Three Vehicle Collision at the Intersection of North Monroe and West Glen in Ridgewood
December 23,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ ,A Toyota MR2 Spyder was the loser in a three (3) vehicle chain reaction collision at the intersection of North Monroe Street and West Glen Avenue in Ridgewood on Tuesday afternoon. The adult female driver of the MR2 was transported by ambulance to The Valley Hospital with a non-life threatening facial injury. Ridgewood PD, FD and EMS responded to the incident, which occurred shortly before 4PM. The sandwiched vehicle was removed from the scene by a flatbed tow truck.
RPPs will be sold each business day from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Be sure to bring for both new applications as well as renewals, both their driver’s license and the registration for the cars they wish to register for the permits.
file photo by Boyd Loving
December 22,2015
Chief John M. Ward
Ridgewood NJ , With the holiday shopping season in full swing I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone happy and joyous holiday. Additionally I would like to share some holiday safety tips with you. While savvy shoppers are seeking out the best bargains so are the criminals. This is a peak time for crimes such as home burglaries, thefts, and even muggings. I hope these safety tips help prevent you from being the victim of a crime during the holidays.
At Home
Be extra cautious about locking doors and windows at all times.
Don’t display gifts and other valuables where they can be seen from a window or doorway.
If you go out in the evening, turn on lights and a radio or television so the house looks occupied.
If you go on vacation, get an automatic timer for your lights. Ask a neighbor or trusted friend to watch your house, pick up the mail and newspapers and park their car in your driveway from time to time.
If your lights are on timers, please remember to adjust for the changing sun set times, so the lights do not come on during day light hours.
Beware of package deliveries where couriers have the “wrong” address. Write down license plate numbers of suspicious delivery attempts.
Schedule deliveries while someone is home. Often criminals will grab unattended packages left at front doors. Unattended packages at the door are also a signal to criminals that a home may be vacant.
After Christmas, don’t advertise your new electronics and/or other new valuables that you have just received by putting the boxes out on the curb for the garbage collectors. Break the boxes down and fold them to where the words are on the inside.
If you believe someone’s actions are suspicious please don’t wait, call the police while the individual(s) are still in the area.
Shopping
Stay alert to your surroundings and the people around you. If you see people “hanging around” parking garages, parking lots, or the outside of stores, avoid the area. Notify the police or security department.
Shop before dark if possible. Coordinate shopping trips with a friend if you plan to be out late. Never park your car in an unlit area, no matter how convenient it is.
Lock your car doors and windows even if you are only gone for a few minutes.
Keep packages and other valuables out of public view, preferably locked in the trunk.
Park near street lights if possible and have your keys in hand when you return to your car. Always check the interior of your car before you unlock the door to get in.
To discourage purse snatchers, don’t overburden yourself with packages. Have your purchases delivered whenever practical.
Avoid carrying large amounts of cash. Pay for purchases with a check or credit card whenever possible.
Be extra careful with purses and wallets. Carry a purse under your arm with the strap across your body. Keep a wallet in an inside jacket pocket, not a back trouser pocket.
Teach your children to go to a store clerk or security guard and ask for help if they should become separated in a store or shopping mall. They should never go into a parking lot alone.
Ridgewood NJ, Since it was only a few days before Christmas the staff did a walk through in the Central Business District to eye ball the parking situation . The Cottage place lot, mid-day on Saturday December 19, the last Saturday before Christmas Star Wars was open, the Chipmunks was running, plenty of shopping to do with only 6 days until Christmas. And yet tons of empty spaces.
Hudson Street lot
And of coarse the Hudson Street lot, December 5 Saturday mid day – Santa was at Christ Church, he was at a breakfast at The Office, he was cruising around on a firetruck, less than three weeks until Christmas, and an abundance of open spaces.
Ridgewood NJ , Ridgewood Police report that a 31-year-old window Adam Broersma of Ringwood was charged with taking $30,000 worth of jewelry from the master bedroom of a home on North Murray Avenue.
Broersma gained access to a home on North Murray Avenue while working for AB Clean Windows, his family’s Ringwood-based company. A company that is used by many local residents .According to police the jewelry was reported missing from the master bedroom on Dec. 8.
After an investigation, police located some of the stolen jewelry at a jewelry store where Broersma was identified as the person who sold the items to the store, .. Ridgewood police said they recovered $25,000 worth of the stolen jewelry as a result of the investigation.
