Credit agency: Declining Ticket Income with End of NJ’s red light camera pilot program is a ‘credit negative’ for towns
DECEMBER 19, 2014, 1:15 PM LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2014, 3:50 PM
BY MELISSA HAYES
STATE HO– USE BUREAU |
THE RECORD
A Wall Street credit ratings agency called the end of the state’s five-year red light traffic ticket pilot program a “credit negative” for preventing local governments from implementing new revenue streams.
The controversial cameras, which allow municipalities to mail tickets to motorists who run red lights, generated millions in revenue for the 25 municipalities that installed them, including several in North Jersey.
Moody’s analyzed the end of the program in its weekly credit outlook report released Friday. The credit ratings agency said the New Jersey legislature could have acted to renew the program, which ended on Tuesday. Moody’s also took issue with New York legislators repealing a law authorizing the use of speed cameras near schools in Nassau County.
The “credit negative” designation is an analysis of an event and differs from a credit downgrade, which could affect the state’s ability to borrow money.
“These developments are credit negative because they further constrain governments’ ability to implement new revenue streams at a time when these governments are facing property tax limits, uneven sales tax growth and anti-tax sentiment,” the weekly credit outlook said.
In Final Spending Bill, Salty Food and Belching Cows Are Winners
By ROBERT PEARDEC. 14, 2014
WASHINGTON — Health insurance companies preserved their tax breaks. Farmers and ranchers were spared having to report on pollution from manure. Tourist destinations like Las Vegas benefited from a travel promotion program.
Also buried in the giant spending bill that cleared the Senate on Saturday and is headed to President Obama for his signature were provisions that prohibit the federal government from requiring less salt in school lunches and allow schools to obtain exemptions from whole-grain requirements for pasta and tortillas.
The watered-down standards for school meals were a setback for the first lady, Michelle Obama, who had vowed to fight “until the bitter end” for tougher nutrition standards. But they were a victory for food companies and some local school officials, who had sought changes in regulations that are taking effect over several years.
Nick Barnabic, Ken Marshall, Billy Byrne Named All-Suburban Boys Cross-Country Team
December 12, 2014 Last updated: Friday, December 12, 2014, 12:31 AM
By Greg Tartaglia
RIDGEWOOD — The top three boys cross-country teams at this season’s Bergen Meet of Champions (BMOC) were Don Bosco Prep, Ridgewood and Indian Hills.
The latter two added state-sectional titles, and Don Bosco – whose group does not crown section champs – tied for first place at the State Non-Public A meet. All three schools went on to qualify for the State Meet of Champions (SMOC).
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the trio dominates the All-Suburban first team, which features five Ironmen, three Maroons and two Braves. The 10-man squad includes four seniors, four juniors and two sophomores.:
Nick Barnabic
GRADE: Junior
SCHOOL/HOMETOWN: Ridgewood
PREVIOUS HONORS: 2013 second team
SEASON BEST: 15:58
FAST FACTS: Barnabic was one of the Maroons’ top three runners and also took a couple turns at the No. 1 spot. He led Ridgewood with a second-place finish in the Big North Freedom Division meet, where the team held off Indian Hills for the title, and added a sixth-place showing at the Bergen Group A meet to pace his squad to second behind Don Bosco.
Billy Byrne
GRADE: Sophomore
SCHOOL/HOMETOWN: Ridgewood
SEASON BEST: 16:04
FAST FACTS: Byrne qualified for the SMOC as a wildcard by clocking a 23rd-place 16:35 in the State Group 4 finals at Holmdel Park, a 40-plus second improvement from his previous course best. He logged top-five finishes at the Big North Freedom (fifth) and North 1, Group 4 (fourth) meets, helping the Maroons to championships in both.
Ken Marshall
GRADE: Junior
SCHOOL/HOMETOWN: Ridgewood
PREVIOUS HONORS: 2013 second team
SEASON BEST: 15:55
FAST FACTS: Marshall emerged as the Maroons’ No. 1 runner down the stretch, leading them in every meet from the BMOC onward. He won the individual title at the North 1, Group 4 meet — where Ridgewood captured its fifth straight sectional crown – and finished 20th at the Group 4 finals to earn an SMOC wildcard bid.
