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68 Senators Vote to Create Incentive for Employers to Hire Amnestied Immigrants Over U.S. Citizens

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“I don’t know. I’d have to look at it closely,” said Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania. “I just haven’t read it that closely to know.”

68 Senators Vote to Create Incentive for Employers to Hire Amnestied Immigrants Over U.S. Citizens
9:49 AM, Jun 28, 2013 • By JOHN MCCORMACK

The immigration bill passed by the Senate Thursday afternoon would give some employers a financial incentive to employ “registered provisional immigrants” (illegal immigrants granted legal status) instead of U.S. citizens.

As the Washington Examiner’s Philip Klein recently reported: “Under Obamacare, businesses with over 50 workers that employ American citizens without offering them qualifying health insurance could be subject to fines of up to $3,000 per worker. But because newly legalized immigrants wouldn’t be eligible for subsidies on the Obamacare exchanges until after they become citizens – at least 13 years under the Senate bill – businesses could avoid such fines by hiring the new immigrants instead.”

On Tuesday, THE WEEKLY STANDARD asked five U.S. senators about this problem, and none of them knew if it was a problem. “We’re trying to solve that right now. I don’t know if that’s been solved,” Senator Max Baucus of Montana (chief author of Obamacare) told THE WEEKLY STANDARD.

https://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/68-senators-vote-create-incentive-employers-hire-amnestied-immigrants-over-us-citizens_738015.html

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A Student’s Celebration of Art – Month of July

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A Student’s Celebration of Art – Month of July

The Ridgewood Parks and Recreation Department invites you to participate in the art exhibit entitled

“A Student’s Celebration of Art” during the month of July at the Stable Gallery, 259 N. Maple Avenue.

Watercolors, Chinese Brush Painting, Acrylics, Pastels, Drawing and Sculpture projects are just some of the pieces to be displayed. All students who have attended an art class at The Stable, through the Parks and Recreation Department, are welcome to bring one favorite piece for display, labeled with your name and class before June 25th. Please call 201-670-5560 if further information is needed.

Please invite your family and friends to attend an Artist Reception, scheduled for Thursday, July 25th, between the hours of 4:00 and 6:00p.m. Light refreshments will be served.

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10 Year Old Boy Finds Live Ammunition in Ridgewood Street While Walking To School

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Photo credit: Boyd A. Loving
10 Year Old Boy Finds Live Ammunition in Ridgewood Street While Walking To School
June 24,2013
Boyd A. Loving
5:31 PM

Ridgewood NJ, A 10 year old boy who lives in the 400 block of Oxford Court in Ridgewood found a round of live ammunition lying in the street while walking to school this morning.

Ridgewood Police Department Patrol Officer Patrick Elwood was dispatched to the boy’s home this afternoon after the child’s mother called police to report that her son had come home from school with the ammunition still in his possession.  According to Officer Elwood, the ammunition appears to be a single round of buckshot.  Acting on information provided by the youth, Officer Elwood responded to a home located in the 400 block of nearby Bogert Avenue where the ammunition was reportedly found.  The home’s owner had moved over the weekend and it is  believed the ammunition may have fallen out of a box/carton during the move.  The incident remains under investigation.
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live_amo3_theridgewoodblog.net

Photo credit: Boyd A. Loving

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Reader says Valley Expansion staring to sound like a “reality” TV show

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Housewives of New Jersey TV

Reader says Valley Expansion staring to sound like a “reality” TV show

A project that any fool can see is off the chart, others being considered that are at best questionable, “experts” testifying who do not reside here and could care less about the town, a councilwoman who may get to vote on something she should be recusing herself from, her next door neighbor who writes a letter doing her more harm than good, and a parking garage that after thirty plus years still is not built ! Is this made for TV or what !?

Wake up Ridgewood before this little gem of a town turns into a lot more than anyone could have ever imagined.

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A Little history on the property that is now known as the Habernickel Family Park

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A Little history on the property that is now known as the Habernickel Family Park

My name is Richard Huffman and I am writing to give a little history on the property that is now known as the Habernickel Family Park. I lived on the farm from 1950 until 1977.

My dad, Arthur C. Huffman, bought it in disrepair from a doctor who had previously bought it years before to become a recuperative home for his sickly child who suffered from breathing problems. The doctor spent a huge amount of money and time planting many of the beautiful trees that now grace the property, hoping that they would help his child,s breathing problems, but, unfortunately, the child died before the project was completed, We named the property Sweetbriar Farms. My dad founded Huffman & Boyle Furniture (later Huffman-Koos) and was a prominent member of the community.

Over the years, the farm was always open to the public. Ice skating on the pond all winter, fishing in the summer, Boy Scout camp outs in the lower fields, and hiking through the woods. The Kuiphers (Habernickel) family bought the farm part of the the property from my dad in the late 1970s and, in 1986, bought the last 2 acres where our house was located after my father had passed away.

I am surprised that the that the town chose to name the park after the prior owners since, at $7.4 million, it was in no way a charitable donation by the Habernickel family. They made a very handsome profit on the sale to the town. A more appropriate name for the park would have been Hillcrest Park.

