Why does it seem that Ridgewood only hires friends and family? The same names always come up in the police, fire ,and BOE lists.
Why is it that you care If they are tested by the state and meet the other qualification of employment they should been give the same chance as anyone else.
First of all this is not true. They don’t ALWAYS hire family members. Second, it is a proud tradition that firefighters and police officers are often the sons and daughters of them. Just like doctors often have kids who go into medicine and people who own their own businesses often have their children join them. I was a teacher and my daughter is a teacher. She grew up observing my career and she aspired to do the same. There is nothing wrong with this and your comments are inflammatory.
There is some truth to this observation. Many years ago I was Chair of a Village committee. We did some good work in the first couple of years, but eventually we ran out of meaningful things to do. As a result, the committee started “branching out” and dreaming up projects to tackle. As Chair, I felt I needed to support and encourage the Committee in its enthusiasm, but eventually I scheduled fewer meetings and quietly told the Mayor I felt we had outlived our mandate. This is the nature of project teams or committees–they need to justify their existence. Village committees should have a limited mandate to discourage the sort of mission creep that makes a Library Committee believe that it needs to build a community center or performing arts center.
As an old-timer, I love our Library the way it is. It’s not broken–don’t “fix it”.
Ridgewood Nj, Two (2) adults, a teenager, and a toddler all escaped injury following a two (2) vehicle collision at the intersection of North Monroe Street and West Glen Avenue, Ridgewood on Monday afternoon, 12/12. Both vehicles, a Toyota Camry and a Mercedes SUV were removed from the scene by a flatbed tow truck. Ridgewood FD personnel addressed a crash related fluid spill while Midland Park and Ridgewood PD officers provided traffic control. Although witnesses reported that a driver involved in the crash ignored a red traffic signal, Ridgewood PD did not issue any summonses at the crash scene (but may at a later date).
Ridgewood NJ, Slippery road conditions resulted in numerous motor vehicle crashes in the Village of Ridgewood on Sunday evening, 12/11 including this crash on Glenwood Road in which the driver of an Acura MDX lost control of his vehicle and hit a retaining wall as he was driving eastbound toward the Ho-Ho-Kus train station. No injuries were reported in the incident, although a passenger’s side air bag did deploy. Ridgewood PD and EMS responded. The damaged vehicle was removed by a flatbed tow truck. Glenwood Road remained closed between Upper Boulevard and the Ho-Ho-Kus train station until road conditions improved.
Steve Janoski , Staff Writer, @SteveJanoski4:34 p.m. EST December 11, 2016
A former probationary Ridgewood police officer is scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Sussex County on Monday on charges related to an Aug. 23 car accident.
Patrick Ward, 22, resigned from the force in September, submitting a letter to the village citing injuries that he suffered in the early morning car accident in Sussex County.
Council, please tell them before they hire an architect that you will never permit this. Flood zone, serious parking issues for years already, loud stuff next to a library? The area between the buildings should never have been built on–that’s the only logical place for the entrance driveway. Aronsohn and Pucciarelli had their years to dream. It’s over and so should be this ridiculous idea. These groups meet and meet and have to come up with projects and plans. Maybe it’s time to disband every committee and board–they’re wrecking the place with their dreams.
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood PD and EMS personnel were dispatched to aid an adult male pedestrian who was struck by a motor vehicle as he was trying to cross Godwin Avenue in front of Whole Foods, late afternoon, Sunday, 12/11. The victim, who was transported by ambulance to The Valley Hospital, sustained a non-life threatening leg injury. Ridgewood PD issued three (3) summonses in connection with the incident.
Weather Summary for the local Tri-State Region
National Weather Service New York NY
505 AM EST Sun Dec 11 2016
Another dry and cold day today but snow coming into the picture this afternoon and tonight as a low pressure system moves into the Great Lakes. Its associated warm front will be approaching and eventually moving northward across the region late tonight into Monday morning. Likewise, we should see a transition of snow to a wintry mix of snow, sleet, and freezing rain across the far interior parts of the region while closer to the coast, this will be more of mix of snow, sleet, and rain. Eventually all precipitation changes to rain late Monday morning with warmer air moving across on an increasing southerly flow. The rain tapers off behind the cold front from west to east Monday afternoon into Monday evening. Dry and seasonably cold weather is in store for Monday night with high pressure building southwest of the area.
Ridgewood NJ, a reader and frequent commuter has mentioned this issue before and this time of year we thought it was important to remind people of the dangers. No one has a problem with people out haveing a good time ,but this excessive binge drinking at holiday parties and sporting events needs to be better monitored .
