Posted on 8 Comments

“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.
Posted on Leave a comment

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!

DSCF2927

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.

DSCF2926

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.

DSCF3002

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

Posted on 7 Comments

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

Hudson_street_parking_theridgewoodblog

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

Posted on 4 Comments

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.”

Posted on 6 Comments

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

Posted on Leave a comment

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

Posted on 4 Comments

Efforts to conserve water are paying off in Ridgewood

ridgewood water

SEPTEMBER 9, 2015, 7:17 PM    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2015, 7:19 PM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

RIDGEWOOD — Efforts to conserve water supplies are paying off, thanks to last week’s imposition of stringent irrigation restrictions and strict enforcement of those limits, village officials say.

Ridgewood’s village manager, Roberta Sonenfeld, said Wednesday that the measures — including having firefighters cut off water service to 15 homes this past weekend — have been working.

On Saturday, use dipped by 1 million gallons systemwide from the August daily average, Sonenfeld said. On Sunday and Tuesday, water usage was down by 2 million gallons. It dropped by nearly 3 million gallons on Labor Day, the village manager said.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/efforts-to-conserve-water-are-paying-off-in-ridgewood-1.1406245

Posted on 11 Comments

Large-scale survey to determine needs of Ridgewood senior citizens

old-hippies

SEPTEMBER 9, 2015    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2015, 10:59 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

The Community Center Advisory Board is set to undertake a large-scale survey of the needs of the village’s oldest residents in an effort to better meet the needs of the senior citizens it serves.

A subcommittee of the Community Center Advisory Board, known as the Survey Committee, will be heading up the initiative, which the group says is needed due to the increasing world population of citizens 60 and over. Among its various duties, the board oversees many aspects of the senior center on the first floor of Village Hall, including the events held there.

In presenting the idea to the Village Council last month, Beth Abbott, the chairperson of the Survey Committee, said the board is charged with serving both the current and future users of the center, therefore learning more about Ridgewood’s population of older residents would allow it to provide better services and programs.

“We feel we would be remiss if we did not learn more about this portion of our community,” Abbott said. “Thus, we would like to conduct this needs assessment.”

The plan is for the group to take the survey to various focus groups to ensure it is user-friendly to its participants and the content is acceptable. Abbott noted two-thirds of the Survey Committee itself is age 55 or over, but the board still reached out to groups that study aging, such as the Taub Foundation of Bergen County and researchers at Rutgers University and Montclair State University.

Once the survey is ready to go, it will be circulated online via the online development company Survey Monkey and at various village organization meetings, in churches, the library and at the Oct. 4 Wellness Fair.

Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck, the liaison to the Community Center Advisory Board, said the survey would be conducted between October and December, with a final report coming the following spring.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/health-news/survey-to-review-needs-of-seniors-1.1406075

Posted on 1 Comment

VILLAGE COUNCIL SPECIAL PUBLIC MEETING SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 7:30 P.M.

Village Council Meeting

VILLAGE COUNCIL

SPECIAL PUBLIC MEETING

SEPTEMBER 9, 2015

7:30 P.M.

1.       Call to Order – Mayor

2.       Statement of Compliance with the Open Public Meeting Act

Mayor: “Adequate notice of this meeting has been provided by a posting on the bulletin board in Village Hall, by mail to the Ridgewood News, The Record, and by submission to all persons entitled to same as provided by law of a schedule including the date and time of this meeting.”

3.       Roll Call

4.       RESOLUTIONS

15-261       Renewal of Liquor License

15-262       RBSA Donation to Improve Citizens Park Lower Field

15- 263      Endorse BC Municipal Grant for the Schedler Field

15-264       Endorse BC Historic Grant for Schedler House

5.       Adjournment

 

09/09/157:30PMVillage Council Special Public Meeting
09/09/157:30PMVillage Council Public Work Session
09/15/157:30PMPlanning Board Public Meeting
09/16/158:00PMVillage Council Public Meeting
09/22/157:30PMBoard of Adjustment Public Work Session
09/29/157:30PMBoard of Adjustment Public Meeting
09/30/157:30PMVillage Council Public Work Session

Posted on 5 Comments

Readers Suggest Novel Ways for the Village to Fight the Drought

ridgewood water

1-Why doesn’t the Village post a list of repeat offenders on their website. That’ll stop the problem.

