Ridgewood NJ, Pierre & Michel Bakery, the “authentic french bakery” in Elmwood Park, is opening another location in Ridgewood.The chef graduated pastry school at Ecole de Boulangerie et Patisserie in Paris plus trained at Lenotre – the French culinary brand including restaurants, catering and cooking schools.The bakery currently offers traditional pastries, cakes, macarons, breads (brioche, baguettes) and more. No word yet on an opening date.
On June 15th they celebrated their two year anniversary on rout 4 in Elmwood Park.
Pierre & Michel is a family owned Authentic French Bakery a craft passed on from father to son, focusing on the traditional taste and methods of old world Paris. Graduating from french pastry school Ecole de Boulangerie et Patisserie in Paris, our chef has trained in all kinds of pastries, petit gateau, chocolates, artisanal breads, and other specialties including Macarons, where he trained at the famous french house LeNotre.
Our chef has also achieved success in wedding cakes working under MOF Jean Michel Perruchon president of the school at Bellouet Conseil Paris. His resume also includes the 4 star Hotel Concorde Lafayette and Maison Privat Boulangerie Patisserie.
The Ridgewood spot is similar in size to that in Elmwood Park. It will seat 25 customers. Pierre & Michel is located at 95 Broadway in Elmwood Park (201-300-6580). The second location will be at 38 E. Ridgewood Ave., frenchbakerynj.com/ .
Christian Barranco, of Pompton Lakes, is a union electrician and the Labor Liaison to the New Jersey Organization for Economic Growth, a Wayne-based political action group supporting economic growth.
Trenton NJ, Democrats in the New Jersey Legislature recently introduced and moved through committee a bill to end the abusive practice that allows public-sector workers to bank unused sick days. The bill is bitterly opposed by public-sector unions. But we think the fight is worth it. If legislators show an uncommon amount of courage, New Jersey taxpayers can rid themselves of this absurd fiscal burden and bring public-sector workers in line with everyday working people.
As a union member, I can say with authority that no worker in the private-sector trades in New Jersey gets to bank unused sick days and vacation days and walk away at retirement with a five- or six-figure lottery check. Most private-sector trade unionists don’t even get sick days or vacation days at all. In our professions, if you don’t go to work you don’t get paid, period. And most private sector workers must either use their sick days and vacation days or they lose them; they’re not a supplement retirement fund and should never have been allowed to be used as one by the public sector. But decades of limp leadership in Trenton from both Democrats and Republicans allowed the practice to get to absurd heights — or from the taxpayer’s standpoint — ridiculous lows, forcing some towns to even borrow money to pay off retiring employee: ABSURD!
According to one report in NJ Spotlight, Jersey City public workers had amassed $116 million in banked days last year — and when the former police chief retired, he was due $512,000 in unused day. Newark owes its public workers $52.5 million. The County of Passaic, according to one filing, owes approximately $76 million in unused sick and vacation days to its employees.
Think of the things that could be done with that money, starting with property tax relief. Roads and bridges could be rebuilt, or parks upgraded for all of us to enjoy if we had a conscientious and responsible government.
Teacher union leaders are aghast
The teachers union leaders — who mistakenly believe that they are part of the larger labor movement — are aghast that the Democrats would betray them and take away their cherished perk. It is arrogance that makes them feel that way. It’s long past time when the system was corrected to protect private-sector workers who pay the indefensible perks granted to public-sector employees.
The teachers complain that the perks are necessary to make up for a lack of raises. Nonsense. If public employees in general think they are so underpaid that they need to game the system to get compensated for unused sick and vacation days, they can always jump to the private sector and see how the rest of us live.
Under the proposed legislation, every public employee would be able to keep whatever amounts they have earned up to the effective date of the law. Those who had already saved at least $7,500 would earn no more. Those who have not, and new hires, would be able to bank up to $7,500 in sick time, but most would not be paid for it. Instead, individuals could use the value of their accumulated sick time to pay for either health insurance premiums or co-pays over the first five years after retirement. Only veterans could receive a cash payment for future unused days.
