all photos courtesy of the Ridgewood Police Department
June 30,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Police Department has announced the 3rd annual Chief Michael Feeney, Jr. Police Academy scheduled from Thursday June 23rd to Friday July 1st. The academy is open to Ridgewood Residents entering 6th 7th and 8th grades in the fall of 2016.
For only a small fee is $50 per student the Academy which includes two shirts per student a baseball hat a string bag and transportation to our field trip.
Sgt.Lembo finds out the bad guy can’t get away from the K-9
Lt.Paul Acakios talking to the students about the day in the life of an inmate.
This year’s academy features demonstrations from The Ridgewood Police Department, Bergen County Sheriff’s Department K-9 and Bomb Squad, Police Motorcycles, Ridgewood Emergency Services, FBI, Ridgewood Fire Department, Helicopter landing as well as demonstrations from various other agencies. A field trip to the Bergen County Law and Public Safety Complex in Mahwah is also scheduled.
The height of the seven-day Chief Michael Feeney Junior Police Academy may have come on Wednesday when bomb squad members blew up a watermelon.
According to the Ridgewood Police, “The Junior Police Academy has proven to be a valuable experience for all involved and has provided a vital link between the Police Department and the youth of Ridgewood. Further, the Junior Police Academy has afforded students a deeper understanding of the Police function as well as an increased ability to see what the Police and the community can do to serve the Village. The overwhelming success of our Junior Police Academy class has far exceeded the expectations of everyone involved. This program attracts a highly motivated group of recruits, and the Instructors thoroughly enjoy their interaction with these young people. We look forward to another great class.”
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Many homes in New Jersey are built with a basement, which may or may not have been converted yet into useable living space. A finished basement is a great way to add hundreds of square feet of useable living space to your home, with less cost and hassle than building a whole new addition. Many homes have over a thousand square feet of basement, meaning there’s plenty of space for that new bedroom, rec room, or man cave you’ve always wanted.
Basement renovation often involves installing plumbing to create an extra bathroom. At A1 Sewer & Drain Service, we’re drainage and sewer service contractors who specialize in wastewater, outdoor drainage, and bathroom plumbing. If you’re planning a new bathroom addition, call us any time for a free consultation and cost estimate from our experienced local plumbers, at 201-645-0888.
Adding a New Bathroom Addition in your Basement
Need an extra bathroom to accommodate a growing family? If you have an existing basement, you may not even need to build a new addition. Finishing all or part of your basement can add a great deal of extra living space, including much-needed extra toilets and showers. A new basement bathroom addition can even add market value to your home.
Basements are almost always located below the level of the main sewer line. Because of this, installing bathroom plumbing can be complicated. Vent, waste pipe, and drain pipe installation is the most difficult part of basement plumbing, and you’ll need experienced renovation plumbing and sewer service contractors to make sure that everything is installed correctly.
Basement Plumbing for a New Bathroom Addition
Any new drain lines in your basement bathroom addition will need to flow into your existing main sewer line. Before construction begins, contractors need to locate the sewer pipe, generally by finding the main stack and the cleanout. In urban and most suburban areas, the main sewer line runs into a municipal sewer system. If you have a private septic tank, the pipe will run toward the septic drain field.
To flow correctly, drains and sewer lines need a downward slope of at least ¼” per linear foot. This ensures that liquids and solids move at the same rate through the pipe via gravity, preventing clogs and sewer backflow. This can be tricky in basements, where the main line may not be deep enough to allow the correct drop per foot. To send water and effluent through the drain pipes against the force of gravity, you may need sewer ejector pump installation.
Sewage Ejector Pumps for Bathroom Plumbing
When the level of the main sewer line is too high for wastewater to flow in the right direction due to gravity, you may need sewage ejector pump installation to ensure that wastewater doesn’t back up inside the drain pipes. Ejector pumps are equipped with float switches, which trigger the pump to activate when the water in the ejector pump tank reaches a certain level. The wastewater is forced into the drain pipes, allowing wastewater from toilets and other fixtures to be safely removed without relying on gravity.
