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>N.J. must create new sergeant selection process in U.S. Department of Justice settlement

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N.J. must create new sergeant selection process in U.S. Department of Justice settlement

New Jersey must create a new process for selecting sergeants in municipal and county police departments after reaching a settlement to revise a system the U.S. Department of Justice said discriminates against black and Hispanic applicants, federal officials announced Monday.

If the settlement is approved by a federal judge, the state will also be required to pay $1 million in back pay to black and Hispanic officers the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division says were harmed by the promotion process. Those officers may also be given priority for the next openings for sergeants.  (Megerian, The Star-Ledger)

https://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/08/nj_must_create_new_sergeant_se.html
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>N.J. auto insurance rates on the rise again

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N.J. auto insurance rates on the rise again

After years of steady declines, New Jersey’s notoriously high auto insurance rates are on the rise again.
And, to stem the tide, the Christie administration is proposing new rules that would limit the kinds of medical care injured drivers can receive under their auto policies.

The proposed rules could rekindle debate over auto insurance, an issue that dominated New Jersey for decades, when angry motorists regularly revolted against paying rates that were nearly always the most expensive in the nation.  (Rizzo, The Star-Ledger)

https://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/08/nj_auto_insurance_rates_on_the.html
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>Under NJ energy plan, does sewage sludge qualify as renewable fuel?

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Under NJ energy plan, does sewage sludge qualify as renewable fuel?

It probably will not be embraced by environmentalists, but some folks are promoting sewage sludge as a renewable fuel. It fits that definition, according to a Houston-based firm that helps sewerage authorities manage the waste they produce from processing millions of gallons of sewage.

Synagro Technologies recently won contract approval from the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs for a ten-year, $28 million contract with the Camden County Municipal Utilities Authority to begin converting the 60,000 tons of sludge it generates annually into a product that can displace coal as a fuel source in an out-of-state generating plant.  (Johnson, NJ Spotlight)

https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/11/0802/2106/
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>Changing the rules for teacher evaluation

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Changing the rules for teacher evaluation

It took a little courage and some said a leap of faith, but 31 New Jersey school districts have signed up to be part of the Christie administration’s pilot program for testing a statewide teacher evaluation system.
All of the models being assessed by the pilot must rely on student test scores and other achievement measures for up to half a teacher’s grade, from “ineffective” to “highly effective.” But with a few options to pick from, the state wants to evaluate them first in a mix of locales.  (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)

https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/11/0802/2330/
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>To Night : YesterDaze “Doo Wop” at the Kasschau Memorial Shell

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Kasschau Shell – Outdoor Entertainment Every Tuesday and Thursday Night

FREE SUMMER ENTERTAINMENT – UNDER THE STARS

8:30pm at the Band Shell, Veterans Field, Ridgewood, N.J.

Behind the Ridgewood Public Library,N. Maple Ave. between Franklin and Linwood Aves.

All programs are free. Please bring a chair or blanket..Please do not cross over the baseball field if a game is in progress.

***Taped rain site information (June-August only): (201) 444-1776 after 7:00pm

AUGUST-

Tuesday, August 2, YesterDaze “Doo Wop”

Sponsors: Ulrich, Inc.

Van Dyk Health Care, Inc.

Thursday, August 4, Harmony Celebration Chorus, “Sweet Adelines”

Sponsors: Village of Ridgewood

Tarvin Realtors

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>Offshore wind developers propose financing mechanism without revealing costs to consumers

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DonQuiote theridgewoodblog.net

Offshore wind developers propose financing mechanism without revealing costs to consumers

Offshore wind developers yesterday presented a proposal to set up a mechanism for financing up to 1,100 megawatts of wind farms off the Jersey coast, but the proposal raised more questions than it answered among state regulatory officials.

The proposal, a consensus mechanism agreed upon by several offshore wind developers, suggests a framework for how the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) could award ratepayer-subsidized credits to the wind farms for the electricity they generate. That would guarantee the projects a steady stream of funding that should convince banks to invest in the clean energy technology.  (Johnson, NJ Spotlight)

https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/11/0801/2145/
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>New Jersey Department of Education tells school districts to get started on criminal background checks for Board of Education members

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New Jersey Department of Education tells school districts to get started on criminal background checks for Board of Education members

School districts have been notified to begin the process of completing criminal background checks on all school board members.

The state Department of Education has not set a deadline to complete the checks to allow time for the almost 5,000 school board members and charter school trustees to be processed. Districts were notified in a July 14 memo to begin having board members enter their information into the online system so they can get an appointment to be fingerprinted.  (D’Amico, Press of Atlantic City)

https://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/press/new_jersey/new-jersey-department-of-education-tells-school-districts-to-get/article_1b8e40b0-bcb7-11e0-8470-001cc4c002e0.html
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>205 Lotte Road : Village’s record in dealing with these types of issues is not the best

>205 Lotte Road : Village’s record in dealing with these types of issues is not the best

While I agree that the Village’s record in dealing with these types of issues is not the best, the issue is not as straight forward as one might think. The fact is that they can issue all of the notices and summonses they want and it may not solve the problem. If the owner does not have the money they are not going to do anything. If the owner is bankrupted nothing is going to happen.

