Hamilton NJ, according to James Edward O’Keefe ,Project Veritas last month they sent undercover journalists who blanketed the state of New Jersey visiting dozens of teacher’s union offices. We wondered, how union leaders would react to claims that teachers were physically and verbally abusing students?
What you’re about to see is a man who is a union president, with a PHD, A LEADER; not working for children like the sign above his head says, but working to what he calls, “Bend the truth” and hide a potential crime.
In this undercover investigation, Hamilton Township Education Association President David Perry details the steps the teachers union would take to protect a teacher who physically abused and threatened middle school students from losing their job.
Dr. Perry says he would misrepresent the events of altercations between teachers and students by back-dating reports and instructed the teacher to not tell anybody about incidents with students.
The union president also stressed that a teacher who abuses his students needs to come to the union after any incident so that they can create a report that would best protect them from students that come forward about abuse.
Veritas will be releasing more undercover videos of teachers unions from ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY in the coming days and weeks. To be alerted as soon as they are published, sign up for our newsletter and check in to www.projectveritas.com frequently for any updates.
Ridgewood NJ, Leigh Kyritz Warren posted in the Facebook Group, Ridgewood Moms and Dads With Free Speech ; UPDATE!!! Jamboree NEVER endorses anyone but we do set the record straight!
“Like many other volunteers, Susan Knudsen has devoted countless hours to Jamboree. She is not paid for her services.
The Board of Trustees of the Jamboree Scholarship Fund”
Alexandra Harwin stop the lies! You keep going low and Susan Traina Knudsen and Mike Sedon go high! They are what is best for Ridgewood!
Alexandra Harwin you poked the bear with your most frequent lying piece of trash you mailed to me! I will get out the vote to defeat you!
I Care about my village where I have lived for the last 23 years!!!!!! “
Hackensack NJ, A New Jersey Transit Pascack Valley Line passenger train struck two (2) individuals near Main Street and Terrace Place, Hackensack on Thursday afternoon, 05/02. Both victims were transported to Hackensack University Center’s main campus; their condition is unknown. NJ Transit Police, Hackensack Police, Hackensack Fire Department, and the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office were among the agencies responding to the incident. Train traffic on the Pascack Valley Line was halted during the investigation process. UPDATE: Both victims were pronounced dead at the hospital.
Trenton NJ, The Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Fish and Wildlife is providing property owners and outdoor enthusiasts with safety tips as black bears search for food after emerging from winter dens.
“At this time of year, it is important for residents who live in New Jersey’s bear country to be aware of some steps they can follow to reduce the chances of a bear coming onto their properties,” said Assistant Commissioner for Natural and Historic Resources Ray Bukowski. “It is also a good time for anyone who spends time outdoors to become familiar with ways to stay safe.”
Black bears have been sighted in all of New Jersey’s 21 counties but the population is most dense in the northwestern counties of Sussex, Warren, Passaic and Morris.
Bears are not true hibernators but enter a state of winter dormancy known as torpor. During torpor they may lose up to 20 percent of their body weight. They need to restore this weight for the mating season, which begins in late May and continues well into summer.
One of their primary natural food sources in spring is skunk cabbage, a leafy plant that grows along edges of rivers, streams and wetlands. Other natural food sources include grasses, forbs, tubers, bulbs and insects. They may also feed on carrion.
Bears have an acute sense of smell and can detect scents over great distances, so great care must be taken to prevent bears from being attracted to other food sources around properties, such as trash, food residue on grills, bird seed and pet food.
“Although bears are by nature wary of people, animals attracted to neighborhoods may learn to associate people with food,” said Division of Fish and Wildlife Director Larry Herrighty. “These animals may become nuisance bears that may cause property damage or seek handouts from people.”
Intentional feeding of a bear is dangerous and illegal and carries a fine of up to $1,000.
The Division of Fish and Wildlife offers the following tips for property owners to minimize encounters with bears:
* Secure trash and eliminate obvious sources of food, such as pet food, easy-to-reach bird feeders, or food residue in barbecue grills.
* Use certified bear-resistant garbage containers if possible. Otherwise, store all garbage in containers with tight-fitting lids and place them along the inside walls of a garage, or in the basement, a sturdy shed, or other secure area.
