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The Winner of the Ridgewood “Daffy Dog Parade”

The Winner of the Ridgewood  "Daffy Dog Parade"

photo by Boyd Loving

April 24,2017

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Conclusion and awards ceremony of the “Daffy Dog Parade” at the Daffodil Festival And Earth Day Celebration at Van Neste Park.

 

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Reader says Hire “specials” who can patrol the schools in the morning and protect us from the evil Verizon, PSE&G and NJ Transit workers

A gas main break , West Glen Avenue , S Hill Road, PSEG

file photo by Boyd loving

Hire “specials” who can patrol the schools in the morning and protect us from the evil Verizon, PSE&G and NJ Transit workers during the day. Will help to reduce the obscene amount of OT the police department charges the Village as well by avoiding unecessary scheduling conflicts for extra duty work. We probably only need 25-30 full time cops if we hired specials. It would be a material cost savings for Village taxpayers, and we’d be just as safe. The police union won’t tell you this of course

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Reader says There is a big demand for parking from 6-10pm, Let the restaurant owners pay for the garage

Village _resturants_theridgewoodblog

file photo

There is a big demand for parking from 6-10pm weekends to accommodate the dining crowd from oak to broad area. If the lazy diners walked 3-4 blocks they could get a parking space,
Many good spaces haven been eliminated as they are dedicated valet .
Let the restaurant owners pay for the garage,
As a long time resident I have zero interest in subsiding your business

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Reader says it is Implicit that guards may control traffic

School Crossing

Guards may be stationed only when it is necessary to control or direct vehicular or pedestrian traffic during those time periods of a school day when it is necessary to control traffic.” (N.J.S.A. 40A:9-154.4).

Implicit in the above is that guards may control traffic. And of course they could not do their job otherwise. They direct traffic in order to ensure the safety of children. they should not be concerned about traffic backups per se that don’t impair child safety. Any moron who is selfish enough to value the precious few minutes that it costs to obey the traffic management of a guard over the overall safety of school children should not drive on children’s routes to school

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Reader says Another Horrible Commute to Penn Monday Morning

Ridgewood_Train_station_train-_is_coming_theridgewoodblog

Another horrible commute to Penn this morning. Train conductor said over the weekend service was even worse. The frequency with which these incidents and slow downs in service are happening tells me there’s something fishy. I wouldn’t bet against conspiracies that NJT and Amtrak and others are trying to justify another fare increase for “capital improvements”. As long as people do not display their anger for not getting the service they paid for this situation will continue.

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Sweeney, Ruiz say use of PARCC as graduation requirement violates legislative intent

standardized-testing3

By LINH TAT

04/21/17 07:20 PM EDT

State Senate President Stephen Sweeney and Sen. Teresa Ruiz, chair of the chamber’s Education Committee, penned a letter to state education officials this week, indicating that the use of PARCC as a high school exit exam violates legislative intent.

The letter, addressed to state Board of Education President Mark Biedron and acting Education Commissioner Kimberley Harrington, asks the board to revise its rules governing graduation testing requirements. The letter comes a month after the state Assembly adopted a resolution (ACR215) which also stated that using PARCC to fulfill graduation testing requirements is inconsistent with legislative intent.

https://www.politico.com/states/new-jersey/story/2017/04/21/sweeney-ruiz-say-use-of-parcc-as-exit-exam-violates-legislative-intent-111447?utm_campaign=new-jersey-politics&utm_content=2017-24-04-9454772&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=New%20Jersey%20Politics

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New Jersey Office Market Slump Worsens

Serendipity Labs Opens Downtown Ridgewood, Coworking Space

Landlords look to repurpose aging corporate campuses as tenants demand amenities and proximity to transit

By
Keiko Morris
April 23, 2017 8:00 a.m. ET

Office leasing in New Jersey hit its lowest levels in years in the first quarter, as aging, underused buildings and corporate consolidation weighed on activity, according to market reports and brokers.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/new-jersey-office-market-slump-worsens-1492948802

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Why New Jersey has the highest rates of autism in the country

Autism1

By David Matthau April 24, 2017 4:26 AM

New Jersey has the highest rate of autism of any state in the nation, according to the Centers for Disease Control — but advocates say that’s in part because we screen for it more.

“One in 41 8-year-olds have autism here in New Jersey,” said Suzanne Buchanan, executive director or Autism New Jersey. Autism affects a person’s ability to socialize with other people, and it gives people a restricted range of behaviors, interests and activities.

Buchanan said there are a number of reasons why New Jersey’s autism rates are so high.

AUTISM IN NEW JERSEY

On Wednesday, April 26, at 7 p.m. New Jersey 101.5 will present a special autism town hall.

Experts will be available to answer your questions and update you with the latest information on this disorder. Follow NJ 101.5 on Facebook and watch it live.

“They can pretty easily be explained by the way the research is done and the reports that the researchers had access to,” she said. “Here in New Jersey we have access to both educational and health records, so if you expand the pool of kids that you’re screening, you’re going to find more kids.”

But there’s another reason.

Read More: Why New Jersey has the highest rates of autism in the country | https://nj1015.com/why-new-jersey-has-the-highest-rates-of-autism-in-the-country/?trackback=tsmclip

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Bookends in Ridgewood Coming Book Signings

Bookends_bike_theridgewoodblog

Marissa Hermer
Star of Bravo’s Ladies of London
Tues., April 25th @ 6:00pm

Charlamagne tha God
Co-host of Power 105’s The Breakfast Club
Wednesday April 26th @ 6:00pm

Eva Gutowski
My Life As Eva
Saturday, May 6th @ 6:00pm
Internet Sensation, Eva Gutowski, will sign her new book;

Ashley Graham
World-Renowned Model
Wed., May 10th @ 6:00pm

Lou Piniella & Bill Madden
NY Yankee Legend & Veteran Sports Writer
Tuesday, May 16th @ 6:00pm

Appearing authors will only autograph books purchased at Bookends and must have valid Bookends Receipt.

