OCTOBER 2, 2014 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2014, 12:31 AM BY LYNN BRUGGEMANN CORRESPONDENT MIDLAND PARK SUBURBAN NEWS
MIDLAND PARK — The Borough Council voted Thursday, Sept. 25, to table an ordinance introduced two weeks earlier to enter into an agreement with Northwest Bergen Central Dispatch for emergency dispatch services .
Instead, the council passed a resolution “to enter into negotiations with the Northwest Bergen Central Dispatch, including the ownership communities’ governing bodies of the Northwest Bergen Central Dispatch.”
Northwest Bergen Central Dispatch is an independent multijurisdictional service owned by the municipalities of Ridgewood and Glen Rock, which is allowed by state statute.
“We were agreeing to something that was not contractually ready,” said Mayor Patrick “Bud” O’Hagan. “[The agreement] was not properly presented to all the parties we are dealing with.”
The council’s action appears to correct a procedural misstep.
Nazi Death Camp Survivor Responds To California School’s Ban On Popular Holocaust Book By Justen Charters
charter school in California is stirring up major controversy after banning a popular book about a woman who helped saved Jews during the Holocaust.
Fox News has more:
Springs Charter Schools in Temecula, Calif., not only had a problem with “The Hiding Place,” they also took issue with any other book that was written by a Christian author or included a Christian message.
“We do not purchase sectarian educational materials and do not allow sectarian materials on our state-authorized lending shelves,” Superintendent Kathleen Hermsmeyer wrote in a letter to attorneys at the Pacific Justice Institute (PJI).
“The Hiding Place” is a best selling book written by Holocaust survivor Corrie ten Boom, a woman who even after living in a concentration camp made it her life’s work to help rehabilitate other survivors.
I had the opportunity to talk with my friend Alter Wiener (a Holocaust survivor who wrote his own book about his personal story surviving the Nazis) and here’s what he had to say about the ban:
The papers or TV do not bring good news. Violence, corruption, prejudice are on the top of the news. I am saddened and frustrated and feel like reading something uplifting. I had been inspired reading The Hiding Place twenty years ago. The book came to my mind now when I am eager to find a source of light in the darkness. While reading it, for the second time, I gained a respite from exposure to the disparaging current events. Being riveted to The Hiding Place, I am hiding ephemerally from the ominous world.
In today’s modern culture selfishness prevails, youth show no respect for the elderly. The ten Boom family’s moral conduct is the antidote to the corrupted people in today’s society.
As a Holocaust survivor, I just don’t understand how somebody wishes to ban a book such as The Hiding Place that has a message of love and compassion, and banned the book because of its Christian message of love and tolerance.
In addition, the Pacific Justice Institute has threatened to take legal action if the ban isn’t reversed, citing that is a violation of the 1st Amendment. Perhaps the school can just reverse the ban and allow the readers the freedom to choose what they want to read.
the apple dose not fall far from the tree Keith Jr. picking up where his father left off
Bear Standoff Ends Happily with no Causalities in Ridgewood
SEPTEMBER 30, 2014, 10:47 AM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2014, 5:10 PM BY STEFANIE DAZIO AND CHRIS HARRIS STAFF WRITERS THE RECORD
Wildlife officials have finally captured an elusive bear that romped around the village for nearly six hours.
The bear was tranquilized around 3 p.m. Tuesday as it rested in a tree on Lake Avenue. Police officers waited below with a net to catch the drugged bruin, who struggled to hang onto the branches for 30 seconds before falling out of the tree with a large thud. It was then carted away.
The standoff between man and beast had been going on throughout the day and nothing worked until now. The goal is to relocate the bear.
At the police’s request, media outlets with helicopters in the air tried to scare the bear out of a tree on Godwin Avenue but that failed and the helicopters backed off.
A spray of water from the fire department finally got him to leave the tree but he escaped up another tree with animal control officers and their German Shepherd in hot pursuit. Even the bear could be seen panting.
An earlier attempt to shoot a tranquilizing dart at the bear as he climbed down from a tree on West Ridgewood Avenue missed the mark.
Here’s a look from @News12Chopper at the bear up in a tree in #Ridgewood MORE INFO> Lions tigers and yup… a bear ! In a tree in town! Megan Vega @MeganVegaTV
Ridgewood Nj,Bear tranquilized near Ridgewood schools; Students free to leaveABC news reported that students are now being held at 3 schools: GW Middle School, Orchard Elementary, in addition to Ridge Elementary because of bear in tree.
