, May 17, most county board of election offices will be open until 9 p.m.
In order to register in New Jersey you must be:
A citizen of the United States
At least 18 years old
A resident of your county for at least 30 days before the election
And not currently serving a sentence, probation or parole because of a felony conviction.
Ridgewood NJ, In a closely watched property tax case with significant financial and policy implications for hospitals and possibly the broader non-profit community statewide,and the Village of Ridgewood , a Tax Court of New Jersey judge on June 25, 2015, ruled that Morristown Medical Center is not entitled to tax exemption on nearly all of its property in Morristown.
In Ridgewood ,Valley’s main campus would be rated for tax purposes at over $4 million per year. EVERY district was won by Voight, Walsh and Hache in a total rejection of the mayor and his policies .Given the statement made in Tuesday’s election, there would be popular support behind pursing this revenue using any and all means necessary.
Noteworthy elements of the Morristown decision:
Except for some very narrow exceptions such as its parking garage, auditorium and fitness center, almost all of the hospital’s property was deemed to be taxable for failing the “profit” test (see below) because non-profit and for-profit activities were significantly commingled and conferred substantial benefits on the for-profit entities as a result.
Compensation was a significant factor in the opinion. Although IRS guidelines have for years allowed exempt organizations to establish the reasonableness of compensation under federal law by analyzing compensation levels against those of comparable organizations, the judge dismissed such a standard as insufficient because the hospital failed to also verify that the compensation at the other comparable institutions was itself also reasonable. In essence, this ruling disregards the IRS framework for reasonableness of compensation in use by thousands of charities nationwide.
In his conclusion, the judge stated that if all hospitals in their current form are structured like Morristown then none are justified in receiving property tax exemption, and it’s up to the legislature to enact statutory changes that would change this framework.
On November 11, 2015, a settlement was announced between Atlantic Health System (the parent of Morristown Medical Center) and the Town of Morristown, in which the hospital agreed to pay $15.5 million in back taxes and penalties, plus annual property taxes on 24 percent of the hospital’s property from 2016 to 2 . (https://www.njnonprofits.org/PropertyTax_MorristownMedical.html)
It is hard to argue that these same or similar elements would apply Valley Hospital as Well.
Ridgewood NJ , in April Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld responded to an email voicing safety concerns over the facility.
Neighbors say that the business Healthbarn USA Inc. was put before the safety of the residents of the community i.e. painted crosswalks as promised and signage for parking on one side of the street is astounding. Yet amazingly all of the work was done by the town for this business’s 4/1 start date.
The Village has now added lighting in a park that closes at dusk is another issue along with the fact the Ridgewood Water has been there 3 days in a row working to get the business Heathbarn USA a sprinkler for her garden. A garden that is on Green acres property but not for public use to my understanding.
Residents wonder how classes are approved to go until 9:00 when Ridgewood parks close at dusk. I understand that the lights were in the original plan 6 or so years ago, but the fact that they were never needed and are coming at this time seems more than coincidental.
Residents questions remained unanswered ,what is the current pricing for the lights ? Who paid for the village water to be tapped into for the business’s personal needs of water for her private garden? and who will be paying that water bill? Will this business follow water restrictions when in effect?
Soccer and baseball have started we are already seeing the effect of this large business be given 12 parking spots. This is causing Ridgewood tax payers to have no choice but to park on the street since the lot is now being taken away. There are no designated spots for Healthbarn, therefore these private clients are and will continue to utilize the entire parking lot. Residents of Ridgewood and the teams they are hosting for sports are being pushed into the street.
What is the effect of this commotion with 25 plus kids in a small home and 25 plus cars an hour will do to the natural habitat green acres is suppose to protect. Will not the lights deter the natural habitat that the owls maintain there at dusk.
Finally residents are demanding to know what is the percentage of Ridgewood children paying to attend this business? and again how is it a benefit to our town? Since the Village stated over and over at meetings “this would be a tremendous benefit to Ridgewood” Tax payers deserve an explanation of why this is a good thing?
Many neighbors actually feel as it is an imposition and very destructive to the neighborhood and to the park itself. The $3700.00 rent that this business is paying ( as did a family who were the tenants before paid ) does not seem like a fair trade off for all that is being taken away from the community and neighborhood.
Dear All,
I would like to clarify, address and correct the details in some of the recent correspondences regarding the Health Barn at Habernickel Park.
SPRINKLER SYSTEM: Let me start with the claim that a sprinkler system has been installed by the Village for the use of the Health Barn. This is not true. No sprinkler system has been or will be installed. Health Barn will be paying for any water that it uses. We have their usage metered separately. They will also be required to follow any watering restrictions that Ridgewood Water implements.
