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Pascack Valley’s Mayors’ Association Seeks Voice on the Teterboro Aircraft Noise Abatement Advisory Committee

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Woodcliff Lake NJ, in December we reported that the Township of Mahwah aircraft noise complaints were spiraling . The amount of low flying aircraft over Mahwah appeared to have increased significantly . Now mayors in several Bergen County towns say their residents are being disturbed by an increase in noise from planes out of Teterboro Airport, and they want more say over the situation. For months the towns in what is called the Pascack Valley have been logging and collecting data on the amount of noise complaints from their residents .

Continue reading Pascack Valley’s Mayors’ Association Seeks Voice on the Teterboro Aircraft Noise Abatement Advisory Committee

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The Ridgewood Blog Endorse Frank Pallotta for Congress in New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Mahwah NJ, Mahwah Resident Frank Pallotta Certified as Congressional District 5 Winner in GOP Primary . Bergen County has finally certified the county votes from the Primary Election held on July 7th. Combining Bergen with Sussex and Warren counties Frank Pallotta beat out 3 other candidates in his first run for public office.
The Ridgewood blog would like to congratulate Frank Pallotta, a 31 year Mahwah resident, on his victory in the Primary election to represent Congressional District 5 which includes Ridgewood and we  take the  moment of his victory  to endorse Frank Pallotta for Congress in New Jersey’s CD5.

Continue reading The Ridgewood Blog Endorse Frank Pallotta for Congress in New Jersey’s 5th Congressional District

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Pascack Valley line hit by tragedy again

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Pearl River NY,  Pascack Valley line once again hit by tragedy.  This past Sunday two teen passengers inside a Porsche SUV died after the car burst into flames on NJ Transit’s Pascack Valley Line. A two-car collision sent a Porsche SUV plummeting off an overpass onto train tracks below, where it burst into flames, killing two teenagers and sending a third to a hospital with serious injuries.

Continue reading Pascack Valley line hit by tragedy again
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America’s Mayor Rudy Giuliani helping out on the New Jersey Campaign Trail

Rudy Giuliani

November 5,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Glen Rock NJ, the campaign seemed to finally heat up this weekend with America’s Mayor Rudy Giuliani  endorsing the GOP  District 39 ticket, Senator Cardinale, Assemblyman Auth and Holly Schepisi and helping us raise additional money last night.

District 39 – (Bergen and Passaic)  Bloomingdale, Closter, Demarest, Dumont, Emerson, Harrington Park, Haworth, Hillsdale, Mahwah, Montvale, Norwood, Oakland, Old Tappan, Park Ridge, Ramsey, Ringwood, River Vale, Saddle River, Upper Saddle River, Wanaque, Washington (Bergen), Westwood, Woodcliff Lake.

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Giuliani  also endorsed and campaigned with Kelly Greco Langschultz for NJ Senate. Kelly Landschultz of New Milford is the Republican candidate for Senate, with William Leonard of Glen Rock and Christopher B. Wolf of Saddle Brook the GOP Assembly candidates

District 38 – (Bergen and Passaic)  Bergenfield, Fair Lawn, Glen Rock, Hasbrouck Heights, Hawthorne, Lodi, Maywood, New Milford, Oradell, Paramus, River Edge, Rochelle Park, Saddle Brook .

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District 39 Campaign Heats Up As Assemblywomen Schepisi’s Attorney Sends Democrats a Cease and Desist Letter

Holly Schepisi and Bob Auth

November 2,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

River Vale, NJ , Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi  has had enough ,on Facebook she says , “Sometimes you have to fight back. When you have no platform, positions or plans, you lie about pretty much everything. This isn’t “politics” as usual. It’s intentionally and maliciously defaming someone in an effort to destroy a person’s reputation.”

Schepisi Attorney Gibbons PC Director Thomas J. Cafferty fired off a letter on behalf of the incumbent Republican Assemblywoman to the Committee to Elect Linda Schwager, Jannie Chung and Annie Hausmann.

Cafferty stated in the letter that  the Democrats have published, or have caused to be published, various political advertisements containing false and defamatory statements about Schepisi, including: (1) an advertisement dated October 13, 2017, which contains fictitious quotes regarding the Sandy Hook shooting that are falsely attributed to his client; and (2) an advertisement dated October 27, 2017, which depicts images of men with machine guns and includes the statement “Auth and Schepisi have headlined events hosted by the head of a domestic terrorist militia.”

“On behalf of Ms. Schepisi, I hereby demand that you and any and all of your employees, representatives and/or agents, immediately cease and desist the publication of the above-referenced advertisements and any and all other false and defamatory statements about Ms. Schepisi,” Cafferty wrote. “I also insist that you retract the above-referenced advertisements and any and all other false and defamatory statements that you have published about Ms. Schepisi in at least as prominent a location and in the same manner as the original advertisements were published, with a copy to me.”