The bear was contained in a tree in a residential backyard .New Jersey Department of Fish and Wildlife is on the scene.
NJ Department of Fish And Wildlife are deploying nets in preparation of tranquilizing the bear.
Village ROBO calls went out warning residents especial after the bear attack last weekend residents need to know if there was one in their neighborhood.
Per the Reverse 911, the bear was spotted near Ridge School. Do not approach, call police at 201-652-3900.
Ridgewood PD is now reporting on twitter that the bear is on the loose again. Leaving his tree on Godwin Avenue . Children at Ridge school will not be released until it is safe to do so.
Residents have reported the Bear has been running rings around Ridgewood, from Megan Pace .
Ridgewood PD is now reporting on twitter that the bear is on the loose again. Leaving his tree on Godwin Avenue . Children at Ridge school will not be released until it is safe to do so.
Readers report It’s quite a circus ,Police blockades with lights-a-flashin’ 3 or 4 helicopters and a dozen news trucks in full regalia.
09/30/147:30PMBoard of Adjustment Special Public Meeting 10/01/147:30PMVillage Council Public Work Session 10/07/147:30PMPlanning Board Public Meeting 10/08/148:00PMVillage Council Public Meeting 10/14/147:30PMBoard of Adjustment Regular Public Meeting 10/21/147:30PMPlanning Board Public Meeting 10/22/147:30PMVillage Council Public Work Session
Ridgewood BOE MEETS ON OCTOBER 20
The next Regular Public Meeting of the Ridgewood Board of Education will be held on Monday, October 20, 2014 at 7:30 p.m. The public is invited to attend the meeting at the Ed Center, 49 Cottage Place, Floor 3. The meeting will be aired live on FiOS channel 33 and Optimum channel 77. Or it may be viewed live via the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us using the “Link in Live” tab.
Click here to view the agenda for the September 22, 2014 Regular Public Meeting.
Yard Signs Are Available for Scott Garrett for Congress email me at [email protected] with your name address and how many we can deliver them too you (Ridgewood Area)
School Crossing Guard Positions Available – Contact Ridgewood Police Dept.
The Ridgewood Police Department is accepting applications for School Crossing Guard Positions. Applications are Available at the Police Desk located at 131 North Maple Avenue Ridgewood NJ. P/T position, 10 hours per week (2 hours per day) starting at $17.49/hr. Send application to Police Chief John Ward, Ridgewood Police Dept, 131 N. Maple Ave., Ridgewood, NJ 07450 or return the application to the Police Records Room. The Village of Ridgewood is an EOE and civil service community. 201/652-3900
The Ridgewood Taxpayers’ Association is still looking to reactivate.
The Ridgewood Taxpayers’ Association is a non-profit corporation.
organized in the state of New Jersey in 1993 .
The purposes of the Ridgewood Taxpayers’ Association are as follows :
*To monitor and analyze of the Village and Board of Education ;
*To provide recommendations to the Village and BOE on how to operate on a cost effective basis ;
*To monitor the actions taken by the state of New Jersey , Bergen County the BOE and any governmental entity which has or may have an impact on the taxes of the Village of Ridgewood ;
*To provide information to the citizens of the Village of Ridgewood on the operation of their government and costs associated therewith :
*To promote local, regional and state legislation for the fair taxation of Ridgewood residents ;
*To evaluate candidates for public office .
Membership is available to residents of Ridgewood or anyone who maintains a business address in the Village of Ridgewood .
The Ridgewood Taxpayers’ Association is looking for Board Members and those interested should email there resume and a short cover letter to:[email protected]
Wildscape Clean Up – All Volunteers Welcome – October 5th
Ridgewood Wildscape Assn. Annual Community River Cleanup
to be held Sunday, October 5, 12:45-3PM. Wear old clothes. All equipment provided by the Village of Ridgewood. HoHoKus Brook between Ridgewood Ave-Overbrook Road.
Meet at the Ridgewood High School Parking Lot 12:45. ridgewoodwildscape.org
Downtown Tree Well Report 9.22.14 – Volunteers Welcome
9/22/14 Update; Oak, Chestnut and Broad still need to be weeded and mulched, but I need to work on labeling and identifying the trees before they lose their leaves. Tomorrow I am going to work on labeling wells and identifying trees. I am going to start on Maple and work my way up Ridgewood and down. I will initially label the wells in a inconspicuous place with a permanent marker. Once I have all trees counted I will investigate a more obvious and tasteful labeling method. I will have sheets to fill out for each tree and my plan is to take a picture of each tree that will help identify the species and condition. I would appreciate any and all help. This should be cleaner (and quicker) than weeding and mulching.
