…FLASH FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING…
THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH CONTINUES FOR
* PORTIONS OF SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT…NORTHEAST NEW JERSEY AND
SOUTHEAST NEW YORK…INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING AREAS…IN
SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT…NORTHERN FAIRFIELD AND SOUTHERN
FAIRFIELD. IN NORTHEAST NEW JERSEY…EASTERN BERGEN…EASTERN
ESSEX…EASTERN PASSAIC…EASTERN UNION…HUDSON…WESTERN
BERGEN…WESTERN ESSEX…WESTERN PASSAIC AND WESTERN UNION. IN
SOUTHEAST NEW YORK…BRONX…KINGS (BROOKLYN)…NEW YORK
(MANHATTAN)…NORTHERN QUEENS…NORTHERN WESTCHESTER…
ORANGE…PUTNAM…RICHMOND (STATEN ISLAND)…ROCKLAND…
SOUTHERN QUEENS AND SOUTHERN WESTCHESTER.
* THROUGH THIS EVENING
* A PLUME OF MOISTURE EXTENDING UP THE EAST COAST WILL CONTINUE TO
AID THE DEVELOPMENT OF HEAVY RAIN PRODUCING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
THROUGH THIS EVENING.
* WHILE AN ADDITIONAL ONE-HALF TO ONE INCH OF RAINFALL ON AVERAGE IS
FORECAST ACROSS THE WATCH AREA…ANY SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS
REPEATEDLY MOVING ACROSS THE SAME AREA WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL
TO PRODUCE SEVERAL INCHES OF RAINFALL. WHILE IT IS DIFFICULT TO
PIN POINT THE TIMING FOR ADDITIONAL FLOODING…THE HEAVIEST OF
THE RAINFALL IS CURRENTLY EXPECTED LATER THIS MORNING INTO THIS
AFTERNOON. DUE TO THE HEAVY RAINFALL THAT FELL ACROSS PARTS OF
THE AREA ON MONDAY…ANTECEDENT CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
ADDITIONAL FLOODING.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS MAY DEVELOP THAT LEAD
TO FLASH FLOODING. FLASH FLOODING IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION.
YOU SHOULD MONITOR LATER FORECASTS AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE ACTION SHOULD FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS BE ISSUED.
Christie disagrees with Westfield’s decision to put armed police in school
Gov. Chris Christie says he disagrees with Westfield’s decision to put an armed police officer in their schools.
Westfield voted on Monday to reinstate the position of school resource officer, which will place a specially trained police officer in the high school full-time at a salary of $100,000. (Wright-Piersanti/Star-Ledger)
100 Top-Grossing Hospitals in America
Written by Molly Gamble | June 24, 2013
Here are the 100 top-grossing hospitals in the United States based on gross revenue, according to CMS cost report data analyzed by American Hospital Directory. Data are for short term acute-care hospitals, critical access hospitals and children’s hospitals.
Note: The hospital total patient revenues reported here are reported to CMS by the hospitals in their most recent cost reports and, in some cases, may include patient revenue from other facilities that share a provider number with the main hospital.
1. University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Presbyterian — $11.87 billion
2. Cleveland Clinic — $10.51 billion
3. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles) — $9.40 billion
4. Florida Hospital Orlando — $8.81 billion
5. Stanford (Calif.) Hospital — $8.55 billion
6. New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center — $8.37 billion
7. Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia) — $7.41 billion
8. Montefiore Medical Center – Moses Division Hospital (Bronx, N.Y.) — $6.96 billion
9. University of California San Francisco Medical Center at Parnassus — $6.88 billion
10. Orlando (Fla.) Regional Medical Center — $6.70 billion
11. Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston) — $6.42 billion
12. University of California Davis Medical Center (Sacramento, Calif.) — $6.36 billion
13. Temple University Hospital (Philadelphia) — $5.92 billion
14. Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, Tenn.) — $5.45 billion
15. Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital (Indianapolis) — $5.37 billion
16. Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (Columbus, Ohio) — $5.22 billion
17. Methodist Hospital (San Antonio) — $5.130 billion
18. Brigham and Women’s Hospital (Boston) — $5.10 billion
19. Crozer-Chester Medical Center (Upland, Pa.) — $4.85 billion
20. The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center — $4.84 billion 21. Hackensack (N.J.) University Medical Center — $4.83 billion
22. New York University Langone Medical Center — $4.83 billion
23. University of Michigan Hospitals and Health Centers (Ann Arbor, Mich.) — $4.83 billion
24. Thomas Jefferson University Hospital (Philadelphia) — $4.78 billion
25. Duke University Hospital (Durham, N.C.) — $4.76 billion
26. Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Chicago) — $4.63 billion
27. Tampa (Fla.) General Hospital — $4.61 billion
28. Baptist Medical Center (San Antonio) — $4.53 billion
29. Loma Linda (Calif.) University Medical Center — $4.48 billion
30. Yale-New Haven (Conn.) Hospital — $4.44 billion
31. North Shore University Hospital (Manhasset, N.Y.) — $4.41 billion