The attorney also warned about the sanctioning of an unprivileged, false and a defamatory statement concerning his plaintiff, communicated to a third party with the requisite level of fault and which causes damage.  See Govito v. W. Jersey Health System, Inc., 332 N.J. Super. 293, 305-06 (App. Div. 2000).

“he level of fault when the statement concerns a public official or public figure, like Ms. Schepisi, is actual malice, which is the knowledge of falsity or reckless disregard for the truth,” Cafferty said. “Durando v. Nutley Sun, 209 N.J. 235, 249 (2012).  In other words, the actual malice standard is satisfied when the publisher of the statement entertained serious doubts as to the truth of that statement.  St. Amant v. Thompson, 390 U.S. 727, 731 (1968).”

The attorney noted that Schepisi advised the Democrats on multiple occasions that the statements contained in their advertisements are false.

“You have, however, ignored Ms. Schepisi.  Consequently, you have published these advertisements with reckless disregard for the truth of the statements contained therein and with the requisite knowledge of falsity,” Cafferty wrote. “If you do not cease publication of any and all false and defamatory statements about Ms. Schepisi, I will have no choice but to advise my client of all legal remedies available to her including, without limitation, instituting a lawsuit against you.”

District 39 is Bergen and Passaic counties;   Bloomingdale, Closter, Demarest, Dumont, Emerson, Harrington Park, Haworth, Hillsdale, Mahwah, Montvale, Norwood, Oakland, Old Tappan, Park Ridge, Ramsey, Ringwood, River Vale, Saddle River, Upper Saddle River, Wanaque, Washington (Bergen), Westwood, Woodcliff Lake  .

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Assemblywomen Offers Straight talk on Tax Reform

Holly Schepisi and Bob Auth

photo of Holly Schepisi and Bob Auth

October 22,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

River Vale NJ, assemblywomen Holly Schepisi  reiterates our thoughts on tax reform and the poor position New Jersey is in being one of the highest taxed states in the nation. ”  Thinking about property taxes, New Jersey and the federal property tax deduction. New Jersey residents pretty much get hosed in every way possible when it comes to taxes. Residents in the communities I represent and the other residents of Bergen County currently pay about 30 percent of the entire NJ State Budget and receive back less than 3 percent of that money. At the federal level New Jersey only gets back 74 cents for each $1 it sends to Washington, making it the lowes…t reimbursement in the country.”

“As a result of ridiculously unfair school funding formulas, our residents pay the highest property taxes in the nation. The ONLY tax relief our residents have had is the ability to deduct our property taxes from our federal tax returns. Now the US Senate has voted to eliminate this deduction. I wholeheartedly disagree with the Senate Republicans on this issue. However I also put blame at the feet of the NJ Democrats who have controlled the New Jersey legislature for 16 years and our US Senators who have been controlled by the Democrats since 1982 (other than a short several month stint by Jeff Chiesa). How and why do we have the highest property taxes in the nation? Why do we receive the least amount of funding back from the federal government? Why won’t my Bergen County colleagues on the other side of the aisle fight alongside me for fairer funding of OUR residents? We cannot continue doing things the same way in this State. It is reaching a breaking point for our working middle class and our seniors. I hear campaign slogans about suburbs having to “pay their fair share.” We pay well beyond our “fair share” and we all must stand up together and fight back while we still can.”

District 39 – (Bergen and Passaic)  Bloomingdale, Closter, Demarest, Dumont, Emerson, Harrington Park, Haworth, Hillsdale, Mahwah, Montvale, Norwood, Oakland, Old Tappan, Park Ridge, Ramsey, Ringwood, River Vale, Saddle River, Upper Saddle River, Wanaque, Washington (Bergen), Westwood, Woodcliff Lake  .

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Assemblywomen Schepisi Sets the Record Straight

Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi

October 14,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Rivervale NJ, Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi  moves to set the record straight . “As a result of having no platform or positions of their own, the women running against us rely solely on running a negative campaign against me. Over the next several weeks I will set the record straight on every negative and false claim made by them against me.”

FACT VS FICTION

Today’s attack – Claiming that I wouldn’t vote on legislation to keep guns out of the hands of mentally ill persons, my opponents state “You deserve a representative that shows up to work, makes tough decisions, and keeps you safe.”

My response – Despite New Jersey having some of the strictest gun safety policies in the nation, more than 49 additional bills have been brought to the legislature for a vote during my five years in the Assembly. Several bills have been proposed regarding mental health. I do not know which particular bill my opponents are attacking me on but in 2015 I had to miss several session days during my recovery from brain surgery to repair a brain aneurysm. Two years later, in 2017, I missed a session to attend my five year old son’s kindergarten graduation. I would certainly hope that the women running against me are not saying I should be penalized as a result of being very ill or for being a mom.

