Ridgewood provides the perfect recipe of demographics for all the excessive spending, nepotism, well-intentioned (but unsustainable) projects, and varying degrees of opportunistic action. These perfect conditions are:
1. A relatively wealthy community.
2. A community that rotates (many move here just to put their kids through school and then move on).
3. A largely Democrat population. This isn’t meant as a liberal bash, but just that liberals are far more likely to naively support program after program. The political thieves know this.
4. Ridgewood’s population is mostly un-focused on local matters due to careers and social lives.
Updated February 24, 2017
Posted February 24, 2017
By Bobby Olivier | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
For a huge swath of New Jerseyans, work means commuting, and commuting means public transportation. NJ Transit and the PATH host more than 700,000 daily riders between bus and rail.
And unfortunately, not every New Jersey commuter is a perfectly polite passenger. In fact, some seem put on this earth — or train car — just to devolve our daily routines into maddening frustration and rage.
Here are 12 of the most loathsome types of New Jersey commuters, from the phone talkers to the eaters to the ones who WON’T. STOP. STARING at you. Commuting is enough of a pain without these human nightmares fooling with our sanity.
Tue, February 28, 2017
Time: 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM
Location: Evolved Medicine, 1250 E. Ridgewood Ave., Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Ridgewood NJ, NEW Mindfulness Meditation Class for Teens & Young Adults on next Tuesday Feb 28th from 4:00–4:45pm. I am offering the class at Evolved Medicine’s offices in Ridgewood located at 1250 E. Ridgewood Ave. Evolved Medicine is one of the only functional medicine practices in the country to focus on adolescents & young adults and Dr. Stephanie Strozuk is a big advocate of meditation for her clients, so it is naturally a great fit! The class will be inclusive and suitable for everyone, especially youthful beginners in high school, college, or early adulthood.
Please pass this along to any teens or young adults in your life (or their parents)! You can explain that mindfulness meditation is simply “exercise for the mind.” A few of the benefits include being more relaxed, less stressed, and more mindfulness around eating habits, emotions, and personal environments at school or home.
For any questions or to RSVP, you can reach me at peter@hoffmoniouslife.com or by phone 201-657-4420.
Ridgewood NJ, Local Author, YOOJIN GRACE WUERTZ, will sign her new book: Everything Belongs to Us ($27.00). Books available: February 28th.
Yoojin Grace Wuertz
Sunday, March 5th @ 2:00pm
Local Author, Yoojin Grace Wuertz will be here to sign her new book:
Everything Belongs to Us
Two young women of vastly different means each struggle to find her own way during the darkest hours of South Korea’s “economic miracle” in a striking debut novel for readers of Anthony Marra and Chimamanda Ngozie Adichie. Seoul, 1978. At South Korea’s top university, the nation’s best and brightest compete to join the professional elite of an authoritarian regime. Success could lead to a life of rarefied privilege and wealth; failure means being left irrevocably behind.For childhood friends Jisun and Namin, the stakes couldn’t be more different. Jisun, the daughter of a powerful business mogul, grew up on a mountainside estate with lush gardens and a dedicated chauffeur. Namin’s parents run a tented food cart from dawn to curfew; her sister works in a shoe factory. Now Jisun wants as little to do with her father’s world as possible, abandoning her schoolwork in favor of the underground activist movement, while Namin studies tirelessly in the service of one goal: to launch herself and her family out of poverty.But everything changes when Jisun and Namin meet an ambitious, charming student named Sunam, whose need to please his family has led him to a prestigious club: the Circle. Under the influence of his mentor, Juno, a manipulative social climber, Sunam becomes entangled with both women, as they all make choices that will change their lives forever.In this sweeping yet intimate debut, Yoojin Grace Wuertz details four intertwining lives that are rife with turmoil and desire, private anxieties and public betrayals, dashed hopes and broken dreams—while a nation moves toward prosperity at any cost.
Bookends is a legendary New Jersey Landmark! We are known for our incredible author events and have hosted well over
1,000 authors in the past 15 years!
Can’t make a signing? We take phone orders for signed copies.
Call now at 201-445-0726!
All books MUST be purchased from BOOKENDS for any of our events and a valid Bookends receipt must be presented for entry.
Appearing authors will only autograph books purchased at Bookends and must have valid Bookends Receipt.
Availability & pricing for all autographed books subject to change.
First In Line Certificate use is the the discretion of Bookends. Blackout dates may apply.
Bookends cannot guarantee that the books that are Autographed will always be First Printings.
Autographed books purchased at Bookends are non-returnable.
While we try to ensure that all customers coming to Bookends’ signings will meet authors and get their books signed, we cannot guarantee that all attendees will meet the author or that all books will be signed. We cannot control inclement weather, author travel schedules or authors who leave prematurely.
