Posted on

Two Main Rest Stops on the Garden State Parkway in North Jersey have been Closed For Nine Months

dabb42ad a1cd 4bd4 a2fe 18ea5040e682 1041872668

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, if you heading to the Jersey Shore this weekend, two main rest stops on the Garden State Parkway are closed until further notice.

Continue reading Two Main Rest Stops on the Garden State Parkway in North Jersey have been Closed For Nine Months

Posted on

HE HAD WAYS OF MAKING YOU PAY

Tony choking snitch COLLEGE 1016668440

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Saddle River Nj, It was the early 80’s and local NJ con man Thomas Giacomaro was pulling in $300,000 a week selling cocaine. 

If a customer was late paying a drug debt, Giacomaro and his crew had creative ways of making him pay.

Continue reading HE HAD WAYS OF MAKING YOU PAY

Posted on

Heavy Rain Leaves Parts of Ridgewood Underwater

278040186 2786079011687604 5108097857928880794 n

photos by Boyd Loving 

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, heavy rain fell over North Jersey on Thursday night, leading to flooding and water rescues as high water levels still trouble the region. Ridgewood experienced the usual issues along the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook . Both the Ridgewood High School field and Veterans Field along with the Ridgewood Municipal complex flooded . No word on damages yet and no injuries reported .

Continue reading Heavy Rain Leaves Parts of Ridgewood Underwater

Posted on

Bookends of Ridgewood will host SOPRANOS STARS Steve Schirripa & Michael Imperioli on Tuesday, November 2nd @7:00pm

external content.duckduckgo 34

the staff of the Ridgewood

Ridgewood NJ, Bookends of Ridgewood will host an in-person in-store event with SOPRANOS STARS Steve Schirripa & Michael Imperioli on Tuesday, November 2nd @7:00pm
Continue reading Bookends of Ridgewood will host SOPRANOS STARS Steve Schirripa & Michael Imperioli on Tuesday, November 2nd @7:00pm

Posted on

The Revival of Ridgewood: How One Popular North Jersey Town is Making its Post-Pandemic Comeback

DSCF4625 scaled

photos by Boyd Loving

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, following the challenging year caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the famed Bergen County town of Ridgewood, New Jersey has utilized the various rules and regulations to its advantage by creating permanent opportunities for the small business-driven community that otherwise would not have been possible before the pandemic. 

Continue reading The Revival of Ridgewood: How One Popular North Jersey Town is Making its Post-Pandemic Comeback

Posted on

Suez Works to Get the Lead Out

65207239 1119395864925516 2969153141318090752 o1

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Haworth NJ, Nineteen crews are working in 11 municipalities in Bergen and Hudson counties this week as part of an aggressive $16 million project by SUEZ to remove the remaining lead service lines from the system.

With multiple crews working in multiple towns six days a week, lead service lines have been replaced in 35 municipalities this year. More than 2,300 lines will be replaced this year. And SUEZ will keep going until all the lead is removed.

Continue reading Suez Works to Get the Lead Out
Posted on

Rockland/Coach bus service blasted at Woodcliff Lake Meeting

Portauthority_theridgewoodblog

the staff of the Ridgewood blog 

Woodcliff Lake NJ, Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi  relays her thoughts on improving Rockland/Coach bus service. I have used the service in the past and while the drivers are professional the company demonstrates a complete lack of interest in servicing North Jersey commuters and as a long time commuter I would rate the service as TERRIBLE at best . It is often incomprehensible how poor the service actually is. Its odd because Coach that runs the service from the Ridgewood Park and Ride does a far better job than Rockland and Rockland is  just a division of the same company COACH USA.

Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi :

Last night, I, Carlos A. Rendo Mayor-Woodcliff Lake, NJ, Councilwoman Jacquie Gadaleta, Catherine Best from Congressman Gottheimer’s office, Borough Administrator Tom Padilla, Woodcliff Lake resident commuters and representatives from Rockland/Coach USA met to discuss ways to improve bus service for our residents. Over the past several months we have received numerous complaints regarding the reliability of bus service from our area into the Port Authority as well as the failure of Rockland/Coach USA to properly communicate with commuters regarding interruptions in service.

During last evening’s meeting, Rockland’s new general manager and Executive Vice President acknowledged these issues and discussed immediate action plans to remedy the service and communication problems. 30 new longer buses have been acquired by the Company, increasing the number of seats on these buses to 59 passengers from the previous 47. This should help with the issues of no seats for last pick up areas such as Woodcliff Lake. 5 “gap” buses are currently in training to fill in if a bus becomes disabled or a driver doesn’t show up to work. In January the Company is planning to start a new bus originating in Woodcliff Lake during the height of the rush hour to ensure adequate seating for its customers.

