Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood PD, FD, and EMS personnel responded to a “pedestrian struck” report on Friday, 10/07 at approximately 1900 hours. The incident occurred on East Ridgewood Avenue near Somerville Road. With the assistance of a paramedic team from The Valley Hospital, the victim was evaluated on location before being transported by ambulance to Hackensack University Medical Center’s Trauma Unit. The extent of the victim’s injuries were not made public at the scene. The driver of the vehicle involved remained at the scene and was cooperating with police.
Ridgewood NJ, The adult male driver of a Jeep SUV was taken into custody, handcuffed, and transported to Ridgewood Police headquarters following a single vehicle crash (into a tree) at the intersection of Godwin Avenue and South Monroe Street, Ridgewood, late night on Thursday, 10/06. A small, crash related engine compartment fire in the Jeep was extinguished by Ridgewood FD members. Ridgewood EMS responded to evaluate the driver; he refused medical aid. The crashed Jeep was removed from the scene by a flatbed tow truck.
Hoboken Commuter Train Event, Video Recorders Provide Investigators Usable Data
October 7,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The National Transportation Safety Board released Thursday details downloaded from the event data and forward-facing video recorders on a NJ Transit commuter train involved in the Sept. 29, 2016, accident at the Hoboken Terminal, Hoboken, New Jersey.
The following information, gathered from both recorders, is preliminary and subject to change as data is validated.
· Information from the forward-facing video and event data recorders was successfully recovered Thursday at the NTSB’s recorder laboratory here. Both recorders appear to have been working as designed, and captured the engineer’s entire trip that morning, including the accident sequence. The forward-facing, color video from the cab car of train 1614 is of good quality and includes audio from an exterior microphone. Information obtained from the recorders includes:
· The forward facing video showed the cab car colliding with and overriding the bumping post at the end of the track #5 platform at the Hoboken Terminal. A large flash was observed as the car collided with the panel just beyond the bumping post.
· The forward facing video recorder captured the sound of one blast of the train’s horn about one minute before the collision, while the train was in the yard leading to the terminal. The train’s bell began sounding shortly afterward and continued until the end of the recording.
· The event recorder indicates throttle increased from idle to the #4 position while the train was traveling about 8 mph, approximately 38 seconds before the collision. Train speed began to increase and reached a maximum of about 21 mph.
· According to the event recorder data the throttle position went from #4 to idle just prior to the collision, and then engineer-induced emergency braking occurred less than a second before the collision with the bumping post.
· The event recorder shows train speed was about 21 mph when it collided with the bumping post. Event recorder speeds during the final seconds are consistent with train speed estimates obtained from the NTSB’s preliminary analysis of images from the forward facing video camera.
A group of technical experts from the NTSB and the parties to the investigation is scheduled convene at NTSB headquarters, Washington, Oct. 11, to continue to verify and validate the data recovered from both cab car recorders.
No analysis is provided in the facts released from the event and video recorder data extractions. The NTSB has not determined probable cause and cautions against drawing conclusions from these facts alone. Analysis of the findings from these recorders and from other facts gathered during our comprehensive investigation will take place after the factual record is complete.
The investigation remains in the fact-gathering phase, which could take a year or more.
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Professional Firefighters FMBA Local 47 invite you to join them for their annual Open House. Demonstrations, tours and light refreshments.
Here is my biggest concern with the proposed all day kindergarten. Although conceptually there are pluses, I question whether we can afford it. And I think one of the biggest reasons we won’t be able to afford it has to do with the hundreds of apartments that are being built downtown. These apartments will be marketed to those with two income earners and young families. Our schools are going to be one of the largest drivers of families to those units. I question whether we will be able to afford the influx of new elementary age students as it is, and that problem will be compounded if we have to double the number of kindergarten seats both for existing children and new children. I worry that we are going to need to construct new classrooms at our elementary schools – – and I am not sure that cost has been factored into the equation. I simply haven’t seen enough to convince me that the $110 tax increase is going to cover the costs of new residents from the multifamily housing units. Particularly if we have to build new classrooms to accommodate these new students, then the $110 number may be multiplied very quickly.
We keep proposing to add more and more to our town without thinking through how each addition takes away from the whole. Those pushing for all day kindergarten need to also get involved in other aspects of our town as well so they can view and work towards making sure things remain in balance. It may be a great idea, but does it fit with the needs and budget of the town as a whole? If we are going to keep adding hundreds of new residents, will we be able to afford ideas such as all day kindergarten and are we going to need to cut back on other Village and school services in order to balance our budget?
