Jane Shinozuka say , “I am indeed a VP of the League but I do NOT promise fireworks…. However I can promise unconditionally that our questions are NOT “manufactures softball questions”. I can also promise the we ARE a non-partisan organization. I believe our local league is a champion of municipal “sunshine” and our public events and outreach dutifully serve all members of the community. SO there!…
Good thing I am such a good-natured soul or I would suggest that this posting is over the top, even for you, PJ Blogger…
You are such a b-buster… and remember that is coming from a (self-proclaimed) good-natured soul. ”
Ridgewood NJ, very sad news ,Radicchio Pasta and Risotto Co., announces its closing, “Like every good thing, the end of Radicchio Pasta and Risotto Co. is also here. We tried our best (for more then a year) but, unfortunately couldn’t make it ! We will be closing our doors after dinner service on Sunday the 22nd. Chef Danny would like to thank everyone for their continued love and support over the years. Chef would continue running Radicchio as a pop up, catering to private events and pop up’s. Please feel free to contact him or Alondra if you wish to have them cater to your future events. They can be reached via the Facebook Page or email, [email protected] or [email protected]. Until next time, thanks again and see you soon. @radicchiopastaandrisotto ”
Ridgewood NJ, Click here to view the 2018-2019 Preliminary Budget presentation, given at the March 20 Board of Education meeting. The final proposed budget will have a Public Hearing and Board of Education vote on Monday, May 7 at 7:30 p.m., at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place.
The Board of Education has set up public presentations on the 2018-2019 budget, as follows:
Monday, April 16
Benjamin Franklin Middle School Auditorium
7 p.m.
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company is so excited to announce that tickets are now on sale for our Spring 2018 production of Princess Ida! We will be rolling out more information on our exciting take on this work in the coming days, but for now, make sure you grab your tickets for this hilarious twist on a traditional medieval fairy tale!
A hilarious twist on a traditional medieval fairy tale, Princess Ida tells the tale of a Princess, who eschews her marriage obligations to the Prince of a neighboring kingdom (made when they both were infants) to run a women’s university. Prince Hilarion has been waiting for his wedding day for twenty years. He is about to meet Princess Ida to whom he was betrothed, as a baby. Unfortunately, Princess Ida has decided that she does not want to honor the commitment, and has, instead, gone off and started a women’s college. But Hilarion does not give up hope! In an attempt to woo her, Hilarion, dresses up as a maiden and sneaks into the women’s compound, accompanied by his friends, Cyril and Florian, who are forced to dress up, as well. Once the “maidens” are in the compound, various girls attending the college discover their secret.
Friday, May 11 at 7:30pm
Saturday, May 12 at 7:30pm
Sunday, May 13 at 3:00pm
Ridgewood United Methodist Church
(100 Dayton Street, Ridgewood, NJ)
Friday, June 1 at 7:30pm
Fair Lawn Community Center
(10-10 20th Street, Fair Lawn, NJ)
Want a preview of the show? We are performing a concert version of highlights from Princess Ida at Mahwah Public Library (100 Ridge Road) this Sunday at 2pm. Come and join in on the fun!
Emmanuel Baptist Church will hold an Italian Festival on April 28, 2018 Sat, April 28, 2018 Time: 5:30 PM Location: Heritage Hall of Emmanuel Baptist Church, 14 Hope St. Ridgewood, NJ 07450
April 15,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The Men’s Fellowship of Emmanuel will sponsor an Italian Festival Dinner on Saturday, April 28th, at 5:30 pm in Heritage Hall of Emmanuel Baptist Church, 14 Hope Street, Ridgewood, NJ.
The menu will feature a variety of traditional Italian dishes and desserts. Tickets are $15 for adults and $8 for children and can be purchased by calling the Church office at 201-444-7300 on or before April 24th. All funds raised will be used to support Mission Projects of the Men’s Fellowship including Good Shepherd Mission in Paterson, Center for Food Action, and Social Services of Ridgewood and Vicinity.
Emmanuel Baptist Church, founded in 1891, is celebrating its 126th Anniversary Year and continues to maintain 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. For more information, visit www.emmanuelridgewood.org or https://www.facebook.com/EmmanuelRidgewood/.