SUMMER SCHOOL BUSING: Ms. Rubin mentions that Health Barn is advertising on their website that they will be providing busing for children in the summer day camp program. We cannot find any reference to this on Health Barn’s website at all norwill this be occurring. Please provide the back-up for this claim.
RIDGEWOOD ATTANDANCE IN THE PROGRAMS: As far as the details surrounding the residences of the children in Health Barn’s classes, Ms. Antine is required by the lease to provide quarterly reporting that will be reviewed by Parks and Rec. This report is not due until June 30, 2016. I can provide some recent experiences with regard to where the children live that frequent her classes. Thursday’s seedlings class consisted of 12 children, all of whom were Ridgewood residents. Yesterday, there was a seedlings class of 6 young children – they were all from Ridgewood from the Hillcrest neighborhood. Also yesterday I observed an older children’s class of about 8 children none of whom were Ridgewood residents. As of yesterday morning, the enrollment for next week’s school break camp has 15 children, 9 of whom are Ridgewood residents.
As a reminder, by Green Acres rules, this is a park that is open to all, not just Ridgewood residents.
LIGHTING: Another issue mentioned was the lighting. Ms. Vellis is correct that the downward facing lights were in the original plans for Habernickel. They are in fact a safety feature that should be there regardless of Health Barn. As with other Village properties, these lights will be on from dusk to dawn.
HOURS OF OPERATION: The Gate House hours at Habernickel are in line with other Village buildings particularly the Stable; this is distinct from park hours. Ms Antine’s latest class ends at 9:00PM and then cleanup is required. The Stable, as an example, is open until 11PM.
OWLS:
We appreciate and celebrate owls in our parks. We cannot move their nests nor do we want to. We don’t see any issue with the various park activities at Habernickel and the well-being of the owl.
OUTSIDE THE PROPERTY:
As far as the changes regarding no parking signs, striping, etc. The no parking signs have been installed on the south side of Hillcrest. Striping cannot be done until the weather warms up – as soon as that occurs, our Signal Department will stripe.
In Closing:
In speaking with Stacy, she has always been steadfast in her resolve to be a good neighbor and to listen to the neighbors around her. In that spirit of cooperation, she would like to invite the neighbors to the Gate House so that you can see firsthand the significant improvements to the interior as well as discuss the programs and any other questions you may have. Please let Janet and myself know if this is of interest to you and we can make this offer to others in the neighborhood….and also let me know if you have any other questions.
Best, Roberta
Best regards,
Roberta
Roberta Sonenfeld Village Manager 201-670-5500, ext. 203
Ridgewood NJ, Healthbarn busing continues to create problems in the neighborhood and now Stacey Antine Founder of Health Barn ,is referring questions to Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld and Tim Cronin.
Neighbors near the facility feel Healthbarn should be answering neighborhood themselves and not referring questions to the Village .
Neighbors claim the buses are creating noise, traffic and pollution problems in the neighborhood as well the obvious dangers to pedestrians, cyclist and school children.
Stacey Antine is currently telling neighbors to stop contacting her and contact the Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld with their issues and questions further inflaming the situation.
On May 16, 2016, at 5:17 PM, Stacey Antine, MS, RDN <[email protected]> wrote:
Hi everyone, please take me off these emails. I am following the lease schedule as best as I can to ensure the safety of the children and make it as seamless as possible for the neighborhood. I’m working directly with Roberta and Tim to adjust as needed, so please direct your concerns or questions to them directly.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas urged college graduates who seek to “preserve liberty” to do so by fulfilling the duties of their daily vocations rather than attempting to achieve sweeping political goals.
“At the risk of understating what is necessary to preserve liberty in our form of government, I think more and more that it depends on good citizens, discharging their daily duties in their daily obligations,” Thomas said Saturday during a commencement address at Hillsdale College, a small liberal arts college in Michigan.
Thomas lamented various aspects of contemporary society, especially with regard to colleges and universities. He diagnosed what he regards as a contemporary tendency to take pride in having “grievances rather than personal conduct” and to focus on individual rights as citizens, rather than responsibilities. “Hallmarks of my youth such as patriotism and religion seem more like outliers, if not afterthoughts,” Thomas said.
Department stores and specialty retailers have faced declining sales recently, with brands from Macy’s to Gap closing stores.
Many people are pinning the apparel industry’s recent struggles on unseasonably warm weather, which could discourage the purchase of winter clothing.
But there might be another problem that few people are addressing: consumer boredom.
“Today’s retailers face a tsunami of problems but none, in my opinion is more deadly than the pandemic of sheer consumer boredom that shoppers are being subjected to,” retail expert Doug Stephens writes on his blog, The Retail Prophet. “Most retail is just painfully boring. In fact, the majority of store chains, malls and shopping centers have become beacons of boredom, monuments to mediocrity and havens of ho hum.”
