Tag: 201

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Ridgewood’s Benjamin Franklin Middle School Goes Solar

BF Solar
August 19,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, The solar panels were approved by the Board of Education in 2015, and were supposed to be erected last summer, but were pushed back for various reason to this summer.

According to the Ridgewood Board of Education ,Eight Ridgewood schools have been receiving a portion of their electricity from solar power since late 2012/early 2013 ; • Ridgewood High • BF Middle • Glen • Hawes • Orchard • Ridge • Somerville • Travell •

Total installed solar capacity of 841 kW • 2014 solar energy production of ~875,000 kWh • 2014 savings from using solar energy ~$70,000

BF Middle School will add • 329.4 kW Carport Mounted System • $0.125/kWh year 1 PPA Price with a 3% Escalator • Year 1 Savings ~$18,000 • 15-Year Savings Potential >$275,000

Information was pulled from March 25,2015 presentation from Verterra :https://www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/923620/File/solar/Verterra%20Solar%20-%20Phase%20II%20Presentation.pdf?7fcb75&d7f070&d7f070

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Readers tell Obamacare Horror Stories

obamacare_theridgewoodblog

My son has been paying $2,100 a month for one of these individual insurances. When his daughter broke her elbow, his wife had to call 13 physicians before finding one who would see an 11 year old child! This policy was a replacement for his policy of last year –which was just as bad– which the insurer dropped to join the Hackensack group only. Now he has been notified that this one is leaving NJ at the end of the year. He’s in business for himself and really doesn’t know what he is going to do. And, of course, before Obamacare he had a policy that they loved with much lower premiums. But what Obama really meant was “if you have a policy you like, you can (dream on) keep it.”

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Ridgewood Police Arrest three adults and one juvenile on Orchard School property

Ridgewood _police_theridgewoodblog

file photo by Boyd Loving

August 19,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood police report that on 08/09/16 ,Sgt. Finch arrested John A. Dougherty the 4th, age 18 of Ridgewood, N.J., Colin H. Parr, age 19 of Ridgewood, N.J., Kihyun Lee, age 18 of Ridgewood, N.J., and a male juvenile .

Sgt. Finch located the above persons on Orchard School property during the evening hours. The three adults and one juvenile were found to be in possession of C.D.S. and Drug Paraphernalia. All were transported to police headquarters for processing. The juvenile was released to the custody of parent with a pending juvenile complaint. The three adults were processed, served with complaint summonses, advised of the pending court date and released.

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Ridgewood High School Vandalism Captured on Video

RHS_BEST_theridgewoodblog

August 19,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, According to the Ridgewood police ,on 8/11/16 the staff at Ridgewood High School found a large amount of damage within the High School. Patrol units and the detective bureau responded to investigate the incident. The security video captured juveniles committing burglary by entering the school during the overnight hours and then commit criminal mischief and thefts within the building. The detective bureau is investigating the incident.

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The Ridgewood News opted not to publish a response from me, almost identical to the above letter, regarding Mr. Schimmel’s letter.

Reading_theridgewood_news_theridgewoodblog

Editor, The Ridgewood Blog:

 
On Friday, August 1, The Ridgewood News published a letter to the editor entitled:  “New driver frustrated by lack of village parking.”
 
Not surprisingly, the author of the aforementioned letter, Mr. James F. Schimmel, failed to mention that his family owns the commercial building located at 20-26 East Ridgewood Avenue, which is less than 150 feet away from the proposed Hudson Street parking garage.
 
Certainly, the value of said property would increase if the parking garage were built and rental fees for it could be increased as well.
 
Yet another letter writer who chose to omit key information from a letter to the editor about the proposed parking garage.  When will it end?
Boyd A. Loving
Ridgewood resident
 
Note:  The Ridgewood News opted not to publish a response from me, almost identical to the above letter, regarding Mr. Schimmel’s letter.
 
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No place for cursive writing in today’s digital world | Editorial

Dunce-cap

By Times of Trenton Editorial Board
on August 17, 2016 at 6:08 AM, updated August 17, 2016 at 10:18 AM

If the words on this page were written in cursive, chances are few people under the age of 18 could read them.