* Wash garbage containers frequently with a disinfectant solution to remove odors. Put out garbage on collection day, not the night before.
* Avoid feeding birds when bears are active. If you do choose to feed birds, do so during daylight hours only and bring feeders indoors at night. Suspend birdfeeders from a free-hanging wire, making sure they are at least 10 feet off the ground. Clean up spilled seeds and shells daily.
* Immediately remove all uneaten food and food bowls used by pets fed outdoors.
* Clean outdoor grills and utensils to remove food and grease residue. Store grills securely.
* Do not place meat or any sweet foods in compost piles.
* Remove fruit or nuts that fall from trees in your yard.
* Install electric fencing as an effective way to protect crops, beehives, and livestock.
If you encounter a black bear in your neighborhood or outdoors while hiking, fishing or camping, follow these safety tips:
* Remain calm. Never run from a bear. Instead, slowly back away. Avoid direct eye contact, which may be perceived by a bear as a challenge. Make sure the bear has an escape route.
* To scare the bear away, make loud noises by yelling, using a whistle, banging pots and pans, or sounding an air horn. Make yourself look as big as possible by waving your arms. If you are with someone else, stand close together with your arms raised above your head.
* Make bears aware of your presence by speaking in an assertive voice, singing, clapping your hands, or making other noises. If hiking through bear country, always make your presence known through loud talking or clapping of hands.
* The bear may utter a series of huffs, make popping sounds by snapping its jaws and swatting the ground. These are warning signs that you are too close. Slowly back away, avoid direct eye contact. Do not run.
* If a bear stands on its hind legs or moves closer, it may be trying to get a better view or detect scents in the air. This is usually not a threatening behavior.
* Black bears will sometimes “bluff charge” when cornered, threatened, or attempting to steal food. Stand your ground, avoid direct eye contact, then slowly back away and do not run.
* If the bear does not leave, move to a secure area such as a vehicle or a building.
* Families who live in areas frequented by black bears should have a “Bear Plan” in place for children, with an escape route and planned use of whistles and air horns.
* Black bear attacks on humans are extremely rare. If a black bear does attack, fight back.
DEP wildlife experts emphasize that a black bear simply passing through an area and not causing a specific problem, such as breaking into trash or otherwise trying to access food sources on people’s properties or posing a safety threat, should be left alone.
People should leave the area and allow the bear to continue on its way. When frightened, bears may seek refuge by climbing trees. If the bear does go up a tree, clear the area and give the bear time to climb down and escape.
Report bear damage, nuisance behavior or aggressive bears to the Wildlife Control Unit of the DEP’s Division of Fish and Wildlife at (908) 735-8793. During evenings and weekends, residents should call the local police department or the DEP Hotline at 877-WARN-DEP (877-927-6337)
Ridgewood NJ, the Dunham Trail sign has been replaced.It took over a year and a half, but two fabulous people took over and replaced and installed the sign that was stolen !
Ron Jaremcak, retired Industrial and Graphic Arts teacher at RHS, who now lives in Rockaway, took on this project himself! The sign is beautiful, it took many many hours of his time, and we appreciate it!
Jim Reynolds, of Ridgewood Home Maintenance, installed and reinforced the sign. Please come and enjoy our Wildscapes !
Photos: Ron Jaremcak
Ron Jaremcak and Sandy Antista, President of Wildscape
Jim Reynolds (r) and Oscar Barrera
Jim Reynolds and Oscar Barrera
Jim Reynolds and Oscar Barrera
Reader calls it the Alexandra Harwin’s ” Hate Mailer du jour “: a Vaganios endorsement
He built THE WALL in front of his restaurant. She lives on WALL STREET.Coincidence?
Why would anyone be impressed by an endorsement by the self-serving chamber of commerce guy who doesn’t even represent the views of most of the
business owners…an Aronsohn booster with his own failed attempt at politics?
“Raise the bar for leadership”…”Alexandra doesn’t start fights, she ends them.” HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!! The Hypocrisy Mailer. Freud lives!