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood League of Women’s Voters will hold a Village Council Candidate Forum on Monday April 30 at Village Hall at 131 N Maple Ave, in Ridgewood in the Ridgewood Village Hall Court Room.
There are four candidates for Village Council vying for two seats ; challengers Alexander Harwin and Janice Willett face off against Mayor Susan Knudsen and Deputy Mayor Mike Sedon.
According to the league the candidates will read a back ground statement and then answer questions submitted by the League of Women Voters and members of the community .
While the league continues to bill itself as a ‘non partisan” organization with Crystal Matsibekker, President , Jane Shinozuka, Vice President, Ellie Gruber, Membership Chair , most outsiders view the league as another far leftists agenda driven organization with former Mayor Paul Aronsohn as the puppet master.
The league currently supports leftist causes such as “climate change “, illegals voting , claims there is no voter fraud (lol) , the Dream act, gun confiscation, illegal immigration, and Obamacare .
It will be interesting to watch if the league manufactures softball questions for Alexandra Harwin an Aronsohn protégé or it actually asks relevant questions about issues facing the Village of Ridgewood .
Observers say watch carefully for a stacked audience looking to attack the mayor with the usual litany of “nepotism, and wasteful spending “, while waving the rainbow flag and promoting over development and destruction of the Village of Ridgewood.
The forum will be broadcast on cable 77,fios 34 and streamed live on YouTube .
Ridgewood NJ, according to the Tax Foundation ,Tax Freedom Day is the day when the nation as a whole has earned enough money to pay its total tax bill for the year. In 2018, Tax Freedom Day falls on April 19th, 109 days into the year, three days earlier than last year. Tax Freedom Day is significant because Americans will collectively spend more on taxes in 2018 than they will on food, clothing, and housing combined. If you include annual federal borrowing, which represents future taxes owed, Tax Freedom Day would occur 17 days later, on May 6th.
This year Tax Freedom Day will be three days earlier than it was in 2017, in large part due to the recent federal tax law, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which significantly lowered federal individual and corporate income taxes.
The Tax Foundation defines Tax Freedom Day® as the day when the nation as a whole has earned enough money to pay its total tax bill for the year. Tax Freedom Day takes all federal, state, and local taxes and divides them by the nation’s income. In 2018, Americans will pay $3.39 trillion in federal taxes and $1.80 trillion in state and local taxes, for a total tax bill of $5.19 trillion, or 30 percent of national income. This year, Tax Freedom Day falls on April 19th, 109 days into 2018.
This year, Americans again will work the longest to pay federal, state, and local individual income taxes (44 days). Payroll taxes will take 26 days to pay, followed by sales and excise taxes (15 days), corporate income taxes (seven days), and property taxes (11 days). The remaining six days are spent paying estate and inheritance taxes, customs duties, and other taxes.
The total tax burden borne by residents of different states varies considerably due to differing state tax policies and the progressivity of the federal tax system. This means that states with higher incomes and higher taxes celebrate Tax Freedom Day later: New York (May 14), New Jersey (May 3), and Connecticut (May 3). Residents of Louisiana and Alaska bear the lowest average tax burden in 2018, with Tax Freedom Day having arrived on April 4. Also early were Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Alabama, all on April 5.
Ridgewood NJ, According to Councilman Ramon M Hache in his April newsletter, “The month of March brought some severe weather. We saw a significant amount of snowfall accompanied with hazardous road conditions. The March 21 Budget Meeting was rescheduled due to the nor’easter that made its way to our area the night before. Despite the scheduling setback, we managed to conclude our budget hearings before the end of the month.
2018 Municipal Budget”
Hache goes on , “The budget process is never easy, especially in an age of budget caps that are below the rate of inflation. Basically we have to, at a minimum, deliver the same level of services every year with a limited capacity of raising revenues to meet the increased cost of delivering those services. Changes to federal income tax laws at the end of 2017 have adversely impacted many of our residents by sharply reducing the amount of state and local income taxes (“SALT”) they can deduct in determining taxable income. Mindful of this, we worked very hard with our department heads to come up with a budget that would not place an additional undue burden on our residents. On April 11, the Village Council will introduce a municipal budget with a property tax increase of 0.99% over 2017.Please note this is just the municipal budget and does not include the Board of Education or the county.”
