Two attempted child luring incidents reported in Bergen County
JUNE 7, 2014, 3:31 PM LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 2014, 3:35 PM BY AARON MORRISON STAFF WRITER THE RECORD
Authorities in two Bergen County towns were dealing with reports of attempted child luring Saturday.
In Elmwood Park, a 10-year-old girl told police Saturday morning that a man driving a red sedan asked if she needed a ride. When she refused the offer, the man yelled at the girl and he sped off, said Sgt. Ralph Sigona of the Elmwood Park police. Detectives were reviewing security footage from a building near where the alleged luring attempt took place, added Sigona, who did not release the location of the incident.
Tenafly Schools Superintendent Lynn Trager described a similar incident, reported to police Friday evening, near the Stillman Elementary playground at Windsor and Tenafly roads. A student was approached by an “older teenager with short hair” at approximately 9:30 p.m.
The teen asked the girl to come with him, but she ran away and informed an adult, Trager wrote in an alert sent to parents.
Bergen County reaches deal to bring gourmet food trucks to county parks
JUNE 4, 2014, 6:49 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 4, 2014, 11:55 PM BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN STAFF WRITER THE RECORD
The gourmet food truck craze has landed in the Bergen County parks.
The first trucks in what organizers hope will be a rotating caravan serving everything from Thai food to hot dogs to ice cream have set up their mobile shops at Overpeck County Park and in Paramus at the Orchard Hills Golf Course and Van Saun Park.
Two members step down from advisory panel on Bergen County police merger
APRIL 29, 2014, 8:40 PM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 2014, 8:40 PM BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN STAFF WRITER THE RECORD
A panel picked to advise the Bergen County freeholders on a contested police merger has lost two local law enforcement officials to a standoff between the board and the County Police Chief’s Association.
Cresskill Police Chief Edward Wrixon and Paramus Deputy Chief Robert Guidetti had been tapped to be part of the eight-member group that was asked to advise the freeholders on how to implement a contested merger that would move the 89-member County Police as an intact division into the Sheriff’s Office.
But both men have indicated to the freeholders that they will not be taking part in the panel after Mahwah Chief James Batelli, the current president of the chief’s association, questioned why his group was not consulted on the makeup of the panel.
The departure of Wrixon and Guidetti leaves the panel without any active-duty municipal police chiefs, although it does have a retired chief plus law enforcement officials from other agencies.
“I was sorry to hear that the chiefs association has asked these gentlemen to step down and not serve,” Freeholder Tracy Zur, head of the board’s shared services committee said Tuesday. “They brought a dynamic that would have been very helpful.”
“I find it unfortunate that they are forced to choose between the president of the chiefs’ association and public service,” Zur added. “We will move forward with other experienced law enforcement officials who are not active chiefs to stop the politicization of the process.”
Batelli, who has criticized the proposed merger, disputed Zur’s claim.
“That’s not the case,” he said. “There wasn’t any pressure put on the chiefs to not participate. What was said was that we wanted to do it as an association.”
Batelli said he understood Zur’s position that the committee is simply there to help the freeholders implement the details of a merger and that a large group of chiefs would prove unwieldy and unworkable. He also noted that within the association, the opinions of chiefs vary on the merits of the merger.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/two-members-step-down-from-advisory-panel-on-bergen-county-police-merger-1.1005379#sthash.xayjDy90.dpuf
Ridgewood officials discuss potential shared service with Bergen County
APRIL 14, 2014 LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, APRIL 14, 2014, 4:24 PM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
Village officials have learned that the county is slated to open a new vehicle maintenance facility just three miles outside of Ridgewood, putting a new twist on the municipality’s ongoing efforts to improve and potentially relocate its fleet repair operations.
Based on recent conversations with Bergen County administrators, Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld said construction on the county garage is already underway and is scheduled for completion later this year. Sonenfeld, who took over as the full-time manager less than two weeks ago, informed Ridgewood Council members this week that the project has gone relatively under the radar, as little information was available until she and other village officials broached the topic with the county.