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FLASH FLOOD WARNING

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photo by Boyd Loving

FLASH FLOOD WARNING

FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY
201 PM EDT TUE JUN 18 2013

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN UPTON NY HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR…
  EASTERN BERGEN COUNTY IN NORTHEAST NEW JERSEY…

* UNTIL 400 PM EDT…

* AT 159 PM EDT…NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  FLASH FLOODING FROM A NEARLY STATIONARY THUNDERSTORM OVER THE
  WARNED AREA.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.

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‘NSA should come clean about domestic spying’: Ray Kelly

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‘NSA should come clean about domestic spying’: Ray Kelly
By JENNIFER BAIN
Last Updated: 6:18 PM, June 17, 2013
Posted: 4:09 PM, June 17, 2013

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly launched a stinging rebuke to the federal government’s secret phone and Internet monitoring campaign — and suggested leaker Edward Snowden was right about privacy “abuse.”

“I don’t think it ever should have been made secret,” Kelly said today, breaking ranks with US law-enforcement officials.

His blast came days after the Obama administration and Attorney General Eric Holder outraged New York officials by endorsing a federal monitor for the NYPD.

Kelly appeared to firmly reject Holder’s claim that disclosure of the monitoring campaign seriously damaged efforts to fight terrorism.

https://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/nsa_should_come_clean_ray_kelly_dfAKlqJ4keYDNiJqANhIMO

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‘Smoking’ Alcohol: Is It Safe?

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‘Smoking’ Alcohol: Is It Safe?
June 14, 2013 6:11 PM

DETROIT (WWJ) – It’s a different way to get drunk. The practice of “smoking” alcohol is gaining popularity — and a local poison expert says it’s dangerous.

The idea is to use very high-proof alcohol, heat it up, and breath in the vapors through a straw.  Multiple videos on YouTube show young people giving it a try.

Susan Smolinske, Director of the Children’s Hospital of Michigan Regional Poison Control Center, says it creates an instant and euphoric high, but users are likely to take in more than their bodies can handle.

https://detroit.cbslocal.com/2013/06/14/the-vaportini-smoking-alcohol-is-it-safe/

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57% Fear Government Will Use NSA Data to Harass Political Opponents

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57% Fear Government Will Use NSA Data to Harass Political Opponents
Friday, June 14, 2013

There is little public support for the sweeping and unaccountable nature of the National Security Agency surveillance program along with concerns about how the data will be used.

Fifty-seven percent (57%) of voters nationwide believe it is likely the NSA data will be used by other government agencies to harass political opponents. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that just 30% consider it unlikely and 14% are not sure.

https://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/general_politics/june_2013/57_fear_government_will_use_nsa_data_to_harass_political_opponents

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“My Lonely Marriage” group therapy initiative

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“My Lonely Marriage” group therapy initiative

A new group which will meet beginning this Thursday, June 13, 7pm-8:30pm, through Thursday, August 8, 7pm-8:30pm at 4 Wilsey Square, Suite 2 Ridgewood, NJ 07450

The purpose is so participants increase awareness of their expectations from
their marriage, contributing factors to these expectation, and to increase
their trust of evaluating these expectations.

It is not a pre-divorce or divorce group. It is a group so that people can become more familiar and at ease with the factors on which their marriage is grounded.

The title is because often people feel lonely in their marriage and have little certainty as to the reason.

This group will activate inner resources so that clarity and confidence of
“why” and “what” of marital satisfaction, becomes likely.

The fee is $30 each session.

There is no sign up requirements.

Sherry Katz, LCSW
4 Wilsey Square, Suite 2
Ridgewood, NJ 07450

For more information contact the office or visit the website at:
201.445.4770
www.newviewsfamilytherapy.com

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ACLU sues over NSA phone records program

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ACLU sues over NSA phone records program
Tuesday, June 11, 2013    Last updated: Tuesday June 11, 2013, 6:02 PM
BY  ELLEN NAKASHIMA AND SCOTT WILSON
THE WASHINGTON POST NEW SERVICE
The Record

The American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit Tuesday challenging the constitutionality of the U.S. government’s surveillance program that collects from U.S. phone companies the call records of tens of millions of Americans.

It is the first substantive lawsuit following reports in The Washington Post and the Guardian last week detailing two sweeping surveillance programs run by the National Security Agency under laws authorized by Congress after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

The ACLU suit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, challenges the legality of the spy agency’s collection of customer “metadata,” including the phone numbers dialed and the length of calls. The lawsuit is asking the court to force the government to end the program and purge any records it has collected.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/ACLU_sues_over_NSA_phone_records_program.html#sthash.syMHTUGt.dpuf

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Access to lifesaving device a concern for some towns

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Access to lifesaving device a concern for some towns
Tuesday June 11, 2013, 10:50 PM
BY  DEENA YELLIN
STAFF WRITER
The Record

A kid on a recreation field is hit by a ball and his heart stops. A jogger suddenly drops from an apparent heart attack.

