Plein Air Essentials- A Lecture by C.A. Jerez
Sunday February 26 at 2 PM – 4 PM
Ridgewood Art Institute
12 E Glen Ave, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450
Any interest in painting outdoors?
C. A. Jerez, longtime member of RAI and instructor of our Monday nite Oil Painting Class, will give a lecture on Plein Air Essentials.
Mr. Jerez was a disciple of the famous Art Students League instructor, Frank Vincent Dumond. In his work, Mr Jerez is able to capture the life of the subject by identifying the essential components of an object or scene and depicting them in the most simplistic manner to convey complete realism without neglecting the artistic elements of form and strong composition. He uses uses prismatic color and light effects to create a sense of distance and drama while capturing the weather conditions and the specific time of day.
Admission fee for this event is a $5 donation to The Ridgewood Art Institute and all are welcome.
The issue of door to door solicitors in Ridgewood came up for discussion to ban the practice in Ridgewood, at past town council meetings well over 10-15 years ago due to residents complaints of solicitors. At the time, the mayor felt a complete ban on registered solicitors would also affect/include the girl scouts/boy scouts/h.s.band from their door to door sales of cookies, plants, etc. and it was decided not to procede with a ban.
As far as the girl/boy scout cookies sellers, there’s been less of them, I only had one this year. Most of their troops set up at the local grocery stores and get bigger sales, and its safer for them. Their parents sell/get orders from co workers. Everyone knows when the RHS band has their plants and fruit sales, can order online, they always deliver to your door anyway.
Times have changed, each year in spring thruout the season, the door knockers ramp up in greater numbers. As long as they obtain a permit from the town, and not all bother to get a permit, there’s been an influx of peddlers from cable companys, pest control, new windows, painters, home improvements, lawn treatments, solar panels, driveway sealers, magazine sellers (they use a team of children), donations, the list goes on. Just love the line of some canvassers – we’re doing some work in the neighborhood and wonder if you’re interested in home improvements. Some use aggressive measures. All one can do is to put a “No Solicitors” sign on the door.Hopefully its about time to enact a complete ban on door to door solicitors in Ridgewood. (With an exception for the girl/boy scouts ? and RHS band sales).
Why is New Jersey forcing senior citizens to flee the state?
After decades of contributing as full-fledged members of our communities throughout New Jersey, we find ourselves increasingly forced to flee the state due to the burdensome and discriminatory nature of property taxes for seniors on fixed incomes.
New Jersey has the highest property taxes in the nation, an average of $8,500 per year versus the national average of $3,800. However, you know these facts. What you don’t know is that for senior citizens, who often live in adult communities to reduce their expenses, the property tax burden is disproportionately higher — often 17-20 percent of a senior’s annual income, and climbing.
The issue of taxes is always a complicated decision for leaders, to allocate resources equitably among disparate interests and groups. The Abbott decision, for example, appropriately (and importantly) required the commitment of state education funding to support urban districts. But funding decisions by the governor and state Legislature, over time, had unintended consequences as well.
The shifting of aid to education in some areas of the state, without increasing overall state aid to education, has resulted in communities being forced to fund local education through higher property taxes. The unintended — but real consequence of this trend — has resulted in retirees (on fixed incomes) being forced to pay disproportionately higher taxes.
MEET THE MAYOR – MARCH 4, 2017 – 9:30 A.M. TO 11:30 A.M
February 21,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Mayor Susan Knudsen will hold office hours in the Caucus Room on the 4th floor of Village Hall. Please call the Village Clerk’s Office at
201-670-5500 ext. 206 to make an appointment to meet with Mayor Knudsen. You may also stop by during these office hours to speak with Mayor Knudsen, but those with an appointment are seen first, at their appointment times.
Ridgewood NJ, Fox News host Brenda Buttner and Ridgewood resident died after a battle with cancer at age 55. Buttner, was a mother of two daughters.
Brenda Buttner, was the host of Fox News Channel’s Bull and Bears, and she She also frequently contributed to Your World with Neil Cavuto.
Fox News reported that Buttner joined the network in 2000 after blazing a trail for female business reporters on CNBC. She also had served as a correspondent in Washington.