Broersma has been charged with theft of moveable property, a third-degree crime.
Honda Pilot becomes first known casualty of Garber Square improvement project photo by Boyd Loving
December 23,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Reader says new bike lane by the Ridgewood train station appears very ill-conceived, dangerous and might not be legal in New Jersey
The new bike lane by the Ridgewood train station strikes me as very ill-conceived, and frankly, dangerous. It is the first bike lane I have ever seen that crosses over from the right shoulder into a space between two car lanes. The fact that it is on a sharp decline, just after a hard right turn, and just before a busy intersection, makes it even worse.
Ridgewood NJ, Almost one year later the “Traffic Easing “project continues to appear ,”very ill-conceived, and frankly, dangerous”. When this project was initially hatched a project no one in town including some very long term residents had ever heard of until ground was basically broken.
At the time the Village Manager assured us that there were no traffic issues at Garber Square. Where as any resident knows that by 7:15 am on any given day there are cars backed up West Ridgewood Ave, waiting to get through the light or into the train station. The same can be said at the end of the day. With some days heavy traffic extends throughout the morning.
This really was seen by many as the tipping point of “trust factor” for those in charge. Residents organized as a community to challenge this decision and were categorically dismissed as not wanting change, NIMBY’s and not knowing what we were talking about.
Traffic study? Who needs that? We will calibrate the traffic lights to make it all better. We know better than you guys do. Well, unfortunately the bikers ,for fear of their lives have not come but the traffic sure has. Now the projects and the stakes are getting much bigger than a poorly thought out bike lane of death or an obnoxious flashing sign telling passing motorists to eat and shop in Ridgewood. Residents continue to be told , rest assured everything has been carefully thought out and planned by professionals. These projects so far certainly don’t seem to show that and one wonders why some many residents don’t view the town council as having the residents best interests in mind with these projects.
The friends of Lesley Ellis Linker, a 45-year-old Ridgewood, NJ mother of young children who is unable to work due to advanced Multiple Sclerosis and who has been devastated by the breakdown of her family, are seeking your help.
Lesley was diagnosed with MS at age 33, when she had almost no symptoms. She married and had two children, now 6 and 10. Over the past 5 years Lesley’s disease has progressed to where she is a prisoner in her own body. She can no longer walk or stand, or see well enough to read regular print. She is confined to a wheelchair.
Despite her hardships, Lesley has been able to parent her children consistently and lovingly. She oversees all aspects of the children’s upbringing including dinners together, homework help, bedtime stories and most importantly, Lesley comforts them during trying times and provides them with unconditional love at all times.
In January 2015, Lesley’s husband moved out of the family home.
Despite Medicare and Social Security disability payments, the costs associated with Lesley’s care have become staggering. Lesley’s around-the-clock home health aide alone costs over $5,000 per month, which is not covered by insurance, any governmental agency or other organization. Lesley, her soon-to-be ex-husband, her retired schoolteacher parents, and her brother are struggling to cover these costs. The financial and emotional strain on them is severe and cannot be sustained.
Lesley’s pre-owned handicapped-accessible van has been breaking down and cannot be repaired. It will cost at least $55,000 to replace. A safe mode of transportation for her and her children is critical to Lesley’s peace of mind and sense of independence, yet this cost is out of the family’s reach.
Just as important for the children, as they’ve witnessed their mother lose the ability to walk and as they’ve had to come to terms with their parents’ separation and impending divorce, is the continuity of their public school, friends and neighbors. Yet Lesley and the children may not be able to afford to stay in their modest home in Ridgewood. An exhausting and often very upsetting 16-month search for an even more modest wheelchair accessible apartment or other accommodation in Ridgewood has yielded nothing thus far.
Through all of the heartbreak of recent years, Lesley has been incredibly grateful to help her babies grow and has worked hard to maintain an optimistic outlook for them. With your support, we can work to alleviate her outsized share of unfairness, sadness, humiliation and struggle. Monies raised in this campaign will go directly toward replacing Lesley’s lift van, and any surplus will be use to defray the cost of her home health aide as well as start a fund for Lesley’s living costs. Please help us to keep Lesley and the children safe and help restore their quality of life by contributing to this campaign. Thank you.