Stephens gives an example of a category buyer at Macy’s who is guided by the obvious: sales. If a product won’t sell in droves, then it’s not worth putting it on the shelves, he says.
“And it is for that one single reason — anticipated square foot sales volume — that a plethora of unique, fun, fashionable and fascinating products will likely never see the light of day on the sales floor,” he writes. “Now, repeat the Macy’s buyer mandate across the thousands and thousands of retail buyers, each of whom follow the same essential rule, and soon every store in the mall begins to look the same. Every mall looks vaguely like the next. And voila…mass boredom!”
Is Caitlyn Jenner, the most fabulous trans individual ever to strap a bra over budding boobs and squeeze wrinkly buns into extra-extra-large pantyhose, ready to hang up her high heels, trash her female hormones and return to life as a mannamed Bruce?
It makes sense. A depraved, twisted kind of sense. As if the public has been played by a mistress, toying with our heads like kittens with string. For Cait is a devious narcissist who learned her craft at the feet of the Kardashian clan, the most shameless, self-absorbed, attention-seeking hucksters ever to roam the reality-TV universe — until Cait.
I’m not transphobic in the least. I support people’s rights to live, work, date and marry as the genders with which they self-identify. (I just want any stranger equipped with junk to keep the hell out of my bathroom.)
#1 New York Times Bestselling Author, Holly Madison, will sign her new book: The Vegas Diaries.
when : Tuesday, May 17th @ 7:00pm who : #1 New York Times Bestselling Author, Holly Madison, will sign her new book: The Vegas Diaries where : Bookends, 211 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450 201-445-0726
Ridgewood NJ, Holly Madison was born December 23, 1979,is a New York Times Best-Selling author, model, showgirl, and television personality. She is most widely recognized for her role in the E! hit reality television show, The Girls Next Door and for her own series, Holly’s World. In July 2015, Madison released her first book and memoir, Down the Rabbit Hole: Curious Adventures and Cautionary Tales of a Former Playboy Bunny. In May 2016, she will release her second book, The Vegas Diaries: Romance, Rolling the Dice, and the Road to Reinvention detailing her dating life after the mansion.
Appearing authors will only autograph books purchased at Bookends and must have valid Bookends Receipt.
Availability & pricing for all autographed books subject to change.
First In Line Certificate use is the the discretion of Bookends. Blackout dates may apply.
Bookends cannot guarantee that the books that are Autographed will always be First Printings.
Autographed books purchased at Bookends are non-returnable.
While we try to ensure that all customers coming to Bookends’ signings will meet authors and get their books signed, we cannot guarantee that all attendees will meet the author or that all books will be signed. We cannot control inclement weather, author travel schedules or authors who leave prematurely.
Bookends, 211 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450 201-445-0726
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION
For generations, the brave women and men of our Nation’s law enforcement have answered the call to serve and protect our communities. Enduring long shifts in dangerous and unpredictable circumstances, our Nation’s peace officers embody the courage and honor that represent the best of America. On Peace Officers Memorial Day and during Police Week, we express our gratitude for the selfless public servants who wear the badge and put themselves in harm’s way to keep us safe, and we pay respect for those who lost their lives in the line of duty.
In moments of danger and desperation, the first people we turn to are law enforcement officers. These often unsung heroes risk their lives and sacrifice precious time with loved ones so their fellow Americans can live in peace and security. But more than that, they are leaders in their communities, serving as mentors, coaches, friends, and neighbors — working tirelessly each day to ensure that the people they serve have the opportunities that should be afforded to all Americans. In honor of all they do, we must give these dedicated professionals the support and appreciation they deserve.
My Administration continues to work to ensure police departments and other law enforcement agencies throughout our country have the resources required to hire, train, and retain officers, provide officers with modern and necessary equipment, and utilize technology to enhance their communication networks. And our Federal law enforcement officers regularly partner with their State and local counterparts to address some of our Nation’s most difficult problems. We know that strong community bonds are essential for law enforcement to do their jobs effectively. I established a Task Force on 21st Century Policing, bringing together law enforcement, academia, youth, civil rights, and community leaders to provide concrete recommendations to enhance public safety while building community trust. Law enforcement officials care deeply about their communities, and together with our partners in law enforcement, we must work to build up our neighborhoods, prevent crime before it happens, and put opportunity within reach for all our people. Because each fallen peace officer is one too many, I proudly signed the Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu National Blue Alert Act last year — bipartisan legislation that establishes a national “Blue Alert” communications network to disseminate information about threats to officers. The legislation seeks to ensure that appropriate steps can be taken as quickly as possible to provide for an officer’s safety. I also announced new, commonsense gun safety reforms to help keep guns out of the wrong hands and emphasized that the already dangerous job of an officer is far more dangerous than it should be because it remains too easy for criminals and people who are a danger to others or themselves to have access to guns.