2-My friend in Florida uses “gray water” for her plants. She said she was actually doing the town a favor by watering

3-We should get the RBA to artificially turf on lawns. Problem solved!

4-Empty the Graydon Pool water into the water reserve tanks might help.

5-we had a good amount of snow this past winter, did we store it?

Posted on 5 Comments

Reader Every year there is a Village water shortage, every year we hear we need to increase system capacity, every year we hear about lack of compliance.

RidgewoodWaterLogo_061912_rn_tif_

What I find interesting is the ability for the public to fall into a dictated compliance without question. Every year we hear there is a water shortage, every year we hear we need to increase system capacity, every year we hear about lack of compliance.

Do we consider that some of the homes using the water have invested in new landscaping or lawns and may need to water them? How quickly would the town begin to look rundown without a flower in sight? Have we calculated the use of the new apartments and added system capacity or backups to address? Have we added any collection and storage to the system, we had a good amount of snow this past winter, did we store it? Are there any short or long term plans to address this issue other them having neighbors running around looking for the police to ‘rat’ out an neighbor? Seems that if that feels good to anyone, we have a much more serious issue in our neighborhoods

Posted on 22 Comments

Ridgewood Moves on Early Morning Water Enforcement

crime-movies-dirty-harry-callahan-clint-eastwood-via-theedgeoftheframe

Message from the Village Manager Regarding Stage 4 Enforcement

I have received questions and concerns from several residents regarding the enforcement of Stage 4 restriction. There are ordinances that authorize specific staff in the Village to have the ability to enforce…..I think I mentioned in my E-Notice on Friday that based on Stage 4 and its seriousness, I authorized more staff members to have this capacity. I am hoping that the enhanced enforcement that we had this weekend and the coming days will be more effective than during Stage 2 restrictions. The only way a summons can be written is if the person sees the watering – unfortunately wetness around the area and having a green lawn do not cut it for writing a summons….so we have to be there at the right time. We now have a person dedicated to identifying violators between 4AM through 7AM – a time period that I do not think we were covering adequately…… we also have the RPD out around this time. Our Fire Department was making rounds over the weekend and actually shutting off the water in homes where automated sprinklers were in use if no one was home to shut the water off themselves. The Fire Department will also begin to issue summonses.

It is a bit early to share this news but it does seem to appear that the restrictions are having some impact. On average in August we used 10.2 million gallons per day….yesterday we used 7.2 million. Board of Ed properties as well as Village properties are all in compliance with the restrictions.

From a communications perspective, our first robo call early Friday afternoon was sent to 20,000 phones with 11,000 actually getting it…..we then did a second call in the evening. We do need to extend that list and the team is working on this. Our e-notice went out to about 4,000 email addresses – we have been emphasizing sign up. We also have posted the restrictions on the Village Facebook site, both Village websites (Ridgewood and Ridgewood Water) as well as both tv channels – but these are pull not push means of communicating. We also have posted the restrictions on the movable electronic sign on the west side. I am mentioning this because I think that there is no excuse for anyone not knowing that we are in Stage 4.

Best regards,

Roberta Sonenfeld
Village Manager
201-670-5500, ext. 203
Posted on 6 Comments

Our Favorite Downtowns: Ridgewood

RidgewoodCBD_theridgewoodblog

With elegant architecture and high-end restaurants all within walking distance, Ridgewood is both urbane and sophisticated.

By Mary Ann Castronovo Fusco | September 1, 2015

Young parents pushing strollers share the broad sidewalks with friends schmoozing at an outdoor café. Teens hunt for bargains, while grandparents treat their charges to a matinee at the Bow Tie Cinemas Warner Quad or a fresh-made waffle cone at Kilwins. Nearby, Memorial Park at Van Neste Square is an oasis of calm. Welcome to downtown Ridgewood.

