Category: village of ridgewood

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Study: Happiest Parents Have 4 Or More Children

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September 11, 2015 1:45 PM

ATLANTA (CBS Atlanta) — A new study finds that the happiest parents are those who have four or more kids.

According to The Daily Signal, a study conducted by Australia’s Edith Cowan University found parents had the most life satisfaction with larger families.

“[The parents] usually say they always wanted a large family, it was planned that way, and it was a lifestyle they’d chosen,” study author Dr. Bronwyn Harman said, according to The Daily Signal.

Harman spent five years interviewing hundreds of parents from different family makeups and based her findings on resilience, social support, self-esteem and life satisfaction.

“What is important for kids are things like consistency, boundaries and [to] know that they are loved, no matter what,” Harman explained, The Daily Signal reports.

https://atlanta.cbslocal.com/2015/09/11/study-happiest-parents-have-4-or-more-children/

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Reader says the Village Council is Not Listening

Village Council

file photo by Boyd Loving

You are so right. Here are the faces –

Aronsohn – he looks like a doe staring at headlights, absolutely no comprehension of what is being said, he is not paying any attention whatsoever, and as soon as the speaker finishes he finally brings his eyes into focus and says Thank You For Your Comments. And he never replies to anyone’s concerns.

Sonenfeld – did you check her out when the TV was focused on her on Wednesday nonstop? Her head bobs up and down when someone is at the microphone, like a chicken pecking around for scattered corn kernels. And she makes little sounds of disapproval or disagreement, while her hand fidgets with her chin.

Hauck – she stares at her ipad when anyone speaks, and reads whatever notes are being sent to her electronically from her “handlers,” who dictate what she should say (read) next.

Pucciarelli – he also stares at his ipad, but he has it on “camera” and the camera is reversed so he is looking at himself and trying to determine if the toupee needs a little more salt-and-pepper highlights woven into it yet.

Only Sedon and Knudsen actually pay attention and give thoughtful responses, even though Aronsohn has instructed all council members that they are not to engage in conversation with any member of the public.

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Village Council Caves on demands for a Second Meeting to hear public comments on the multi-family housing

Village Council

photo by Boyd Loving

September 14,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The Mayor Paul Aronsohn and the Village Council has given in to the public outcry for a Second Meeting to hear public comments on the multi-family housing . On June 24 at a public meeting the Mayor basically told resident Boyd Loving to sit down and shut up when he suggested that more than one public hearing was in order.

Boyd was adamant that one night would make it difficult for some people to attend and that this one-night plan was completely contrary to the manner in which the Valley hearings were conducted.   At that time the Mayor was unwilling to listen to this reasonable suggestion.

Perhaps recent events such as the lawsuit brought by the CBR, as well as intense public outcry about the single meeting, and even the Ridgewood News editorial,  have caused a change of heart.   Boyd it seems, was dare we say it, RIGHT.

Now perhaps you will listen to Boyd’s other suggestion to secure a larger venue for the hearings, so that overflow citizens are not sequestered in the basement of Village Hall and are somehow shuttled up and down stairs to the microphone.

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the fly plays ball at Schedler field

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The fly has noticed…………… that according to the Village website a recently crafted grant application with an attached resolution ( neither of which was brought to the full council ) showing  that one hundred thousand dollars appears to be coming from village capital funds and not the RBSA.  The Village manager stated at the recent council meeting that sports’ groups had funded the matching grant.  This appears to be a blatant lie.  While not one but two members have recently resigned from the Open Space Committee( one publicly) and it looks like they will start taking down trees at the  Schedler property without a fully vetted plan in place on actual costs and the viability of a 90 foot baseball diamond at Schedler.  There is so much wrong with the process and now it looks as though some of it might be in violation of the law. The Deputy Mayor was quoted on Wednesday as saying ,: “Maybe we’re breaking the law, but it’s not a good law.” , is there a lawyer in the house ?

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Scammers take Ridgewood Resident for $2600

Nigerian scam michael-scott-
September 13,2015
the staff of the Ridggewood blog
Ridgewod NJ, Ridgewood Police report that on Tuesday September 8, 2015 a Godwin Avenue resident reported receiving a solicitation via the United States Postal Service from a health care company offering him/her an employment opportunity.

The victim subsequently received bank checks totaling $2,610 with instructions that he/she was asked to deposit said checks into his/her personal bank account. The victim was then asked to wire funds to a client from the account via a money gram. By the time the checks were determined to be fraudulent the victim had already wired funds from his/her personal account.

This type of fraud has been reported with varying schemes frequently targeting the elderly and unemployed but a new spin has been reported recently targeting college students seeking part time employment. Under no circumstance should you use your personal bank account nor should any legitimate company request you do so to process or covert company monies.