North Jersey parents vow to ban alcohol at home parties
SEPTEMBER 28, 2014 LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2014, 1:21 AM BY DEENA YELLIN STAFF WRITER THE RECORD
Schools around North Jersey are wielding a new weapon in the fight against teen drug and alcohol use: the parents’ pledge.
Dubbed the Safe Homes Pledge, it’s part of a nationwide movement that asks parents to sign an agreement committing themselves to providing adult supervision for parties in their homes, securing prescription medication, and not serving alcohol to any guest under the age of 21.
Among the North Jersey towns and school districts where parents have participated are Ramsey, Ridgewood, Ramapo Indian Hills Regional High School District, Northern Highlands Regional High School, Pascack Hills, Ringwood, Wayne and Wanaque. The names of parents who have signed the agreement are then listed in a local directory.
Now, parents in the Northern Valley Regional School District are being asked to take the pledge.
The initiative is the latest step in a wide-ranging campaign by the Northern Valley community to fight alcohol and drug use.
Bernadette Walsh campaigning with Congressmen Scott Garrett
Freeholder candidate has roots that run deep in Bergen County
SEPTEMBER 28, 2014, 3:20 PM LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2014, 3:34 PM BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN STAFF WRITER THE RECORD
To understand Bernadette Walsh, one of two Republican candidates for Bergen County freeholder, it helps to know the story of the “bamboo man.”
That’s the nickname her late father, James Coghlan, picked up in the 1960s when he and his wife, Mary, cultivated bamboo as part of their greenhouse nursery business in Upper Saddle River.
They grew and sold bamboo to people like the philanthropist Doris Duke and to places like the now defunct Jungle Habitat in West Milford and the Polynesian exhibition at the 1964 World’s Fair in Flushing Queens.
James Coghlan wrote a book in 1965 called “The Story of Bamboo.” The couple even made an appearance on “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson.
Walsh was a small child when her parents closed the nursery to instead run a real estate and appraisal business near the train station in Ramsey for 25 years.
But their daughter recalled that time while talking about what she considers her proudest accomplishment in her four years as a Ridgewood councilwoman.
The self-described “tree hugger” helped revive the borough’s Shade Tree Commission, which had been dormant for many years. After Hurricanes Irene and Sandy toppled about 500 trees in town, Walsh said, people felt a need to be planting trees again.
The Central Business District :Parking well that is just part of the Problem
September 28th 2014
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, A Ridgewood Panel says lack of parking is the source of problems in downtown Ridgewood , but in readers offered many other ideas .
While parking is often mentioned , many felt the issue has been long over played. Readers said store hours , types of stores and restaurants , rents , taxes and Ridgewood’s over bureaucratic non responsive regulatory environment pose significant problems for businesses. It seems Ridgewood has gotten a very anti business reputation.
Readers also questioned the lack of comprehensive planning , spot zoning, ad hoc development, and a lack of efforts by the Chamber to promote new business in town .
Readers though the panel was a bit self serving , and said “What a bunch of self serving greedy people lead by a councilman who is a narcissi . The article shows how much the Ridgewood News is on board with this. These greedy people using words such as “stigma,” “that Ridgewood is asleep.” “that Ridgewood has lost its edge.” “Some similarly jarring points were made” “When you drive into this town, I don’t want to say it the wrong way, but it looks kind of dumpy… -” Thanks.
“Sarceno, a Ridgewood resident, said he wanted to attract anything other than a restaurant into the historic building, but he couldn’t.“It was amazing to see the lack of interest from anyone other than a restaurant,” he said.
Mr. Sarceno did you expect a Gap or a JC Penny to go in there. We all know what you did. You bought that building at a discount and then you go to your friend on the Council and push for a parking garage on Hudson St which would make the bank building more attractive for renters not to mention charging higher rent.”
Most readers would like the down town developed in a sensible fashion , but after years of Valley Hospital looking to ram their expansion down the Village’s throat and the constant barrage of over the top ridiculous claims by developers and politicians the public has grown very suspicious and these actions and they have severely undermined Village leadership .