Ridgewood NJ, On Saturday, October 22, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Ridgewood Police and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public its 12th opportunity in six years to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your pills for disposal to the Ridgewood Police Desk at 131 North Maple Ave. (The DEA cannot accept liquids or needles or sharps, only pills or patches.) The service is free and anonymous, no questions asked.
Last April, Americans turned in 447 tons (over 893,000 pounds) of prescription drugs at almost 5,400 sites operated by the DEA and more than 4,200 of its state and local law enforcement partners. Overall, in its 11 previous Take Back events, DEA and its partners have taken in over 6.4 million pounds—about 3,200 tons—of pills.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.
For more information about the disposal of prescription drugs or about the October 22 Take Back Day event, go to the DEA Diversion website or call the Ridgewood Police Department 201-652-3900.
Many of you have been asking how the Planning Board meeting went last night, especially given the VP debate going on at the same time. So, pasted at the bottom of this email is the speech I gave.
Before I get to it, I think it’s important to note that Planning Board Chairman Richard Joel attempted to stonewall my presentation of this speech. At the only public comment during the meeting, it was explained that only items not on the agenda would be permitted to be discussed. When I stood at the podium and asked whether I would be able to speak during the point in the agenda, when a statement would be made regarding the filed resident complaint (dated Sept. 16th), Chairman Joel said he hadn’t yet decided if I would be allowed.
It was only after several other residents, Mayor Knudsen and members of the Planning Board spoke out to allow my speech did Chairman Joel finally permit it.
This brings into question Chairman Joel’s stewardship as to whose interests he really represents.
While I do not have the exact text here, the statement that was read aloud by Chairman Joel regarding the resident complaint basically says that more consideration needs to be done before the Planning Board can adequately address it. My concern is that this is a delay tactic and that under Chairman Joel’s guidance, the Complaint will not be put on the agenda to be voted on. I hope I am wrong about this. Ridgewood residents deserve a hearing to investigate what ‘mistakes’ happened with regard to the High Density housing issue.
So, here’s the speech I gave along with a video of its presentation:
Mayor Knudsen and Members of the Planning Board, as you know, it is your duty to represent the interests of the residents of Ridgewood.
As such, you have an obligation to put the brakes on the current High Density site plan review and begin an investigation based on the complaint that was signed by myself and other residents, dated September 16th. Within your bylaws, you have the ability to do so and to investigate the conflicts of interest and mistakes alleged in our motion. If you find they are true, you can then seek to overturn a vote that may have been wrongly attained and created so much discord in Ridgewood.
These are some of the questions we demand investigated:
1) Why didn’t our former deputy mayor and planning board member, recuse himself from all the Planning Board work sessions leading up to the formal hearings? The same conflict existed then. How could he advocate so fervently for the ordinances during work sessions and then suddenly find a conflict of interest when the hearings started.
2) Why was an unvetted/unsubstantiated letter from the housing advocacy group, Fair Share Housing Center written into the record as fact/evidence by the former Planning Board Attorney for the High Density Housing vote in June, 2015? Under the Planning Board attorney’s own guidelines, it was clearly hearsay. And why wasn’t the public or Planning Board members given the opportunity to question the Fair Share Housing rep, Kevin Walsh?
3) Contiguous to the timing of the filing of our Motion of Complaint, one of your members who is mentioned as having a conflict of interest in the complaint, strangely resigned his planning board seat. Is this just a mere coincidence? Why did he wait so long and step down long after the vote?
Members of the Planning Board, your attorney may advise you to bundle this complaint with the pending lawsuit by RCRD. However, to do so would be a disservice to the residents of the village as this complaint is completely separate from that lawsuit and should be handled as such. This is not, at this time, a legal matter. It is a matter of proper and fair governing process for Ridgewood. And the grounds for our motion are so strong.
Your attorney might argue that residents should have made the motion within some type of limited window, or that current Land Use law may be in conflict with some of our Planning Board’s Bylaws. But… (1) the village never gave residents access to the Bylaws, nor made residents aware of the remedies available thereunder (despite all the clear cut opposition and complaint of conflict), and (2) the Bylaws definitely do not clearly command the Board to adhere to a 45 day limit.
Rather, the Bylaws state:
Any motions to rehear an application or portion thereof made after the 45 days following the publication of decision shall be considered strictly by leave and discretion of the Board in consideration of the protected interests of the applicant as balanced against the public interest.
We the residents believe the public interest here is greater. Your attorney would have to argue that the developers have a greater interest here than the village or its residents. That’s the criteria and that would be dangerous.