So why do they ask you to wire money – through companies like MoneyGram and Western Union – is like sending cash. Once it’s gone, you can’t get it back. That’s one reason scammers often insist that people wire money, especially to addresses overseas. It’s nearly impossible to reverse the transfer, trace the money, or track the recipients.

Anytime someone ask you to deposit a check its a scam . Scammers ask you to deposit a check for them, and then wire money back to them. The scam is that the check is fake. It will bounce, and you’ll owe your bank the money you withdrew. By law, banks must make the funds from deposited checks available within a few days, but it can take weeks to uncover a fake check. It may seem that the check has cleared and that the money is in your account. But if a check later turns out to be a fake, you’ll owe the bank any money you withdrew.

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Another great season at Graydon Pool

Graydon Pool Can you say HAPPY-

file photo by Boyd Loving

SEPTEMBER 11, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Another great season at Graydon

to the editor:

Labor Day was the last day of another great season at Graydon Pool.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the village for continuing to operate Graydon — and for finding a way to keep it open on Labor Day weekend — as well as to thank the lifeguards and other staff for their professionalism and courtesy throughout the season.

This summer may not have been great for our lawns, but all those hot, sunny days were terrific for hanging out at Graydon. Some highlights: watching groups of children in the deep end play what looked to be a very fun game whose rules I never quite figured out but which involved guessing names of movies and swimming very fast; looking across to the “kiddie” side and seeing young families with small children splashing in the water or building sand castles; listening to groups of kids establish and administer the rules during volleyball games (we should all be proud—they are models of fair play); watching first-timers go off the high dive, or dazzling displays of prowess by high-dive veterans of all ages; reading undisturbed for hours on end with my feet in the sand; the hymns on the church bells every evening at 6:30 p.m.; the guards’ sincere-sounding announcement at closing time that they look forward to seeing us the next day; sunset swims late in the season as the days got shorter.

The only negative was the dreaded sound of the lightning-detection system at Vet’s field.

Is Graydon pristine clean? Perhaps not — but what lake is? Still, it’s treated and there’s a constant flow of water. Could the bathrooms use updating? Sure — but they work, and they have a certain old-school charm. I had a backyard pool, and it was lovely, but I was constantly running back into the house for more snacks for everyone or to throw another load of laundry in. At Graydon, my only responsibilities are to stay sunscreened and keep my library book dry.

I know that many of you don’t go to Graydon anymore, but it’s truly a gem. There’s a certain camaraderie — and at the end of the season, as at high-school graduation, people who haven’t spoken to each other all season commiserate about it being the last day and wish each other a good year. It’s a place where everyone is happy — and it’s my “happy place.”

In fact, next year will be the 50th anniversary of my first afternoon at Graydon.

See you next summer!

Janice Willett

Ridgewood

https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/letter-to-the-editor-another-great-season-at-graydon-pool-1.1407686

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Schedler advocates are being treated far differently than the RBSA

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Dear Mayor and Council,

Wednesday night’s meeting was a confirmation that the Schedler advocates  are being treated far differently than the RBSA who want a professional size baseball diamond at the Schedler property.
When Isabella Altano came before you with 45 thousand dollars,  a matching grant opportunity and a plan to stabilize the house every obstacle was thrown in her way even accusing her of some scheme not to accept monies from Mr. Bolger.  Roberta made a comment that putting together the grant application would require work from village employees and that the ability to lend the additional 45 thousand until the grant came through would be a strain.
Now the RBA comes forward with money and no plan and we find that a grant application is in place with the help of village employees and two council members knew nothing about it.
In this day and age there is no believable explanation for not informing all council members.  We have email and phones and there are only 5 council members not 50.  Gwenn made some comments about a dad dealing with his two equally loved children.  I would say it is more like the story of Cinderella.  The inequities are that apparent.
I am asking you to put a moratorium on any removal of trees or other significant alterations to the property until there is a fully vetted plan for Schedler that includes safety studies, DOT approval for site changes, traffic studies etc.  At this point we do not know the entire cost of a 90 foot diamond at Schedler and whether a wall may need to be built as the property without the trees will back up to Route 17.  Removing the trees in advance would be devastating and unnecessary.
I don’t understand why any one organization or advisory committee has more importance than the people.  Schedler advocates are representatives of their community and for the whole of Ridgewood.  They have been left out if the process.  It appears that they never had a chance but you let them work diligently, attend numerous public and private meetings acting as though there was a hope.  You need to know costs including long term maintenance of the property and if the field is even viable for the area.  After spending some time there recently I was reminded again of how close the property is to Route 17 and how drastically the removal of the 4 acres of trees will affect the neighborhood.
I sincerely hope you will not move forward until you can present a fully developed plan to the public for their input and for your needs to know actual costs.
Sincerely,
Linda McNamara
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Ridgewood Actress who uses a wheelchair a likely first for Broadway

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By Laura Herzog | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

RIDGEWOOD — Ali Stroker may be the first person who uses a wheelchair to be in a Broadway production, ever.The 28-year-old Ridgewood-raised singer, actress and philanthropist says “it’s the ultimate dream come true” to star in a special production of “Spring Awakening”—a musical, by Deaf West Theatre, that is also performed in American Sign Language.