“This has not really been publicized, but the county is building a state-of-the-art facility that they think will be operational in November,” said Sonenfeld. “The great news is that it’s not far away. It’s right down Ridgewood Avenue in Paramus.”
Specifically, Bergen’s new Department of Public Works Maintenance Complex will be located just south of Ridgewood Avenue along Jerome Avenue, a mostly residential street. On Wednesday, the village manager was unable to specify the total number of vehicle repair bays that the county intends to build, but she indicated that the overall goal is to offer services to municipalities.
Bergen County among hardest hit in N.J. epidemic of heroin deaths
MARCH 23, 2014 LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, MARCH 23, 2014, 12:47 AM
BY REBECCA D. O’BRIEN
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
The dead include a former high school football player, a mother from Oakland and best friends who died within two weeks of each other. Seven of them were under 30. Four were women. Nearly all died in their Bergen County homes.
So far this year, heroin has claimed the lives of at least 13 Bergen County residents — a rate of more than one per week. If the trend continues, by year’s end deaths would vastly exceed the county’s 27 fatal overdoses in 2013.
Caitlin Reiter, a 21-year-old from Franklin Lakes, died of a heroin overdose on Feb. 2 at her father’s home. Her addiction began in high school with prescription pills; no rehabilitation facility or family intervention could stop it.
The toll has alarmed county officials, who fear that opiate addiction is growing more entrenched in North Jersey.
Related story: Anti-drug ads aim to raise parents’ awareness about the rise of addiction in Bergen County
“It starts at a party with a painkiller and ends alone at night in your bedroom,” said Sgt. David Borzotta of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office narcotics task force.
In 2012, New Jersey saw roughly 800 opiate-related drug deaths, half of which involved heroin, a drug whose resurgence across the Northeast in recent years has been linked to the widespread availability and abuse of prescription painkillers.
MARCH 20, 2014, 2:26 PM LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, MARCH 20, 2014, 10:29 PM
BY JOHN REITMEYER
STATE HO– USE BUREAU
THE RECORD
New Jersey’s average property tax bill grew just over 1 percent last year, to $7,988. But in Bergen County — where the bills already easily exceed the statewide average — property taxes increased to the highest in the state in 2013, according to new data released by the state Department of Community Affairs.
Factoring in all municipal, school and county taxes, bills in Bergen County jumped to an average of $10,642 in 2013, a 1.5 percent increase from the year before. That increase pushed Bergen County past Essex County as the costliest for homeowners in New Jersey in 2013.
In Passaic County, property tax bills went up 1.75 percent on average last year, to $9,368. Passaic County ranked fifth statewide behind Bergen; Essex, $10,590; Union County, $9,932; and Morris County, $9,547.
At the other end of the spectrum, the cheapest average property tax bills were the $3,706 paid by homeowners in Cumberland County, followed by Cape May, $4,557; Salem, $4,871; Ocean, $5,470; and Camden, $5,957.
TUESDAY MARCH 4, 2014, 12:39 PM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Ridgewood will sell an aging, reserve firetruck to Bergen County for use at the police and fire training academy in Mahwah. The governing bodies from each entity passed separate resolutions last Wednesday, agreeing to the sale price of $35,000.
According to acting Village Manager Heather Mailander, the Ridgewood Fire Department was no longer using a 1991 Pierce ladder firetruck. But before the truck could hit the auction block, county officials expressed an interest in obtaining the fire apparatus.
Both Mailander and Ridgewood Fire Chief James Van Goor recommended the sale of the truck to the county. Van Goor searched Govdeals.com, an Internet auction site used by governing entities, and learned Ridgewood’s transaction withBergen County “is a good deal,” Mailander said.
Last week, a 1992 Pierce firetruck with 73,000 miles on it had a current bid of $6,000. That vehicle required several repairs and maintenance, based on the Govdeals.com listing.
