Ridgewood NJ, recent letter to the editor of the Ridgewood news causes a furor on social media. Initially, the letter suggested among other things that the former “breath of fresh air ” Village manager was fired when in fact she resigned.
The misinformation in the letter was later edited out by the Ridgewood News but not before the damage was done.
The staff of the Ridgewood blog had noticed the letter but felt it was what we call a “put up job” where a local special interest, usually a supporter of the former mayor and his schemes puts up a relative or friend to promote garagezilla and to attack the current council.
The push for garagezilla now being framed as the end all to be all solution in Ridgewood guaranteed to solve all problems in town.
The killer line in the letter for us was,”there are plenty of empty lots in the central business district perfect for a parking garage “.The key words being “empty lots”.
Jacqueline Hone called out the Ridgewood News on Facebook claiming, “RIDGEWOOD FAKE NEWS OUTLET ⁉️ Why didn’t the Ridgewood News fact check? Why would someone write this, lie and stir up faux outrage? “
Even going as far as to post the resignation letter in the comment section, “Below, in comments, our previous Village Manager’s resignation letter. It’s proof our Mayor DID NOT fire her. This letter, Ridgewood News turning into a PR platform…Sad State of Affairs INDEED.”
Which came as a surprise to us after all, with the election Paul Aronsohn both the Ridgewood News and Bergen Record seemed to amount to nothing more than PR for the former mayor and his grandiose plans for the Village of Ridgewood.
Ridgewood NJ, Reader pointed out that the owner, Ridgewood 120, LLC , the owner of the “Town Garage ” is either owned or represented by a Burton Dorfman, ESQ. Coincidentally, he was in the new four days ago.
Rockland lawyer Burton Dorfman gets prison for lying to investigators
Steve Lieberman , [email protected] 2:58 p.m. ET Feb. 13, 2017 | Updated 5:04 p.m. ET Feb. 13, 2017
Federal judge sentences Rockland attorney Burton Dorfman to six months in prison
A Rockland attorney was sentenced Monday to six months in federal prison for lying to federal Labor Department investigators looking into accusations he stole money from a profit-sharing plan at his former law firm.
Burton Dorfman, once a prominent development and investment lawyer, also must repay the fund $212.429, pay a $25,000 fine and $100 court fee under the sentence imposed by U.S. District Court Judge Cathy Seibel at the White Plains federal courthouse.
It sure sounds as though it might pay to rent out that extra bedroom.
Airbnb announced that New Jersey’s 6,100 active hosts earned over $50 million dollars in supplemental income in 2016 by welcoming approximately 257,000 visitors to the Garden State. This figure represents a 100 percent year-over-year increase in inbound guest arrivals, according to the company.
The company says a typical host in New Jersey earns $6,200 annually. The typical listing is occupied 44 nights per year and the average length of stay is 4.2 nights.
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood PD personnel quickly apprehended an adult male resident of Waldwick who allegedly shoplifted several items from the Stop & Shop Supermarket located at 175 Franklin Avenue, Ridgewood on Friday afternoon, 02/17. The suspect was captured in the rear of 30 Cottage Place, Ridgewood following a short foot chase that began at the Stop & Shop. He was handcuffed and transported to Ridgewood PD headquarters for processing. All items reportedly taken from the store were recovered.
27 February 2017 @ 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
WHERE:
Ridgewood Public Library
125 N Maple Ave
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
USA
COST:
Free
CONTACT:
201-670-5600
GSBC MEETINGS
Ridgwood NJ, The Genealogical Society of Bergen County (GSBC) will welcome CNBC host, Bill Griffeth, who will speak on his latest book The Stranger in My Genes.
With almost 30 years experience in business television, Bill Griffeth is one of the most respected financial journalists in the country. Best known for his quick wit and his ability to think on his feet, he brings an extensive knowledge of the markets and market history to CNBC’s programming.
Griffeth has written four books, “The Stranger in My Genes,” in 2016; “By Faith Alone: One Family’s Epic Journey Through 400 Years of American Protestantism,” in 2007; “Bill Griffeth’s Ten Steps to Financial Prosperity,” published in 1994; and “The Mutual Fund Masters,” in 1995
In the summer of 2012, Griffeth, longtime genealogy buff, took a DNA test that had an unexpected outcome: “If the results were correct, it meant that the family I had spent years documenting was not my own.”
In this book, Bill undertakes a quest to solve the mystery of his origins—a quest which will shake his sense of identity. As he takes us on his journey, we learn about choices made by his ancestors, parents, and others–and we see Bill measure and weigh his own difficult choices as he confronts the past.
