A positive step forward is announced for Bank of the Cascades. Cascade Bancorp is entering into an agreement to sell $65-million of common stock in a private placement to New Jersey philanthropist David Bolger and another private company. Bolger is a current shareholder of the Bank. Cascade Bancorp CEO Patty Moss says this strengthens the Bank’s position: “A stronger and more stable balance sheet allows us to do more lending in our community. Having additional capital in the Bank. This will be very beneficial for us and our community.” Moss says this private placement is different than a public offering of stock. Moss says that a private placement is conditional on the Bank raising a total of $150-million.
>As you know, cramming public or co-operative healthcare (or whatever the new buzz name is today) down our throats is still very possible. Because we need you NOW (“later” may be too late) please draw your attention to this action for Thursday, November 5.
Joining together to support Americans for Prosperity by asking you and like minded friends to make a “Congressional House Call” at noon on November 5 to tell Congressman Rothman and Senators Lautenberg and Menendez to vote NO on the Obama/Pelosi/Reid health care takeover.Don’t forget to tell your friends about this!
The goal is simple: on November 5 have activists like you show up at key Senate and Congressional offices in your state with your own message telling them to keep their “hands off your health care.”
The procedure will be: Arrive, go into the office and register your opposition in writing. As we do not know how many people can go during the work week, you could consider putting your request in writing ahead of time and bringing this in as a hand delivery if you are pressed for time. If you cannot go, please FAX in your letter or CALL in during the afternoon beginning at noon.
The schedule for our locale and group is as follows:
12:00 noon Congressman Steven Rothman Hackensack, NJ Office 25 Main Street, Suite 101 Hackensack, NJ 07601 201-646-0808 201-646-1944 (fax)
OR
Congressman Scott Garrett 266 Harristown Road Suite 104 Glen Rock, NJ 07452 (201) 444-5454 (201) 444-5488 (fax)
1:30 p.m. Senator Bob Menendez One Gateway Center, Suite 1100 Newark, New Jersey 07102 973-645-3030 973-645-0502 (fax)
AND
Senator Frank Lautenberg One Gateway Center Newark, New Jersey 07102 973-639-8700 888-398-1642 973-639-8723 (fax)
> The Ridgewood Church is pleased to announce that Boston Symphony Orchestra principal oboe John Ferrillo and associate principal flute Elizabeth Ostling will perform a joint recital in our sanctuary on Sunday, November 1, at 4 p.m. Admission is FREE, though an offering will be taken to benefit our handicap access project.
The program is accompanied by award-winning pianist Carmen Rodriguez-Peralta, who chairs the music department at Middlesex Community College in Massachusetts, and includes works of Gaubert, Ginastera, Schumann, and Telemann.
A reception for the performers with refreshments follows. The church is located at 271 Lincoln Avenue, at the corner of West End Ave.
For more information call the church office at 201-445-1832 or e-mail the church: [email protected]
>That is the point. Your friend, Democrat Chairman of the Senate Education Committee, Shirley Turner, has the bill bottled up in committee. The bill designates that school board elections and referendums be held on the 1st Tues. of Nov. Ms. Turner wont allow it out for fear that her allies in the NJEA and the NJ School Boards Assoc. would have a cow.
All the Dems know that if the bill hit the floor of the Senate for a vote, the boys would have to pass it. And that is what their benefactors fear. For once it passes the Senate, it would be virtually impossible to prevent it from becoming law.
Then any school related issues, voted on by the public, would have to be done when the majority of folks go to vote. Not on some obscure day when only HSA mommies know to vote.
> “What is truly amazing is the lack of press coverage of Corzine’s “donations” to the various African-American church in Camden and Newark and high-powered leaders of each in order to secure endorsements and votes. This insidious bullshit went virtually uncovered in the major state newspapers. He bought thousands upon thousands of votes with these bribes.
