Reader says time to end Mayor’s Monthly Column in the Ridgewood News
Seriously, whether you like our mayor or don’t, Boyd has a very good point. Why should the newspaper provide a forum for Mayor Aronsohn to highlight the accomplishments while ignoring the major problems? This is a non-partisan government, so there cannot be an official reply from those opposed to the leader’s views on things. But we do know that at least one letter in which Mayor Aronsohn was not being portrayed favorably was squelched by the newspaper…….and this was due to the mayor himself interfering.
I wish the Mayor would man-up and address all the issues that have been controversial and have not been resolved. For example……what ever happened to the Graydon Ramp? For example…….what is the resolution on the Christie fundraiser (even The Record wrote an editorial blasting the council’s attendance at this event). For example…..why was a personnel matter (Mr. Riche) discussed in open session when there is a strict policy that individuals are to be discussed in closed session? Lines of people jumped up to protest his actions on this, yet no apology or explanation ever came from him. I am betting that the Hope Street poles will be the same thing, never any official follow-up from him because the outcome is not good.
He sweeps controversy under the carpet and we never get a final report on these matters. The Mayor’s Column in the newspaper enables him to continue to do this, by painting a rosy picture with absolutely no space allocated to controversies and problems.
$4.2M red-light camera settlement could be split among 500,000 drivers
Post cards have been mailed to hundreds of thousands of drivers across New Jersey this week as part of a $4.2 million settlement to a class action lawsuit brought on by residents who feel they were wrongly ticketed by red light cameras. South Jersey Times
Readers debate Construction impact on School children
Wow… HUNDREDS of trucks all at the same time as drop off and pick up. Hard to imagine it would take HUNDREDS of trucks per day. I hope not. But, what above the expansion at Willard School — that went on while kids were in the building. What about the $40 million expasion (which took 2 years) of the train station. That included heavy sub-ground drilling within 1/2 mile of GW and directly in front of the Senior Housing. What above when West Side Pres was rebuilt dirctly next to GW? I know each of these was smaller, but in every case life went on as usual, and once it was done everyone got to enjoy the finished product.
or….
Schools are not comparable ever: their evolution is directly commensurate with the number of kids in town. Willard did not double in size, and West Side Pres only replaced a building that had been destroyed by fire. Whatever “enjoyment” (I, for one, don’t “enjoy” hospitals) we might get from the “finished product” (more traffic, etc.)—nothing outweighs what we will have to endure during construction, or the de-valuing of our homes, which is permanent…
Please don’t talk about the hospital serving Ridgewood!! Only 5% of Valley patients actually live here. Most Valley employees live elsewhere.
Readers share thoughts on Boyd Lovings Ridgewood News letter to the Editor
A year is enough of that self-serving blather. Sick of seeing his face on the editorial page, co-opting space needed for letters to the editor. All published series stop eventually. The time has come.
Agree with Boyd. This is a blatant billboard for the mayor and it should not be allowed. Can we have an anti-mayor corner column, in which all the problems he has caused can be highlighted?????
Mayor Paul Aronsohn and the Ridgewood “New Prefect Together” Hey Ed. Yes Paul. Only print the good stuff about me. Ok Paul just don’t cancel the legal advertisement because without the advertisement from the village and valley hospital the Ridgewood News would be down the tubes and I would have to get a job at the Patch. Hey Paul. Yes Ed. Do you have any connections at the Patch? Matter of fact I do Ed.
The Ridgewood News All-Suburban Girls Golf Teams
Friday August 2, 2013, 8:39 AM
BY GREG TARTAGLIA
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
The Ridgewood News
Villagers continue to headline the elite unit in 2013, with three Ridgewood High School golfers and Ridgewood resident Victoria Paulsen of Immaculate Heart making the grade. Ramsey placed two golfers and Paramus one among the two seniors, four juniors and one sophomore on the first team….
