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Bank Alert Saves Glen Rock Resident From $150K Loss

atm-machine

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Glen Rock NJ, if you’ve ever missed a call from your bank, it’s worth a follow-up. Last week, a Glen Rock resident found out the hard way how crucial that follow-up can be — and it may have saved them a staggering $150,000.

Continue reading Bank Alert Saves Glen Rock Resident From $150K Loss

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Van Dyk Manor Nursing Home on South Van Dien Avenue recently sold for almost $17,000,000

van dyke

the staff of the Ridgewood bog

Ridgewood NJ, according to sources Van Dyk Manor Nursing Home on South Van Dien Avenue, which had been owned by the Van Dyk family since its inception, was recently sold to a healthcare conglomerate based in Woodcliff Lake, NJ. for and estimated $17,000,000 .

Continue reading Van Dyk Manor Nursing Home on South Van Dien Avenue recently sold for almost $17,000,000

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Paramus Neurologist Faces New Charges Alleging He Fraudulently Billed Insurance Companies for $682,000 in Statewide Medical Kickback Scheme

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June 3,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Paramus NJ,  Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor announced today that a Bergen County neurologist indicted last year on third-degree charges in connection with a statewide medical kickback scheme now faces additional charges of health care claims fraud, misconduct by a corporate official, and other second-degree offenses, as the result of a newly returned superseding indictment.
The superseding indictment alleges Dr. Terry Ramnanan, 65, who operates the Interventional Spine and Pain Treatment Center facility in Paramus, used his medical facility to fraudulently bill insurance carriers for more than 637 medical procedures totaling $682,000 related to patients involved in the kickback scheme. The 10-count superseding indictment was handed up to Superior Court Judge Peter E. Warshaw in Mercer County yesterday.
“The deeper our investigators dig, the more dirt they uncover on doctors who conspired to buy and sell patients for profit in this statewide kickback scheme,” said Attorney General Grewal. “Upon further information and review, additional, upgraded charges against Dr. Ramnanan are appropriate, given his alleged role in this conspiracy to corrupt New Jersey’s health care industry.”

Ramnanan, who lives in Upper Saddle River, is one of dozens of health care practitioners charged in connection with an ongoing investigation by the Attorney General’s Commercial Bribery Task Force (CBTF) that was formed in January 2016 to target commercial bribery in the health care industry. The task force includes deputy attorneys general and detectives from the Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor and the Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Computer Crimes Bureau.

The CBTF investigation has uncovered a statewide criminal enterprise in which doctors received hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal kickbacks in return for providing patient referrals worth millions of dollars to other doctors and medical service providers.

In August 2017, Ramnanan was indicted on one charge each of third-degree conspiracy, commercial bribery, and criminal use of runners for allegedly paying Totowa chiropractor Ronald Hayek in exchange for patient referrals.
Ramnanan is now accused of bribing another health care professional, identified only by the initials A.A, for patient referrals and then fraudulently submitting insurance claims for medical treatment performed on those patients.
“Dr. Ramnanan’s alleged crimes are greater in number and more serious in nature than we originally believed. The charges contained in the superseding indictment reflect the true nature of his involvement in this scheme,” said Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Tracy M. Thompson. “Our Commercial Bribery Task Force will continue to run down tips and follow leads to ensure that all those involved in this criminal enterprise are held fully accountable for their actions.”

In addition to the previous charges against Ramnanan, the superseding indictment contains additional charges of:
Misconduct by a Corporate Official (2nd degree)
Health Care Claims Fraud (two counts, 2nd degree)
Theft by Deception (2nd degree)
Commercial Bribery (3rd degree)
Criminal Use of Runners (3rd degree)
It also upgrades the previous count of Conspiracy from 3rd degree to 2nd degree.
The charges are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Second-degree crimes carry a sentence of five to 10 years in state prison and a fine of up to $150,000, while third-degree crimes carry a sentence of three to five years in state prison and a fine of up to $15,000.

According to the superseding indictment, between January 2012 and April 2016, Ramnanan conspired with both “A.A.” and Hayek in a kickback scheme in which Ramnanan paid them for referring patients for treatment at his medical facility.Hayek was among dozens of doctors charged in two prior medical fraud investigations that led to the formation of the Commercial Bribery Task Force:
An investigation by the Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Computer Crimes Bureau that led to guilty pleas in 2016 from Dr. Manoj Patharkar and his associate Mohammed Shamshair on charges that they hid and laundered approximately $3.6 million in income from the doctor’s pain management clinics to evade taxes, and “Operation Rayscam,” an investigation by the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor that led to guilty pleas in May 2015 from Rehan Zuberi, his wife, and three other defendants in connection with commercial bribes that Zuberi paid to doctors in return for the referral of patients to his medical imaging centers.