As part of the deal between Ridgewood and Bergen County, the Board of Chosen Freeholders will allow the village to use the firetruck, which comes with a rear-mounted 100-foot tall aerial ladder, in the event the municipality needs it.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/248396041_Ridgewood_selling_firetruck_to_Bergen_County.html#sthash.ml4S3lSJ.dpu
Ridgewood, Bergen County moving on plans for parking garage
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2014 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 26, 2014, 10:33 PM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER
RIDGEWOOD — Village and county officials have been meeting on a parking garage partnership since late 2013, and have agreed that a parking study should be conducted to determine just how big that garage should be.
The Bergen County Improvement Authority would commission the study, which would take a few months to complete, Mayor Paul Aronsohn said. The authority will meet in the next week or two to discuss the study.
The results of the study, which will determine the village’s overall parking needs, also will dictate how many spots the new garage facility will eventually have and what rates will be charged to customers.
“We’re all on the same page, and the county executive is also into the idea,” Aronsohn said, adding that the parking study will be “comprehensive,” with results reviewable sometime this summer.
The Bergen County Improvement Authority will cover most of the costs of the study, but the design of the garage will be mutually determined by both the village and the county, Aronsohn said.
Bergen County Executive Kathleen Donovan at recent press conference
Donovan calls for tax hike in Bergen County near 2%
Monday, February 10, 2014 Last updated: Monday February 10, 2014, 8:42 AM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN
STAFF WRITER
The Record
Bergen County Executive Kathleen Donovan will propose a $511 million budget this week that calls for a nearly 2 percent increase in the amount to be raised by county taxes.
That will mean a tax increase of $6.49 this year for the owner of a home assessed at the county average of $324,200.
“I have kept my promise to keep it under the rate of inflation for four years,” Donovan said last week while previewing the budget proposal before The Record’s editorial board.
Donovan will present the budget Wednesday to the freeholders, who have the final say on the spending plan.
there is no substitute for hard work, Thomas Edison
Labor Day has arrived and with it comes the unofficial end of summer and the back-to -school routine.
A Labor Day Message from Bergen County Executive Kathleen A. Donovan
For those who enjoy summer, you have my sympathy on its imminent demise; for those who enjoy the brisk fall weather and football games, I share your anticipation. For the children who are going back to school, all I can say is that I am sure your parents are thrilled that you will be continuing your education.
But before we close the book on Summer 2013, I want to pay to honor to the real meaning of Labor Day – which is to recognize the struggle of workers who built this nation by the sweat of their brow, their brawn, their creativity and dedication.
I want to honor those who have fought for workplace fairness and the legacy they have left for us. We owe a special debt to the men and women of the union movement, who, for decades, struggled to improve workplace safety, fought for honest wages, and the benefits that we all take for granted.
Worker activists in the U.S. began fighting for worker rights and recognition of labor’s value to our nation in the late 1800’s. In 1887 New Jersey became one of the first states to officially recognize a holiday celebrating labor’s contributions. In the middle of the next decade Congress created the first national Labor Day.
Whether you are a card carrying member of a union, or a government or corporate employee — the contribution you are making to your company or organization, and most importantly, to your family, deserves recognition.
Through the last century and into this one, American men and women have led the world in worker productivity and inventiveness. When called upon, as they were in World War II, American workers responded to our nation’s needs.
Today American workers are making quality products that are second to none, and they are leading the way in information age technology products and services.
America’s greatness and its future are found in the men and women who roll up their sleeves every day and do their work with pride and dedication.
Please, enjoy your Labor Day holiday, spend it with family and friends, and recognize the work you do that allows you to live independent lives, contributes to your community, our economy and the future of America.
Observed on the first Monday in September, Labor Day pays tribute to the contributions and achievements of American workers. It was created by the labor movement in the late 19th century and became a federal holiday in 1894. Labor Day also symbolizes the end of summer for many Americans, and is celebrated with parties, parades and athletic events. ( https://www.history.com/topics/labor-day )
The History of Labor Day
Labor Day: How it Came About; What it Means
Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.
Labor Day Legislation
Through the years the nation gave increasing emphasis to Labor Day. The first governmental recognition came through municipal ordinances passed during 1885 and 1886. From these, a movement developed to secure state legislation. The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. During the year four more states — Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and New York — created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska, and Pennsylvania had followed suit. By 1894, 23 other states had adopted the holiday in honor of workers, and on June 28 of that year, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.