Photo credit: Boyd A. Loving Aging Chlorine Tablets Cause Hazmat Scare Saturday Evening
Auguest 3,2013
Boyd A. Loving
8:10 PM
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood firefighters and police officers responded to a home located in the 200 block of South Pleasant Avenue early Saturday evening in response to a 911 telephone call reporting a chemical odor emanating from a residential garage.
Arriving firefighters quickly identified the odor’s source as a container filled with aging chlorine tablets, which were starting to sublime. On duty personnel from the Bergen County Department of Health and Human Services Hazardous Materials Division were quickly summoned to assist Ridgewood firefighters.
After an extensive evaluation and consultation period, it was determined that the safest method to dispose of the material was to release the container’s contents into the sanitary sewer system, followed by a significant flush of fresh water. This was safely accomplished after a portion of South Pleasant Avenue was closed to traffic and a manhole was opened. No one was injured during the incident.
for any other sewer services call 24-7 A1 sewer & drain
In light of concerns voiced by some residents regarding Ridgewood Mayor Paul Aronsohn’s recent interactions with your editorial staff (“Our letters policy,” The Ridgewood News, July 26, page A6), I am prompted to ask whether you should continue publication of Mr. Aronsohn’s monthly “Mayor’s Corner” column.
Exclusive: Dozens of CIA operatives on the ground during Benghazi attack
CNN has uncovered exclusive new information about what is allegedly happening at the CIA, in the wake of the deadly Benghazi terror attack.
Four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens, were killed in the assault by armed militants last September 11 in eastern Libya.
Sources now tell CNN dozens of people working for the CIA were on the ground that night, and that the agency is going to great lengths to make sure whatever it was doing, remains a secret.
CNN has learned the CIA is involved in what one source calls an unprecedented attempt to keep the spy agency’s Benghazi secrets from ever leaking out.
Read: Analysis: CIA role in Benghazi underreported
Since January, some CIA operatives involved in the agency’s missions in Libya, have been subjected to frequent, even monthly polygraph examinations, according to a source with deep inside knowledge of the agency’s workings.
The goal of the questioning, according to sources, is to find out if anyone is talking to the media or Congress.
It is being described as pure intimidation, with the threat that any unauthorized CIA employee who leaks information could face the end of his or her career.
In exclusive communications obtained by CNN, one insider writes, “You don’t jeopardize yourself, you jeopardize your family as well.”
‘Real Housewives of New Jersey’ stars’ hidden lives go public
Tuesday July 30, 2013, 10:21 PM
By VIRGINIA ROHAN
RECORD COLUMNIST
Teresa Giudice dragged her heels about signing the contract that made her one of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey.” Today, that seems telling.
“It took me 10 to 11 months to sign. … You couldn’t know how they’re going to portray you, and do you really want your whole life out there?” Teresa told The Record in early May 2009, shortly before the show debuted, adding something that now seems ironic. “But you know what’s great about it? My whole life’s not out there. … What I wanted them to know, they knew.”
Now the world has learned a lot more about Teresa and husband Joe Giudice than they surely ever wanted outsiders to know. The Montville couple were indicted on charges they conspired to defraud banks and other lenders in connection with nearly $4 million in mortgages, construction loans and home equity loans they received between 2001 and 2008. And the pair find themselves living in two different realities: one of wealth and privilege that viewers see on television on Sunday nights, and one of scary possibilities that began to unfold Tuesday at the federal courthouse in Newark.
In the couple’s initial court appearance on a 39-count indictment, U.S. Magistrate Judge Cathy L. Walder set bail at $500,000 each and ordered them to surrender their passports. A trial date will be set Aug. 14. Lawyers for both Giudices said they intend to plead not guilty.
‘Real Housewives’ stars Teresa and Joe Giudice indicted
Monday, July 29, 2013 Last updated: Monday July 29, 2013, 6:56 PM
BY PETER J. SAMPSON
STAFF WRITER
The Record
Teresa and Joe Giudice, the troubled stars of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey” TV show, were indicted Monday on federal charges of conspiring to fraudulently obtain mortgages and other loans and hiding assets and income during a bankruptcy case.
