The number of autism cases in the United States appeared to jump dramatically in 2014 according to new estimates released Friday, but researchers said that changes in the format of the questionnaire likely affected the numbers.
The report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Center for Health Statistics shows that the prevalence of autism in children ages 3 to 17 went up nearly 80 percent from 2011-2013 to 2014. Instead of 1 in 68 children having autism — a number that has alarmed public health officials in recent years and strained state and school system resources — researchers now estimate that the prevalence is now 1 in 45.
Lead author Benjamin Zablotsky, an epidemiologist at the NCHS, and his colleagues said that in previous years some parents of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder likely reported it as a developmental disability instead of or in addition to autism because it was listed first. The new questionnaire flips the two categories, which researchers said made the autism estimates more similar to ones from other sources.
As might be expected from this change, the prevalence of other developmental disabilities declined significantly from 4.84 percent based on 2011-2013 data to 3.57 percent in 2014.
NOVEMBER 13, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY AIMEE LA FOUNTAIN
CORRESPONDENT |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Music lovers will have a unique chance to hear an organist play with a full orchestra later this month.
The Ridgewood Symphony Orchestra will present a performance on Nov. 20 at the West Side Presbyterian Church.
The concert will feature Juilliard student and organist Greg Zelek. The symphony orchestra will perform J.S. Bach’s “Toccata and fugue in d minor,” Bedrich Smetana’s “The Moldau,” Jean Sibelius’s “Finlandia Op. 26” and Camille Saint-Saens’s “Symphony No. 3.”
The chance to hear an organist play with a full orchestra is a rare occurrence.
“They have a phenomenal organ at the church, so it’s a great opportunity,” said musical director Diane Wittry.
Ridgewood Police Caution against “Phishing” identity scams
November 13th ,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Police continue to caution against identity theft . On Saturday November 7, 2015 a Stevens Avenue resident reported a suspicious incident that occurred via the internet. He/she was notified via email that there was a problem with his/her credit card account leading them to a link requesting his/her account information.
Prior to providing his/her personal information the resident realized that the notification was in fact fraudulent. This is a common scheme for perpetrating identity theft crimes, do not provide your personal account information to anyone before positively verifying the identity of the entity requesting it. Fraudulent sites camouflage themselves in order to trick potential victims into believing that they are legitimate.
This is often called ; Phishing . Phishing is when internet fraudsters impersonate a business to trick you into giving out your personal information, it’s called phishing. Don’t reply to email, text, or pop-up messages that ask for your personal or financial information. Don’t click on links within them either – even if the message seems to be from an organization you trust. It isn’t. Legitimate businesses don’t ask you to send sensitive information through insecure channels.
Ridgewood NJ , the Ridgewood police report that on Wednesday November 4, 2015, a Newcomb Road resident reported that someone had entered the garage at his/her home that was under construction removing construction equipment, an aluminum breaker and aluminum scaffolding valued at $1,800. The stolen property belonged to the contractor working at the home. The detective bureau is investigating the matter.
Also on Thursday November 5, 2015 a Franklin Avenue business owner reported merchandise (a large wheeled metal serving cart with a tiled mosaic top) valued at $650. stolen from his/her store sometime between October 31, 2015 and November 2, 2015. The matter is being investigated by the detective bureau.,
Ridgewood NJ , Prior to the Nov 3rd referendum, Mayor Aronsohn and Councilwoman Hauck were telling people “If you think we need more parking, vote yes. This is not the final design. We will get public input about the size, design, financials, etc before decisions are made.” It appears now that many people voted yes on the bond referendum, trusting those statements and that they would have input.
At the Nov 9th council meeting, during the manager’s report, Roberta spoke of the parking committee coming to the Dec 9th council meeting with their recommendations. She said the parking committee has taken input from residents. That seems to be news to a lot of people .Most residents were not aware of any meeting where the public was allowed to give their input on record. The informal “parking forums” that took place were not “on the record” . Residents expected there to be council meetings dedicated to the discussion of the parking garage. Members of the parking steering committee should be present to hear all comments. After public comments, the council should discuss in front of the public, their thoughts on the structure.
