APRIL 12, 2015, 11:51 AM LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, APRIL 12, 2015, 11:56 AM
BY FRANK ELTMAN
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MINEOLA, N.Y. — A $24 billion sea of red ink has millions of Americans in vulnerable flood zones, including homeowners still struggling to recover from Superstorm Sandy, facing steep increases in flood insurance premiums.
New legislation that went into effect this month — the second time in two years Congress has tweaked the troubled National Flood Insurance Program — allows rate increases of up to 18 percent.
“This appears to be death by a thousand cuts,'” said Scott Primiano, an Amityville, New York, insurance broker who has been holding seminars for clients to explain the new legislation. “The concept sounds good, but no one can say what the full risk is. … They are going to take it in bits and pieces every year and it keeps going until Congress determines we’ve had enough.”
Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesman Rafael Lemaitre said the flood insurance program has for decades been paying out more than it took in, with the United States as a whole totaling more than $260 billion in flood-related damages between 1980 and 2013. He said the new legislation is “intended to improve the long-term sustainability of the program while being sensitive to needs of policyholders.”
Lemaitre noted that a previous overhaul in 2012 had socked many policyholders with even higher rate hikes — as much as 25 percent annually.
Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld will hold office hours for Ridgewood residents and business owners on Thursday, April 23 between the hours of 4:30pm to 7:30pm. This is an opportunity to share your thoughts and provide input to Roberta. These sessions will be scheduled at 15 minute intervals and will be held in the Garden Room – on the First Level of Ridgewood Village Hall. Please contact Beth Spinato at 201-670-5500, ext. 203 to make an appointment. Walk-ins are welcome but should realize that the schedule may already be booked. We will announce the schedule for these meetings on a monthly basis
RIDGEWOOD, N.J. (CBSNewYork) – A black bear reportedly roaming around Ridgewood, New Jersey, was tranquilized by authorities Saturday.
According to posts on the Ridgewood Police Department’s social media accounts, the 175-pound bear was roaming the community earlier but was removed by the New Jersey Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Ridgewood police tell WCBS 880 a call came in at about 8:10 a.m. about a bear in the area heading into town.
APRIL 8, 2015 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2015, 1:21 AM
THE RECORD
Vaughn Crenshaw
Pearl Restaurant, Ridgewood
When he was 13, Vaughn Crenshaw was living out of a car in the streets of Paterson. Today, the 29-year-old is executive chef at Pearl Restaurant in Ridgewood.
Crenshaw has an associate’s degree in culinary arts and a bachelor’s in food service management, both from Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island. He has cooked at the Stony Hill Inn in Hackensack, the Brick House Inn in Wyckoff, Jacksonville in Paterson, Mocha Bleu in Teaneck, and Fort Lee’s Khloe Bistrot before arriving at Pearl in January 2013.
The Hackensack resident also appeared on the Food Network show “Chopped” in 2012; he made it to the entrée round before he was “chopped.”
Here, he tells how he evaluates a restaurant, and the strangest customer request ever.
How I evaluate a restaurant: I evaluate them on a 1-10 scale that has to do with the greeting, the curb appeal and the setting in the dining room; that’s what’s going to tell me if I’m going into another typical old-world restaurant where there’s no lively, electric energy. I also evaluate it by the clientele — the clients become a reflection of ownership.
Ridgewood NJ, Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco today announced that the Department of Human Services Division on Disability Services will hold an Access for All Community Forum on Saturday, April 25 from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the Council Chamber of Ridgewood Village Hall 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ.
This summit is for municipal Access for All Committees in the County of Bergen to come together and discuss local issues, challenges and new initiatives that other towns can emulate. Public officials, safety personnel & volunteers, as well as concerned residents, are invited to attend. Topics will include programs, resources for municipalities, grant opportunities, housing, emergency services, and problem solving.