A quote from Siobhan Winograd is the kiss of death for anyone who has ever attended a council meeting or others. Nooooooooooo.
I am already looking forward to Sunday because there will be no hate-mail delivery. It has been turning my stomach.
Ridgewood, NJ – Ridgewood’s six largest grassroots advocacy groups have released their Village Council endorsements and all support incumbent Mayor Susan Knudsen and Deputy Mayor Michael
Sedon. Each group has a unique focus – Concerned Residents of Ridgewood (CRR), addresses Valley Hospital redevelopment issues, Friends of Schedler promotes a neighborhood friendly plan for the
Schedler farm, Ridgewood Citizens for Reasonable Development (RCRD), champions proper master planning, while challenging overdevelopment, Preserve Graydon and Ridgewood Wildscape Association
seek, respectively, to preserve Ridgewood’s historic pool, open space and landscape, while Ridgewood Chinese American Association serves the town’s growing Chinese American community and advocates
on important village issues. However, all groups are unified in their endorsements, noting the candidates’ attention to hearing residents and acting upon their desires for appropriate development
that preserves Ridgewood’s character. In recent years, Ridgewood has faced a series of large-scale development issues that brought turmoil to the community, including four major high-density housing
proposals, rebuilding Valley Hospital, constructing a downtown parking garage and a plan to turn the wooded Schedler Farm property into a full-size baseball facility.
CRR’s endorsement letter noted Knudsen and Sedon’s role in effecting a plan in which Valley Hospital will construct a new facility nearby in Paramus, rather than on the tighter confines of its current site in
an area of single-family homes. Group President, Pete McKenna, wrote “Susan and Mike have been steadfast defenders of rational development… under their leadership, the council bravely stood up for
the Village in court, and they remained firm in their support of a settlement that was sensible for Ridgewood.
RCRD’s endorsement letter indicated “For many years, Susan and Mike’s positive words and actions have been closely aligned with our cause” of “ensuring that Ridgewood thrives with fitting development
and proper master planning. The group’s spokesman, Dave Slomin applauded Knudsen and Sedon’s role in “spearheading Ridgewood’s first new Master Plan in over three decades.”
Friends of Schedler lauded how these candidates created a “government of inclusion, while Preserve Graydon’s letter indicated how Knudsen and Sedon “Care, observe, research, respond” and “Will make
sure the upcoming Master Plan overhaul does not shortchange Graydon – or the village.
On a civic level, RCRD’s Slomin noted how “so much of the division and negativity we experienced in recent years is gone.” RCRD used to send supporters to every Planning Board and Council meeting to
take notes and look out for unpublicized development issues, but their endorsement indicates “for the past two years, we have been able to call off that guard.”
Ridgewood NJ, With warm weather here and spending more time outdoors, the Ridgewood Health Department and the CDC would like you to be careful when you step outside. Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun is the main cause of skin cancer. UV damage can also cause wrinkles and blotches or spots on your skin. The good news is that skin cancer can be prevented, and it can almost always be cured when it’s found and treated early.
Take simple steps today to protect your skin:
• Stay out of the sun between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
• Use sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher. Put on sunscreen every 2 hours and after you swim or sweat.
• Cover up with long sleeves and a hat.
• Check your skin regularly for changes.
Skin cancer risk factors
Certain factors may increase your skin cancer risks. By reducing those factors under your control, you may be able to decrease your risk of developing melanoma. For those that can’t be controlled, regular skin examination can increase the chance of catching a developing skin cancer early, when it is most curable.
The primary risk factor for skin cancer, including melanoma and non-melanoma cancers, is exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light, including sunlight and tanning beds. The risk of developing skin cancers increases with greater exposure to these sources of UV radiation. People who live in areas with year-round bright sunlight, or those who spend a lot of time outdoors without protective clothing or sunscreen, are at greater risk. Early exposure, particularly frequent sunburns as a child, can also increase your skin cancer risks.
Children and teenagers who get a bad sunburn (blistering) double their chances of getting melanoma later in life Over the past 15 years, the number of teenagers who get serious sunburns has NOT decreased.