It takes a special kind of courage to be a peace officer. Whether deputies or detectives, tribal police or forest service officers, beat cops or Federal agents, we hold up those who wear the badge as heroes. Though they too often spend their days witnessing America at its worst, in their extraordinary examples, we see America at its best. On this day and throughout this week, let us celebrate those who nobly serve each day — and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice — to move our world toward a more just and safe tomorrow. May we carry forward their brave and selfless spirit as we keep working together to shape a future worthy of their commitment.
By a joint resolution approved October 1, 1962, as amended (76 Stat. 676), and by Public Law 103-322, as amended (36 U.S.C. 136-137), the President has been authorized and requested to designate May 15 of each year as “Peace Officers Memorial Day” and the week in which it falls as “Police Week.”
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 15, 2016, as Peace Officers Memorial Day and May 15 through May 21, 2016, as Police Week. I call upon all Americans to observe these events with appropriate ceremonies and activities. I also call on the Governors of the United States and its Territories, and appropriate officials of all units of government, to direct that the flag be flown at half-staff on Peace Officers Memorial Day. I further encourage all Americans to display the flag at half-staff from their homes and businesses on that day.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand sixteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and fortieth.
Ridgewood NJ, In accordance with Flag Code section 7(m), the United States flag is to be displayed at half-staff for the entire day in honor of Peace Officers Memorial Day, Sunday, May 15, 2016.
Customary Dates to Fly Half-Staff
Peace Officers Memorial Day, May 15th, unless that day is also Armed Forces Day. (sunrise to sunset)
Memorial Day, last Monday in May (sunrise to noon)
Patriot Day, September 11th (sunrise to sunset)
National Firefighters Memorial Day, October (typically a Sunday during Fire Prevention Week, which is around Oct. 9, and along with a memorial service held in Emmitsburg, MD)
Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, December 7th (sunrise to sunset)
Other Special Flag-Flying Days
President’s Day, third Monday in February: a celebration that takes place between Lincoln’s and Washington’s birthdays. It is not a half-staff day.
Flag Day, June 14. It commemorates the adoption of the flag of the United States, which was by resolution of the Second Continental Congress in 1777.
Veteran’s Day (formerly Armistice Day), November 11th: This is a day to honor our nation’s veterans. It is not a day of mourning, but a day of celebration and honor. Therefore, it is not a day of half-staff. Citizens are encouraged to fly POW/MIA flags and flags of the military branches on this day to show support to our Veterans.
National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, July 27 of each year: This day marks the anniversary of the signing of a treaty that ended the Korean War. From 2000 until 2003 (during 50th anniversary years) this was a half-staff day. Each year since the proclamation only acts to “encourage the display of the flag”. This is a day for special remembrance of the veterans of the Korean War, and especially the United States and allied combatants who made the ultimate sacrifice in Korea.
Ridgewood NJ, The Village Council is looking for residents who are interested in volunteering to serve on the following Boards and Committees: Planning Board, Zoning Board of Adjustment, The Ridgewood Community Center Advisory Board, The Financial Advisory Committee, The Ridgewood Arts Council, and the Shade Tree Commission.
If you want to get involved in Village governance volunteering for Village boards or committees is a great place to start.
There is no upper age limit. The only qualifications are to have something in one’s background that suggests a good fit with the desired committee or whatever. There needs to be enough on the application form and accompanying CV or autobiography to encourage the council to invite the person for an interview. Often these positions are in demand and the council has to have some reason to choose people over others. Yes, residency in Ridgewood is a requirement but you don’t have to have lived here for any particular length of time (viz. Evan Weitz’s Financial Advisory Committee chairmanship upon crossing the town line).
The time commitment is often three years (often renewable by mutual agreement between the individual and the current council at that time), although it varies, but people can quit if they are going to move or an emergency such as illness arises. That’s one reason there are alternates on the Planning Board and Zoning Board, so there’s always someone ready to step in quickly on boards that make very important decisions.
Members of any committee etc. are of course expected to attend meetings regularly, so if a certain night of the week, say, would be an automatic deal breaker, look at the back pages of the village calendar for an idea of which nights each group meets: for example, the Zoning Board of Adjustment meets on a couple of Tuesdays a month. Council members Susan Knudsen and Mike Sedon can answer questions:[email protected][email protected]. Also Village Clerk Heather Mailander, [email protected], or call her at village hall, 201-670-5500, ext. 201.
