>Bill would expand “accountable” HealthCare in New Jersey
With 400-plus visits to Trenton area hospitals during 2010, Betty racked up some serious healthcare bills. She also wasn’t getting any healthier. And as a homeless drug addict with no income or insurance, the cost of her care — hundreds of thousands of dollars annually — fell largely to the public. (Stainton, NJ Spotlight)
https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/11/0313/2353/
>New Jersey Hospital Association opposed bill that would force non-profit hospitals to reveal finances
Bayonne Medical Center and Meadowlands Hospital in Secaucus are among the for-profit hospitals that would have to reveal financial information under proposed state legislation praised by labor leaders but opposed by a statewide hospital lobby. (McDonald, The Jersey Journal)
https://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/index.ssf?/base/news-5/1300083924161390.xml&coll=3
>Schools Development Authority (SDA) questions about how projects are picked
>the Village of Ridgewood : REGISTRATION Reguired for Landscapers and Landscaping Services
REGISTRATION Reguired for Landscapers and Landscaping Services
Registration is now in progress for Annual Landscapers permits – available at Village Hall, Monday to Friday from 8:30AM to 4:30PM.
Ordinance #2995 requirers all landscapers and businesses performing landscaping services in Ridgewood to be registered with the Village. Ordinance # 2995 is actively enforced. There will be no further warnings of this requirement
>Michigan bill would impose “financial martial law”
by Stephanie Condon
Michigan lawmakers are on the verge of approving a bill that would enable the governor to appoint “emergency managers” — officials with unilateral power to make sweeping changes to cities facing financial troubles.
Under the legislation, the Michigan Messenger reports, the governor could declare a “financial emergency” in towns or school districts. He could then appoint a manager to fire local elected officials, break contracts, seize and sell assets, eliminate services – and even eliminate whole cities or school districts without any public input.
The measure passed in the state Senate this week; the House passed its own version earlier. The two versions of the bill are expected to be reconciled next week, and Republican Gov. Rick
https://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20042299-503544.html
>The Donovan administration and Policemen Benevolent Association Local 49 representing the Bergen County Police Department have reached agreement on a revised contract which will result in millions of dollars in savings for taxpayers and avert police layoffs.
The revised contract replaces an 11th hour agreement executed by former County Executive Dennis McNerney on is last day in office. That agreement, which called for a whopping 9.79 percent salary increase in 2010 and provided for retroactive payment of those raises to January 1, 2010, was severely criticized by incoming County Executive Kathleen Donovan who promised to offset the significant additional costs by laying off as many as 25 County Police Officers.
Under the restructured agreement, County Police have agreed to replace the 9.79 percent increase and retroactivity provision with a new four year contract which averages 2.4 percent per year. In addition, the County Police have agreed to participate in the Direct Access Insurance Plan currently offered by the County and will contribute 1.5 percent towards health care benefits cost.
The County Police will dismiss any grievance or litigation that is pending relating to health care contributions. The revised contract will eliminate the necessity for the layoffs in 2011.
According to Ms. Donovan, “The County Police have negotiated a contract which reflects current standards, is fair and just for all concerned, and, most importantly, saves Bergen County taxpayers over 2 Million dollars. Unlike the McNerney “give-a-way”, this new contract provides appropriate cost of living increases without unduly impacting taxpayers.”
Local No. 49 President Vincent Sileo, said that the new contract protects a number of officers “who would have lost their jobs if the old contract had remained in place.” He said that “We negotiated in good faith with the Donovan administration and reached a just agreement which respects the needs of our members and County taxpayers.”
The agreement was unanimously ratified by the union members.
>Ridgewood Councilman Paul Aronsohn will be discussing the relationships between New Jersey political parties and the teachers, police, and firefighters unions.
Alan Steinberg to appear on News 12 New Jersey
NewJerseyNewsroom.com columnist will discuss politics along with Ridgewood Councilman Paul Aronsohn
NewJerseyNewsroom.com columnist Alan Steinberg is scheduled for a weekend appearance on “New Jersey Power and Politics” on News 12 New Jersey. The show is hosted by Jim McQueeny .
Appearing with Steinberg will be Ridgewood Councilman Paul Aronsohn. They will be discussing the relationships between New Jersey political parties and the teachers, police, and firefighters unions.
The show is broadcast on News 12 New Jersey this weekend at 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on both Saturday, March 12, 2011 and Sunday, March 13, 2011.
https://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/state/alan-steinberg-to-appear-on-news-12-new-jersey
>Robert Ellis of Ridgewood Dies After Early Morning Shootout With Police
NJ Man Dies After Early Morning Shootout With Police
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) – A New Jersey man was shot dead after a standoff with police at his parent’s residence early Saturday morning.