For toilets, many homeowners opt to install a grinder pump. This type of ejector pump grinds up solid waste into a fine slurry, helping to prevent clogged drain pipes and backflow.
Basement Sump Pump Installation in NJ
Regardless of whether your basement is used as living space, or whether it contains a bathroom, you may need to consider sump pump installation. Sump pumps remove water into the drainage system, preventing flooding and costly water damage. Because basements are located below grade, they’re at heightened risk for flooding from severe weather, burst plumbing pipes, sewer backups, and other emergencies.
Installing a basement sump pump can prevent thousands of dollars of costly water damage, making it a worthwhile investment for New Jersey homeowners.
Local NJ Sewer Service Contractors for Basement Bathroom Plumbing
Need an experienced plumber for toilet, shower, vent, and drain pipe installation in NJ? At A1 Sewer & Drain Services, we’re sewer service experts. We work with homeowners to install reliable, high quality plumbing for basement bathrooms and new bathroom additions. For a free cost estimate, call us today at 201-645-0888.
EMT Mary Hefferan accessing the Twiage smartphone application.
May 26,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ ,Ridgewood Emergency Services recently became one of the first EMS providers in New Jersey to participate in a pilot trial of Twiage, a novel prehospital communication and ambulance triage system that accelerates life-saving emergency care. The trial sponsored by Valley Hospital, will utilize Twiage’s smartphone platform aimed to streamline and accelerate the care of patients with medical emergencies upon arrival at the hospital. “Believe it or not, we are in the 21 st Century, but radios are still the current standard of communication between ambulances and the emergency room. Nurses have to step away from patient care to take incoming ambulance calls without knowing which ambulance calls carry patients with critical conditions, ” said John Hui, Executive Vice President of Twiage.
Ridgewood EMTs can use Twiage’s secured smartphone app to capture patient vital signs and demographic information via photos and videos, so hospital emergency departments can improve preparedness for incoming patients. Designed to reduce reliance on antiquated radio communication, Twiage is a HIPAA-compliant system that delivers real-time situational awareness of incoming ambulances to busy emergency departments by providing live patient data and GPS-tracked ETA for all incoming ambulances.
Valley Hospital is one of the early pioneers in the country to launch Twiage. The care of nearly 150 patients to Valley Hospital has been coordinated over the Twiage platform in just 2 months. Ridgewood EMS Captain Murray Yang said, “I believe this program can be of great benefit to achieve our duties as Emergency Medical Technicians. Every second matters in achieving apositive outcome for a patient who's in need of emergency medical care. Twiage can reduce our patient turnover time to definitive care by 5 to 10 minutes. In turn, this application will fortify our objective as an organization, the commitment of the 100+ volunteers, who have, and will continue to provide the upmost quality of emergency medical care for the residents of the Village of Ridgewood and its visitors." In addition to Ridgewood Emergency Services, Valley Hospital
EMS and Paramus EMS are also participating in this pilot trial.
Photo credit: Boyd A. Loving
Ridgewood Touch A Truck a Major Success
May 13,2016
by Boyd Loving
Ridgewood NJ, To the delight of what appeared to be every small child living in Ridgewood, selected Ridgewood EMS, fire, and police personnel (along with about one half dozen of their specialized motor vehicles) participated in the annual Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce “Touch-A-Truck” event on Thursday, 05/12. The event was held in Van Neste Square, the epicenter of RIdgewood’s Central Business District. Several staff members of the Ridgewood Public Library were on hand to conduct a truck related “Story Time” in the park next to the display of Village owned motor vehicles. Ridgewood Councilman Michael Sedon was one of several parent spotted racing from truck to truck during the well attended event.
