Category: village of ridgewood

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PSE&G – Hot Weather Tips

hot-sun-cooling1_Content

PSE&G prepared for this week’s hot weather

PSE&G is monitoring weather conditions and has additional personnel on hand to handle any power interruptions as a result of the high heat and humidity. Our call centers also have extra personnel on duty to speak with customers.

PJM, the regional grid operator, expects to have sufficient power supplies available to meet the increased demand for electricity as a result of the hot and humid weather. We also have made substantial investments in our transmission and distribution system to maintain reliability and safely meet the increased demand for electricity. We expect today’s electric demand to reach 9,656 megawatts.

Here are some easy ways you can save energy and money throughout the summer:

• Turn off everything you’re not using: lights, TVs, computers, etc. Use dimmers, timers and motion detectors on indoor and outdoor lighting.

• Close blinds, shades and draperies facing the sun to keep the sun’s heat out and help fans and air conditioners cool more efficiently.

• Close doors leading to uncooled parts of your home. With central air, close off vents to unused rooms.

• Delay heat-producing tasks such as washing and drying laundry or dishes until later in the day, and wait until load is full.

• Refrain from using nonessential appliances. Unplug or use only when necessary an extra refrigerator in your garage. Also, consider setting air conditioners to 78 degrees, health permitting.

If you experience a power outage, please call PSE&G’s Customer Service line: 1-800-436-PSEG. If you are registered for My Account, you can also report power outages online. To do so, log in now or register. To report power outages via text message, and receive outage updates by text and email, sign up for MyAlerts.

During this extreme weather, you can also follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/psegdelivers.

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HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING

Heat Wave 1 Kids on Ice

pic courtesy of Dom Nizza

URGENT – WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY
329 AM EDT MON JUL 20 2015

…HOT AND HUMID WEATHER TODAY…

…HEAT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING…

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN UPTON HAS ISSUED A HEAT
ADVISORY…WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING.

* LOCATIONS…EASTERN PASSAIC…HUDSON…BERGEN…ESSEX AND UNION
COUNTIES IN NEW JERSEY.

* HAZARDS…HEAT.

* HEAT INDEX VALUES…AROUND 100.

* TIMING…TODAY.

* IMPACTS…PROLONGED EXPOSURE TO HIGH HEAT AND HUMIDITY COULD
RESULT IN HEAT EXHAUSTION OR HEAT STROKE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

A HEAT ADVISORY IS ISSUED WHEN THE COMBINATION OF HEAT AND
HUMIDITY IS EXPECTED TO MAKE IT FEEL LIKE IT IS 100 TO
104 DEGREES FOR TWO CONSECUTIVE HOURS.

TO REDUCE RISK DURING OUTDOOR WORK THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND
HEALTH ADMINISTRATION RECOMMENDS SCHEDULING FREQUENT REST BREAKS
IN SHADED OR AIR CONDITIONED ENVIRONMENTS. ANYONE OVERCOME BY
HEAT SHOULD BE MOVED TO A COOL AND SHADED LOCATION. HEAT STROKE
IS AN EMERGENCY…CALL 9 1 1.

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Volunteers share summer fun at Camp Sunshine in Ridgewood

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JULY 17, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Camp Sunshine, held each summer at the Duck Pond on East Ridgewood Avenue, is a great place for children and young adults with special needs to spend time. The well-organized camp, under the direction of Cathy Telerico, gives participants the opportunity to experience the kind of fun and freedom that other young people enjoy.

The camp features a variety of activities for its attendees, including swimming in the facility’s pool, playing in the field, doing arts and crafts, and helping to make lunch, among other things. Camp Sunshine also has themed days in order to keep things lively. A recent one, for example, was Italian Day, when that country’s food was served.

While the camp is structured in a way to keep the participants safe, it is also a relatively free environment where the campers are encouraged to enjoy themselves during their time away from school.

“I think it’s important that the campers have a break, because in school, everything is so structured, and we do have some structure here, but it’s a little bit more limited,” Telerico said. “I mean, they’re kids too … they want to come here and have some fun, and that’s what we’re all about.

https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/clubs-and-service-organizations/volunteers-share-summer-fun-with-other-youngsters-1.1376022

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Adult students show their masterpieces at Stable in Ridgewood

stable

JULY 17, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY EILEEN LA FORGIA
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Adult student artists are showing off at the Stable’s gallery this month what they have learned from Sandi Chanoch in her acrylic painting class that has been meeting on Tuesday afternoons for the past 15 years. Their exhibit is aptly named, “Every Tuesday at 1 o’clock.