Developers eyeing Ridgewood’s North Walnut Redevelopment Area
December 8, 2014 Last updated: Monday, December 8, 2014, 10:47 AM
By Laura Herzog
Staff Writer |
The Ridgewood New
Hope for a North Walnut Street parking garage, plus some area beautification, remains.
In the past few months, more than 30 copies of the village’s request for proposals (RFP) for the North Walnut Street Redevelopment Area were distributed.
Last Monday, when the responses were due, four developers returned proposals.
These developers are: Kensington Senior Development, Langan, M&M Development and D&R Ridgewood LLC, according to Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld.
And all have offered mixed-use options.
“We have taken a very rough look at the proposals – there are about six or seven options from the four developers. Each proposal has a significant parking component – we required this in the RFP. The proposals are mixed use with either residential coupled with retail and/or office, assisted living coupled with retail or retail alone,” Sonenfeld said in an email last week.
According to Sonenfeld, the team now reviewing these proposals includes herself, Village Engineer Chris Rutishauser, Village Planner Blais Brancheau, Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck and one or more members of the Financial Advisory Committee.
Couple drops downtown lifestyle for Glen Rock suburbia
DECEMBER 7, 2014 LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2014, 1:21 AM
BY DONNA ROLANDO
SPECIAL TO THE RECORD |
THE RECORD
New Glen Rock residents Nidhi Verma and Anant Aditya have the suburban home they wanted only because of the strategy they employed to break free from a life of convenience in Jersey City that had a powerful hold on them.
The first-time home buyers, in their early 30s, saw that their real estate search was getting nowhere, so they used a stopgap measure — a Secaucus rental — to toughen their resolve to buy in suburbia. It was what they needed at the time, the couple said, to leave their comfort zone at their Newport development in Jersey City with its 24-hour stores and easy commute.
“Newport is like 24/7 activity,” raved Aditya as his wife recalled the Rite Aid that was open all night right below their rental and the gym with a swimming pool right across the street, as well as the nearby parks.
“There was a lot we were leaving behind,” she said.
That’s when they decided on a short-term rental in Secaucus, knowing it would keep them focused on where they really wanted to raise their 3-year-old son — Bergen County suburbia — and that it could be a good first step in making the transition from, as Aditya described it, “downtown to suburban life.”
Their comfortable lifestyle included a dream commute to their jobs as software professionals. In fact, while Verma had to travel just 30 minutes to get to work, her husband could walk to the office.
$389,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1439336
301 E Glen Ave, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 2 Full Bath, C/C
Jolanta Krygier, Sales Associate
Prominent Properties Sotheby’s International Realty-Saddle River
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 12/7
15
$425,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1443545
1103 E Ridgewood Ave, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
3 Bedroom, 3 Full Bath, C/C
Jane L. McGuire, Sales Associate
Coldwell Banker, Wyckoff/Franklin Lakes
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 3:00 P.M. Sun. 12/7
4
$599,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1418631
436 Alpine Ter, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
3 Bedroom, 2 Full Bath, Col
Marylee Mullins, Sales Associate
Keller Williams Village Square Realty
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 3:00 P.M. Sun. 12/7
15
$615,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1443709
128 Linwood Ave, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
3 Bedroom, 1 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, Col
William C. Ryder, Sales Associate
Gilsenan & Co.