Ridgewood NJ, An early afternoon wind gust felled a very large rain soaked tree limb on the property of RIdgewood High School, 627 East Ridgewood Avenue, RIdgewood on Sunday, 05/08. RIdgewood PD & FD personnel responded due to a report of wires being entangled in the felled branch. Firefighters were able to reattach the downed cable to an outside building wall, and a private tree contractor was called to remove the limb.
file photo by Boyd Loving Council Person Mike Sendon pictured
Touch-A-Truck
Thu, May 12, 2016
Time: 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Location: Memorial Park at Van Neste Square, E Ridgewood Ave and Oak St
Ridgewood NJ, Treat your kids to a day of hands-on adventure featuring an opportunity to climb on board to explore the trucks that touch our lives. They’ll also have the chance to learn directly from Ridgewood’s emergency and public works helpers about the exciting work they perform every day. There will also be a Safetytown Kiddie-Car Track and a Storytime among the planned interactive activities throughout the park for children of all ages. Don’t miss this great family opportunity to Experience Ridgewood !
Ridgewood NJ, A physical altercation between an employer and employee generated multiple 911 calls for assistance to Ridgewood PD on the morning of Wednesday, 05/04. The incident occurred at a single family home under renovation on Heights Road in Ridgewood. One (1) person sustained a serious head injury and was transported to The Valley Hospital by a Ridgewood EMS ambulance. Ridgewood FD also responded to assist the ambulance. An officer from Glen Rock PD provided assistance in language translation. No arrests at the scene were apparent.
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Emergency Services ambulances will now carry advanced continuous positive airway pressure devices, which can help patients with breathing problems.The CPAP is a breathing device, which improves vital signs, gas exchange, lessens the work of breathing and decreases the sense of shortness of breath in patients who have pneumonia, asthma, and congestive heart failure to name a few.“Ridgewood is one of the few communities in the State of New Jersey that has its EMT’s trained in this advanced medical care as part of the emergency medical services”, says Dr. Robert Lahita, Medical Director for Ridgewood Emergency Services. Advanced Life Support Paramedics from the hospitals could previously only provide this service.
The use of CPAP devices; administration of Narcan, a drug that can reverse the effects of an overdose; and the use of LUCAS automatic chest compression devices are among new practices authorized by the NJ Department of Heath for agencies under the auspices of a Medical Director.“The inclusion of CPAP as an additional service offered by
Ridgewood EMTs highlights our effort to provide the Highest level of care available to Ridgewood,” said EMS Captain Murray Yang. “We have also initiated the protocol for the use of Aspirin in cardiac emergencies, which was just approved by the State Department of Health for EMT’s to administer.”
For the Month of January, Director and Chief Tony Lillo reported that Ridgewood Emergency Services responded to a total of 137 requests for aid for a total of 1656 volunteer hours. There were 107 requests for Emergency Medical Services and 30 requests for Special Operations.
Ridgewood NJ , Chief Tony Lillo announced that the department purchased a new 2016 Ford F-450, four-wheel drive,Type I Horton ambulance from VCI Emergency Vehicles. “In accordance with our fleet replacement plan, this new ambulance will replace a 2000 Ford E-450 Type III PL Custom ambulance, one that has been in service for 15 years, well beyond its expected replacement date,” Lillo said.
The new ambulance, Ambulance 12, is now in service with the RES Ambulance 11, a 2003 International Freightliner and Ambulance 10, a 2007 Ford E450.Horton Emergency Vehicles Group, based in Grove City, Ohio, designed the state of the art ambulance in conjunction with RES Officers. The vehicle was manufactured with improvements in design and safety for the Emergency Medical Technicians and the patient. Improvements include 3 point restraints, privacy glass, airbags for EMTS in the patient compartment as well reverse cameras and blind spot cameras as well.
The ambulance is licensed by the NJ Department of Health and is staffed by NJ EMT’s.
In 2015, RES responded to 1704 requests for assistance. This amounts to 19,236 hours donated by the volunteers to the Village of
Ridgewood on active duty — a cost savings of more than $1 million to the Village of Ridgewood. This does not include time spent on
training, meetings, meeting and event preparation.
