Traffic Alert for Saturday 9/10/16
September 10,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, On Saturday morning the underpass on East Glen Ave will be closed from 7am until 3pm for utility work. Detours will be in place at Oak Street and North Monroe Street. Police officers will be stationed at intersections around the detour to assist with keeping traffic flowing.
there’s a running theme on this blog of having people minimize the significance of an event to try to make the conversation stop. (It seems to have the opposite effect.) Here’s a scenario that did NOT go down. A fervent resident presses a literally-pay-to-play-baseball check upon an official, who smiles, hands it back, and says, “We know how much you want this mondo field that the Schedler neighbors have good arguments against. If we go with it, believe me, we’ll come to you for a big donation. Until the council has voted to proceed, however, naturally you can see that we can’t accept any money. Think how that would look! And of course we wouldn’t be allowed to let it sit around without cashing it–there’s an ordinance against that–yet cashing it prematurely would give the wrong message about how the council makes its decisions. opening village government to valid criticism and potential lawsuits. That wouldn’t be good! See you at the Daily Treat!”
By Justin Zaremba | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on September 09, 2016 at 11:05 AM, updated September 09, 2016 at 12:04 PM
NEWARK — Former Rutgers student Dharun Ravi has won his appeal seeking to overturn his convictions in the Tyler Clementi webcam case.
The appellate court sided with Ravi’s attorneys who argued he never should have been charged with bias crimes and all of his convictions should be reversed. The decision also ordered a new trial, even though Ravi has already served his 30-day sentence and three years of probation.
“It’s far from over,” Ravi’s attorney Steven Altman said Friday morning. “I’m extraordinarily pleased with the decision. I haven’t spoken with the Ravi family yet, but I can only imagine they’re pleased as well.”
STAGE II WATER USE RESTRICTIONS
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Water wants to remind you that Stage 2 water restrictions are still in force.
In accordance with the Codes of the Village of Ridgewood, the Boroughs of Glen Rock and Midland Park, and the Township of Wyckoff, Stage II water restrictions in Ridgewood, Glen Rock, Midland Park, and Wyckoff, New Jersey are in effect beginning June 23, 2016 until further notice.
Residents, businesses, governmental agencies, and all other water users must adhere to Stage II of the restrictions shown on our website,water.ridgewoodnj.net.
If your address is an odd number, you may irrigate on Tuesdays and Saturdays only. If your address is an even number, you may irrigate on Wednesdays and Sundays only. A handheld hose may be used at any time including Mondays. No irrigation is allowed on Mondays, Thursdays, or Fridays except the use of a hand held hose.
The restriction level had to be increased to Stage II because water is being consumed at a greater rate than the supply system can sustain, thus reducing the amount of water in reserve for fire fighting and other emergencies.
Compliance with the Stage II restrictions will reduce the likelihood that more severe controls will be needed. Your cooperation is appreciated.
Violators will be subject to a fine and court appearance
file photo by Boyd Loving
September 9,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, During Wednesday evening’s Village Council Work Session, Deputy Mayor Michael Sedon confirmed that former Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld had failed to adhere to NJSA 5:31-3.1 when she chose not to deposit a check for $100k from the Ridgewood Baseball Softball Association (RBSA), made out to the Village of Ridgewood. According to Mr. Sedon, Sonenfeld put the check in either a “safe or drawer,” where it remained for an undisclosed period of time (likely weeks or months) before being returned to the RBSA.
It is believed the $100k was intended to serve as a donation for construction of a then planned 90 foot baseball field on the Schedler property. However, despite the submission of an Open Public Records Act request, no official documents were ever produced in connection with the donation, its subsequent return, nor any stipulations associated with it.
Receipt of the check was mentioned during at least one (1) open public meeting of the Council, but there was never any open discussion about why NJSA 5:31-3.1 (funds to be deposited in authority’s legal depository within 48 hours of receipt) wasn’t being followed, nor why the check was being returned.
So the mystery continues . . .
photo courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook
September 9,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, A dump truck became entangled in several utility wires on Thursday afternoon, 09/08 after its bed accidentally raised up while traveling eastbound on Grove Street near Stevens Avenue in Ridgewood. Cable TV, electric, and telephone services were interrupted to many nearby residences in the process. Two (2) passengers in the truck were trapped until firefighters and a PSE&G trouble shooter were able to confirm that their exit from the passenger compartment would present no life hazard. The truck’s driver had safely exited prior to the arrival of emergency responders. Grove Street was closed in both directions between South Pleasant Avenue and South Van Dien Avenue for several hours following the crash. The truck was able to drive away on its own power after cables were removed by cable TV, electric, and telephone company technicians. No injuries were reported in the incident. Ridgewood PD issued eight (8) summonses in connection with the mishap.
