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ELECTION DAY is Tuesday, November 8th
Remember to Vote!
Polls are open 6:00am to 8:00pm
>REMINDER – ELECTION DAY is Tuesday, November 8th
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REMINDER – ELECTION DAY is Tuesday, November 8th
Remember to Vote!
Polls are open 6:00am to 8:00pm
>NJ Senator Mike Doherty will speak on the Fair School Funding Bill
>NJ Senator Mike Doherty will speak on the Fair School Funding Bill
The information is this: Come here NJ Senator Mike Doherty on the Fair School Funding Bill, Monday, November 14, 2011 at 7PM at The Stable, 259 N. Maple Ave Ridgewood.
Between Ridgewood and Glen Rock we could save $59 Million in property taxes. Over $42 Million for Ridgewood alone. Our email for any questions is ridgewood.glenrock.teaparty@aol.com
>Medicaid makeover waits on word from Washington
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Medicaid makeover waits on word from Washington
New Jersey wants to remake its Medicaid program to improve healthcare and save money, goals applauded by many in the medical community. But the state was counting on a $107 million refund from the federal government to help its efforts, money it looks unlikely to get — at least not in time for this fiscal year’s budget.
That doesn’t mean Medicaid reform is in jeopardy, but the state has more work to do if it’s going to meet its targets, which call for a Medicaid makeover by next July.
The clock is ticking. Meanwhile New Jersey is still waiting for the federal government to give its approval to a 160-page Medicaid Reform Proposal known as the Comprehensive Waiver. Submitted in September by the state Department of Human Services (DHS) to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the waiver was meant to save $300 million this fiscal year, through major changes to the $11 billion Medicaid program. (Fitzgerald, NJ Spotlight)
>N.J. State Council on the Arts postpones new applications for funding until 2014
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N.J. State Council on the Arts postpones new applications for funding until 2014
The New Jersey State Council on the Arts has found a way to reduce the onslaught of paperwork from some 200 applications for new grants it expects to receive in February.
Put it all off for a year.
At a hastily called meeting in Trenton last Friday, the arts council voted to extend current general operating and general program grants for a year, thereby postponing new applications for funding until Fiscal Year 2014. Eight of the 17 council members attended the meeting, and another five connected by telephone. The resolution, the only item on the agenda, passed unanimously. (McGlone, The Star-Ledger)
>The historic Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in North Jersey will be preserved
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The historic Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in North Jersey will be preserved
The historic Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in North Jersey, which closed in 2008, will be preserved and turned into parkland, Gov. Christie announced Thursday.
“When the state closes a facility, it has a responsibility to clean up after itself,” Christie said.
Designed a few years after the Civil War by Philadelphia architect Samuel Sloan, the former hospital is a French Renaissance/Second Empire-style building that features marble pillars, a rotunda and a chapel. Upon its completion, it was christened in 1876 by President Ulysses S. Grant. (DeFalco, Associated Press)
>Construction projects by government in NJ forecast to increase
>Construction projects by government in NJ forecast to increase
Contractors and professional firms shopping for work on government projects in New Jersey continue to face slim pickings, but there are signs the pipeline will become more active, according to a new construction forecast.
Shovel-ready jobs and other work planned by public agencies and some sectors of private industry for the next two years have a projected total value of $26.6 billion, an 18 percent increase compared with the forecast last year by the New Jersey Alliance for Action. The group advocates for construction firms, professionals, labor unions and businesses that benefit from public works. (Jordan, Gannett)
>Gov. Chris Christie is touting its get-out-the-vote effort before Tuesday’s legislative elections
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Gov. Chris Christie is touting its get-out-the-vote effort before Tuesday’s legislative elections
A New Jersey state GOP swollen with political cash and the support of popular Gov. Chris Christie is touting its get-out-the-vote effort before Tuesday’s legislative elections in a memo sent to top Republican leaders Sunday.
The memo, obtained by The Wall Street Journal, acts as a rallying cry for Republicans trying to wrest seats from the Democratic-controlled legislature in a handful of competitive Assembly and Senate races.
“For years Republican candidates have lacked adequate financial resources but that is not the case in 2011,” said the memo sent to about 60 county chairs, state committee members and other top GOP leaders. (Haddon, The Wall Street Journal)
>Annual Veteran’s Day Ceremony at Graydon Park
>Annual Veteran’s Day Ceremony at Graydon Park
Special Location
American Legion Post annual ceremony honoring Veterans on Veterans Day which is Friday, November 11th at 11 a.m. It will be a special event to be held this year at GRAYDON PARK at the patio area. We will rededicate a plaque containing 14 Ridgewood residents names who died in the “Great War” (WW1). We will also dedicate a interpretive panel giving the history of Graydon Park and of the original event that took place there in 1931.
