Summer Writers Workshop “Poetry of Place” For kids: Wed., July 13 @ 4:00 p.m. Open to Ridgewood kids entering Gr 3-5 For teens: Wed., July 13 @ 7:00 pm Open to Ridgewood teens entering Gr 6-12 Join award-winning poet Laura Boss and learn how to write poems about new places
Career Workshop Introduction to Linked In Thursday, July 14 @ 10AM – Tech Center A hands-on workshop and demo on the popular online business networking site. Free for RW cardholders; $5 for visitors form other communities
>Ridgewood offering kayak lessons Thursday July 7, 2011, 7:20 AM Ridgewood Suburban News
The Ridgewood Parks and Recreation Department is offering kayaking sessions to Village residents at Graydon Pool this summer.
Instruction for adults and teens will be led by Betty Wiest, a member of the Hackensack River Canoe and Kayak Club. Classes will include the basics of kayaking: various types of boats, equipment and proper use, technique of entry, paddle strokes, and safety. All equipment, including kayaks, paddles and PFDs, will be provided by Eastern Mountain Sports in Paramus.
Sessions will be offered rain or shine on Saturday, July 9 and Saturday, Aug. 13 from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. A trip to Monksville Reservoir will be held on Saturday, Sept. 10, with details to follow.
>40th District Towns to Receive Increased School Aid
July 07, 2011 -Senator Kevin O’Toole is happy to announce that local school districts will receive increased school aid for the 2011-2012 school year.
Senator O’Toole worked closely with the Christie Administration in an effort to gain a fairer share of school aid dollars in the final state budget signed by the Governor.
“School children and property taxpayers are the primary beneficiaries of the Governor’s decision to dedicate additional state revenue to school aid for suburban communities,” said Senator O’Toole “I’m pleased that Governor Christie worked with us over the past several months to dedicate additional state revenues to school aid for suburban communities. By making tough choices and using an unexpected bump in state revenues wisely, we were able not only to increase aid over last year, but to double the rate of increase that was originally proposed in March.”
School aid for communities in the 40th District will be allocated as follows:
DistrictState Aid FY ’11State Aid FY ’12$ Increase% Increase
>READER: Ridgewood BOE and Fishbein misrepresented the delivery of state grants in order to push through their pet projects
What a shocker. Ridgewood BOE and Fishbein misrepresented the delivery of state grants in order to push through their pet projects and get the town to vote on the yes on the bond.
I even seem to remember Fishbein and Lenhard guaranteeing that the grants would not be held up in spite of the economic uncertainty of the state.
IT IS TIME TO FIRE FISHBEIN and vote no-confidence in Lenhard & Brogan and get them out of there. I would rather have the state takeover the school system that let these useless fools continue to run our school system into the poor house and put a drain on the taxpayers in the community.
Just to be note, I am not against spending money to ensure the future success of our children. However, money needs to be spent wisely and have a strong and provable return on investment. Turf fields that need replacement and continuous maintenance (b/c they were idiotically built in a flood zone) does not represent wise spending. The return on investment does come close to breaking even as not nearly enough of the student population benefits.
Two New Jersey public colleges have been warned that they need to correct problems if they want to retain their accreditation.
The Star-Ledger of Newark reported Tuesday that Kean University and Essex County College received the warnings last month from the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. (The Associated Press)
>A medical malady: Where are New Jersey’s primary care physicians?
It’s shortly after 2 p.m. on a sunny Thursday in June and nearly all the waiting- room chairs at Forest Hills Family Health Associates are full: Senior citizens with their hands resting on canes or walkers, twenty-somethings in bright, t-shirts, mothers trying to corral giggling toddlers, and a very pregnant couple, whispering nervously in the corner. (Stainton, NJ Spotlight)
>43% See George Washington As Greatest Founding Father Sunday, July 03, 2011
As America prepares to celebrate its 235th birthday, a plurality of adults still sees the nation’s first president as its greatest founder. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of American adults shows that 43% say George Washington is the greatest founding father of our country, up 11 points from last year. Thomas Jefferson comes in second with 24% who see him has the greatest found father, followed by Benjamin Franklin with 16%.
Just five percent (5%) see both John Adams and James Madison as the greatest founding fathers. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Washington has been at the top of this list since 2006.