The fact is no one in Ridgewood wants to live in Hoboken ,other wise they would just move there . Whats needed is an honest assessment as to whats best for the Village and far less self aggrandizing from developers and politicians looking out for the own interests .
Ridgewood News editorial: We need more Charlottes and the Ridgewood blog Agrees
SEPTEMBER 26, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014, 12:31 AM THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Soon after she received accolades from the Ridgewood Board of Education this week, Charlotte Samuels, the 16-year-old world-record swimmer, made an admission: She’s already thinking about conquering the Ocean’s Seven. For those unfamiliar with the feat, which has been accomplished by only six people, it consists of open-water swims through channels from each of the seven continents.
Ptl Ward and Sgt John Chuck of the Ridgewood Police Department make daring arrest in Warner Theater September 25,2014
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, On September 21, 2014 at 7:14 PM Ptl John Ward was flagged down at the end of the street fair on East Ridgewood Avenue. A juvenile male reported that a man had approached his friend attempting to get his phone and followed him into the movie theater.
Ptl Ward accompanied by Sgt John Chuck found a male party in the theater who had confronted the juvenile. Numerous witness confirmed the incident and the accused Darnell Dixon 30 of Paterson was arrested and charged with attempted robbery. The accused was remanded to the Bergen County Jail unable to post $75000.00 bail.
(information for the Ridgewood Police Blotter , All defendants are considered innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.)
On Sunday, September 28, 2014 our Nation honors our Gold Star Mothers and families.
The Presidential Proclamation in 2011 commemorating this day pronounces, “As members of a grateful Nation, we owe a debt we can never repay, but hold this sacred obligation forever in our hearts, minds, and actions. We honor their sacrifice, and stand with our service members, military families, and Gold Star families as they have stood for us.” The
American Legion Post 53 and Ridgewood NJ’s Blue Star Families are committed to bringing awareness to our community and to commemorate the sacrifices these mothers and their families have made for our Country.
In the aftermath of World War I, Washington D.C. resident Grace Darling Seibold formed an organization called Gold Star Mothers to support the moms who had lost sons and daughters to the war. Grace’s son, First Lieutenant George Vaughn Seibold, was an aviator killed in combat over France in 1918. In 1928, the small D.C.-based group decided to nationalize its efforts. In 1936, a joint congressional resolution established the last Sunday in September as
Gold Star Mother’s Day. The Gold Star Mothers grew from a support group of 60 women to today’s extensive nationwide network with tens of thousands of members and hundreds of local chapters.
In Ridgewood, NJ the Gold Star Mother’s Day Committee will sponsor our fourth annual event commemorating Gold Star Mother’s Day on Sunday, September 28, at Van Neste Park.
The Valley Hospital Earns 12 Gold Seals of Approval for Patient Care
September 5, 2014
Ridgewood NJ,The Valley Hospital is pleased to announce that it has earned an impressive 12 Gold Seals of Approval™ for healthcare quality from the Joint Commission, placing it among an elite group of hospitals to achieve this number of Disease-Specific Care Certifications.
Valley holds Gold Seals of Approval for acute myocardial infarction, breast cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, colorectal cancer, heart failure, hip replacement, knee replacement, lung cancer, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, stroke, and uterine-ovarian cancer.
Earning Disease-Specific Certification in 12 clinical areas places Valley among the top tier of hospitals in the country for this Joint Commission recognition. Of particular note, Valley holds more Gold Seals of Approval in cancer care than any other hospital in the country
To earn these distinctions, Valley underwent extensive, on-site evaluations by Joint Commission reviewers. The Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting and accrediting body in health care.
“These recognitions are reflective of the quality and clinical excellence found in these programs,” said Audrey Meyers, President and CEO. “In addition, they are indicative of the overall emphasis on high-quality patient care and service that have come to be the hallmark of The Valley Hospital.”
The Joint Commission launched its Disease-Specific Care Certification program in 2002. According to the Joint Commission, it is the first program of its kind in the country to certify disease management programs.
Steve Jobs didn’t let his kids use iPads Posted on Monday, September 15 at 5:03am | By Amy Graff
Steve Jobs was the father of two teenage girls and a son when he passed away in 2011. These kids grew up with a visionary father who co-founded one of the best-known tech companies. Jobs led the world into the digital age with gadgets that transformed the way we listen to music, watch movies, communicate, live our lives.