Moderators include: Freeholder Chairwoman Dr. Joan M. Voss; Freeholders Tracy Silna Zur and Maura DeNicola; Jim Thebery, M.A., CSW, Director Div. on Disability Services; and Ridgewood Mayor Paul Aronsohn.
Please join us………..this will be a unique opportunity to hear from all the Access for All Committees to share ideas, learn from others and find out new and creative ways to interact and work together on projects. This is a wonderful event, not to be missed.
April 10, 2015 Last updated: Friday, April 10, 2015, 12:31 AM
The Ridgewood News
To the Editor:
In a March 27, 2015 column in this paper, our Superintendent of Schools Dan Fishbein argued in support of “good digital citizenship,” a reprint of which all district parents received via email subsequently. In it, Dr. Fishbein told an amusing, cautionary tale about divulging one’s identity to vendors and its far-reaching consequences, a vexing aspect of modern life. He then related this experience to students posting about PARCC testing via social media.
I object to Dr. Fishbein’s column and email because I am worried that they minimize legitimate concerns about what appears to be an effort by private agents and public officials to squelch dissent to the new PARCC standardized tests.
It came to light the other week that Pearson, the testing giant, and the NJ Department of Education contracted with a security agent, Caveon, in order to trawl social media sites for mention of PARCC by students. This is ostensibly to protect PARCC test questions from breach and promote fairness, as well as to protect intellectual property. The identity of any student committing a so-called security breach is then reported to the NJ DOE, which has happened to at least one student in Watchung (as reported by its alarmed superintendent).
What used to be one of the few ways to wring value from a standardized test, namely discussing test questions and answers with peers and mentors after a test, is now illicit in this era of Big Standardized Testing.
Further, it is not just “security breaches” that are being swept up by corporate security agents working in tandem with state government. In practice, as Caveon has explained, it is casting an even wider net that may include mere mention of PARCC.
Yes, posting on social media is public and there should be no expectation of privacy. However, so is talking at a playground or on the phone in a pizza parlor. Are we just as comfortable with Pearson agents hiding at the outskirts of school grounds with microphones and cameras, or conducting surveillance through children’s smartphones?
Perhaps children should not be allowed to have social media accounts because they lack maturity and judgment about what to post and not post, an issue that’s come up in many contexts. I agree that we have to guide children in making good judgments in their digital lives.
However, more important than good digital citizens in my view is the raising of courageous citizens who are aware of their right to discuss, dissent, even to disparage ideas, institutions, their leaders. That is what makes American democracy unique and valuable.
If a child tweets that “some PARCC questions were dumb” or “PARCC stinks” or “I wish I could find out before next year how I did on the PARCC so I could learn something,” there should be no risk that that child’s identity will be reported to the state government or that he will incur a permanent black mark on his record.
by Paul Milo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on April 09, 2015 at 10:24 PM, updated April 10, 2015 at 12:24 AM
A women’s college softball coach who lives in Ridgewood was charged Thursday with more than 90 counts of improper sexual contact and behavior, The Journal News of New York reported.
Kurt Ludwigsen, 43, worked as a coach at Nyack College between September and last month, when he was fired after the administration of the Christian school began to receive complaints from parents. Ludwigsen, also known as Kurt Vogner, is accused of behavior including harassment, kissing and unwanted sexual touching involving the 13 players he coached.
Ludwigsen has been charged with 44 misdemeanor counts of forcible touching, 49 misdemeanor counts of second-degree harassment, and one misdemeanor count of third-degree sexual abuse.
He was being held on $15,000 cash bail in the Rockland County jail.
APRIL 10, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD – The Village Council, after hours of debate that included allegations of harassment, has voted to eliminate a residency requirement for most civilian hires.
The 3-2 vote at the Wednesday council meeting ended weeks of often contentious discussion on the change and opened up all municipal positions not affiliated with the police and fire departments to applicants statewide.
Councilwoman Susan Knudsen and Councilman Mike Sedon cast the two dissenting votes, arguing that village openings should be filled with qualified village residents.