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 12/7
14
$620,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1430875
495 E Saddle River Rd, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 2 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, Col
Michael Shetler, Sales Associate
Keller Williams Village Square Realty
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 12/7
25
$645,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1434373
698 Ellington Rd, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
3 Bedroom, 3 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, Col
Lori Lettieri, Sales Associate
Coldwell Banker, Ridgewood
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 12/7
25
$749,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1429328
154 Claremont Rd, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
3 Bedroom, 1 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, Col
Gina Fierro, Sales Associate
Weichert Realtors Ridgewood
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 12/7
20
$799,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1436733
615 Grove St, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
3 Bedroom, 3 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, Col
Patrick Callanan, Broker Associate
Marron Gildea Realty, Inc. Ridgewood
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 12/7
19
$829,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1441798
155 Beechwood Rd, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 3 Full Bath, Ranch
Mary Onie Holland, Sales Associate
Tarvin Realtors
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:30 P.M. Sun. 12/7
25
$899,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1442807
442 Wastena Ter, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 2 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, Col
Till Horkenbach, Sales Associate
Keller Williams Village Square Realty
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 12/7
– See more at: https://www.njmls.com/NJ/BERGEN/RIDGEWOOD-open-houses#sthash.SyywpI7B.KZU18Ugq.dpuf
$949,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1434988
285 Richards Rd, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 3 Full Bath, Col
Barbara Masarky, Broker Associate
Tarvin Realtors
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:30 P.M. Sun. 12/7
25
$1,295,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1443901
820 Morningside Rd, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 4 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, Col
Mary Tarvin Passaro, Broker Associate
Tarvin Realtors
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:30 P.M. Sun. 12/7
20
$2,595,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1438016
310 Heights Rd, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
5 Bedroom, 5 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, Col
Victoria Wilkinson, Sales Associate
Solutions Realty, LLC
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 12/7
25
Open Houses for Sun 12/14
$499,000 in Ridgewood
MLS # 1437935
347 Franklin Ave, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
3 Bedroom, 1 Full Bath,
1 Half Bath, Col
Karen Boyle, Sales Associate
Keller Williams Village Square Realty
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 12/14
– See more at: https://www.njmls.com/NJ/BERGEN/RIDGEWOOD-open-houses#sthash.SyywpI7B.KZU18Ugq.dpuf
N.J. Supreme Court to hear arguments in affordable housing regulations case
December 4, 2014, 5:23 PM Last updated: Thursday, December 4, 2014, 5:23 PM
By MICHAEL PHILLIS
State house bureau |
The Record
Print
The state Supreme Court announced Thursday that it will hear arguments in a case that will decide who gets to write the rules that govern affordable housing regulations, a long-standing issue that could impact every town in the state.
The state Supreme Court on Thursday announced it would hear oral arguments in a case that could transfer the power of writing affordable housing guidelines from the executive branch to the judiciary.
Oral arguments are scheduled for Jan. 6.
The Council on Affordable Housing, whose members are appointed by the governor, is tasked with which is in charge of writing affordable housing rules., The council missed a state Supreme Court deadline to approve new guidelines, a time limit set by the Supreme Court as part of an ongoing lawsuit. After they missed the deadline, Fair Share Housing Center, an advocacy group focused on affordable housing, asked that the courts judiciary to take over the process.
The council operates within the executive branch. The A change in venue for affordable housing law would be significant because Governor Christie, who has loudly criticized affordable housing mandates, would have a downsized role in the rule making process. Instead, the court system that originally said affordable housing was a right would gain a new role in how it is implemented.
DECEMBER 5, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2014, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Enclave developer to hold open house
The development team proposing the Enclave upscale apartment building on Maple Avenue between East Ridgewood and Franklin avenues will host an open house beginning at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 9 at 257 E. Ridgewood Ave.
The meeting is open to all village residents.
Developers for the 52-unit Enclave complex, as well as those proposing the Chestnut Village and the Dayton luxury housing projects, are seeking an amendment to the Ridgewood master plan that would permit high-density, multifamily housing in and around the Central Business District.
The master plan application is currently in the public hearing process before the Planning Board.
Average US 30-year loan rate falls to 3.89 percent
DECEMBER 4, 2014 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014, 10:25 AM
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS |
WIRE SERVICE
WASHINGTON – Average U.S. long-term mortgage rates fell for the fourth straight week, a continuing boon for potential homebuyers.
Mortgage company Freddie Mac says the nationwide average for a 30-year mortgage declined to 3.89 percent this week from 3.97 percent last week. It is now at its lowest level since May 2013.