During the managers report on Nov 9th, Roberta also suggested putting together the bond ordinance for the garage at the Dec 9th council meeting. This clearly sounds to us that things are being done backwards yet again. How exactly can you have a dollar figure for a bond when the design has not been decided? How can the design be decided before you have had a formal public meeting where everybody can express there opinions? Why is money being wasted asking the architects for different renderings, when you haven’t heard the public yet? Maybe someone will have ideas that should be incorporated into the new designs and should be heard before the architects are asked to come back with multiple designs?
Once again it seems that the residents are feeling their voices are not being listened to again regarding the many significant issues facing the village: high density housing, parking Schedler, and Habernickel.
…the fly has learned that many residents voted in favor of the parking garage , giving the council the benefit of the doubt as a result of the Village Council agreement to do in depth studies on the High Density Housing proposed for the central business district at the September 30th Council meeting in addition to the assurances that residents would have input into design etc. It now appears that the council majority is attempting to renege on that deal …
NOVEMBER 13, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
A change in use for the Gate House at the Irene Habernickel Family Park has prompted the concerns of residents on Hillcrest Road and its neighboring streets as it raises several quality of life issues for them.
An ordinance and a resolution to authorize the lease and its execution were approved on Sept. 30; however, Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld announced last week the village had not yet signed the lease.
A public hearing was held last Wednesday at which neighborhood residents brought forth their own issues on the subject, which included misgivings about traffic, excess parking on streets and the use of a residential area for a business.
Green Acres, which reimbursed the village for the purchase of Habernickel Park, required the hearing for the purpose of public information and the planned recreational and educational use for the Gate House has already been deemed approvable, according to Sonenfeld.
The anticipated lessee of the Gate House is Health Barn USA, which offers year-round educational programs for children, ages 3 to 15 years. Programs are attended by 10 to 15 kids per class and the summer camp has a maximum of 25 attendees, said owner Stacey Antine. For typical programs, children are dropped off and picked up by their parents. Health Barn only receives buses for school field trips, which take place during the day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and for special needs children, said Antine.
NOVEMBER 12, 2015 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2015, 12:48 PM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The village’s Planning Board forged on with its reexamination of Ridgewood’s master plan last Tuesday with a discussion that focused on its circulation and community facilities plan.
With an early February deadline to submit a complete master plan reexamination, the board voted unanimously to include the village planner’s recommendations in the draft version of the report with final determination to be made prior to adoption.
One of the recommendations made by Village Planner Blais Brancheau was the establishment of a Transportation Improvement District (TID) in Ridgewood, which would allow the village to allocate the cost of roadway improvements to areas of development in town based on the property’s use. The board also asked for the Complete Streets program previously adopted by the Village Council to be included in the report.
In discussing the current circulation and community facilities plan with the board, Brancheau said he was “struck” by how outdated they are and said both are in need of a major overhaul.
Brancheau suggested the board could decide to do away with the respective elements altogether as they are not mandated by the state and some municipalities have no such elements in their master plan.
The FBI director has been seen as giving it credence. So has the head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. And Gov. Christie made his views clear last week, saying in a Fox News interview that “I absolutely believe it’s real.”
The subject of debate: the “Ferguson effect,” a theory that officers are responding to backlash by pulling back from proactive policing, potentially resulting in increased crime.
Christie, making a pro-law enforcement pitch in his Republican presidential campaign, has endorsed the theory, which detractors – including President Obama – say isn’t grounded in evidence.
Obama’s “rhetoric has not been supportive at all of the men and women in uniform around this country,” Christie said Monday at Camden County Police Headquarters. “And it’s his own FBI director who has said this type of conduct has made a chill wind go through law enforcement across this country.