“I have faith in our residents,” Sedon explained. “Getting rid of this [residency requirement] is a disservice to the town.”
Mayor Paul Aronsohn, Deputy Mayor Al Pucciarelli and Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck all insisted that the village would benefit most from hiring the best possible candidates for each position, regardless of their address.
April 9, 2015 Last updated: Thursday, April 9, 2015, 4:02 PM
By Darius Amos
Staff Writer |
The Ridgewood News
Emphasizing an investment in personnel and the revitalization of village services, Ridgewood finance officials this week unveiled a “recommended” spending plan that would boost 2015 municipal taxes by 1.2 percent over last year.
For the typical Ridgewood household, this budget would increase tax bills by $46.72, based on the average assessed home value of $690,662.
The proposed $47.06 million budget was one of three spending scenarios presented by Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld during a special public meeting on Monday.
Each plan calls for a tax increase, a situation that the municipality avoided while crafting budgets during the previous two years.
Sonenfeld explained that keeping taxes flat while maintaining a high level of municipal services “is hard,” particularly during years when Ridgewood is obligated to pick up certain expenses, such as increases related to police and fire department contracts. This year was no exception, she said, noting that the police department budget will increase by more than $500,000 over last year’s actual amount spent.
“We took the message that the council gave us very seriously – with tax increases you would like to see service improvements and improvements in quality of life in the town. I think we all agree with that,” said Sonenfeld, who, along with treasurer Steve Sanzari, formulated the recommended budget using previously provided input from Ridgewood’s department leaders.
The Ridgewood blog was founded in March of 2006 by James J Foytlin aka PJ Blogger . Mr. Foytlin was born and raised in Ridgewood ,New Jersey and is a graduate of Ridgewood High School .
Ridgewood NJ, – Oct. 26, 2009 – RIDGEWOOD, N.J. — The Ridgewood blog ( https://theridgewoodblog.blogspot.com/ ) was founded in March of 2006 by James J Foytlin aka PJ Blogger .[1] Mr. Foytlin was born and raised in Ridgewood ,New Jersey and is a graduate of Ridgewood High School .[2] [3]
After many years living in New York City[4] Mr Foytlin returned to Ridgewood after a divorce and the tragic events of 9/11 . Once he settled in he noticed a lack of sufficient news coverage of local events . One day a friend from Brazil[5] showed him her home town on the internet and to Mr. Foytlin’s great surprise when he tried to reciprocate he was utterly dismayed at the absolute lake coverage of his home town. After all Ridgewood is only 18 miles from midtown Manhattan[6] the media capitol of world and there was not a single picture of Ridgewood to be found . How could this be? Ridgewood is a picturesque upper middle class village of around 25,000 located in Bergen county in northern New Jersey[7] . Founded by Dutch settlers before it became an English colony[8] . The town or village as its called is steeped in rich history and tradition .Known for a large amount of Victorian era housing , a quality school system and a family friendly atmosphere.
Though busy getting reacquainted with his home town the fact that the Village of Ridgewood was so under represented on the internet continued to disturb Mr. Foytlin. Mr. Foytlin had been writing news letters for his job in financial services since the mid 1990’s . The popular flip, off beat investment strategy news letters had become email blasts with the advent of readily accessible internet.[9] By 2004 the email blasts were converted into blog format for the One Small Voice blog (https://onesmallvoice.blogspot.com/ ). [10]
Around that time the Village of Ridgewood had finally completed it’s much anticipated and long delayed renovation of the Village hall which has been flooded out due to Hurricane Floyd.[11] The renovation was marred by huge cost over runs and lengthy delays. In 2005 it opened with great fan fare , was once again flooded with the very first rain . Mr. Foytlin was more shocked by the abject lack of responsibility taken by elected officials than the fact that the $9 million dollar renovation had to some extent been a failure . That was the breaking point and Mr. Foytlin had had enough so he decided to give , citizen journalism a go and created the Ridgewood blog in March of 2006. [12]
The birth of PJ Blogger .By this time Blogging its seems had become quite the rage and mainstream news anchors such as Dan Rather had questioned the validity of information from non professionals sitting around in their Pajama’s blogging.[13] Mr. Foytlin not a fan of Dan Rather or any of the mainstream media decided to blog under the name PJ Blogger as a play on words and to plant himself firmly in the camp of the new digital media.
