Unlike Ridgewood Sandy formed bond between Texas lineman, North Caldwell Mayor Joseph Alessi
NORTH CALDWELL — A northern New Jersey town’s borough hall is boasting a Texas flag and a Texas-based lineman is getting a shipment of saltwater taffy thanks to a bond forged during the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.
North Caldwell Mayor Joseph Alessi put up the big flat, a gift from Jason Beard, a lineman from Houston who came to New Jersey to help with emergency repairs after Sandy. (The Associated Press)
45 Pounds of Honey Harvested from The Valley Hospital’s Honeybee Hives in Paramus
The Valley Hospital hosted a demonstration of the honey harvesting process on Tuesday, September 24.
To see all the photographs from the event, please visit Valley’s Facebook page at Facebook.com/ValleyHospital.
The Valley Hospital has harvested the first batch of honey from the honey bee hives located on the roof of the hospital’s Luckow Pavilion in Paramus. About 45 pounds of golden honey were harvested from the hives. This first batch will be offered to employees and used by Valley Dining.
The honeybees arrived at Valley’s Luckow Pavilion on May 14. Valley was the first hospital in New Jersey to have rooftop hives installed as part of a growing trend in urban and suburban beekeeping. Other locations with rooftop hives include the Hyatt Regency in Jersey City and other hotels, supermarkets, and residences.
Beekeeping may sound like an odd endeavor for a hospital to become involved with but it is actually a natural extension of Valley’s other efforts to “go green” and support locally produced food. In 2010 Valley signed the Healthy Food in Health Care Pledge, which calls for hospitals to use more locally grown food, work with vendors to obtain products free of pesticides and hormones, purchase more organic foods, educate the community about nutritious and ‘’socially just” foods, minimize or reuse food waste, use ecologically protective food packaging and support humane agriculture systems. Initiatives to date conducted in support of the pledge include buying local produce from Catalpa Ridge farm in Sussex County, the hospital’s commitment to buying cage-free eggs, promoting “Meatless Monday” and a partnership with the community supported agriculture program offered by Hesperides Organica, a farm in Warwick, N.Y.
“We have always been big supporters of locally produced food and what could be more local that producing your own honey?” said Dawn Cascio, Director of Food and Nutrition Services for Valley Dining. “We also like the idea of supporting the declining honey bee population while enhancing our community’s gardens, foliage, and trees.”
In fact, Paramus’ newest residents will help pollinate a 2-mile radius around the Luckow Pavilion, increasing the yield of flowers, fruits and vegetables over an 8,700-acre area.
Concerned about their sting? Not to worry. “Honeybees are very docile and rarely sting except by accident or in defense of a beehive, because use of its stinger is lethal to a honeybee,” said Eric Hanan, Co-Founder of Bee Bold Apiaries, which supplied and will maintain the honeybee hives for Valley. “Honeybees are not aggressive and are not interested in us or our backyard barbecues or drinks.”
“The New Jersey Department of Agriculture promotes and encourages urban bee keeping,” Cascio said. “We want to do all we can to be as “green” as possible to the environment.”
Media Contact: The Department of Communications & Marketing, 201-291-6330
Readers debate if the Planning Board made up its mind in favor of Valley or not ?
Unfortunately the Board has already made up its mind in favor of Valley and Valley knows this. They have to go through the process again as part of the settlement of the lawsuit brought by the CRR. Remember the CRR sued the Planning Board for not following proper procedure last time which would explain why Valley has gotten its way at every turn this time.
Sad but true but Valley has bullied and bribed its way to get this far and the Planning Board is squarely in Valley’s camp. Next step is the rubber stamp from their former VP – Councilwoman Hauck. Time to start putting some real pressure on her to recuse or the bulldozers will roll.
or…….
Actually, the Board has to go through the process again because in 2010 the Village Council unanimously voted down Valley’s bid to double in size. Valley is now addressing the points brought up by the Council at that time. The trouble is, Valley hasn’t made significant changes, although the numbers have been sliced and diced to give the appearance of something they’re not. Bottom line: Valley Hospital still wants to double in size (starting almost from scratch) in a residential neighborhood of single-family homes, three schools, and two major playing fields.
****It might be true that the PB has already made up its mind. But I believe we can change minds through our strength in numbers. And we do outnumber the folks who actually, ludicrously, think the expansion might be a good thing.