The legislation is not ideal, but it is far better than anything Republicans have come up with and far more courageous than Democrats ever dared to be — until now.
We know the proposal is in part a retaliation against the notorious NJEA teachers union for funding a campaign against Sen. Steve Sweeney last fall. Regardless of the motivation, the objective is a worthy one. If the NJEA is going to be corrected for its abuses of influence, and it helps the average taxpayer, that’s great news. Motivations for the legislation are not the issue, the results are. If homeowners and small business owners are no longer forced to fund expensive going-away presents for retiring public employees, that’s a good thing.
It will be interesting to see which lawmakers cave in to the NJEA pressure. Look for the weak-willed lawmakers who are in office only to keep collecting a paycheck to either appease the public-sector union bosses or sneak into a corner and hide. Those that do, should be held accountable next year when the state Assembly members will face re-election. Let’s keep an eye on who votes for the taxpayers and who caves into the abusive deals with the NJEA.
Ridgewood NJ, The NJ TRANSIT Board of Directors today approved a financing agreement with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) which provides up to $600 million toward the construction of a new Portal Bridge. The commitment solidifies New Jersey’s local share of the project cost.
“We’re not going to kick the can down the road any longer,” said Department of Transportation Commissioner and NJ TRANSIT Board Chair Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti. “The time is long overdue for a new Portal Bridge, which is the foundation of many commuter frustrations. The taxpayers of New Jersey deserve a transportation system which will drive the economy and reliably get them to jobs, schools, and recreation.”
“This funding is proof that Governor Murphy, NJ TRANSIT and the State of New Jersey are firmly committed to advancing this vital transportation infrastructure project,” said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Kevin Corbett. “A better tomorrow for NJ TRANSIT starts today. Our customers have suffered far too long from the outdated, unreliable Portal Bridge. A new bridge can’t wait any longer.”
The resolution approved by the NJ TRANSIT Board of Directors authorizes the Executive Director in consultation with the Board Chair to execute and deliver the funding agreement with the NJEDA. The EDA will issue up to $600 million in bonds which will be paid back over a 30-year term from the state Transportation Trust Fund (TTF). This same funding structure was utilized in 1999 for the construction of the River LINE light rail system.
BACKGROUND
The existing Portal Bridge, built in 1910, is a two-track, railroad swing-type drawbridge that spans the Hackensack River in New Jersey. The project will replace the existing two-track Portal Bridge with a new two-track fixed structure that will be approximately 2.33 miles long and will have a clearance that accommodates current and forecasted maritime traffic, which will eliminate the need for a moveable span that interrupts rail operations and results in delays due to mechanical failures. When built, the new Portal North Bridge will allow for a 10 percent increase in peak hour passenger capacity.
On July 14, 2016, NJ TRANSIT entered into the Project Development phase of the FTA’s Capital Investment Grant (CIG) program. The Preliminary Design Phase for construction of the new Portal North Bridge is complete and a Record of Decision was received from the FTA in July 2017. Early Work construction, including utility relocation and Right of Way acquisition is underway. NJ TRANSIT is the project sponsor for the new Portal North Bridge project.
In September 2017, NJ TRANSIT applied for CIG funding that, if approved by the FTA and received by NJ TRANSIT, would cover a share of all project costs. The board actions by NJ TRANSIT and NJEDA will support the application for CIG funds to move forward with an improved rating.
The new Portal North Bridge is fully designed and fully permitted.
(Kevin J. Rooney, a Republican, is an Assemblyman representing parts of Bergen, Essex, Morris and Passaic counties in the 40th Legislative District.)
Ridgewood NJ, A Monmouth University poll recently found the unsurprising fact that New Jerseyans are more concerned about their nation-high property taxes than any other issue in the state. The second biggest concern is all the other taxes we have to pay.