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Water Customers, Stage II restrictions (2 days per week irrigation) were imposed in June 2016 and are still in effect in Glen Rock, Midland Park, Ridgewood and Wyckoff. Without these restrictions, the use of drinking water for irrigation will continue increasing toward levels that are unsustainable regardless of drought conditions. To reverse this trend, an ordinance was approved by the Village Council on April 12, 2017 to amend the provisions governing Watering and Water Emergencies in the Village of Ridgewood Code. Changes include:
Making 2 days per week irrigation permanent year round,
Restricting irrigation hours to limit losses to evaporation,
Restricting irrigation using private wells to 2 days a week,
Adding new exemptions, including drip irrigation and smart controllers.
This ordinance became effective on May 2, 2017 and applies only to Ridgewood, but it is expected that the Boroughs of Glen Rock and Midland Park, and the Township of Wyckoff will enact similar rules as they have in the past. Questions can be directed to Ridgewood Water at 201-670-5521 or [email protected].
*Exemptions will not be granted June 1st through September 20th, unless the work is required as part of new construction.
I am fairly well educated and successful. I reflect back on my accomplishment and look forward to future goals. I am confused by what we vote for
I know little about the candiatates to date I do believe that the mayor is a class act and nice and so forth, but she and Sedon are not effective at all.
I can’t water my lawn, drive down the street without hitting a pothole, drive with seeing cars speeding, expenses are out of control, union and school costs are exploding. Parking at the train station is a mess, residents can’t park after 645 and just try to get home when the evening trains come in. Take an issue and solve it please
I am a 25 year resident and see the village failing at many levels. We don’t need nice class acts. We need leaders and folks to address issues and have a impact. If we are voting for nice folks I guess this makes sense. Show me a list of accomplishments show me what you goals are for the village. Show me a future Stop blaming the past.
Editors note : unfortunately the past does not just go away , actions have consequences, and the election of the 3 amigos doomed the Village to years of fixing their mess , you only have your selves to blame
RIDGEWOOD RETAIL FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS Q1 2018 Regulated by N.J.A.C. 8:24 and Village of Ridgewood Ordinance Chapter 156
Establishment Types Risk Type 1 Serves or sells only prepackaged foods or prepares only non–potentially hazardous foods.
Risk Type 2 Cooks and serves products immediately; practices hot and cold holding of potentially hazardous foods; limited preparation of potentially hazardous foods.
Risk Type 3 Extensive menu requiring the handling of raw ingredients; Complex preparation that requires cooking, cooling and reheating of at least three or more potentially hazardous foods.
Risk Type 4 Conducts specialized processing to control the proliferation of disease causing organisms; this may include smoking, curing, canning, bottling, acidification or reduced oxygen packaging.
Inspection Evaluations The retail food establishment operator shall post the most recent evaluation placard in a conspicuous place so the public may view the placard. The evaluation placard shall identify that the establishment is one of the following:
Satisfactory The establishment has been found to be operating in substantial compliance with N.J.A.C. 8:24 and Chapter 156 of Village Ordinances.
Conditionally Satisfactory The establishment has been found not to be operating in substantial compliance with N.J.A.C. 8:24 and Chapter 156 of Village Ordinances. Due to the nature of these violations, a re-inspection is required and will be conducted.
Unsatisfactory The establishment has been found to be operating in violation of N.J.A.C. 8:24 and Chapter 156 of Village Ordinances and the violation(s) constitute gross unsanitary or unsafe conditions which pose an imminent health hazard. The Health Department shall institute necessary measures provided by law to assure that the establishment does not prepare or serve food until the establishment is reevaluated and the conditions which warranted the unsatisfactory evaluation no longer exist.