Are Anti-Bullying Programs Having An Opposite Effect?
October 8, 2013 10:00 PM
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) – A lot of schools spend countless hours trying to stop bullying. But some question if they are sending the right message.
It started as a simple look at bullying. University of Texas at Arlington criminologist Seokjin Jeong analyzed data collected from 7,000 students from all 50 states.
He thought the results would be predictable and would show that anti-bullying programs curb bullying. Instead — he found the opposite.
Jeong said it was, “A very disappointing and a very surprising thing. Our anti-bullying programs, either intervention or prevention does not work.”
The study concluded that students at schools with anti-bullying programs might actually be more likely to become a victim of bullying. It also found that students at schools with no bullying programs were less likely to become victims.
Christie calls for school vouchers at Orthodox Jewish gathering in Teaneck
Sunday, October 6, 2013 Last updated: Sunday October 6, 2013, 11:20 PM
BY KATHLEEN LYNN
STAFF WRITER
The Record
TEANECK — Governor Christie made a pitch Sunday for school vouchers — which he tried unsuccessfully to get through the Legislature — to an Orthodox Jewish group concerned about the cost of private religious schools.
Speaking at the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center’s second annual legislative breakfast in Teaneck, Christie didn’t specifically focus on religious education, but said the state has 200 failing schools — which he called “failure factories” — and argued that children in those districts deserve the chance for a better education.
More than 500 people turned out to hear Christie, who is running for reelection in November against Democratic state Sen. Barbara Buono.
The Orthodox advocacy group is trying to get public aid for families struggling with the cost of religious schools. Affording a Jewish education is “the No. 1 kitchen-table issue in our community,” Josh Pruzansky, regional director of Orthodox Union Advocacy, said Sunday before introducing Christie at Congregation Keter Torah
YWCA School Vacation Program – October 14 Children K to 6 Grade
YWCA’s October Vacation Day Program Includes Trip to Lentini Farm The YWCA Bergen County is offering its Vacation Day program for children in grades K-6 on October 14, 2013. Kids will enjoy a trip to Lentini’s Farm in Newton, NJ. Day’s events will include a corn maze, hay maze, hay ride, apple cider, pumpkins, tire crawl and petting zoo, supervised by YWCA’s trained child care staff. Event is open to families already enrolled in YWCA Before & After School Programs as well as to those who are not.
The YWCA Vacation Day program provides full day care from 7:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on designated school holidays. Based at the YWCA’s 112 Oak Street, Ridgewood facility, the program is supervised by the YWCA’s trained child care staff. The fee is $55 per child per day for families that are currently participating in YWCA Before or After School programs, and $75 for non-participating families. Advance registration is required. To register call 201-444-5600, ext. 352 or visit www.ywcabergencounty.org for details and registration forms. YWCA Before and After School Programs are offered at schools in seven Bergen County districts: Allendale, Cresskill, Dumont, Old Tappan, Oradell, Ridgewood, and Westwood. An after kindergarten program is available in Oradell. All programs are licensed by the State of New Jersey, Department of Children & Families.
$175 premium for a young, healthy student? Thanks, Obamacare!
By ASHE SCHOW | OCTOBER 3, 2013 AT 5:27 PM
Topics: Beltway Confidential Obamacare The Washington Post Health Care
American media outlets were finally able to track down a mythical creature — a person who actually signed up for the Obamacare exchanges online.
But that person, Chad Henderson, admitted to the Washington Post that the premium for the plan he enrolled in was $175. Ouch! Wasn’t Obamacare supposed to lower premiums?
Henderson’s going to pay a $175 premium and he won’t even receive vision or dental insurance. He has contacts, so not having vision insurance is kind of a bum deal.
Henderson, as far as we know a healthy, 21-year-old college student at Chattanooga State Community College who lives in Flintstone, Ga., and works part-time at a day-care center, did not qualify for tax credits to purchase insurance, according to the Post.
Without Obamacare, Henderson could have received health insurance for as little as $44.72 on eHealthInsurance.com, according to Michael F. Cannon of the Cato Institute.
“I can’t yet say whether Chad’s $175 premium is the lowest-cost plan available to him through the Obamacare Exchange,” Cannon said. “[I’m in the process of researching that, and it’ll probably take a few hours.] But it’s probably close.”