Chanoch, whom her students call “Mrs. C,” finds it gratifying working with adults in addition to the classes she has for children. Some of the adult students have been with her for the entire 15 years.

“We work in a relaxed atmosphere, each artist at his or her own pace and style. Over the years they have become an ‘artistic family’ – supportive, caring, friendly and there for each other whether it’s to lend a brush, a new paint color or to listen to a concern and be supportive. As their talents have been refined over the years so have their relationships,” she noted.

https://www.northjersey.com/arts-and-entertainment/art/adult-students-show-their-masterpieces-at-stable-1.1376012

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Facebook-Self vs. True-Self: Presenting Contrived Happiness

fakebook

Digital presentations often do not reflect true identities.
Post published by Jamie Krenn Ph.D. on Jul 10, 2015 in Screen Time

During 4th of July weekend, my husband and I took our toddler daughter to a park. We often go to the same one overlooking the Hudson River because she likes to climb the curvy ladders as well as play hide and seek within the slides. It was a day similar to others in that we werelaughing, and smiling and trying to keep her hydrated. Parents who frequent parks without a hint of a shady tree understand this challenge. It was like any other playground adventure except for one thing…

Across the field, I noticed a mom angry with her jumpy, unhappy kids. She yelled and tugged at them by the arms to come closer. I heard several times “Come here!” or “Move over here!” “Fix your face… Smile, now!” Apparently, she was not letting up until she got a “fantastic, happy” snapshot complete with river background, ear-to-ear smiles, and cuddling. After several digital captures, the mom and kids parted ways. Quickly. She next spent several minutes on a bench, rapidly swiping and clicking her hand-held “happy family” image producer unaware of her children’s location. I noticed one traveled very far down to the river to throw rocks. Contrived bliss for the digital masses.

The “Facebook-self” and a true-self comparison study published recently focused on the adverse effects of incongruence between these two identities as well as some of the psychological predictors of this behavior (Gil-Or, Levi-Belz & Turel, 2015). Incongruity between the real-self and an ideal-self as Rogers (1959) coined, is not an uncommon act among those trying to escape their current existence or create a fictitious sense of pleasant family life. Often the Facebook-self appears to be more “socially acceptable” or “attractive” with families and individuals (Gil-Or, Levi-Belz & Turel, 2015). In other words, users want to put on a good show. Presentations such as these do not cause concern for seeing one enter an arena of psychological dysfunction. However, some of the tenants can potentially affect a family dynamic in negative ways. Clearly, rough, forced actions with children do not build lasting family bonds.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/screen-time/201507/facebook-self-vs-true-self-presenting-contrived-happines

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Were NJ Civil Service rules circumveneted to hire VOR HR Director?

Village_Manager_Roberta_Sonenfeld_theridgewoodblog

July 18,2015
Boyd A. Loving

Ridgewood NJj, During Wednesday evening’s Village Council Meeting, Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld disclosed that the Civil Service title for our new HR Director is actually “Confidential Secretary to the Village Manager.”

Huh?  Is this person a Secretary or a Director?  Quite a difference in job responsibilities, isn’t there?

I believe Ms. Sonenfeld indicated that “secretarial” title was chosen in order to “circumvent” certain NJ Civil Service Requirements.  I am not clear on exactly what requirements were being “circumvented,” but I now am left wondering exaclty why the Village can’t play by the rules and what liablity taxpayers are being faced with as a result of this little game.

Also, what is the Civil Service title being held by Beth Spinato, who is Ms. Sonenfeld’s “Confidential Secretary?”  Is it legit that the Administrator of a muncipality with only 25,000 residents have two (2) “Confidential Secretaries?”

I don’t know about you, but I’m a bit concerned over the apparent total disregard of Civil Service guidelines in this case, and I wonder what other shenanigans they’re playing at Village Hall and how much taxpayers will wind up paying in fines once the State gets wind of this nonsense.

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NJDEP Uncovers illegal dumping at Village Compost Site

NJDEP

July 18,2015
Boyd A. Loving

Ridgewood NJ, I have received word from several sources that an NJDEP inspector recently uncovered evidence of illegal dumping at the Village’s compost site on Lakeview Drive.

The illegally dumped materials were reported to be composed of concrete; word on the street is that they might be old sidewalks and curbing dumped there by a contractor who worked in the past for the Village.

Further word is that a Village employee MAY have knowingly authorized the disposal of these materials there; this has not been confirmed as yet though.

Let’s wait and see if anyone’s head rolls as a result of the huge fine sure to be levied by NJDEP, and paid for, of course, by taxpayers.