A federal grand jury in Newark returned a 39-count indictment charging Teresa Giudice, 41, and her husband, Giuseppe “Joe” Giudice, 43, both of Towaco, with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, bank fraud, making false statements on loan applications and bankruptcy fraud.
Joe Giudice was also charged with failing to file tax returns for the years 2004 through 2008 during a period he allegedly earned nearly $1 million.
“The indictment returned today alleges the Giudices lied to the bankruptcy court, to the IRS and to a number of banks,” U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman said in announcing the charges.
“Everyone has an obligation to tell the truth when dealing with the courts, paying their taxes and applying for loans or mortgages,” Fishman said. “That’s reality.”
Advertisements will be coming soon to Ridgewood train station
Monday July 29, 2013, 11:28 AM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
Rail riders will soon see visual displays of the latest retail deals and other commercial announcements while they pass through the Ridgewood train station.
The Village Council last week accepted the terms set forth by Titan Outdoor, the transit advertising firm that will now provide and install a total of 34 ad poster display frames inside the train station complex.
Titan is already contracted by NJ Transit (NJT) to maintain the advertising placards on the transportation company’s property, namely the train platforms.
The New York City-based firm also has agreements with the Port Authority, Amtrak and other large municipalities and major-market transit groups across the country.
Can the Village really go on offering Six figure pensions ?
July 28,2013
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, New Jersey has 1,474 retirees receiving $100,000 or more in state pensions 7 are from the Village Ridgewood .
The question is not whether a certain person deserves or dose not deserve a six figure pension, the question is can a town of close to 25,000 people afford to continue to offer 6 figure pensions ?
This is money that was promised via contract , but should or can the Village continue to make these promises in the future ?
In the state of New Jersey former Jersey City school superintendent Charles Epps heads the list with a $195,000 annual pension. When he stepped down last year amid controversy and a gag order, Epps also received a $268,200 settlement plus $85,000 for unused sick time, according to NJ.com.
All of the Top Five pensioners are retired school executives. A. Z. Yamba, former president of Essex County College, is tied for the lead at $195,000. He is trailed by John Richardson, Ridgefield Park schools, $185,454; Vincent Ascolese, North Bergen schools, $180,180; and J. T. Morton, Sparta schools, $171,773.
Click here for the full story : https://newjersey.watchdog.org/2013/04/15/njs-100k-club-of-retirees-grows-50-percent-in-two-years-investigative-report-by-mark-lagerkvist/
After a search, family finds perfect Ridgewood home
Sunday, July 28, 2013
BY DONNA ROLANDO
SPECIAL TO THE RECORD
The Record
They adopted Ridgewood even before they bought a home there.
Native New Yorkers Josh Ehlin and Juliana Yun owned a house in Fair Lawn for the last three years, but their lives as a married couple constantly took them to the neighboring village of Ridgewood.
They loved the restaurants — the strong sense of community, and when it came time to buy a bigger house, they couldn’t imagine themselves living anywhere else.
“We were always coming here to eat,” Yun, a 41-year-old periodontist, said of a Bergen County community known for a bustling downtown with a diversity of eateries, shopping and its own theater.
Sandy babies flood local hospitals
Posted: Thursday, July 25, 2013 6:45 am | Updated: 3:28 pm, Thu Jul 25, 2013.
By Peg Quann Staff writer
Bonnie Prince George isn’t the only newborn in the news these days.
Sandy’s babies are arriving.
They’re filling hospitals along the Jersey coast, nine months after the superstorm struck last fall.
Those candlelit nights in late October and November, when many couples found themselves without lights or television, have led to a bumper crop of births now at some area hospitals, particularly in areas hit hard by the storm.
“We have seen an increase about 25 percent over what we expected, and some mothers have said their babies were conceived during Superstorm Sandy or during the power and cable outages afterwards,” said Jennifer Tornetta, a spokeswoman for AtlantiCare, the health system that oversees AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center’s two campuses in Atlantic City and Galloway, Atlantic County.