That’s not a lament – just an observation. The dependency on computers, email and texting for communicating has rendered what we used to call “script” all but obsolete.

In the not-too-distant past – say, 2004 or so – New Jersey’s third graders were required to “write legibly in manuscript or cursive to meet district standards.”

That requirement has gone the way of the floppy disc, photographic film and cassette tapes.

But now two state lawmakers are pushing a bill that would force every school district to teach reading and writing in cursive as part of the elementary school curriculum.

https://www.nj.com/opinion/index.ssf/2016/08/theres_no_place_for_fancy_writing_in_todays_digita.html

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Christ Episcopal Church Announces Blessing of the Animals on October 1

Blessing of the Animals
August 17,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Families and children of all ages are invited to a Blessing of the Animals and celebration of the life and ministry of St. Frances of Assisi on Saturday October 1, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. at Christ Episcopal Church in Ridgewood.

Everyone is invited to bring their favorite pets: dogs, cats, goldfish, rabbits and even stuffed animals….any beloved creature, great or small. A short service celebrating all animals will be followed by individual blessings of each animal. The service will be held inside of the church and refreshments will be provided.

There will also be some orphaned animals from the Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge who are eligible for adoption joining us. Please consider bringing a donation from the RBARI wish list found on their website:
www.rbari.org to this event.

Contact the church office at 201.652.2350 with any questions or visit www.christchurchridgewood.org. The church is located at 105 Cottage Place, at the corner of Franklin Avenue, in Ridgewood, NJ.

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The Citizens for Swimming program in Ridgewood needs your help!

Citizens for Swimming

August 18,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Every August since 1968, Graydon Pool has hosted summer day campers from Paterson for 3 afternoons a week for 3 consecutive weeks. These 9 days at Graydon provide a cool respite for these city kids with little, if any, opportunity to swim in their own community. Plus, thanks to the Ridgewood YMCA, the children receive swim instruction every day, providing them with water safety skills that will help keep them safe for a lifetime.

This year corporate donors were scarce and there is a short fall of about $3000 so Citizens for Swimming needs your help.

Citizens for Swimming needs $110 per child to host the child for the full program. They need donations of money, new swimsuits, towels, and volunteers to make this work. Checks should be made payable to Citizens for Swimming.

The address to mail checks to is:

Citizens for Swimming
c/o Jorgensen & Company
42 West Allendale Avenue
Allendale, NJ  07401

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Aronsohn Floods Ridgewood League of Women Voters with Cronies and Political Hacks

Paul_Aronsohn_dunking_theridgewoodblog
August 18,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, the ex mayor Paul Aronsohn and his cronies have flooded the membership of the Ridgewood League of Women Voters. According to their website the League of Women Voters is a non-partisan political organization encourages the active and informed participation of citizens in government and influences public policy through education and advocacy.

The League does not support or oppose any candidate or party. Operating on a non-profit, voluntary basis, its work is financed by dues and contributions from members and the general public. Membership is open to all citizens of voting age.

Readers claim, “This could be the LWV’s best-ever new member drive…or the worst, since nobody wants to be with those people. Newbies include Wyne, Winograd, Sonenfeld. All at once.” While other say ,”Aronsohn has now joined the league, and Rurik and Gwenn. Must miss.”

Most readers are quite skeptical over a group of clearly proven partisan hacks joining a supposed “non-partisan political organization” .Will attempts be made to manipulate the electorate and misrepresent  information like past Aronsohn campaigns ie… “the Vote Yes” for the Hudson Street garage campaign ? Or will Aronsohn be shut down in dead end political never land ?

 And of coarse what about credibility ,just when the league had finally began to regain some relevance after years of filtering on the edge of extinction but who will now take them seriously ?
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Readers not Happy with the “New and Improved” Village of Ridgewood Website

village hall meetings

This is the way upcoming meetings are listed on the “improved” village website. The current method is inept because:

Meetings of the Village Council, Planning Board, and Zoning Board of Adjustment are all mixed together. People want to know about one particular kind of meeting (not “I wonder what meetings are happening, any kind is fine”) and should not have to read through the entire list to find it. Categories (each council or board) should be listed separately, under a heading.