Please note that donations will not be tax-deductible to the donor. Thank you again.
If any RHS alumni are looking for some last minute gifts, we still have t-shirts, hats, umbrellas and blankets for sale. Please check out the items atRHSalumniassociation.org …scroll down on the main landing page to see the items. Thanks.
Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood High School Alumni Association is currently accepting nominations for this year’s Distinguished Alumni event. The event will take place on Thursday, March 10th, 2016. The deadline for nominations is January 23rd, 2016.
Please submit all nominations via the website (RHSalumniassociation.org) under the Contact Us section. Please make sure to include the full name of the graduate, year of graduation and a brief write up detailing the person’s distinguished achievements. Any questions or inquiries can be sent directly to [email protected].
Ridgewood NJ, the policy of the Ridgewood blog is to never share information about posters with anyone friend or foe. There is one major exception and that is with “terroristic threats “. Law enforcement must investigate all “terroristic threats”, failure by local police to investigate “terroristic threats ” could lead DHS and or the FBI to do so. It is all part of the “war on terror” and the broader anti-terror laws .
The Ridgewood blog has an “anti threat policy” ,ie no threats allowed ,so Information is shared with law enforcement is a professional courtesy and for everyone’s safety.
“A terroristic threat is when a person threatens to commit any crime of violence against another person with the intent to terrorize. Because this is a speech based crime, it can often be difficult to determine if a person’s actions constitute a criminal offense.”criminal-law.freeadvice.com/criminal-law/violent…/terrorist-threats.htm
First we determine we are being contacted by law enforcement , if the person requesting information is not law enforcement then no information is shared .
2nd we check to distinguish if there was any threat or it is some bogus claim. If we determine there was no apparent threat made the Police would have to get paperwork like anyone else to take a look .Given there is well over 100,000 comments live on the blog that might take the later half of the 21st century to find anything .
Remember there really is no anonymity on the internet , you IP address gives away your location , sometimes people can invest in stealth IP’s based on
Canadian servers or else where, as some of the blog stalkers do making them more difficult but not impossible to trace.
Most importantly the anonymity of the blog means you take soul responsibility for your own comments , you are not a protected source like with a newspaper.
Ridgewood NJ ,the new LED sign near Garber Square on Franklin avenue has created quite a stir around town to say nothing of the visual noise at that particular intersection. The lights from the trains station, the new sign, the traffic lights, and drivers are supposed to be looking out for bikers entering the bike lane as well . This intersection seems particular difficult and the added distraction of the new sign has been cause for alarm. Will we have to wait for the first traffic accident due to the sign (lets say snow, rain, etc with glowing lights in your face) and then something can be done about it?
According to the Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld , “The PRIMARY purpose of the new LED sign is to serve as an emergency public information tool to communicate with the public. The village is constantly refining its Emergency Operations Plan, including the Emergency Public Information component of that plan, working in conjunction with Bergen County’s OEM and following all the recommended practices of the Department of Homeland Security and FEMA. The installation of the sign was carefully planned as part of the village’s overall communications strategy during times of emergency, especially in the event of a widespread power failure where other means of communication are unavailable. ” Roberta goes on ,” the location of this sign was carefully chosen and has been evaluated by the RPD and Village Engineers. Thankfully we have not had a crisis situation since Sandy but If we were in crisis mode this would be a place for residents to come and know the steps that are being taken to address an emergency situation.”
Many residents have again voiced concern that the sign is yet another distraction , A study conducted in 2006 by Virginia Tech for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed that anything that takes a driver’s eyes off of the road for more than two seconds greatly increases the risk of a crash. The same study also concluded that nearly 80% of all crashes involved driver inattention just prior (within three (3) seconds) of the crash.
According to the Village Manager , the cost for the sign was approximately $13,600, inexpensive by Ridgewood standards ,but still these things add up . Whats seems even odder is that the Village has and “Electric Sign ” ordnance which clearly states that any electric sign had to be placed a certain distance from the public roadway. Clearly this sign is in violation of the Villages own ordinance.
MAGIC SHOW FEATURING JOE FISCHER – Monday, December 28th, 11:30 am at the Anne Zusy Youth Center, Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood. Tickets are $5 for all attending (under 2 free).
A show that is sure to amaze.