In July 2016, Hayek pleaded guilty to two accusations. The first accusation, filed by the Division of Criminal Justice Financial & Computer Crimes Bureau, charged him with second-degree conspiracy, second-degree money laundering, six counts of commercial bribery, (four in the second degree, two in the third degree), and one count of third degree failure to pay taxes. The second accusation, filed by the Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor, charged him with one count of third-degree conspiracy. He is awaiting sentencing.

In pleading guilty to the accusation filed by the Division of Criminal Justice, Hayek admitted he accepted tens of thousands of dollars in kickbacks from Shamshair, Patharkar, Ramnanan, and others, in exchange for referring patients to them and their related medical facilities. He also admitted paying commercial bribes to attorneys in exchange for the referral of clients to his practice. In pleading guilty to the accusation filed by the Office of Insurance Fraud Prosecutor, Hayek admitted to receiving kickbacks in exchange for referring patients to diagnostic imaging facilities owned or controlled by Rehan Zuberi.

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Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration Committee Announces second annual 50/50 Raffle to Support its 108th Annual Celebration Grand Prize winner will have a chance to win up to $25,000

Ridgewood celebrates the 4th of July

May 11,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood, NJ – May 10, 2018 – The Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration Committee today announced the second annual 50/50 raffle* to help support its 2018 celebration.
The Committee will sell tickets at various community events now through July 4, 2018. The Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration is entirely funded by private donations and
run by volunteers. Raffle tickets are $100 dollars each, with a maximum of 600 tickets sold. If the maximum number of tickets is sold, the Grand Prize winner will receive
$25,000 dollars. There will also be ten $500 prize winners. Winners will be announced at 8:30PM on July 4th, prior to the fireworks display at Veteran’s Field. Entrants do not need
to be present to win. Visit www.ridgewoodjuly4th.com or contact 201-602-1922 for information on where to purchase tickets.

“We are grateful for our generous and committed sponsors and donors, as well as community members who buy tickets for the fireworks show to Support the Tradition,”
said Tara Masterson, President of the Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration Committee. “But we are an all-volunteer, community-funded event that receives no direct funding
from the village, so we need to look for creative ways to fundraise given rising costs for things like security. The 50/50 also provides another element of excitement to the day’s
events!”

The 2018 theme for the Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration is “Rockin’ Ridgewood: Celebrating All-American Music!” The parade will be held, rain or shine, on Wednesday,July 4, 2018.

The day’s full festivities include:

• Flag Raising: 9:00AM Wilsey Square (Ridgewood train station parking lot) Short program followed by traditional flag raising: Although the parade and
firework portions of the day have on occasion been cancelled, the flag raising has occurred without interruption since the start of the committee in 1910.

• Parade: Beings at 10:00AM (rain or shine) Parade runs along Godwin Ave and onto Ridgewood Ave through downtown,
turning right on Maple Ave past the grand stand at Village Hall and ends at Leuning Park. Follow the line of chairs set up by residents securing their spot.
Don’t miss the competitive elementary school float competition and the great bands that will rock their way through Ridgewood.

• Evening Entertainment and Fireworks: Gates open at 6:00PM Veterans Field (on the corner of Maple Ave and Linwood)
The field is the ideal place to see the fireworks but don’t forget to come early to rock to the No Big Deal, The Dad’s Night Band and more. Food and beverages
are available for purchase from various vendors.

Tickets are sold in advance online at www.ridgewoodjuly4th.com for $11, tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children 6-12 at the gate. Children five years and under are admitted for free.

About the Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration The Ridgewood 4th of July is 501(c)(3) non-profit funded entirely by private donations,
organized by the Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration, Inc., an all-volunteer, non-profit community group. All aspects of this annual celebration, including fireworks, bands,
evening performers, insurance, police and fire personnel are funded by voluntary contributions from local businesses and individuals. The Committee continues to require
the generous donations from the community to keep the tradition, Bergen County’s largest Fourth of July Celebration, alive. The Ridgewood tradition began in 1910 when
the local papers, the civic section of the Woman’s Club and the Ridgewood Fire Department joined forces to create a “safe and sane” holiday with an emphasis on
Patriotism.

