Ridgewood NJ, Bergen County Parks Department initiated a master planning process for the Bergen County Park system. The goal is to identify the characteristics of the Bergen County recreation and open space system, accommodate the needs of current residents, and respond to projected future growth of the County.
CUES is leading the project team that will analyze existing strengths, programs, and opportunities, as well as future active and passive recreational options for each of the individual park properties. This analysis will consider how the various parks can best be integrated into the overall Bergen County open space and recreational context. In order to meet future needs of Bergen County residents, demographic and economic trends will be considered. The Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public policy will provide input for these scenarios using existing data and forecasts describing future population and demographic trends in Bergen County.
Ridgewood NJ, Hailed as an emerging young talent, Maestro Steven Fox, the 38-year old Music Director of Bergen County’s acclaimed Pro Arte Chorale and other musical organizations has received critical praise in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe and more. Now, as Artistic Director of New York’s Clarion Music Society, he has been nominated for a 2017 Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance of the Year, for their recording of Maximilian Steinberg’s Passion Week.
Steven and The Clarion Choir recently travelled on a State Department sponsored tour to St. Petersburg and Moscow for the Russian premiere performances of Steinberg’s long-hidden 1920s liturgical masterwork.
The Pro Arte Chorale congratulates Steven on this significant musical achievement, and is honored to share his talent with our local communities in Bergen County and Northern New Jersey through our concert programs.
Founded in 1964, the Pro Arte Chorale is one of New Jersey’s foremost volunteer choruses and is considered one of the top-ranked regional choruses in America. The Chorale has appeared at such major concert venues as the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and Carnegie Hall, and has performed with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, and American Symphony Orchestra.
Pro Arte is committed to supporting local education endeavors and to enriching the lives of its audience and the broader community by exploring a variety of classic musical traditions over more than six centuries, up to and including Opera Choruses, American Spirituals and even Broadway Show Tunes.
To find out how you can become a supporter of Pro Arte or to learn more about its upcoming schedule of performances, visit www.ProArteChorale.org.
Pro Arte Chorale is a nonprofit volunteer chorus of about 50 auditioned members, committed to the public performance of classic choral music in Northern New Jersey and the New York Metropolitan Area. Now in its 53rd consecutive annual concert season, Pro Arte is supported by its operating income and by contributions from individuals, corporations, foundations, and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
CDC: Walk This Way! Taking Steps for Pedestrian Safety
December 18,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood Nj, According to the CDC and as many readers have noted over the years on the Ridgewood blog it is important to take steps to be safe when walking on roadways. This includes exercising caution at intersections and crosswalks and increasing your visibility at night by wearing retro-reflective clothing and carrying flashlights.
Walking is good for your health, and it’s good for the environment too. But before you head out on foot for a stroll, power walk, or errand, there are important safety tips to remember.
What’s the problem?
Pedestrians—people who travel by foot, wheelchair, stroller, or similar means—are among the most vulnerable users of the road.
In the next 24 hours, on average, 430 people will be treated in an emergency department for traffic-related pedestrian injuries.1 In the next 2 hours, on average, one pedestrian will die from injuries in a traffic crash.2
A total of 4, 735 pedestrians were killed in traffic deaths in 2013,2 and more than 156,000 were treated in emergency departments for nonfatal injuries. With numbers like these, it’s critical to understand the risks and learn how to stay safe.
Who’s at risk?
Pedestrians of all ages are at risk of injury or death from traffic crashes, but some people are at higher risk.
Male pedestrians are more likely to die or be injured in a motor vehicle crash than females.2
Teen and young adult (ages 15-29 years) pedestrians are more likely to be treated in emergency departments for crash-related injuries compared to any other age group.1
The rate of pedestrian death generally increases with age.2
In 2013, 34% of all pedestrians killed in traffic crashes had a blood alcohol concentration of greater than or equal to 0.08 grams per deciliter.2
As pedestrians, children are at even greater risk of injury or death from traffic crashes due to their small size, inability to judge distances and speeds, and lack of experience with traffic rules.
