Re: “1.5 million more quarters are missing,” The Ridgewood News, Feb. 13, A1:
Thomas Rica was arrested over two years ago for stealing several hundred thousand dollars worth of unsecured quarters from a storage room at Village Hall.
However, I was shocked to learn that village officials still routinely store thousands of dollars worth of quarters in the same storage room for two-week intervals. This despite the massive theft, and their full awareness of a NJ State law requiring municipalities to deposit all cash within 48 hours of receipt.
Furthermore, although it was apparent to village officials from the onset that Mr. Rica’s crime was facilitated by lax coin collection, handling, and storage procedures, a secure coin collection and handling system has not yet been implemented.
Current village officials seem very eager to quickly cast blame for the “coin caper” on those who preceded them. Ridgewood’s taxpayers would be better served if these same officials would dispense with efforts to preserve their respective public images, and instead focus on taking whatever steps are required to ensure that every last cent of cash collected by village employees is safely secured and accounted for.
It’s been over two years since the fox sneaked into the hen house and the hen house still hasn’t been completely secured. Time’s a-wasting.
Davidoff Winston Churchill now available at Tobacco Shop of Ridgewood
The Tobacco Shop of Ridgewood 10 Chestnut Street , Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450
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FEBRUARY 20, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Whether you like it or not, PARCC testing is coming to Ridgewood. The new state-mandated assessment exams are slated for administration for the first time on March 2.
Ridgewood moving ahead with pay-by-phone parking option
FEBRUARY 17, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015, 10:05 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The first wave of new parking ordinances designed to help downtown Ridgewood was introduced at the Village Council’s public meeting on Feb. 11.
An ordinance establishing regulations for paying parking meters through a wireless cellular provider, as well as the fees associated with using cell phone technology, is scheduled for adoption on March 11.
The council also passed a resolution authorizing an agreement with Parkmobile USA for a pay-by-phone parking system to be installed in various locations across the village.
One resident, Diane Palacios, said she is very cautious with her credit card and would not feel comfortable using it in conjunction with Parkmobile, especially at the Route 17 Park & Ride, which she said she occasionally uses.
Palacios suggested that kiosks, which can accept both cash and credit cards, be installed at the Park & Ride instead of going completely wireless to alleviate concerns with seniors who may not be comfortable with using their cell phone to pay for parking.
Lisa’s Mediterranean Cuisine Celebrates Eight Years in Ridgewood
(RIDGEWOOD, NJ, February 16, 2015) — Lisa’s Mediterranean Cuisine is pleased to announce eight years of service to the Ridgewood, New Jersey community. Formerly named Lisa’s Turkish Kitchen, in 2012, owner Lisa Mayisoglu relocated the restaurant one block east to Oak Street,rebranded the name and expanded the menu to appeal to a wider audience. With the current space has come a new partnership; younger sister Selma Sozen is Co-Owner and General Manager, and Ms. Mayisoglu has assumed the role as Chef.
To commemorate the anniversary, Chef Lisa has created a list of specials inspired by her days growing up in Ankara, Turkey. Said Mayisoglu, “It’s such an honor to share our cuisine and culture with the local community. To know my customers enjoy food that’s not only healthy but also delicious, brings a smile to my face. My work is truly a labor of love.” Highlights of the celebratory specials include:
Erin B Photography
Grilled Calamari (Appetizer) – tossed with lemon, olive oil and oregano, served sizzling in a cast iron skillet
Lamb Shank – slowly braised in Lisa’s signature tomato sauce, infused with warming Turkish spices, served with chickpea and rice pilaf
Ali Nazik Kebab – tender skewered chicken or lamb, charr-grilled, served over a bed of slow-
roasted eggplant and yogurt puree, drizzled with an aromatic tomato reduction
Vegetable Pave – layers of sliced roasted root vegetables, drizzled with a cranberry-beet sauce
Salmon Dolmas – grilled Turkish grape leaves filled with white wine and dill-marinated salmon,served with honey mustard roasted potatoes and a mixed salad
The specials will be offered daily beginning February 23rd, throughout the end of March.
In other news, soon patrons can enjoy the exotic flavors of Lisa’s Mediterranean Cuisine at home or work, when the restaurant begins delivering to the Ridgewood-area in the spring.
