Mark Krulish , Staff Writer, @Mark_Krulish12:02 a.m. EST November 16, 2016
The hearings for proposed housing developments in Ridgewood’s downtown have ground to a halt in the wake of a Superior Court judge’s ruling to issue a temporary stay while matters in a related lawsuit are resolved.
The Planning Board had been set to resume testimony Tuesday evening regarding The Dayton, a 93-unit luxury apartment complex with some affordable units mixed in, slated for the former Brogan Cadillac site on South Broad Street. However, that application has been continued to Dec. 20, Planning Board Attorney Christopher Martin said Tuesday.
The New Jersey Transit train that plowed into the Hoboken Terminal in September — killing one woman and injuring scores of people — was found to have faulty brakes just months before the crash, a report said Monday.
Back in January, inspectors discovered that a “hand brake gear pin” on one of the train cars was “completely out,” according to PIX11.
PSE&G teams with more than 80 North American utilities to stop scams
November 15th 2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, According to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, more than 3 million consumers filed fraud complaints last year. Phone scams are among the most common complaints. To combat these con artists, Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G), New Jersey’s largest utility, joined forces with more than 80 energy companies across North America to educate people how to spot a scam. The collaborative designated the third Wednesday in November
“Utilities United Against Scams Day.”
How the most common payment scam works:
Someone pretending to be a utility employee calls and threatens shut-off within an hour if they do not receive immediate payment via a prepaid card.
Victims are given a phony phone number to call back after they purchase the cards from a retail store.
When the customer calls back, they may hear voice response prompts that mimic those they would hear when calling a real customer service line. Some of these criminals use caller ID spoofing technology to replicate PSE&G’s number.
A fake representative asks for the numbers on the prepaid card or receipt. Within seconds the money is gone.
Scam red flags:
The caller becomes angry and aggressive, telling the customer his or her account is past due and service will be disconnected if a large payment isn’t made – often within less than an hour.
The thief specifically demands the customer pay with a prepaid card or wire transfer.
“If a caller directs you to go to a local store to purchase a prepaid card to pay your bill, it is likely a scam,” said Greg Dunlap, PSE&G vice president of customer operations. “If you receive a call and are in doubt, hang up and call us at the phone number listed on our website or your PSE&G bill.”
The only way to protect against these scams is for customers to be cautious. Before terminating service, PSE&G alerts customers in a number of ways: messages on their bill, letters and phone calls. While the utility accepts credit cards, prepaid cards and money transfers to pay bills, PSE&G would never demand a specific type of payment and threaten immediate service termination.
“Hiding behind an untraceable phone, scammers know it is doubtful they’ll be caught,” said Dunlap. “By educating people how to spot a scam, our Utilities United collaborative aims to spare many would-be victims and make the thieves’ underhanded jobs a lot harder.”
Report all scam attempts by calling your utility and local police department, and file a complaint with the FTC at www.ftc.gov/complaint.
Ridgewood Nj, Bookends will host a Meet/Greet /PHOTO for Anna Kendrick Monday, November 14th at 6:00pm ,Star of Pitch Perfect , Books pre-signed “Scrappy Little Nobody” .
Anna Kendrick (born August 9, 1985 )is an American actress and singer. She began her career as a child actor in theater productions. Her first prominent role was in the 1998 Broadway musical High Society, which earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She made her film debut in the musical comedy Camp (2003).
Kendrick rose to prominence for her supporting role in The Twilight Saga (2008–12), the film franchise based on Stephenie Meyer’s book series. She received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Up in the Air (2009).
Kendrick has also featured in the comedy-drama 50/50 (2011), the crime-drama End of Watch (2012), the musical-fantasy Into the Woods (2014), and the adult comedy Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016). She achieved further fame for playing the protagonist in the 2012 musical comedy Pitch Perfect and the 2015 sequel, Pitch Perfect 2.
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
MyTix sales soar past one million tickets and passes for October
November 14,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, “The ease and convenience of purchasing tickets and passes right from a smartphone continues to become more popular with our customers each month, making NJ TRANSIT a national leader in this new technology” said Executive Director Steven H. Santoro. “As we reach these milestones, we continue to look for new ways to add additional functionality to the MyTix program and lead from the front on this digital platform.” NJ TRANSIT’s customers are downloading their way to electronic ticketing in record setting numbers. During the month of October, the digital system known as MyTix shattered its record for most tickets and passes sold in one month, and in doing so, crossed the one million mark for the first time. In addition, November 1st set a single day sales record.