32. Norton Hospital (Louisville, Ky.) — $4.28 billion
33. Lehigh Valley Hospital – Cedar Crest (Allentown, Pa.) — $4.26 billion
34. The Methodist Hospital (Houston) — $4.18 billion
35. UAB Hospital (Birmingham, Ala.) — $4.14 billion
36. Geisinger Medical Center (Danville, Pa.) — $4.05 billion
37. Jackson Memorial Hospital (Miami) — $3.94 billion
38. The University of Chicago Medical Center — $3.82 billion
39. Methodist University Hospital (Memphis, Tenn.) — $3.79 billion
40. Rush University Medical Center (Chicago) — $3.79 billion
41. Henry Ford Hospital (Detroit) — $3.78 billion
42. Carolinas Medical Center (Charlotte, N.C.) — $3.74 billion
43. Long Island Jewish Medical Center (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) — $3.69 billion
44. The Mount Sinai Medical Center (New York City) — $3.66 billion
45. Memorial Regional Hospital (Hollywood, Fla.) — $3.64 billion
46. Barnes-Jewish Hospital (St. Louis) — $3.64 billion
47. Scott & White Hospital (Temple, Texas) — $3.63 billion
48. CJW Medical Center – Chippenham Campus — $3.54 billion
49. The University of Kansas Hospital (Kansas City) — $3.50 billion 50. Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (New Brunswick, N.J.) — $3.50 billion
51. Huntsville (Ala.) Hospital — $3.49 billion
52. Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center (Milwaukee) — $3.48 billion
53. Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (New York City) — $3.47 billion
54. Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (Los Angeles) — $3.45 billion
55. Sharp Memorial Hospital (San Diego) — $3.45 billion 56. AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center – Atlantic City (N.J.) Campus — $3.43 billion
57. Parkland Hospital (Dallas) — $3.40 billion
58. Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital (Houston) — $3.38 billion
59. UMass Memorial Medical Center – University Campus (Worcester, Mass.) — $3.38 billion
60. Beth Israel Medical Center – Petrie Division (New York City) — $3.34 billion
61. Alexian Brothers Medical Center (Elk Grove Village, Ill.) — $3.34 billion
62. Baptist Hospital of Miami — $3.33 billion
63. Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak (Mich.) — $3.31 billion
64. University Hospitals Case Medical Center/University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital (Cleveland) — $3.27 billion
65. Abington (Pa.) Memorial Hospital — $3.25 billion
66. Evanston (Ill.) Hospital — $3.22 billion
67. Saint Luke’s Hospital – Bethlehem (Pa.) Campus — $3.18 billion
68. OSF Saint Francis Medical Center (Peoria, Ill.) — $3.18 billion
69. Doctors Medical Center of Modesto (Calif.) — $3.14 billion
70. VCU Medical Center (Richmond, Va.) — $3.12 billion
71. Saint Luke’s Episcopal Hospital (Houston) — $3.11 billion
72. Oklahoma University Medical Center (Oklahoma City) — $3.10 billion
73. Miami Valley Hospital (Dayton, Ohio) — $3.09 billion
74. Sunrise Hospital & Medical Center (Las Vegas) — $3.07 billion
75. Memorial Hermann – Texas Medical Center (Houston) — $3.07 billion
76. Riverside Methodist Hospital (Columbus, Ohio) — $3.06 billion
77. Hahnemann University Hospital (Philadelphia) — $3.03 billion
78. University of Virginia Medical Center (Charlottesville, Va.) — $3.03 billion
79. Virtua West Jersey Hospital Voorhees (N.J.) — $3.0 billion
80. Washington (D.C.) Hospital Center — $3.0 billion
81. University of California Irvine Medical Center (Orange, Calif.) — $2.98 billion
82. Saint Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center (Phoenix) — $2.98 billion
83. Sutter Memorial Hospital (Sacramento, Calif.) — $2.98 billion
84. Medical City Hospital (Dallas) — $2.96 billion 85. Saint Joseph’s Regional Medical Center (Paterson, N.J.) — $2.96 billion
86. John Muir Medical Center – Walnut Creek (Calif.) Campus — $2.95 billion
87. Covenant Medical Center – Lakeside Campus (Lubbock, Texas) — $2.89 billion
88. Swedish Medical Center – First Hill Campus (Seattle) — $2.88 billion
89. University of Colorado Hospital (Aurora) — $2.88 billion
90. University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview – University Campus (Minneapolis) — $2.87 billion
91. Shands at the University of Florida (Gainesville) — $2.87 billion
92. Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford (Palo Alto, Calif.) — $2.86 billion
93. Brookwood Medical Center (Birmingham, Ala.) — $2.84 billion
94. Einstein Medical Center Philadelphia — $2.82 billion
95. Las Palmas Medical Center (El Paso, Texas) — $2.81 billion
96. Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville (Fla.) — $2.81 billion
97. Saint Vincent Indianapolis Hospital — $2.81 billion
98. Community Regional Medical Center (Fresno, Calif.) — $2.80 billion
99.California Pacific Medical Center – Pacific Campus (San Francisco) — $2.79 billion
100. Abbott Northwestern Hospital (Minneapolis) — $2.77 billion
“I don’t know. I’d have to look at it closely,” said Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania. “I just haven’t read it that closely to know.”