As a volunteer organization, RES is always looking for those who would love to serve their community. If you are interested in becoming a part of our family, a tour of our facility is highly recommended calling (201) 670-5589 or by emailing us at [email protected].
Check your test center, and learn about makeup tests.
RegisterNext Tests:1/23 , 3/5
SAT Test Center Closings
Information about SAT test center closings for the January SAT administration date will be posted to this page as it becomes available. If a makeup date or alternate test center information has been confirmed, that information will also be included.
SAT Test Center Supervisors are instructed to notify local media outlets when their centers are unable to open due to inclement weather, natural disaster, power failure, or other problems. Please check your local media for test center closings in your area.
If your center is listed as closed:
A new center may appear in the listing. In this case, access your online account and print a new, updated ticket with the new center information noted on it. You must bring your updated ticket with you on test day to the reassigned center.
If no new center appears, please be patient while we work to arrange a makeup date — you will be contacted as soon as a makeup is scheduled. Remember: don’t try to test elsewhere on test day — supervisors cannot admit standbys or walk-ins.
Please note: If you had a Waitlist Ticket for a closed center, your original Waitlist request was canceled, and you are not eligible for makeup testing. Please register for the next available date as soon as possible.
Ridgewood NJ , Anthony Lillo took the helm as director and chief of Ridgewood Emergency Services on Jan. 9.Lillo, 57, was sworn in by Ridgewood Mayor Paul Aronsohn at the Departments annual installation dinner. Lillo’s emergency services career began in 1991 and he joined Ridgewood Special Operations in 1999. Lillo, an EMT, has served in various leadership positions during his tenure, most recently as deputy chief.
Chief Lillo has worked with Ridgewood Central Dispatch and has extensive background in computer disaster recovery and disaster management as a project manager. He is enrolled in the Certified Public Managers Program at Rutgers University. Chief Lillo succeeds Brian Pullman who retired after serving as director and chief of Ridgewood Emergency Services for 10 years.
Robert Greenlaw, the founder, director and chief of emergency services for 25 years, praised Pullman’s commitment and service saying he helped make the organization what it is today. Pullman joined Ridgewood Emergency Services in 1993.
In addition to Lillo being named director and chief, the other officers were announced during the installation dinner. The 2016 officers include: Deputy Chief Ryan Savaria; Medical Director Dr. Bob Lahita; Public Information Officers Richard Breining and Bob Krane; EMS Captain Murray Yang; EMS Lieutenants John Baker, Brendan Fischer, Emily Benjamin and James Bigos; Special Operations Captain John Epperlein; Special Operations Lieutenants Mike Butler, Eric Frielink and Ace Antonio; Teens in Emergency Services (TIES) Captain Corrine Scarpa; and TIES Lieutenant Kevin Scarpa.
In 2015, Ridgewood Emergency Services responded to 1704 requests for assistance. This amounts to 19,236 hours donated by the volunteers to the Village of Ridgewood on active duty. It does not include time spent on training, meetings, meeting and event preparation. A cost savings of over $1 million dollars to the Village of Ridgewood.
Ridgewood NJ, November is the start of the annual Ridgewood Emergency Services fund drive. A letter has been mailed to all residents and business in the village.
Ridgewood Emergency Services is seeking the community’s financial support to ensure it is able to provide emergency assistance to the village 24 hours a day, seven days a week throughout the year.
The volunteers willingly respond to all types of critical situations the village faces, including snowstorms, hurricanes, floods, power outages and medical emergencies. The squad also stands by at village events including street fairs, the car show, Memorial Day and July 4th festivities, high school football games and more. The department has responded to over 1,375 requests thus far in 2015, which equates to over 15,800 cumulative volunteer hours.
“Please consider supporting our organization with a financial contributions so that the community can continue to count on the volunteers to respond to all of its needs,” said Tony Lillo, Deputy Chief
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.
The Ridgewood blog was founded in March of 2006 by James J Foytlin aka PJ Blogger . Mr. Foytlin was born and raised in Ridgewood ,New Jersey and is a graduate of Ridgewood High School .