Lisa’s Mediterranean Cuisine is located at 28 Oak Street in Ridgewood, New Jersey, and open daily from 11:30AM-9:30PM. Telephone 201.251.8686 www.lisasmediterraneancuisine.net,www.facebook.com/LisasMediterraneanCuisine, www.twitter.com/LisasMediterran
Reader says Ridgewood is actually the perfect place to screw the taxpayers. Why? Because Ridgewood types are completely oblivious to matters of local government
The impression I get out of all of this, is that Rica was the only person who was flat-out stealing in the pure sense of the word. Although still stealing by definition, the other shrinkage was probably all down to a sense of entitlement by certain other employees who felt it was perfectly acceptable for the Village to pay for their coffees, lunches, etc. I believe that this was an ingrained practice, going back years, probably unofficially sanctioned by certain senior officials. I believe it was this aspect that made the prosecution of Rica very tricky.
You know, I came to Ridgewood almost 20 years ago, and I naively thought that it was probably above all this kind of crap that so often affects municipalities of a lower class standing. I admit that this was naive. I thought the Village was somehow a reflection of the general high levels of sophistication of its residents. Please stop laughing. I really did. Coin Boy and its wider story is just the latest chapter in my utter disgust at municipal government. Who remembers the on-duty cop who was busted for having sex with an under-age girl at the back of Starbucks? Not only did he not go to jail, but he kept his job! That was real am-I-living-in-an-alternate-universe result.
The more I study New Jersey’s enormous history of municipal government issues of corruption, nepotism, laziness, cronyism, etc., it makes for extremely depressing reading. I now think that I had Ridgewood completely the wrong way around, and that it’s actually the perfect place to screw the taxpayers. Why? Because Ridgewood types are completely oblivious to matters of local government, being caught up in their stressful Wall St jobs, their busy social lives, and best of all, the transient nature in which they live here just for the school years.
For those who don’t easily sport sarcasm, the last bit is just that.
You know folks, let’s just laugh it off at our next cocktail party. Just one bad apple, right? This is a great town. You know, they actually come round the back and pick up my garbage. What a town!
How much does your state spend on welfare? New Jersey spends 22 percent
By Jason Russell | February 12, 2015 | 12:29 pm
Wyoming spends the smallest portion of its budget on welfare programs, according to fiscal year 2013 data released by the Census Bureau. About 13 percent of Wyoming’s budget goes to welfare, with education getting 30 percent of the budget, and the rest going to other various government functions.
On the other hand, Tennessee spends the highest portion of its budget on welfare, at 36 percent. Tennessee spends slightly less on education with 32 percent of its budget dedicated to schools, and the rest going to other functions, especially highways.
Nationwide, state governments collectively spend $2 trillion, with $520 billion of that going toward welfare programs, or just under 26 percent. Education is the highest category of state government spending, with 30 percent of state government spending nationwide.
Child-porn charges in Pines Instagram case hinge on youths’ age, actions
Felony charges as severe as child pornography could be in store for a 13-year-old girl and two boys, ages 12 and 15, accused of creating an Instagram account dedicated to nude and sexually explicit photos of Broward minors, a prosecutor said Friday.
“No decisions have been made. Things are still under investigation. We are not sure what, if any, charges are going to be filed,” Assistant State Attorney Maria Schneider, head of the Broward State Attorney’s Office juvenile unit, said. “But potentially, the charges could be felonies, from child porn on down. It all depends on the age of the child depicted and what they’re doing.”
Pembroke Pines police on Thursday filed charges with state prosecutors for review. No arrests have been made and none of the youngsters has been taken into custody. Because of their ages, their identities have not been disclosed, Pembroke Pines Sgt. Carlos Corretjer said.
Police also would not say how many minors were exploited on the Instagram photo-sharing account or what schools the subjects or the alleged perpetrators attended.
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Gov. Scott Walker College Dropout ,Next President of the United States , maybe its a good thing
Famous, Rich, and Successful People Who Were High School or College Dropouts
I’m a firm believer that most college students would be better off dropping out of school and investing the money they now spend on college. Then take the four years they would have spent on college and travel, work, play, and spend time with smart people talking about important things. It would be your choice on what’s important, not a professor, not a dean, not a faculty committee.
You don’t have to go to college to be a success. Even if you go for awhile, you don’t have to graduate to be a success. Here are just a few of the people who have become famous and/or successful without graduating from college and/or high school.
A survey conducted by Bloomberg in 2010 show that the school of hard knocks was the number one source (tied with the University of California) for CEOs of S&P 500 companies. Harvard was the #3 source (along with the universities of Texas, Missouri, and Wisconsin). The school of hard knocks features CEOs who never graduated from college.
Of the top 400 richest Americans in 2011, 27 graduated from high school but did not attend college. Another 36 were college dropouts.