Furthermore, at this time your residents are not yet asking for a “rehearing” or anything that might be argued to conflict with land use law. We are asking, as is our defined right under your own Bylaws 2.13 and 7.22, for an investigation and public hearings to investigate some very material Conflicts and Mistakes that tainted the process and harmed the “public interest.” The PB can decide if an Application “rehearing” is necessary later, after the hearings regarding Planning Board “process”!
Allowing these conflicts and mistakes to stand, uninvestigated, creates a dangerous new precedent for Ridgewood, where village-changing decisions may be made with improper influence and/or error. It is in the Public Interest to review this and, if issues are found, set the right precedent to make sure it doesn’t happen again!
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood now joins the great debate ;Full-day vs Half-day Kindergarten. Lets face it in the Village we have many parents who seem very pro-full day because it saves money on day care . We also have another group that believes it better prepares children to acquire basic skills for learning . Still others like the teachers union see it as job producing and more yet want to give their kids a leg up on global competition.
The detractors feel its nothing more than additional baby sitting ,that the results do not really justify the extra time ; that kids need time to be kids, and parents should act like parents . Some feel that too much control is given to the schools and that one sided points of views will be pushed even further stunting creativity and intellectual curiosity .
But first lets take a look at the history ,Kindergarten dates all the way back to the 1800s when it began as a full-day program.Half-day Kindergarten actually began during WWII when schools across the country began to cut their kindergarten classes back to a half-day in order to free up additional labor.
Full-day kindergarten reappeared in the 1960s as an intervention to help disadvantaged children catch up to their peers through additional schooling. But, now it has gained popularity among middle class two income families. Over the past 30 years, where the percentage of children in full-day programs has grown from 10% to just over half of U.S. kindergartners.
The rationale for full-day kindergarten has been and continues to be that the more time children spend in school, the more they will learn. Detractors however have warned that an early emphasis on academic learning, at the expense of play time, could harm children emotionally and academically in the long run.
Lets face it we constantly hear how “Millennials ” are the most over educated and under performing generation. Spending there days watching reality TV ,playing video games and questioning why they have to work at all. They are buried under a pile of student loans with degrees in under water basket weaving .So it would seem at lest for Millennials” more time in school has not worked at all.
This all brings us back to the quality over quantity argument and clearly for many “Millennials ” its been as the saying goes ;garbage in ,garbage out.
While many studies show academic gains for full day Kindergarten can be fleeting , others show significant gains for disadvantaged children particularly ,’English is a second language types .
A new study from Chloe R. Gibbs at the University of Virginia holds some preliminary good news for proponents of full-day kindergarten.Though the implications of the study won’t be clear until the students studied are much older. The Gibbs study showed most notably, the advantage for Hispanic full-day students over other Hispanic kindergartners is nearly twice that seen in the overall sample.
Other studies have suggested that children in full-day programs scored higher in reading and math than their half-day counterparts at the end of kindergarten, those gains had evaporated by the end of 1st grade, the researcher reports. This was true for both girls and boys and black and Hispanic children. In fact, Hispanic children who attended full-day kindergarten programs performed worse at the end of 1st grade than children who attended half-day kindergarten.
An interesting note in the Gibbs study and this very much applies to Ridgewood ; Because full-day kindergarten classes have long been used as a way to give high-need students an extra boost, full-day students have historically been comparatively disadvantaged. As a result, any difference in the groups’ outcomes may be due to full-day kindergarten or may be caused by other differences in their lives outside the classroom — such as disparities in access to learning opportunities and academic support at home — typically associated with living in poverty.
Which gets to the heart of our point in a Village like Ridgewood with a huge diversity of opportunities for learning ,friends, doing ,playing and experiencing . Our fear is the full-day kindergarten will actually decrease the diversity of opportunities for some people and again that one sided points of views will be pushed even further stunting creativity and intellectual curiosity .
We have no way of knowing, unfortunately only time will tell , but as many promoters of school budgets in that past have issued the battle cry ; “do it fir da kidz”. So what ever you decide on November 8th the decision should be should be made based on whats best for your kids or your grand childern. You know your kids better than anyone and they probably need you more than you think .
Ridgewood NJ, in the Ridgewood news article , “BOE presentation supports full-day kindergarten” , the Ridgewood News mistakenly implies that the Full-Day Kindergarten will cost taxpayers an additional $111 per year :
“While the program will cost $930,000, according to Best, it will only cost average homeowners $111 per year ($16 per $100,000 assessed value of their house).”.https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/presentation-supports-full-day-kindergarten-1.1669299″
While the the BOE website also states ,”What would be the tax impact on a “yes” vote for the second question on full-day Kindergarten? ○ If full-day Kindergarten is passed by the voters, the average Village assessed home of $693,904 would have taxes increased by approximately $111.” Also a bit unclear .