Bookends, 211 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450 201-445-0726
Ridgewood NJ, There was a time when nothing was more sacred than going to a baseball game, getting a hot dog and keeping score in the stands. Children from past generations would enter the gates at their favorite baseball stadium and immediately ask their parents to get a scorecard and pencil, so that they could track every play. In the days before YouTube, Wikipedia and baseball reference sites, keeping score was one of the only ways to look back on games and remember what happened – batter to batter.
As technology advanced the art of scorekeeping faded from popular use, and now many fans don’t know what a backwards “K”, “HPB” or a “6-4-3 DP” means. To help bring scorekeeping back to the 21st Century, GameChanger has launched apps for iOS and Android. GameChanger, available for free, is the leading digital scorekeeping app that also helps amateur baseball and softball teams stay organized and informed.
GameChanger features an easy-to-use tutorial that guides even the most inexperienced users step-by-step and pitch-by-pitch. With one click, users simply have to select the virtual field on the screen and a set of dropdown menus will allow them to input the play. The app keeps track of all the action, so that users can review the game anytime, anywhere. In-game stats include everything from pitch counts to first-pitch strike percentage.
In the coming-of-age movie “Garden State,” Zach Braff’s character Andrew Largeman bemoans the disorienting feeling of lacking a home:
“You’ll see one day when you move out…You feel like you can never get it back. It’s like you feel homesick for a place that doesn’t even exist. Maybe it’s like this rite of passage…You won’t ever have this feeling again until you create a new idea of home for yourself.”
That feeling of home, of belonging, is at the heart of Airbnb’s mission. We seek to build a world in which people can belong anywhere — in over 34,000 big cities and small towns in 192 countries worldwide.
It is a sentiment rooted in the warm embrace of our host community — including 6,100 hosts right here in New Jersey who welcomed nearly 260,000 guests in 2016, double the number from 2015. These guests are coming from across the country and around the world, with 24 percent from outside North America.
The vast majority of Garden State hosts are middle class New Jerseyans who share their homes occasionally to pay for their mortgage, medicine, and student loans, or save money for retirement or a rainy day. In fact, last year, the typical host shared their home for fewer than 4 days a month, bringing in $6,200 to help make ends meet.
Ridgewood is a service orientated community mainly for young families whom reap those benefits more than the empty nesters and matured singles.
The scale is tipped in favor towards young families who buy in for the school system, expect and want more. It is orientated to sports groups, leisure activity programs, young mixers, February recess, Spring recess, etc. They move out after the youngest graduates. The matured residents are basically left in the dust except to pay ever increasing school and property taxes.
There is more use of town services by young families vs. empty nesters as far as double the number of garbage cans of waste, recycleables, and water usage with washers running daily by the young families, the library. The matured residents usage is much less.
For decades, the matured residents were able to age in place in their life long homes since the taxes held fairly steady, with gradual increases over time. But, the housing boom of the 21st C. changed all that, and taxes spiraled out of control. Matured residents thought they would be able to continue to stay living comfortably and safely right in the neighborhood they always loved and not have to “downsize”. For many now its a question of should they sell and move together now, before one dies and then only one is left to make that decision later. These things and more, is not a balanced community.
Ridgewood NJ, For those age 55+, let us help you redefine your free time and connect with just the right volunteer opportunity to match your skills, interests, and availability. Please stop by our Volunteer Fair on Sunday, March 5 from 2-4pm in the Library’s Auditorium and meet representatives from many organizations. A great chance to sign up or explore some options. We hope to see you there. Sponsored by the Ridgewood Library and Age Friendly Ridgewood.
We want to stay in Ridgewood but on a significantly reduced income it may not be possible. Yes, our mortgage is long paid, But our taxes have increased astronomically. Our quarterly payment is more than my Social Security for 4 months, so all my Social Security for the year goes entirely to taxes. Thank heavens my husband also has Social Security but it is not enough to cover all other expenses .A reduction in taxes could make the difference between staying here or selling our 4 bedroom Colonial to a family with children. Such a family would cost the Village way more in services than we do now.
Ridgewood NJ, Richard A. Norden, MD FACS of Norden Laser Eye Associates has been awarded the 2016 National Doctor’s Choice Award in Ophthalmology, his second year in a row winning this award. The prestigious award is bestowed to a physician selected by other physicians. In order to be eligible to win, a doctor must go through the nomination process, which includes reviews and ratings by other physicians and peers. These reviews are vetted to ensure the credibility of the physician and the review itself. A winner in each category is chosen from each city, and they all compete for the national award.
“I am humbled to win this award,” Dr, Norden said. “To be honored by your peers two years in a row is such a tremendous accomplishment. I am grateful that my colleagues chose to select me as their choice to send themselves, their families, and their patients to.”