Innovations by the Ridgewood blog to citizen journalism.
“The Fly” is a column on the Ridgewood blog the originates from the expression ,”I’d like to be a fly on the wall “ . The idea is that every citizen has both a unique perspective and experience and these two factors can be used to gather news and opinions about local issues. Originally only of handful of people in town participated but with time the Ridgewood blog can now count on 20–40 semi regular contributors. These post are both anonymous and signed and are largely opinion as well a breaking news.[14]
The Ridgewood blog brings a free market lassie fare point of view to local issues . Mr. Foytlin aka PJ Blogger has stated that for local issues there are only two kinds of people ;the ones who say spend what every you want because I will not be around to pay the bill and the second group which are more focused on the ,”be careful this is my money your spending” . The Ridgewood blog is dedicated to the interplay of there two groups.[15]
[1][12] the Ridgewood blog website https://theridgewoodblog.blogspot.com/
[2] Birth Certificate born in Valley Hospital , Ridgewood 04/09/1962
[3] Ridgewood High School Class 1980
[4] 444 East 86th street ,530 East 72nd
[5] Monica Rocha
[6] Mapquest
[7] United States 2000 Census, the village population was 24,936.
[8] https://www.americantowns.com/nj/ridgewood/organization/vi…
[9] Fahnestock & Co. now Oppenheimer & Co.
[10] https://onesmallvoice.blogspot.com/
[11] https://www.ridgewoodlibrary.org/localhistory/lh_vh_pease.htm
[13] https://www.opinionjournal.com/diary/?id=110005611
[14] [15] James J Foytlin
04/07/157:30PMPlanning Board Public Meeting – Village Hall Court RoomAvailable 04/08/158:00PMVillage Council Public MeetingAvailable 04/14/157:30PMBoard of Adjustment Public Meeting 04/21/157:30PMPlanning Board Public Meeting – Village Hall Court Room 04/22/157:30PMVillage Council Public Work Session 04/28/157:30PMBoard of Adjustment Public Work Session 05/05/157:30PMPlanning Board Public Meeting – Village Hall Court Room 05/06/157:30PMVillage Council Public Work Session 05/12/157:30PMBoard of Adjustment Public Meeting
APRIL 7, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2015, 9:31 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
With a dearth of places to build parking in downtown Ridgewood, officials may need to look at technological solutions to maximize the remaining space.
One of those solutions could come in the form of an automated parking system, which could potentially house more cars than a standard parking garage in the same amount of space.
Village Engineer Chris Rutishauser and his team gave a presentation on this kind of parking system – in which a patron drives into a stall, exits their vehicle and their car is automatically parked within the structure – at a Village Council meeting last month
Interest in automated parking systems has been spurred in recent weeks by a presentation made by Langan Development in early March, which proposed a type of automated parking as part of its development at North Walnut Street.
The Hudson Street lot, which is another desirable site for a parking structure, is also a candidate to receive automated parking if the village decides to go in that direction. Rutishauser described Hudson Street as a “tight site,” and an automated setup would allow the village to park significantly more cars.
Among the Top 2 Percent of Hospitals in the Nation
April 7, 2015
RIDGEWOOD, NJ., The Valley Hospital announced today that it has achieved two distinctions of quality excellence from Healthgrades – the Healthgrades 2015 Patient Safety Excellence Award™ and the Healthgrades 2015 Outstanding Patient Experience Award™.