S. Daniel Abraham, billionaire founder of Slim-Fast. Joined the Army at the age of 18 and fought in Europe during World War II. Did not attend college.
Roman Abramovich, richest man in Russia, billionaire. Dropped out of college. He studied at the Moscow State Auto Transport Institute before taking a leave of absence from academics to go into business. He later earned a correspondence degree from the Moscow State Law Academy.
Abigail Adams, U.S. first lady. Home schooled.
Ansel Adams, photographer. Dropped out of high school.
Bryan Adams, singer, songwriter. High school dropout.
Calpernia Adams, transsexual showgirl. Never attended college. As she noted, “My parents thought that college leads you away from God, so they hadn’t saved any money.”
Don Adams (born Donald James Yarmy), comedian, actor, game show host, voice talent. Most famous for his role in the Get Smart TV series, Adams dropped out of DeWitt Clinton High School in New York City to work as an usher before entering the Marine Corps during World War II. After a variety of jobs, he began working in television in 1954.
Sandy Adams, U.S. congressperson. Dropped out of high school at the age of 17 to join the Air Force. Later got her GED and attended the police academy before being hired as a deputy sheriff. She took night classes at a nearby college and finally received a college degree.
William Adams, aka Will.i.am, singer, songwriter, music producer, founder of the Black Eyed Peas, actor, entrepreneur. He formed his first group in high school. Never attended college.
Gautam Adani, commodities billionaire from India. Dropped out of college.
Adele, aka Adele Laurie Blue Adkins, singer and songwriter. Intended to go to college but got signed to a recording deal just after her high school graduation.
Sheldon Adelson, billionaire casino owner. Dropped out of City College of New York to become a court reporter. He made his first fortune doing trade shows.
Trace Adkins, country music singer and songwriter, actor. Studied at Louisiana Tech University but never officially graduated. Went to work on an oil rig instead.
Mortimer Adler, author, educator, editor. Left high school at the age of 15 to work. Later received his high school equivalency degree and attended Columbia University.
Ferran Adria, chef. Has been called the world’s greatest chef. Did not finish high school.
Miguel Adrover, fashion designer. High school dropout.
Ben Affleck, actor, screenwriter. Left the University of Vermont after one semester; then dropped out of Occidental College to pursue acting.
Andre Agassi, tennis player, winner of 8 Grand Slam titles. Quit school in the ninth grade and turned tennis pro at the age of 16. His father would drive the kids to school but, instead, actually took them to local tennis courts to practice.
Dianna Agron, singer, dancer, actress. “I didn’t take the typical path and go to college after high school. Instead, I saved up money from teaching dance classes and moved to L.A.”
Christina Aguilera, singer, songwriter. Never finished high school.
Danni Ahse, multimillionaire businesswoman, adult entertainment website operator, model, producer, dancer. High school dropout who later earned an equivalency degree.
Danny Aiello, actor. Dropped out of high school at the age of 16 to join the army. Later received a high school equivalency degree.
Troy Aikman, Superbowl-winning football quarterback, TV sports commentator. In 2009, he finally graduated from UCLA, 20 years after leaving college to play in the National Football League. Aikman had promised his mother, when he left school just two courses shy of a degree, that he would return and finish. In 2009, at the age of 42, he finally fulfilled that commitment, earning A’s in his last two courses, thus earning a bachelor’s degree in sociology.
Malin Akerman, model, actress. Enrolled in York University (Toronto) but left after about a year to see what else was out there. She moved to Los Angeles to become an actress.
Dennis Albaugh, billionaire founder of pesticide company Albaugh Inc. Earned a 2-year agriculture business degree from Des Moines Community College. Did not continue on to a 4-year degree.
Edward Albee, playwright. Dropped out of Trinity College after three semesters.
Jack Albertson, Oscar-winning actor. High school dropout.
Chuck Allen, banker, co-founder of the National Scholastic Surfing Association, and founder of the U.S. Amateur Snowboard Association. At the age of 19, he moved from Oklahoma to California and began working odd jobs until he was established enough to move on to a banking career.
Paul Allen, billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, founder of Xiant software, owner of Seattle Seahawks and Portland Trailblazers. Dropped out of the University of Washington to work for Honeywell. A year later he convinced Bill Gates to drop out of Harvard and move to Albuquerque, New Mexico to start up Microsoft.
Peter Allen, singer, songwriter, composer. High school dropout.
Rick Allen, rock star member of Def Leppard. High school dropout.