One in five traffic deaths among children ages 14 and under are pedestrian deaths.2
Take Steps for Safety
Whenever you’re walking, keep these tips in mind:
Whenever possible, cross the street at a designated crosswalk or intersection.
Increase your visibility at night by carrying a flashlight and wearing retro-reflective clothing.
It’s safest to walk on a sidewalk, but if one is not available, walk on the shoulder and face traffic.
Avoid distractions such as electronic devices that take your attention off the road.
By Myles Ma | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on December 13, 2016 at 10:48 AM, updated December 13, 2016 at 12:59 PM
Bergen County has grown more diverse in the period since the recession, fostering growing Hispanic and Asian populations, but has also shed white and especially black residents.
The black population fell by more than 7 percent in Bergen County when comparing Census data from 2005-2009 and 2010-2015. The white population fell by more than 5 percent.
Anthony Cureton, president of the Bergen County chapter of the NAACP, said many black people he knows have moved to the South, where it’s cheaper.
The new Record layout and reporting sucks. First of all, they have early cut offs so they miss reporting sports events that end at reasonable times. Secondly, they seem to give the bare minimum local coverage now. Finally they or printing in 1 point font so it’s barely readable.
The only reason I continue getting the record and the Ridgewood news is the local reporting otherwise I get everything else on the net.
Questioning renewing unless they get there act together
Ridgewood NJ, According to the latest census data home prices across the state are still feeling the effects of the Great Recession, According to the most recent Census data, the median home value in New Jersey is $315,900, a 20 percent decline between the 2005-2009 Census and the 2011-2015 data.
Bergen County had the highest home values in the state, with the runner-up position going to Morris County. Bergen home values dropped from $530,867 to $441,100 or -16.9% from the 2005-2009 period to the 2011-2015 period compared to New Jersey values which dropped 19.5% and US values dropped -12.5% during the same period.
Ridgewood NJ, Four 18th Street gang members from Bergen County, New Jersey, and Rockland County, New York, were charged today with various offenses arising from their armed robbery of a Hawthorne, New Jersey, bar and the violent carjacking of a taxi that took place shortly afterwards, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.
Wilbur Jonathan Barahona, 20, of Ridgewood, New Jersey, Guillermo Carillo-Iraheta, 19, of Suffern New York, Juan Chiliseo-Vega, 19, of Suffern, and Jostin Reyes, 21, of Waldwick, New Jersey, were charged by complaint with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act Robbery, carjacking, use of a firearm during a crime of violence, and kidnapping. All four appeared this afternoon before U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Waldor in Newark federal court.
Balmore Carillo-Iraheta, 19, of Suffern, and Oscar Avalos-Cortez, 22, of New City, New York, are also charged in the same complaint with conspiracy to commit Hobbs Act robbery. They had their initial appearances before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Falk on Nov. 1, 2016 and U.S. Magistrate Judge James B. Clark on Nov. 10, 2016, respectively. All six defendants, with the exception of Avalos-Cortez, have been detained. Avalos-Cortez was released on a $150,000 unsecured bond.
According to the complaint:
On Dec. 25, 2016, Barahona, Guillermo Carillo-Iraheta, Chiliseo-Vega, Reyes, Balmore Carillo-Iraheta, and Avalos-Cortez robbed a bar at gunpoint in Hawthorne, New Jersey, while Avalos-Cortez operated the getaway vehicle.
Later that evening, Barahona, Guillermo Carillo-Iraheta, Chiliseo-Vega, and Reyes robbed a taxicab driver at gunpoint, hit the taxicab driver in the head with a beer bottle, and sliced his throat with a knife before leaving him on the side of the New York State Thruway near Woodbury, New York. The taxicab driver survived.