Be sure to watch for “Secrets of Magic” during our winter session – a 6 week class of behind the scene magic with Joe Fischer, with take home tricks each week.
ARCTIC ANIMALS ART CAMP WITH ABRAKADOODLE – Monday and Tuesday, December 28 and 29, 10 am to 12 noon each day, at the Stable, 259 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood. Grades K-3. $90, all materials provided ($100 non-residents).
Calling all animal lovers! Students will use clay and paint in this camp while learning about some snowy friends! From igloos and polar bears to chilly moose, a fun time will be had by all!
CHILDREN’S CRAFT WORKSHOP WITH MRS. C. – Monday, December 28th, 1 to 3 pm, at the Stable, 259 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood. Grades 2-6. $30, all materials provided ($40 non-residents).
Use your creativity and imagination while learning simple techniques required to draw, paint, and finish a project of your choice. All materials included. Bottle dolls, wood painting, basket weaving, tile painting, beads, jewelry, and a lot more!
MYTHBUSTERS WITH EDUCATION EXPLORERS – Tuesday, December 29th, 1 to 3 pm, at The Stable, 259 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood. Grades 1-5. $45, all materials included ($55 non-residents).
Explore science the Busters Way! Children will participate in a variety of hands-on experiments that put common “myths” to the test. Using scientific method and children’s innate curiosity, they will have fun exploring many STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) principles.
Purchase of tickets for the shows or registration for the program offerings may be made either online at Community Pass, www.ridgewoodnj.net/communitypass or in person at The Stable, 259 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
For additional information, or if special accommodations are needed, kindly contact the Recreation office at 201-670-5560.
DECEMBER 18, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY AIMEE LA FOUNTAIN
CORRESPONDENT |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Ridgewood resident Christie Kim, now 7-years-old, has played the role of Princess Ying Yaowalak in Lincoln Center Theater’s “The King and I” more than 200 times since the show returned to Broadway earlier this year.
Christie is one of only three members from the original cast who hasn’t missed a show since it opened. “I want to make it to the 300th show. I just don’t want to miss a show because I’ll miss the people there,” she said. “It feels different each night because there’s always a new audience.”
Christie and the cast of “The King and I” performed the song, “Getting to Know You” at the 2015 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. “It was pretty early,” said Christie, who had to arrive on location at 5:15 a.m. for the performance. “Some people were nervous, some people were cold.” She enjoyed meeting the cast of “On Your Feet” while participating in the parade.
Christie had another early morning for the cast’s appearance in the 69th Annual Tony Awards last June. “It was cool. I had to wake super early, but I liked seeing all these different and new people there,” she said. “There was a big audience.”
While backstage at the awards, Christie got to interact with such Broadway stars as Kristin Chenoweth and Neil Patrick Harris. “I liked talking to people from ‘On the Town’ and ‘Something Rotten,’” she said.
Another television appearance was for “LIVE with Kelly and Michael.” “It was exciting,” Christie said. “It was a very short moment, but I got to meet Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan.” She also talked with actress Rebel Wilson behind the scenes and took a photo with her.
It was a surreal moment for Christie to watch the segment on TV later. “It was good,” she said. “It felt like there was two of me.
Ridgewood NJ, The Orpheus Club Men’s Chorus directed by John Palatucci headlined two concerts this past weekend, Saturday evening 19 Dec at 7:30 and Sunday afternoon 20 Dec at 4. At a New venue: Bethlehem Lutheran Church, in Ridgewood, with special guest Laura Hamilton, associate concert master of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.Ms. Hamilton performed solo works of Beethoven and Fauré and a mind blowing rendition “Havanaise” featuring some violin pyrotechnics. The group was also accompanied by internationally acclaimed pianist and Monroe Quinn on guitar.