Woody Allen, screenwriter, actor, director, and producer. Was thrown out of New York University after one semester for poor grades. Also dropped out of City College of New York. As he admitted, “I was thrown out of college for cheating on the metaphysics final. I looked within the soul of the boy sitting next to me.”
Glen Allsopp, Internet marketer, founder of ViperChill. Dropped out of college at the age of 18 to move to Cape Town, South Africa to work as a social media manager.
Steven-Elliot Altman, author. Left school at the beginning of the 10th grade and ran away from home. Entered college at the age of 16 and earned a degree at 19.
Joy Alukkas, billionaire jeweler. Never attended college. Immediately after high school, he moved to the Gulf to open a jewelry store.
Dhirubhai Ambani, billionaire Indian businessman. High school dropout.
Wally “Famous” Amos, multimillionaire cookie entrepreneur, author, talent agent. Dropped out of high school at the age of 17 to join the U.S. Air Force.
Hans Christian Andersen, short story author, fairy tales. Left home at the age of 14 to find work. Later attended Copenhagen Univesity.
George “Sparky” Anderson, baseball player and manager. Did not attend college.
Paul Thomas Anderson, director of such movies as “Boogie Nights” and “Magnolia.” He attended film school at New York University but quit after two days because one professor dissed “Terminator 2” and another gave him a C for a writing assignment.
Tom Anderson, co-founder of MySpace. A high school dropout.
Walter Anderson, publisher, editor. High school dropout who later earned an equivalency degree.
André 3000, see André Benjamin.
Mario Andretti, race-car driver, author. High school dropout who later earned an equivalency degree.
Anthony Andrews, actor. High school dropout.
Julie Andrews, Oscar-winning actress, singer, author. The dropped out of high school.
Jennifer Aniston, actress. She never attended college. Instead she moved to Los Angeles to become an actress.
“Jennifer Aniston says getting a nose job was the best thing she ever did. But keep in mind, she didn’t go to college, her marriage failed, her mom hates her, and she was in that Kevin Costner movie.” — Danielle Fishel, The Dish
Carmelo Anthony, basketball player. Left college after his freshman year to play in the NBA.
Shiri Appleby, actress. Went to the University of Southern California for a year and a half before acting in Roswell TV show. In 2010, she is working on her associate degree via the University of Phoenix and then intends to transfer to UCLA.
Christina Applegate, actress. High school dropout.
Edwin Apps, British artist. High school dropout.
Micky Arison, billionaire chairman of Carnival Cruise Line. Dropped out of the University of Miami.
Joan Armatrading, singer, songwriter. High school dropout.
Billie Joe Armstrong, front man for Green Day punk rock band. High school dropout. As he noted, “I finally realized that high school didn’t make any sense for me then. So I quit.”
Louis Armstrong, jazz musician, singer. Dropped out of high school.
Peter Arnell, advertising executive. Never attended college. Talked his way into the advertising business after graduating from high school.
Eddy Arnold, country music singer and member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. He was 11 when his father died, so he turned to singing at church picnics and other venues to support his family. By the age of 17, he was singing in nearby honky-tonks and made his first radio appearance. He debuted at the Grand Ole Opry in 1943. Between 1945 and 1983, 145 of his songs made the country charts, with 28 of them at #1. He sold more than 85 million records.
Cliff Arquette, aka Charlie Weaver. Comedian, entertainer. High school dropout.
Mathangi Arulpragasam, aka M.I.A., rapper. Did not attend college.
Julian Assange, Wikileaks founder, software programmer. Studied mathematics at the University of Melbourne but dropped out because other students were doing research for the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
Brooke Astor, wealthy socialite, author, philanthropist. Dropped out of high school.
John Jacob Astor, multimillionaire businessman. America’s first multimillionaire. He dropped out of high school.
Chet Atkins, country singer, author. He was a high school dropout.
Efva Attling, musician, jewelry designer. She dropped out of silversmith school to become a model. She later joined a band called X Models. She finally returned to designing her own jewelry.
Jane Austen, novelist. She and her sister attended schools in Oxford, Southampton, and Reading until the age of 11. After that time, their father taught them at home. She did not attend college.
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin, WWE champion wrestler, actor. He dropped out of the University of North Texas a few credits shy of a physical education degree. The then took a job as a freight dockworker. And then enrolled in the Dallas Sportatorium wrestling school.
Gene Autry, singing cowboy, actor, songwriter, producer, businessman, author, baseball team owner. He was a high school dropout.
Richard Avedon, photographer. High school dropout.
Willy Aybar, baseball player. High school dropout.
Dan Aykroyd, actor, comedian. He dropped out of Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada.
