Ridgewood NJ, The Bergen County Sheriff’s Office Bomb Squad Unit was summoned to the Ridgewood train station on Saturday afternoon, 04/01, to investigate an unattended briefcase found near an entrance to the pedestrian underpass. Bomb Squad technicians deployed a portable x-ray device and determined that the briefcase was empty. No buildings were evacuated during the incident and train traffic was unaffected. Pedestrians were detoured to an alternate underpass entrance until the all clear was given. The nearby parking area was closed for only a short period.
Mark Krulish , Staff Writer, @Mark_Krulish8:54 a.m. ET March 31, 2017
RIDGEWOOD – In preparation for the potential adoption of permanent two-day-per-week water restrictions, the village’s environmental committee hosted a forum on water conservation Wednesday evening.
An ordinance introduced on March 9 would limit use of automatic irrigation systems to twice per week, from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m., for residential and commercial properties. Exceptions are made for hand-held hoses and drip irrigation systems.
Ridgewood NJ, Good deeds food delivery to Ridgewood Train Station Social Services Food bank via SUV and two youngsters on Tuesday march 28 2016 615 pm. They were NJ Cub Scouts not sure what PACK NUMBER More came later with moms and dads.
Since 1903, the volunteers of the Social Service Association of Ridgewood and Vicinity have been dedicated to helping our local communities. Social Service Association’s mission is to provide food, emergency rent, utility assistance and support services to our neighbors in need. With the goal of being a community resource and family service agency helping to preserve the dignity and stability of the individual. It makes every effort to restore the confidence of the individual and to provide ongoing support for adults and children who are in need. It is our goal to empower individuals in seeking solutions in order to expand their opportunities.
SSA is a not-for-profit, private agency funded primarily through the generous contributions of individuals who live and work in Northern Bergen County. Additional funding comes from the Unity Way of Bergen County, area businesses, religious and civic organizations as well as local municipalities.
The agency is comprised of 45 volunteer board members who work actively throughout the year. Approximately 20 associate board members provide additional support. The Executive Director oversees the administrative functions and provides direct client services to the agency. The Office Manager provides administrative support and client assistance. Eligibility is determined on a case by case basis.
In 1909, The Relief Society of Ridgewood and Vicinity was organized by a group of church representatives from Ridgewood and neighboring communities. Their intention was to consolidate their efforts in “support of the public good.” In 1913, the name was changed to Social Service Association of Ridgewood and Vicinity, Inc. Since then, SSA has served thousands of families and individuals in the area and has continued to meet the needs of a growing client population. In 1988, SSA moved to its’ current location in the former baggage quarters of the Ridgewood Railroad Station.
By Evan Slavit | For NJ Advance
on March 31, 2017 4:12 PM, updated March 31, 2017 6:53 PM
Last year’s Tournament of Champions final was as good as it gets.
Both Summit, No 7 in the NJ.com Top 20, and No. 1 Ridgewood had improbable comebacks late in the game, and it took to double overtime to decide a winner after the two New Jersey powers battled to a one-goal game earlier in the season.
Summit ultimately prevailed by an 11-10 score, winning its first Tournament of Champions title and keeping Ridgewood from winning its third and first since 2011, thanks to a three-goal comeback late in the second half. Ridgewood’s heroics was a goal from Lillie Kloak, who tied the game with 18 seconds left after Summit took the lead in the final few minutes.
Now, with the rain unlikely to postpone Saturday’s noon contest, the two are set up for another classic.
It’s not exactly the same cast of characters, with Summit losing one of the more talented senior classes that included NJ.com Player of the Year Sara Syznal, as well as Catherine Cordrey, Julia Persche, Callie Humphrey, Maggie Moriarty and Teia Ross.
There’ll still be plenty of firepower on both sides, though.
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Police will be cracking down on distracted drivers during April as part of New Jersey’s UDrive. UText. UPay. enforcement campaign.
Beginning April 1 and running through April 21, the high visibility law enforcement initiative will target motorists who engage in dangerous distracted driving behaviors such as talking on hand-held cell phones and sending text messages while driving.
“Distracted driving is a serious issue on our roadways,” said Gary Poedubicky, Acting Director of the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety. “The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that in 2014 alone, 3,179 people were killed in distracted driving crashes and an estimated 431,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver.”
Despite the fact that using a hand held cell phone or texting while driving is illegal in New Jersey, the practice appears to be widespread. In a recent survey conducted by the FDU PublicMind Poll for the Division of Highway Traffic Safety, 67% of respondents said they “very often” see people driving and talking on a hand held cell phone. 42% of respondents said they “very often” see driver’s texting.
The campaign is being carried out during the month of April, which the National Safety Council has designated as Distracted Driving Awareness Month. The New Jersey campaign is modeled after similar successful high visibility enforcement programs such as Click It or Ticket and Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over.