>Readers sound out on 2008 drowning at Graydon Pool
>Readers sound out on 2008 drowning at Graydon Pool
Lifeguards train for this type of incident. The victim’s sister was aware that her brother needed help, yet the lifeguards did not see her or the boy. And the first lifeguard who was notified radioed to a senior staff member to find out what to do. The girl was frantic yet they did not seem to know how to proceed.
When a kid goes missing while swimming lifeguards should react quickly. When my kids were young we went to Graydon a few times a week. Many times the lifeguards blew whistles and emptied the pool in search of missing children. The child was usually on the playground or in the bathroom. These children were not lost in the pool but they took the precaution anyway.
I think the judge was absolutely wrong in this case. The family absolutely has some responsibility to watch their own child. Especially in a case where the child is a visitor, speaks little english and isn’t a good swimmer(as has been previously reported). They have to take some responsibility. We all have to watch our children. It’s our job.
Nothing can replace this mother’s loss. As someone who lost a sibling early on, my mother never recovered from that. That being said, this was a child that never should have been swimming in the deep end of the pool. The friends did not report this boy going under until it was way past anyone helping him. They never screamed or yelled out. The mother when told did not yell out either. They walked all the way around the pool to the pool managers office. The village has offered a substantial payment to the family but this is not enough. Nothing will every be enough.
The lifeguards are certified and they do practice drills. Sometimes they even run around the pool. So why do all these drills if they are not going to react in an emergency?When selling guest passes, does the staff explain any rules to the guests? The need for a deep water test should be rule #1.
>New Jersey’s anti-bullying law:This is government way over reaching and is surely unconstitutional
>New Jersey’s anti-bullying law:This is government way over reaching and is surely unconstitutional
“The legislation enacted last spring — considered by some as the toughest in a slew of anti-bullying laws sweeping the country — requires that districts follow strict protocols to prevent, identify, and address complaints of harassment and bullying both in and outside school.” NJSpotlight.com
And what pray tell does the school have to do with what goes on outside of its confines and hours of operation? This is government way over reaching and is surely unconstitutional. Just another example of the creeping nanny state. If we are not vigilant, we will soon be living in Orwell’s Animal Farm.
>As previously announced, the Christie administration plans to apply for a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind Act
>As previously announced, the Christie administration plans to apply for a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind Act
Fine Print: NCLB waiver application – Draft outline
What it is: As previously announced, the Christie administration plans to apply for a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind Act, joining what will likely be dozens of other states in seeking exemption from some of the federal law’s most draconian requirements. This is the outline released yesterday of that coming application, with some new details on how the administration plans to identify and intervene in flagging schools and how it would reward successful ones, including with money. (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)
>Ridgewood Schools rolls out new website that tracks district honors and awards
>Ridgewood Schools rolls out new website that tracks district honors and awards
A website page devoted to archiving the honors and awards of students and staff throughout the school year. Click here to view the 2011-2012 Honors and Awards page.
>DOE: Fewer schools hold ‘proficient’ ranking
>DOE: Fewer schools hold ‘proficient’ ranking
A state Department of Education list released on Thursday shows that more than 55 percent of public schools failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress in meeting all standardized testing benchmarks in language arts and math.
The results are being blamed on more stringent scoring and a mandated increase in the percentage of students that must be proficient, school officials said. Some schools are appearing on the list for the first time. (Rothschild, Gannett)
>Suprise ,Suprise : Regulator gave $10k to NJ Dems as Corzine ran
>Suprise ,Suprise : Regulator gave $10k to NJ Dems as Corzine ran
Gary Gensler, the regulator overseeing the investigation of Jon Corzine’s collapsed securities firm, built close ties to Corzine as they rose through the ranks of Goldman Sachs. Later, they collaborated on Capitol Hill to pass an anti-corporate fraud law.
When Corzine ran for New Jersey governor, Gensler gave $10,000 to the state Democratic Party, which was trying to get Corzine elected.
Now, Gensler, head of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, is leading an inquiry into how hundreds of millions vanished last week from client accounts at Corzine’s firm, MF Global. (Associated Press)