Data released earlier shows that Americans continue to strongly believe in the nation’s founding ideals articulated in the Declaration of Independence. While most believe that governments derive their only just authority from the consent of the governed, only 23% believe the federal government today has such consent.
In fact, 45% believe that the gap between Americans who want to govern themselves and politicians who want to rule over them is now as big as the gap between the American colonies and England during the 18th Century.
Trumpeter – Jennifer Schuler Flag Raising by American Legion Post 53 The National Anthem sung by Grace Preuninger Congressman Scott Garrett Presentation of United States Constitution booklets to Ridgewood Elementary School students
Parade begins 10:00 am (Rain or Shine) – North Monroe and Godwin: See the Parade route.
1930 AA Truck 1946 Chevy Pick-up & 1966 Land Rover 1960 Cadillac Convertible American Legion American Merchant Marine Veterans, Dennis Rodland Chapter Arya Samaj of New Jersey BANNER – Applebees BANNER – Committee BANNER – Ridgewood Fire Volunteers, Inc BANNER – Tarvin Realtors BANNER – Valley Hospital Bergen County Sheriff’s Department Blue Star Families Bushwackers Drum & Bugle Corp Christian Health Care Center Civil Air Patrol Community Blood Services Dr. Dubious and the Agnostics Fair Lawn Fire Department Fair Lawn Rescue Squad Fidelity Lodge #113, Free & Accepted Masons Fidelity Lodge #113, Free & Accepted Masons Garden State Band Ho-Ho-Kus Volunteer Fire Department Illumination Twirlers Jamboree Scholarship fund, Inc. Knights of Columbus Council #1736 Ridgewood Lustgarten Foundation Mahwah Fire Department Co. 4 Melrose Blackhawks Meyers Manx Dune Buggies Miles of Smiles – Clown Friends Miss Patti’s School of Dance Motor Corps of Salaam Shrine New Jersey Militia/Heard’s Brigade New Jersey Tea Party Coalition New York Scottish Pipes NJ Live Musicians – Dixie String Band NJ Live Musicians – Polka Band NJ Live Musicians – Shore Brass Band Orchard Elementary School Outwater’s Militia Ramapo Rescue Dog Association (ARDA – NJ)
Ramsey Rescue Squad Rangers of Wild West City Ridge School Ridgewood Board of Education Ridgewood Choral Ridgewood Emergency Services Ridgewood Fire Department Ridgewood High School Band Ridgewood High School Girls Lacrosse Ridgewood Police Department Ridgewood Percussion Ensemble – The Babalu’s Ridgewood Public Library Ridgewood Rugby Association Shantany Hose Company Somerville School South Park Pipes & Drums Spirit of Newark The Franklin Band The Orpheus Men’s Chorus of Ridgewood The Ridgewood Choral The Village School The Waldwick Band Uncle Sam — Christopher J. Marion Upper Ridgewood Tennis Club Vietnam Vets of America Chapter #333 Rockland County Waldwick Volunteer Fire Department Washington Elm VFW Post 192 Willard School Woman’s Club of Ridgewood
Harvard: July 4th Parades Are Right-Wing By PAUL BEDARD Posted: June 30, 2011
Democratic political candidates can skip this weekend’s July 4th parades. A new Harvard University study finds that July 4th parades energize only Republicans, turn kids into Republicans, and help to boost the GOP turnout of adults on Election Day.
“Fourth of July celebrations in the United States shape the nation’s political landscape by forming beliefs and increasing participation, primarily in favor of the Republican Party,” said the report from Harvard. [See political cartoons about the 2012 GOP field.]
“The political right has been more successful in appropriating American patriotism and its symbols during the 20th century. Survey evidence also confirms that Republicans consider themselves more patriotic than Democrats. According to this interpretation, there is a political congruence between the patriotism promoted on Fourth of July and the values associated with the Republican party. Fourth of July celebrations in Republican dominated counties may thus be more politically biased events that socialize children into Republicans,” write Harvard Kennedy School Assistant Professor David Yanagizawa-Drott and Bocconi University Assistant Professor Andreas Madestam. [Enjoy political cartoons about President Obama.]
Their findings also suggest that Democrats gain nothing from July 4th parades, likely a shocking result for all the Democratic politicians who march in them.