Ridgewood NJ, A smoking vehicle that was involved in a rear end crash on East Ridgewood Avenue near Kenilworth Road resulted in the precautionary dispatch of Ridgewood FD units on Friday afternoon, 03/31. Steam leaking from a smashed radiator was determined to be the actual culprit and FD units packed up and returned to their headquarters right after disconnecting the vehicle’s battery. Ridgewood PD issued one (1) summons in connection with the crash and a flatbed tow truck removed the wrecked vehicle from the roadway. Traffic on westbound East Ridgewood Avenue was detoured for about 30 minutes due to the crash. No injuries were reported in the incident.
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood police say scammers are sending out emails to motorists claiming they’ve received a bogus parking ticket.�Fraudsters are using this sample of an email below:
28-182 – Loading zones and handicapped parking Required to appear in court�Parking ticket number information: PDN7319091 Check parking fine To pay your parking fine, download your fine and choose one of 2 convenient ways: 1. Online (Link)�Pay online by Visa or Mastercard, $2 processing fee.�2. By phone (automated system) Pay by Visa or Mastercard at (866)561-9742 Best regards,�Police Department.�Parking Citation Revenue The criterion appropriateness is $68. Some ($17.50 championing m abuses , and $12.50 championing unlisted violations) goes to agreement and county costs and the butt end ($45.50) goes to the city\’s accustomed function to recompense championing animated town aids, adding policemen and pom-pom. There are additional parceling elsewhere championing fix-it awards and incapacitated parking violations.Late costs typically artifact the charge of a parking ticket. To disposition alone abeyant disciplining, we committed to get your expenditure within 21 days of the day- after-day the appropriateness was issued, or 14 days from the day-after-day of the first overdue notice.
The Ridgewood Police Department would like to remind the public that at no time would we or the Parking Enforcement Unit issue a summons or make notifications through email.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Ridgewood Police Department to ensure you’re not becoming a victim of these scams. Call (201) 652-3900
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood FD personnel battled a 3-alarm house fire on Van Emburgh Avenue early Thursday evening, 03/30. The fire reportedly started in wood burning stove’s vent pipe. No injuries were reported and damage to the home appeared to have been light to moderate. Firefighters from Glen Rock and Waldwick assisted Ridgewood FD at the scene. A portion of Van Emburgh Avenue remained closed for an extended period while emergency responders worked.
By Adam Clark | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on March 30, 2017 at 5:26 PM
PRINCETON — Flooded with a record-high 30,056 applications, Princeton University accepted just 1,890 students in its Class of 2021, a record-low 6.1 percent admission rate, the university announced.
The decisions, available for students to track online beginning at 5 p.m., leave thousands of top students rejected. More than 12,000 applicants had a 4.0 GPA in high school, according to the university.
Princeton accepted 6.4 percent of applicants last year.
“The admitted students will bring extraordinary talents, achievements and motivation to the Princeton community,” Dean of Admission Janet Lavin Rapelye said. “Their diverse range of skills, ideas, backgrounds and beliefs were evident to the committee as we gave careful consideration to each application.”
An investigation originally undertaken by NJ Spotlight pays off as new property tax data will be posted on state’s governmental services website
What is going on: High property taxes have long been a top complaint of New Jersey homeowners, and a new law enacted by Gov. Chris Christie earlier this month following a compromise with lawmakers aims to help residents gain a better understanding of how their bills come together — and how state property-tax relief programs may help to offset them.
Thanks to the compromise, information about the state’s most popular property-tax relief program, as well as others, will be added to the comparative property-tax figures that are published each year on the website of the state Division of Local Government Services.
How we got here: The origins of the bill that was signed into law by Christie following an initial conditional veto go back to 2014, when lawmakers grew upset that Christie’s administration decided to remove a column from the DLGS website that depicted “average net-property taxes” being paid by homeowners in every town in New Jersey. The change was made as Christie, a second-term Republican, was preparing to run for president, and as he faced criticism for not doing enough to combat the property-tax burden, especially for low-income homeowners and seniors and the disabled.
Lawmakers took action after NJ Spotlight first reported on the change. Earlier reporting also tracked increases in average net-property taxes that occurred during Christie’s tenure.
The issue with average net property taxes: The state for years had calculated average net-property taxes by subtracting the average property-tax rebate provided through the state’s popular Homestead benefit program from the average property-tax bill that was paid on an annual basis by homeowners in every town. The information was released for each year on the DLGS website along with reams of other data, including detailed tax rates and property valuations broken down by county and town.
But Christie’s administration argued that the average net-property tax category was based on faulty math, since not every homeowner in every community qualifies for the Homestead benefit, which was converted from a rebate into a direct credit on property taxes shortly after Christie took office in 2010. The net property-tax bill was also determined using the average property-tax bill for all homeowners in a given town, and not using an “apples-to-apples” comparison of just the average property taxes paid by recipients of the Homestead program.
New Jersey is famous for saddling its homeowners with high tax bills. That prompted Paul Waters from Brigantine to ask, “Why are New Jersey property taxes some of the highest in the nation?”
There is not one answer.
Most obvious is that New Jersey has 565 municipalities, down from 567 — that’s 565 mayors, councils, town governments.
New Jersey also has more than 600 school districts, 586 of which are operational, each with its own superintendent and administrative structure.