Ridgewood NJ, – Oct. 26, 2009 – RIDGEWOOD, N.J. — The Ridgewood blog ( https://theridgewoodblog.blogspot.com/ ) was founded in March of 2006 by James J Foytlin aka PJ Blogger .[1] Mr. Foytlin was born and raised in Ridgewood ,New Jersey and is a graduate of Ridgewood High School .[2] [3]
After many years living in New York City[4] Mr Foytlin returned to Ridgewood after a divorce and the tragic events of 9/11 . Once he settled in he noticed a lack of sufficient news coverage of local events . One day a friend from Brazil[5] showed him her home town on the internet and to Mr. Foytlin’s great surprise when he tried to reciprocate he was utterly dismayed at the absolute lake coverage of his home town. After all Ridgewood is only 18 miles from midtown Manhattan[6] the media capitol of world and there was not a single picture of Ridgewood to be found . How could this be? Ridgewood is a picturesque upper middle class village of around 25,000 located in Bergen county in northern New Jersey[7] . Founded by Dutch settlers before it became an English colony[8] . The town or village as its called is steeped in rich history and tradition .Known for a large amount of Victorian era housing , a quality school system and a family friendly atmosphere.
Though busy getting reacquainted with his home town the fact that the Village of Ridgewood was so under represented on the internet continued to disturb Mr. Foytlin. Mr. Foytlin had been writing news letters for his job in financial services since the mid 1990’s . The popular flip, off beat investment strategy news letters had become email blasts with the advent of readily accessible internet.[9] By 2004 the email blasts were converted into blog format for the One Small Voice blog (https://onesmallvoice.blogspot.com/ ). [10]
Around that time the Village of Ridgewood had finally completed it’s much anticipated and long delayed renovation of the Village hall which has been flooded out due to Hurricane Floyd.[11] The renovation was marred by huge cost over runs and lengthy delays. In 2005 it opened with great fan fare , was once again flooded with the very first rain . Mr. Foytlin was more shocked by the abject lack of responsibility taken by elected officials than the fact that the $9 million dollar renovation had to some extent been a failure . That was the breaking point and Mr. Foytlin had had enough so he decided to give , citizen journalism a go and created the Ridgewood blog in March of 2006. [12]
The birth of PJ Blogger .By this time Blogging its seems had become quite the rage and mainstream news anchors such as Dan Rather had questioned the validity of information from non professionals sitting around in their Pajama’s blogging.[13] Mr. Foytlin not a fan of Dan Rather or any of the mainstream media decided to blog under the name PJ Blogger as a play on words and to plant himself firmly in the camp of the new digital media.
Innovations by the Ridgewood blog to citizen journalism.
“The Fly” is a column on the Ridgewood blog the originates from the expression ,”I’d like to be a fly on the wall “ . The idea is that every citizen has both a unique perspective and experience and these two factors can be used to gather news and opinions about local issues. Originally only of handful of people in town participated but with time the Ridgewood blog can now count on 20–40 semi regular contributors. These post are both anonymous and signed and are largely opinion as well a breaking news.[14]
The Ridgewood blog brings a free market lassie fare point of view to local issues . Mr. Foytlin aka PJ Blogger has stated that for local issues there are only two kinds of people ;the ones who say spend what every you want because I will not be around to pay the bill and the second group which are more focused on the ,”be careful this is my money your spending” . The Ridgewood blog is dedicated to the interplay of there two groups.[15]
[1][12] the Ridgewood blog website https://theridgewoodblog.blogspot.com/
[2] Birth Certificate born in Valley Hospital , Ridgewood 04/09/1962
[3] Ridgewood High School Class 1980
[4] 444 East 86th street ,530 East 72nd
[5] Monica Rocha
[6] Mapquest
[7] United States 2000 Census, the village population was 24,936.
[8] https://www.americantowns.com/nj/ridgewood/organization/vi…
[9] Fahnestock & Co. now Oppenheimer & Co.
