New Jersey is improving its plans to quickly evacuate large sections of the Shore in the event of a storm or other emergency.
The Legislature approved the recommendations Monday of a task force that studied the state’s ability to move large numbers of people away from the coast.
The plan includes lane reversals on major highways leading away from the Shore; using schools as emergency shelters; and setting up a registry of residents who would need special help in leaving the area. (Parry, Associated Press)
30th Annual Ridgewood and Glen Rock Martin Luther King Jr Observance and Service
The 30th annual Ridgewood/Glen Rock observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day will be held on Monday, January 16, 2012, at the Ridgewood United Methodist Church, 100 Dayton St., Ridgewood, NJ. This year’s celebration will focus on the theme, “The Power of One, The Strength of Many.” Sponsored by the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee of Ridgewood/Glen Rock Communities, the celebration begins at 10:00 a.m. with an interfaith service featuring speaker Rabbi Neil Tow of the Glen Rock Jewish Center, as well as readings by Ridgewood and Glen Rock students and musical performances by the Indian Hills Chamber Choir and Men of Umoja Chorus. The service will be followed by a rally in Van Neste Square and conclude with a community luncheon at the church. The event is free and open to the public.
Rabbi Tow has been serving the Glen Rock Jewish Center since 2006. He serves on the board of the Jewish Federation Apartments in Paterson, New Jersey and on the Jewish Community Relations Council. Interfaith work has become an important part of Rabbi Tow’s service to the community, and he is a member of the Religious Communities of Glen Rock, the Community Relations Advisory Board of Glen Rock and Ridgewood, as well as the 2011 “Bergen Leads” class, a 10-month learning and leadership experience for community leaders in Bergen County. He co-teaches an interfaith Bible Study class, is a leader of the Glen Rock Interfaith American Cancer’s Relay for Life team, and recently introduced a series of free 30-minute lunchtime webinars on social justice.
The annual Ridgewood/Glen Rock Martin Luther King Jr. celebration began in 1983 in an effort to unite area residents, regardless of faith or ethnic background, in worship and action as they work towards peace and justice for all. More than 20 religious groups, the Ridgewood and Glen Rock Boards of Education, local government, and civic organizations participate in and support the event each year. Financial support is generously provided by many organizations, individuals, agencies, and businesses throughout the area.
>51% See Occupy Wall Street Protesters As Public Nuisance
Thursday, January 05, 2012
Enough is enough as far as most voters are concerned when it comes to the Occupy Wall Street protesters. In fact, 51% of Likely U.S. Voters now view the protesters as a public nuisance. Only 39% see them as a valid protest movement representing the frustrations of most Americans,
“Biggest Loser” Contestant to Help You Improve Your Health in the New Year
The Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce, along with The Valley Hospital, Van Dyke Health Care, and other local sponsors and vendors, invite you to a Health Fair on January 19 to help you start the New Year off on a healthy foot.
January 19, 2012 (snow date January 26) 5 to 8 p.m. Ridgewood YMCA/YWCA of Bergen County 112 Oak Street Ridgewood, NJ
Amanda Arlauskas from NBC’s “Biggest Loser” will speak at 7 p.m. Visit all of the vendors that have information on wellness and preparing yourself for a healthy future.
For more information call 201-445-2600, or e-mail the Chamber at [email protected].
>‘Occupy Wall Street’ Participation To Earn Class Credit At Columbia U. Announcement Comes As Dozens Are Arrested On New Year’s Eve January 1, 2012 7:00 PM
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — Columbia University will offer a new course for upperclassmen and grad students next semester. An Occupy Wall Street class will send students into the field and will be taught by Dr. Hannah Appel, a veteran of the Occupy movement.
The course begins next semester and will be divided between class work at Columbia’s Morningside Heights campus and fieldwork that will require students to become involved with the Occupy movement outside of the classroom.
The course will be called “Occupy the Field: Global Finance, Inequality, Social Movement” it will be run by the anthropology department.
