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Time to Put and End to Forced Overdependent of Bergen County

CBD high density housing

Reader, “If people just read this and don’t share the information, nothing will change. Do people think change comes by people sitting on their duffs in the living room and doing nothing more? Go to the event and support her at this event, otherwise, leaving it to someone else just won’t cut it anymore. Progressives who want to change the face of all the communities are working to make it happen…what are YOU DOING? If you can’t go, call your legislator even if it’s Pascrell and tell him this will lead to blighted areas in your town, overbuilding which perhaps including taking people’s homes through eminent domain if you are in the area they want, higher taxes due to more schools being needed, more traffic and of course road repairs and infrastructure costs – sewer, water, etc.”

June 14,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Paramus NJ,  Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi will initiate a series of statewide legislative hearings to address New Jersey’s affordable housing crisis. The first will be held on June 15 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Bergen Community College’s Technology Education Center room 128.

Schepisi will be joined by other invited guests, including fellow legislators, mayors, town officials and planners, engineers, traffic experts, board of education members, environmental groups and other interested parties.

She said the hearings will examine ways to provide a better way toward affordability for the residents of this state while protecting towns from a recent state Supreme Court ruling that could force the construction of up to 1.5 million unneeded housing units to satisfy a fictitious population increase of 3.35 million in the next nine years – while Rutgers projects a population increase of only 219,000.

“We have reached a critical juncture in the State of New Jersey. We are the most costly, the most densely populated with the highest number of outmigration because people can no longer afford to live here. Instead of smart discussions regarding how to implement change to reduce living costs for all of our residents, the legislature’s inaction is forcing communities to potentially double their housing population in just the next nine years, destroying all existing housing prices while increasing property taxes,” said Schepisi. “We need to stop the court’s action and fix this issue while we still can.”

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Ho Ho Kus Police called to 17 North , Hollywood Avenue Spin Out

Ho Ho Kus Police,   17 North , Hollywood Avenue , Spin Out

photo courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook

June 9,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Ho-Ho-Kus Police, Fire, EMS, and a patrol officer from the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office Patrol Division responded to a three (3) vehicle crash at the intersection of Route 17 northbound and Hollywood Avenue, Ho-Ho-Kus on Thursday morning, 06/08. A Honda Accord involved in the collision spun around and was facing the wrong way in traffic. The Honda and an Audi SUV were both towed from the scene. All vehicle occupants refused ambulance transport to a hospital. A tractor trailer involved in the crash appeared to have not been damaged.

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Ridgewood,Glen Rock and Ho Ho Kus all Make the NICHE 2017 100 Best Places to Buy a House list

Ridgewood Realestate

file photo

June 7,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood ,Glen Rock and Ho Ho Kus all Make the NICHE 2017 100 Best Places to Buy a House list.

The NICHE 2017 Best Places to Buy a House ranking provides a comprehensive assessment of the housing and community of an area. This grade takes into account key factors of a location’s housing market, including home values, taxes, crime rates, and quality of local schools, in an attempt to measure the quality and stability of an area’s real estate market.

In Bergen County  Ridgewood neighbor Glen Rock fared best with a rating of 17, Ho Ho Kus  a 55, Ridgewood  66, and Fairlawn 87. Other Bergen County towns who ranked well Haworth 24, Demarest 29, Ramsey 32, Mahwah 42, Oradell 66 , and Allendale 93.

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Ridgewood Police respond to multiple reports of bear sightings near Valleau Cemetery

Ridgewood Police respond to multiple reports of bear sightings near Valleau Cemetery

photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook

June 6,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood PD Patrol Officers Patrick Elwood and Douglas Christopher responded to multiple reports of bear sightings in residential areas surrounding the Valleau Cemetery and the Route 17 Park & Ride Facility on Monday morning, 06/05. Here, officers Elwood and Christopher arrive at a home on Albin Court, Ridgewood, where a bear was reportedly spotted in a back yard. Elwood is photographed loading a weapon with rubber bullets. Ho-Ho-Kus PD also received numerous calls from residents near the intersection of Race Track and Arbor Roads, Ho-Ho-Kus who spotted what is believed to be the same roving bear.