With respect to lack of communication, Rockland is exploring new apps which could provide real time alerts to commuters in the event of a delay or change in bus schedule. Dispatchers are being trained specifically to address customer service issues and a full time manager is now on site at the Westwood bus depot to oversee operations.

While we all acknowledge these problems will not be fixed overnight, the steps being taken by the Company appear to be a step in a positive direction. We have agreed to meet as a group again at the end of January beginning of February to evaluate the changes made between now and then. Should you encounter any commuter difficulties over the next 6 weeks while on Rockland buses please reach out and let us know so that we may bring it to the Company’s attention.

Posted on

Reader says , “If not for the jobs in NYC the majority of NJ residents would be on the unemployment Line”

lasttraintoclarksville_theridgewoodblog

If not for the jobs in NYC the majority of NJ residents would be on the unemployment Line.
Corporate employers have left the state, knowing full well competent employees are willing to move along with them.
The only reason others have not left is due to state corporate welfare tax deals to keep them here.
Businesses will NEVER move here.
As the Internet connects us together for telecommuting, there will be no need to live close to NYC and work.
The only people left here will be the public employees whose unions have killed the golden goose…the same people who leave the state after retiring hand have their NJ taxpayer paid over generous Cadillac health care benefits while collecting the check in North Carolina.
The way to solve the state budget problem is to tax any public pension checks that get sent out of state

Posted on

Only One Vote of approval will select New Jersey’s next Governor

VOTE_theridgewoodblog

By GUS PENARANDA

In the era of Trump, not much attention is being paid to the NJ Gubernatorial race right now, but for those who understand what happened last November with the Presidential election, where thousands of New Jersians who rarely voted and democrats who were tired of back-room deals and politics as usual, came out and voted for Donald Trump. This should give New Jersey residents some pause when considering options for the Democratic primary race. When Gov. Christie ran for his second term, he took NJ 60.3% to 38.2%.  One of the arguments from the Democratic candidate was that the power boss/es did not come out for her for whatever reasons.

In this year’s Democratic primary, we have several candidates but some corrupt party bosses are crowning their favorite, even before a single “public” vote has been cast. If the residents of New Jersey do not stand up and fight for their right to select the candidate they want to represent them, then the only vote that counts and that has already been cast, is that of the Democratic Chairman for Passaic County.  To better understand how control is maintained, we must understand that this chairman controls all the County agencies including the Board of Elections and Freeholders, Passaic County Technical Institute, Sheriff’s Department and Passaic County Community College just off the top of my head.  Now to be fair, the departments are run by different staff and professionals but the key elected positions and in some cases executive jobs are mostly the result of political deals made by the Democratic chair.  This was not done overnight. It took years for such a process to work, but now that all county and state elected officials are controlled by the Passaic County Democratic Chair, with the exception of Congressman Bill Pascrell who is focused influencing Trenton, have selected a candidate with no governing experience at all but with deep pockets to fund other candidates the chairman has in mind.

https://www.tapinto.net/towns/paterson/articles/only-one-vote-of-approval-will-select-new-jersey

Posted on

Rare sighting in North Jersey: world’s largest falcon

gyrfalcon

JIM WRIGHT, SPECIAL TO THE RECORDPublished 1:57 p.m. ET Jan. 31, 2017 | Updated 18 hours ago

For New Jersey birders, it was the biggest news since a pink-footed goose made its Garden State debut in Washington Township six years ago. Since Jan. 21, a rare gyrfalcon – the largest falcon in the world – has been appearing almost daily at the State Line Lookout in Alpine.

“The last time you had a chance of seeing a gyrfalcon in New Jersey was 27 years ago in Sandy Hook, so this is a pretty big deal,” said Bill Boyle, author of “The Birds of New Jersey”  and a leading expert on state birds. “The last one seen in Bergen County was in March 1950, in East Rutherford.”

https://www.northjersey.com/story/entertainment/2017/01/31/rare-sighting-north-jersey-worlds-largest-falcon/97281860/

Posted on

Gannett Laying off 141 Employees at North Jersey Media group

bergen record
file photo by Boyd Loving
January 24,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Gannett owner of the Bergen Record is issuing layoff notices to 141 employees in a second major round of job cuts since it purchased North Jersey Media group.

Many long-time readers of the Ridgewood blog know there was not much love loss between this blog and the former owners of the Bergen Record, the Borgs.  The Ridgewood blog was frequently the target of their ire.

The Record like most of New Jersey’s local media worked in collusion with the far left and seemed to support every new tax, and regulation chasing every business out of the state along with most retirees and high earning tax payers.