The kidnapping charge carries a maximum potential penalty of life imprisonment. The carjacking charge carries a maximum potential penalty of 25 years in prison. The conspiracy charge carries a maximum potential penalty of up to 20 years in prison. The charge of brandishing a weapon in connection with the carjacking offense carries a mandatory penalty of seven years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Fishman credited special agents of the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Timothy Gallagher in Newark, as well as the Ridgewood and Hawthorne Police Departments, with the investigation leading to the charges.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen D. Stringer of the U.S. Attorney’s Office General Crimes Unit in Newark.
The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Ridgewood NJ, Who Was John Jacob Zabriskie? The Zabriskie family is one of the original settlers in Bergen County dating from the 1600s. John Jacob Zabriskie of “Hohokus” is one of many in a long line of descendants who had a decided impact on the way of life in Bergen County. This presentation will correct some historical and biographical misinformation to see who he was & what accomplishments, professions, lifestyle & other details are known about John Jacob Zabriskie. All welcome, Belcher Auditorium. Speaker Stanley Kober
Monday at 7 PM – 8:30 PM
Bolger Heritage Center, Ridgewood Public Library
125 N Maple Ave, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450
Garrett’s major sin this election cycle was that he didn’t morph into something he wasn’t in response to recent waves of demands made by people living so-called “alternative” sexual lifestyles and by others, mostly young adults with a weak or misguided spiritual life or no connection at all to a traditionally organized religion, and who see themselves as social justice warriors engaging in the latest, greatest civil rights battle.
In fairness, how does an honest federal or state officeholder who believes in traditional Christian morality withstand such a well funded Alynskyite attack and win re-election? Particularly in northern New Jersey where so many brainwashed progressives are busy buying up almost all of the available housing stock.
Garrett should try to make peace with Trump and those early Trump supporters like Mike Doherty who resisted abandoning him when times became tough during the general election season. With any luck, Garrett, with his great experience, innate intelligence, and unshakably ethical approach to governing, will secure a prominent position in Trump’s administration and help him move forward with the many important policy imperatives they hold in common. As a country we could be looking at at least 16 straight years of sober and responsible Republican control of the executive branch if Trump and Pence play their cards right, keep their noses clean, and put on a clinic on real leadership, each of which can safely be predicted.
Trump won this race his way, rather than kowtowing to the republican establishment like Reagan did in choosing establishment mole George H. W. Bush as his vice-presidential running mate. This will pay big dividends. As long as Trump has reasonable success in obtaining long-needed tax reform and reviving our moribund economy he will be very well set up for re-election four years from now.
Job number one in terms of keeping liberals and progressives frustrated and rudderless for as long as possible should be for non-establishment patriots like Trump to fight hard to prevent them from credibly claiming that they have reoccupied the moral high ground. These phonies are constantly trying to portray themselves as our moral “betters” and their political opponents as the worst possible thing–hypocrites. Weak-kneed, wishy-washy republicans have been letting them get away with this nonsense in the media for decades now. With this huge victory by Trump, they have finally been exposed as morally bankrupt. Nothing chaps their asses worse than this kind of undeniable public humiliation. Normal, red-blooded Americans who were never brainwashed by sociopathic college professors are absolutely loving it.
Hopefully nobody gets killed in the next few days or weeks as the diasappointed SJWs indulge themselves in shameless riots (not protests) in the streets of our major cities and elsewhere. If someone does unfortunately die, Trump will probably take it very personally. No doubt he would call Obama and Clinton and their narrow-minded political operatives out directly and severely for their immoral unwillingness to maintain law and order while they transition out of power.
Ridgewood NJ, in a recent editorial in the Glen Rock Patch former Ridgewood Mayor Paul Aronsohn gave Congressmen Scott Garrett a Negative Endorsement .
What’s a Negative Endorsement you ask ? A Negative Endorsement is a when a disreputable person with dubious motives supports a candidate making the candidate they support even less desirable.