Ridgewood NJ, reader questions the ownership status of the “Town Garage” , “Last I heard an LLC or such owned it. Did they manage to pass it off to the town w/o cleaning it? The Village would be nuts to have bought it in an “as is” condition. The owner of the Town Garage property was bought out by the LLC (?) with little or no warning. I assume he sold “as is” because he really had not planned on selling it. I hope they didn’t make a tidy profit by selling it “as is” to the town. Or worse, the Village cleaning it up for the present owners with a deal to then buy it at a reasonable price.”
One of the more effective tools on the Ridgewood blog is the “timeline ” it continues to roll and record the ups and downs of the Village of Ridgewood. Will a little search we found comments from March 1st, 2007 discussing the ownership of the Town Garage.
The Town Garage, 120 Franklin Avenue; the eye of the storm . . .
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The current hot discussion topic among those who monitor Village Hall happenings is how an out of town firm was able purchase the Town Garage property from right out under the noses of Village Council members. Village ownership of the subject property (see posted photo) is seen as key to the successful construction of a municipal parking garage.
Reportedly, Village officials had offered previous owner Richard Agnello more than the $1.265 million sale price. However, it is being reported that Mr. Agnello refused to sell until the Village found a suitable location nearby for him to relocate his motor vehicle repair facility.
So the fly would like to know: 1) How was the Wells partnership able to buy the property for less than what Village officials had offered Mr. Agnello? 2) Will Mr. Agnello be closing up shop, or has the Wells partnership found a location for him to move his operation to? And, 3) What prompted the Wells partnership to purchase a piece of property destined for involvement in eminent domain proceedings?
And in May of 2007 we asked if the Town Garage was for sale yet again.
Is the former Town Garage property for sale, again?
Village Council members met behind closed doors on Wednesday evening to
discuss possible options for acquiring 120 Franklin Avenue, formerly home of
the Town Garage. Acquisition of this property is key to the planned
construction of a municipal parking garage at the northwest corner of North
Walnut Street and Franklin Avenue.
It is now rumored that Ridgewood 120 LLC, the site’s current owners, have
offered the property for sale to Village officials at a price much higher
than the $1.265 million paid in November of 2006. Scuttlebutt is that
Ridgewood 120 LLC’s asking price is at least $1.865 million, and possibly as
high as $2.265 million. The current owners have made no improvements to the
property since purchasing it from the Agnello family late last year.
Council members must decide whether to: 1) pay the asking price, or 2) enact
the right of eminent domain, or 3) revise parking garage building plans to
eliminate the need for that parcel. Still unanswered is the question: “How
did Village Council members manage to get themselves in such an expensive
jam? In other words, how was a real estate investment group able to acquire
the Town Garage property from right under the Council’s noses?”
Spanish mayor urged to call in exorcist over town hall haunting
The mayor of a small town outside Granada is facing calls to bring in an exorcist after workers became convinced that the council offices were haunted – and the ghost was even caught on camera.
The Worst and Best States to Be a Homeowner in 2017
February 16,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood
Ridgewoood NJ, for many buying a home is one of the biggest investments of your life, according to Craig Casazza at the consumer site ValuePenguin it’s ideal to buy within a state where housing is relatively affordable and the value of your home is likely to appreciate strongly over time. It’s also desirable to avoid paying more than you can manage in ongoing costs, from taxes to insurance to damage from major storms. Finally, it’s best, of course, if the state where you’re buying boasts low rates of property crime, good schools, and a healthy proportion of homeowners compared with renters.
Casazza rolled together ten key metrics that quantify those factors, and ranked states on how successfully (or not) they offer the optimal factors for home ownership while skirting the attributes you’d want to avoid.
Here is the list of the 10 worst homeowner states and the homeowner scores assigned to them:
The 10 worst states to be a homeowner have some combination of a weak housing market, a heavy burden of costs to maintain a home, and a propensity for calamity and crime. The three worst states are in the south, and specifically from the Gulf region, where yearly storms batter homes and can cause millions of dollars in property damage:
Louisiana 20.97
Mississippi 29.32
Tennessee 29.59
New Mexico 34.69
Alabama 35.04
Missouri 36.64
Texas 39.21
New Jersey 39.54
California 39.97
Georgia 41.53
The 10 best states to own a home generally are less urban overall, with a higher proportion of homes in rural areas, where costs and crime can be lower. Our highest-ranked state for homeownership is Iowa, where it’s very affordable to own a home. With low insurance rates, low mortgage rates, and few calamities that cause insurance claims, South Dakota is another notably inexpensive state in which to own a home.
