Special Cigar Tasting Event Featuring the Ashton Cigar Line
Wednesday, February 23, 2011 6:30PM – 8:30PM @ The Tobacco Shop of Ridgewood
$25.00 Per Person Includes 3 Cigars & Ashtray Light Refreshments
During this event only, special discounts & free goods on certain box purchases
Limited Space Available Please Call to Reserve Your Place 201-447-2204
The Tobacco Shop of Ridgewood | 10 Chestnut Street | Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450 Phone: 201-447-2204 | Email: [email protected] Hours: Monday – Saturday 10:00AM – 5:30PM and Thursday Night 6:30PM – 8:30PM
>The Village Council is looking to raise fees at Graydon Pool and other Parks and Recreation activities the Staff of the Ridgewood Blog
Ridgewood NJ- The Village Council is looking to raise fees at Graydon Pool and other Parks and Recreation activities .The council is also considering allowing other towns to join Graydon once again, The new ordinance introduced at Wednesday’s council meeting, opens up Graydon to not only eesidents from Midland Park and Paramus, but “residents from other municipalities.” Fees for non-resident children will be $140 in 2011 and $155 in 2012. Non-resident adults will pay $160 the first year and $175 the next year, according to the ordinance. Children under 2 years old will not be charged. Ridgewood residents 16 years old and up will pay $82 to renew a membership, with children paying $72, according to the ordinance.
The ordinance gives a discounted membership if Ridgewood residents who purchase their badges early between May 1 and May 21 this year. Those charges will be $87 for adults, $77 for children and $15 for residents 62 and older. After May 22, children and adult badges will cost an additional $10, and the senior membership will increase by $5, Ridgewood residents, beginning May 20, 2012, will pay $110 for an adult badge and $100 for a child; seniors will pay $25 to join Graydon next year.
According to Village Manager Ken Gabbert Graydon Pool experienced a shortfall of $106,000 last year, which was down from the 2009 shortfall of $192,000. An increase in badge sales narrowed the revenue gap in 2010, as the pool sold 3,691 badges compared to just 2,426 in 2009, according to previous reports. The council introduced is also looking to raise fees for children to attend the summer day camp at Graydon. The new fee will be $500, up from $450 the previous year.
>CBO Director Says Obamacare Would Reduce Employment by 800,000 Worker 2:37 PM, FEB 10, 2011 • BY JEFFREY H. ANDERSON
Testifying today before the House Budget Committee, Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Director Doug Elmendorf confirmed that Obamacare is expected to reduce the number of jobs in the labor market by an estimated 800,000. Here are excerpts from the exchange:
Mayor Keith Killion kicking off the celebrations with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Monday (Feb. 8)
The HomeMade Pizza opening celebrations continue to heat up in chilly Ridgewood tonight!
Ridgewood NJ- The HomeMade Pizza opening celebrations continue to heat up in chilly Ridgewood. Tonight concludes the opening day festivities, with fresh, organic pizza and salad giveaways from 4-7 p.m. Perhaps your readers would be interested in dinner on us tonight at the new Ridgewood Store (134 East Ridgewood Avenue). Matt Weinstein, co-founder of HomeMade Pizza, will be there tonight with the HomeMade team.
>Poll: New Jerseyans appreciate teachers, dislike NJEA
New Jerseyans, by a 62 – 17 percent margin, have a favorable opinion of public school teachers, but their opinion of the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), the statewide teachers’ union is 44 – 27 percent unfavorable, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday. (Hester, New Jersey Newsroom)
>New Jersey’s voters back firing workers, freezing wages and cutting pensions
Christie pension cuts resonate with New Jersey voters, poll says
New Jersey’s voters back firing workers, freezing wages and cutting pensions in a poll released the day after Standard & Poor’s cut the state’s bond rating because of underfunded retiree and health-care liabilities. (Dopp, Bloomberg)
>New Jersey Fiscal Crisis: New Jersey Credit rating dropped to among the lowest in the country
Drop in N.J. bond rating could add to state’s borrowing costs, financial problems Published: Thursday, February 10, 2011, 6:00 AM
TRENTON — New Jersey’s bond rating was downgraded Wednesday by Standard & Poor’s, a move that could add significantly to the state’s borrowing costs and focuses even more attention on public-employee pension and health care payments.