Parent Presentation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Staying Safe in Cyberspace: K-12 Internet Safety
October 3,2013
Ridgewood Police Department
The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Computer Crimes Unit will be presenting an in-depth presentation on Internet Safety, hosted by the Ridgewood Public Schools on Wednesday, October 16 at 7:30 p.m. at Benjamin Franklin Middle School Auditorium. The presentation, entitled “Staying Safe in Cyberspace – Internet Safety for Parents,” is a comprehensive examination of today’s Internet and the dangers that lurk inside chat rooms, instant messages, e-mail and blogs.
This presentation is an integral function of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Computer Crimes Unit. Through education and outreach to the community, the Computer Crimes Unit hopes to raise parents’ awareness of online predators and the dangerous content that is only a mouse-click away from their child’s grasp.
Through their dynamic, intriguing and eye-opening presentation, complete with vivid graphics and streaming video clips, the Computer Crimes Detectives hope to educate parents about the seedier side of the Internet. The goals of this presentation are to discuss the basic functions of the Internet, to highlight current Internet trends and to illustrate the associated risks facing children of all ages. After what will be a shocking display of the dangers associated with online communication, they will turn to preventative measures and effective solutions to protect children, many of whom know more about computers than the average parent.
“The explosion of the Internet has proven to be most influential with the youngest of generations, namely our children,” said Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli. He continued, “Protecting them on the World Wide Web, a truly unregulated atmosphere, is a tremendous task that needs to begin at home, where children are indeed most vulnerable.”
With the advent of the Internet-ready home computer as a principal component of today’s household, the World Wide Web and all of its users are essentially invited into the privacy of every home in Bergen County. Parents seldom realize the depth and breadth of a limitless connection to the rest of the globe via a seemingly harmless Internet connection in their own living room. Yet, it is exactly that link which needs proper supervision to preserve the safety of children online.
The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Computer Crimes Unit, including the complementary Bergen County Computer Crimes Task Force, consists of Investigators from around the County and has the vast responsibility of deterring and detecting Internet crime. Many of their cases involve predators who target children through the Internet. To that end, Detectives who combat Internet crime have recognized that their approach must also include a strong education initiative involving parents and children who surf the Web. This proactive mechanism is in place in order to prevent children in Bergen County from stumbling into areas of the Internet where they can fall prey to an online predator.
Prosecutor John Molinelli and Chief Steven Cucciniello urge all parents and guardians to attend this Internet safety presentation. It is their hope that by having skilled, well-versed computer crimes Investigators, coupled with parents armed with a working knowledge of the Internet and its pitfalls, the children of this County are well-protected while exploring the World Wide Web.
For additional information about this event, please contact the office of the Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum of the Ridgewood Public Schools at 201-670-2700, ext. 10532 or [email protected]. For information about Internet Safety related issues, please contact Lt. Jason Love at [email protected] or Educational Outreach Coordinator D/Sergeant John DeVoe at [email protected].
Steve Lonegan’s Bold Colors
By Jeffrey Lord on 10.1.13 @ 6:09AM
Opposing Obamacare, NJ Senate nominee surges.
Is New Jersey’s Steve Lonegan the next Scott Brown?
A one-time sure-GOP-loser turned winner in a blue state special Senate election?
Made a winner over “sure-thing” Democrat and Newark Mayor Cory Booker by popular revulsion with ObamaCare? And a truly riveting personal story that is turning heads all over the state of New Jersey? (Here is Lonegan telling the story of his blindness that has captured so much attention.)
The question is suddenly being asked as a 35-point Booker lead in a September 11 Rutgers-Eagleton poll eroded by 9 points in just 12 days to a 26-point Booker lead in a September 23 Stockton College poll and has now been eaten away to an astonishing 12-point gap in this Quinnipiac poll released on September 24.
The headline in New Jersey.com?
Poll shows Booker vs. Lonegan race for U.S. Senate is tighter than expected
The story opens with this new information on the special election to replace the late Democratic Senator Frank Lautenberg:
A new poll on the U.S. Senate race suggests Cory Booker’s expected blowout over Steve Lonegan may not be in the bag.
What’s going on here? How does an “expected blowout” for a liberal shining star in an overwhelmingly blue state suddenly and so dramatically become “tighter than expected”?
Some New Jersey analysts are suggesting that Lonegan’s charges that Booker’s record on crime in Newark isn’t all Booker makes it out to be, that Booker is a “show-horse” celebrity candidate.