Maternity wards at hospitals in Monmouth and Ocean counties apparently are bulging. The Asbury Park Press reported that Monmouth Medical Center in Long Branch had a 34 percent increase in births, and there was a 20 percent increase at Jersey Shore Medical Center in Brick over last year.
file photo of PJ Blogger reading the Ridgewood News
Follow Up Re: The Ridgewood News Letter to the Editor
James J. Foytlin
The Ridgewood Blog
Ridgewood, New Jersey
Dear Mr. Foytlin:
I am writing as a follow up to North Jersey Media Group’s (NJMG) June 28, 2013 letter posted on The Ridgewood Blog in response to several comments left by blog readers concerning a letter submitted by a resident for publication in the Letters to the Editor section of The Ridgewood News. It is kindly requested that you post this letter on the blog as well.
It is my understanding that some were disappointed with NJMG’s June 28, 2013 letter because it was not as forthcoming with details as those interested in this matter would have liked. However, as you likely know, New Jersey has a very strong shield law that is designed to safeguard the newsgathering process and allow our reporters to do their job to the fullest ability. Information obtained by reporters in the course of their professional activities, including discussions with their sources, is privileged. NJMG must be cautious with the information it discloses so as not to unintentionally waive this most important safeguard.
NJMG recognizes that some will likely decry this explanation as a way to simply dodge the underlying issues. However, such complaints are shortsighted. The shield law is designed to protect the free flow of information to the press. If the information obtained and the sources consulted in connection with news articles and editorials, such as letters to the editor, are subject to disclosure at the demand of the public, then the willingness to provide information to reporters will quickly evaporate and have a detrimental effect on the amount and quality of information available to the public at large.
However, in light of the fact that Mayor Aronsohn has already identified himself as having contacted The Ridgewood News and without waiving the right to any otherwise privileged information, NJMG would like to state the following:
· The Ridgewood News was never asked by the Mayor or anyone else in person or by any other means to withdraw, hold, pull or not to publish the resident’s letter;
· As he himself stated, Mayor Aronsohn contacted The Ridgewood News after a June council meeting to confirm what had already been discussed openly during that public meeting covered by our reporter; to wit, that there was a discrepancy between the letter writer’s statement regarding the village attorney’s advice and what the village attorney’s actual advice was with respect to handling matters in open or closed session.
The Ridgewood News was obligated to hold the resident’s letter until the facts could be confirmed. While The Ridgewood News does not fact check every letter to the editor, the newspaper would have been remiss by publishing information that it actually knew was not entirely accurate. Indeed, our courts have held news media liable for publishing letters to the editor that contain inaccurate statements.
As a further point of clarification, the resident was never advised that the letter would be printed in The Ridgewood News in the days immediately following the submission. Rather, newspaper staff contacted the resident for the purpose of confirming the authorship of the submission. The decision to print any news or opinion letters in The Ridgewood News rests in the sole discretion of NJMG and is further subject to space limitations in the newspaper.
In accordance with the privilege afforded The Ridgewood News under the shield law to safeguard its newsgathering activities and editorial process, NJMG is unable to make its editorial staff available for further inquiry, including personal meetings, to discuss this matter.
Finally, to the extent that any individual or entity has impliedly suggested or explicitly stated that The Ridgewood News succumbed to any pressure from the Mayor or any other public or private figure with respect to publication of the resident’s letter, NJMG unequivocally denies the accusation and the actual facts support that position.
We appreciate the community’s interest in our reporting and for bringing these concerns to The Ridgewood News’ attention.
Sincerely,
ROBERT D. THOMPSON
—————————————————–
Robert D. Thompson, Esq.
Corporate Attorney
North Jersey Media Group Inc.
1 Garret Mountain Plaza
P.O. Box 471
Woodland Park, NJ 07424
T: (973) 569-7685
F: (973) 569-7268