*NJ LGCCC # 420-8-31389. All proceeds support the Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration, Inc. Each ticket costs $100. Grand prize winner subject to applicable taxes.
No one under the age of 18 is permitted to participate. If gambling is a problem for you or someone in your family, dial 1-800-GAMBLER.

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Ridgewood Board of Education Passes Massive $110,000,000 School Budget

for sale Ridgewood_Real_Estate_theRodgewopodblog

file photo by Boyd Loving

May 8,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, as expected the Ridgewood Board of Education passed a massive budget increase of 4.3%, your tax hit is 3.6%. Two members of the board had great suggestions, and the other three don’t seem to care  what public say had to say . All three need to be replaced and have needed replacement for some time .

During the presentation, they basically the BOE took 2% is for granted, but needed to justify 1.62% which is above 2%.
They killed the ridiculous windows project, but replaced it with different capital projects.
James Morgan tabled an amendment to the budget, in which these two newly added items were not a priority, so they can probably wait until the referendum, and let’s keep the budget under 2%. His amendment was defeated 3-2.

They spent a lot of time pretending they were cost focused as usual , which no one believes but frankly its school performance that’s lacking  .

College-Ready Student Performance :
High school students take AP® exams to earn college credit and demonstrate success at college-level course work. U.S. News calculated a College Readiness Index based on AP exam participation rates and percentages of students passing at least one AP exam. The index determined which types of medals (gold, silver or bronze) were awarded to top-performing schools. College Readiness Index 53.6

 

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Ridgewood Board Of Education meets Monday May 7th for $110,000,000 budget Vote

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may 5,2018

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Board of Education will hold a Regular Public Meeting on Monday, May 7, 2018. The Board meets at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place, Floor 3 at 7:30 p.m.

The public is welcome to attend the meeting, or to watch from home on Fios channel 33 or Optimum channel 77. Meetings are also streamed via the “BOE Webcast” tab on the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us.

Meeting webcasts are immediately available on the district website.

BOE meeting Agenda

https://www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us/UserFiles/Servers/Server_207516/File/Our%20District/Board%20of%20Education/Board%20Business/05-07-18.pdf

$110,000,000 budget FAQ

https://www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us/common/pages/DisplayFile.aspx?itemId=14422315

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Superintendent of the Ridgewood Public Schools : The $110,000,000 2018-2019 budget, will be approved by the Board of Education on May 7

Dan Fishbein 10

The following column appeared in The Ridgewood News on April 27, 2018.

Dare I say that springtime is finally here? The crocuses and daffodils have had to push a bit harder to get to the surface due to some late snowstorms but it seems winter is now well behind us as we move from school closures and delayed openings to the spring sports calendar, Earth Day celebrations and the first barbecues of the season ahead … and yes, cutting the grass.

Along with turning our thoughts to the great outdoors, this is also the time of year in which the Ridgewood Board of Education finalizes and approves the next year’s school budget. For the past several months our administrators have been working to develop a 2018-2019 budget that provides resources for our outstanding instructional and co-curricular programs, our fine staff, and for the maintenance and operations of our facilities. Given rising costs and legal mandates, it is a tall order to put together a fiscally responsible budget but I am happy to say that once again we have succeeded.

The 2018-2019 budget, which will be approved by the Board of Education on May 7 and is approximately $110,000,000, maintains our outstanding staff, upholds and improves our excellent and rigorous academic offerings and supports new initiatives. As detailed in our 2018-2019 budget presentation, next year’s budget will also permit us to add new staff and programs, maintain and continue to upgrade our instructional technology equipment, implement new curriculum at all grade levels and undertake some facility renovations and improvements to school security.

How do we develop the budget? We start the process by creating instructional goals, which focus our work on the budget. Those goals for next year are as follows:

• Build capacity to create and implement authentic growth-based, innovative assessment practices to measure progress and foster student success. We do this through a review and update of curriculum and assessments, through formal and informal observations in classrooms, and by continuing to shift and leverage technology integration and learning environments.

• Continue to build capacity for implementation of interventions and instructional strategies for diverse learners to maximize students’ individual success. Examples of this goal are the two-year training of 21-plus staff members in multi-sensory reading strategies, and also curricular improvements such two new A.P. classes (Physics C and Human Geography) at the high school and many other courses in grades K-12.