But what tracks with these polls is another factor altogether — and is in fact the exact same element that resulted in the upset victory of Republican Scott Brown in another special Senate election, that one to replace Democrat Ted Kennedy in Massachusetts. Notably, Lonegan is now doing better in the polls three weeks out than Brown was at the same point in his famous 2010 upset race against the supposedly unbeatable Democrat state attorney general Martha Coakley.
That same fact that the Brown and Lonegan elections appear to have increasingly in common?
Reason’s Nick Gillespie went to healthcare.gov this morning bright and early to check out the offerings for Obamacare. Here’s what he got: Early glitch or sign of things to come?
The Story Behind the Government Shutdown
10/01/2013
Much like the day after sequestration budget cuts kicked in, most people will wake up today to find that the country and their lives aren’t much different. All the fearful fretting over shutting down the government—which is reaching Y2K proportions in the media—is really a distraction.
Government funding isn’t the issue. It’s Obamacare.
The House has passed multiple bills that would fully fund government but would defund or delay Obamacare. The Senate has rejected these plans, and Obamacare’s health insurance exchanges are supposed to open today.
Never mind the fact that Congress and the Administration have already delayed major provisions of Obamacare and given special considerations to labor unions and Congress.
We believe the American people deserve an exemption from Obamacare.
The President and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) continue to go against the will of the public to protect an unworkable law that has raised individuals’ health care premiums, cut workers’ hours, made it more difficult to find a job, and has forced many Americans off their existing health coverage.
The real story isn’t the government shutdown, but rather the insistence by President Obama and Reid to foist Obamacare on the American people.
Congress is now haggling over delays to more parts of Obamacare, but the only way to protect Americans from this law’s sickening effects is to defund it.
While this debate plays out on Capitol Hill, essential government services will continue. Airports are still functioning, Social Security checks are still going out, and the military is still protecting us.
To President Obama and his allies, the government takeover of health care is an “essential” function that should move forward, despite deep disagreements about its effect on the nation. This debate isn’t over, nor should it be until the American people are protected from having their health care in the hands of government.
A government shutdown isn’t the end of the world, but an Obamacare shutdown would be a great beginning for real health care reform.
8 Things To Know About A Government Shutdown
by Adam Wollner
September 23, 2013 5:38 PM
An empty Senate meeting room, just outside the chamber, is seen Monday in Washington. Only a week remains for Congress to pass a funding bill to avoid a government shutdown.
In seven days, the federal government runs out of money.
While the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a resolution Friday that keeps the government funded through Dec. 15, the measure also defunded President Obama’s signature health care law — which means it has virtually no chance of passing the Democratic-controlled Senate.
If a budget resolution doesn’t hit President Obama’s desk before Oct. 1, that’s a big problem: The government will be forced to close its doors.
With that prospect looming, here are eight things you should know about the possible shutdown:
It won’t be the first time
Since a new budgeting process was put into place in 1976, the U.S. government has shut down 17 times. Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan each dealt with six shutdowns during their terms in office, lasting anywhere from one day to 2 1/2 weeks.
The last actual shutdown came in 1996 — though the government came close during budget negotiations in 2011.
The last shutdown lasted three weeks
The three-week shutdown that lasted from Dec. 16, 1995, to Jan. 6, 1996, ranks as the longest in U.S. history. As a result, about 284,000 federal workers were furloughed, and around 475,000 essential employees went without a paycheck, although they were eventually reimbursed.
They weren’t the only ones inconvenienced. Some benefits for military veterans were delayed, and cleanup at more than 600 toxic waste sites was stopped. The government also shut down for six days in mid-November 1995, initially resulting in the furlough of 800,000 federal employees. The Congressional Research Service reported the shutdowns cost taxpayers a combined $1.4 billion.
Only the “essentials”
Only federal employees deemed “essential” would continue to come to work during a shutdown. Employees who qualify as essential include those involved in national security, protecting life and property and providing benefit payments.
House Republicans say Dems trying to run out clock on government shutdown
By Julian Pecquet and Molly K. Hooper – 09/29/13 04:22 PM E
Trading in colorful metaphors just hours after sending a spending bill to the Senate, the conservative group, led by Republican Conference Chairwoman Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-Wash.), accused Democrats of refusing to negotiate. The Senate and President Obama have vowed to reject the Republican’s effort to delay the president’s healthcare law by one year.