“Spot on about Healthbarn. Now at last nights meeting the owner oddly lawyers up and threatened to take legal action against the town and residents! From my understanding it is the noise, buses and lights that this business brought into the neighborhood that people are upset about but yet now there is an underlying threat of a law suit. The new valley hospital!”
“Yes I saw the law suit underlying threat and the friend of Healthbarn who claimed to be so educated on town events should be embarrassed to have spoken out on the behalf of a business that may sue the town.”
“Healthbarn business in a neighborhood park. This was done by the village manager for a friend. That contract has to be re visited quickly. How it even happened is astounding. Healthcare is making money off of tax payers dollars. We tax payers are financially supporting this business that operates in our park.”
It seemed to be implied by Mr. Halaby that there was a fix in and that is why the Mayor won the raffle.
The fact is the church was in Glen Rock, not Mt. Carmel. And the suggestion by Mr. Halaby that the raffle was rigged was pathetic and highly insulting to the church. What by the way did that have to do with anything? Just reaching for something ridiculous to attack the Mayor, and attack the church while he was at it.
September 8,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, From piggy banks to that first savings account, many children are taught the value of saving from an early age.
But as they grow to adolescence, following parental advice sometimes gives way to peer or media influences, and those once-thrifty children are now teenagers in a consumer-driven world where spending, not saving, is king.
“Nearly everyone falls into two categories: spenders and savers,” says John Cortines, co-author with Gregory Baumer of God and Money: How We Discovered True Riches at Harvard Business School (www.godandmoney.net). “Spending is easy, so it’s up to parents to start conversations with their teens on the importance of saving and, just as importantly, giving.”
Cortines and Baumer suggest three ways parents can help teens establish good financial habits before they reach adulthood, and pave the way for those teens to become generous people as well as good savers:
• Help them begin saving for retirement now. Teens who land a part-time job often want to save money to buy a car or they simply want to enjoy a little financial freedom with weekend shopping sprees. Unless they’re careful, that money burning a proverbial hole in their pocket is spent before the next payday. Parents can help them think beyond today by suggesting they invest a portion of that income in a Roth IRA. Mom and Dad can even consider matching their teen dollar-for-dollar on their savings. “Explain the wonder of compounding investment returns – how the money they invest as a teen could be worth 10 to 20 times as much when they retire,” Cortines says.
• Family philanthropy. Even if the gifts are modest, Cortines and Baumer advocate involving teens in the family giving plan. Encourage them to research charities and apply for “grants” from the family’s budget for giving. “The experience of learning about nonprofits will be invaluable,” Baumer says. This is also where another portion of the teen’s earnings from a part-time job could be placed.
• Let them into your journey. Parents should model what they want their teens to emulate. Cortines said this begins with “letting them see your character as reflected in financial decisions.” That doesn’t mean letting teens know their parents’ net worth or the details of their income. Baumer and Cortines suggest explaining to teens how living modestly has short- and long-term benefits, whether it has allowed an early payoff of a mortgage, or demonstrates that frugal purchasing decisions leave money available for charitable giving.
“If you frame the conversation well,” Baumer says, “teens will benefit from seeing your character on display as you navigate your finances.”
Once saving and giving goals are fulfilled, teens can then begin to focus on spending.
“But unless spending is kept under control,” Cortines says, “saving and giving simply aren’t possible at any meaningful level.”
About John Cortines and Greg Baumer
John Cortines and Greg Baumer are co-authors of God and Money: How We Discovered True Riches at Harvard Business School (www.godandmoney.net). Baumer is VP of Business Development for naviHealth, a Nashville-based healthcare technology firm. Cortines is Executive VP of Emerging Leaders for Generous Giving, an organization that exists to share the biblical message of generosity.
We have a five-person council who are all independent thinkers, are polite, considerate, and they don’t interrupt each other at meetings. They are actually prepared for meetings (well, Susan and Mike always were, but now they are joined by three more who are equally informed and have done their homework). Now more nonsense like we used to have with Albert pontificating about anything and everything just to hear himself speak, and Gwenn reading from her ipad something that someone else wrote, and Paul furiously texting with Paul Vaggianos (yes, we witnessed this many times) during meetings and then giving us the doe-in-the-headlights look while saying “transparency, transparency, transparency.”
This new Council has been in place just since July 1, but so far they have accomplished volumes including that they:
1. are going to lengthen the time for public comments.