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Ridgewood Chamber offers free Shakespeare at Van Neste Square Park

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JULY 17, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JULY 17, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Memorial Park at Van Neste Square will be the scene this Sunday of a modern spin on William Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet.” The production continues the annual tradition of free “Shakespeare in the Park” sponsored by the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce.

The play’s full name is “Romeo & Juliet: Political Warfare,” which should give insight to what the modern spin is. The tragedy will explore the feud between the Montagues and Capulets, a prominent pair of warring families, while focusing on the way that such a conflict can be viewed in terms of today’s politics.

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“What makes Shakespeare’s work so classic is that it can be adapted in many ways,” said Ryan Pifher, owner/director of Porch Light Productions, the company presenting the play. “This summer, we are taking ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and setting it during a modern political campaign where the Capulets and Montagues are both running for control. This backdrop seemed fitting as we are now seeing the beginnings of our own presidential race take place.”

https://www.northjersey.com/arts-and-entertainment/theater/chamber-offers-free-shakespeare-in-the-park-1.1375956

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Over sized Load backs up traffic and delays Valley Hospital paramedic unit

oversizedload_theridgewoodblog
photo courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook
Over sized Load backs up traffic and delays Valley Hospital  paramedic unit
July 17,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blogRidgewood NJ, Yesterday Two (2) tractor trailers, each carrying over sized loads consisting of prefabricated structures, caused major traffic jams in Ridgewood on Friday morning, 07/17 after one (1) of the trucks snagged a set of overhead wires on North Maple Avenue resulting in a section of that road being closed for almost two (2) hours.

Fortunately, phone and cable TV service to only one (1) home was affected, but while Ridgewood PD officers analyzed how they could escort the troublesome trucks out of town without causing additional wires to be taken down, traffic began to build as a result of the road closure. Officers eventually settled upon a route used by a previous segment of the truck caravan, and both trucks were seen crossing the border into Paramus shortly after 12 noon. No injuries were reported during the incident.

One more serious issue a paramedic unit from The Valley Hospital was delayed responding to a life threatening emergency call in Paramus as a result of getting caught in one (1) of the traffic jams caused by the incident.

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We have been told US Senator Bob Menendez to Speak at the Ridgewood Train Station today at 11am

Ridgewood-Trainstation1_theridgewoodblog

July 17,2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blogMenendez will reportedly be making a speech at the Ridgewood train station today Friday at 11 AM.  If you stop by you might get a glimpse of him and our mayor standing next to one another.  The speech is reportedly about NJ Transit.Our guess , US Senator Bob Menendez  (D-NJ) will most likely call for increases in long-term, dedicated Federal funding to repair and upgrade the nation’s crumbling infrastructure . Menendez  will refer to the economic and environmental reasons why increased investments are necessary, as well as the lesser-talked-about national security imperatives”Menendez may also mentioned New Jersey’s Gateway Project his first question to Therese McMillan, Acting Administrator of the Federal Transit Administration. The project includes the replacement of the Hudson River tunnels and the Portal Bridge – both of which are over 100 years old and in serious danger of failing in the near future. Menendez has stressed in the past he wants the U.S. to be well-positioned to undertake big, visionary transit projects.

If we get lucky he might bash the Presidents Iran deal or chat on the juicy of his federal indictment .

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Ridgewood introduces ordinances to change downtown zoning

village-hall-theridgewoodblog

JULY 16, 2015    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2015, 3:37 PM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

The Village Council took the next step toward allowing more residential buildings in the Central Business District with the introduction of five ordinances pertaining to the master plan amendments approved by the Planning Board in June.

All five ordinances were introduced by a 3-2 margin with Mayor Paul Aronsohn, Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli and Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck voting in favor and Councilman Michael Sedon and Councilwoman Susan Knudsen voting against introduction.

Knudsen asked the council to table the introduction of each based on receiving a copy of the ordinances for the first time at the beginning of last week’s work session meeting.

“At that exact moment we received five ordinances, which were a total of 40 pages of complicated, detailed information regarding the changes to the master plan,” said Knudsen. “And I felt at that time because we had just received those documents at 7:30, we didn’t have an opportunity to have discussion and question the village planner in a proper work session.”

https://www.northjersey.com/news/zoning-changes-brought-forward-1.1375736

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Children get a breath of fresh air in Ridgewood, area towns

Graydon_bike_theridgewoodblog

JULY 13, 2015    LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, JULY 13, 2015, 10:58 AM
BY MATT SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

A bus pulled into the parking lot of the village’s First Presbyterian Church earlier this month, carrying some precious cargo: A group of New York City-area children, being brought into the suburbs for two weeks of enjoyment with a host family.