I’m not in any camp and remained undecided until hearing two candidates speak at coffee. Harwin was pleasant but lacked substance. No grasp on issues, memorized talking points and knows a great deal about herself. Mrs. Harwin did not answer questions. She was accompanied by Paul Aronsohn and Gwenn Hauck. Another coffee was for Knudsen and Sedon and only Knudsen attended. The mayor was gracious and well informed on many issues. She is a wealth of knowledge and discussed issues I was unaware of. Questions were asked and answered without hesitation. Knudsen spoke well of Sedon. Not a fan of Willett. She and Harwin have dirtied themselves by mudslinging and I’m not impressed. The mayor is a class act. I voted Knudsen and Albano in 2014 and will be voting Knudsen and Sedon this time
Harwin has shown she doesn’t have a grasp of the issues in the village. She shows by her alliance with Paul Aronsohn and her subsequent Facebook ads she is no more than a partisan extension of Paul’s betrayal of Ridgewood and the village taxpayers. That she embraces the actions of supporters Rurik Halaby and Jeff Voigt and their allergy to facts and decorum shows she supports their style, tactics, and deception. That her supporter Al Pucciarelli advocates a chilling proposal to ban video coverage of public meetings shows she is unqualified to preserve the rights of taxpayers. Her support and contradictory position on the money-losing garage proposal shows she has no comprehension of municipal budgets, fiscal planning, and tax burdens. That she proudly carries the loud support of ethically disgraced Roberta Sonnenfeld tells voters she is willing to break the rules when it serves her best.
Ridgewood NJ, Village Manager Heather Mailander issued a special update on a special pickup for tree limbs and branches . The Parks and Street Departments have finished Area A, Area B, and Area C for the special pickup for the tree limbs/branches. The pickup in Area D has begun and will continue until all of the streets in Area D have been picked up. If you live in Area D, please have all of your tree limbs/branches at the curbline (not blocking your sidewalks) by this date. Please do not place yardwaste at the curb during this pickup, because it will not be picked up. Yardwaste collection begins on April 16th. Please check the Village website, under My Village Services, to determine your yardwaste collection day.
As a reminder, the crews will remove the limbs and branches from every street in each section only once and after this pickup has taken place, there will be no additional pickups for these tree limbs and branches.
Early bird discounted registration for Graydon Pool will take place April 1st through April 30th
. Please click on the picture of Graydon Pool at the top of the Village website to register at discounted prices.
The final voter registration for the May 8th Municipal Election, for Village Councilmembers, will take place on April 17, 2018. Voter registration will take place in the Village Clerk’s Office from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and then voter registration will continue in the lobby of the Ridgewood Public Library from 4:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. This is for new voter registrations only or if you have moved into or within Ridgewood, it is an opportunity for you to re-register with your new address.
Enjoy the warmer weather at the Village’s annual Earth Day Fair and Daffodil Festival, which is sponsored by the Ridgewood Environmental Advisory Committee and the Conservancy for Ridgewood Public Lands, along with the Village Recycling Department. This event will take place on April 22nd from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., in Memorial Park at Van Neste Square, and will feature recycling information, games, educational displays, crafts, music by Blue Plate Special, a petting zoo, a daffy dog parade and more!
Ridgewood NJ, Village of Ridgewood Mayor Susan Knudsen announced Friday afternoon , “As Promised – Ridgewood Village Council approved the hiring of NV5 to begin the Village Master Plan vsioning process. Details will be announced soon!”
The Mayor goes on , “Ridgewood is embarking on the development of a new Village Master Plan to replace the current, outdated document which is about 35 years old. A Master Plan encompasses all zoning laws and regulations that shaped the Village into the community it is today. From downtown development to the allowable property setbacks in everyone’s neighborhoods, the document is critical in maintaining the character of the Village. Our goal is to allow for smart development that doesn’t overwhelm streets and neighborhoods while supporting a vibrant and healthy Central Business District.”
“A new Village Master Plan document will guide Ridgewood’s development 40 plus years into the future making it critically important for trusted, experienced Council members to be active participants. Council members with a proven track record of protecting resident property values, Ridgewood neighborhoods, and the character of the Village we call home. Mayor Knudsen is the most experienced Council member in the area of Municpal Land Use making her participation important to the future of the Village. Experienced Council members with a comprehensive understanding of Municipal Land Use patterns, development and zoning, will serve the community best as we begin the exciting Master Plan process.”
The Master Plan project will commence in May with public engagement, charrettes, surveys, and more.