Iowa 82.60
South Dakota 81.38
Wyoming 79.49
Nebraska 78.17
Maine 77.44
Minnesota 75.37
West Virginia 76.03
Michigan 75.74
New Hampshire 72.28
Wisconsin 71.25
Mark Krulish , Staff Writer, @Mark_Krulish6:02 p.m. ET Feb. 15, 2017
There will be a few more places residents on the west side of Ridgewood cannot park if an introduced ordinance is passed next month.
Brought to the table at the Feb. 8 council meeting, the ordinance would prohibit parking at several points along the northern side of Sherman Place – most notably near the corner the curb line of westbound Godwin Avenue, an intersection at which a man and his 10-year-old child were struck last September.
Keep it two way. The posts asking for better signage are legit. And while the HS student story is sad, making it one way won’t change the danger of crossing the tracks. This is one more case of the Village Engineer’s idiocy! The average vehicle is 6′ wide. North Monroe (25mph) is approximately 29′ from curb to curb, between Fairmont and Patricia Ct – but No Parking on either side (even though there’s 17′ of clearance). Most cars coming up Glenwood from HoHoKus turn onto Hillcrest.. Whether you turn left or right on Hillcrest, between Hamilton and Fairmont the road average 21′ – 23; But there’s Parking on both sides of the street!!!. So if there’s a truck (which is wider than 6′) is parked on both sides of the street (like landscapers do in the summer) you have less than a foot of clearance – God forbid that a fire truck has to get through! So the same “brain trust” that puts this into place now wants to screw around with Glenwood.
Ridgewood NJ, tomorrow is the last day left to order for the RHS Band Program Citrus Sale. Sale runs through 2/16. Citrus will be delivered straight to your door on 3/4 by one of the awesome band members.
You can still choose from navel oranges, red grapefruits, a medley of apples, pears and navel oranges, or a sampler of navel oranges and red grapefruits.
To order or make a donation, please contact a band member, send in your mail order forms, or go online.
In February, citrus and mixed fruit packages are offered for sale. The sale begins with the students participating in a door-to-door campaign. On the designated blitz day, each four-student team with one parent driver is assigned a specific area of Ridgewood. The team canvases all of the houses in their assigned area and takes orders for the fruit, leaving mail order forms on the doorknob if nobody answers. The sale continues with the processing of mail orders and online orders over the following week. On the designated delivery day, students gather to distribute the fruit to homes where they were purchased.
Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood Newcomers Club of YWCA Bergen County is gearing up for the biggest fundraising event of this year. This year is a very special year the Ridgewood Newcomers Club celebrates its 70th anniversary! They have been connecting friends and families to our community since 1947!
On March 4th, 2017, The Ridgewood Newcomers Club will be hosting their 70th Anniversary Gala, at Park West Loft
38 Oak St, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450 with all proceeds benefiting YWCA Bergen County’s healingSPACE – the country’s only designated sexual violence resource center. This program helps survivors of sexual violence and educates the community on prevention. It provides a 24/7 crisis intervention hotline for those in need of professional counseling, medical and legal support.
April is nationally recognized as Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month, so we are asking our community to help us raise money and awareness.
Everyone is welcome! Extend the invite to neighbors and friends. This will be an event you don’t want to miss. As this is an open event tickets will sell out. Buy your tickets early as prices increase from February 20th.
To purchase tickets make a payment of $85 per person to @RidgewoodNewcomers via Venmo. Please include the name of each guest attending in the notes.
Contamination at the Town Garage was well known to the purchasers who rushed to beat the Village in buying the land–hoping to make a substantial profit when they then sold it to the Village. They own it. It should be their responsibility for cleaning it up before selling it to the Village at a handsome profit. Is the Village going to subtract the cost of cleanup from the eventual purchase price? Or are we paying a premium to purchase the land and then must add cleanup costs to that? The lawyer groups were in such a rush to buy–why aren’t they being forced to do the cleanup? A homeowner with a leaking oil tank can’t just pass that cost on to the buyer, so why are we cleaning up land we don’t own?
Ridgewood NJ, we read daily that drugs and alcohol have become a pervasive problem in New Jersey’s cities and suburban areas.
In a recently released New Jersey Department of Education list of substance abuse cases reported by each school district every year, the Ridgewood School district came in 137th in 2015-16 with an increase of 6 cases over last period 2014-15.
The state Department of Education cautioned that while districts are required by law to report them these numbers are reported by each district, so each district is responsible for reporting its results fairly and accurately.