Skin cancer prevention
Avoiding a serious sunburn is as simple as remembering to Apply Cover Enjoy. Practice healthy sun protective behavior: Apply sunscreen, Cover Up, and then once protected, Enjoy yourself!
Decreasing your exposure to UV light by avoiding direct sunlight and tanning beds is the most important thing you can do to reduce your risk of developing skin cancer. When you do go out in the sun, make sure to wear protective clothing, hats, sunglasses and sunscreen.
Regular, thorough skin examinations are also important, especially if you have a large number of moles or other risk factors. While this will not prevent skin cancer from developing, it may help to catch it early, when it can be treated more easily. Tell your doctor if you see any new, unusual or changing moles or growths on your skin.
Ridgewood NJ, Don’t forget to register and mark your calendars for the 43rd annual Ridgewood Run presented by the North Jersey Masters!
One of the longest running races in the tristate area is returning for Memorial Day, Monday May 28, 2018!
There is something for everyone!
* 10K – USATF 700-Point Masters Men’s and Women’s
Championship Event
* 5K
* Kessler Foundation Wheelchair 10K
* Elite Mile
* YMCA Mile Fun Run
Technical race shirts to the first 2000 registrants.
We offer special pricing of $50 when you register for the 5K and 10K together!
USATF members receive $3 off online registration for the 10K and 5K.
Visit our website for more information https://ridgewoodrun.com/
See you at the start line!
Ridgewood NJ, (from L) RHS sophomores C.J Lee, Olivia Jerdee, Annabel Mendoza, and Vanessa Cheng traveled to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York as a team on Thursday, April 27 as semifinalist competitors in 2018 Euro Challenge. The Ridgewood team competed against over 100 teams nationwide and was selected to advance as one of the top 25 teams overall. Each team selected a Euro Area member and issue to research and propose a policy recommendation for. Ridgewood selected Germany, with a focus on investment policies fo infrastructure. St. Albans School (Washington D.C.) took first place.
Ridgewood NJ, Members of the Ridgewood Board of Education and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Daniel Fishbein will host residents for coffee and casual conversation on Monday, May 14 from 7-8:30 p.m. Please join them at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place, Ridgewood. Residents are welcome to drop in and share their thoughts, questions, suggestions and concerns.
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 [email protected].
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
20180502 – Village Council Work Session
THE RIDGEWOOD VILLAGE COUNCIL’S
PUBLIC WORKSHOP AGENDA
MAY 2, 2018
7:30 P.M.
1. 7:30 pm – Call to Order – Mayor
2. Statement of Compliance with 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 – Village Clerk
4. Flag Salute/Moment of Silence
5. Public Comments (Not to Exceed 3 Minutes per Person – 40 Minutes in Total)
6. Discussion
a. Ridgewood Water
1. Award Contract – Roof Repairs at Various Village Water Facilities
b. Parking
1. Ordinance – North Broad Street Valet Parking & Requirements for Signage for Valet Parking
c. Budget
1. Award Contract – Animal Control Services and Waterfowl Management 2. Award Contract – School Bus Transportation – Recreation Department
d. Policy – None
e. Operation
1. Revisions to Skate Park Ordinance – Rules and Regulations
2. Approval of Application for Community Development Grant – Tables for Senior Center
7. Manager’s Report
8. Council Reports
9. Public Comments (Not to Exceed 5 Minutes per Person)
10. Resolution to go into Closed Session
11. Closed Session – None
12. Adjournment
This has been said before, but it seems we need to say it again. The Ridgewood Blog is the voice of the people. It is here, on this Blog, where people can speak their opinions without fear of retribution from the BOE, the police, their neighbors, or their enemies, or even their spouses. Honesty and truth prevail on the Blog.
Yes indeed we hear some racist comments on this Blog. Well, that is good to know. Not everyone in town is open minded. Yes, indeed we hear some bullying comments on this Blog. Well, that is good to know. Not everyone in this town is calm. We also hear a great deal of positive stories, supportive comments, articles about good things, etc. People might not notice these as readily as the negative commentaries, but they are here, every day, all the time.
On Facebook, everyone has a name and face attached to their posts. Therefore they might easily post what they think they want their neighbors-friends-enemies to hear, which could be completely false. Probably false more often than not.
