Ridgewood NJ, as many of our reader’s are well aware when you fly its mandatory to have a boarding pass to get on the plane.
Right before boarding an airplane we hold onto our boarding passes like our lives depend upon it. But after we board, many, if not all of us, do not care anymore about the boarding pass. Sometimes we leave it in the plane, other times we leave it in the hotel room, or just chuck it in the garbage.
But this careless can get you into so much trouble.According to “Krebs on Security” there is personal information encrypted on your boarding pass. After someone took a screen shot of the bar code on the ticket, you will be amazed of how much personal information that person can get about you: home address, banking info, email address, phone number.
Watch the video and share it for others to learn about the risks and damage of being careless with their boarding pass!
Maurie Backman, The Motley FoolPublished 9:03 a.m. ET Feb. 21, 2017 | Updated 24 hours ago
We all want to save money for retirement, but these 5 costs that retirees face might shock you. USA TODAY NETWORK
Do you have a will or trust in place? Your loved ones could face a world of upheaval without one.
When most of us start planning for retirement, we think about things like what our living costs will be and how much money we’ll have access to. Many of us, in fact, get so focused on how much we are or aren’t saving that we fail to make one critical move: creating a will or living trust.
In a recent Caring.com study, 58% of American adults admitted to not having either type of crucial document in place. Even scarier, among adults with children under the age of 18, that figure climbed to 64% of folks without a formal estate plan.
Now the good news is that older Americans are more likely to have a will or trust than their younger counterparts. Here’s how the data breaks down:
AGE GROUP 18 TO 36 PERCENTAGE OF PEOPLE WITH A WILL OR TRUST 22%
37 to 52 36%
53 to 71 60%
72 and older 81%
Data source: Caring.com.
Though it’s not surprising to see that almost 80% of younger Americans don’t have a will, it’s an attitude that can hurt Millennials as easily as it can folks 20 or 30 years their senior. And while you might think you have plenty of time to draw up a will, or that not having one isn’t such a big deal, it’s a mistake that could be far costlier than you might imagine.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans shrugged off rising mortgage rates and bought existing homes in January at the fastest pace since 2007. That has set off bidding wars that have pushed up prices as the supply of available homes has dwindled to record lows.
Home sales rose 3.3 percent in January from December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.69 million, the National Association of Realtors said Wednesday.
Steady job gains, modest pay raises and rising consumer confidence are spurring healthy home buying even as borrowing costs have risen since last fall. Some potential buyers may be accelerating their home purchases to get ahead of any further increases in mortgage rates. With few homes available for sale, buyers are pressured to rapidly close a deal as they find a suitable property.
The typical house for sale was on the market for just 50 days last month, compared with 64 days a year ago. Strong demand is pushing up median home prices, which jumped 7.1 percent from a year earlier to $228,900.
Just 1.69 million homes were on the market nationwide in January, near the lowest level since records began in 1999. It would take just 3.6 months to deplete that supply at the current pace of sales, matching a record low reached in December. Supply is usually equal to about six months of sales in a balanced housing market.
The supply crunch will likely get worse during the upcoming spring buying season, economists say, as demand typically rises by more than supply during that time.
Ridgewood NJ, Controlling “exactly what people think” is the job of the media, MSNBC’s Mika Brzezinski boldly declared Wednesday morning.
Here’s a transcript:
SCARBOROUGH: “Exactly. That is exactly what I hear. What Yamiche said is what I hear from all the Trump supporters that I talk to who were Trump voters and are still Trump supporters. They go, ‘Yeah you guys are going crazy. He’s doing — what are you so surprised about? He is doing exactly what he said he is going to do.'”
BRZEZINSKI: “Well, I think that the dangerous, you know, edges here are that he is trying to undermine the media and trying to make up his own facts. And it could be that while unemployment and the economy worsens, he could have undermined the messaging so much that he can actually control exactly what people think. And that, that is our job.”
Brzezinski’s comments are a reminder of darker days in Ridgewood , when the previous mayor made a concerted attempt with his allies to squelch free speech in Ridgewood. At the civility forum in February of 2015 over 300 residents sat there and took it when they were told by various speakers they were not allowed to speak unless they said what they were told to say.