Aronsohn started with the usual, “On a whole range of issues, he has taken positions that are extreme and completely out-of-sync with the mainstream values of northern New Jersey. This was true when I ran against him in 2006. This is still true today. In fact, he often takes positions that are out-of-sync with the other 11 members of the New Jersey delegation — democrats as well as republicans.”
Garrett is “out-of-sync”,says the man who tried to sell out the whole Village of Ridgewood to hand full of developers .
Garrett is “out-of-sync”, says the man who every single candidate he supported in the last election lost in a massive landslide .
Garrett is “out-of-sync”, despite the fact he beat Aronsohn easily and has been reelected over and over by New Jersey Voters .
Garrett is “out-of-sync” , says the man who tried to blame PSEG Super Storm Sandy and pissed them off so much they cut power to the Village Hall .
Maybe Garrett is not “out-of-sync”, maybe Mr Ex Mayor , you are “out-of-sync” and a sore loser . To many in the Village of Ridgewood Aronsohn and his cronies represented the low water mark in Village history.
Former New York Mayor Ed Koch once said, “If you agree with me on nine out of 12 issues, vote for me. If you agree with me on 12 out of 12 issues, see a psychiatrist.”
I have always felt this was good advice and perhaps the Ex Mayor could seek some professional help.
Scott Garrett is a soft-spoken policy wonk , contrary to poor and biased coverage he receives from much of New Jersey’s Democratic and Union controlled media he is no “Right-wing firebrand”.
Garrett actually read Dodd-Frank all 2000 plus pages. I know not very glamorous , but what is glamorous is all the work Scott has done on making “CrowdFunding ” easier. Easy enough to have a Pizza Shop in Ridgewood rebuilt because of Indego. On a larger scale, many entrepreneurs can now raise capital independently on Wall Street Investment banks .
Scott has also pushed back on the “too big to fail” , which contrary to media coverage this has made him a target of Wall Street and a target of Real-estate interests . Do you really think all banks should be entitled to taxpayer bailouts and for that matter, Dodd-Frank makes many key industries in the US “too big to fail” creating a “bailout nation”.
To quote former Fed Chair Alan Greenspan , as a policy “too big to fail” creates a”moral hazard”. Meaning the risk in the USA is socialized while profits and concentrated on the politically favored.
Garrett has been attacked repeatedly on his supposed “anti-gay “comments , his offices have even been the target of media coordinated , media and Democrat orchestrated fake protests . No evidence has ever been offered as to these comments ,no tapes, video , pictures or transcripts ,nothing period.
While his Clintonista challenger Josh Gottheimer has accepted money from wife beaters , Saudi Arabia , disgraced ex-congressmen and every industry looking to get on the taxpayer bailout band wagon.
The reality is Garrett is conservative yes , and while he is the incumbent he is also a Washington outsider . He opposes wasteful spending ,no matter what the cost and most importantly he is what he is and makes no representation otherwise .
He proved right to be skeptical on Obamacare, and the Iranian Nuke deal, as well as the management of disaster aid .
This is why once again the Ridgewood blog endorses and will continue to endorse Scott Garrett .
Among the otherwise quiet races for Bergen County offices this year, the sheriff’s contest has emerged as the most heated, with a challenger who has accused the incumbent of political cronyism in hiring and “double-dipping.”
It’s certainly been the most visible county election in 2016, with billboards along major roadways and targeted Facebook and TV placements devoted to the race.
BERGEN COUNTY ELECTION OFFICES ANNOUNCE EXTENDED HOURS
In a joint effort to accommodate constituents and encourage greater voter participation in the upcoming 2016 General Election, the Offices of the Bergen County Clerk, the Superintendent of Elections and the Board of Elections will be available during extended night and weekend hours.