“More and more after hockey or basketball games, Friday night after work Ridgewood bound NYC trains bring holiday bingers especially the post 12 midnite train known as the Drunk train.
NJT Releases the crowd of zombies onto the Ridgewood platforms ,many incoherent and alone it is a tragedy waiting to happen. Conductors often call the situation into local police and move the train onto its next stop. With winter and darkness, there is only trouble ahead.Kids getting sick on the train create a real safety issue for local police.
Don’t want to babysit these young adults ,and reality is unless a Good Samaritan intervenes there is Risk to many young people. I have been at Penn station and witnesses co-workers putting young lady’s on the train and wishing them luck to their destination . Some can’t even tell you their name or cell number to call their Family.
This is a bigger problem than anyone lets on, excessive drinking is creating a hazard that no one including NJT NJT and local police are largely ignoring this problem hoping the Incapacitated person will just stager away so they can get on with their next stop.
Train stations are dangerous places for sick and Incapacitated people.You could freeze to death if you pass out.Especial if you miss your stop , end up in Suffern and the trains stop running after 145 am.
It’s a don’t ask don’t tell policy,Police do respond at some point but human nature is to hope the Drunk just walks away.”
Ridgewood Nj, Serendipity Labs, Ridgewood is an official Toys for Tots donation location this holiday season!
Toys for Tots is a program run by the United States Marine Corps Reserve which aims to deliver, through a new toy at the holidays, a message of joy and hope to less fortunate children and families. The toys collected at the Ridgewood Serendipity Labs will go toward children in our local community.
If you would like to donate, a collection box for new, unwrapped toys can be found in the first floor Serendipity Labs Café through December 17th!
Private Offices • Coworking • Team Rooms • Event Space
The Serendipity Labs Ridgewood is located in the newly renovated, historic Lincoln office building directly across from the Ridgewood train station. Walk to the train, restaurants, shops and all that this iconic town has to offer.
Premium memberships range from private offices, coworking and meeting and event space for a wide variety of business professionals looking for a unique and collaborative work environment.
Get in touch with Serendipity Labs Ridgewood:
Staff-Assisted Hours: M–F, 8:30am-5:30pm
45 N Broad St
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Ridgewood NJ, Americans’ love affair with online shopping continues to grow, and retailers predict a 7 to 10 percent increase in online sales this holiday season, according to the National Retail Federation.
While that news might make retailers giddy, security experts are reiterating their annual warnings that the convenience of online shopping comes with hazards. You could become the target of hackers out to steal your credit card or bank information, or “porch pirates” who prey on those packages left on your doorstep.
“Consumers need to take proper precautions if they don’t want their holiday merriment turning into holiday gloom,” says Gary Miliefsky, CEO of SnoopWall (www.snoopwall.com), a company that specializes in cyber security.
Changing all your passwords frequently is one way to protect what’s yours. Deleting smartphone or tablet apps you don’t use is another smart move, Miliefsky says, because many of those apps may be malware that spies on you.
Even porch pirates – generally seen as low-tech thieves who simply cruise neighborhoods looking for packages – can go high tech by infiltrating your smartphone where they can eavesdrop on your orders and deliveries.
“Both porch pirates and hackers count on people being lax with their defenses,” Miliefsky says. “But with a little preparation you can thwart their plans.”
He offers a few tips for doing just that:
• Shop online only from websites you trust. If you don’t know where the merchant is located, don’t shop online there. If they don’t have a corporate address or are located in another country, it could be iffy whether you ever see the goods you think you purchased. Also, if their shopping-cart experience is not an HTTPS browser session, then everything you type in – your name, address and credit-card information – is going over the Internet unencrypted, in plain view.
• Pay with credit cards rather than debit cards. If you experience identity theft, credit card laws allow you to keep all of your credit immediately, with no responsibility during an identity theft or fraud investigation. With a debit card, your bank’s policy can be to tie up your money in the amount of the fraudulent transactions for up to 30 days. Some have been known to take up to 60 days to resolve the issue.
• Get permission to ship all your packages to work. That way they aren’t left unguarded at your doorstep for hours where anyone walking by could snatch them. If this arrangement works out, be sure to tell all your friends and family also to ship packages to your work address.
• Ask a friend or neighbor to receive your packages for you. You might not be home on work days, but plenty of people are. Trusted friends who are retired or who work at home might be happy to let you have packages delivered to them for safe keeping.
“It’s wonderful that you can go online and track down those hard-to-find gifts that aren’t available in local shops,” Miliefsky says. “Just make sure you’re taking measures to help keep you and your personal information safe. The holidays will be a whole lot brighter if you do.”