Civility forum moves forward to squelch public dissent
February 25,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ed Koch once said,”If you agree with me on 9 out of 12 issues, vote for me. If you agree with me on 12 out of 12 issues, see a psychiatrist.”
But not according to Stephen Borg, Publisher and President, North Jersey Media Group, who insisted that the whole problem is that since people have found their voice through social media they have come to so many different opinions civil discourse has fallen.Things were so much better when North Jersey Media had a monopoly on public discussion and could always dictate terms. Borg implied that elites like himself are the only ones qualified to make those decisions. Borg pointed out how this blog and its anonymous posters are the greatest enemy to not only American Democracy but to the dominance of North Jersey Media Group. While I was rather flattered that the Publisher and President, North Jersey Media Group thought this blog shook the very foundations of civil discourse and was viewed as the barbarians at the gate, I would suggest the far larger problem might be the totally bias and slip shot reporting of his Media Empire. Borg set the tone for the evening which came down silencing critics and reasserting the elitist “we know better than you ”, so time to be quite.
Plein Air Essentials- A Lecture by C.A. Jerez
Sunday February 26 at 2 PM – 4 PM
Ridgewood Art Institute
12 E Glen Ave, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450
Any interest in painting outdoors?
C. A. Jerez, longtime member of RAI and instructor of our Monday nite Oil Painting Class, will give a lecture on Plein Air Essentials.
Mr. Jerez was a disciple of the famous Art Students League instructor, Frank Vincent Dumond. In his work, Mr Jerez is able to capture the life of the subject by identifying the essential components of an object or scene and depicting them in the most simplistic manner to convey complete realism without neglecting the artistic elements of form and strong composition. He uses uses prismatic color and light effects to create a sense of distance and drama while capturing the weather conditions and the specific time of day.
Admission fee for this event is a $5 donation to The Ridgewood Art Institute and all are welcome.
The issue of door to door solicitors in Ridgewood came up for discussion to ban the practice in Ridgewood, at past town council meetings well over 10-15 years ago due to residents complaints of solicitors. At the time, the mayor felt a complete ban on registered solicitors would also affect/include the girl scouts/boy scouts/h.s.band from their door to door sales of cookies, plants, etc. and it was decided not to procede with a ban.
As far as the girl/boy scout cookies sellers, there’s been less of them, I only had one this year. Most of their troops set up at the local grocery stores and get bigger sales, and its safer for them. Their parents sell/get orders from co workers. Everyone knows when the RHS band has their plants and fruit sales, can order online, they always deliver to your door anyway.
Times have changed, each year in spring thruout the season, the door knockers ramp up in greater numbers. As long as they obtain a permit from the town, and not all bother to get a permit, there’s been an influx of peddlers from cable companys, pest control, new windows, painters, home improvements, lawn treatments, solar panels, driveway sealers, magazine sellers (they use a team of children), donations, the list goes on. Just love the line of some canvassers – we’re doing some work in the neighborhood and wonder if you’re interested in home improvements. Some use aggressive measures. All one can do is to put a “No Solicitors” sign on the door.Hopefully its about time to enact a complete ban on door to door solicitors in Ridgewood. (With an exception for the girl/boy scouts ? and RHS band sales).
Why is New Jersey forcing senior citizens to flee the state?
After decades of contributing as full-fledged members of our communities throughout New Jersey, we find ourselves increasingly forced to flee the state due to the burdensome and discriminatory nature of property taxes for seniors on fixed incomes.
New Jersey has the highest property taxes in the nation, an average of $8,500 per year versus the national average of $3,800. However, you know these facts. What you don’t know is that for senior citizens, who often live in adult communities to reduce their expenses, the property tax burden is disproportionately higher — often 17-20 percent of a senior’s annual income, and climbing.
The issue of taxes is always a complicated decision for leaders, to allocate resources equitably among disparate interests and groups. The Abbott decision, for example, appropriately (and importantly) required the commitment of state education funding to support urban districts. But funding decisions by the governor and state Legislature, over time, had unintended consequences as well.