During the month of October 2016, more than one million tickets and passes were purchased through the MyTix feature, surpassing the previous monthly record of more than 990-thousand set in August 2016. As a comparison, January 2016 saw monthly sales of 690-thousand tickets and passes. Year to date MyTix sales have grown 46 percent.
On November 1, 2016, MyTix set a single day sales record with more than 71-thousand tickets and passes sold, breaking the previous single day record of more than 65-thousand set on August 1, 2016.
Paramus NJ,The Valley Hospital/Mount Sinai Comprehensive Cancer Care will present a Medicare Open Enrollment event that’s open to the public on Wednesday, November 16, from 1 to 3 p.m., at the Dorothy B. Kraft Building on 15 Essex Road in Paramus, New Jersey. A state-trained and certified State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) Medicare Counselor from the Bergen County Division of Senior Services in Hackensack will be available to assist with Medicare Open Enrollment and answer questions related to Medicare, including the following: Medicare changes for 2017, differences between Medicare and HMO Medicare Advantage plans; 2017 prescription plans; benefits to choosing a Medicare plan versus a HMO Medicare Advantage plan; differences between Part A, B, C Medicare; out-of-pocket expenses; social security; and pharmaceutical assistance.
Those interested in attending should RSVP to Gail Johnson, Patient Financial Advocate at The Valley Hospital, at 201-634-5644 or [email protected]
Ridgewood NJ, The annual Ridgewood Emergency Services fund driver letter has been mailed to all residents and business in the village and 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 4 th festivities, high school football games and more.
With your financial support, this past year brought a lot of advances in RES patient care. RES was able to purchase CPAP devices (advanced continuous positive airway pressure devices, which can help patients with breathing problems), LUCAS automatic chest compression devices (for more effective CPR), and power lift stretchers (to reduce the occurrences of backinjuries) are equipment that your donations purchased.
RES also maintains 25 public access defibrillators in the Village. The department has responded to over 1704 requests thus far in 2016, which equates to over 15,804 cumulative volunteer hours.
“Please consider supporting our organization with a financial contribution so that the community can continue to count on the volunteers to respond to all of 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.
Ridgewood NJ, A two (2) vehicle rear end collision at the intersection of North Maple Avenue and Franklin Avenue in Ridgewood caused heavy damage to both vehicles involved, but their respective occupants escaped without serious injury. Separate flatbed tow trucks were called to remove the wrecked sedans. Ridgewood PD, FD, and EMS responded. Ridgewood FD personnel contained a minor crash related fluid spill.
Ridgewood NJ, The driver of a small moving van lost control of his vehicle, left the roadway and subsequently knocked over a street sign before crashing into a tree at the intersection of North Monroe Street and Farview Street, Ridgewood late Saturday night, 11/12. Ridgewood PD, FD, and EMS personnel responded to aid the victim, who was transported by ambulance to The Valley Hospital. A paramedic team from The Valley Hospital assisted with patient care. The crumpled vehicle was removed from the scene by a hydraulic lift tow truck. The contents of the moving van at the time of impact included a piano.
Cut your risk factor by wearing bright colored clothing. “New York Black” may make you look slimmer, but walking or jogging in anything other than bright sunlight while wearing black astronomically increases your risk of getting whacked by a vehicle. If insist on wearing all black, for whatever asinine reason that might be, carry a high visibility safety vest in your briefcase/purse and put it on just before you get off the bus/train and start the walk home. Also a good thing to carry to a shopping center parking lot. In Europe, it’s common to see pedestrians wearing high visibility clothing. What’s wrong with us in this country that black is the only color some people will wear outside?
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood has joined a growing chorus of North Jersey towns opposing the Pilgrim Pipeline.It passed a resolution, 4-0, with Councilwoman Bernadette Walsh recusing herself.
The Village now joins over 28 towns along the proposed Bergen County route to oppose the controversial Pilgrim Pipeline .
Pilgrim Pipeline LLC has proposed a brand new oil pipeline across northern New Jersey that would connect Albany, NY and Linden NJ.
The Sierra club has harped on safety issues in claiming the , “This bidirectional pipeline would carry corrosive, volatile Bakken crude oil through our communities.”
From the The Sierra club website , “Pipeline construction would have deleterious effects on both the open spaces and urbanized communities through which it would pass. In the Highlands and other sensitive areas, we would see wetlands destroyed, drinking water and critical habitats threatened, endangered species leveled to the ground, and impacts to waterways from more erosion due to construction. The pipeline would pass through environmental justice communities that have already seen too much air and water pollution as a result of the fossil fuel industry.”