Only 93 out of the 3,558 hospitals evaluated for both patient safety and experience excellence had the superior performance to be recipients of both achievements. This places The Valley Hospital among the top 2 percent of all hospitals in the nation for excellent performance in safeguarding patients from serious, potentially preventable complications during their hospital stays, as well as providing a positive experience for patients during their hospital stays.
“I am very proud that Valley has received these recognitions,” said Audrey Meyers, President and CEO of The Valley Hospital and Valley Health System. “We understand that patients today have options when it comes to choosing a healthcare provider and it is our goal to be the hospital of choice for the communities we serve. These recognitions of quality excellence are a wonderful reflection of the standard of care we provide to all our patients and a testament to the priority Valley staff and physicians place on achieving the highest-quality clinical outcomes, while delivering the most compassionate care.”
Patient Safety
On average, 133,896 patient safety events could have been avoided if all hospitals, as a group from 2011 from 2013, performed similarly to hospitals performing better than expected on each of 13 Patient Safety Indicators evaluated by Healthgrades.
In addition, during this study period, patients treated in hospitals receiving Healthgrades Patient Safety Excellence Award were, on average:
• 43.9 percent less likely to experience an accidental puncture or laceration during a procedure, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.
• 53.6 percent less likely to experience a collapsed lung due to a procedure or surgery in or around the chest, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.
• 47.4 percent less likely to experience catheter-related blood stream infections, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.
• 43.8 percent less likely to experience pressure sores or bed sores acquired in the hospital, than patients treated at non-recipient hospitals.
During the study period (2011-2013), Healthgrades 2015 Patient Safety Excellence Award recipient hospitals performed with excellence in providing safety for patients in the Medicare population, as measured by objective outcomes (risk-adjusted patient safety indicator rates) for 13 patient safety indicators defined by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
Patient Experience
In addition to being recognized as one of Healthgrades 2015 Patient Safety Excellence Award, The Valley Hospital also out-performed peer hospitals in patient experience.
Healthgrades evaluated performance by applying a scoring methodology to 10 patient experience measures, using data collected from a 27-question survey of the hospital’s own patients. The survey questions focus on patients’ perspectives of their care in the hospital. Question topics range from cleanliness and noise levels in patient rooms to factors such as pain management and responsiveness to patients’ needs. The measures also include whether a patient would recommend the hospital to friends or family.
“We commend all recipients for their achievements and for demonstrating an organization-wide commitment to delivering high-quality care, protecting patients from potentially preventable complications and ensuring a safe and positive experience for patients,” said Evan Marks, Chief Strategy Officer, Healthgrades.
For more information about Healthgrades or to download a full copy of the report or to receive information about hospital and physician quality, visit:www.Healthgrades.com/quality today.
April 6, 2015 Last updated: Monday, April 6, 2015, 9:34 AM
By Mark Krulish
Staff Writer |
The Ridgewood News
Budget season continued in Ridgewood with village officials gathering for the second of three public budget meetings on March 22 to resume discussion of departmental needs for the upcoming fiscal year.
Among the changes made in the weeks between the first and second budget meeting was a reduction in the capital budget of approximately $700,000, which brings the current number to $3,194,000.
These talks will be taken up again at 5 p.m. on April 6 in a third public budget meeting. Discussion will include more concrete numbers for each department as well as the revenue side of the budget, said Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld. The village is targeting April 22 as the date for introducing the budget.
April 3, 2015, 5:05 PM Last updated: Friday, April 3, 2015, 5:08 PM
By CHRIS HARRIS
Staff Writer |
The Record
RIDGEWOOD — Village officials have shut the doors over at Finca, a tapas restaurant that opened along East Ridgewood Avenue a little less than three months ago.
A notice adorning Finca’s front door Friday claims the eatery will remain closed “until further notice due to fire code violations.” The notice further says the restaurant will “reopen as soon as possible” while inviting patrons to visit its nearby sister restaurant, Cravings Tapas Bistro.
Ridgewood Fire Chief James Van Goor said on Friday that Finca was cited Thursday evening for nine violations to both the fire and building codes.