Washington’s shutdown blame game is already in full force – and the government isn’t even closed yet.
About 20 House Republicans gathered on the steps of the United States Senate on Sunday afternoon, a time usually reserved in the city for watching the Redskins. Instead, tourists gathered to watch Republican after Republican demanding that the Senate come back in session, accusing the Democratic controlled chamber of being “lazy” and Majority Leader Harry Reid of taking his ball and going home rather than negotiating with GOP leadership over the weekend.
Boehner Attacks Senate ‘Arrogance’ as Deadline Approaches
WASHINGTON–House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) issued a statement blasting Democrats for not reconvening the Senate sooner, in the latest round of recriminations over a rapidly approaching government shutdown.
ABC’s Jonathan Karl: ‘Chances of a Government Shutdown at 99.9%’
ABC is reporting that it is now almost certain Congress and the White House will not reach an agreement to avoid a government shutdown.
On Sunday’s This Week, ABC’s chief White House correspondent Jonathan Karl said, “I would now put the chances of a government shutdown at 99.9 percent”
Wall Street braces for volatility as shutdown seems likely
By Ryan Vlastelica | Reuters – 14 hours ago
By Ryan Vlastelica
NEW YORK (Reuters) – As a last-minute deal to resolve spending negotiations in Washington appeared less likely, U.S. stock investors braced for what had previously seemed remote: a shutdown of the U.S. government that could spark a major equity decline.
2nd Annual CAREing Hearts Walk for CAH
Benefits CARES Foundation
CARES Foundation, a national organization supporting those affected by the genetic disorder Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH), will hold its 2nd Annual CAREing Hearts Walk for CAH on September 28, 2013, in Ridgewood, NJ. Patients, health professionals, families and friends will gather at Wild Duck Pond Park for the 3 mile walk. The Walk will also include a Kids Fun Run and other activities for children. Registration starts at 9am and the Walk kicks-off at 10am. There will be music and raffle prizes too, including the chance to win an Ipad Mini. To register or for more information , visit our website at www.caresfoundation.org. click the following link: https://caresfoundation.kintera.org/NJWalk2013. Those who prefer not to walk can support the event by making donations and spreading awareness. More details are available on our website. This year’s sponsors include Capital One Bank, AFN USA, Almeida & Hudak Contractors, DaSilva Family, Gofman Family, LB Industries, and Raffuel Surety.
Proceeds from the event will benefit CARES’ programs including patient and medical education, research, centers of excellence, EMS protocols for adrenal insufficiency and other programs to benefit the CAH community. CARES Foundation, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization is the only US organization that raises awareness, funds research and provides support for families affected by Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH), a life threatening adrenal disorder. CAH is a family of genetic disorders affecting the adrenal glands. In the severe form, it can lead to shock, cardiac arrest and death in newborns and emergency situations. The non-classical, milder form of CAH affects 1 in 27 to 1 in 1000 in the general population and can seriously affect quality of life, cause growth and pubertal problems in children, infertility in adults, and other long-term symptoms such as anxiety and depression. For more information on CAH, please visit: www.caresfoundation.org. CARES Foundation 2414 Morris Avenue, Suite 110 Union, NJ 0783 Telephone: 908-364-0272 or toll-free 866-227-3737 Fax: 908-686-2019 https://www.caresfoundation.org
‘A big act’: Newark mayor’s ‘urban legends’
By Michael Gartland
September 21, 2013 | 8:06pm
Gunshots rang out between the red-brick apartment buildings at Pilgrim Village, and Newark Mayor Cory Booker ran to the noise. When Wazn Miller — the 19-year-old who was shot and bleeding — fell, Booker was there to catch him.
It was April 19, 2004. Just another day in Newark.
“It seemed like a whirlwind was going on around me, so much was flashing through my mind as I sat there just trying to hold this child as his breathing stopped,” Booker told an audience at Yale three years later. “The ambulance finally came, pushed me out of the way, ripped open his shirt where I now saw three gunshot wounds in his front, one in his side — and he was dead.”
Booker’s breathless retelling of Miller’s tragic end was meant to illustrate one of the “lowest points” in his life in the Brick City. It’s the type of story that has made him famous and wealthy, a national figure who pundits say looks increasingly “presidential” and will be, more than likely, New Jersey’s next US senator.
The only problem is, the story isn’t completely true.