And wait until the news emerges (after the election) that Corzine funneled campaign money to Chris Daggett in order to drain votes away from Christie, thereby securing his own victory. Undoubtedly, Daggett will be given some job in the next Corzine administration, because his own nascent political career will end on November 3.
The Record has the audacity to endorse Corzine because he’s carrying Weinberg with him on the ticket. Her recent claims to fame are that she was stupid enough to be one of Bernie Madoff’s pigeons and that she had a political bone to pick with future jailbird Joe Ferriero. She’s a worthless hack.
We can only hope that Christie can get to as many people in person in the next 10 days in order to tell his story. The half-truths and flat-out lies that Corzine has spread since September would be actionable in any other state. But not here, in The Soprano State. “
On November 4th, Village Council members will begin debating whether the organizers of special events such as the 4th of July festivities, Annual Car Show, Fall Street Fair, Memorial and Veterans Day services, Ridgewood Run, and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day march will be billed for all overtime worked by municipal employees required to facilitate these events.
During this week’s Village Council Work Session, Acting Village Manager Heather Mailander revealed that the Village incurred $53K in non-reimbursed municipal employee overtime charges for this year’s 4th of July parade and fireworks.
It is rumored that if the Village were to begin billing organizers for overtime incurred in connection with their respective events, many of the events could no longer be held.
Stay tuned folks. The last fireworks you saw in Ridgewood may indeed be the last, period!
This Thursday October 29th we are going to have violinist and percussionist playing togeather with our DJ’S. Don’t miss The Grand Opening “MASQARADE BALL” @ The New Blend in Ridgewood. 1/2 Price Off Belvedere Coktails All Night! Hit me up or Text me at 201-650-5712. VIP Booth only $250 tab even if with 10-15+ People. NO BOTTLES REQUIRED
>We see little reason not to support the incumbents David Russo and Scott Rumana for Assembly reelection in the 40th District. Scott Rumana,is the former Wayne mayor, and David Russo, long time resident of Ridgewood.David Russo is seeking an 11th term in the Assembly. Both men claim to be fiscal conservatives and social moderates. This stance seems attuned to the values and concerns of the 40th Each claims to favor leaner state government, and Scott Rumana, in particular, has been a very outspoken critic of the new, tougher regulations on COAH housing.We would like to see Mr. Russo a little more engaged in local politics i.e. Ridgewood issues and take more of a leadership role in pushing for less BIG government and more fiscal prudence which at times means saying “NO” on some social issues .
Russo and Rumana’s challengers are Democrats John Agostinelli, a civil engineer from Little Falls and Mark Bombace, a Ridgewood firefighter , former BOE President and another long term resident of Ridgewood .On face value both men seem earnest and eager and serious about public service.While we are not as familiar with Mr. Agostinelli we do commend Mr. Bombace for all his public service and his contribution to the community .
However right now we need “Leadership” more than anything and neither Mr. Bombace nor Mr. Agostinelli have demonstrated much of a grasp or convinced us they do represent some kind of a change. Durring Mr. Bombace’s tenure as BOE President he was perceived as more of a good soldier for the status quo and not a leader. His support for “education” seems to translate more into support for BIG government and BIG unions and not for students. Their campaign rhetoric is loaded with all the “buzz” words which history has demonstrated are merely a ruse from more tax increases.Their support for an increased gas tax based on the fact that New Jersey doesn’t have the highest gas tax yet is ridiculous and out of touch with the present economic situation. In order to be a “Trenton outsider” you need to do more than just talking the talk ,you need to walk the walk.
The Ridgewood blog strongly endorses Russo and Rumana for Assembly.
WOW!!!! I am beginning to question the value of blog sites like this!! You read the first blog by John and you think he did his research and flu shot is a bad idea. It looks like he did his research by calling an expert hopsital like Oradell!! BUT…. then you read the article in the Record as noted above and you realize that John probably never spoke to Oradell because thier head doctor says vaccination is a good idea!!! Hey John, where did you get your info from or maybe I should ask who do you work for ???