[10] https://onesmallvoice.blogspot.com/
[11] https://www.ridgewoodlibrary.org/localhistory/lh_vh_pease.htm
[13] https://www.opinionjournal.com/diary/?id=110005611
[14] [15] James J Foytlin
Ridgewood NJ, Since the Ridgewood blog had come up more than once in the last few civility meetings Mayor Aronsohn and Jan Philips reached out to us for an invite so we updated our Last Will and Testaments and graciously accepted .The meetings of the Civility Round Table are held on Tuesday’s, once a month at 7:30 PM in the Ridgewood Village Hall Senior’s Lounge. Residents are encouraged to attend .
The meeting started promptly at 7:30 and was to my mind well attended given the time of the year . Jan Phelps hosted the meeting , with Mayor Aronsohn and Councilwomen Hauck . Everyone introduced themselves representing various groups and organizations in the Village , from the BOE , the Planing Board , the Ridgewood Library ,several local clergy , the HSA’s , RBSA and may other fine organizations that serve Ridgewood as well as a few residents . The purpose as stated by the Mayor is to create a more civil discourse in the Village .
Civility is about more than just politeness, although politeness is a necessary first step. It is about disagreeing without disrespect, seeking common ground as a starting point for dialogue about differences, listening past one’s preconceptions, and teaching others to do the same. Civility is the hard work of staying present even with those with whom we have deep-rooted and fierce disagreements. It is political in the sense that it is a necessary prerequisite for civic action. But it is political, too, in the sense that it is about negotiating interpersonal power such that everyone’s voice is heard, and nobody’s is ignored. https://www.instituteforcivility.org/who-we-are/what-is-civility/
The group seemed to agree that Ridgewood is a town where people like to excel , and that drive and those expectations create a very passionate , as you can see from blog comments and opinionated populace . People care about their community and thats a good thing , but many felt that sometimes we all go a bit to far .
We looked at the causes of incivility , the when and why .Sheila Brogan long time BOE member , felt that todays parents had a lot of additional pressure and worried that in todays world their kids would have a hard time doing as well as they have done . She went on to speak about the changing times and how one could expect to have several careers over a life time ,all this she though made being a parent a lot harder than it was in the past and a lot more pressure .
We managed to go till 8:08 be for someone mentioned the elephant in the room, “I want to talk about the blog”…….
I learned a lot , mostly that I am glad I can sit in my PJ’s drinking coffee writing a blog getting yelled at by anonymous commenters ,and don’t have a tuff job like the RBSA people who are pulled in many directions ,by so many demands all at once .
There were interestingly a surprising large amount of blog enthusiasts there some open and some secret admirers .
While I could see there were some sore spots , like turf fields , PSEG ,sports issues , Valley Hospital , the Village Hall renovation and alas Marty Brooks the daggers were lowered for the night .
While anonymity of blog posters took a hit as expected some pointed out that even on facebook were you know who everyone is the comments can be even nastier . A resident put it down to a type of “keyboard bravado.”