Runaway Van Crashes on North Maple Ave in Ridgewood
November 11,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, An employee of a Cliffside Park based construction company was seriously injured on Wednesday evening, 11/11, after he unsuccessfully attempted to stop a runaway van and was struck after he jumped into the driver’s seat and then fell out of the moving vehicle. The incident occurred in front of 472 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood at approximately 5:15 PM. The victim had been part of a crew performing maintenance/repair work on the home of noted author Harlan Coben. An ambulance transported the victim to Hackensack University Medical Center with the assistance of a paramedic unit from The Valley Hospital. The van was removed from the scene by a tow truck. Ridgewood Police are conducting an investigation. It is not know whether Mr. Coben, or his wife Anne Armstrong-Coben, were at home when the incident occurred.
NOVEMBER 11, 2015 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2015, 9:13 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The village’s professional staff last month gave an update to the council regarding an ongoing project related to cleaning up Ridgewood’s salary ordinances and ranges.
The issue of updating the salary ranges and titles was first broached in September when Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld presented the possibility of hiring certain employees at a salary higher than the minimum listed in the village’s salary ranges.
The purpose of changing the ordinance was to give the manager discretion and flexibility in hiring employees with qualifications that would suggest bringing them in at a higher salary and allow the village to get the best employee for the position. The ordinance could extend to both public safety and non-public safety employees.
At that time, Sonenfeld also offered to include in the ordinance a provision that anytime an employee is brought in at a salary higher than the low end of the pay range, the details would be discussed during the open session portion of a council meeting for the sake of clarity.
Since then, Sonenfeld, Village Clerk Heather Mailander and Human Resources Director Sharyn Matthews have met several times to continue work on the ordinance and discovered more aspects in need of an update.
Discussion focused on the addition of new titles and the deletion of unused ones. Sonenfeld said ranges had not been adjusted, but new ranges would be presented for consideration when the yearly salary ordinance is adopted.
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Police officers at the scene of an assault with a knife that took place in the rear of a restaurant located at 31 Chestnut Street shortly before 5 PM on Wednesday, 11/11. A male victim was transported by ambulance to The Valley Hospital with non-life threatening injuries to his hand. Police apprehended a male suspect at the scene. He was placed under arrest and transported to Ridgewood PD headquarters. Charges are pending.
Sun, November 15, 2015 – Wed, November 18, 2015
Time: 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Location: Ridgewood Village All, 131 North Maple Ave, Ridgewood NJ 07451
CARE ALTERNATIVES & SOLUTIONS FOR A LOVED ONE WITH ALZHEIMER’S
(*)Sunday, Nov 15. 4-6 pm
Ridgewood Village Hall, The Council Chambers Room, 131 North Maple Avenue
LEGAL & FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH CARING FOR A LOVED ONE WITH ALZHEIMER’S
(*)Monday, Nov 16. 6-8 pm
Ridgewood Village Hall, The Council Chambers Room, 131 North Maple Avenue
ALIVE INSIDE: A STORY OF MUSIC AND MEMORY
A cinematic exploration to demonstrate music’s ability to combat memory loss and restore a deep sense of self to those suffering from Alzheimer’s
(*)Wednesday, Nov 18. 1-2:30 pm
Ridgewood Warner Theater, 190 E. Ridgewood Ave.
ALZHEIMER’S & DEMENTIA CARE, THE PITFALLS TO AVOID
(*)Thursday, Nov 19. 6-8 pm
Ridgewood Village Hall, The Youth Lounge, 131 North Maple Avenue

(*) Caregivers from Unicity Eldercare will be present at each presentation in Village Hall to help care for loved ones with Alzheimer’s in the Senior Lounge. This will enable family members to attend the events.
By Selwyn Duke — Bio and Archives November 9, 2015
When leftists start talking about “civility,” watch out for your freedom of speech. This again comes to mind with reports that some media outlets are eliminating online comments sections in civility’s name. And while it’s not a First Amendment violation (these are private-sector actions), it is largely motivated by the same mentality spawning speech codes on college campuses and “hate speech” laws overseas.