Repertoire iincluded:
Do You Hear What I Hear? – Regney
The First Nowell – Vaughan Williams
Ani ma’ amin – arr. Leavitt (w/Ms. Hamilton)
O magnum mysterium – Handl
The Prayer – Sager & Foster
Go tell it on the mountain – arr. Quinn (OCMC premiere)
I’ll be home for Christmas – Gannon, Kent & Buck
Selected Carols – Turrin (Ron Levy, piano)
Credo – Turrin (world premiere)
Night Song – Lane (w/Ms. Hamilton)
Little Saint Nick – Wilson
How can I keep from singing? – arr. Ellingboe (w/Ms. Hamilton)
Some children see him – Burt
Jingle Bells – arr. Gold, Paich; adapted Hayes
And of of coarse there was plenty of audience participation including the annual sing-a-long with Auld Lang Syne.Orpheus started on October 11, 1909, eight men met at the Ridgewood home of Frank R. Pawley do discuss a men’s singing club. A week later, 10 men gathered in the village library, a room in the First National Bank Building. The group paid 75 cents per night to use the room and began singing together, with Dewitt Clinton, Jr., as director. The Orpheus Club Men’s Chorus was born. Others joined the club and by December, it was agreed that a concert would be presented in February at the Library, but the actual decision was left to the director, and the first Performance was in May. The opener in that concert was the rousing “Winter Song.”
Club membership quickly rose from the 18 who sang the first concert, to 35. The members met weekly on Wednesdays from October to May, and in 1913, the club gave it’s first performance of “Pilgram’s Chorus” from Wagner’s Tannhäuser. Variety in repertoire was common in Orpheus Club concerts. A program might include “The Boog-a-Boo,” a ragtime number, “Old Black Joe,” the Stephen Foster song, comedy numbers like “But They Didn’t,” and classics, sometimes sung in French or German.
Ten years after its founding, the Orpheus Club was making guest appearances around New Jersey, and traveled as far as Brookly to sing at a fundraiser for the rebuilding of the Baptist Temple, which had suffered a fire. As the years continued , the Orpheus Club Men’s Chorus remained a significant part of New Jersey’s cultural life. When the Kasschau Memorial Band shell was dedicated in Ridgewood, the club sang at the inauguration.
In 1962, Richard Lane signed on as pianist for the club, beginning a distinguished career that would continue for 42 years until his death in 2004. A brilliant composer and teacher, Lane wrote 20 numbers for the Club and today’s concerts always feature at least one of Richard’s compositions.
Today, the Orpheus Club Men’s Chorus includes about 50 singers from New York and New Jersey and generally makes eight to ten appearances annually including four formal concerts. The Club has sung “Alto Rhapsody” (Brahms) with the Adelphi Chamber Orchestra as well as “The Testament of Freedom” (Thompson) and “Hymn to the Nations” (Verdi) with the Orchestra of St. Peter by the Sea. The men of Orpheus have joined with the Ridgewood Choral to sing “Song of Democracy” (Hanson) and appeared with the Ridgewood Concert Band to sing the music of Aaron Copland and Richard Wagner.
In the Spring of 2005, the Chorus made its Lincoln Center debut, performing at the Lincoln Center Library with the Palisades Virtuosi chamber ensemble. Additional performances in recent years have included concerts at the Kasschau Memorial Band shell in Ridgewood, singing in Ridgewood’s Independence Day parade, area churches, and in November 2009, a presentation of Beethoven’s Fantasia for Piano, Chorus, and Orchestra, Op. 80 (the Choral Fantasy) with the Ridgewood Choral, the Ridgewood High School Chamber Choir, and the Eastern Christian High School Chorus.
Richard Lane’s composition declares: “We are men who like to sing. We are the men of Orpheus.
The Roland L. Meyer Orpheus Club Scholarship
The Orpheus Club is proud to sponsor a scholarship program designed to honor and assist a graduating high school senior who has demonstrated extraordinary accomplishment in music and who intends to continue musical studies on the collegiate level. Since the program took on its current form in 1993, we have been pleased to recognize students from more than a dozen area schools with grants totaling more than $20,000. These outstanding young musicians have gone on to study at colleges and universities across the country. The 2016 Application and instructions will be available in January 2016.
Aronsohn thinks he is playing with the big political boys by playing big-time political tricks, but he is the small-time type and also quite stupid. He forced his “reelection” as mayor by making Ms Hauck vote remotely from her family safari to impress dumb people such as Record reporters. He knows how to act sincere but he stares without listening and is probably the most pigheaded individual ever to sit on our dais. Once he decides something, he will move heaven and earth to make it happen. He is a classic opportunist without a single sincere bone in his carpetbagger’s body. His long series of efforts to defame sitting council members who refuse to kowtow to his every whim is an embarrassment to himself and his position and has tarnished the council for years.