PJ’s Rules
1) Stick to issues don’t make it personal
2) Don’t take anything personal
M. Forni’s 25 Rules:The 25 Rules of Considerate Conduct
1. Pay attention
2. Acknowledge others
3. Think the best
4. Listen
5. Be inclusive
6. Speak kindly
7. Don’t speak ill
8. Accept and give praise
9. Respect even a subtle “no”
10. Respect others’ opinions
11. Mind your body
12. Be agreeable
13. Keep it down (and rediscover silence)
14. Respect other people’s time
15. Respect other people’s space
16. Apologize earnestly and thoughtfully
17. Assert yourself
18. Avoid personal questions
19. Care for your guests
20. Be a considerate guest
21. Think twice before asking for favors
22. Refrain from idle complaints
23. Give constructive criticism
24. Respect the environment and be gentle to animals
Ridgewood NJ, April 9, 2014 – The Ridgewood blog was founded in March of 2006 by James J Foytlin aka PJ Blogger .[1] Mr. Foytlin was born and raised in Ridgewood ,New Jersey and is a graduate of Ridgewood High School .[2] [3]
After many years living in New York City[4] Mr Foytlin returned to Ridgewood after a divorce and the tragic events of 9/11 . Once he settled in he noticed a lack of sufficient news coverage of local events . One day a friend from Brazil[5] showed him her home town on the internet and to Mr. Foytlin’s great surprise when he tried to reciprocate he was utterly dismayed at the absolute lake coverage of his home town. After all Ridgewood is only 18 miles from midtown Manhattan[6] the media capitol of world and there was not a single picture of Ridgewood to be found . How could this be? Ridgewood is a picturesque upper middle class village of around 25,000 located in Bergen county in northern New Jersey[7] . Founded by Dutch settlers before it became an English colony[8] . The town or village as its called is steeped in rich history and tradition .Known for a large amount of Victorian era housing , a quality school system and a family friendly atmosphere.
Though busy getting reacquainted with his home town the fact that the Village of Ridgewood was so under represented on the internet continued to disturb Mr. Foytlin. Mr. Foytlin had been writing news letters for his job in financial services since the mid 1990’s . The popular flip, off beat investment strategy news letters had become email blasts with the advent of readily accessible internet.[9] By 2004 the email blasts were converted into blog format for the One Small Voice blog (https://onesmallvoice.blogspot.com/ ). [10]
Around that time the Village of Ridgewood had finally completed it’s much anticipated and long delayed renovation of the Village hall which has been flooded out due to Hurricane Floyd.[11] The renovation was marred by huge cost over runs and lengthy delays. In 2005 it opened with great fan fare , was once again flooded with the very first rain . Mr. Foytlin was more shocked by the abject lack of responsibility taken by elected officials than the fact that the $9 million dollar renovation had to some extent been a failure . That was the breaking point and Mr. Foytlin had had enough so he decided to give , citizen journalism a go and created the Ridgewood blog in March of 2006. [12]
The birth of PJ Blogger .By this time Blogging its seems had become quite the rage and mainstream news anchors such as Dan Rather had questioned the validity of information from non professionals sitting around in their Pajama’s blogging.[13] Mr. Foytlin not a fan of Dan Rather or any of the mainstream media decided to blog under the name PJ Blogger as a play on words and to plant himself firmly in the camp of the new digital media.
Innovations by the Ridgewood blog to citizen journalism.
“The Fly” is a column on the Ridgewood blog the originates from the expression ,”I’d like to be a fly on the wall “ . The idea is that every citizen has both a unique perspective and experience and these two factors can be used to gather news and opinions about local issues. Originally only of handful of people in town participated but with time the Ridgewood blog can now count on 30–50 semi regular contributors. These post are both anonymous and signed and are largely opinion as well a breaking news.[14]
The Ridgewood blog brings a free market lassie fare point of view to local issues . Mr. Foytlin aka PJ Blogger has stated that for local issues there are only two kinds of people ;the ones who say spend what every you want because I will not be around to pay the bill and the second group which are more focused on the ,”be careful this is my money your spending” . The Ridgewood blog is dedicated to the interplay of there two groups.[15]
[1][12] the Ridgewood blog website https://theridgewoodblog.blogspot.com/
[2] Birth Certificate born in Valley Hospital , Ridgewood 04/09/1962
[3] Ridgewood High School Class 1980
[4] 444 East 86th street ,530 East 72nd
[5] Monica Rocha
[6] Mapquest
[7] United States 2000 Census, the village population was 24,936.
[8] https://www.americantowns.com/nj/ridgewood/organization/vi…
[9] Fahnestock & Co. now Oppenheimer & Co.
[10] https://onesmallvoice.blogspot.com/
[11] https://www.ridgewoodlibrary.org/localhistory/lh_vh_pease.htm
[13] https://www.opinionjournal.com/diary/?id=110005611
[14] [15] James J Foytlin