FEBRUARY 9, 2015 LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — Anthony Daniels is still fighting.
The 23-year-old, who is battling an aggressive form of Hodgkin’s lymphoma, has inspired several bone marrow drives in his honor, but has yet to benefit from any of them.
Still, he remains undeterred, determined to conquer the cancer that has ravaged his body since he received his diagnosis more than three years ago.
“I’ve become a lot stronger this past year and couldn’t be more motivated,” said Daniels, a Fordham University business student and former Ridgewood High School hockey player. “There has been a huge influx in positivity that keeps me going and focused on helping others and myself.”
Daniels just started a five-week oral drug trial — his 11th round of chemotherapy in his quest to stop Hodgkin’s, a cancer of the immune system that attacks white blood cells.
He’s also been working as the Lymphoma Research Foundation’s ambassador — an appointment he received after being featured in the documentary film “To Be Strong.” The attention also landed him a weekly gig writing a motivational column for CureToday.com, an online news resource for people with cancer.
“The film gave me a voice and presented me with other opportunities to help a large group of people,” he said.
Ridgewood officials: Probe finds another $377,000 in meter quarters stolen
FEBRUARY 10, 2015, 11:24 AM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2015, 8:33 PM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
Auditors found that nearly $850,000 was in fact stolen from the now-infamous coin room where collected parking meter quarters were stored. Thomas Rica, the village’s former public works inspector, admitted pilfering fistfuls of quarters from the room last March.
Rica said he stole $460,000 and received no jail time, according to a plea deal he reached with the county prosecutor’s office. A judge upheld the agreement for five years’ probation, which disappointed local officials who were pleased, though, that Rica would be forced to pay back at least half of the money.
Rica’s former attorney scoffed at the notion his client stole more quarters, and even village officials suggested there might be an accomplice.
The audit, released by the village Tuesday and delivered to its insurance fund the day before, uncovered a timeline of theft that started in 2010 — a year earlier than previously reported by authorities.
Using information from interviews with village employees as well as Rica’s own financial records, which were turned over to the village by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, auditors determined Rica deposited $471,815.05 to his various bank accounts between 2010 and his arrest on Jan. 13, 2013.
In the first two weeks of 2013 alone, the findings show Rica stole $10,413.51. In 2012, the audit report indicates he took $375,647.84 in quarters. The audit estimated $297,234.34 went missing in 2011, and that Rica pocketed $166,045.89 in 2010.
FEBRUARY 9, 2015, 9:59 PM LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2015, 10:02 PM
BY HANNAN ADELY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
A movement to get parents to keep their children from taking new state exams next month — fueled by protests on social media and encouragement from the teachers union — is gaining steam.
New Jersey requires all students to take the tests, but they do not need to sit for the exams to go on to the next grade or graduate.
State Education Commissioner David Hespe has urged school leaders to respond to the growing opt-out movement by explaining to parents the merits of the tests. In meetings, letters and online communications, school leaders say the tests will provide detailed information about what each student knows, better prepare teens for college entrance exams and build critical thinking skills.
But they are also trying to address parents’ complaints that the tests cut into instruction time, hamper creativity and fail to adequately measure learning. Some parents have delivered heartfelt pleas to school officials about the stress their children feel.
“We try to provide a balanced approach and let parents know there are benefits to taking the test. All they hear about is negative,” said Mark Toback, superintendent of Wayne schools.
Brian Williams Stepping Away From ‘NBC Nightly News’ Amid Scandal
But the REAL question remains did he or did he not live in Ridgewood ?
Brian Williams is stepping away from NBC Nightly News for a number of days.
The anchor sent a note to the show’s staff, announcing that Lester Holt is replacing him for an unspecified amount of time. The news comes as Williams is embroiled in a scandal surrounding his story about being a passenger in a helicopter that took fire in Iraq in 2003.
On Jan. 30, an NBC Nightly News clip was posted to Facebook in which Williams repeated a story he had told previously about having been in the helicopter that was hit and went down during the Iraq invasion. After the story was questioned, Williams apologized on Wednesday’s Nightly News, saying that his helicopter was following the one that was hit.
“I feel terrible about making this mistake, especially since I found my OWN WRITING about the incident from back in ’08, and I was indeed on the Chinook behind the bird that took the RPG in the tail housing just above the ramp,” Williams wrote on Facebook.
Ridgewood NJ, This Tuesday, February 10th at 6:00pm Shawn Michaels will be signing his new book: WRESTLING FOR MY LIFE ($22.99). Books available NOW!!
*All books MUST be purchased at Bookends Bookstore*
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
