>Civil service rules are one of the biggest impediments for New Jersey towns looking to share services
Mayors urge change to civil service
Civil service rules are one of the biggest impediments for New Jersey towns looking to share services to save money, Community Affairs Commissioner Lori Grifa told lawmakers Monday. (DeFalco, The Philadelphia Inquirer)
https://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/nj/20101207_Mayors_urge_change_to_civil_service.html#ixzz17QCuhqrG
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Irine Fokine
September 20, 1922–December 5, 2010
Visitation: Tuesday, Dec. 7, 6–8 PM
Funeral service: Wednesday, Dec. 8, 11 AM
Both at: C. C. Van Emburgh Funeral Home
306 E. Ridgewood Ave., Ridgewood
(corner of Maple Ave.)
https://vanemburgh.com/obituary_view/77345
Ridgewood dance icon Irine Fokine, ballet school founder and owner, ballet teacher, choreographer, great-grandmother, and Graydon fan, died on Sunday.
The Irine Fokine School of Ballet was a Chestnut Street fixture for 60 years.
Swimming at Graydon twice a day was a cherished part of Irine’s summer routine. Her Graydon friends will remember her favored wardrobe not as a leotard or tutu but as a bathing suit, white bathing cap or large sun hat, and sweeping white robe.
Irine fervently supported the Coalition’s fight to preserve Graydon. In the summer of 2009, at the height of the Graydon uproar, she took a moment while introducing her ballet troupe’s annual performance at the Kasschau Shell (its last, as it happened) to repudiate the very idea of replacing Graydon’s sand with concrete.
Marcia Ringel and Alan Seiden
Co-Chairs, The Preserve Graydon Coalition
[email protected]
www.preservegraydon.org
It’s clear—we love Graydon
>PSE&G to Lower Residential Natural Gas Bills by Additional 5 Percent
Reduction is on top of 5 percent decrease in July and 6.8 percent decrease in September
Gas bills down 31 percent – or about $500 annually – since Jan. 2009
(December 6, 2010 – Newark, NJ) – PSE&G announced today that it has lowered residential gas bills by an additional 5 percent, or nearly $10 per month for the typical residential customer. This latest reduction for supply costs follows a 5 percent reduction in July and a 6.8 percent reduction in September for residential gas customers.
Including this most recent reduction, PSE&G has lowered gas bills a total of approximately 31 percent – or about $500 annually — since January 2009, when wholesale prices started to drop. PSE&G customers today are paying the same supply rate per therm of gas as they did in January 2003.
Under the new gas supply rates, a residential gas heating customer who uses 160 therms in a winter month, or 1,050 therms per year, will see a bill decrease of $64.68 on an annual basis, for a total bill of $1,221.08. This customer’s monthly winter bill will be $184.91, or $9.86 less.
PSE&G makes no profit on the sale of natural gas and passes along what it pays to customers. If the price of natural gas increases, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities allows the state’s natural gas utilities, including PSE&G, to recover those costs. Conversely, reductions in the gas supply price may be implemented at any time if market conditions warrant
>Christie goes after super pay at town hall
PARSIPPANY – This afternoon, Gov. Chris Christie headed to the center of the storm and in his unique style, he took on all comers.
The confrontation-comfortable Sicilian-Irish governor is trending higher than Tom Brady’s hair right now, and he had several interchanges today that could turn the upward curve vertical.
His school superintendent pay cap is a hot issue in town – a few speakers spoke passionately about the issue – but it the last man in a long line of questioners that riled the governor up to the point that he called the man on stage to give him a what-for over municipal aid
more : https://www.politickernj.com/43279/christie-goes-after-super-pay-town-hall
>Municipal jobs, raises at risk in New Jersey when tax cap takes effect Jan. 1
The demand for resignations stands at one each for Cumberland County Republican and Democratic officials. (Spahr, Press of Atlantic City)
https://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/top_three/article_5eccbb90-0024-11e0-85b6-001cc4c03286.html
>NJ school boards overflowing with conflicts of interest
New Jersey is a state where routine business would be viewed as serious conflicts of interests elsewhere, and nowhere is it more apparent than in local government, especially the school boards — of which there are about 600, and which have a big say in how much property taxes are paid. (Ingle, Daily Record)
https://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20101205/OPINION03/101203119/1005/NEWS01/NJ+school+boards+overflowing+with+conflicts+of+interest
>Marlboro to take affordable housing issue to N.J. Supreme Court
The township is taking the fight over its affordable housing obligation to the state Supreme Court.