>Some thoughts on the New Year generated by the comments on our current mayor:
I don’t always agree with what Killion does, but I strongly disagree with some of the attacks against him. Yes, he may have a tendency to favor the unions, but who isn’t sympathetic to those whom they know, have worked with, etc?
More importantly, I think he is fair and even handed. Keith took over after two bozo’s had served as mayor. The Mancuso/Pfund years saw a decline in Village standards and services. In those days, Keith sat in the audience night after night, speaking up for what he thought should be done. When he retired, he put his effort where his mouth was and he ran for office. He’s worked his rear end off since that time. It is a thankless task — probably a lot like a fire hydrant having to cater to a number of different dogs.
Keith has not been perfect. But I think he’s handled the hand he was dealt with as best as he can, and frankly as best as most of the rest of us could. I don’t understand the approval of the Gabbert raise. That was stupid. I will say it again, that was stupid. Ketih should be looking into replacing Gabbert, not paying him more.
But, when you look at the larger picture, you see that Keith had done a good job. Pfund passed off the Valley issue to the hand picked planning board that passed a resolution over the objection of the majority of Ridgewood resident’s wishes. That issue took much of the VC;s attention away from other issues. It can never be overstated how damaging the hospital over-expansion would have been to the character of the Village. It is criminal how much time and effort was wasted dealing with what should have been a non-starter.
But, as Valley, the Graydon debate, the Graydon lawsuit and other issues were addressed, other problems were brewing. Most importantly, like every other town in America, our tax base was shrinking as costs increased. Basic economic issues needed and need to be addressed. Keith and the other VC members need to turn their attention to those issues. It is the economy stupid.
My own 7-point wish list for 2012:
1. Village Manager: Fire Gabbert and replace him with a no-nonsense leader who shakes up Village Hall.
2. Departments: Make department heads start working or fire them.
3. Budget: Serious assess where we are heading with our budget, anticipated revenues, expenses etc. What are spending money on in the Village and school board budgets and what will we need to keep spending money on to maintain village standards.
4. Downtown building: Remake the downtown without approving the massive building projects on the drawing board. New housing is only going to add to the Village problems. Don’f fall prey to the argument that only massive building will allow Ridgewood to pull out of the recession.
5. Parking — many people remark that other similarly situated towns have dealt with parking in more creative ways than building a massive parking garage. The suggestion i like the best is making our three main roads one way and changing parking from horizontal to angled, so that you can get three cars in where you only get one now.
6. NJ Transit. Don’t let them turn Ridgewood into a transit hub.
7. Fields — even handedness should be the order of the day. Not every field needs to be turfed and lighted.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 30, 2011 BY EVONNE COUTROS STAFF WRITER THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — Village officials are confident that the installation of as many as two dozen simulated red brick crosswalks at busy intersections will increase pedestrian and motor vehicle safety in the central business district and near schools.
Pedestrians using Ridgewood Avenue at Cottage Place on one of the crosswalks, which cost $6,800 per intersection. “Ridgewood is a cut-through town,” said Mayor Keith Killion, the council representative to the Citizens Safety Advisory Committee. “People come through town too fast.”
The newly installed thermoplastic crossings — such as those at Cottage Place and East Ridgewood Avenue — also are an asset because of their resemblance to brick, village officials say.
“The more attention we bring to the crosswalks, the safer it will be for pedestrians and motorists,” police Capt. Jacqueline Luthcke said.
>3 Democrats size up facing Garrett Thursday, December 29, 2011 BY ZACH PATBERG STAFF WRITER The Record
The redrawn congressional map is not a week old, and Democrats are already gearing up to challenge Rep. Scott Garrett, R-Wantage, in a district that became more Bergen County-centric and less conservative.
State Assemblywoman Connie Wagner, D-Paramus, said she is “seriously considering” entering the 5th District race. A Facebook page created this week — Draft Connie Wagner for Congress — had attracted nearly 250 followers by Thursday.
In Passaic County, Freeholder Director Terry Duffy has formed an exploratory committee to “test the waters” and has reached out to party leaders.
State Sen. Bob Gordon, while calling his commitment to stay in Trenton a “moral obligation,” did not shut the door entirely on a congressional run.