High-performing N.J. school districts will no longer have intensive state monitoring
DECEMBER 3, 2014, 1:42 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2014, 9:04 PM
BY HANNAN ADELY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
Print
TRENTON — High-performing school districts will no longer have to participate in an intensive state monitoring and evaluation system used to measure schools, education officials said Wednesday.
Districts can now request waivers from the commissioner of the state Department of Education if they meet certain benchmarks, Acting Education Commissioner David Hespe announced Wednesday. The move will allow schools to focus more time and resources on students and instruction and free up the department’s time and staff so they can work more closely with struggling schools, he said.
To get a waiver, schools must score 80 percent or higher in all areas of review under the system, known as the Quality Single Accountability Continuum. The areas are instruction and program, fiscal management, governance, operations and personnel.
The exempt districts will have to submit proof that they remain high-performing, in lieu of receiving a full review every three years.
Hespe said that about half of all districts could be exempt, but that it will remain a critical method to assess struggling districts.
The changes will help ease the burden on school districts, which have complained about the time and paperwork associated with the review. The typical performance review takes several months to complete and consumes large amounts of time for district and county staff to complete.
Richard Bozza, executive director of the New Jersey Association of School Board Administrators, welcomed the decision.
“This effort to streamline the process, increase efficiency, and provide flexibility for educators are educational reforms that the NJASA supports and changes that will benefit New Jersey’s students,” he said.
DECEMBER 3, 2014, 12:16 PM LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2014, 9:28 AM
BY HANNAN ADELY
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
A small arts-themed high school in Paterson and a large Bergen County magnet school had perfect graduation rates in 2014 and were the only schools in their counties to achieve that distinction in a year when graduation rates went up across North Jersey, reflecting a statewide trend, according to state data released on Wednesday.
Across New Jersey, 88.6 percent of students who entered high school in 2010 graduated last spring, up about one percentage point from the year before. Throughout the state, minorities and low-income students had larger gains than the average student, but the achievement gaps remained wide.
The largest gains were in places like Paterson, Garfield, Cliffside Park and Passaic that are lower-income, urban and home to many immigrants. Those districts have made targeted efforts to help more students graduate by creating smaller schools, using more support staff and allowing failing students to make up credit via online classes, among other methods. Graduation rates at many smaller suburban districts stayed mostly steady, with only tiny gains or dips, largely because they have had strong graduation rates for years.
In Bergen and Passaic counties, a 100 percent graduation rate was achieved at two high-performing, but very different high schools.
NJ TRANSIT ROLLS OUT NEW RAIL SAFETY VIDEO FOR MIDDLE SCHOOLERS
“Chicken on the Tracks” Video to Promote Rail Safety
November 18, 2014
NEWARK, NJ — At an assembly hosted at Hackensack Middle School, NJ TRANSIT today debuted an updated version of its “Chicken on the Tracks” video, a dramatic depiction of incidents on the rails involving young people – to educate students on the possible consequences of trespassing near rail lines. The video was accompanied by a presentation and interactive session by NJ TRANSIT personnel from the agency’s Office of System Safety.
The RHS Department of Fine & Applied Arts is looking for alumni to participate in the Tenth Annual Alumni Art Show. Last year’s show was a great success and it is hoped to reach even more of our alumni this year. The exhibition will be a showing of work created after graduating from RHS. It will be held in the Carroll Art Gallery, Room 137, from December 15 through January 9, 2015. There will be a reception for the artists on Thursday, January 8 at 7:30 p.m. All students, alumni, friends, family and staff are invited to the reception as well as to view the exhibition during school hours.
Participating artists should drop off their ready-to-hang artwork by the week of December 8. Question may be directed to the Department of Fine & Applied Arts at 201-670-2800, ext. 20542, or email the department in care of [email protected].
Event information and other news is continually updated on the Arts at Ridgewood Public Schools’ Twitter profile: @Arts_at_RPS and Facebook account page, www.facebook.com/TheArtsatRPS.
