>Ridgewood school officials take school budget on the road MONDAY MARCH 26, 2012, 9:19 AM BY DARIUS AMOS STAFF WRITER THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Ridgewood Board of Education trustees have spent a greater portion of this month visiting various locations in the village and detailing the 2012-13 school spending plan for residents. Among the hot topics discussed have been the specific driving costs of the $90.6 million operating budget
Last week, district officials went through the budget basics at the Education Center, this time with members of the municipal governing body sharing their dais. Ridgewood Mayor Keith Killion, council members Paul Aronsohn and Stephen Wellinghorst, and Stephen Sanzari, village chief financial officer, all sat in on the presentation.
>Loan initiative lures clinicians to practice, stay in Jersey
A state program that repays up to $120,000 in student loan debt for primary care clinicians who agree to work at least four years in medically underserved areas of New Jersey is having success recruiting and retaining healthcare workers in communities where they are needed the most, from cities like Newark and Camden to rural Gloucester County. (Fitzgerald, NJ Spotlight)
What it is: The proposed bill, A-2830, is the latest version of a long-running proposal to create a system of publicly funded scholarships or vouchers for students to attend schools of their choice, public or private. Sponsored by state Assemblymen Angel Fuentes and Lou Greenwald, both Camden County Democrats, the bill would limit the program to seven school districts and 20,000 students, the smallest number yet.
What it means: The proposal for the first time has in Greenwald a prime sponsor from the Democratic leadership team. Greenwald is the Assembly majority leader. That alone gives it the best chance yet in an Assembly that has been a formidable obstacle. Whether that’s enough to see it passed is another question. (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)
>Ridgewood Chamber Of Commerce Reports Being Hacked
Chamber Of Commerce Hacked Posted: 26 Mar 2012
Today, Ridgewood chamber of commerce was let down by our web design company in that we were left vulnerable to a SQL Injection attack. The cause of this was the poor code that was written by a web developer, this was made worse by the fact that we did not encypt any of the passwords in our database.
The good news is that you were lucky enough to be hacked by me and not someone else who could have done some really bad things here.
Go to your web developers and tell them you want a refund because seriously guys (and gals) the code they wrote was really weak.. An attack like this is easily preventable when you use a web developer knows what they are doing.
>Only three New Jersey towns asking voters to OK tax hike
Towns across New Jersey are in turmoil as they struggle to balance budgets by cutting services. They are laying off police and other staff, closing town halls on Fridays, shutting libraries, borrowing money, depleting surpluses, and using one-time fixes.
But raising taxes has become such a taboo that only three of the state’s 566 municipalities will be asking voters for permission to boost taxes beyond a state-imposed 2 percent cap. (Hefler, The Philadelphia Inquirer)
>High Marks for Transit Hubs By JILL P. CAPUZZO Published: March 22, 2012
WANT to know which New Jersey train stations have the most plentiful supply of parking spaces relative to town population? There’s a list for that. Or what about stations in the areas with the greatest number of jobs? There’s a list for that. Or transportation hubs with the densest populations? There’s a list for that as well.
In fact, there are dozens of lists, charts and graphs that analyze land use, infrastructure, populations and living conditions surrounding all 243 transit stations in New Jersey. The extensive inventory is the result of a three-year study by NJ Future looking to stratify census data from neighborhoods near the state’s transit hubs with an eye toward directing potential development in those areas.
Jon Corzine inappropriately ordered the removal of $200 million from customer funds while serving as the head of MF Global, according to a memo released Friday by a House Financial Services subcommittee – a finding that appears to contradict the former New Jersey governor’s congressional testimony.
> Economy improves, but real estate is still in depression SUNDAY, MARCH 25, 2012 THE RECORD
The economy looks a little stronger. New weekly unemployment claims are falling. More people are going back to work, and the gross domestic product is rising. The unusually warm winter helped everyone feel better — and spend less on energy.
Then there’s the real estate industry, which remains mired in a depression. New-home sales remain at or near an all-time low. Pending home sales seem to be trending up, but Realtors say deals are being canceled at a historic high rate because of homes failing to appraise out in value and lenders getting nervous twitches in the final moments before a closing.
And then there’s the number of Americans who are underwater with their mortgages — that is, their homes are worth less than the mortgage balance that remains.
The Easter Bunny will be stopping in Ridgewood on Saturday, April 7th, 2012. The East Bunny will meet all the children at Memorial Park by Van Neste Square. Weather permiting, the parade will start at 11:00am, then the Easter Bunny will let parents take pictures of their children with the Bunny. Chamber Members take this opportunity to offer in-store projects for the children to do ………………. or with, limited space, have a table in the Park with activities, along with other entertainment.
We will have the Bunny Trolley available to take the parents and children to the different stores that will have some fun activities for the children. If you are interested in participating, please contact the Chamber Office. 201-445-2600 – email: info@ridgewoodchamber.com. Hopefuly It will be warm and sunny by April 7, 2012. What a great way to welcome in Spring. Details: Easter in Ridgewood Date: Saturday, April 7, 2012 Location: Memorial Park at Van Nest Square and all through town Time: 11:00am-2:00pm Trolley: 11:00am-2:00pm – this Trolley will take children/parents to your location. Costs:
There is no cost to have an in-store or table in the Park. (you will need to bring your own table/chairs) Ben & Jerry’s will be doing an Easter Egg hunt in the Park, weather permitting! We hope you have received your Easter in the Park form to sign up now. Posters will be handed out soon and advertising will happen as we get closer. In the past, when the weather is nice, we have had as many as 800 children. “Easter in the Park” has become a “tradition” in Ridgewood – lets keep is going! Please email – info@ridgewoodchamber.com – call the Chamber 201-445-2600 or mail back the form that you would like to participate in this event – that will bring many families to the Village. RSVP’s should be at the Chamber office by 3/23/12. Thank you!