• Build capacity to foster student wellbeing by focusing on social/emotional learning as an integral component of student health and achievement. We will do this by replicating our Ridgewood High School therapeutic program at our middle schools, by continuing to grow and infuse mindfulness activities into our classrooms and programs, and by fostering building initiatives like the “Choose to be Nice” programs within our schools. In addition, we are adding significant security measures to improve physical safety for staff and students.

Goals aside, some thoughtful residents have asked whether Ridgewood’s tradition of excellence continues to be upheld over the years. I want to share with you here some basic information taken from New Jersey official reports showing how the Ridgewood Public Schools continue to be effective and efficient:

• SAT and ACT scores: The RHS Class of 2017 had an average SAT score of 1272 and ACT score of 27, which exceed the average New Jersey SAT score of 1103 and ACT score of 23.75 and the average national SAT score of 1060 and ACT score of 21.

• Per pupil spending: Our per pupil spending continues to be significantly lower than surrounding districts. According to the 2016-2017 NJ Department of Education Comparative Spending Guide, Ridgewood came in at $15,119, while for example, Paramus was $18,826, Mahwah $18329 and Tenafly $17,049.

For additional information and commentary, I invite you to take a look at the full 2018-2019 budget presentation, which may be found on the home page of our website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us. I would also encourage you to browse through the Program of Studies for the elementary schools, middle schools and high school, which are located on the website under Academics/Departments. I also welcome any questions about the 2018-2019 budget, which may be emailed to budget19@ridgewood.k12.nj.us.

The Ridgewood community is a critical partner in financing our mission of educational excellence. Due to the manner in which the State of New Jersey funds schools, the majority of our school funding is generated through the local property tax. Our proposed total budget for 2018-2019 of $110,167,997 will add $250.71 to the local tax bill on the average-assessed Ridgewood home.

In closing, the Ridgewood Public Schools continue to be fiscally prudent and efficient as well as educationally successful. For your support of the budget through taxes, and for the community’s further generous donations that this year exceeded one million dollars for curricular and co-curricular programs, I am grateful.

As always, please feel free to contact me with your questions or concerns.

Daniel Fishbein, Ed.D., is Superintendent of the Ridgewood Public Schools

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Taxpayer Foot $70,000 for ADA Ramp at HealthBarn Building at Habernickel Park in Ridgewood

Habernickel Park Gate House

May 12,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Questions where raised at Wednesday’s Village council meeting by resident Boyd Loving as to why the Village was agreeing to build a $70,000 ADA ramp for a building a private business HealthBarn  in Habernickel Park.The council looked like deer in the headlights , clearly caught off guard by the question .

It currently appears that HealthBarn is making no contribution and leases the property for $50,000. So the question arises why is the Village paying $70,000 for a property we are only receiving $50,000 ?

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Identity Thief Transfers $52,000 Ridgewood Resident to Quincy ,Massachusetts

piggyBank

March 22,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, On March 20, a Shelbourne Terrace resident responded to Ridgewood Police headquarters to report fraudulent activity on his TD Bank account. The victim reported between 3/09/17 and 3/18/17 an actor transferred $52000 from his bank account without authorization in Massachusetts at three different locations utilizing a fictitious drivers license. The victim reported the actor attempted a fourth withdrawal in the amount of $35000, however the withdrawal was denied by the bank and the Quincy, Ma. Police were notified, responded and arrested the actor. Quincy, Ma. Police and TD Bank are investigating the incident. The victim requested documentation of the incident to assist in recovering the stolen funds.

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$611,318,000,000: Individual Income Taxes Set Record Through February

IRS individual taxes paid

By Terence P. Jeffrey | March 10, 2017 | 4:15 PM EST

(CNSNews.com) – The federal government collected a record of approximately $611,318,000,000 in individual income tax revenues through the first five months of fiscal 2017 (Oct. 1, 2016 through the end of February), according to the Monthly Treasury Statement released today.

That is about $6,733,300,000 more than the $604,584,700,000 in individual income taxes (in constant 2017 dollars) that the federal government collected through the first five months of fiscal 2016.

Despite collecting a record amount in individual income taxes, the Treasury still ran a $348,984,000,000 deficit in the first five months of this fiscal year.

https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/611318000000-feds-collect-record-income-taxes-through-february-still-run-348984000000

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Dow closes above 19,000 as stocks notch record closing highs; telecoms spike 2%

Trump_hat_boarder-theridgewoodblog

Fred Imbert | @foimbert

The Dow Jones industrial average rose about 70 points, closing above 19,000 for the first time ever, with Home Depot contributing the most gains.