“In politics, you never say never,” said the Fair Lawn Democrat, who emerged victorious from a fierce reelection battle less than two months ago. “But I really feel I need to focus on addressing the state issues here.”
The Cooperative Nursery School of Ridgewood(the Co-op), a nonsectarian school, will hold an Open House for the 2012-2013 school year on Thursday, January 12th from 9:30-11:00 and 12:45-2:30. The school is located at 100 Dayton Street in Ridgewood.
The Co-op offers classes for children from 1 ½ to 5 years old. Classes range from Mommy and Me to four day per week classes for 4 year olds. Kindergarten enrichment classes are also offered. The school has both morning and afternoon classes. There are also a variety of different extended day options available to students, including Discovery Fridays, a program designed to supplement the class curriculum.
The school’s seasoned teaching staff guides students toward social, emotional and physical well-being. Children learn and play in an environment ideally suited to their needs as developing individuals. The program encourages independence, self-discipline and a love for school.
Setting the school apart from other nursery schools, The Co-op is organized and run by 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 or to set up a private tour, please call the school at (201) 447-6232 or email [email protected] .
>50 FACTS ABOUT THE U.S. ECONOMY THAT WILL SHOCK YOU Posted on December 18, 2011 at 3:55pm by
“Even though most Americans have become very frustrated with this economy, the reality is that the vast majority of them still have no idea just how bad our economic decline has been or how much trouble we are going to be in if we don’t make dramatic changes immediately,” writes The Economic Collapse (TEC).
For those unfamiliar with this site, TEC is an economic blog that regularly compiles a comprehensive list of the most startling and unsettling facts about the U.S. economy.
Why? Because Americans need to understand that U.S. economy is precariously balanced on the edge of full-blown collapse.
“If we do not educate the American people about how deathly ill the U.S. economy has become, then they will just keep falling for the same old lies that our politicians keep telling them. Just ‘tweaking’ things here and there is not going to fix this economy,” the site explains.
Indeed, America’s economic situation has become increasingly unstable. However, what’s arguably more disconcerting than the state of the U.S. economy is the fact many Americans are largely–if not completely–unaware of just how serious things have become.
“America is consuming far more wealth than it is producing and our debt is absolutely exploding,” TEC explains. “If we stay on this current path, an economic collapse is inevitable. Hopefully the crazy economic numbers from 2011 that I have included in this article will be shocking enough to wake some people up.”
It might behoove Blaze readers to share the facts listed below with family and friends.
>AOL Needs ‘Immediate Action,’ Investor Says By Edmund Lee – Dec 21, 2011 12:50 PM ET
AOL Inc. (AOL), losing as much as $500 million annually in its display advertising business, must take “immediate action” to stem shareholders’ losses, activist investor Starboard Value LP said.
Starboard, which said it holds a 4.5 percent stake, sent AOL a letter dated today that outlines its poor performance, estimating the Internet company sees “staggering” operating losses in display ads.
After end of ARC, NJ Transit focuses on privatizing parking, expanding rail lines
The halting of the ARC rail tunnel project last year has allowed NJ Transit to focus on areas such as customer service, expanding existing rail lines and finding alternative revenue sources, the head of the agency told business leaders Friday.
Executive Director Jim Weinstein said the agency is currently in a 14-month process of studying how to privatize or outsource the state’s nearly 100 parking facilities. The initiative has drawn interest from several firms and parking operators, along with members of the banking industry, Weinstein said at a New Jersey Chamber of Commerce roundtable breakfast on transportation. (Burd, NJBIZ)
>50% toll increase slated for NJ Turnpike and Garden state Parkway on January 1st.
The second phase of a toll increase approved in 2008 by the Corzine administration will go into effect on the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden state Parkway at 6:30am January 1st 2012 .
There were four public hearings in the fall of 2008. With the approval of then Gov. Jon Corzine, the Turnpike Authority Board of Commissioners adopted the two-phase toll increase after the final hearing on October 10, 2008. The rst phase went into effect Dec. 1, 2008. The second phase will go into effect Jan. 1, 2012.