As critical moments tick away before police arrive, onlookers try to help. And increasingly on North Jersey’s playing fields, they can assume there’s an automated defibrillator somewhere nearby to use.

But where is it? Is it under lock and key?

And who’s allowed to use it?

Answering those questions is a concern facing almost every community, as defibrillators are rapidly being acquired for public places, including athletic fields. The problem: The lifesaving devices cost anywhere from $850 to $3,000, and if they’re openly accessible, they could be stolen or vandalized. Using them could also put a life-and-death crisis, literally, in the public’s hands.

And yet, if they’re not available, a life could be lost

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/community/family/Access_to_lifesaving_device_a_concern_for_some_towns.html#sthash.ZUSjJVK4.dpuf

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HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK

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file photo Boyd Loving

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY
823 PM EDT TUE JUN 11 2013

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHERN
CONNECTICUT…NORTHEAST NEW JERSEY AND SOUTHEAST NEW YORK.

.DAY ONE…TONIGHT.

HAZARDOUS WEATHER NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN…WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY.

THE LIKELIHOOD IS INCREASING FOR AN UNUSUALLY STRONG LOW PRESSURE
SYSTEM TO AFFECT THE REGION THURSDAY INTO EARLY FRIDAY. THIS WILL
BRING THE POTENTIAL FOR A WIDESPREAD 1 TO 3 INCHES OF RAIN…WITH
LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS POSSIBLE.

THE LOCATION OF HEAVIEST RAINFALL IS UNCLEAR AT THIS TIME. BUT DUE
TO SATURATED GROUNDS FROM RECENT HEAVY RAINS…IF THE HIGHER END
OF THE RAINFALL AMOUNTS ARE REALIZED…WIDESPREAD URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOODING ISSUES AND SIGNIFICANT RISES ON OUR MAIN STEM RIVERS COULD BE EXPECTED. THE AREAS AT HIGHEST RISK FOR FLOODING WOULD BE ACROSS NORTHEASTERN NEW JERSEY…THE LOWER HUDSON VALLEY…AND URBAN CENTERS.

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Planning Board meetings on Valley are on a ‘slippery slope’

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Letter: Planning Board meetings on Valley are on a ‘slippery slope’

Friday June 7, 2013, 11:25 AM
The Ridgewood News

Planning Board meetings on Valley are on a ‘slippery slope’

To the editor:

I am a 26-year Ridgewood resident and a regular attendee at Planning Board meetings addressing Valley Hospital’s persistent and increasingly aggressive expansion plans. I have lost track of the many concessions that have been made to Valley Hospital over the past 26 years.

This current proposal is the most grandiose of all. If Valley’s plans are approved, the hospital’s above-ground facilities will more than double in size to almost one million square feet. Phase One construction alone will last for six years. Ridgewood will gain a skyline with the tallest structure climbing 94 feet into the sky with parts of that building only 40 feet from the property line of Ben Franklin Middle School. Children currently in elementary school will face potential construction-related noise, traffic and air quality issues as they attend Ben Franklin. Children not yet born will face the same issues as they attend Travell School.

I started this letter while attending Planning Board meetings exploring traffic, construction, environmental and other issues. I wonder why we are getting into so many details without addressing the basic question of whether this project makes sense for the village – and yes the question is whether it makes sense for the village, not whether it makes sense for Valley Hospital.

I ask if it is relevant at this point in the proceedings if truckloads rumbling through the village’s streets can be reduced to 8,000? Is it relevant if Bergen County will widen Linwood and Van Dien avenues to address traffic worries? Is it relevant if a proposed traffic crossing island is truly safe for our children? Is it relevant if excavation and related water table disruption present undue risk to residential homes and to Ben Franklin? If the construction project is approved, these details will undoubtedly be vetted as specific building site plans are filed.

I am dismayed by the slippery slope of Planning Board meetings that are debating these details. These discussions imply, in my opinion, that the goal is to try to determine a tolerable scope for the project.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/210578541_Letter__Planning_Board_meetings_on_Valley_are_on_a__slippery_slope_.html

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2013 Village of Ridgewood Budget Newsletter – June 12 Public Budget Hearing

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2013 Village of Ridgewood Budget Newsletter – June 12 Public Budget Hearing

2013 Budget Newsletter Click Here https://mods.ridgewoodnj.net/pdf/manager/2013BudgetNewsletter.pdf

The Village 2013 tax levy of $33,040,375 is $36,725 less than Village 2012 tax levy of $33,077,101. The average residential property assessed at $686,994 in 2013 will experience a municipal tax bill of $3,966. This municipal tax for the average taxpayer represents NO increase over the 2012 year.

The introduced 2013 Budget totals $45,343,651. This is a budget decrease of $677,509 from amended 2012 budget (a 1.4% decrease).

The exact tax rate and average tax paid will be determined by the Bergen County Tax Board after the Village Council adopts the Budget. The 2013 Budget Public Hearing will be held at 8PM June 12, 2013.

Click Here for Budget document.https://mods.ridgewoodnj.net/pdf/manager/2013Budget.pdf