>11 companies express interest in building wind turbines off New Jersey
Eleven companies have told the federal government they’re interested in building wind turbines off the New Jersey coast. (The Associated Press)
Tag: Ridgewood Real estate
>73% Say Being a Father is Most Important Role for Men in Today’s World
>73% Say Being a Father is Most Important Role for Men in Today’s World
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Today is Father’s Day, and most adults will be doing something for their dad today.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 18% of American Adults consider Father’s Day one of the nation’s most important holidays, while 17% consider it one of the least important. Most (62%) say it is somewhere in between. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Interestingly, men downplay the importance of Father’s Day as a holiday more than women—women are more likely to say it is one of the most important holidays or somewhere in between, while men are more likely to say it is one of the least important holidays.
Seventy-three percent (73%) continue to believe that being a father is the most important role a man can fill in today’s world. This, too, has changed little over the past several years.
>A3242 bill would allow students to be surveyed "without" parental permission
>A3242 bill would allow students to be surveyed “without” parental permission
In essence this bill would allow students to be surveyed “without” parental permission. The parents would only have to be “informed.”
As Art Gallagher wrote in his column:
Back in 2001 there was a bill passed and signed into law that prohibited school districts from gathering such information unless they had the informed written consent of the student’s parent or guardian. Now the legislature is on the verge of amending that law (P.L.2001, c.364) so that the school districts can gather the information from students so long as the parents have been notified in writing, NOT consented in writing.
Like the marketeers who assume you will be too busy or disinterested to cancel your book club or credit monitoring service, the Legislature and the school districts are assuming that parents are not giving consent to the schools asking about their political affiliation, sexual behavior or embarrassing mental illnesses because they are too busy, don’t care, or haven’t opened their mail.
Please call these members on the Education Committee:
Joan Voss – 201 346 6400 (Joan Voss is running for Freeholder in Bergen County – tell her you are watching her vote))
Scott Rumana – 973 237 1362
Governor Christie: 609-292-6000
Text of Bill: https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2010/Bills/A3500/3242_I1.HTM
>New Recruit in Homework Revolt: The Principal
>New Recruit in Homework Revolt: The Principal
GALLOWAY, N.J. — After Donna Cushlanis’s son kept bursting into tears midway through his second-grade math problems, which one night took over an hour, she told him not to do all of his homework.
“How many times do you have to add seven plus two?” Ms. Cushlanis, 46, said. “I have no problem with doing homework, but that put us both over the edge. I got to the point that this is enough.” …
Ridgewood High School in New Jersey introduced a homework-free winter break in December. Schools in Bleckley County, Ga., have instituted “no homework nights” throughout the year. The Brooklyn School of Inquiry, a gifted and talented program, has made homework optional…
https://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/16/education/16homework.html?_r=2&ref=nyregion
>Against own party’s wishes, Sweeney pushes overhaul to pension system for N.J. public employees
>
Against own party’s wishes, Sweeney pushes overhaul to pension system for N.J. public employees
Despite a rising chorus of opposition from fellow Democrats, the Senate president and Assembly speaker pressed forward Tuesday to overhaul health and pension benefits for the state’s 500,000 public employees. (Renshaw, The Star-Ledger)
The History of Flag Day
>
The History of Flag Day
https://usflag.org/history/flagday.html
The History Of Flag DayThe Fourth of July was traditionally celebrated as America’s birthday, but the idea of an annual day specifically celebrating the Flag is believed to have first originated in 1885. BJ Cigrand, a schoolteacher, arranged for the pupils in the Fredonia, Wisconsin Public School, District 6, to observe June 14 (the 108th anniversary of the official adoption of The Stars and Stripes) as ‘Flag Birthday’. In numerous magazines and newspaper articles and public addresses over the following years, Cigrand continued to enthusiastically advocate the observance of June 14 as ‘Flag Birthday’, or ‘Flag Day’.
On June 14, 1889, George Balch, a kindergarten teacher in New York City, planned appropriate ceremonies for the children of his school, and his idea of observing Flag Day was later adopted by the State Board of Education of New York. On June 14, 1891, the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia held a Flag Day celebration, and on June 14 of the following year, the New York Society of the Sons of the Revolution, celebrated Flag Day.
Following the suggestion of Colonel J Granville Leach (at the time historian of the Pennsylvania Society of the Sons of the Revolution), the Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Dames of America on April 25, 1893 adopted a resolution requesting the mayor of Philadelphia and all others in authority and all private citizens to display the Flag on June 14th. Leach went on to recommend that thereafter the day be known as ‘Flag Day’, and on that day, school children be assembled for appropriate exercises, with each child being given a small Flag.