Yet, our governor has presented a budget that intends to raise taxes by $1.7 billion, with over $729 million of that tax hike being forced on the low- and middle-class by increasing the sales tax and expanding it to Uber, Lyft, AirBNB and online shoppers.
In the meantime, his budget reduces overall property tax relief by keeping state aid from municipalities and cutting rebates for low-income families, seniors and the disabled in half. But don’t worry taxpayers; the money Gov. Phil Murphy is cutting from property tax relief will be going toward raises for the public unions who got him elected.
For decades the number one issue in New Jersey has been our incredibly high property taxes. So lowering property taxes should be his number one priority.
But it’s not.
Instead, Murphy talks out of both sides of his mouth. First he talks about the state’s budget problems then proposes spending that costs a billion dollars more than his misguided tax hikes. His plan to prop-up his budget is no different than the past governors he criticizes for passing on this mess.
The plan will divert half of the money from an environmental settlement with ExxonMobil to prop-up his budget, in direct contradiction to his campaign promise to use environmental money for environmental purposes. Those New Jersey values he likes to talk about aren’t reflected, because Murphy is not only breaking a promise, he is blatantly disregarding the will of the voters who elected him. Those same voters constitutionally dedicated environmental money for environmental purposes just last year.
Murphy will also use money the state received from a settlement with Volkswagen to prop-up his budget, and he raided affordable housing funds so towns with court-ordered obligations have to put the entire cost burden on property tax payers who are unwillingly being forced to build housing that is not wanted or needed.
Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver made it clear what the problem is while addressing the Assembly Budget Committee. She said the governor “probably had no idea” as a candidate last year just how bad the state’s budget problems really are.
He seems fine with having no idea of what the state’s budget problems are. New Jersey has been cited as being in the worst fiscal condition in the nation, with our state’s long-term finances having been referred to as “dire.” While we can’t pay for all of the programs we have now, Murphy is piling on with new unaffordable programs.
In addition to free community college, universal pre-K, financial aid for unauthorized immigrants and salary increases for his cabinet officials; Murphy has recently proposed giving science, technology, engineering and math employees, but nobody else, student debt relief. The employers will even be required to match whatever amount the state reimburses.
All of these extravagant programs are well intended, but they are very irresponsible and clearly show that his attention is on an unrealistic New Jersey utopia rather than a state in dire straits whose residents just want somebody to lower their property taxes.
Murphy and his Democrat colleagues have even become somewhat hypocritical about property taxes.
While continually complaining about the federal government capping property tax deductions at $10,000, Democrats ignore that the cap was modeled on what New Jersey already does.
The common-sense response is to eliminate New Jersey’s own $10,000 cap to help residents who get hit by the new federal cap. That would provide immediate property tax relief for our residents. Unfortunately, that idea has been voted down four times by Democrats, who have controlled the legislature since 2001.
In its place is a superficial scheme to create government charities that would give tax credits for contributions. The scheme won’t work because the IRS has to recognize a charitable organization before it becomes legitimate. That is a hard sell when there is no real charitable intent and a public campaign parading this plan as an escape from federal tax policy.
In fact, the IRS has already given notice to states that the scheme won’t work. So Murphy will just entangle the state in another costly lawsuit — there are 30 –against the federal government on the taxpayer’s dime.
Murphy is out of tune with state taxpayers. He is redirecting funds against the public will and using the same gimmicks that he claims got the state in this mess in the first place. And with three weeks left to sign a balanced budget, he still plans to raise taxes and spending and provide less relief.
North Jersey media attempts to put the bill on Mayor Knudsen implying “A dispute over civil service law, which became a driving issue during this year’s council race, has cost village taxpayers $1,377 in legal fees.”, omitting the suit was brought by the usual list of suspects and encouraged by the erroneous reporting by North Jersey Media . In many people eyes the residents who pushed the bogus legal action should be held accountable for the bill of $1377.