Buttner received numerous awards for her work, including a Cable Ace award in 1996 for best business programming (The Money Club)and a National Clarion award in 1990 for best news story. In addition, many of her personal finance articles have been published in popular publications such as The New York Times and Ladies’ Home Journal.
She was an honors graduate from Harvard University and spent two years as a Rhodes Scholar at Balliol College, Oxford University, England.
Glen Rock NJ, A house fire at 506 Prospect Street in Glen Rock on Monday evening, 02/20, was battled by firefighters from Fair Lawn, Glen Rock, Hawthorne, Midland Park, and Ridgewood. At least one (1) firefighter was injured while fighting the smokey blaze. Ridgewood EMS assisted Glen Rock EMS at the scene, and Ridgewood PD units assisted Glen Rock PD with traffic control.
PSE&G ELECTRIC RELIABILITY IMPROVEMENTS UTILITY UNDERGROUND INFRASTRUCTURE UPGRADE
WORK SCHEDULE UPDATE: February 20, 2017 – February 24, 2017 VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD
February 21, 2017 –February 24, 2017
Underground Pipe Installation
North Broad Street
(E. Ridgewood Avenue to Franklin Ave)
Traffic will be maintained in both directions
Metered Parking Spots will be used on both sides of roadway to allow all traffic to be shifted to the east side of North Broad St.
As part of our electric reliability improvements in Bergen County, PSE&G will be performing utility underground work in the Village of Ridgewood. As of February 2017, PSE&G will beperforming the following activities in your area:
Safety is our primary concern. PSE&G will work with the Ridgewood Police Department to minimize any traffic concerns or inconveniences to the public. During construction, please refrain from going near our construction work zones.
The upgrades will enhance your electric capacity, system redundancy, and service reliability within the Village of Ridgewood, as well as surrounding communities. If you have questions or concerns, please call our toll free number at 1-877-678-5784
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Emergency Services Director and Chief, Tony Lillo reported the Departments statistics for the year 2016.  The volunteer department handled over 1797 requests for assistance. Chief Lillo stated that “call numbers alone don’t tell the story of our volunteers.  Looking at the volume of hours the members donated, gives a better picture of the dedication of our volunteers who donated 20,593 hours to the Village.”
On the average, each volunteer donated 326 hours to the Village. Â There are of course a few who far exceeded the average. The following volunteers, who donated over 800 hours each to Ridgewood Emergency Services:
James Bigos, Robert Kearney, Jonathan Papietro, Steven Chiesa, Ryan Savaria
Liz Heberling, Eric Frielink
Those statistics only include time tracked while on Emergency Services duty covering the Village.  It doesn’t count all the hours spent planning and preparing for events, as well as time maintaining equipment, vehicles and our headquarters as well as training.
Chief Lillo announced that Recognition Awards were presented to members of the Department.
Top Call Award – Eric Frielink
EMT of the Year – Mary Hefferan
Volunteer of the Year – Jonathan Hyslop
TIES member of the Year – Madison Murphy
Service Awards were presented to:
5 Years – Â Â Ace Antonio, Emily Benjamin, James Bigos, Eric Frielink
10 Years – Michael Butler, Murray Yang
15 Years – Lee Anderson, Ashley Mormino, Corinne Scarpa
25 Years – Dr. Robert Lahita
Chief Lillo, announced that the Departments 2017 Officers are:
Deputy Chief – Ryan Savaria
Medical Director – Dr. Bob Lahita
Public Information Officer– Bob Krane, Dick Breining
EMS Captain – Murray Yang
EMS Lieutenants– Ace Antonio, Robin Johnson, James Bigos, Emily Benjamin
Special Operations Captain – Lee Anderson
Special Operations Lieutenants – John Baker, Matt Hendrickson, Steven Chiesa, Rick Tarleton
TIES Captain – Corinne Scarpa
TIES Lieutenant – Kevin Scarpa
“Please consider supporting our organization with a financial contribution so that the community can continue to count on the volunteers to respond to all its needs,” said Director and Chief Tony Lillo.