On the Blog, honesty prevails.
We also know, for a FACT, that people like Jeff Voigt and Robert Carroll (aka Mr. Sonenfeld) and David Hauck (aka Mr. Gwenn) post anonymous slurs about elected officials who they do not like. What does this kind of activity tell us? It tells us that they are scum, which is good to know. Janice Willett, what a complete joke – she blames the Blog all the time, hell she even opened her remarks last night slamming the Blog……all of which tells us that she reads it daily and posts her own defensive comments regularly. Willett even posted a photo from The Blog on her lame campaign page. Albert the Pooch, remember how he used to have steam coming out of his ears about the Blog? That is because (a) he read it every day and (b) the truth about his unpopularity was posted by citizens. Paul Aronsohn once called the police about a posting on the Blog that he felt posed a “threat” to his pansy ass (it did not pose any such threat, but we learned that Aronsohn, like everyone else, is a Ridgewood Blogger). It goes on and on, ladies and gentlemen. The Blog is read by everyone and contributed to by everyone and favors no one and discriminates against no one.
Furthermore, we know that all allegations that certain people control the Blog are totally bogus. For example, that moron Alexandra Harwin states that Susan Knudsen is a contributor to The Blog. NOT. Mayor Knudsen is drawn and quartered on The Blog regularly. Why would she contribute? Boyd Loving, whose photographs often appear here from his Facebook page, is likewise torn apart by Blog posters on a regular basis. Even people that we know Jame Foytlin likes are eviscerated on here, like his old chum Siobhan Crane. Hell, people even tear James himself apart on a regular basis – do you think James would put up postings that slam him if he controlled the Blog. So, no one controls The Blog. It is a living, breathing organism that does its own thing, and above all it is dead honest.
I trust postings on The Blog far more than any I see on facebook. This is where you come to see what your friends and neighbors and enemies and elected officials really think.
Ridgewood Moms and Dads Facebook cuts people off the membership if they even look crosseyed at Harwin or Willett or Sonenfeld or Voigt. Ridgewood Jolt cuts people off who dare say anything about a local issue. Facebook pages that do not allow open membership are not honest – they are slanted echo chambers that provide nothing of substance. There are two FB pages that seem to allow everyone on – Moms and Dads with Free Speech and It Takes a Ridgewood Village. They seem to allow posts from both sides of “the house,” so to speak. Kudos to them. But, still, total honesty does not prevail there because people are cautious about saying what they really feel.
Ridgewood NJ, For the second day in a row, a black bear first spotted in Paramus ,then today in Ridgewood wandered around a neighborhood in New Jersey and has been tranquilized by animal control crews.
The black bear reported to be 148-pound male , was the same seen Monday in Paramus, who eluded the Paramus Police .
The wandering black bear was captured in the rear of 15 Circle Avenue, Ridgewood on Tuesday afternoon, 05/01. The male bear is believed to be the same one that was spotted in nearby Paramus on Monday, 04/30. Ridgewood Police, Fire Department, and Emergency Services personnel assisted representatives from Tyco Animal Control Services and the NJDEP Fish & Wildlife Division during the incident.
No injuries were reported to the bear, or any humans who assisted in his capture. Traffic on East Ridgewood Avenue and Circle Avenue was detoured while emergency responders worked. A K9 unit from the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office also provided assistance at the scene.
Like Monday the bear climbed up into a tree, where he was tranquilized by Tyco Animal Control Services. It jumped onto a garage roof and then ran up another tree and was tranquilized a second time. Mayor Knudsen was on the scene filling in live on Facebook as events unfolded. The Mayor thanked Carol, Dawn Jowett Cetrulo, Chief Luthcke, the amazing Ridgewood Police Department, Fire Department, Tyco Animal Control, and everyone else who helped bring this little bear to safety! Special thanks to Alexa Topolski for hosting!
(this photo courtesy of Mayor Susan Knudsen)
The bear will eventually be taken to a wildlife management area in Passaic County.
Police are urging everyone to use caution and say that if you see the bear, you should not approach it. Instead, call 911.
In a Facebook post, Paramus police said they expect to be seeing more bears.