North Jersey Media even turned to Councilman Jeffrey Voigt a dubious source at best , who “said he felt the statements affected the election, but added that he is more concerned that Knudsen used “town money to defend herself.” . Voigt is the same councilmen that sues residents who OPRA his council correspondences.
North Jersey Media once gain ignored the fact that New Jersey is a civil service state and Ridgewood is a civil service town . The civil service rules and regulations control the hiring practices of the Village of Ridgewood.
North Jersey Media has also refused to retract earlier reports that misstated hiring practices of the Village. and now they go as far as to misstate Village Attorney Matt Rogers report on a memo written by Labor Attorney Dominick Bratti that clearly put the issue to bed.
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Police report multiply incidence of identity theft in the Village. On May 29th, an Eastside Avenue resident responded to Ridgewood Police headquarters to report identity theft. The victim reported an unknown person opened two retail store credit card accounts utilizing his personal information in Syracuse, N.Y. and Hawthorne, N.Y. without his authorization. Both retail stores contacted the victim and they were advised the accounts were fraudulent and both accounts were closed. The victim was then provided an identity theft information fact sheet and advised to monitor his accounts.
On May 29th, a Heights Road resident responded to Ridgewood Police headquarters to report a fraud in the past. The victim reported an unknown person purchased an Apple iPhone and added a new line to his account without authorization. The victim reported Verizon was able to cancel the purchase before it was shipped to a location in Philadelphia, Pa. The victim reported he has been a victim of several identity thefts in the past and he will continue to monitor his accounts.
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood blog picked this up off a Facebook group “it takes a Ridgewood Village” ,the author Anne LaGrange Loving gives the latest on her dog walking experience , “So here is a new one (to me). I was walking my elderly dog very early this morning and up ahead I saw a woman walking a dog. He pooped, she stopped to bag it, and then she left the bag full of poop there on the grass. What? I could not believe it. I continued walking, but she was getting further ahead because my old dog is pretty slow and we cannot cover much ground at all. But lo and behold, several houses later I saw the same thing happen, bag of poop left behind again. Besides being extraordinarily rude (and I believe against local law), it struck me as really weird that she would bother to bag it if she was not going to take it. Shaking my head.”
WASHINGTON DC, The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today that federal disaster assistance has been made available to the state of New Jersey to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe winter storm and snowstorm from March 6-8, 2018.
Federal funding is available to the state, tribal, and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by severe winter storm and snowstorm in the counties of Bergen, Essex, Morris, Passaic and Somerset.
In addition, federal funding is available to the state, tribal, and eligible local governments on a cost-sharing basis for snow assistance for a continuous 48-hour period during or proximate to the incident period in the counties of Bergen and Morris.
Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures throughout the state.
Lai Sun Yee has been named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. Lai Sun Yee said additional designations may be made at a later date if warranted by the results of further damage assessments.
# # #
FEDERAL AID PROGRAMS FOR THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY
Following is a summary of key federal disaster aid programs that can be made available as needed and warranted under President Donald J. Trump’s disaster declaration issued for the state of New Jersey.
Assistance for State, Tribal, and Affected Local Governments Can Include as Required:
· Payment of not less than 75 percent of the eligible costs for emergency protective measures taken to save lives and protect property and public health. Emergency protective measures assistance is available to state, tribal, and eligible local governments on a cost-sharing basis. (Source: FEMA funded, state administered.)
· Payment of not less than 75 percent of the eligible costs for repairing or replacing damaged public facilities, such as roads, bridges, utilities, buildings, schools, recreational areas, and similar publicly owned property, as well as certain private non-profit organizations engaged in community service activities. (Source: FEMA funded, state administered.)
· Payment of not more than 75 percent of the approved costs for hazard mitigation projects undertaken by state, tribal, and local governments to prevent or reduce long-term risk to life and property from natural or technological disasters. (Source: FEMA funded, state administered.)