2. are respectful of members of the public who come to speak
3. overturned the much-hated Ordinance 3066
4. stopped the ridiculous Van Neste proposal
5. are going to prevent puppy-mill and kitten-mill animals from being sold in Ridgewood
6. are looking at many (and reasonable) ways to improve and increase the parking
7. are saving the Schedler House
8. will be putting grant money (hopefully) towards remediating Kings Pond
9. will be repealing the illegal ordinance that tried to prevent people from videotaping public meetings (put in place because hot-headed Aronsohn got caught getting nasty at an HPC meeting)
10. have hired a new Planning Board attorney (ok, so the VC didn’t do this, but it is yet another wonderful new development)
11. will be lowering the overkill lighting at Habernickel Park to be consistent with other parks and in response to the neighbors’ legitimate concerns about this ridiculous flood lighting
12. discovered that the extraordinarily cumbersome and confusing leaf collection process that Roberta put in place was based, in part, on a 7-day rule that has not been effective for a couple of years. So now they are putting a smooth and simple leaf collection schedule up and we can stop hearing about “no leaf left behind.”
13. will be revising the prohibition of parking on Pomander Walk, which is discriminatory and was put in place to serve Gwenn’s friends on that street.
Ridgewood NJ, “PissedOff” writes from Starbucks perhaps :
“I wonder why there is so much hate and criticism. The role of the manager is to act as a spokesperson for the Village employees and be a part of the council. The council is elected to be a fair judge between the village government and the residents. Now, there is no way everyone would agree with the way things were handled and they certainly will not be 100% in support of going forward.
It’s amusing to see how this blog is becoming a podium for people to anonymously shame, disrespect and disregard others. Bible says that the person who did no sin shall throw the first stone, and yet here we are.
I would love to see the blog writers to put their energy into somethings more productive and help the community in a better way rather than just trying to creat a controversy. Paying taxes doesn’t mean we own people. This blog needs to be reported Since it’s acting as a platform for stirring hate and making the collar environment so toxic. SHAME AND DISGUSTING, THIS IS A PATHETIC EXCUSE FOR REPORTING.”
Well……………We got nothing lol ???
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, first day of school for students was marked by teacher contract protests . The Ridgewood Education Association held a rally at 4:00pm at the Ed Center. The REA was hopping to garner more support from parents and students and pressure the BOE to settle. The union has implied the possibility of a strike .
That evening a negotiation session was held the Board of Education members and the REA negotiating team met with the state-appointed super conciliator for ten hours. According to the BOE progress was made, but a settlement was not reached.
The BOE in a letter to parents also went to great lengths to assure parents that in New Jersey it is illegal for public employees to strike. A 1967 NJ Supreme Court decision, In Re Block, confirmed this. Since then, teachers in districts such as Manville and Middletown have tried to strike and have had the county courts grant injunctions stopping them. Some teachers were arrested for civil contempt in violating the court injunctions. The NJ Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) has also re-affirmed that strikes are illegal and are not a protected union activity.
.
file photo by Boyd Loving
September 8,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, by all accounts last nights council meeting was very productive . In a major development Mayor Susan Knudsen publicly announced that the controversial proposed “revitalization” of Van Neste Memorial Park project has been suspended as of August 27,2016.
September 7, 2016
A message from the New Jersey State Police
It’s Not #CreepyClowns that Parents Should be Worried About
There’s been a lot of talk about creepy clown sightings these days. It’s true. Recently in both North and South Carolina, there have been reported sightings of, for lack of a better term, creepy clowns prowling around neighborhoods, scaring children. Some reports claim that these clowns could be a publicity stunt while others claim that these people have a much more sinister intent, which is supported by reports of some attempting to lure kids closer with money.
Well, we know that there are a lot of good, hard-working clowns right here in Jersey. Heck, you might even work with one or two (wink). Of course, it’s probably their part-time job, unless you all work for a circus. With that being said, we’re happy to report no suspicious or creepy clown activity here in Jersey
But these recent event gives us an opportunity to talk about safety tips that you can give your kids. After all, the kids are back in school, which means many are walking to and from home. You see, a scary-looking clown beckoning children closer may be all that is needed to have your child do the right thing, which is to walk in the other direction. It’s the unassuming person, man or woman, who your child should be wary of. Here are some tips:
*Talk to your kids
*Tell them who they can expect to come and get them in an emergency (family member or close friend)
*When walking to school, there is strength in numbers—walk in a group
*Never get into a stranger’s car
*Keep a safe distance from strangers asking for directions or help
*Tell your kids to yell, scream and kick if grabbed by a stranger
*Look around, stop looking for Pokemon—be aware of your surroundings
*If a stranger claims to be a cop but is not in uniform, kids should find a trusted adult
Let’s talk about that last tip for a minute. Are your kids familiar with the faces of the local police? Don’t just rely on the cops visiting schools. Drop by a station anytime to have your kids meet the troops or local police who patrol your area! It’s a great way get to know the troops and for the troops to get to know you and your kids!
For all of the coulrophobics out there, we apologize for the pic, but it was necessary. Sadly, at the end of the day, if all of the bad people out there stuck out as much as a person dressed as a clown, we wouldn’t have write posts like this.
Be safe, people!