I have long been a proponent of sensible gun safety measures to get weapons out of the hands of criminals, terrorists and the mentally ill. Yet, as a victim of two violent crimes in my early twenties I understand the importance of second amendment rights in order to protect oneself.

With respect to my votes over the past five years on gun safety, I believe in sensible gun legislation. I voted in favor of keeping guns out of the hands of carjackers, gang members, and racketeers among other dangerous people. I voted in favor of stronger background checks and increasing penalties for unlawful possession, improper use, and removing a gun’s identification marks. I am the prime sponsor of a bill to ban bump stocks, as I personally believe their only purpose is to circumvent a 30 year old bipartisan ban on automatic weapons.

Almost all of bills I didn’t support don’t do anything to protect anyone because the laws proposed already exist in New Jersey or cannot be enforced due to lack of technology, such as a bill to require not-yet-invented “smart guns.” There is one recent bill pertaining to mental health and guns on which I abstained because mental health professionals, including the Mental Health Association of NJ, the NJ Association of Social Workers and the NJ Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association asked for substantive changes to the bill in order to protect patient confidentiality and to address HIPPA concerns, but they were ignored.

I am more than willing to listen to any thoughts on how to prevent evil acts like what happened in Las Vegas in the future. Both sides of the aisle feel strongly about protecting our families, our neighbors and our constituents. There isn’t disagreement on providing safety, it’s how best to provide it. We must address better mental health initiatives, common sense legislation for gun safety and we need to come together and have an honest dialogue about a critically important issue, not promote fear and slander for political gain.

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Assemblyman Robert Auth never forgets he is a small business owner

Assemblyman Robert Auth

October 13,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Old Tappan NJ, Bob is an old friend of the Ridgewood blog and he is running for Assembly in District 39. Bob never forgets he is a small business owner . Bob is somone who can fight to set the balance right against ANTI-Business , ANTI-jobs Trenton.

District 39 is (Bergen and Passaic Conties)  Bloomingdale, Closter, Demarest, Dumont, Emerson, Harrington Park, Haworth, Hillsdale, Mahwah, Montvale, Norwood, Oakland, Old Tappan, Park Ridge, Ramsey, Ringwood, River Vale, Saddle River, Upper Saddle River, Wanaque, Washington (Bergen), Westwood, Woodcliff

Unlike most modern day politicians Bob entered into politics to help the everyday people of New Jersey, like himself. After graduating from New York University, Bob opened a small insurance company with my wife, Elsa. While it was prosperous at first, the state of New Jersey began to pass heavy regulations that placed a burden on insurance companies like his. After all but six of my competitors went out of business because of these new laws I realized that it was very possible that I might also lose everything I had worked so hard for. It was at that point that I decided to reach out to my friend Senator Cardinale to see if there was any way that he could help me. With a little negotiation Senator Cardinale was able to get Allstate Insurance to work with me which stopped me from having to go out of business. Through this experience, I witnessed firsthand the power of the government to both destroy and to aid.

After Senator Cardinale had helped him Bob decided to try and return the favor. Little by little, Bob started to do additional work for him until finally he became an unpaid volunteer aide for him in Trenton. After working for Senator Cardinale for 25 years a seat in the Assembly opened up; and while Bob was hesitant at first to run for office, he realized that this was my opportunity to help people, just as Senator Cardinale had helped him.

So in 2014, against all odds and very tough competition, I won a seat in the assembly. Even after all his time in the New Jersey Legislature I have kept one rule; before Bob votes on anything he must ask himself how would I feel as a taxpayer seeing my own vote? Bob is an Assemblyman because he has witnessed firsthand the power of the government to both impede and to aid, and Bob wants to ensure it will not impede again.

https://www.electrobertauth.com/

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Closter Parent and Family Banned for Life from Peewee Football

Peter Iappelli, 50, of Closter 

photo courtesy of the Westwood Police 

October 12,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Westwood NJ,  A peewee football league has banned a parent and his family for life after the father allegedly snapped when his son was rotated out as quarterback on a flag football team and attacked a teenage coach.

Peter Iappelli,  50, who earns $171,136 a year as school business administrator in Closter, was charged Wednesday by Westwood Police  with simple assault and disorderly conduct after allegedly placing the 16-year-old coach in a chokehold.

Westwood Youth Football is for 6 to 12-year-olds and Westwood Youth Football is a founding member of newly created and formed NNJJFL ( The Northern New Jersey Junior Football League). This newly formed league was built with fair competitive play as the cornerstone of its development. Joining Westwood in the NNJJFL are the following programs: Washington Township, Hillsdale, Rivervale, Lodi, Garfield and Hawthorne.