You would imagine that his children’s rooms would have been filled with iPods, iPhones and iPads.
That’s not the case.In an article in the Sunday New York Times, reporter Nick Bilton says he once asked Jobs “So, your kids must love the iPad?”
Jobs response: “They haven’t used it. We limit how much technology our kids use at home.”
The Times article examines the growing trend among the California Silicon Valley tech set to limit children’s technology use. Many of the people behind the social media platforms, gadgets and games that are consuming our kids’ time and minds aren’t actually allowing their own children to waste an entire Saturday afternoon playing Minecraft on the iPad.
A quote in The Times from Chris Anderson, father of five and chief executive of 3D Robotics, pretty much defines why Anderson and his colleagues are limiting technology at home. “My kids accuse me and my wife of being fascists and overly concerned about tech, and they say that none of their friends have the same rules,” says Anderson, formerly the editor of Wired. “That’s because we have seen the dangers of technology firsthand. I’ve seen it in myself, I don’t want to see that happen to my kids.”
Some of these Silicon Valley engineers and execs are even going to the extreme of sending their kids to computer-free schools. A Times story from 2011 reported that engineers and execs from Apple, eBay, Google, Hewlett-Packard and Yahoo are sending their kids to a Waldorf elementary school in Los Altos, Calif., where you won’t find a single computer or screen of any sort. Also, kids are discouraged from watching television or logging on at home.
Common Core State Standards a Threat to Personal Liberty — Thomas More Law Center Develops Opt-Out Form for Parents
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August 27, 2014
Amidst growing concerns from parents and teachers surrounding the Common Core State Standards and the Federal government’s control of classroom curriculum, the Thomas More Law Center (TMLC) has prepared a Student Privacy Protection Request form for use by parents who wish to protect their children by opting-out of Common Core aligned curricula, data mining and the release of information concerning their children’s personal beliefs.
The Thomas More Law Center (TMLC), a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, MI, designed the comprehensive opt-out form for parents concerned about Common Core and who want to protect their children’s privacy from educational data mining. The form allows parents to choose which Common Core State Standards and data driven practices they do not want their children to be a part of, including standardized testing.
The form allows parents to opt-out of sharing their child’s information with the federal government, as well as outside agencies and private contractors. Information which parents can opt-out of sharing ranges from test scores and religious and political beliefs, to biographic, biometric, and psychometric data, such as fingerprints, DNA and information related to children’s personality and aptitude.
Richard Thompson, TMLC President and Chief Counsel, commented, “The opt-out form is based on the constitutionally recognized fundamental right of parents to direct the education of their children and on federal statutes which were designed to protect student privacy. Our Founding Fathers recognized the dangers to our freedoms posed by centralized control over public education. However, today, all but a handful of state governments, enticed by millions of dollars in federal grants, are voluntarily inviting the federal government to take control of our public schools, imposing untested educational standards and obtaining personal information on children and their parents which would make any totalitarian government blush with envy. We must ever keep in mind, ‘The philosophy of the classroom in one generation will become the philosophy of the government in the next.’ Clearly, Common Core is a threat to individual privacy and liberty, and to our Constitutional Republic.”
Alibaba’s IPO to end US dominance in technology sector: expert
English.news.cn 2014-09-19 04:35:34
LONDON, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) — Alibaba’s IPO could well be the end of U.S. dominance in the world technology sector, a professor from a Britain’s business school told Xinhua on Thursday.
“Alibaba’s annual growth rate of more than 30 percent shows that the gap between the Chinese companies, Alibaba and Tencent, and U.S. companies is getting ever closer,” said Qing Wang, professor from Warwick Business School, one of the most prestigious and highly selective business schools in the world.
“The ability to understand customers intimately and continuously innovate should enable them to expand overseas with US dominance in the world technology sector gradually being broken,” said professor Wang.
The strong performance and fast rise of the Chinese technology companies in the world was helped by an enormous and fast growing domestic market, she said. The competition in that domestic market among the Chinese companies, as well as with multinational corporations that have entered it, was extremely fierce and successful private companies like Alibaba had to be highly entrepreneurial and market-oriented, she added.
Professor Wang didn’t see major risks for Alibaba after IPO, as this was not the first Chinese company who has done this and the earlier ones such as Tencent are doing well after their IPO.
But she warned that what Alibaba might need to watch out for is the short term orientation of the stock market, the expectation and pressure to deliver quick results, which may clash with his business philosophy.