Founder of Labor Day
More than 100 years after the first Labor Day observance, there is still some doubt as to who first proposed the holiday for workers.
Some records show that Peter J. McGuire, general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and a cofounder of the American Federation of Labor, was first in suggesting a day to honor those “who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold.”
But Peter McGuire’s place in Labor Day history has not gone unchallenged. Many believe that Matthew Maguire, a machinist, not Peter McGuire, founded the holiday. Recent research seems to support the contention that Matthew Maguire, later the secretary of Local 344 of the International Association of Machinists in Paterson, N.J., proposed the holiday in 1882 while serving as secretary of the Central Labor Union in New York. What is clear is that the Central Labor Union adopted a Labor Day proposal and appointed a committee to plan a demonstration and picnic.
The First Labor Day
The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The Central Labor Union held its second Labor Day holiday just a year later, on September 5, 1883.
In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, as originally proposed, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and celebrate a “workingmen’s holiday” on that date. The idea spread with the growth of labor organizations, and in 1885 Labor Day was celebrated in many industrial centers of the country.
A Nationwide Holiday
The form that the observance and celebration of Labor Day should take was outlined in the first proposal of the holiday — a street parade to exhibit to the public “the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations” of the community, followed by a festival for the recreation and amusement of the workers and their families. This became the pattern for the celebrations of Labor Day. Speeches by prominent men and women were introduced later, as more emphasis was placed upon the economic and civic significance of the holiday. Still later, by a resolution of the American Federation of Labor convention of 1909, the Sunday preceding Labor Day was adopted as Labor Sunday and dedicated to the spiritual and educational aspects of the labor movement.
The character of the Labor Day celebration has undergone a change in recent years, especially in large industrial centers where mass displays and huge parades have proved a problem. This change, however, is more a shift in emphasis and medium of expression. Labor Day addresses by leading union officials, industrialists, educators, clerics and government officials are given wide coverage in newspapers, radio, and television.
The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation’s strength, freedom, and leadership — the American worker.
10 recipes for the perfect Labor Day barbecue
Published August 29, 2013
FoxNews.com
While summer may be coming to a close, the end of grilling season is still a long way away. This Labor Day, take advantage of the fact that the old Weber isn’t covered with snow or plastered with rotting leaves. Think about it. You’ve only got a few more weeks before summer is over and the neighbors think you’re crazy for firing up the grill in a blizzard.
To aid in your Labor Day celebration, we’ve come up with a list of recipes that pay tribute to summer and welcome the fall. From barbecued turkey wings to a fall berry cocktail, we’ve compiled all the makings of an epic Labor Day feast. So turn on the grill, loosen that belt and let the Labor Day party begin.
In observance of Labor Day, Village offices will be closed Monday, September 2. There will also be no garbage or recycling collection that day. The Recycling Center on E. Glen Avenue will also be closed.
All offices and services resume operation Tuesday, September 2.
Labor Day Message from Bergen County Executive Kathleen A. Donovan September 3,2012 Bergen County Executive Kathleen A. Donovan
As we celebrate Labor Day this Monday we are given the opportunity to honor the American worker. It is their efforts that provide us the goods and services we use to make our own lives better.
The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. Five years later New Jersey along with five other states became the first in the nation to recognize a Labor Day holiday.
America was built by people who embraced the virtue of hard work. Through the past two centuries men and women toiled in factories, built roads, bridges and dams. They built homes and skyscrapers; cars and trucks, bulldozers and airplanes. They made America an industrial giant and their labor created the great American middle class.
Other men and women have chosen work in public service. Whether it is the police officer, firefighter or EMT, protecting our lives with theirs, a laborer cleaning a park or an office worker helping residents find the services they need: they perform the functions that keep our communities safe, clean and orderly.
America is indeed a nation of workers and all work, however humble contributes to our community and should be honored.
John D Rockefeller once said: “I believe in the dignity of labor, whether with head or hand; that the world owes no man a living but that it owes every man an opportunity to make a living.”