My sister lives in another town and there is a house not too far from her in the same condition. The town issued summonses and the owner abandon the house and moved out of state. They can’t sue the owner because she has no assets and they no authority to force her to return to NJ to answer to building code violations.

The bank now owns the house and they will not do anything but list the property for sale. The bank is also located out of state and will not even respond to the town.

I hate to say it but we are going to be seeing more and more of these issues

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>205 Lotte Road : why doesnt the VOR enforce their laws?

>205 Lotte Road : why doesn’t the VOR enforce their laws?

WHY doesnt the VOR enforce their laws? That is the question here. It should not be up to a neighbor to hire an attorney and chase this builder. Should not be up to you bloggers to post the man’s home address and shame him into completing this project. It should be up to the Village.

The neighbors pay their taxes. They keep up their homes. One call to the Village Manager’s office, and we should see some movement. Ken, thats where you are failing. Your staff will not take action until there is a threat of a lawsuit. Thats the issue here. Should never come down to neighbor agst neighbor or neighbor agst builder. This is where the Village government steps in. Thats why we all pay taxes

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>Love N.J.? It all depends where you live

>Love N.J.? It all depends where you live


If traffic moved without problems and job opportunities were abundant, Monmouth and Ocean County residents might be among the happiest people in New Jersey.

But Monmouth University Poll results released Monday show that people in Morris County feel best about their quality of life in a comparison of the 21 counties. At the other end of scale, a large number of folks in Cumberland County wish they were someplace else.  (Jordan, Gannett)

https://www.app.com/article/20110802/NJNEWS10/308020016/Like-N-J-It-depends-where-you-live
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>Paul Aronsohn : New Jersey Deserves Better

>Paul Aronsohn : New Jersey Deserves Better

By Paul Aronsohn

Enough is enough.

The destructive policies.  The divisive rhetoric.  The disregard for views and lives not compatible with his own.   Taken together, Chris Christie’s brand of slash and burn politics is taking its toll on our state, and it’s time to put an end to it.

He has attacked teachers and first responders.  He has attacked ordinary citizens, who had the temerity to question their Governor.  He has attacked women legislators, calling them “jerks” and “liars” and violently suggested that journalists “take the bat” to one woman who represents a Bergen County district.   And now he is attacking his conservative critics, calling them “the crazies.”

He stuck it to seniors, cutting their “senior freeze” rebates after promising them property tax relief.  He stuck it to low income workers, cutting their earned income tax credit after promising not to raise taxes.  He stuck it to law enforcement officers and firefighters, cutting their pensions after promising to protect what he called a “sacred trust.”

https://www.politickernj.com/49929/new-jersey-deserves-better

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>Optimum online Hot Spots: Who needs cell towers

>Optimum online Hot Spots: Who needs cell towers 

Actually there is a solution without putting up a cell tower. On a good smart phone (such as my I-phone4) a wireless Internet signal is picked up and used in place of the 3g network when available. So if we encourage Optimum online to put a few more hot spots around (as they do in the CBD) there will be no need for the ANTIQUATED cell towers,

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>N.J. aims to cut medical costs in auto insurance

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N.J. aims to cut medical costs in auto insurance

Gov. Chris Christie’s administration, in what it says is an effort to control auto insurance costs, proposed Monday to overhaul New Jersey’s rules to limit medical expenses for people injured in car crashes.
Dozens of revisions to the state’s personal injury protection, or PIP, system would change fees paid to same-day surgery centers, reduce costs associated with alternative providers such as chiropractors and clamp down on attorney’s fees in arbitration cases.  (Symons, Gannett)

https://www.app.com/article/20110802/NJNEWS10/308020014/N-J-aims-to-cut-medical-costs-in-auto-insurance
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>Christie says technology investments a priority for Motor Vehicle Commission

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Christie says technology investments a priority for Motor Vehicle Commission

Gov. Chris Christie said Monday he would consider restoring $5.5 million to the budget for technology upgrades after two computer crashes hampered operations at the Motor Vehicle Commission last month.
Christie blamed Democrats for cutting funds for technology upgrades in the current budget but said he’d be open to restoring the money if the Democratic-controlled Legislature sent a supplemental appropriations bill to his desk.  (Dellis Santi, The Associated Press)

https://www.app.com/article/20110801/NJNEWS/308010063/Christie-says-technology-investments-priority
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>State Workers Unions joining forces to counter Christie

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State Workers Unions joining forces to counter Christie

In an unusual show of collaboration, New Jersey’s public worker unions plan to join together to try to upend Gov. Chris Christie’s signature accomplishment this year: cuts to their pensions and health-care benefits.
Public workers, rather than Democrats, have been the Republican governor’s greatest foil. He gained national attention after calling on teachers to accept salary freezes and blaming the state’s financial woes on workers’ compensation packages, which he mocked in town-hall-style forums across the state.  (Fleisher, The Wall Street Journal)

https://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424053111903341404576482942819488876.html