Nowhere does it state that those three groups are the only ones whose meetings are listed. In fact, numerous boards, committees, commissions, and councils will hold their meetings during the same period. Doing as suggested above would make it clear that those were the only ones, because the headings would say that.

Village Council meetings are not identified as such. “Public Meeting,” “Special Public Meeting,” and “Public Work Session” provide insufficient information. Everything on the list is a public meeting. Yet it’s probably council meetings that most people are interested in.

Upcoming meetings should be listed in chronological order, not in reverse chronological order just because some software does it that way automatically. It’s counter intuitive and unnecessarily hard for the user.

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Spontaneous Combustion of Discarded Waste in Ridgewood

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photos courtesy of Boyd Loving

August 18,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Discarded waste associated with the sanding of hardwood floors ignited unexpectedly after being placed at the curb in large plastic trash bags for pickup in front of 347 South Maple Avenue, Ridgewood on the afternoon of Wednesday, 08/17. The crew from Ridgewood Engine Company #35 extinguished the small blaze using the apparatus’ booster line and hosed down all other debris left at the curb to avoid a repeat incident. Ridgewood PD provided traffic control while firefighters worked.

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Stray Cats James McDonnell and Song Writer Linda Thompson Next Week at Bookends in Ridgewood

stray cats

 

August 17th 2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

James McDonnell ,”Slim Jim Phantom” ,Tuesday, August 23rd @ 6:00pm
Drummer of the Stray Cats, James McDonnell, will sign his new book:
A Stray Cat Struts: My Life as a Rockabilly Rebel

Linda Thompson ,Wednesday, August 24th @ 7:00pm
Songwriter, actress married to Olympian, Bruce Jenner “Caitlyn Jenner” and Music Producer, David Foster…and who also dated Elvis, Linda Thompson, will sign her new book: A Little Thing Called Life

Ridgewood NJ, Appearing authors will only autograph books purchased at Bookends and must have valid Bookends Receipt.

Availability & pricing for all autographed books subject to change.
First In Line Certificate use is the the discretion of Bookends. Blackout dates may apply.
Bookends cannot guarantee that the books that are Autographed will always be First Printings.
Autographed books purchased at Bookends are non-returnable.

While we try to ensure that all customers coming to Bookends’ signings will meet authors and get their books signed, we cannot guarantee that all attendees will meet the author or that all books will be signed.  We cannot control inclement weather, author travel schedules or authors who leave prematurely.

Bookends, 211 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ   07450   201-445-0726

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Village of Ridgewood Upcoming Meetings

village-hall-theridgewoodblog

Public MeetingWednesday, September 14, 2016 8:00PM
Special Public MeetingWednesday, September 14, 2016 7:30PM
Board of Adjustment Public MeetingTuesday, September 13, 2016 7:30PM
Public Work SessionWednesday, September 07, 2016 7:30PM
Planning Board Public MeetingTuesday, September 06, 2016 7:30PM
Board of Adjustment Public MeetingTuesday, August 30, 2016 7:30PM
Board of Adjustment Public MeetingTuesday, August 23, 2016 7:30PM

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Reader asks ,Has the culture in Ridgewood that embraced intellect , community, and quality of life, deteriorated to a society of entitlement and condescension

park

There was a culture in Ridgewood that embraced intellect , community, and quality of life. This has deteriorated to a society of entitlement and condescension : even in the houses of worship. .Merchants behave as if they are doing ME a favor by being open. I’m not sure the solution- I adore my home town, but don’t care to live there any longer.

or is Social media amplifying the negativity  ….

There are many of us here who still love our neighbors, our town, our schools, our teachers and those who work tirelessly to make Ridgewoid a great town to raise a family. Social media has given these naysayers a forum to complain about their miserable lives.

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Reader says You would think that simply cleaning Van Neste park would be a step in the right direction

Van Neste Square Ridgewood

Was walking around VN a couple weeks ago, and by that bench at the SE corner of the park there were no less than three empty fifths of Majorska, empty cigarette packs, and a couple broken beer bottles. Whoever made that mess had plenty of time to do it. No cops to roust them, and nobody to clean up after.

You would think that simply cleaning the park would be a step in the right direction, but instead we have $ to enrich some contractor by pulling all the bricks and pouring concrete.

But by all means, blame the teachers for your high taxes.