Township officials say the state is saddling the already overdeveloped municipality with a housing burden it cannot handle. (Williams Boyd, Asbury Park Press)
https://www.app.com/article/20101205/NEWS/12050361/Marlboro-to-take-affordable-housing-issue-to-N-J-Supreme-Court
>Mounting debts by states stroke fears of crisis
The State of Illinois is still paying off billions in bills that it got from schools and social service providers last year. Arizona recently stopped paying for certain organ transplants for people in its Medicaid program. (Cooper and Walsh, The New York Times)
https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/05/us/politics/05states.html?_r=1
>Mother Goose to Perform Mrs. Snows Winterfest-Pre School Program
On Wednesday, December 29th, 2010, Ridgewood Parks & Recreation will present a pre-school program entitled, “Mrs. Snow’s Winterfest.” This special event will take place at the Ridgewood Community Center’s Anne Zusy Youth Center at Village Hall. Participants will take part in an interactive story play with artist, Ann Coppola, aka Mother Goose. The audience will enjoy the imaginative program filled with movement, sound and props. . This 45 minute performance will begin at 11:00 a.m. The cost is $5. Seats are limited. Tickets may be purchased in advance for ages 2 and up at the Stable, 259 N. Maple Ave., Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, please call (201) 670-5560.
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Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino
Sunday, December 12th @ 1:00pm
Star of Jersey Shore, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino will sign his new book: Here’s The Situation
Books on Sale now All book must be purchased from Bookends. Taking phone orders for those who cannot attend.
Ron Reagan
Sunday, January 23rd @ 1:00pm
Son of President Ronald Reagan will sign his new book, My Father at 100
Books available : January 18th
>Climate Change Hoax : America used spying, threats and promises of aid to get support for Copenhagen accord.
America used spying, threats and promises of aid to get support for Copenhagen accord.
WikiLeaks cables reveal how US manipulated climate accord
Embassy dispatches show America used spying, threats and promises of aid to get support for Copenhagen accord.
Damian Carrington guardian.co.uk, Friday 3 December 2010 21.30 GMT
https://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/dec/03/wikileaks-us-manipulated-climate-accord
Hidden behind the save-the-world rhetoric of the global climate change negotiations lies the mucky realpolitik: money and threats buy political support; spying and cyberwarfare are used to seek out leverage.
The US diplomatic cables reveal how the US seeks dirt on nations opposed to its approach to tackling global warming; how financial and other aid is used by countries to gain political backing; how distrust, broken promises and creative accounting dog negotiations; and how the US mounted a secret global diplomatic offensive to overwhelm opposition to the controversial “Copenhagen accord”, the unofficial document that emerged from the ruins of the Copenhagen climate change summit in 2009.
MORE: https://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/dec/03/wikileaks-us-manipulated-climate-accord
>Gingrich: Leaks show Obama administration ‘shallow,’ ‘amateurish’
By Shane D’Aprile – 12/05/10 10:59 AM ET
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Sunday that President Obama and the White House deserve a large share of the blame for the massive amounts of classified information revealed through WikiLeaks.
Gingrich said the leaks are “a scandal of the first order” and that they demonstrate the Obama administration is “shallow” and “amateurish” when it comes to national security.
“You have a private first class who downloads a quarter million documents, and the system doesn’t say, ‘Oh, you may be over extended?’ I mean, this is a system so stupid that it ought to be a scandal of the first order,” Gingrich said. “This administration is so shallow and so amateurish about national security that it is painful and dangerous.”
>Lightgate: The problem is not in Trenton, it’s in Cottage Place. The BOE is acting as a front for FARC
The problem is not in Trenton — it’s in Cottage Place. The BOE is acting as a front for FARC — the school doesn’t need the lights anywhere near as much as the sports groups — which the BOE has admitted in public statements. The BOE is taking advantage of its special position to help FARC make an end run around the zoning laws.
This will come out as the controversy continues and this is eventually investigated. If we want to change things, we shouldn’t look to Trenton — we should look to the ballot box. This crew only represents one faction and is dead set on crushing all others. The voters have to see this sham and refusal to work with the neighborhood for what it is.
>Village of Ridgewood : Visit Santa
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The tree lighting was so lovely this year! It was great to see so many Village residents huddled around the tree together as it was being lit!
Our family had an awesome time! A personal thanks to all who contributed to relocating the tree to it’s original location and bringing a wonderful tradition back to the Village.
I must confess, that was me that me dancing under the tree!
Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah and Yuletide blessings!
The Frasche Family!