“What we’re seeing is a shift in the sectors that are participating” in this rally, said Quincy Krosby, market strategist at Prudential Financial. “It hasn’t been parabolic in some sectors.”

The S&P 500 closed over 2,200 for the first time, as telecommunications rose about 2.1 percent to lead advancers. The Nasdaq composite also closed at all-time highs, rising approximately a third of a percent.

https://www.cnbc.com/2016/11/22/us-markets.html

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Federal Debt Tops $19,400,000,000,000

Obama-Golf

By Terence P. Jeffrey | July 20, 2016 | 4:57 PM EDT

(CNSNews.com) – The federal debt moved above $19,400,000,000,000 for the first time as of the close of business on Tuesday, according to the data released today by the U.S. Treasury.

At the close of business on Monday, July 18, the total federal debt was $19,391,094,247,028.26, according to the Treasury. By the close of business on Tuesday, July 19, it had risen to $19,402,361,890,929.46.

On Friday, Oct. 30, 2015, Congress passed the “Bipartisan Budget Act,” which suspended the legal debt limit until March 15, 2017. President Obama signed that bill into law on Monday, Nov. 2, 2015

At the close of business on Oct. 30, the federal debt stood at $18,152,981,685,747.52.

In the less than nine months since then, the federal debt has increased by $1,249,380,205,181.94.

https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/terence-p-jeffrey/federal-debt-tops-19400000000000

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Employee Charged with stealing $50,000 from Ridgewood Doctor

Ridgewood _police_theridgewoodblog

file photo by Boyd Loving

May 15,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, administrative assistant to Ridgewood doctor charged with theft and forgery. Sussan Lopez a 29-year-old Cliffside Park woman was arrested this week on theft and forgery charges stemming from a complaint that she was stealing from her employer, a Ridgewood doctor, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office said Saturday.

In a statement acting Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal Sussan Lopez was arrested on computer related theft, theft by deception and forgery related charges, and authorities allege that she stole more than $50,000 in value from her employer.

An investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office White Collar Crimes Unit and the Ridgewood Police Department, authorities allege that Lopez also fraudulently created an American Express corporate account using the office’s corporate identity to purchase goods and pay for personal services.

The Ridgewood Police Department received the initial complaint from the doctor, who was not identified at this time by Grewal, in late March. On May 11, a warrant was issued for Lopez’s arrest, and on May 12 she was arrested at her home in Cliffside Park.

Lopez was remanded to the Bergen County jail in lieu of bail set at $35,000, authorities said. She is scheduled to appear in Bergen County Municipal court on May 27 at 9:30 a.m.

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Reader asks Bergen County Prosecutor Molinelli left with $14,000, were are our Quarters?

pile us quarters 190605695

Past practices are what got us in to the mess we’re in now in the state. Nothing about the status quo is acceptable. NJ and Bergen need clearer thinking and smarter decision making, not payments based on “past practices” without written policy or contractual obligation.

When taxpayer funds are involved, the process should be transparent. Let’s remember this man let Tommy Boy Rica walk free after the theft of at least $500,000 in quarters (and most likely much more) from the Village of Ridgewwod, and now his friend Mordaga, who resigned from Hackensack PD, has an unsealed case to deal with.

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Hollywood hospital pays $17,000 in bitcoins to hackers who took control of computers

hacker-fares

Richard WintonContact Reporter

Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center paid a $17,000 ransom in bitcoins to a hacker who seized control of the hospital’s computer systems and would give back access only when the money was paid, the hospital’s chief executive said Wednesday.

The assault on Hollywood Presbyterian occurred Feb. 5, when hackers using malware infected the institution’s computers, preventing hospital staff from being able to communicate from those devices, said CEO Allen Stefanek.

The hacker demanded 40 bitcoins, the equivalent of about $17,000, he said.

“The malware locks systems by encrypting files and demanding ransom to obtain the decryption key. The quickest and most efficient way to restore our systems and administrative functions was to pay the ransom and obtain the decryption key,” Stefanek said. “In the best interest of restoring normal operations, we did this.”

The hospital said it alerted authorities and was able to restore all its computer systems by Monday with the assistance of technology experts.

https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-hollywood-hospital-bitcoin-20160217-story.html