“I have dreamt of this since I was 7 years old (and saw “Beauty and the Beast”). I have wanted to be on Broadway my whole life,” said Stoker, who now lives in New York. “A lot of the Broadway theaters are not (wheelchair) accessible back stage. There were many sorts of obstacles I feel like, but obviously, when I got this opportunity, it felt like everything aligned in the most perfect way.”

https://www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/2015/09/actress_from_nj_may_be_broadways_1st_using_a_wheel.html

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Ridgewood Veterinary Hospital 10th Annual ADOPT A PET DAY September 20th

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Ridgewood Veterinary Hospital 10th Annual ADOPT A PET DAY is 9/20/2015

We will host up to 25 shelters and rescue groups, who will bring about 200 pets for adoption.

Open your heart and home to a friend for life!

(Same day as Ridgewood Fall Art and Craft Street Fair)

On Sunday, September 20th, from 11:00 A.M. until 4:00 P.M., Rain or Shine, the Ridgewood Veterinary Hospital will be holding its 10th Adopt-A-Pet Day at 320 East Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ. The events have been so successful in finding homes for pets, so please share this post, and we look forward to seeing you there!

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“Tupac” Wannabe Spotted Searching Vehicles for Smart Key in the Village

due rag

Tupac made the do-rag famous
September 11,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood Nj, Ridgewood Police report that on Thursday September 3, 2015, a Brookside Avenue resident reported that his/her unlocked late model high-end vehicle was entered while parked in the driveway of his/her home. The initial investigation revealed that a white or silver sport utility vehicle had dropped off a dark skinned male actor with facial hair wearing a “do-rag” and that this person was observed rummaging through the vehicle and pulling the doors on other parked locked vehicles in the victim’s driveway.

Nothing was taken from the victim’s vehicle and the matter is under investigation by the detective bureau. There have been numerous similar incidents throughout the state with many occurring in Bergen County where actors have been dropped for the purpose of finding unlocked parked vehicles in homeowners’ driveways during early morning hours where the owner also left the “smart key” or key fob ignition activator in the vehicle. Many of these incidents have resulted in the vehicles being taken. Again many of these crimes can be deterred by locking unattended vehicles and removing the “smart key” ignition activator.

from Wikipedia

A do-rag (also spelled variously as a doo-rag, dew-rag, du-rag or durag), is a piece of cloth used to cover the top of one’s head. Sometimes made of nylon material and having a “skullcap” fit it may also be referred to as a “wavecap“. According to the Oxford English Dictionary and Merriam-Webster dictionary, the term derives from ‘do as in hairdo.[1][2]

History

During the slavery period in the United States, African American women wore scarves that were later to become the do-rags of the 1930s to the 1960s. Do-rags were also used by African American men to hold chemically processed hair-dos in place while they slept. Originally they were most commonly made from women’sstockings; these were called stocking caps, not do-rags. Now, many are made from polyester.
Do-rags re-emerged as a fashion trend among urban youth in the 1990s and 2000s, first among African Americans, who used them to maintain their new hair styles. Do-rags are worn in a variety of colours, with black being the most common. Do-rags are regularly used to create and maintain waves and cornrowedhairstyles. They usually have long ties on either side that are wrapped around the head to secure the do-rag by tying at the back of the head; the old do-rags were tied at the front of the head.
In April 2000, the American National Football League banned its players from wearing do-rags and bandanas underneath their helmets. The ban did not apply to players who wore them for medical reasons.[3]
Over the years motorcyclists have begun to wear do-rags, especially in states with motorcycle helmet laws, to prevent “helmet hair” or “helmet head”.[citation needed]There was also the practical value of the do-rag preventing sweat and scalp oils (especially if the biker is bald) from causing an unpleasant smelling helmet, or wearing a do-rag without a helmet to prevent sunburn. Constructed a little differently with ties and a tail, they come in many different styles and colors.
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It was a great Night for a Car Show in the Village of Ridgewood

car show 2015
September 12,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog and Photos by Boyd Loving

Ridgewood NJ, it was a beautiful fall evening to host the Annual Fall Car Show, presented by the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce. The Village was buzzing with energy and filled with a wide variety of cars, from muscle cars and hot rods to current models and unique designs , with cars ranging from the years 1930 to 2015!