All indications are that the property tax increase on average Village assessed home of $693,904 is more likely to increase $111 per month ,not $111 per year.
One of two or three of the most important issues facing Ridgewood right now. The massive apartments that are about to be built will forever change the Village. They can be stopped. But in order for that to happen, we need answers and actions now from our Government. Go to the meeting. Write your council representatives.
Arohnson has left us a blight that needs to be remediated now. Go to the planning board meeting – – write the town council. But speak up today before the Aronson projects are approved and built. Do you really want to look at the cover of the Ridgewood news six months or a year from now and see a picture of Aronson’s smug face sneering at you as he stands in front of the “Aronson Arms Apartments” or whatever moniker the land speculators are going to give their new buildings in tribute to their friend who enabled them to build?
Please come tonight, 7:30pm at Village Hall, to help remind the Planning Board who they really represent.
If you cannot attend, please consider emailing the secretary of the Planning Board, Mike Cafarelli, ([email protected]) to share with the Planning Board that we need these questions formally investigated per the complaint filed on September 20th:
Why didn’t our former deputy mayor recuse himself from March 23rd’s vote on High Density Housing, when, as a member of the Planning Board, he had previously recused himself for the same issue?
Why was an unvetted/unsubstantiated letter from the Fair Share Housing Center written into the record as fact/evidence by the former Planning Board Attorney?
Lastly, on the same day a resident complaint was filed against the Planning Board, one of its members who was named as having a conflict of interest, should happen to resign. Is that just a coincidence?
These are questions that we as residents deserve answers to. According to their By Laws, the Planning Board has the right to stop the pending high density housing site plan review and investigate these matters. Let’s hold them to doing so.
NJ TRANSIT Service Plan for Tuesday Commute – Tuesday, October 4, 2016 Main/Bergen County/Pascack Valley/Port Jervis Lines Remain on Weekend Schedule
Ridgewood Nj, NJ TRANSIT has announced service plans for tomorrow, Tuesday October 4th, and until further notice, following the commuter train accident at Hoboken Terminal. All rail service into and out of Hoboken Terminal remains suspended. Hudson-Bergen Light Rail service has been restored into and out of Hoboken and will continue to operate on a full weekday schedule.
Cross honoring with PATH, ferries, NJ TRANSIT bus and private carriers will continue until further notice.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
Customers who normally travel to Hoboken should still purchase tickets and passes to Hoboken, so that they may be cross honored by rail into New York Penn Station or by shuttle bus from Secaucus to Liberty State Park.
Customers for trains normally bound for Hoboken are advised NOT to use Trip Planner on njtransit.com or on the mobile app. Please use the latest customer notice by clicking on the “Critical Service Advisory” located on njtransit.com.
Rail
View printable schedules HERE.
Main, Bergen, Pascack Valley and Port Jervis lines will continue to operate on a weekend schedule originating/terminating in Secaucus, with stops at Teterboro and Woodcliff Lake stations (weekdays only).
Two additional peak-period trains will operate from Port Jervis in each direction:
In the morning, two trains will depart Port Jervis at 5:33 a.m. and 6:33 a.m. These trains will make all stops to Suffern, then stop only at Route 17, Ridgewood, Glen Rock-Boro Hall, and Radburn before operating express to Secaucus.Connecting trains depart Secaucus at 7:48 a.m. and 8:46 a.m. and arrive in New York at 8:03 a.m. and 9:01 a.m.
In the afternoon/evening, two trains will depart Secaucus at 5:19 p.m. and 7:27 p.m. (connections from New York at 5:03 p.m. and 7:08 p.m.). These trains will operate express to Radburn, then stop at Glen Rock-Boro Hall, Route 17 and Suffern. After Suffern, these trains will make all stops to Port Jervis, arriving there at 7:29 p.m. and 9:22 p.m., respectively.
All rail service to and from New YorkPenn Station will operate on a normal weekday schedule. This includes Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast Line and MidTOWN DIRECT trains.
Raritan Valley and Atlantic City Rail Lines will operate on normal weekday schedules.
Customers in New York City who need to access Secaucus are urged to take trains from New York Penn Station or use the Port Authority Bus Terminal forNJ TRANSIT and private carrier busing alternatives.
Customers in Hoboken and Jersey City who need to access Secaucus are urged to use Hudson-Bergen Light Rail to Liberty State Park, where shuttle buses will take them to Secaucus.