The next regular public meeting of the Board of Education will take place on Monday, March 26, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. This meeting will be a Public Hearing on the Budget. Board meetings may be viewed live on Optimum channel 77, FiOS channel 33 or via the “Live BOE Meeting” link on the district website at www.ridgewood.k12.nj.us. After the live streaming event, Board meetings will be archived and can be found in the BOE section of the website under “Board of Ed Webcasts.”
Register to Vote by March 27 .Any Ridgewood resident who is a registered voter may vote in the Annual Election on Tuesday, April 17. Residents may register to vote through Tuesday, March 27. Full information on registering to vote and mail-in ballots may be found on the Bergen County website or by clicking here. Forms are also available at any Municipal Clerk’s office or other public agency. For further information, please call the Superintendent of Elections office at 201-336-6100 between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
The National Merit Scholarship Program has announced the 2012 Merit Scholarship Finalists: Chongsuh Chun, Jun Young Kim, Helen Peng, Lan Wang and Elizabeth A. Mattson. Scholarship winners will be chosen by professionals in admission and selected on the basis of the candidates’ academic skills and achievements, extracurricular accomplishments, and potential for success in rigorous college studies. The scholarship winners will be notified in late March and April.
Sheila Brogan reported that this year’s Super Science Saturday was a success, with 170 student presenters and 50 adult presenters. Next year will mark Super Science Saturday’s 25th year.
Close to 90% of New Jersey school districts will move their School Board elections to November. Ridgewood’s BOE is one of 71 districts that did not support moving the election. Ridgewood voters will have the opportunity to vote on the school budget and for two Board of Education members on Tuesday, April 17. Polls will be open 7AM to 9 PM.
Boards of Education that decided to move the election to November were enticed to do so by the law’s provision that the school board, as long as the budget is below or at cap, would not be required to put their budgets out for a vote.
Public Presentations on the Budget The Board of Education and Superintendent Dr. Daniel Fishbein are offering the public opportunities to hear about the proposed 2012-2013 school budget prior to the Annual School Election on Tuesday, April 17. Please plan to attend one of the following presentations:
Tuesday, April 3 at Ridgewood High School Library Media Center at 7:30 p.m.
2012-2013 Proposed Budget The following preliminary budget has been submitted for approval to the Executive County Superintendent: Budget Tax Levy General Fund $ 90,653,862 $ 82,949,642 Special Revenue Fund $ 1,069,070 0 Debt Service Fund $ 3,693,173 $ 3,200,686 Total Budget $ 95,416,105 $ 86,150,328
The following question will be presented to the voters of Ridgewood Village for their approval on April 17: There should be raised for the General Fund Tax Levy $82,949,642 for the ensuing School Year: (2012-2013).
>American Enterprise Institute – Why The Next Housing Crisis Is Already Underway by Donna S. Robinson – 22 March 2012
Like a cancerous tumor that just won’t go away, another housing crisis is growing ever larger. It’s a debt tumor, fed by the blood that flows in the form of government insured mortgages which are in essence nothing more than taxpayer backed guarantees for Fannie, Freddie, USDA, and FHA, to name a few.
This article quotes heavily from the work of Mr. Edward Pinto, A Resident Fellow of The American Enterprise Institute, and a former executive of Fannie Mae. The entire 15 page report is available here if you’d like to read his detailed analysis. (Thanks to Mr. Pinto for kindly providing me with a copy of his testimony.)
Mr. Pinto has an excellent insight into the problems inherent in government insured mortgage programs, the “politicizing” of U.S. housing policy, and how this led to the first housing crisis. His analysis of what he has termed “the government mortgage complex”, demonstrates why the proposed government solutions to the current crisis are not going to solve the problem, but will merely add another housing crisis to the existing one. He also demonstrates why the current crisis continues to drag on, and shows that it’s largely because of misguided government policies and political deal making that fail to address the underlying causes, while attempting to please a variety of special interests, from “affordable” housing advocates and the finance and banking industry to the real estate industry itself.
The health of New Jersey’s housing market ranks near the bottom in the nation, according to the Healthiest Housing Index from online loan marketplace LendingTree LLC.
The health of housing markets was based on seven criteria, according to LendingTree: the unemployment rate, foreclosure percentage, debt-to-income ratio, home ownership and vacancy, percentage past-due, loan-to-value ratio, and equity. (Tarbous, NJBIZ)
SUNDAY, MARCH 25, 2012 By JOHN CICHOWSKI ROAD WARRIOR COLUMNIST
As if incessant panhandling, urine-stained elevators and stop-and-start escalators aren’t enough, Penn Station commuters, many from North Jersey, are now enduring still another indignity: NJ Transit has sealed or padlocked nearly 70 electrical outlets in its Seventh Avenue section of the terminal, leaving commuters with few places to charge their cellphones and laptops.
> AOL, lacking better options, hires firm to sell its patents AOL is said to have hired Evercore Partners to help it shop around its patent portfolio in hopes of making up for declining dial-up revenues.
AOL’s effort to sell off a chunk of its patent portfolio keeps chugging ahead. The company has now reportedly hired investment banking advisory firm Evercore Partners to help strike a deal.
Citing three people with knowledge of the hire, Bloomberg says AOL tapped Evercore to find a buyer for more than 800 patents and to “explore other strategic options” — code for a possible sale or private buyout of the entire company.