How much will tolls increase? 53 percent on the New Jersey Turnpike, 50 percent on the Garden State Parkway. For speci c toll rates, see the revised toll tables on the Turnpike Authority Web site (www.state.nj.us/turnpike/toll-rates.html).
If the Turnpike Authority has been cutting costs and reducing the number of employees, why is a toll hike necessary? The additional revenue from the two-phase toll increase is not being used to pay operating costs. Instead, the revenue is funding the New Jersey Turnpike Authority’s $7 billion capital program and other transportation projects.
What projects are in the capital program? The revenue has enabled the Turnpike Authority to nance a 10-year, $7 billion capital program that includes the Turnpike widening between Interchanges 6 and 9, the Parkway widening south of Toms River and dozens of other projects that will relieve congestion, restore bridges, improve interchanges, expand the use of intelligent transportation systems, and increase safety on both roadways.
Will we see any immediate benefits from the capital plan? Yes. The work is creating thousands of private sector jobs. A study done for the New Jersey DOT and the Federal Highway Administration by Rutgers University in 2009 found that, on average, each $1 million of spending on transportation infrastructure projects in New Jersey sustains 10 jobs for a year. That means the Turnpike Authority’s $7 billion capital program will create or sustain some 70,000 jobs.
How do the toll rates on the Turnpike and Parkway compare to other toll roads around the country? At 4.8 cents per mile, the Garden State Parkway will remain among the lowest-priced toll roads in the U.S., less expensive even than rural toll roads such as the Oklahoma Turnpike and the West Virginia Turnpike. The New Jersey Turnpike, at 11.4 cents per mile, will remain less expensive than similar urban toll roads such as the Miami-Dade Expressway and the Massachusetts Turnpike, both of which cost around 20 cents per mile, and the Delaware Turnpike (I-95), which costs about 35 cents per mile.
>RHS Should Join Forces with Wikipedia Peter Coti RHS Student Wikipedia Editor
As we all know, Ridgewood High school is a top national school but it still lacks in many areas. One area it lacks in is the ability to integrate computers into classrooms. Some of the issues that have been raised is the cost of programs that could be integrated and the benefits it would have. I feel that in order for Ridgewood High School to remain progressive and prestigious it requires integration of the Wikipedia Ambassador program.
The Ambassador program has been used in schools such as Yale, NYU, and Columbia. If RHS were to partake in this program it would become the first high school in the world to join in and it would be on the same field as Ivy league colleges.
The program would also allow for new ways for students to learn. Wikipedia can help teach neutral point of view writing which is something that is not often taught to students even though it can be quite useful in certain professions. This neutral point of view aspect will also encourage critical thinking as they will need to boil a topic down to its bare basics to contribute to Wikipedia. The implementation of Wikipedia would also justify effort into a project as they will not simply have the satisfaction of a grade, their hard work will be visible to the millions of unique visitors of Wikipedia monthly.
The costs of running this program at RHS would be minimal. Already 140 “Welcome to Wikipedia” brochures are on standby nearby and already there are class materials published online for educations (https://outreach.wikimedia.org/wiki/Education/Materials_for_Teaching ). The only cost will be the hours it takes to orient teachers to the project and the basics of Wikipedia that they can then pass on to their students.
The combination of the low cost, and potentially high benefits leads me to believe that if we were to have an Ambassador program run from RHS it would be successful and a benefit to the school.
Assembly panel advances bill to extend length of developer permits
An Assembly panel Thursday advanced a controversial bill that would extend the shelf-life of permits granted for developments, allowing builders to avoid complying with newer environmental laws, building codes or local zoning.
The measure, approved 6-0 by the Assembly Housing and Local Government Committee, would also retroactively roll back restrictions on extending permits in areas previous labeled “environmentally sensitive,” reviving some expired permits.
Assemblyman Louis Greenwald (D-Camden) said the legislation, the third of its kind in three years, is needed so developers who had construction plans prior to the recession do not need to go through the expensive approval process again. (Baxter, The Star-Ledger)