The go on to say ,”The pipeline will carry North Dakotan Bakken shale oil. Produced through fracking, it is one of the most explosive types of oil in the world. In February the *Wall Street Journal* compared oil from 86 locations around the world and found Bakken crude oil to be the most explosive. Bringing this fuel into our state endangers our families, property, and environment.”
Sounds like a lot of anti-growth , anti-fossil fuels mumbo jumbo that the left uses in this country to stall progress.
The reality is there are zero recorded instances of crude oil exploding while being transported via pipeline in the United States. The differing levels of volatility inherent to different types of crude are rendered moot during pipeline transportation, as there is no air pressure or jostling that occurs inside a pipeline – the necessary factors for an explosion to take place. Bakken oil is already being transported between Albany and Linden by river barge and train; Pilgrim would transport this same oil by pipeline, the safest mode of transportation for these energy products.
The Pipeline Pilgrim is proposing will have an overwhelming majority of the projected pipeline route run along existing rights of way. In New York, as it heads south from Albany, the pipeline would run along the New York State Thruway within the existing highway easement. Landowners on either side of the Thruway may receive survey letters per NY state regulations requiring land adjacent to the proposed route to be reviewed for a variety of reasons, including environmental, archeological, etc. – a standard requirement for permit applications. The same is true of New Jersey, where the vast majority of the route would run along existing utility rights of way, and surveys must be conducted per New Jersey state regulations that mandate a standard land review requirement for permits. Depending on local geography, the range of review in both states is between 50 to 300 feet to either side of the centerline, which is why property owners receive survey requests. The footprint of the pipeline itself is only about 5 and ½ feet.
As of 2013 nearly half a million carloads of crude oil were transported by rail in the United States. In New Jersey alone, there are approximately 2,400 miles of rail freight lines. In recent years there has much fear about transporting oil through populated areas ,like Ridgewood by rail .
Moving oil and gas by pipeline was 4.5 times safer than moving the same volume the same distance by rail in the decade ended in 2013 in Canada, according to a new study by the Fraser Institute public policy think-tank.The study concluded pipelines are likely to experience 0.049 occurrences per thousand barrels of oil equivalent transported and rail will experience about 0.227 occurrences per thousand boe transported.
In The Wall Street Journal piece ,”How to Transport Oil More Safely”, “Pipelines are typically the cheapest, and in some cases quickest, way to move crude in the U.S., and they spill less often than other transport methods. In 2014, pipelines delivered 3.4 billion barrels of crude oil to U.S. refineries, according to Energy Information Administration data. The Association of Oil Pipe Lines says it has a 99.999% safe-delivery rate on these shipments. “On an apples-to-apples basis, pipelines have less accidents, cause less environmental damage and cause less harm to human health than do railcars moving comparable masses of oil and gas,”
In the New TYork Times article ,”Accidents Surge as Oil Industry Takes the Train” Today about two-thirds of the production in North Dakota’s Bakken shale oil field rides on rails because of a shortage of pipelines. And more than 10 percent of the nation’s total oil production is shipped by rail. Since March there have been no fewer than 10 large crude spills in the United States and Canada because of rail accidents. The number of gallons spilled in the United States last year, federal records show, far outpaced the total amount spilled by railroads from 1975 to 2012.
While nothing is fool proof , it would be wise to do some honest hard work on the issue instead of passing silly resolutions based on one-sided politically motivated sources of information .
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Professional Firefighters FMBA Local 47 reminds residents that Kidde Recalled Combination Smoke/CO Alarms Due to Alarm Failure.
The alarm can fail to continue to chirp when it reaches its seven year end of life if the batteries are replaced, leading consumers to believe it is still working. This poses a risk of consumers not being alerted to a fire or CO incident in their home.
Remedy:
Replace
Consumer Contact:
Kidde toll-free at 855-239-0490 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or online at www.kidde.com and click on “Product Safety Notice” for more information.
Ridgewood NJ, High winds toppled a large tree located in wooded parkland along Grove Street in Ridgewood on Friday morning, 11/11. The fallen tree crushed a chain link fence and blocked motor vehicle traffic on Grove Street between South Irving Street and Van Dien Avenue for over two (2) hours. Ridgewood PD provided traffic control until the tree was removed by a Village of Ridgewood tree crew. No injuries were reported.