68 Senators Vote to Create Incentive for Employers to Hire Amnestied Immigrants Over U.S. Citizens
9:49 AM, Jun 28, 2013 • By JOHN MCCORMACK
The immigration bill passed by the Senate Thursday afternoon would give some employers a financial incentive to employ “registered provisional immigrants” (illegal immigrants granted legal status) instead of U.S. citizens.
As the Washington Examiner’s Philip Klein recently reported: “Under Obamacare, businesses with over 50 workers that employ American citizens without offering them qualifying health insurance could be subject to fines of up to $3,000 per worker. But because newly legalized immigrants wouldn’t be eligible for subsidies on the Obamacare exchanges until after they become citizens – at least 13 years under the Senate bill – businesses could avoid such fines by hiring the new immigrants instead.”
On Tuesday, THE WEEKLY STANDARD asked five U.S. senators about this problem, and none of them knew if it was a problem. “We’re trying to solve that right now. I don’t know if that’s been solved,” Senator Max Baucus of Montana (chief author of Obamacare) told THE WEEKLY STANDARD.
RHS Graduation Speech June 2013 Daniel Fishbein, Ed.D.
Dr. Fishbein delivered the following speech at the Ridgewood High School commencement on June 26, 2013.
Thank you, Dr. Gorman. Good evening. I would like to extend my congratulations to the members of the Class of 2013, as well as to your parents, your families and friends, to the faculty members and administrators who have taught you and guided you, and the entire Ridgewood community who have been so important in your development and success.
We are he re tonight to publicly celebrate that success, to express our pride, and to award you the diplomas that officially certify you as graduates of one of the best public high schools in this nation. This moment signifies a most important achievement. You have proven yourselves accomplished and ready to move on to the next level, to accept new challenges toward becoming fully engaged adults and responsible citizens.
When you think back about your time at Ridgewood High School and your entire Ridgewood Public School experience, you will remember the good times, the teachers, your friends and all the accomplishments that make you who you are today.
One of ironies about the road to success is that challenges,historical events , and even failure are a key part of that journey. And while tonight we concentrate on remembering the good times, it is important to remember, too, that the difficult times, the events that challenged you and may even have ended in failure, have been just as important in shaping your growth as have the best grades you may have earned, the awards you may have won and the praise you have received for doing well.
Just as you faced challenges in school from your earliest years–when your first lessons focused on learning to tie your shoes, then progressed to the basics of reading and writing–I want you to understand that your educational experience with the Ridgewood Public Schools is a sum of successes and sometime disappointments that is truly greater than the whole.
Cramming for tests; struggling with difficult assignments; juggling a heavy work load; facing fierce athletic opponents; performing in front of a critical audience; and yes, even having to get to school on time…Learning the social, emotional and relationship skills to handle life’s pressures and demands are as equally important for the next chapter in your life as the strong academic foundation you worked so hard to secure.
You members of the Class of 2013 have together also faced some unusual trials, tribulations,and historical events during your time in the Ridgewood Public Schools. You have witnessed and lived through some extraordinary events that have shaped both our community and our country’s history. For example:
You were just starting first grade when our nation experienced the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the terrible tragedy of September 11th , 2001.You were in 5th grade when Hurricane Katrina hit our shores
You were in 8th grade and witnessed history when this nation elected the first black President of the United States.
You were freshmen when an earthquake occurred in Haiti.You were high school sophomores when Japan was struck by the largest earthquake in its history, triggering a tsunami that caused a nuclear plant disaster.
