the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton, N.J. (May 28, 2020)—As expected, housing market numbers in April were down in almost every category, except price.
According to data aggregated by New Jersey Realtors from the eight multiple listing services in the state, while new listings, pending sales, closed sales, and homes for sale are down double digits, prices are stable and on the rise.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, The Boards of Chosen Freeholders in Hunterdon, Warren, and Sussex Counties have called on Governor Phil Murphy to allow for a regional re-opening of businesses in New Jersey’s northwest corner and announced the creation of a ‘Gateway to Resources for Business Re-opening’ website that provides the latest information on the best practices for commercial re-openings.
Continue reading Northwest Jersey Freeholder Boards Say Regional Re-opening Should Be Allowed
“The fact that it is in question should be enough to raise red flags. What have Cuomo or Murphy been successful at. They quarantined HEALTHY people. Our numbers are still high, it didn’t work! The power needs to be taken away from both of these men. People need to take care of themselves, I am a healthy American citizen who is being forced not to worship, not to work, to wear a mask, my freedom has been taken from me. by men who are not scientists, not a doctors, no medical expertise at all. Murphy is making decisions for me based on his beliefs. I am not okay with an unqualified person telling me what is right for me.”
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Hackensack NJ, Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco announces week four testing locations for the County of Bergen/Bergen New Bridge Medical Center COVID-19 community mobile testing program. Over 6,500 residents have been tested for the COVID-19 virus and COVID-19 antibodies as part of this ongoing initiative which brings testing directly to communities across the county.
Continue reading BERGEN COUNTY ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL COVID19 COMMUNITY MOBILE TESTING LOCATIONS
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Ridgewood NJ, Companion bills introduced today in the New Jersey Assembly and Senate that provide immunity to businesses that act in good faith and follow safety protocols during the state’s economic reopening will help ensure the survival of many small businesses. NFIB, an association representing thousands of small businesses across New Jersey, supports this legislation because innocent business owners who did all that was expected of them can lose their business due simply to the high cost of a legal defense.
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Trenton NJ, Governor Murphy Fires Top State Official in Charge of Running Emergency Preparedness Office. NJGOP Chairman Doug Steinhardt comments on the firing of a the states’ top health official in charge of emergency preparedness in the middle of a pandemic , “The news reports of Governor Murphy firing the top state health official in charge of emergency preparedness in the middle of a pandemic are extremely concerning. Governor Murphy has shown poor judgement throughout this crisis, whether it was sending COVID-positive patients back to nursing homes, or failing to lay off idled public sector employees, and he needs to immediately provide information on this termination. Reports that this individual believes he’s being scapegoated only confirms what many suspect: Murphy has moved from spinning answers, deflecting questions, and hiding information from the public to an outright coverup of his administration’s failures. The people of New Jersey deserve better.
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Trenton NJ, they just can not wait anymore. Rejecting the continued Governor Phil Murphy lock down as many as 1,000 businesses reportedly have signed on to reopen on June 1st. The businesses include gyms, nail salons, barbershops and more. “With over 100 gym locations together not including the rest of the businesses like nail and hair salons and barbershops, we will all open our doors together at 9am on June 1 like we have said from day 1! This is a decision that was made by this entire group not just one person or two people. Collectively this what we have decided together,” said organizer Tommy Trilivas.
Continue reading Over 1,000 New Jersey Businesses Reportedly have Signed on to Reopen on June 1st
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Ridgewood NJ, Governor Phil Murphy today signed legislation (A4157), which temporarily extends the deadline to file a property tax appeal to July 1, 2020, and the deadline for county boards of taxation to render decisions in tax appeal cases to September 30, 2020. The bill takes effect immediately and applies retroactively to April 1, 2020.