Morris & Essex Line, Gladstone Branch and Montclair-Boonton Line will have limited service running every two hours for points west of Montclair State University and west of Dover, in addition to regular MidTOWN DIRECT service.
Please note: MidTOWN DIRECT service will make additional stops east of Summit.
Additional Note: All Raritan Valley and North Jersey Coast Line trains scheduled to terminate in Hoboken will terminate at Newark Penn Station
Customers may experience overcrowding and possible delays caused by congestion.
NJ TRANSIT urges customers to check njtransit.com for service updates and sign up for MyTransit alerts, which provide service updates via text or email.
The Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs) located near the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail station at Hoboken now sell bus tickets and passes.
Metro North Service for Pascack Valley Line and Port Jervis Customers
Two additional peak-period trains will operate between Port Jervis and Hoboken in each direction:
In the morning, two trains will depart Port Jervis at 5:33 a.m. and 6:33 a.m. These trains will make all stops to Suffern, then stop only at Route 17, Ridgewood, Glen Rock-Boro Hall, and Radburn before operating express to Secaucus. Connecting trains depart Secaucus at 7:48a.m. and 8:46 a.m. and arrive in New York at 8:03 a.m. and9:01 a.m.
In the afternoon/evening, two trains will depart Secaucus at 5:19 p.m. and 7:27 p.m. (connections from New York at 5:03 p.m. and 7:08 p.m.). These trains willoperate express to Radburn, then stop at Glen Rock-Boro Hall, Route 17 and Suffern. After Suffern, these trains will make all stops to Port Jervis, arriving there at 7:29 p.m. and 9:22 p.m., respectively.
Ridgewood NJ, Each year, parents send their sons and daughters off to college with high hopes that in four years – give or take – they will earn a degree and embark on successful careers.
But while moms and dads may fret most about grades and study habits, they can give their offspring a real boost if they also insist the students carry some of the financial burden for college, says Matt Stewart, an entrepreneur and co-founder of College Works Painting (www.collegeworks.com/about), an internship program that provides practical business experience for college students.
That means getting a job – either during the school year or over the summer break, or both.
“College students are much more invested in the experience if they have to help pay for college, rather than have mom and dad take care of everything for them,” Stewart says. “There’s a natural tendency to work a little harder on classwork when at least a part of the tuition or dorm room costs come out of your own pocket.”
But beyond that personal-responsibility aspect, it’s worth noting that businesses are seeking job candidates with real-world work experience.
“Those on-the-job lessons are invaluable,” Stewart says.
For example, interns with College Works Painting operate their own house-painting business with hands-on guidance from mentors.
The benefits for students of working their way through college include:
• A regular paycheck. The rising cost of higher education has put paying the full price of college out of reach for many parents, and scholarships and grants often provide only a small percentage of the costs. The more students can pay themselves, the lower their student-loan debt will be when they enter the workforce. • Practical experience. Nothing prepares you for work like work, Stewart says. A classroom can train students on certain skills necessary for their career choice, but on-the-job experience is just as valuable. Even if a part-time job is unrelated to career aspirations, a student might learn such skills as collaboration, time management and customer relations. • Resume enhancement. One of the weaknesses recent college graduates sometimes have is their resumes can be skimpy. A few summer jobs can help tremendously, Stewart says, giving managers who might consider hiring you more confidence that you have experience beyond listening to professorial lectures and cramming for final exams. • Additional references. Hiring managers want to talk with people who know your work habits, and while it’s nice that a favorite professor or a high school football coach is willing to say good things, it’s even better to have references who can discuss relevant job skills.
“Having any job can be beneficial, but if you can you should try to land an especially challenging job or internship,” Stewart says. “When you graduate, you’re going to face stiff competition in the job market. The more you’ve been able to stretch yourself past your comfort zone and develop new skills, the greater the odds are that you’ll be the one picked out of all the applications that come pouring in.”
About Matt Stewart
Matt Stewart is co-founder of College Works Painting (www.collegeworks.com/about), which provides business experience for thousands of college students each year. The award-winning program also offers high-quality house-painting services for homeowners.
Essential to understand that everything proposed and pushed for under the Aronsohn regime, including his years on the council before becoming mayor, and no doubt before he ran in the first place shortly after moving here, was a Lego block in his long game to power. All along he was advised by paid marketing professionals who cared nothing for the populace but were paid to further one person’s career (sound like the Bridgegate trials?).The connections, machinations, and deals could fill a book. It’s left to us to disentangle what happened and to rescind and nullify any progress made in that direction, because it never corresponded with what was best for our village.