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Wandering SUV Knocks Out Utility Pole in Ho Ho Kus

Wandering SUV Knocks Out Utility Pole in Ho Ho Kus

photos courtesy of Boyd Loving

May 25,2017

the staff of Ridgewood blog

Ho Ho Kus NJ, A utility pole and pole mounted transformer on Blauvelt Avenue in Ho-Ho-Kus were both KO’d by a wandering SUV on Wednesday afternoon, 05/24. The driver and occupants of the vehicle were shaken up, but uninjured in the crash. Ho-Ho-Kus PD, FD, and EMS personnel responded. The damaged vehicle was removed by a tow truck and PSE&G attended to the downed utility pole and transformer. A portion of Blauvelt Road was closed for an extended period as PSE&G crews worked to return conditions to normal.

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Reader says Municipal Consolidation Will Never Happen

Bomb Threat Closes Bergen Community College

file photo by Boyd Loving

Good luck – this hurts union jobs and so those thugs and their toadies in Trenton will say anything and everything to oppose municipal consolidation. Home rule allows for about 70% more police than we actually need, etc. But the unions lackeys will lie till their Pinocchio noses reach Pennsylvania telling us all how our safety is at risk without home rule. Look at Waldwick, Ho-Ho-Kus, Ridgewood, Glen rock and Midland Park: one police dept with one chief would suffice, but instead we have five chiefs and top heavy brass. Great for the unions, outright theft of taxpayers. It’s blue collar crime.

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Midland Park firefighters battled a blaze in a single family home located at 97 Busteed Drive

Midland Park firefighters battled a blaze in a single family home

photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook

April 1,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood

Midland NJ, Midland Park firefighters battled a blaze in a single family home located at 97 Busteed Drive, Midland Park on Friday morning, 03/31. Fire companies from Ho-Ho-Kus and Wyckoff provided mutual aid assistance at the scene. The fire appeared to have started on the home’s exterior and then traveled to the interior. No injuries were reported in the blaze.

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New Jersey Family Magazine Ranks the Best Places in New Jersey For Families

The+Partridge+Family+PartridgeFamily

March 24,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, New Jersey Family Magazine ranked the top towns in New Jersey for families.

To come up with the ranking, they looked at the entire state—more than 500 towns in all—and measured each municipality against a host of important factors, including school district quality, crime rates, affordability, commute times, percentage of families who live there, access to hospitals and general lifestyle factors.

How did Ridgewood rank:  # 55 Ridgewood , population 24,999

Ridgewood neighbors fared a bit better in overall ranking , #3 Glen Rock Bergen 11,631, #10 Midland Park population 7,131, #22 Ho-Ho-Kus Borough population 4,085.

https://www.njfamily.com/Best-Towns-for-Families-The-List/

 

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“Jaws of Life” Used to Extricate Driver in Ho Ho Kus Rear End Collision

"Jaws of Life",  Extricate Driver , Ho Ho Kus NJ,  Rear End Collision

photos courtesy of Boyd Lovings Facebook Page

January 6,2016

the staff of the Rmidgewood blog

Ho Ho Kus NJ, Ho-Ho-Kus firefighters used the “Jaws of Life” to extricate an adult female driver from a subcompact Ford that was involved in a two (2) vehicle rear end collision at the intersection of Sheridan Avenue and Enos Place on Thursday morning, 01/07. The victim was transported to a local hospital by a Ho-Ho-Kus EMS ambulance. The adult male driver of the other vehicle was uninjured and drove his vehicle away from the scene on its own power. The female victim’s car was removed from the scene by a flatbed tow truck. Ho-Ho-Kus PD is investigating the incident. Traffic on Sheridan Avenue in both directions between Hollywood Avenue and Enos Place was detoured while emergency crews worked.