Please make checks payable to F.O.R.E.S.T. (Friends of Ridgewood Emergency Services Teams), 131 North Maple Ave Ridgewood NJ 07450. Online at www.ridgewood911.org. F.O.R.E.S.T. is a charitable organization under IRS section 501(c) (3) so all contributions are tax deductible.
Should you be interested in exploring the idea of becoming a member, please call us at (201) 670-5570. The comprehensive training you’ll receive is free, and while rigorous, it is personally rewarding.
Property tax appeals in New Jersey fell for the fourth straight year in 2016 to their lowest level since 2008, an indication people were less stressed about the value of their homes and, by extension, the condition of the overall economy.
However, the number of appeals, 49,286, remained higher than it had been in any of the dozen years leading up to the financial crisis of 2008.
“Better” doesn’t mean fully recovered.
“It’s a combination of the market value of properties appreciating over the last few years, since the downturn in the market, and also you’ve seen more reassessments or revaluations completed in municipalities, bringing the values back to market,” said Martin Lynch, president of the Association of Municipal Assessors of New Jersey
Reader …“Who is so well connected on Sherman place?” Apparently not the residents! They are not in favor of a ban, and did not ask for one. The residents of Pomander had “friends” on the old council, were granted no parking on their street and that traffic is now on Sherman. Instead of recognizing they have created an issue on Sherman, the residents of POMANDER suggested no parking on Sherman either, despite the idea that residents on Sherman actually don’t want the limits there. Unbelievable.
and another reader ….Sherman place residents have long fought with evidence and diligence. Not connection. Someone should Ask about the connection on pomander that landed them in this mess to begin with.
What a joke. That last council bites us in the ass endlessly from beyond the grave.
Sherman place is a nightmare and an accident waiting to happen- even without cars parked there.
Valley hospital used local streets for their employees and visitors ruining the neighborhood. That shouldnt be allowed either.
Ridgewood NJ, Â someone commented on Facebook , “Yesterday a young man rang my doorbell and said he worked for a company hired by PSEG and asked me to check my bill to see if I was being charged for “dirty energy.” I told him it wasn’t a good time, so he said I should have my bill handy because they would send someone else next week. Has anyone else had this experience? It sounds really fishy to me, and I can’t find anything about it online. I messaged PSEG.”
Alarm bells go off in out head , the comments continued , “Other neighbors saw him walking through the neighborhood earlier. I should have called the police immediately but I was working and I didn’t think too much about it at the time. I just got this from RPD: “Please call the police for a response if this happens again. 201-652-3900,” so sounds like fraud. Blatant, though- it was Saturday, early in the afternoon.”
PSE&G says , if you think you may have been a victim of a scam, file a report with your local police department, and contact us by calling 1-800-436-7734. Also, you can contact the Federal Trade Commission and file a complaint online.
Sales person perhaps, scammer or just casing your house more likely.
With milestone, bridge becomes the Port Authority’s first all-cashless tolling facility
The Bayonne Bridge’s new elevated roadway will open to drivers on Monday at 5 a.m., ushering in a new era for the 85-year-old arch bridge that will now become the Port Authority’s first all-cashless tolling facility.
The new roadway is 215 feet above the Kill van Kull and 64 feet above the original bridge deck. It is part of the Port Authority’s “Raise the Roadway” initiative to provide navigational clearance for the larger container vessels now using the expanded Panama Canal that are expected to arrive at all agency port facilities later this year.
The project represents a unique engineering achievement, during which the new roadway was built while the existing roadway remained in service with limited disruption to traffic.
When the new roadway opens, the existing toll plaza will be taken out of service and replaced with an overhead gantry, mounted with electronic toll collection equipment. Drivers will no longer slow down or stop at a toll booth, and will benefit from being able to continue driving through the crossing at the posted speed limit.
More than 90 percent of Bayonne Bridge drivers already use E-ZPass and they will experience no other changes. However, E-ZPass users must make sure their tag is properly mounted in the vehicle’s windshield, to ensure it will be detected by the electronic toll collecting equipment.
For the less than 10 percent of Bayonne Bridge drivers who do not use E-ZPass, an overhead camera will photograph the vehicle’s license plate and a toll bill will be mailed to the vehicle’s registered owner. These bills must be paid by the due date noted on the bill. Unpaid toll bills will be assessed additional fees and ultimately escalate to violations, with a $50 fee assessed for each violation.