At 1:30 a.m., two Washington Township patrolmen arrived at 568 Jackson Road for a disturbance call. When the officers arrived at the scene, police said 48-year-old Robert Ellis of Ridgewood, N.J. opened fire in their direction.
The police returned fire resulting in the man’s death,according to a release from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office. Ellis was pronounced dead at the scene around 2 a.m.
https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/03/12/n-j-man-dies-after-early-morning-shootout-with-police/
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$4 Million, plenty of engineers and consultants, and look what we’re left with. How much will the cleanup cost?
>Parking utility loses a whopping $285,944 last year
the Staff of the Ridgewood blog
According to the Ridgewood News the Parking utility lost a whopping $285,944 last year significantly more than Graydon Pool leaving taxpayers to pickup the tab.
There is also still an outstanding bill of $395,000 which was used toward the purchase of the Town Garage property, a controversial project that was voted down by the council after a failed attempt to acquire the property through the use of eminent domain.
The property also have some environmental remediation issues that must be performed before the property can be used which may in turn raise the costs . These costs have not to our knowledge been quantified as of yet and often run far larger and initial estimates.
>Hope and Change: Gas Prices Have Gone Up 67 Percent Since Obama Became President
That’s compared to a 7 percent increase under Bush in his first 26 months.
6:00 PM, MAR 9, 2011 BY MARK HEMINGWAY
Ah, January of 2009. Hope was in the air, but more importantly, gas was under two dollars a gallon. Since then gas prices, have gone up 67 percent and it’s an ominously upward trend. Interestingly enough, the Heritage Foundation also took a look at the first 26 months of Bush’s presidency — gas only rose 7 percent during that time frame.
https://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/hope-and-change-gas-prices-have-gone-67-percent-obama-became-president_553930.html
>AOL Lays Off 20% Following Huffington Purchase
By VERNE G. KOPYTOFF
AOL said it would lay off 1,000 employees on Thursday in the wake of its acquisition of news and commentary site The Huffington Post.
The cuts, which represent 20 percent of AOL’s work force, also include reductions in its operations in India.
https://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/10/aol-layoffs-continue/?partner=rss&emc=rss
>Illinois Governor Signs Amazon Internet Sales Tax Law
After two-months of fence-sitting, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn today signed controversial legislation requiring Internet retailers like Amazon.com and Overstock.com to collect Illinois’ 6.25% sales tax if they have affiliate sellers in the state. House Bill 3659, the Mainstreet Fairness Bill, was passed by the state’s lame duck legislature in early January. Since then, the bill has been the subject of fierce lobbying by traditional bricks and mortar retailers, who supported it, and Illinois-based Internet-only businesses, who warned that if Quinn didn’t veto it some of them would flee the state. Had Quinn done nothing, the bill would have become law tomorrow without his signature.
>PSE&G utility pole-attached solar project : Another feel-good waste of money.
I notice that nowhere in the post is it stated the amount of energy that these solar panels will produce. Nor is there a cost analysis of when they will reach break even. Nor is there any disclosure on projected maintenance costs including breakage, wear, life (replacement expectations),cleaning (I’m sure a cleaning program will be initiated as soon as energy level drops are tied to efficiency losses due to dirt, bird droppings/nests, tree growth, etc.)
Again, what a feel good waste of money that could be put towards more cost efficient energy production from Natural Gas, Clean Coal, Oil or Nuclear.
>A wake-up call for gadget lovers; Text, tweets robbing us of needed sleep, study finds
By Mary Jo Layton The Record (Hackensack N.J.)
HACKENSACK, N.J. — Nearly two-thirds of Americans say they’re not getting enough sleep and late-night computer use, texting and video games are a significant part of the problem, according to a national survey released Monday.
Virtually all of Americans surveyed in the Sleep in America poll reported “very active” use of technology at least a few nights a week within an hour of bed.
“It is clear that we have a lot more to learn about the appropriate use and design of this technology to complement good sleep habits,” said David Cloud, CEO of the National Sleep Foundation, which conducted the survey.
More than half of kids ages 13 to 18 text an hour before bed most nights and this group reports being the sleepiest of all, the survey found.
On average they report seven hours and 26 minutes of sleep a night on weeknights, nearly two hours shy of the nine hours and 15 minutes recommended by sleep experts.
It’s a familiar story to Dr. Tracy Carbone, a sleep expert at The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, N.J., who treats a growing number of adolescents for sleep disorders which are affecting school performance, driving ability and moods and mental health.