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Car on the Tracks Halts Main Line and Bergen Line Train Service

Car on the Tracks Halts Main Line and Bergen Line Train Service

photo courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook page

December 26,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ho Ho Kus NJ, Train traffic on NJ Transit’s Main and Bergen Lines was halted in both directions through Ho-Ho-Kus on Sunday evening, 12/25 after the adult female driver of a 4-door Acura sedan became disoriented and drove her vehicle onto the tracks just north of the Ho-Ho-Kus train station platform. The vehicle was removed from the tracks by a flatbed tow truck. There was no damage to the tracks and following removal, the vehicle was able to be driven away on its own power. Ho-Ho-Kus PD, Ridgewood PD, and NJ Transit PD officers responded to the incident.

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Ho-Ho-Kus reaches agreements in affordable housing suits

Glen_bridgeovertroubledwaters_theridgewoodblog

Sarah Nolan , Staff Writer, @sarnolan5:59 p.m. EST December 22, 2016

The borough’s affordable housing obligation would be cut from 278 units to 30 under the proposed agreement.

HO-HO-KUS — The borough will build 13 homes for low- to moderate-income residents and a developer will reduce the number of houses it builds in town as part of proposed settlement agreements announced by borough officials this week.

Borough Administrator William Jones shared overviews of the proposed agreements with the Fair Share Housing Center and Chamberlain Developers at a Borough Council meeting Tuesday “in the hopes of ending what has been a year of speculation and wild rumors that have carried on,” he said.

https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/bergen/ho-ho-kus/2016/12/22/ho-ho-kus-reaches-agreements-affordable-housing-suits/95712098/?utm_campaign=Observer_NJ_Politics&utm_content=New%20Campaign&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=New%20Jersey%20Politics

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Ho Ho Kus Police uniformed patrol officer safely recovered an uninjured dog that had wandered onto the tracks

HoHoKus PD uniformed patrol officer safely recovered an uninjured dog

photos courtesy of Boyd Lovings Facebook page

November 29,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Train traffic on NJ Transit’s Bergen County and Main Lines was temporarily halted through HoHoKus on Tuesday morning, 11/29, while a HoHoKus PD uniformed patrol officer safely recovered an uninjured dog that had wandered onto the tracks after escaping from a yard on Hillcrest Road in Ridgewood. The dog ran after a deer and never looked back; this according to its adult female owner. Tyco Animal Control Services also responded to the incident. HoHoKus PD had received multiple 911 calls from train passengers who saw the dog wandering the tracks and dispatched two (2) patrol units to the area to recover it. The dog was wearing a collar with a tag bearing the cell phone number of its owner.

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HazMat Issues Delay Make Ho Ho Kus Accident Clean Up

HazMat Issues Delay Make Ho Ho Kus Accident Clean Up

photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook page

August 18,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ho Ho Kus NJ, A seemingly minor, injury free, one (1) vehicle crash created major headaches for HoHoKus PD and FD personnel on Wednesday night, 08/17 when the driver of a Saturn SUV drove over a traffic control island, knocked down two (2) traffic control signs, and ruptured her vehicle’s fuel tank in the process. The entire contents of the fuel tank spilled onto East Saddle River Road near Wiermus Road. Members of the Mahwah FD HazMat unit were dispatched to assist HoHoKus FD in containment of the spill and the subsequent cleanup.

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Making matters worse, the initial towing company called to remove the vehicle from the scene could not transport the contaminated absorbent material, so delays occurred as a result of another towing operator having to be called. No word from police on the scene as to how many, if any, summonses were issued to the Saturn’s driver.

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New president outlines plan of action for Rotary Club of Ridgewood, Ho-Ho-Kus and Glen Rock

Jerry Kallman  Rotary Club

BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

RIDGEWOOD – The Rotary Club of Ridgewood, Ho-Ho-Kus and Glen Rock recently announced that former president Jerry Kallman is returning to the top job for 2016-2017.