As juniors, you were challenged with a very personal loss, the passing of one of your own classmates, Nick Campenello.
And your senior year began with the one-two punch of Hurricane Sandy, followed by the heartbreaking shootings at the Sandy Hook Elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.
With each of these events, you have learned more and more about yourselves as individuals and what it means to be members of a community. By witnessing these highs and the lows of humanity and history– and yes, even the wrath of the weather –you have learned how to channel raw emotions into real efforts for relief. You have gotten a glimpse of the importance of seeking to understand and determining to do better. You have come to appreciate that obstacles can be overcome and to hold out hope for a better tomorrow.
In a few short moments you will become Ridgewood High School graduates, which means that no matter where your life takes you, you will forever share a common bond with a unique and distinguished group of people, that is, fellow RHS alumni.
Tonight, you will celebrate at the final party of the Class of 2013. Tomorrow, you will start looking ahead to a new chapter in your life. Looking forward may be scary, but I am confident when I say– You are ready for the challenges ahead.
I want to say thank you to the entire Ridgewood community for your support of the Ridgewood Public Schools. I offer my best wishes to you, the graduates, and your families in your continued success.
As Superintendent, I hereby certify to the community that the students before you have met the State of New Jersey and the rigorous Ridgewood requirements for graduation.
Ridgewood NJ, According to the BOE on Wednesday, June 26, over 400 Ridgewood High School seniors received their diplomas in the 118th annual graduation ceremony.
This fall, 87.0 percent will attend a four-year college and 5.7 percent will go to a two-year college. Ten will attend Ivy League schools. One graduate will go into the armed forces, and 2.7 percent will take a gap year.
The Ridgewood Parks and Recreation Department invites you to participate in the art exhibit entitled
“A Student’s Celebration of Art” during the month of July at the Stable Gallery, 259 N. Maple Avenue.
Watercolors, Chinese Brush Painting, Acrylics, Pastels, Drawing and Sculpture projects are just some of the pieces to be displayed. All students who have attended an art class at The Stable, through the Parks and Recreation Department, are welcome to bring one favorite piece for display, labeled with your name and class before June 25th. Please call 201-670-5560 if further information is needed.
Please invite your family and friends to attend an Artist Reception, scheduled for Thursday, July 25th, between the hours of 4:00 and 6:00p.m. Light refreshments will be served.
Readers think School Activities fees though well publicized are “ridiculous”
Where did your children go go middle school? Are you new to the Village (or as I call it, the “Billage)?
With all due respect, I cannot cannot fathom that you did not know about the activity fee. I don’t know a single middle school or high school parent who is unaware of the activity fee as they send home notices about it at the beginning of every single school year and bombard you throughout the year. There were many, many e-mails and Skyward messages sent. You couldn’t access Skyward without going through the messages. My son, who is graduating tomorrow, received the e-mails through his own mail accounts and checked on Skyward, and with me to ensure, that our fees were paid. If a teenage boy can read and follow up on these e-mails, parents should be able to as well. Do you typically receive e-mails from your children’s schools? If so, you likely received the activity fee e-mails and didn’t pay attention to them.
And, a simple search on Google (“Ridgewood” “High School” “Activity fee”) would have provided you with answers. Are you unaware that RHS has a website? Take a look at it . . there is a big tab to the left that says “Clubs and Activities” and when you click on it, the first thing that pops up is “For general information about paying your fees, click here”. It’s not buried in the RHS website (which can be cumbersome).
The District likely assumes that you, as a parent, have read their extensive e-mails, Skyward messages and mailed information concerning activity fees and advised your children as to whether or not they can join clubs. They assume that your child has your approval to join the club since you have been notified of the fees repeatedly. Kids know if they join a club, there’s going to be a fee. I really don’t think it’s fair to blame this on Mr. Fishbein.
Personally, I think the activity fee is ridiculous. IF you even breath in RHS, the fee applies. I’d like to see a pay-as-you-play structure because I don’t think a kid who attends one Latin club meeting during the year should pay as much as a kid who plays 3 varsity sports (with multiple coaches, trainers, equipment, buses).
Photo credit: Boyd A. Loving 10 Year Old Boy Finds Live Ammunition in Ridgewood Street While Walking To School
June 24,2013
Boyd A. Loving
5:31 PM
Ridgewood NJ, A 10 year old boy who lives in the 400 block of Oxford Court in Ridgewood found a round of live ammunition lying in the street while walking to school this morning.