The shifting of aid to education in some areas of the state, without increasing overall state aid to education, has resulted in communities being forced to fund local education through higher property taxes. The unintended — but real consequence of this trend — has resulted in retirees (on fixed incomes) being forced to pay disproportionately higher taxes.
MEET THE MAYOR – MARCH 4, 2017 – 9:30 A.M. TO 11:30 A.M
February 21,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Mayor Susan Knudsen will hold office hours in the Caucus Room on the 4th floor of Village Hall. Please call the Village Clerk’s Office at
201-670-5500 ext. 206 to make an appointment to meet with Mayor Knudsen. You may also stop by during these office hours to speak with Mayor Knudsen, but those with an appointment are seen first, at their appointment times.
Ridgewood NJ, Fox News host Brenda Buttner and Ridgewood resident died after a battle with cancer at age 55. Buttner, was a mother of two daughters.
Brenda Buttner, was the host of Fox News Channel’s Bull and Bears, and she She also frequently contributed to Your World with Neil Cavuto.
Fox News reported that Buttner joined the network in 2000 after blazing a trail for female business reporters on CNBC. She also had served as a correspondent in Washington.
Buttner received numerous awards for her work, including a Cable Ace award in 1996 for best business programming (The Money Club)and a National Clarion award in 1990 for best news story. In addition, many of her personal finance articles have been published in popular publications such as The New York Times and Ladies’ Home Journal.
She was an honors graduate from Harvard University and spent two years as a Rhodes Scholar at Balliol College, Oxford University, England.
Glen Rock NJ, A house fire at 506 Prospect Street in Glen Rock on Monday evening, 02/20, was battled by firefighters from Fair Lawn, Glen Rock, Hawthorne, Midland Park, and Ridgewood. At least one (1) firefighter was injured while fighting the smokey blaze. Ridgewood EMS assisted Glen Rock EMS at the scene, and Ridgewood PD units assisted Glen Rock PD with traffic control.
PSE&G ELECTRIC RELIABILITY IMPROVEMENTS UTILITY UNDERGROUND INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADE
WORK SCHEDULE UPDATE: February 20, 2017 – February 24, 2017 VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD
February 21, 2017 –February 24, 2017
Underground Pipe Installation
North Broad Street
(E. Ridgewood Avenue to Franklin Ave)
Traffic will be maintained in both directions
Metered Parking Spots will be used on both sides of roadway to allow all traffic to be shifted to the east side of North Broad St.
As part of our electric reliability improvements in Bergen County, PSE&G will be performing utility underground work in the Village of Ridgewood. As of February 2017, PSE&G will beperforming the following activities in your area:
Safety is our primary concern. PSE&G will work with the Ridgewood Police Department to minimize any traffic concerns or inconveniences to the public. During construction, please refrain from going near our construction work zones.
The upgrades will enhance your electric capacity, system redundancy, and service reliability within the Village of Ridgewood, as well as surrounding communities. If you have questions or concerns, please call our toll free number at 1-877-678-5784
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Emergency Services Director and Chief, Tony Lillo reported the Departments statistics for the year 2016. The volunteer department handled over 1797 requests for assistance. Chief Lillo stated that “call numbers alone don’t tell the story of our volunteers. Looking at the volume of hours the members donated, gives a better picture of the dedication of our volunteers who donated 20,593 hours to the Village.”
On the average, each volunteer donated 326 hours to the Village. There are of course a few who far exceeded the average. The following volunteers, who donated over 800 hours each to Ridgewood Emergency Services:
James Bigos, Robert Kearney, Jonathan Papietro, Steven Chiesa, Ryan Savaria
Liz Heberling, Eric Frielink
Those statistics only include time tracked while on Emergency Services duty covering the Village. It doesn’t count all the hours spent planning and preparing for events, as well as time maintaining equipment, vehicles and our headquarters as well as training.
Chief Lillo announced that Recognition Awards were presented to members of the Department.