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BUSES TO REPLACE WEEKEND AND MIDDAY TRAINS ON PASCACK VALLEY LINE TO ALLOW FOR REPAIR WORK

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PVL train tickets will be cross-honored on Main/Bergen County Lines

September 13, 2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ,  Due to grade crossing repairs and signal and track maintenance work, NJ TRANSIT is replacing trains on the Pascack Valley Line with buses on weekends and during midday hours on weekdays beginning on Sunday, September 17 and continuing through Saturday, October 28.

This does not effect Ridgewood Main line and Bergen line passengers , but will impact Montvale , Park Ridge , Woodcliff Lake, Hillsdale, Westwood, Emerson, Oradell , River Edge , River Edge New Bridge Landing , Hackensack Anderson Street,  Hackensack Essex Street , Teterboro , and Wood Ridge .

Expect larger crowds on Main line and Bergen line during midday hours and late nights .

During this time, Pascack Valley Line tickets and passes will be cross-honored on the Main/Bergen County Lines trains. At Secaucus Junction, Coach USA buses – which are replacing Pascack Valley Line trains – will arrive and depart from Platforms 9 and 10. Bus times may vary from train times at some station stops. Customers should visit the NJ TRANSIT website for specific schedule times.

While busing is in effect, all Metro-North customers from Spring Valley, Nanuet and Pearl River may use their monthly/weekly commutation passes for travel on Metro-North’s Hudson Line between Tarrytown and Grand Central Terminal.

Monday through Friday, midday hours

On weekdays, during the midday hours, buses will operate in two sections:

Between Spring Valley and Secaucus: There will be several buses operating as express and local between Spring Valley and Secaucus. Customers should be mindful of the signage denoting whether they are express or local buses before boarding. Some buses will operate between New Bridge Landing and Secaucus, making all stops except Teterboro. Teterboro customers may use NJ TRANSIT’s No. 161 Bus, which stops at Industrial Avenue and Route 46.

Note: For Train 1622, buses will operate in three sections: New York State Express between Spring Valley and Secaucus (no local stops in New Jersey); between Montvale and Secaucus, operating express between New Bridge Landing and Secaucus; and between New Bridge Landing and Secaucus, making all stops except Teterboro.

While the busing is in operation during the midday hours, shuttle trains for Pascack Valley Line customers will operate between Secaucus and Hoboken.

Saturdays and Sundays

Local and New York State buses will operate between Spring Valley and Secaucus. Customers traveling between Secaucus and Hoboken should use Main and Bergen County Line trains.

NOTE: For You Night Owls :Bergen County Line Train 69, which operates to Port Jervis and normally departs Hoboken at 12:40 a.m., will depart Hoboken 5 minutes later, at 12:45 a.m. Pascack Valley Line customers traveling from Hoboken and connecting with the last substitute bus from Secaucus will use Train 69.

Teterboro Station customers should note that the last weekend outbound bus of the night will stop at Teterboro ONLY by request.

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Van Emburgh Avenue Apartment complex would have negative impact on local community

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Our quiet, serene, beautiful and peaceful neighborhood on Van Emburgh Avenue stretching from Washington Township into Ridgewood and made up of 100 percent single family homes is about to be shattered by a court-ordered imposition of a 44-unit apartment complex. This mandate is to satisfy some nebulous rules about complying with Affordable Housing politically-correct social engineering forced on our town by the state.

I spoke against this mandate at a recent Township of Washington Planning Board for the following reasons: Many of the Township and Village residents moved here specifically to get away from densely-packed areas which have multi-family complexes.

The construction mud and noise pollution will disrupt our peaceful lives and enshroud us in a cloud of dust and dirt probably for something like two years. The now-empty land parcel they are plopping this monstrosity in is practically across the street from Immaculate Heart Academy High School. This will mean that the dozens and dozens of parents who drop their daughters off at school each morning will now be competing in traffic with arriving construction workers — excavators, plumbers, electricians, carpenters, roofers, painters, sheetrockers and landscapers, etc.

Since most people nowadays have two cars, and are two-worker households, that will mean that 88 more cars belonging to potential residents will join the traffic during the early mornings; and that number of cars doesn’t even include arriving faculty.

The loud sounds of earth movers, bulldozers, backhoes, bucket loaders, cement trucks and dump trucks as well as huge rigs delivering lumber, massive sanitary and storm pipes, roofing supplies, siding and landscaping materials will disrupt our peaceful existence.

Even if 12 of the residents of the 44-unit apartment complex have children, that means 100 brand new instant neighbors on our street.

The trouble with politically-correct mandated solutions to social concerns is that they don’t take into consideration the impact on the existing local governments. The prime example being the local school system population, police, fire, street sweeping and snow removal.

I want to urge the Township of Washington and The Village of Ridgewood to join Park Ridge and Hillsdale to put the question of “Affordable Housing” rules on the November ballot and put pressure on our state Legislature to straighten out the rules and regulations of these mandated nightmares.

Edward Galorenzo

Washington Township