The visit is organized by the Fresh Air Fund, an independent, not-for-profit organization that was founded with the purpose of getting children out of low-income city areas and into the fresh, open air for a few weeks.

The families open their homes to, in many cases, a complete stranger.

Many of the host families were excited for their young charges to arrive, already thinking ahead to the bevy of fun activities they planned.

“We’re doing a softball camp together, and then we’re going to watch the fireworks, watch the Fourth of July parade together,” said Charlotte Reis, whose family welcomed Kaleigh Joseph of Jamaica, Queens, into their home. Charlotte’s mother, Kim Reis, added that they would probably go swimming as well.

Alicia Joel, who is hosting for the first time, said that the family was looking for fun volunteer activities to do as a group.

“Our son is 15 and we were looking for volunteer activities for him this summer,” she said, adding that she “was looking up different things” and decided that hosting someone “would be a great opportunity that we could all do together as a family.”

https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/clubs-and-service-organizations/program-is-a-breath-of-fresh-air-1.1373370

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I raised an addict – what could I have done differently?

drugs

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Patricia Byrne

It has been a very interesting month. Since my first post I have connected with old high school friends who have active or recovering addicts in their families. I have been contacted by people who are living the nightmare of Addiction as parents, spouses, children and friends of addicts as well as addicts themselves. Many have shared powerful stories of recovery.  I have written or spoken the words ‘I am sorry for your loss’ too many times to count, though we really do need to keep counting…  Every person we lose leaves a gaping hole in the world. That hole will swallow us all if the tide is not turned.

I did not intend to start a blog, and I am a bit unsure of where to take it from here. I am, after all,  just the Mom of a recovering addict who posted a bit of a hissy fit to her Facebook after learning of another senseless death. I don’t think I can keep tossing out hissy fits, it would get old pretty quickly. I have decided that I will post when something is swirling around in my head enough to make me sit down and write about it, since that’s what happened the first time. It may be a few things in a short amount of time, followed by a lull. We’ll just have to see where this blog leads me.

This is a new journey and I’m glad for the company of all who would like to walk this path with me. We have certainly walked it alone for far too long.

Today’s thought: What could I have done differently?

This question haunted me for many, many years. Should I have taken him back to school to get a forgotten book? When he left his report on the counter in fifth grade should I have left it there instead of bringing it to school? He had ADD so organizing was hard for him. Did I do too much? Did he never learn to be accountable for his own actions? Was I too worried about him failing a stupid sixth grade math test? Should I have let him fail and learn the result of not putting in the work instead of making him study against his will? Should have, would have, could have were constantly swirling in my head. Tiny voices blaming, blaming…

Yes, I should have let him fall on his face when he was little. The consequences of their errors grow as they do. I didn’t have to catch him when he fell —- I was holding on so tightly he never really fell.  And when he went away to college he fell hard. So yes, I should have let him fail more when he was young.

In all honesty, that is the one thing I feel I could have changed. I don’t know what else I could have done differently that would have gotten him to ‘just say no’ to drugs. Above is an old newspaper clipping of my son and his friends from the neighborhood with their ‘just say no’ signs. They marched around the neighborhood chanting. He wore his D.A.R.E. (Drug Addiction Resistant Education) T-shirt forever. We spoke about drugs and drinking and sex. Once, when my son was a freshman in high school he had some friends over. Two of the girls brought booze into my home in soda screw top bottles (OK, lesson one: no outside drinks allowed in my home). They also had some joints on them. My son and his friend came to me and told me what was going on. THEY CAME AND TOLD ME. Parents were called, girls cried, drama ensued. BUT HE TOLD ME. How, then, did this kid end up a freakin’ heroin addict? The one who told. The one who knew better. No matter how much we think ‘they’ve got this’, they don’t. Life is not black and white, and adolescence is the murkiest of grays.

https://stopthesilencespeakthetruth.wordpress.com/2015/07/10/i-raised-an-addict-what-could-i-have-done-differently/

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Village Council Approves Pre-construction Funding for Hudson Street Parking Garage

mayor _in_flood -theridgewoodblog

July 16,2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

3480 – Bond Ordinance – Pre-construction Funding for Hudson Street Parking Garage ($500,000)

Ridgewood NJ, The Village Council approved the $500K “preliminary” expense by a 4-1 vote with Knudsen being the only “no.”

Wording for the “bogus” non-binding referendum passed unanimously.  Expect property taxes to jump as a result.  There is no way in the world parking utility revenues will ever be able to completely pay off the principal and interest on a $15 million bond.