The agency dropped New Jersey to a rating that is among the lowest in the country. According to S&P, the only states with worse credit ratings are California and Illinois, widely considered to be in the steepest financial trouble.
With S&P citing pension and post-retirement-benefits costs as a key reason for the downgrade, Republican Gov. Chris Christie and Democrats pointed fingers at each other. At a town hall meeting in Union City, Christie said the downgrade could have been avoided if Democratic lawmakers approved his pension overhaul.
“The sky started to fall in today,” said Christie. “You’ve already seen this morning what the Legislature’s inaction has cost the state of New Jersey.”
>Garrett Calls to Order First Hearing to Examine GSE Reform
WASHINGTON, February 9, 2011 – Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ), Chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government-Sponsored Enterprises, delivered the following opening statement today at a hearing to examine GSE reform and the steps that can be taken to end the bailout and protect taxpayers:
“On September 7, 2008, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were put into conservatorship by the federal government. Over $150 billion and 885 days later – the government-backed mortgage twins remain in conservatorship, the federal government now underwrites 95% of the housing market, and the American taxpayer continues to hemorrhage billions of dollars every quarter to keep them afloat.
“I am pleased to hear that the Department of Treasury is getting closer to unveiling their much-anticipated reform proposal, which I understand could come by the end of this week. If I had known that simply scheduling a GSE reform hearing would facilitate such a swift response, we would have held one sooner.
“While a lot of recent attention has been given to the impending Treasury proposal and what the future of U.S. housing finance will look like, I believe there are other areas of this debate we can focus on right now. In particular, I believe the question we all need to be asking ourselves is: What immediate steps can Congress take right now – this instant – to protect taxpayers, end the bailout, get private capital off the sidelines, and reduce the government’s exposure to the housing market?
“I believe these four objectives should be the driving force behind our immediate reform efforts, and I look forward to discussing a number of reform proposals in greater detail with our esteemed panel. As I can see from their written testimony, there is no lack of ways to protect taxpayers and begin to end this bailout.
“It’s unfortunate that my colleagues across the aisle resisted any attempt last Congress to address the most expensive component of the federal government’s intervention during the financial crisis. I assure you it will be a top priority of mine as chairman of this panel.
“Federal government housing policy has been a monumental disaster and we must find a new way forward. Secretary Geithner said the other day that the new policy should, ‘leave us with a system that will not be vulnerable to the really tragic colossal failures of the past.’ I couldn’t agree more.
“Even the Washington Post is on board with wholesale changes to Fannie and Freddie. In an editorial Monday, the Post wrote: ‘Homeownership does help instill thrifty habits and solidify communities, but it can be taken too far. … The national homeownership rate today has slipped back to its 1998 level, according to the Census Bureau. In terms of building community, etc., it’s as if the past 13 years never happened, except for the catastrophic losses to taxpayers – and home buyers. It might be more accurate to say that federal housing policy has helped destroy communities.’
“It will be the goal of this subcommittee to ensure that we put an end to this destructive and costly housing finance policy and replace it with a system going forward that protects taxpayers and actually strengthens communities instead of destroying them.
“I thank the witnesses for being here with us today and I look forward to their testimony.”
>The Citizen’s Convention: The Second Battle for Trenton Begins History in the Making: April 16, 2011 New Jersey’s First Tea Party Convention
On April 16, 2011, a consortium of New Jersey Tea Party organizations will conduct an historic statewide convention for all New Jersey citizens concerned about an out of control government that continues to operate at odds to the best interests and common good of all of its citizens.
The convention will be held at the National Conference Center in East Windsor NJ. While some details are being finalized, this historic first is open to anyone who shares the commitment to conservative and constitutional principles, lower taxes and smaller, smarter government
The up-coming 2011 elections in New Jersey are providing a unique opportunity to change the legislature in our state and restore New Jersey to its once proud conservative roots and common sense foundation. With only 4 states having statewide legislative elections this year, the eyes of the country will be on New Jersey.