At his first meeting as president this time around, Kallman outlined his plans for his term, including living by the principal “service above self,” the Rotary’s motto.

https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/clubs-and-service-organizations/new-president-outlines-plan-of-action-1.1636865

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Ho-Ho-Kus woman writes about the dangerous power of cult recruiting

The World Mission Society Church of God in Ridgewood, New Jersey

BY JOHN PETRICK
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

STAGE

WHAT: “So Amazing,” a one-woman show by Ho-Ho-Kus resident Diana Brown, based on her experiences being recruited into a local church she says was a cult that brainwashed her before she was eventually able to break free.

WHERE: Kraine Theater, 85 E. Fourth St., Manhattan.

WHEN: Tuesday at 7:10 p.m., Feb. 20 at 8:20 p.m., Feb. 24 at 5:30 p.m., Feb. 27 at 3:20 p.m., March 5 at 1:40 p.m.

TICKETS: $17; students/military, $12; Dramatists Guild members, $12.

Actress, playwright and cult survivor Diana Brown has a message for her audience: Watch who your friends are.

The 26-year-old Ho-Ho-Kus resident says her one-woman show, “So Amazing,” is based on her yearlong experience being lured into a cult at age 23, brainwashed and eventually escaping to reclaim her life and reconnect with her family.

For some of us, it might seem impossible to imagine how anyone could take psychological and physical control over our lives against our will. But, she argues, that’s the point. This isn’t something that just happens to runaways or people estranged from their families, neither of which she says she was. This could happen to anybody. Everybody is vulnerable, to greater or lesser extents, she insists. And a cult’s recruiting tactics tend to be pretty universal.

“The first thing that is most prevalent is ‘love bombing’ – when someone wants to be your friend really bad, and everything they say is along the lines of, ‘You’re so nice, you’re so beautiful, you remind me of someone.’ They make you their best friend as fast as they possible can and they make you think they love you more than the people who really love you the most – your friends and your family,” Brown says.

A graduate of Rutgers University (2011), Brown has performed earlier versions of “So Amazing” at TheaterLab in New York City and the International Cultic Studies Association conference at La Fonda on the Plaza in Santa Fe, N.M. She has performed stand-up comedy at Gotham Comedy Club and Eastville Comedy Club.

Brown is careful to straddle the line when talking about fact and fiction. For example, she insists the main character in her self-produced show is not her, but a fictitious character based on her. And the character’s name? The same as hers – Diana.

“It’s not an exact portrayal of my experiences. I don’t mention the name of any cult in this play. What this play says could be said of many cults out there. I don’t want to be pointing a finger at any particular cult. But I think the characters are all relatable in that the way someone gets recruited into a cult is pretty cookie-cutter and repeated throughout the world. I have met many cult survivors who have told me the exact same things. Who knew that me, a regular girl living in New Jersey, could have so much in common with a girl in California? This is how cults recruit. This is how people get brainwashed.”

As heavy as some of the material may sound, Brown, who plays various other characters besides the one who is based on herself, says the piece is a comedy. She said her purpose here is to entertain — not just report. It is not a portrayal of the particular church of which she was a member, the World Mission Society Church of God in Ridgewood. The church is an offshoot of the South Korean World Mission Society Church of God, with more than 2 million followers worldwide.

Over the past seven years, the church has quietly gone about its business as its local membership expanded tenfold, and it opened what it called numerous affiliated churches along the East Coast. It was praised by political leaders for public service that included cleanup efforts after Superstorm Sandy.

But some former members have said publicly that the church has a largely hidden dangerous side, recruiting young people at malls and on college campuses and showering them with affection before eventually encouraging them to cut ties to family members who are critical of their new beliefs.

Two former members have alleged in lawsuits — one was dismissed and one is pending — that they gave substantial amounts of their money to the church after it drew them in without initially revealing its true theology. They alleged that they were pressured to spend most of their free time at the church and were kept so busy they did not get enough sleep, which made them more susceptible to the teachings.

https://www.northjersey.com/arts-and-entertainment/theater/ho-ho-kus-woman-s-show-spotlights-the-cult-experience-1.1511432