How to Apply for Assistance:
Application procedures for state, tribal, and local governments will be explained at a series of applicant briefings with locations to be announced in the affected area by recovery officials. Approved public repair projects are paid through the state from funding provided by FEMA and other participating federal agencies.
FEMA’s mission is helping people before, during, and after disasters.
Follow FEMA online at www.fema.gov/blog, www.twitter.com/fema, www.twitter.com/femaspox, www.facebook.com/fema and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Brock Long’s activities at www.twitter.com/fema_brock.
The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.
Ridgewood NJ, the group Fair Property Taxes for All New Jersey asks ,Have you attended your local school district’s finance meetings or reviewed your board of education’s budget for next year? If not, you may want to pay closer attention. On average, the largest portion of your property tax bill goes toward educational costs, meaning that your local school districts play a significant role in the amount of property taxes you pay annually.
In 2017, per student spending in NJ averaged $20,385 (14 of the most expensive school districts exceeded $30,000 p/p): fairpropertytaxesforallnewjersey.com
Ridgewood NJ, Parker Scott homered in the fourth inning for Ridgewood in its 4-2 loss to Westfield in an NJSIAA Group 4 baseball semifinal at Northern Valley at Demarest on Tuesday,
Tuesday’s 4-2 setback to Westfield at NV/Demarest ended the season for Ridgewood Baseball .Like last season the team lost in the NJSIAA Group 4 baseball semifinals.
How is the Ridgewood policy different from Paramus?
Could we hire a 77 yr. old man who had multiple infractions and suspensions??
Paramus was dup’d by the system, they never would have hired the driver if they had known his record.
Additionally, at what age is it too old to drive a school bus ?…..that is a hard question to answer, but should be looked at.
Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Police Department is pleased to announce the 5th annual Chief Michael Feeney, Jr. Police Academy scheduled from Friday June 22nd through Friday June 29th 2018, at Benjamin Franklin Middle School. The Academy is open to Ridgewood residents entering 5th 6th and 7th grades in the fall of 2018.
Last year’s academy featured demonstrations from The Ridgewood Police Department, Bergen County Sheriff’s Department K-9 and Bomb Squad, Police Motorcycles, Ridgewood Emergency Services, FBI, Ridgewood Fire Department, State Police Helicopter landing, Tactical driving, as well as demonstrations from various other agencies. A field trip to the Bergen County Law and Public Safety Complex in Mahwah is also scheduled.
Ridgewood NJ, today May 30th kicks off the online sign-up for Ridgewood Walks “STEP INTO SUMMER!” Walking Tours! Visit www.ridgewoodwalks.com to start selecting your guided-themed walking tours during the month of June. Visit often, as more tours are added regularly. Visit Facebook DAILY for updates.
Monmouth Poll – NEW JERSEY: State Rating Hits 38 Year Low as Quality of Life Views Ebb May 29, 2018 NEW JERSEY: STATE RATING HITS 38 YEAR LOW AS QUALITY OF LIFE VIEWS EBB Property taxes persist as public’s top concern
Ridgewood NJ, it seems while New Jersey residents major concern is high property taxes, yet they still voted for a candidate that promised to raise taxes. Residents are also happy with where they live yet feel that state wide the quality of life leaves much to be desired .
New Jerseyans’ views of their home state quality of life have dropped, due in part by a record low rating for the state as a place to live according to polling going back to 1980. The Monmouth University Poll finds that opinion of local communities has not dropped by as much, which has kept the Garden State Quality of Life Index score from completely tanking. The state issue that aggravates New Jerseyans the most is the highest-in-the-nation property tax burden, which has been at the top of the list of public grievances for the better part of a decade.
Currently, just over half of New Jersey residents say their state is either an excellent (15%) or good (39%) place to call home, while 29% rate it as only fair and 17% as poor. This 54% positive rating is statistically similar to the July 2015 result of 55% and the August 2011 result of 57%. However, it does mark a numerical low point for this metric in state opinion polls going back to 1980.