And as with those phenomena, the nixing of online comments is justified with noble-sounding sentiments. As the AFP recently reported, “Last month, Vice Media’s Motherboard news site turned off reader comments, saying ‘the scorched earth nature of comments sections just stifles real conversation.’ It instead began taking ‘letters to the editor’ to be screened by staff.”
That’s rich. What stifles conversation more than eliminating a comments section completely? As for “real conversation,” the content leftist media disgorge proves they haven’t the foggiest idea what that might be.
It’s also clear that some types of incivility are more unequal than others. Consider that the AFP also cites University of Houston communications professor Arthur Santana and writes, “‘Often the targets of the incivility are marginalized groups, including racial minorities,’ Santana said in the Newspaper Research Journal. Santana found readers referred to immigrants as ‘cockroaches, locusts, scumbags, rats, bums, buzzards, blood-sucking leeches, vermin, slime, dogs, brown invaders, wetbacks,’ among others.” Oh, the humanity!
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Now, I’m not sure Prof. Santana knows what a “marginalized” group is, but I invite him to visit some left-wing sites and peruse what’s posted about Christians, and traditionalists in general. And consider these comments from under a viral 2012 YouTube video featuring a cute 6-year-old boy providing 10 reasons not to vote for Barack Obama:
can someone kill that child… to teach his parents a lesson!!!!
Where is Jerry Sandusky when you really need him? This kid needs a shower!
If I could id kill this kid. He’s somewhat racist and brings up obama stereotypes. Dumb redneck.
This child and his parents need to be euthanized.
And here’s one I’ve had to clean up (as much as leftists’ messes can be):
“GO F*** YOUR MOTHER YOU LITTLE ****-SUCKING HOMOPHOBIC GUN LOVING ****-SUCKER IF YOU WERE MY F****** KID I WOULD BE GIVING THE BIGGEST S**T KICKING OF A LIFETIME YOU LITTLE GOOD GOD FEARING GOOD FOR F****** NOTHING F****** ****-SUCKER!!!!!!”
Funny thing, though, we didn’t hear about the pressing need to eliminate comments sections after displays such as the above, which aren’t unusual in the vile netherworld of leftist websites (the Left is governed by irrational emotion). It’s only now—in the midst of an anti-establishment revolution, as represented by support for Donald Trump and the anti-migration demonstrations in Europe—that we hear, “Oh my, Scarlet, the Internet is so full of meanies! Cover your virginal eyes!”
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Let’s be clear: This has little more to do with “civility” than Marxism has to do with improving the lot of “workers.” And while some sites claim that nasty comments sections alienate readers, the feature likely yields a net gain in traffic; after all, it does inspire return visits by those who do participate. So what does largely drive this “civility” concern?
Political correctness.
It’s all about the media’s effort to control the narrative. Think about it: a reporter crafts his propaganda.
Then this is undermined by commenters saying that the emperor-media have no clothes.
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For example, a news piece may quote a few citizens talking about how Muslim migrants in Europe have fled danger and have to be accepted in compassion’s name. But then commenters not only point out that most are military-age males, weren’t actually imperiled, are Sharia-minded and have no intention of assimilating, but also exhibit great zeal while doing so, illustrating that the anti-media side has the facts and great passion. And the combination of ethos, logos and pathos is very powerful.
And here’s another example (these are random; countless others could be cited): an article will reflexively refer to, let’s say, French National Front leader Marine Le Pen as “far right.” This can be effective because what’s assumed is learned best.
That is, it can be effective unless commenters point out that she takes mostly statist positions and only distinguishes herself by opposing Muslim immigration. Then pop goes the agenda.
So the media shape a message and then commenters point out that it’s misshapen and shape another. The media report in one way and commenters provide a kind of counter-reportage. And this can be intense. Consequently, when I see an article in certain news organs about, for example, immigration or a black-on-white bias crime, I generally know to expect something such as the following message below it: “Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.”