I am really p—ed at the people who knock the Ridgewood vet hospital. They are trying to do the right thing which you should GET because they make you get a Flu shot so everyone is safe and you are saying they just want to make money. We have our dog and our cat groomed at Ridgewood Veterinary Hospital and I know that they would make more money on the grooming than they would on two vaccines. So when they turn people away without a vaccine they are LOSING MONEY!!!! You don’t have to be a genius to see that.
I am speaking out for Ridgewood vet hospital because a year ago they told me I should get a shot for something called leptospirosis that can kill a dog. I didn’t get it cause I was to busy. Well two months ago my dog almost died of leptospirosis but Dr. Cerf saved him!!!! If I’d gotten the shot when Dr. Cerf told me I could have saved a ton of money!!!
So the bottom line is: Who do we trust? A guy named John who says Oradell doesn’t suggest flu vaccine a week before Oradell is in the newspare reommending it or a doc like Cerf who has taken care of my pets since I was a little kid and took care of my Mom’s dog at midnight in the middle of a snow storm?? Daaaaaa?????
Signed Angry At Ignorance
Dear Angry,
I feel quite the opposite about TRB…it gives us a place to air ALL our views. It’s up to us to filter the content as we see fit. Oradell’s policy may have changed between the first comment and now or they’re all not on the same page. My pets have gone to Oradell, RVH and currently go to Glen Rock Animal Hosp. Why? Dr Steve is great vet, gives personalized attention to my pets and I spend about 1/3 annually than I did at OAH and RVH. If anyone asked me, I would wholeheartedly recommend them.
That’s the value of this blog. Discussion, communication, information, opinion. Thanks PJ!
>I hate taxes as much as anyone. But, your logic is absurd. It sounds like what you are suggesting is that we should stop spending what is necessary to maintain our schools and allow our school system to deteriorate. Then young families won’t move here and the existing families can stay here after their kids move away, without fear of tax increases to pay for other people’s kids’ education, the way previous families did for their children. Is that about right?
So, what you want is for Ridgewood to gradually become a town with a run down school system full of elderly people with no kids, who pay low taxes. Sounds like you should move to Saddle River.
Besides, the whole reason that people move to Ridgewood is because it is such a family town. I never heard anyone say “let’s raise our family in Ridgewood…its a great retirement community.”
I have a little dose of reality for you. Families moving to town is not what forces the BOE to issue bonds, resulting in tax increases. There are two primary reasons for the need for bond issuance.
1) The BOE is not allowed to set aside funds for long-term planned maintenance or construction. Every dime in the school budget must be spend in that fiscal year. Therefore, when large unexpected expenses impact the budget, like $millions for a new roof, or large construction projects must be undertaken, like GW School, the only way to fund them is through a special bond issuance.
2) The reason the school budget is so tight and there is no wiggle room for unexpected expenses or large projects, is that 85% of the entire budget goes to teachers’ comp and benefits. The negotiated contract that the BOE has to deal with sucks all the money out of our $90mm budget. There is nothing left for the operation and maintenance of the school system. Don’t get me wrong, I think we should pay teachers well. But, they do not need to be over paid, given guranteed employment and automatic raises. Oh, and by the way, even though we’ve been in a deflationary environment for the past 18-24 months, you and I made less money last year and our friends got laid off, the teachers got their automatic maximum slaray increase in 2008 and they will get it again this year.
>With just a week to go in New Jersey’s closely contested race for governor, Republican Chris Christie holds a three-point advantage over incumbent Democratic Governor Jon Corzine.
The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in New Jersey show Christie with 46% of the vote and Corzine with 43%. While the margin is little changed from a week ago and the week before, the biggest news may be that support for independent candidate Chris Daggett has dropped four points to seven percent (7%). The number of undecided voters is down to four percent (4%).