>Angry New Jersey unions see few options Published: Monday, June 27, 2011, 1:45 AM
By Chris Megerian and Matt Friedman Statehouse Bureau
It felt like a bad breakup, complete with angry tirades and tearful pleading.
Special to the Sunbeam/Patty Irwin Public worker unions have lashed out at Democrats who backed the pension and health benefits cuts.
New Jersey Democrats have spent years locked arm-in-arm with unions, but the historical alliance frayed last week as the Democrats who control the Legislature pushed through a plan to cut public worker benefits.
Now unions, like scorned lovers, are promising payback at the ballot box. “You screw us today, we’ll screw you in November!” one union member shouted during last Thursday’s Statehouse protest, the first of three that drew thousands to Trenton.
But it’s unclear what, if anything, unions can do to retaliate against Democrats this fall, when all 120 seats in the Legislature are up for election. After spending generations as a feared political force in Trenton, they may be only a paper tiger come election time.
The Ho-Ho-Kus Brook is in major need of dredging, deepening, and cleaning
No question about it: the turf field served to exacerbate the flooding conditions at RHS experienced yesterday. I can recall a graduation ceremony held at RHS in 2001 during which thunderstorms, of about the same severity and intensity as those we saw yesterday, rolled through the area before and during the ceremony. The grass was very wet, but the field did not flood.
Here is what is going wrong: the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook is in major need of dredging, deepening, and cleaning; too, rules governing the construction of structures and fences within the flood plain of the brook need to be enforced. These are a few of the reasons why we are seeing the HHK brook overflow its banks with increasing frequency. And, of course, the turf field: located within the flood plain, it does not absorb the water but rather it collects it. Hence an area of pooled water that is very much in evidence in the photos provided
Ridgewood High School Athletic Stadium Floods – Graduation Ceremony Moved To RHS Front Lawn Boyd Loving
The HoHoKus Brook overflowed its banks on Thursday afternoon flooding the RHS athletic stadium. The graduation ceremony for the RHS class of 2011 was moved to the front lawn of RHS as a result. Workers moved chairs from the athletic field to the front lawn following a heavy downpour in mid afternoon.
> FLOOD WATCH: NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY 349 AM EDT THU JUN 23 2011
…PERIODS OF TORRENTIAL RAIN POSSIBLE THROUGH TONIGHT ACROSS THE LOWER HUDSON VALLEY…NORTHEAST NEW JERSEY…NEW YORK CITY AND NASSAU COUNTY…
.A WARM FRONT EXTENDING SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE LOCAL AREA FROM A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER WISCONSIN WILL SERVE AS THE FOCUS FOR THE CONVERGENCE OF MOISTURE AND DEVELOPMENT OF HEAVY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH TONIGHT. ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP IN THIS ENVIRONMENT WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORRENTIAL RAIN…RESULTING IN AREAS OF FLASH FLOODING.
WESTERN PASSAIC-EASTERN PASSAIC-HUDSON-WESTERN BERGEN- EASTERN BERGEN-WESTERN ESSEX-EASTERN ESSEX-WESTERN UNION- EASTERN UNION-ORANGE-PUTNAM-ROCKLAND-NORTHERN WESTCHESTER- SOUTHERN WESTCHESTER-NEW YORK (MANHATTAN)-BRONX- RICHMOND (STATEN ISLAND)-KINGS (BROOKLYN)-NORTHERN QUEENS- NORTHERN NASSAU-SOUTHERN QUEENS-SOUTHERN NASSAU- 349 AM EDT THU JUN 23 2011.
>Americans Worse Now Than When Obama Inaugurated by 44%-34% Margin in Poll By Mike Dorning – Jun 22, 2011 12:00 AM ET
More than half of respondents say their children are destined to have a lower standard of living than they do, upending a traditional touchstone of the American Dream. Photographer: Tim Sloan/AFP/Getty Images
June 22 (Bloomberg) — Americans are growing more dissatisfied with President Barack Obama’s handling of the economy, and only 30 percent said they are certain to re-elect him, according to a Bloomberg National Poll conducted June 17-20. Fewer than a quarter of respondents see signs of improvement in the economy, and two-thirds say they believe the country is on the wrong track overall. Hans Nichols reports on Bloomberg Television’s “InsideTrack.” (Source: Bloomberg)