In these tough economic times, many of our friends and neighbors are without work or are working for less. Hopefully, by this time next year, America’s economic recovery will gain momentum and all those who are able to work will be rewarded with the dignity of a job.
I promise to re-double my administration’s efforts to reduce the burden on Bergen County taxpayers. We will continue to stretch every dollar so that you may keep more of what you have earned and better enjoy the rewards of your labor.
I wish everyone a happy and restful Labor Day Weekend.
Statement by Paul T. Conway, President of Generation Opportunity
Washington, DC – (9/3/12) – Generation Opportunity President Paul T. Conway, former Chief of Staff of the U.S. Department of Labor, has issued the following statement:
“Labor Day is a day set aside specifically to honor the achievements of the American worker. But on this Labor Day, as Americans traditionally celebrate with family and friends, the sad reality is that millions of young Americans will not return to a full-time job tomorrow.
“Through no fault of their own, over twelve percent of young Americans are unemployed and have been denied the opportunity to contribute their talents and to achieve success.
“Due to failed leadership and failed policies over the last three and a half years, their lives and dreams have been delayed. It is no surprise that young adults, union and non-union alike, have little enthusiasm for leaders who defend the status quo while offering no ideas for more economic opportunity.
“Young Americans deserve more from their leaders and want solutions that place a higher value on the growth of businesses and opportunity as opposed to government.”
—
For Generation Opportunity, the polling company, inc./WomanTrend conducted a nationwide online survey of 1,003 American adults ages 18-29 between July 27 and July 31, 2012. This study has a ±3.1% margin of error at a 95% confidence interval, and sampling quotas were used to ensure the survey was representative of the larger 18-29 year old nationwide population with regard to race, region, and gender.
76% of Millennials plan to vote in the election for President this year.
Only 38% believe that today’s political leaders reflect the interests of young Americans.
89% of young people ages 18-29 say the current state of the economy is impacting their day-to-day lives (accepted multiples responses) (randomized):
51% reduced their entertainment budget;
43% reduced their grocery/food budget;
43% cut back on gifts for friends and family;
40% skipped a vacation;
38% drive less;
36% take active steps to reduce home energy costs;
32% tried to find an additional job;
27% sold personal items or property (cars, electronic appliances, or other possessions);
26% changed their living situation (moved in with family, taken extra roommates, downgraded apartment or home);
17% skipped a wedding, family reunion, or other significant social event;
1% other;
8% none of the above (accepted only this response);
3% do not know/cannot judge (accepted only this response).
84% of young people ages 18-29 had planned to but now might delay or not make at all a major life change or move forward on a major purchase due to the current state of the economy (accepted multiples responses) (randomized):
38% – Buy their own place;
32% – Go back to school/getting more education or training;
31% – Start a family;
27% – Change jobs/cities;
26% – Pay off student loans or other debt;
25% – Save for retirement;
23% – Get married;
12% – None of the above (accepted only this response);
4% – Do not know/cannot judge (accepted only this response).
76% believe that the lack of job opportunities is shrinking the American middle class.
64% of young people ages 18-29 believe the availability of more quality, full-time jobs upon graduation is more important than lower student loan interest rates.
Last month, Generation Opportunity released the non-seasonally adjusted (NSA) unemployment data for Millennials for July 2012:
The youth unemployment rate for 18-29 year olds specifically for July 2012 is 12.7 percent (NSA).
The youth unemployment rate for 18-29 year old African-Americans for July 2012 is 22.3 percent (NSA); the youth unemployment rate for 18-29 year old Hispanics for July 2012 is 14.0 percent (NSA); and the youth unemployment rate for 18–29 year old women for July 2012 is 12.6 percent (NSA).
The declining labor participation rate has created an additional 1.715 million young adults that are not counted as “unemployed” by the U.S. Department of Labor because they are not in the labor force, meaning that those young people have given up looking for work due to the lack of jobs.
If the labor force participation rate were factored into the 18-29 youth unemployment calculation, the actual 18-29-unemployment rate would rise to 16.7 percent (NSA).