Then there are the 21 county governments and their bureaucracies.
Public worker salaries and benefits are relatively high in New Jersey thanks to aggressive public sector unions.
Throw in the generally high cost of goods and services in the New York-Philadelphia region and you begin to see why our property taxes have been the highest in the nation for years.
Ridgewood NJ, Early registration for 2017 Graydon Pool membership begins on this Saturday, April 1, with a discount offered to Ridgewood residents who register during April.
Placemats for children to color can be found now at The Daily Treat, The Country Pancake House, Renato’s, Baumgart’s, and elsewhere. They were designed by Councilman Ramon Hache!
Purchase Graydon Pool memberships beginning April 1st. SAVE – Residents can enjoy a 10% discount on adult and child badges through April 30th.
CONTACTS
Pool Manager’s Office – 201-670-5500, ext 7002 (in season)
Badge Office – 201-670-5500, ext 7003 (in season only)
Recreation Office at The Stable- 201-670-5560 [email protected]
Parks, open space, facilities, year round recreational activities to meet the needs of all residents. All Village parks and recreational facilities are now smoke free.GRAYDON MEMBERSHIP RATES – On sale beginning April 1st
RESIDENT GRAYDON POOL MEMBERSHIPS
Village priced memberships are available to Ridgewood residents, non-residents who pay local property taxes to the Village of Ridgewood, and employees of the Village of Ridgewood and Board of Education. Proof is required.
ADULT – $120.00 Purchase between April 1 and April 30 and save 10%
CHILD – (ages 2-15, under 2 free) $110.00 Purchase between April 1 and April 30 and save 10%
SENIOR – $30.00 (62 and older)
PERMANENT DISABLED – $30.00
LATE SEASON ADULT MEMBERSHIP – $60.00 (available August 1st)
LATE SEASON CHILD MEMBERSHIP – $55.00 (available August 1st)
DAILY PASS – $10.00
BADGE REPLACEMENT – $5.00
NON-RESIDENT GRAYDON POOL MEMBERSHIPS
The Village Council and the Ridgewood Department of Parks and Recreation are pleased to invite all families in the surrounding area to join the Graydon Pool facility for the 2017 summer season.
ADULT (ages 16 and up) – $200.00
CHILD (ages 2-15) – $175.00
GUEST PASSES (must be accompanied by 2017 season member)- $10.00
BADGE REPLACEMENT – $5.00
Purchase all badges from the comfort of home via CommunityPass (Visa and Mastercard accepted). In person assistance is available daily at the Graydon Badge Office, on site at the pool facility. Hours vary by season dates.
GRAYDON POOL AMENITIES
Pool features include a shaded playground, water play fountains, shade kites, Adirondack chairs, a picnic area with charcoal grills, a sheltered pavilion, and the Water’s Edge Cafe. Additional amenities include volleyball, basketball, ping-pong, shuffleboard, four-squares, hop-scotch, backgammon, a lending library and for the little ones, “Storytime” under the Graydon pavilion.
SEASONAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Applications are being sought for the many summer positions available with the Parks and Recreation Department including Day Camp Administrators, Day Camp Counselors, Graydon Pool Lifeguards, Security Attendants, and Badge Sale Attendants. Concession Attendant applications will be shared with the Water’s Edge vendor. NOTE: Day Camp staff attendance is mandatory for the full six week program, June 26 to August 4, 2017.
Applications will be considered for experience, interests, and accomplishments.
Waterfront lifeguard training for a sand-bottom facility will be offered at Graydon Pool – both new and bridge/recertification classes available. Registration form/details in the link below:
Register online via CommunityPass (under Graydon Pool) or in person/by mail to the Stable, 259 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood NJ 07450 beginning April 1st.
Mark Krulish , Staff Writer, @Mark_Krulish6:45 p.m. ET March 30, 2017
RIDGEWOOD — After months of discussion and comments from the public regarding two ordinances that restricted parking on certain residential streets, the Village Council will have ordinances prepared at next month’s public meeting to ease some of those limitations.
One ordinance, adopted in June, banned parking on Pomander Walk from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. . Another disallowed parking from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., from Sept. 1 through June 30, on Bogert Avenue and Cambridge Road 500 feet from their intersections with East Glen Avenue. Those were passed in December and took effect in January. In both cases, safety concerns for pedestrians and residents in the area were the main driver of the changes.
Ridgewood NJ, A 911 telephone caller that reported observing an adult male laying unconscious behind a group of bushes on South Maple Avenue near Walton Street, Ridgewood resulted in an immediate response from Ridgewood PD, FD, and EMS personnel on Thursday afternoon, 03/30. The first arriving Ridgewood PD officers determined that the individual was conscious and breathing, but highly intoxicated. He was transported by ambulance to Bergen Regional Medical Center for treatment as per requirements of the NJ State Alcohol Treatment and Rehabilitation Act.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Charles Bozian asks ,”This is the “green” space everyone is getting hot and bothered about, the grass around the cement path….. really???”
funny how no one ever said a thing about the portopoty that was station at the train station for over 3 months ?