The top state concern mentioned by New Jerseyans is property taxes. Just under half (45%) name this issue as one of the most important facing the state right now. Those mentioning other taxes amount to 25% combined. Fewer residents mention education (16%), jobs (14%), the economy and cost of living in general (14%), transportation infrastructure (14%), or crime, guns, and drugs (12%) as being among the most pressing concerns facing New Jersey today. Property taxes have been the most common top-of-mind response to this question for at least ten years, with the only exception coming during the economic downturn when this concern shared the top spot with jobs in 2012 and was actually displaced by jobs as the number one issue in 2013.
“Unless you’ve had your head in the sand for the past ten years, you know that New Jersey’s onerous property tax burden is the single most cited reason for what ails the state. Trenton lawmakers have avoided tackling this problem for too long and we now see it eroding satisfaction with life in the Garden State as a whole. Given these results, it’s no surprise that more and more New Jerseyans are choosing to vote with their feet by simply moving out of the state,” said Patrick Murray, director of the independent Monmouth University Polling Institute.
Monmouth’s exclusive Garden State Quality of Life Index score now stands at +18, which is down from +25 in July 2017 and matches prior lows of +18 in July 2015 and September 2014. Over the past eight years, this index has ranged from the current low of +18 to a high of +31 (April 2012). Half of the index score comes from residents’ overall rating of the state as a place to live and the remaining half comes from four questions that ask residents to evaluate the quality of life in their local communities.
The quality of life index score took its biggest hit in the central part of the state, going from +35 last year to +18 currently in the Northern Shore (Monmouth, Ocean) and from +34 last year to +18 currently in the Route 1 Corridor (Mercer, Middlesex, Union). The affluent Central Hills area (Hunterdon, Morris, Somerset) retains the highest score at +34 (basically unchanged from +33 last year), while the Urban Core (Essex, Hudson) has the lowest at +8 (down from +18 last year).
“Even though New Jerseyans are starting to sour on the state as whole, views of their local communities remain more positive. This sentiment may help to keep people here for the time being but it doesn’t overcome the more fundamental statewide problems,” said Murray.
Just over 7-in-10 New Jerseyans rate their own town or city as an excellent (30%) or good (41%) place to live, with 20% rating it as only fair and 9% as poor. The current 71% positive rating is down from the numerical high of 77% recorded last year, but it is still in the mid-range of results for this question going back to polling since 1977. The percentage of Garden State residents who currently say they feel very safe in their own neighborhoods at night (65%) is also down from last year’s numerical high of 71%, but remains well above the all-time low of 42% recorded back in 1993.
The current poll registers relatively high ratings for local environmental quality at 73% positive – 29% excellent and 44% good, which is just slightly off last year’s mark of 76%. Ratings for the job local schools are doing stands at 60% positive – 24% excellent and 36% good – which is down from 65% in 2017, but is still within the normal range for this question’s results over the past decade.
The Garden State Quality of Life Index was created by the Monmouth University Polling Institute to serve as a resident-based indicator of the quality of life offered by the state of New Jersey. The index is based on five separate poll questions: overall opinion of the state as a place to live – which contributes half the index score – and ratings of one’s hometown, the performance of local schools, the quality of the local environment, and feelings of safety in one’s own neighborhood. The index can potentially range from -100 to +100.
Ridgewood NJ, A 15-month old girl was trapped in her car seat for over one (1) hour after live electric wires fell on her parent’s parked SUV when tree limb broke off and fell to the ground. The incident occurred in front of 112 Oak Street, Ridgewood late Friday afternoon, 05/25. The unharmed girl was safely removed from the vehicle and reunited with her parents after a PSE&G technician cut power to the area. Ridgewood Police, Fire Department, Emergency Services, and OEM personnel responded to the incident.
Ridgewood Police reported that power to the east side of town would be restored by 8:00pm. PSE&G was clearing wires from a tree that fell in front of the YMCA on Oak Street.
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