Top Call Award – Eric Frielink
EMT of the Year – Mary Hefferan
Volunteer of the Year – Jonathan Hyslop
TIES member of the Year – Madison Murphy
Service Awards were presented to:
5 Years – Ace Antonio, Emily Benjamin, James Bigos, Eric Frielink
10 Years – Michael Butler, Murray Yang
15 Years – Lee Anderson, Ashley Mormino, Corinne Scarpa
25 Years – Dr. Robert Lahita
Chief Lillo, announced that the Departments 2017 Officers are:
Deputy Chief – Ryan Savaria
Medical Director – Dr. Bob Lahita
Public Information Officer– Bob Krane, Dick Breining
EMS Captain – Murray Yang
EMS Lieutenants– Ace Antonio, Robin Johnson, James Bigos, Emily Benjamin
Special Operations Captain – Lee Anderson
Special Operations Lieutenants – John Baker, Matt Hendrickson, Steven Chiesa, Rick Tarleton
TIES Captain – Corinne Scarpa
TIES Lieutenant – Kevin Scarpa
“Please consider supporting our organization with a financial contribution so that the community can continue to count on the volunteers to respond to all its needs,” said Director and Chief Tony Lillo.
Please make checks payable to F.O.R.E.S.T. (Friends of Ridgewood Emergency Services Teams), 131 North Maple Ave Ridgewood NJ 07450. Online at www.ridgewood911.org. F.O.R.E.S.T. is a charitable organization under IRS section 501(c) (3) so all contributions are tax deductible.
Should you be interested in exploring the idea of becoming a member, please call us at (201) 670-5570. The comprehensive training you’ll receive is free, and while rigorous, it is personally rewarding.
Property tax appeals in New Jersey fell for the fourth straight year in 2016 to their lowest level since 2008, an indication people were less stressed about the value of their homes and, by extension, the condition of the overall economy.
However, the number of appeals, 49,286, remained higher than it had been in any of the dozen years leading up to the financial crisis of 2008.
“Better” doesn’t mean fully recovered.
“It’s a combination of the market value of properties appreciating over the last few years, since the downturn in the market, and also you’ve seen more reassessments or revaluations completed in municipalities, bringing the values back to market,” said Martin Lynch, president of the Association of Municipal Assessors of New Jersey
Reader …“Who is so well connected on Sherman place?” Apparently not the residents! They are not in favor of a ban, and did not ask for one. The residents of Pomander had “friends” on the old council, were granted no parking on their street and that traffic is now on Sherman. Instead of recognizing they have created an issue on Sherman, the residents of POMANDER suggested no parking on Sherman either, despite the idea that residents on Sherman actually don’t want the limits there. Unbelievable.
and another reader ….Sherman place residents have long fought with evidence and diligence. Not connection. Someone should Ask about the connection on pomander that landed them in this mess to begin with.
What a joke. That last council bites us in the ass endlessly from beyond the grave.
Sherman place is a nightmare and an accident waiting to happen- even without cars parked there.
Valley hospital used local streets for their employees and visitors ruining the neighborhood. That shouldnt be allowed either.
Ridgewood NJ, someone commented on Facebook , “Yesterday a young man rang my doorbell and said he worked for a company hired by PSEG and asked me to check my bill to see if I was being charged for “dirty energy.” I told him it wasn’t a good time, so he said I should have my bill handy because they would send someone else next week. Has anyone else had this experience? It sounds really fishy to me, and I can’t find anything about it online. I messaged PSEG.”
Alarm bells go off in out head , the comments continued , “Other neighbors saw him walking through the neighborhood earlier. I should have called the police immediately but I was working and I didn’t think too much about it at the time. I just got this from RPD: “Please call the police for a response if this happens again. 201-652-3900,” so sounds like fraud. Blatant, though- it was Saturday, early in the afternoon.”
PSE&G says , if you think you may have been a victim of a scam, file a report with your local police department, and contact us by calling 1-800-436-7734. Also, you can contact the Federal Trade Commission and file a complaint online.
Sales person perhaps, scammer or just casing your house more likely.