Two weeks later on May 8th, the Board of Managers of the Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution unanimously endorsed the action of the Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Dames. As a result of the resolution, Dr. Edward Brooks, then Superintendent of Public Schools of Philadelphia, directed that Flag Day exercises be held on June 14, 1893 in Independence Square. School children were assembled, each carrying a small Flag, and patriotic songs were sung and addresses delivered.
In 1894, the governor of New York directed that on June 14 the Flag be displayed on all public buildings. With BJ Cigrand and Leroy Van Horn as the moving spirits, the Illinois organization, known as the American Flag Day Association, was organized for the purpose of promoting the holding of Flag Day exercises. On June 14th, 1894, under the auspices of this association, the first general public school children’s celebration of Flag Day in Chicago was held in Douglas, Garfield, Humboldt, Lincoln, and Washington Parks, with more than 300,000 children participating.
Adults, too, participated in patriotic programs. Franklin K. Lane, Secretary of the Interior, delivered a 1914 Flag Day address in which he repeated words he said the flag had spoken to him that morning: “I am what you make me; nothing more. I swing before your eyes as a bright gleam of color, a symbol of yourself.”
Inspired by these three decades of state and local celebrations, Flag Day – the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777 – was officially established by the Proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30th, 1916. While Flag Day was celebrated in various communities for years after Wilson’s proclamation, it was not until August 3rd, 1949, that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year asNational Flag Day.
https://usflag.org/history/flagday.html
>66% Say Private Sector Employees Work Harder Than Government Workers
>66% Say Private Sector Employees Work Harder Than Government Workers
Wednesday, June 08, 2011
Most Americans still believe government workers work less and make more money than those employed by private companies. Yet while the majority also thinks government workers enjoy more job security, they’re less convinced of that than they were a year ago.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that only 11% of Adults think those employed by the government work harder than workers in the private sector. Sixty-six percent (66%) say those employed by private companies work harder. Twenty-three percent (23%) are not sure.
Report: Pedestrian bridge at Ridgewood High School needs work
>
Report: Pedestrian bridge at Ridgewood High School needs work
FRIDAY, JUNE 10, 2011
BY KELLY EBBELS
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
A pedestrian bridge that connects the two athletic fields at Ridgewood High School (RHS) – crossed by hundreds of students each day – has structural deficiencies that have yet to be addressed by the school district, and vehicles have been seen using the bridge despite a weight limit, according to a village resident who lives near RHS.
The pedestrian bridge connecting Stadium and Stevens fields at Ridgewood High School was closed following flooding in April.
More than two years ago, the Ridgewood school district received an engineering report on the pedestrian bridge over the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook between athletics fields at Ridgewood High School (RHS), citing concerns with the bridge’s structural integrity.
The report, prepared by Mark Micucci of Micucci Engineering and delivered to the district in January 2009, notes that the exposed top side of the bridge is in “relatively good condition” and its underside in “fair condition,” but reveals problems with the structure of its abutments, particularly its southern abutment.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/123598184_Report__Pedestrian_bridge_needs_work.html
>Amend Salary Ordinance
>VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD VILLAGE COUNCIL REGULAR PUBLIC MEETING
JUNE 8, 2011 8:00 P.M.
3300 – Amend Salary Ordinance for Management Personnel – Amends this salary ordinance to reflect that management personnel are receiving a 0% salary increase in 2010 and 2011. In addition, management personnel are eligible for an incentive increase of 0% – 4% over the two- year period, based on a performance evaluation, with one-half of the incentive increase being paid from January 1, 2010 and the other one-half of the incentive increase being paid from January 1, 2011.
3301 – Amend Salary Ordinance for Non-Union Personnel – Amends this salary ordinance to reflect that non-union personnel are receiving a 0% salary increase in 2010 and 2011. In addition, non- union personnel are eligible for an incentive increase of 0% – 4% over the two-year period, based on a performance evaluation, with one-half of the incentive increase being paid from January 1, 2010 and the other one-half of the incentive increase being paid from January 1, 2011.
>57% of Likely U.S. Voters see the president as more liberal than they are
>57% of Likely U.S. Voters see the president as more liberal than they are
Most voters still believe President Obama is more liberal than they are, while just one-out-of-four say they share the same ideological views as the president.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 54% of Likely U.S. Voters think Obama is more ideologically liberal than they are, while only 13% view him as more conservative. Twenty-four percent (24%) say their political views are about the same as the president’s. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
The number who see the president as more liberal than they are stayed at 57% in three-out-of-four previous surveys conducted since August of last year. That number climbed to 61% in late February. The number who view the president as more conservative ranged from nine percent (9%) to 12% in that same period.