While we hate to see people lose their job, we know the same consideration would not be given to us.

The company said Monday the cuts will take place across its North Jersey Media Group, which includes The Record, the Herald News of Passaic County and NorthJersey.com

The McLean, Virginia-based Gannett Co. Inc. has previously eliminated over 100 jobs at the newspaper group right after purchasing the papers last summer.

The company says North Jersey Media Group is reorganizing to meet the growing digital demands of its readers and advertisers.

Posted on

Does North Jersey Face Outbreak of Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease?

RHS+stadium2_theridgewoodblog

September 17,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Fox news reports The Pequannock Panthers started their season a week later than expected after a nasty outbreak of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) commonly known as coxsackie virus that has been spreading across northern New Jersey.

The Coxsackie virus or HFMD, caused by coxsackie viruses, usually causes fever, malaise, rash, and small blisters that ulcerate. The most frequent locations for the blisters/ulcers are on the palms of the hand, soles of the feet, and in the mouth. Coxsackie virus was first isolated from human feces in the town of Coxsackie, N.Y., in 1948 by G. Dalldorf.

Prevention is difficult; avoid direct contact with anyone with HFMD, and their stool, saliva, and blister fluid. Hand washing and cleaning of items handled by HFMD patients are the best additional methods for prevention.

The virus prompted the cancelation of games and after-school events at a number of high schools including Pequannock, High Point West Milford and Kinnelon, which just reported 8 cases.

Possible cases of the virus have been reported at a half-dozen high schools in New Jersey. But the state’s Health Department says that is not worth panicking over because outbreaks this time of year are common. In fact last year, there were six and the year before that 23.

HFMD usually occurs in children but can occur in adults. HFMD usually resolves in about 10 days with no scarring, but the person may shed coxsackie virus for several weeks. Lab tests for coxsackie viruses can be done, the vast majority of infections are diagnosed by clinical features (HFMD blisters/ulcers), but this may change with the onset of new outbreaks and causes of severe HFMD. There is no specific treatment or vaccine available for coxsackie virus infections.

Posted on

Gas prices in North Jersey Continue to Surge

Parked_cars_theridgwoodblog
March 27,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood Nj, after bottoming out in February gas prices have continued to raise with the arrival of spring. The average price of regular gasoline per gallon in the Bergen-Passaic market rose 2 cents Friday to $1.81, according to data from the daily fuel gauge report by the American Automobile Association or  AAA. The data also showed the average has surged  in recent weeks: one week ago the average was $1.73, and a month prior it was $1.58.

Prices historically start to rise in the springtime, when the refining industry transitions from winter heating oil  to summer gasoline and just ahead of the traditional summer driving season.

Tom Kloza, co-founder of Oil Price Information Service in Wall Township, said in a tweet on Thursday that the average price of gasoline in the United States rose above $2 per gallon for the first time since Dec. 31. He also predicted that the average would continue to creep higher in the next five months.

In New Jersey gas is still a bargain . By Friday, the national average for regular gasoline was $2.03, compared with New Jersey’s average of $1.81. Though the state average is significantly lower than the national rate, gas prices at both levels appear to rise and fall at a parallel rate. Both averages bottomed out in February – the national average at slightly below $1.73, and the state average near $1.63 – and have been steadily rising since.

Though the Bergen-Passaic average for regular gasoline was $1.81 on Friday, retail pumps offered gas at a wide range of prices.

According to GasBuddy.com, an online source for gasoline data, the lowest reported price in the Bergen-Passaic market on Friday was at a Power Fuel station in Woodland Park that sold regular gasoline for $1.57 a gallon. On the higher end, a Lukoil station in Wyckoff sold gas for $2.59, the highest in the state, according to GasBuddy.com.

Though gas prices are on the rise, AAA data showed that prices Friday were still significantly lower from one year ago, when the regular price of gasoline in the Bergen-Passaic market averaged $2.19. Last year’s average is still well below the highest recorded average of $4 a gallon on July 6, 2008.

Posted on

FBI offers reward for information on ‘Count Down Bandit’ in North Jersey bank robberies

fbi_logo_twitter

BY STEFANIE DAZIO
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

The FBI is offering a $5,000 reward for information about a man they have dubbed the “Count Down Bandit,” who has allegedly robbed seven banks in North Jersey since July.

In most of the robberies, the man approached the teller and demanded money, the FBI said in a statement. The man then counted from 15 or 10 to one and fled with the cash.

 

https://www.northjersey.com/news/fbi-offers-reward-for-information-on-count-down-bandit-in-north-jersey-bank-robberies-1.1531831