Further information about cashless tolling at the Bayonne Bridge can be found at www.panynj.gov/BayonneToll.
The Port Authority aggressively enforces toll payment through a multi-pronged approach that focuses primarily on persistent toll violators. Unpaid toll violations are sent to a collection agency and may be pursued through litigation. Toll evaders also may face criminal charges and arrest by Port Authority Police. The agency also partners with the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles to seek the suspension of vehicle registrations for persistent violators with New York-registered vehicles.
When the new roadway opens, all traffic crossing Route 440 between Bayonne, N.J. and Staten Island, N.Y. will be directed by signs to the bridge’s new approach roadways and over the elevated span.
“On February 20, we will make history,’’ said Steven Plate, the Port Authority’s chief of major capital projects. “The Bayonne Bridge, a marvel of 20th century engineering, will become a groundbreaking innovation of the 21st century.’’
At first, the new Bayonne Bridge roadway will continue to accommodate one lane of traffic in each direction. The new roadway will reach its full width – four 12-foot lanes plus inner and outer shoulders, a median barrier and a 10-foot shared-use path for cyclists and pedestrians – by 2019.
The Bayonne Bridge “Raise the Roadway” project will enable today’s larger, more efficient and more environmentally beneficial container ships to pass beneath the Bayonne Bridge when traveling to Port Newark/Elizabeth and Howland Hook. The project is under construction by the joint venture of Skanska/Koch/Kiewit Infrastructure Co. (JV).
Locke said tolerance was the chief characteristic of the true Christian.
Jon Miltimore | June 14, 2016
John Locke (1632-1704) was one of the most influential thinkers of the Enlightenment. The English philosopher’s ideas are at the core of the American Founding; in fact, it can be argued that his thoughts shaped the minds of the American Revolution more than any single thinker.
While Locke is best known for his treatises on government, he also wrote on religion.
Locke was a Christian who grew up during the Thirty Years War (1638-1648), one of the most destructive conflicts in Europe’s bloody history. The war was largely a religious conflict, the product of the Protestation Reformation that divided European states into more than a thousand Protestant and Catholic states.
The conflict no doubt shaped Locke’s views and Christian philosophy.
A deeply religious man, Locke made the case for religious tolerance in a famous letter he wrote in 1689 titled “A Letter Concerning Toleration.”
“Since you are pleased to inquire what are my thoughts about the mutual toleration of Christians in their different professions of religion, I must needs answer you freely that I esteem that toleration to be the chief characteristic mark of the true Church.”
Locke said Christian tolerance (“charity, meekness, and good-will in general”) should be extended to all people, not just fellow Christians, and those who fail in this regard fall “short of being a true Christian himself.”
By what authority does he draw on to make this claim? The New Testament.
“If the Gospel and the apostles may be credited, no man can be a Christian without charity and without that faith which works, not by force, but by love.”
Locke closed his essay by stating that Christians seeking to advance the Christian Church through “arms that do not belong to the Christian warfare.”
Ridgewood NJ, Emmanuel invites children of all ages to join in a one hour blanket making session on March 12th at 10:30am-11:30am in Heritage Hall as part of the Sunday School Christian Education program. No sewing is required. Children’s scissors are used in making the blankets. Contact the Church Office at 201-444-7300 or via email at [email protected] to sign up.
Leslie Maltz Taylor, a representative from Project Linus, will lead the one hour blanket making session during Sunday school at Emmanuel. Emmanuel will donate the completed blankets to Project Linus, a non-profit organization that provides homemade blankets to children in need.
Women of Emmanuel are supplying the soft plush material for the blanket making project. Marilyn Clark, head of Women of Emmanuel, stated, “We are excited to bring this blanket making session to Emmanuel. With the use of children’s scissors, it is easy to do. Anyone can do it.”
Emmanuel, founded in 1891, is celebrating its 125th Anniversary Year and maintains a tradition of community outreach. Emmanuel is located at 14 Hope Street, at the corner of Hope Street and East Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ. The building is ADA accessible and all are invited to attend.