The Annual Village home owner flight is upon us
>
The Annual Village home owner flight is upon us
the Staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ – So its that time of the year again when a new generation of High School seniors graduates and looks forward to reshaping the world in their own image . The Future looks bright and there are nothing but an endless horizon of possibilities for as far as the eye can see .
But wait whats this , hundreds of homes for sale in the Village well timed for sellers to coincidentally skate just in the nick of time for the diplomas to be passed to the next generation of leaders. Amazing how those moving trucks line up in the driveways so neatly of so many now former Ridgewood residents their bags packed
Now the empty Nester’s take flight ,yes flight from bills due for turf fields, stadium lights , and assorted other amenities that’s useful life has now been fulfilled and long term liabilities must be avoided at all cost for over extended families.Leaving those left with ever higher property taxes , declining maintenance, quality of life and lower educational standards .
>30% of companies say they’ll stop offering Health Insurance coverage due to Obamacare
>Firms to cut health plans as reform starts: survey
30% of companies say they’ll stop offering Health Insurance coverage due to Obamacare
By Russ Britt, MarketWatch
LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) — Once provisions of the Affordable Care Act start to kick in during 2014, at least three of every 10 employers will probably stop offering health coverage, a survey released Monday shows.
While only 7% of employees will be forced to switch to subsidized-exchange programs, at least 30% of companies say they will “definitely or probably” stop offering employer-sponsored coverage, according to the study published in McKinsey Quarterly.
The survey of 1,300 employers says those who are keenly aware of the health-reform measure probably are more likely to consider an alternative to employer-sponsored plans, with 50% to 60% in this group expected to make a change. It also found that for some, it makes more sense to switch.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/firms-halting-coverage-as-reform-starts-survey-2011-06-06
Chris Christie and the "black helicopter theory"
>Chris Christie and the “black helicopter theory”
Desperate to nail Christie the main stream media pulls out the “black helicopter” theory .
Perhaps the mainstream media wouldn’t mind telling everyone where they were during the creation of $56 billion Pension deficit or the $66 billion health care problem or perhaps the $500 million more for the failed Abbott schools ? And what about the $6.4 billion gone missing from the school construction authority or the $3 billion gone from Highway Transportation trust fund ? Where was the media during the 9% or was it 13% pay raise for state workers ,but hey the State of New Jersey only has an annual $10 billion dollar deficit . Should I go on it’s gonna be a long night…..
In Ridgewood we spend more for golden toilets at Vets field than the Governor did .Sorry folks but what Ridgewood parent wouldn’t fly to their kids LAX game in a chopper if they could or they probably do . It’s for the children and you know you would . Sorry but this helicopter story is just too much of an insult to everyones intelligence even in a state that brought you the Jim McGreevy follies , ‘the Jersey Shore ” and the “Jersey House Wives” TV shows.
PJ Blogger
Gov. Christie calls Assemblywoman Vainieri Huttle a ‘jerk’ for criticizing his use of State Police copter
Gov. Chris Christie Thursday criticized Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen) for criticizing him for using a State Police helicopter to fly from Trenton to Montvale Tuesday to watch his son Andrew play in a high school playoff baseball game. Vainieri Huttle charged the governor wasted taxpayers dollars flying to the game where he then stayed until the 5th inning before flying off to a political meeting in Princeton. (Hester, New Jersey Newsroom)
>Abbott Ruling : How one justice wound up speaking for seven
>How one justice wound up speaking for seven
There are seven seats on the state Supreme Court. Four votes are normally required to issue a binding opinion and order action. The ruling of the court last week on public school funding, mandating a half-billion-dollar increase in state aid for poor districts, was written by Justice Jaynee LaVecchia. (Ahearn, The Record)
>The Co-op’s Trike a Thon Helps St. Jude’s
>
The Co-op’s Trike a Thon Helps St. Jude’s
Students at the Cooperative Nursery School of Ridgewood took to their tricycles on May 24th to help St. Jude’s. The children participated in the Trike a Thon to raise money for the research center. They got to help out a great cause, have fun and learn about riding safety. This is just one of the many fun events that children participate in while at the Co-op.
A nonsectarian school, The Co-op also offers morning and afternoon classes for 2, 3 and 4-year-olds, as well as Mommy & Me classes and Kindergarten enrichment. Setting the school apart from other nursery schools, The Co-op is organized and run by the parents. This enables parents to actively participate in their child’s early learning experience. Music, physical education, field trips, indoor and outdoor play time and an in-house library are just a few of the experiences to which the children are exposed as supplements to the daily education plans.
For more information on the school or to set up an appointment to visit, please call (201) 447-6232 or email the school at [email protected].