In addition to presenting candidates who been vetted by Tea Party groups from all over New Jersey and who have committed themselves to conservative values, we will be conducting workshops for attendees to learn the nuts and bolts of political campaigns from some of the most successful professionals who are also knowledgeable about NJ politics. Attendees will receive precise instructions on how they can get their candidates elected.
One organizer stated, “We have an opportunity to reclaim our state and change the way government is run in New Jersey, but we cannot do it alone. As the first Battle of Trenton turned the tide of the American Revolution, we have a second opportunity to do the same thing: turn the tide on intrusive government and fight to preserve the ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, except this time around we won’t be using guns, cannons, or bayonets.”
Said another, “That’s right, this time we have a much more powerful tool at our disposal: The Constitution. But, we need to use that historic document as it was intended to be used to protect our rights and our freedoms.”
The time for change is now. The reason is the same as it was almost 235 years ago: Citizens who have simply had enough of an intrusive bureaucracy and are committed to reclaiming our constitutional rights from a corrupt and abusive political power structure. Join us, April 16th, 2011 and be a part of history.
While cruises from Bayonne, NJ are nothing new, the introduction of a brand new ship, The Celebrity Silhouette, has made cruising more amusing. New to 2011, the Celebrity Silhouette offers the cosmopolitan flare and endless onboard activities usually reserved for cruises departing from southern ports. Contact The Travel Center / American Express and learn how you could be one of the first to explore the Caribbean with style and convenience aboard the Celebrity Silhouette.
The Travel Center/American Express “Ridgewood’s ONLY Travel Agency” 50 E. Ridgewood Ave. Ridgewood, NJ 07450 (201) 447-3311 [email protected] Or visit our NEW website: www.TheTravelCenterAE.com
* American Express® Cardmembers may be eligible to receive exclusive benefits and offers – from earning double Membership Rewards® points to paying with points.
Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a plan Tuesday for a project 16 miles off the coast of Asbury Park to receive vessels transporting liquid natural gas into the United States. (Mooney, PolitickerNJ)
As officials in Gov. Chris Christie’s administration prepare New Jersey’s next state budget, school superintendents and school board members are bracing for another difficult budget year. (Symons, Daily Record)
Gov. Chris Christie called a 5-year-old law designed to help low-income senior citizens and disabled people pay their cable TV bills “a dumb idea,” saying there was no way the state can afford it in such dire economic times. (Livio for The Associated Press)
>NJ state workers no longer have Lincoln’s birthday off
New Jersey state government has long shut down on Lincoln’s Birthday, making this one of only five states to use a holiday to honor the 16th president. (Jordan, Gannett)
Have a Heart Tue, February 01, 2011 – Mon, February 28, 2011
Cupcakes by Carousel, 192 East Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
During the Month of February, the American Heart Association will receive $1.00 for every Red velvet heart cupcake and $2.00 for every Red velvet cake with hearts sold, to help fight heart disease in America
“It’s Raining Men” ,Thu, February 10, 2011 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM.
Red Velvet Luxe, 59 E. Ridgewood Ave, Ridgewood NJ 07450
All your special someones will be cordially invited to an evening of whiskey tasting, cigars and then some, to make all your wishes come true. Start wishing, hoping and dreaming now!
Includes FREE Ballroom dance lesson with
Dance Master Lestat from 5:00pm-5:30pm.
Continued dancing 5:30pm-7:30pm
Singles and couples are welcome.
The cost to attend is $15pp or $25 per couple and includes a 20% discount coupon for a pre or post dance dinner at local Ridgewood restaurants Smith Brothers or The Office.Contact Carol Livingstone at 201-444-5600 ext 330 or email [email protected]
Valentine’s Day Dinner Dance
Sun, February 13, 2011
Time: 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM
Location: Arthur Murray Dance Studio, 257 E. Ridgewood Ave. (entrance on N. Maple Ave.)
Event Description
Valentine’s Day Dinner Dance -Join Arthur Murray Dance Studio and Mediterraneo Restaurant make your Valentine’s Day one to remember, with elegant dancing and a romantic sit down candle-lit dinner.
$90 per person, BYOB
Reservation and deposit required
Sunday, February 13, 2011
rsvp 201-389-6980 – 201-447-0022
