Tag: MIA

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Ridgewood News, Patch, and Daily Voice missing when Ridgewood Residents need them most

3 amigos in action Ridgewood NJ

file photo by Boyd Loving

March 16,2016

by Saurabh Dani

Ridgewood NJ, The Village Council has planned a public hearing and possibly a vote on March 23rd on High Density Housing Issue. It’s widely expected the three outgoing council members are going to vote to increase the residential density in some downtown lots from the current 12 units per acre to 36 units per acre, while the residents have asked them to consider 20-24 units per acre.

 
This is a big change for Ridgewood, which will probably alter our village  forever. The local newspapers have so far reported from the press releases issued by the village administration or from the commentary of what happened at the meetings. Proactive journalism on this issue has been missing so far.
 
Residents have asked the reporters:
 
1. When are they going to cover the conflict of interest on the garage vote by Tony and Jim at HPC?
2. When will they be talking to taxpayers ahead of the 3/23 vote to measure opinions?
3.  When will they be asking the candidates for VC office to state their positions on the 3/23 vote?
4. When will they talk to the superintendent about class sizes at the middle schools and high school which were not covered by the studies?
5. When will they ask Orchard and Ridge School principals if they can accept the increased class sized?
6. When will they ask the consultants (Ross Haber Associates) on how did he reach to a conclusion of 63 new kids from 4 new developments, while similar sized apartments in the village and the number of school aged children from those apartments suggest that it can be close to 225 new children in the Ridgewood schools?
7. When will they ask and report on the question of ‘what happens to all the 1 acre or more lots that are available in Ridgewood downtown and are waiting for these first four to be approved”?
8. What are the financial impacts to the taxpayer (police coverage, etc.?)?

If you would like our local reporting to question our village government on these very important questions, before next Wednesday’s March 23rd VOTE, see below for contact information.

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‘Honoring a Commitment:’ Soldier’s Remains Found After 70 Years

D-Day_theridgewoodblog

Kate Scanlon / @scanlon_kate / May 20, 2015

This week, The Heritage Foundation will host the debut of the film“Honoring a Commitment: The Story of PFC Gordon.”

“Honoring a Commitment” is a feature-length film about Pfc. Lawrence Gordon, who went missing in action during World War II.

Gordon, a Canadian citizen, enlisted in the United States Army not long after Pearl Harbor was bombed on Dec. 7, 1941.

Gordon served in the Reconnaissance Company, 32nd Armored Regiment, 3rd Armored Division. In August of 1944, he was listed as missing in action while in Normandy.

His family was given only his wallet. They would have to wait almost 70 years to discover what happened to his body.

“Honoring a Commitment” is the story of their search.

Jed Henry, the producer of the film, told The Daily Signal in an interview that the film “was never supposed to be a documentary.”

“It just sort of turned out that way,” he said.

During a trip to Europe to learn about his grandfather’s service in World War II, Henry discovered that Gordon was the only member of the unit who was still listed as missing.

Henry contacted Gordon’s family—including a nephew who had been named Lawrence in honor of his uncle—and they decided to see if they could determine what had happened to him.

“This is worth a look, to see if there’s anything we can do about this,” he said.

They initially started recording friends and family discussing Gordon and the search for them to show the “humanitarian” side of the story to the various U.S. agencies and foreign governments they asked for help.

“It started out as a small little video to explain why the family wants this,” said Henry. “After 70 years, there’s a lot of skepticism, and people asking ‘What are you hoping to accomplish?’”

After an extensive search by the team of “rank amateurs,” Gordon’s remains were finally found.

After he was killed, Gordon was misidentified as a German, and was laid to rest in a French cemetery for German soldiers.

French authorities performed a DNA test. Gordon had been found.

Henry said that Gordon’s story is “a case study,” showing that the process of finding the remains of those who are missing in action “hasn’t kept up with modern technology.”

He said that he hopes that the film “sheds light on the MIA community.”

“I hope it opens people’s eyes to the inefficiency,” said Henry. “I don’t think we’re fulfilling the promise to bring everyone home.”

Henry, who has years of experience in the television industry, has never distributed a film before.

“This is a new venture for me,” he said.

The film has been submitted in film festivals, but distribution “is still in the works.”

“We’re looking for places to spread the word,” said Henry. “The debut is exciting for us.”

The Heritage Foundation, in partnership with National Review, will screen “Honoring a Commitment: on Thursday, May 21 at 4:00 p.m. in Heritage’s Lehrman Auditorium.