“I love how walkable it is, and that everything is in one small area,” says children’s book author Ann Malaspina. “I can go to the post office and mail a package, get a coffee at Ridgewood Coffee Company, meet a friend for lunch—all while having my car serviced.” And the town is “family friendly,” adds Malaspina, who raised her two sons in Ridgewood.

East Ridgewood Avenue is the main artery, ending at the sprawling California Mission Revival-style train station, which dates to 1916 and is listed on the national and state Register of Historic Places. Over the past year, elegant way-finding signs—a joint effort by the Village and the local Chamber of Commerce—have sprouted on downtown corners, pointing visitors toward the many shops and restaurants on the side streets. More will come.

“I look at downtown as a destination,” says Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld, a 19-year resident. “We have lots of people coming from different directions. It’s a small town feel that is also urbane and sophisticated.”

https://njmonthly.com/articles/jersey-living/ridgewood/

Posted on 4 Comments

Good thing No will be flushing toilets , bathing, doing laundry or dishes in the New High Density Downtown Housing

ridgewood water

Ridgewood
September 8,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Recent events once again point to critical weakness in the water supply of the Village of Ridgewood  and surrounding towns serviced by Ridgewood Water company .
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of obeying these restrictions – this is a public safety issue – our firefighters need to have the necessary water and water pressure to be able to fight fires and we also need to maintain reserves for household use.

As you are aware we have ratcheted up enforcement over the last several weeks issuing over 50 summonses and hundreds of warnings. This has had some impact but unfortunately we need to take this further – so, I have taken the additional step of appointing more Village employees who will have the authority to issue summonses in order to achieve a higher rate of compliance.”Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld

Back in July Ridgewood Water assured residents ,Ridgewood Water would not be impacted by the proposal to amend the village’s master plan to allow high-density housing, but the village’s need for open space would be exacerbated, experts told the Planning Board at a meeting July 15. https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-experts-weigh-in-on-housing-proposals-1.1053299?page=all

According to David Scheibner, Ridgewood Water’s business director, said the developments, proposed for the Central Business District (CBD) would not strain the village’s water supply.https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-experts-weigh-in-on-housing-proposals-1.1053299?page=all

So we ask is that still your story and are you still sticking with it?
Posted on 13 Comments

Reader says Water restrictions could be more effective if the town sent Postal Notice Flyers to all water customers

Ridgewood_water_theridgewoodblog

“I cannot emphasize enough the importance of obeying these restrictions – this is a public safety issue – our firefighters need to have the necessary water and water pressure to be able to fight fires and we also need to maintain reserves for household use.

As you are aware we have ratcheted up enforcement over the last several weeks issuing over 50 summonses and hundreds of warnings. This has had some impact but unfortunately we need to take this further – so, I have taken the additional step of appointing more Village employees who will have the authority to issue summonses in order to achieve a higher rate of compliance. “Roberta Sonenfeld.Village Manager

Water restrictions could be more effective if the town sent Postal Notice Flyers to all water customers, stage 2 and stage 4, or when Severely Urgent – drive around towns in evenings with loud speakers announcement, as they used to in past years. There are residents who are sincerely not even aware about Stage 4 water restrictions, only by word of mouth by good neighbors. Of course, there will always be those arrogant self entitles who will always defy rules.
* Please take note:
** Reverse Emergency Robo Calls – Not all residents get them, used to, how come? What happened?
** E- Notice – Not all residents get them or sign up.
** Website – Many residents do not refer to.
** Local News Newspaper – Many residents do not subscribe or refer to online.
** Link immediate release notice to BOE school website for more exposure.
** Mention the stiff fine of up to $1,250.00 That Stops Usage Abruptly!!
* Thanks to the Ridgewood Blog for posting – the Stage 4 News Release on Friday 9/4/15