Ridgewood Police Department Patrol Officer Patrick Elwood was dispatched to the boy’s home this afternoon after the child’s mother called police to report that her son had come home from school with the ammunition still in his possession. According to Officer Elwood, the ammunition appears to be a single round of buckshot. Acting on information provided by the youth, Officer Elwood responded to a home located in the 400 block of nearby Bogert Avenue where the ammunition was reportedly found. The home’s owner had moved over the weekend and it is believed the ammunition may have fallen out of a box/carton during the move. The incident remains under investigation.
Reader says Valley Expansion staring to sound like a “reality” TV show
A project that any fool can see is off the chart, others being considered that are at best questionable, “experts” testifying who do not reside here and could care less about the town, a councilwoman who may get to vote on something she should be recusing herself from, her next door neighbor who writes a letter doing her more harm than good, and a parking garage that after thirty plus years still is not built ! Is this made for TV or what !?
Wake up Ridgewood before this little gem of a town turns into a lot more than anyone could have ever imagined.
Readers feel planning board may have lost all credibility
It still irks me that the PB will make their decision based upon the testimony of Valley’s Hired experts—-People, who like the project manager, really want the job! Testimony? It was a job interview—–a sales pitch.
Can you really believe this enormous project will have no effect on Ridgewood?
Years of construction with no impact on residents or neighboring schools.
1000 extra parking spaces and no extra traffic.
Double size of the building with no need for additional taxpayer paid infrastructure or services.
Drain millions of gallons of ground water with no impact on aquifer.
Any urban planner would tell you that a project of this size will have a significant impact on the Village.
Is the PB asking the right questions? There all hard working volunteers, but are they even qualified to do so? The Village needs to bring in some experts who are not paid by Valley to look at this project.
Accidental Release of Pepper Spray at Benjamin Franklin evacuates 2nd floor
June 20 ,2013
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ , According to Daniel Fishbein, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools at approximately 11:15 a.m. Thursday , on the second floor of Benjamin Franklin Middle School, there was an accidental discharge of a pocket-sized canister of pepper spray owned by a staff member. The staff member’s name has not been released .
As a precaution, the Ridgewood police and Ridgewood fire departments were called and the entire second floor of the school building was evacuated.
Both Police and fire officials cleaned and tested the air, and then gave clearance for re-entry by 11:45 a.m. Students in the classroom in which the discharge occurred were also checked by EMS staff and the school nurse. No injuries or ill effects have been reported.
NJ bans trash-talking at high school sporting events
June 20, 2013, 12:46 PM
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood, N.J. , Just when you though you were safe from further stupidity and big government meddling and further impingement on free speech.
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association and the state Attorney General’s Office have announced the new policy on Wednesday that would bar New Jersey high school athletes who engage in “talk trash” and could find their teams penalized and themselves under investigation by the state Civil Rights Division.
They say it brings athletic events into line with the state’s anti-bullying law for schools. The new sports policy goes into place this fall.
Participants art sporting events could be in trouble if they make harassing statements related to gender, race, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or religion. Referees would also be required to report incidents for possible further investigation.
A Little history on the property that is now known as the Habernickel Family Park
My name is Richard Huffman and I am writing to give a little history on the property that is now known as the Habernickel Family Park. I lived on the farm from 1950 until 1977.
My dad, Arthur C. Huffman, bought it in disrepair from a doctor who had previously bought it years before to become a recuperative home for his sickly child who suffered from breathing problems. The doctor spent a huge amount of money and time planting many of the beautiful trees that now grace the property, hoping that they would help his child,s breathing problems, but, unfortunately, the child died before the project was completed, We named the property Sweetbriar Farms. My dad founded Huffman & Boyle Furniture (later Huffman-Koos) and was a prominent member of the community.
Over the years, the farm was always open to the public. Ice skating on the pond all winter, fishing in the summer, Boy Scout camp outs in the lower fields, and hiking through the woods. The Kuiphers (Habernickel) family bought the farm part of the the property from my dad in the late 1970s and, in 1986, bought the last 2 acres where our house was located after my father had passed away.
I am surprised that the that the town chose to name the park after the prior owners since, at $7.4 million, it was in no way a charitable donation by the Habernickel family. They made a very handsome profit on the sale to the town. A more appropriate name for the park would have been Hillcrest Park.
FLASH FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY 201 PM EDT TUE JUN 18 2013
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN UPTON NY HAS ISSUED A
* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR… EASTERN BERGEN COUNTY IN NORTHEAST NEW JERSEY…
* UNTIL 400 PM EDT…
* AT 159 PM EDT…NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED FLASH FLOODING FROM A NEARLY STATIONARY THUNDERSTORM OVER THE WARNED AREA.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS SAFELY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.