About Gary S. Miliefsky
Gary S. Miliefsky is founder of SnoopWall Inc. (www.snoopwall.com), a cutting edge counter-intelligence technology company offering free consumer-based software to secure personal data on cell-phones and tablets, while generating revenues helping banks and government agencies secure their networks. He has been active in the INFOSEC arena, as the Executive Producer of Cyber Defense Magazine and a regular contributor to Hakin9 Magazine.
The Pomander situation reminds us that All Streets Are Equal but Some Streets Are More Equal Than Others. The Pomander no parking came about based on the CSAC (which did not see the need for no parking) but residents of the street wanted no parking and the previous council made it so without any study. Sherman residents have requested safety changes (with parking remaining intact) – but the Council is requiring an expensive tax payer funded study before even allowing our qualified village staff to make these changes. Pomander had changes with no study – no consideration for how it would affect surrioundings streets. Sherman, with very obvious safety concerns and closer proximity to GW, is being left to wait FOR MONTHS for any of the issues to be simply reviewed by the council.
Some streets in Ridgewood are much more equal than others. Let’s hope you and your children live on a street that is deemed worthy of being safe.
And don’t get me started on how poorly businesses on the west of the tracks are treated. God Forbid anyone not get parking to go to one of the CBD’s high price restaurants – you can get valet! If you want to eat at a restaurant on the other side of the tracks you are just out of luck. Only our fine Mayor cares about them. No solid parking solutions are ever discussed – not at the CBDAC, not at the council meetings, not by anyone except the Mayor. I feel for her having to deal with the short-sidedness of some of the council and committees.
Ridgewood NJ, at Wednesday night’s Council meeting Mayor Knudsen suggested that the missions and bylaws of boards and committees need to be reviewed. Some have cumbersome bylaws some have none, while others overstep beyond the original intent. Some, most notably the Financial Advisory Committee, border on performing management functions.
While the volunteer efforts of committee and board members is greatly appreciated and was duly acknowledged, the fact remains that these hard-working individuals need guidelines under which to function.
Interesting this obvious point resulted in an angry, nasty, vituperative outburst from Councilman Voigt, who made wild accusations about Mayor Knudsen. Were we back in the days of the 3 amigos and their consorts? One could close one’s eyes and think, for a horrifying moment, that the angry quartet of Aronsohn-Pucciarelli-Hauck-Sonenfeld had returned to the dais.
Desperately defending the worthless Financial Advisory Committee, just going on and on about it. The committee that adds nothing to the Village ,has no minutes and no defined responsibilities .The FAC was set up and used by the Aronsohn and Co. to oust former Mayor Kieth Killion and discredit Village Manager Ken Gabbert.
Paraphrasing Shakespeare…….methinks thou dost protest too much. Who is pulling your strings to protect the FAC with such venom??? (and the Jeopardy answer to that question is……).
The other four elected officials (you know, the four that are level headed and do not have people behind the scenes telling them what to do) agreed that Mayor Knudsen’s suggestion is valid and that the review of committee and board bylaws will be worthwhile…..all while Councilman Voigt continued to spew his objections. A template for committee bylaws will be developed, thus providing a framework for each group.
Well that is just not good enough, New council members were well warned about ceding power to nameless special interest run committees. It was a huge mistake not disbanding this “fake” finance committee right from the get go. FAC which only exists to push and justify special interest politics on Village Taxpayers. There is nothing they have to offer about running the Village that could not be found in the comment section of the Ridgewood blog over the last 10 years . FAC is no less of a joke than that ridiculous”civility “committee set up to squash free speech and stifle dissent .
Ridgewood NJ, Acting Village Manager Heather Mailander has announced that the portion of Glenwood Road between Upper Boulevard and the Ho-Ho-Kus train station will be designated one-way eastbound (i.e., all motor vehicle traffic down hill only; no motor vehicle traffic will be permitted to travel from the Ho-Ho-Kus train station up hill) sometime within the coming year.
This change is being mandated by the NJ Department of Transportation (NJDOT) because tractor trailers, buses, and other larger motor vehicles attempting to travel westbound on Glenwood Road from Ho-Ho-Kus are continuing to create hazardous conditions at the grade level railroad crossing just north of the Ho-Ho-Kus train station.
NJDOT gave the Village two (2) options; ban motor vehicle traffic completely between Upper Boulevard and the Ho-Ho-Kus train station, or keep the route open to eastbound traffic only. Village officials chose the later option.
The one-way change will be implemented shortly after the grade crossing itself is rehabilitated, which is scheduled to happen sometime in 2017.