The County Election Offices will be open for extended hours on:
Wednesday, October 12th, 2016 9:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
*Tuesday, October 18th, 2016 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. (*only for voter registration)
Thursday, October 20th, 2016 9:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Saturday October 29th, 2016 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 5th, 2016 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 6th, 2016 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
The increased availability is intended to encourage In-Person Vote-by-Mail and voter registration.
Important 2016 Election Dates to remember:
October 18th – last day to register to vote for the General 2016 Election.
November 1st – deadline to apply for a Vote-By-Mail Ballot by mail.
November 7th at 3:00pm – Last opportunity to Vote-By-Mail in person at the Bergen County Clerk’s Office.
November 8th at 8:00pm – Vote by mail ballots must be received by the Board of Elections by the closing of the polls.
Tuesday, November 8th – General election (polls open 6am-8pm)For more information Contact:
Office of the Bergen County Clerk – 201-336-7020
Lauren M. Zyriek, Deputy County Clerk
Jennifer Testi, Deputy Supervisor of Elections
Superintendent of Elections – 201-336-6109
Patricia DiCostanzo, Superintendent of Elections
Theresa Mullins O’Connor, Deputy Superintendent of Elections
NJ SpotlightBy NJ Spotlight
on September 20, 2016 at 6:30 AM, updated September 20, 2016 at 5:03 PM
….In Bergen County, Sheriff Michael Saudino is opposed by Republican Manuel Alfonso, a chief investigator for the state Department of Corrections. Saudino was elected as a Republican, but switched his allegiance to the Democratic Party this year.
Saudino rakes in more than any other double-dipping sheriff – $138,000 in salary plus $130,000 from pension. Alfonso is eligible for an $80,000 a year pension, but has promised not to collect retirement pay while he serves as sheriff….
Gottheimer’s Price Tag on his Principles: $462,520.00
September 20,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Congressman Scott Garrett was an early and vocal opponent of President Obama’s nuclear arms deal, repeatedly announcing his concerns about the President’s framework in April 2015, voting against the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 in May, and denouncing the deal itself as soon as it was announced in July.
Meanwhile, Josh Gottheimer was waiting to see which way the political winds would blow before he took a stance. He was silent on President Obama’s framework for the deal in April and again in May, on the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 – legislation that paved the way for the deal. He waited a full month before announcing his opposition to the deal itself – and even then, made sure to praise President Obama’s approach. Is it possible that the reason for Gottheimer’s delay in taking a stance on this crucial issue was the series of major Washington, DC fundraisers with Democratic insiders he had scheduled?
From April 2, 2015 when President Obama announced the framework for a deal on Iran’s nuclear program to August 17, 2015, Josh Gottheimer was silent on President Obama’s nuclear deal. Instead, he spent time leveraging his political insider connections to raise $462,520.00, thanks to his Washington, DC lobbyist friends.
Since announcing his “opposition” to the deal, he’s gone on to campaign and fundraise with Members of Congress who embrace the deal and are frequent critics of the State of Israel. He’s also refused to condemn the “ransom” payment to Iran.
Looks like Josh Gottheimer will say anything he needs to in order to get elected, but his loyalties are firmly with those trying to send him to Congress: Washington, DC Democratic lobbyists.
citation: Josh Gottheimer for Congress two year summary of itemized individual contributions attached, as downloaded from FEC.gov on Mon Sep 19 15:55:03 GMT 2016.
Manuel Alfonso, 47, is the first Latino to pursue the position of Bergen County Sheriff and score a major party endorsement. The Cuban American Republican entered the race earlier this year after a January party switch by incumbent Sheriff Michael Saudino from Republican to Democrat left the GOP scrambling for a candidate.
While Alfonso has never run for office before, the candidate is a 26-year veteran in law enforcement. Currently he works as a high-ranking official in a government agency but says that he cannot disclose information about his department or position for campaign purposes due to ethics violations. In the past, Alfonso worked with the FBI joint terrorism task force for five years and with the U.S. Marshals Service.