Availability & pricing for all autographed books subject to change.
First In Line Certificate use is the the discretion of Bookends. Blackout dates may apply.
Bookends cannot guarantee that the books that are Autographed will always be First Printings.
Autographed books purchased at Bookends are non-returnable.

While we try to ensure that all customers coming to Bookends’ signings will meet authors and get their books signed, we cannot guarantee that all attendees will meet the author or that all books will be signed. We cannot control inclement weather, author travel schedules or authors who leave prematurely.

Bookends, 211 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450 201-445-0726

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Reader says The next big shift will be work itself and working from home The technology already exists

coffee blogging

The next big shift will be work itself and working from home The technology already exists, but fairly soon we will see major corporations eliminating expensive office spaces where millions of people commute into every day to punch keyboards in buildings located in some of the most expensive places on earth. The cost benefits will drive this, and although there is a reluctance to go in this direction, as soon as one or two major companies start, it will happen quickly due to the obvious savings. This is going to impact public transport and commercial real estate in a big way. Forget about productivity dropping and people pretending to work, modern technology makes everything we do so measurable now, there’s no way you can pretend to work any longer.

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Reader talks NJ Pension Fix

o-DANIEL-PATRICK-MOYNIHAN-facebook

…this has been a problem for almost 4 decades. I wish there was a magic solution. Sen Moynihan was trying to figure this out and commented how convoluted and arcane the process was. I would think holding our washington reps accountable and stop re-electing them unless they work to divert more money home would be a start. Our current congressman mentioned this in his campaign and is working to get some more money home…. the other part is home rule, which is our problem to fix. No one wants to regionalize so we have 500 plus municipalities of overlapping services. Yes the pension system needs to be fixed but people have to make our reps accountable, which except in rare instances like our district, is not happening today.

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Reader :crossing guards are not allowed to direct traffic

ridgewood crossing guards

file photo by Boyd Loving

As the first individual stated, crossing guards are not allowed to direct traffic. And sure, it is frustrating to be a guard and see traffic piling up and you are not allowed to direct it. Imagine if the guard directed a car and another car started to go and hit the first car. An insurance nightmare! The Police in Ridgewood are gradually being allowed to build up their department which will then free up a guard or two for traffic control near the schools. However, as the above poster noted, when the police are there, traffic behaves so well. But the very next day, the wild men take over the wheels. Hire auxiliary people trained in directing traffic to aid the crossing guards–one for cars, one for students? That would be cheaper than assigning police to every dangerous crosswalk. (Many are very safe locations and many are not.) But, again, it would probably be an insurance nightmare. Wouldn’t it be nice if all drivers were willing to recognize that other drivers also had a right to the road; that most of the cars dropping off at schools are parents who have to get to work at the same time that you do, etc.etc. What ever happened to common courtesy and treating others as you wished to be treated?

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Allergies Linked to Suicide

allergies

April 24,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, in a recent study by Teodor T. Postolache, MD, Hirsh Komarow, MD, and Leonardo H. Tonelli, PhD conclude that ,”The rates of depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbance (suicide risk factors) are greater in patients with allergic rhinitis than in the general population. The rate of allergy is also greater in patients with depression. Preliminary data suggest that patients with a history of allergy may have an increased rate of suicide. They also advise , “Clinicians should actively inquire to diagnose allergy in patients with depression and depression in patients with allergy.”

In their conclusion they claim a correlation with , “Spring peaks of suicide are highly replicated, but their origin is poorly understood. Preliminary epidemiologic data suggest that seasonal spring peaks in aeroallergens are associated with seasonal spring peaks in suicide.”

And claim ,” it is possible that sensitization and exposure to aeroallergens, which peak in spring, may be conducive to seasonal exacerbation of suicide risk factors such as anxiety, depression, hostility/ aggression, and sleep disturbance.”

They go even further stating ,” Certain medications used to treat allergy can exacerbate suicide risk factors, potentially worsening suicide risk and even triggering suicide.

full study : https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2592251/

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Amtrak at a Junction: Invest in Improvements, or Risk Worsening Problems

Ridgewood-Trainstation1_theridgewoodblog

By EMMA G. FITZSIMMONSAPRIL 24, 2017

When Amtrak’s new chief executive took responsibility for two recent train derailments at Pennsylvania Station in New York, it was a low point for a railroad already confronting a series of urgent challenges.

Commuters have long complained that the station is overcrowded and dreary, but now Amtrak had acknowledged that its tracks were in poor shape and not being properly maintained.

The derailments have set off alarms over Amtrak’s management of the station, its safety record and the railroad’s perennial funding problems. The days of commuting turmoil prompted by the accidents also offered an ominous preview of the future if the railroad’s aging infrastructure is not soon overhauled.

Today, Amtrak finds itself at a crossroad: Is the 46-year-old national railroad at the cusp of a new era of investment as it pushes to build a train tunnel between New York and New Jersey — one of the country’s largest infrastructure proposals — or will service deteriorate to levels that could damage the economy in the corridor between Washington and Boston?

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/24/nyregion/amtrak-infrastructure-crisis.html?_r=0