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The Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce dedicated the 2015 Car Show to the memory of those who died on 9/11 and a special “Memorial Award” was given out by Duxiana of Ridgewood.

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The huge American flag suspended between two hook and ladder fire trucks! The Ridgewood High School Marching Band gave their first performance of the season and the RHS Maroon Men acapella group started the evening off with the Star Spangled Banner.Many of Ridgewood’s fine restaurants were open for business.

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more photos will be appearing on the Ridgewood blog Facebook page later today https://www.facebook.com/theridgewoodblog

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Four firms pitch plans for Ridgewood parking garage , NYC based Desman Design Picked

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SEPTEMBER 11, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2015, 9:26 AM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

The Village Council held a special meeting Tuesday to continue the discussion on a parking garage for Hudson Street.

Six firms responded to the village’s request for proposal (RFP) for the garage; that number was narrowed down to four before the meeting began.

“We went through talking about each firm’s strengths, weaknesses and fees, and we’ve come down to four firms that are most qualified to serve the village,” said Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli. “They’ll be presenting their concepts, their designs, their thought processes on what this parking garage will look like.”

The governing body will now deliberate on the proposals, and should narrow its choices by the next council meeting, officials said.

Here is a look at what the council will be discussing.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/four-firms-pitch-plans-for-ridgewood-garage-1.1408106

 

Ridgewood council moves to select firm to design downtown parking garage

SEPTEMBER 10, 2015, 5:53 PM    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2015, 5:55 PM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

RIDGEWOOD — The village council moved Wednesday night to select a parking consulting firm that will design a large public garage downtown.

The Ridgewood council could adopt a resolution at its meeting Sept. 16 to hire Desman Design, a firm based in New York City.

The firm, once hired, will prepare architectural renderings for presentation to the council next month, officials said.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-council-moves-to-select-firm-to-design-downtown-parking-garage-1.1407408

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Distraction scammers target Ridgewood Garage sales

Garage_sale_today_theridgewoodblog
September 11,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Police report that on Saturday September 5, 2015, a William Street resident reported a suspicious interaction with a suspicious man while holding a garage sale at his/her residence. The man asked if he could enter into the resident’s home to look at other items that he might be interested in purchasing and he persisted until the homeowner allowed him to do so.

At some point the man became extremely pushy and initially refused to leave the home when asked, making the homeowner uncomfortable. This is a frequently reported pattern of behavior by persons looking to take advantage of these situations often targeting the elderly or unsuspecting citizens and often times working in unison with an accomplice known as a “distraction scam”.

Ridgewood Police urge residents to  , “Use great caution when allowing any strangers entrance to your home.”

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Ridgewood police say vandals spray painted swastika on village stop sign

Ridgewood_Police_theridgewoodblog

file photo by Boyd Loving

SEPTEMBER 10, 2015, 7:09 PM    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2015, 7:10 PM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

RIDGEWOOD — A swastika was found on a stop sign in the village earlier this week, sparking an investigation by detectives.

Ridgewood police said vandals used gold spray paint to mark up the sign, at the corner of Northern Parkway and Colonial Road.

While a sacred, auspicious symbol in Hinduism and Buddhism, the swastika has become associated with hate and prejudice since being used by Germany’s Nazi Party in the 1930s.

A police spokesperson did not comment on whether the event was being handled as a “bias incident.”

This is the second swastika to catch the attention of the Ridgewood police within the last month.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-police-say-vandals-spray-painted-swastika-on-village-stop-sign-1.1407421

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Ridgewood resident named Project Literacy’s top volunteer

Library-Books

SEPTEMBER 11, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Ridgewood resident John Katzianer will receive the Volunteer of the Year award from Project Literacy of Greater Bergen County at a presentation scheduled for Sept. 17.

“It feels great,” Katzianer said about being chosen for the award, adding that working for the organization is “absolutely rewarding.”

Project Literacy, which teaches adults valuable learning skills, is run by volunteer tutors. Each year, awards are given to those who go above and beyond, and this is Katzianer’s year.

“The awards ceremony recognizes outstanding accomplishments in the field of adult literacy and honors individuals, companies and organizations for their dedication in providing the gift of literacy to adults who confront life in Bergen County without the skills to effectively communicate,” the organization said.

“This is the 27th year the award has been given to a volunteer tutor who has excelled in bringing the light of literacy into the darkness of illiteracy for an adult by working one-to-one with students who have basic educational needs,” said Christopher Stout, executive director of Project Literacy.

Katzianer, a 26-year veteran of Verizon, “is a seasoned math teacher and has been volunteering his skills to provide one-to-one tutoring at Project Literacy since 2012,” the organization said.

https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/clubs-and-service-organizations/resident-selected-as-top-volunteer-1.1407802