Continue reading Property Tax Appeals and Decision Deadlines Have Been Temporarily Extended
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Trenton NJ, Mayors for “Main Street” sent a letter to the Governor’s Office, Legislative Leaders, Legislative District Representatives and County Officials to outline a list of actions needed to help reopen and lift restrictions on businesses in their communities and help to alleviate the struggles that many residents are facing.
The letter lays out the following points that the Mayors believe appropriate and necessary steps:
Continue reading Mayors for “Main Street” Outline a list of Actions Needed to Help Reopen New Jersey
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
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Trenton NJ, concern mounts on Governor Murphy’s executive power overreach. Murphy’s executive orders have locked down the state. They determine what can open and what cannot. Dog grooming businesses are deemed essential, while hair salons are not. The governor can now pick winners and losers , and essential and non essential.
The law allowing New Jersey’s governors to issue executive orders is broad. It says that Murphy can decide, “the conduct of the civilian population during the threat of and imminence of danger or any emergency.”
But this could mean “almost anything,” according to Rutgers Law School Professor Ronald Chen. Chen says that Murphy is testing the limits of his power ; power given to him by state lawmakers.“Now, of course, the Legislature can revisit that,” says Chen.
Continue reading Mounting Concern Over Governor Murphy’s “Temporary” Executive Order Power
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Lodi Nj, Senator Anthony M. Bucco said the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (NJMVC) has failed to respond to his repeated requests to produce an overview of their reopening plan to demonstrate they will have sufficient capacity to handle a surge in customers that should be expected after agency offices have been closed for months.
Continue reading NJMVC Fails to Demonstrate Plan to Meet Surge in Demand Upon Reopening
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Ridgewood NJ, When Ridgewood schools closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, most parents assumed they would reopen in a matter of weeks.Instead, schools across the country have remained closed and will likely remain closed for the rest of the academic year.
Continue reading Should Ridgewood Taxpayers Get A “Coronavirus Tax Refund” Due to Closed Schools?
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Ridgewood NJ, Village of Ridgewood Mayor Ramon M Hache on May 19th encouraged residents to wear a mask ,”While we have not had any new positive cases of COVID-19 in Ridgewood in nearly a week, we are still not out of the woods. As the lifting of restrictions has begun slowly, please continue to take precautions for your safety and the safety of others. Be particularly disciplined about wearing a mask in public. The continued lifting of restrictions, while welcomed, will be bringing us in closer proximity to others so we must continue to exercise extra care to avoid re-igniting the spread of the virus. A new flare up would be devastating. Be well and stay safe.”
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Village of Ridgewood Mayor Ramon M Hache , “During last night’s Village Council meeting, I provided some details regarding the planning underway for the reopening of our downtown. While the reopening of businesses in NJ will be gradual, and we still do not have set dates and guidance from the Governor, it is safe to expect that there will be restrictions regarding the number of customers allowed at each business. That means businesses will not be able to fully utilize the interior square footage of their locations. Together with all the Village department heads, the Chamber of Commerce, the Ridgewood Guild, commercial landlords, retailers and restauranteurs, we are working on a reopening plan. That plan will, first and foremost, aim to ensure the safety of our residents and patrons while helping our businesses to have the necessary tools to thrive. With the understanding that the downtown that will reopen will be very different from the one that closed in March, we have to embrace some outside-the-box ideas that probably could have never been considered previously. For example, closing a significant portion of our downtown to vehicles, thereby creating an outdoor pedestrian mall on Saturdays and Sundays. It is the best way to ensure proper social distancing while allowing businesses to make up for the lost indoor square footage. While we encourage residents to walk to the downtown if possible, patrons will still be able to park on some streets as well as Walnut Street Lot, Bus Station Lot, Cottage Place Lot and the soon to open Hudson Street Parking Garage. As you can imagine, this will require a lot of coordination between NJ Transit, Ridgewood Police, Signal Department, commercial landlords, businesses, volunteers and most importantly you the public. We will continue to provide more information. In the meantime, if you have any feedback or suggestions, please email them to: [email protected].”