Dr. Norden has been performing LASIK surgery for more than two decades. Throughout his career he’s performed LASIK on over 30,000 patients. He was the first doctor in Northern New Jersey to perform LASIK, and he trademarked Custom LASIK. He’s contributed to the field of ophthalmology as well by training hundreds of doctors how to perform LASIK. He’s also contributed to the ophthalmic literature regarding LASIK.
For more information about the award, you can visit Doctor’s Choice Award’s website (https://www.doctorschoiceawards.org/). You can learn more about Richard A. Norden, MD and Norden Laser Eye Associates at 1144 E Ridgewood Ave in Ridgewood, NJ by viewing their website (https://www.nordenlasik.com/about/).
PSE&G Extends Gas Credit into March Customers to save another $12 depending on March usage $37 in total savings from Jan.-Mar.
February 24,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Public Service Electric and Gas (PSE&G) announced today that it will extend its bill credit for residential gas customers next month, saving customers another $12 on their bills for March usage.
PSE&G provided bill credits for January and February usage, saving the typical residential gas customer about $25. By extending the credit through March, this customer could save a total of $37.
A typical residential heating customer using 165 therms in March and receiving their supply from PSE&G would see a credit of $12, or a nearly 9 percent reduction, in their one-month bill. Depending on meter reading schedules, many customers will see some of the reduction in March with the remainder in their April bills.
The Jan-Mar. bill credits are in addition to a 3 percent annual bill decrease that took effect Oct. 1, 2016 that is saving the typical customer $26 a year. Since January 2009, annual bills for PSE&G’s typical residential gas heating customers are 53 percent – or $892 – lower due to supply rate reductions.
“This is the third time we have lowered the price of gas for residential customers this winter heating season,” said Jorge Cardenas, PSE&G vice president of asset management and centralized services. “The cost of natural gas continues to be low, and we are happy to pass along these additional savings to our customers.”
PSE&G makes no profit on the sale of natural gas, and passes along what it pays to customers. Last winter, PSE&G gave back $152 million to customers in the form of bill credits. The utility will be returning an estimated $47 million to customers this winter with the credit extension announced today.
Ridgewood NJ, Piccolo Bistro, 29 Chestnut St., Ridgewood is offering special pricing of $25 per person Sunday through Thursday. For details piccolobistro.net. The off is on a 3-course Prix-Fixe menu .
Executive Chef, Giancarlo Borletti specializes in a fine contemporary Mediterranean cuisine. His sustainable and vanguardist style of cooking adds a creative and innovating flair to tradition.
Piccolo Bistro is located at 29 Chestnut Street, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Ridgewood NJ, Michael Fidanza, a New Jersey licensed real estate broker,announced the opening of a new brokerage, Positive Impact Realty, LLC, located in Ridgewood. Prior to opening Positive Impact Realty, Mr. Fidanza was a licensed salesperson for large franchise broker in Ridgewood for nearly five years.
“Positive Impact Realty was created differently from the very start. We put relationships before profits because people are more important than numbers,” said Mr. Fidanza, founder and broker/owner. “Our mission is to have a positive, meaningful and lasting impact on the lives of our clients, neighbors and communities in which we serve.”
Mr. Fidanza has been a resident of Ridgewood since 1995 and of Bergen County for much of his entire life. His background has been in technology and related industries and professions since 1979. In 2012, Mr. Fidanza joined Keller Williams in Ridgewood and was quite comfortable with their technology-strong agent platforms.
To augment the brokerage offerings, Mr. Fidanza will bring his knowledge and expertise in new media – specifically podcasting, blogging, and publishing on digital and traditional platforms, to the company. “In 2017, we will be launching community-centric initiatives to help residents and groups throughout the year,” said Mr. Fidanza.
Based in Ridgewood, Positive Impact Realty will cover the towns across Northern Bergen County. The main focus of the brokerage will be listing and selling residential properties including luxury homes, new construction, rentals and relocations.
Michael Fidanza
Broker / Owner
Michael@MichaelFidanza.com
M: 201.248.6605
….the fly has learned that a proprietor of a food establishment frequented by Ridgewood High School students during lunch periods (who wishes to remain anonymous) is reporting that employees of the business find a large number of discarded coins (several dollars worth) in their trash receptacles on a daily basis (yes, DAILY).
Seemingly, the youths of Ridgewood can’t be bothered carrying around loose change, so they just throw it away.
I wonder if behavior like this is being learned at home.
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood PD Patrol Officers Colin Donnelly and Kyle Scarpa rendered assistance to an adult female with physical disabilities whose SUV became stuck on a small retaining wall in the parking lot of a medical office building located at 85 South Maple Avenue, Ridgewood on Thursday afternoon, 02/23. A flatbed tow truck successfully freed the vehicle from its predicament and the SUV was able to be driven away on its on power. The driver was uninjured in the mishap.
