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>Exemption adds to Bergen pay-to-play discussion

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Exemption adds to Bergen pay-to-play discussion

An exemption that could be included in the proposed Bergen County pay-to-play ordinance is causing further debate.

The ordinance, which was most recently publicly discussed at the Sept. 7 freeholder meeting, would compel those who sign contracts with the county to submit a more thorough disclosure of campaign contributions than earlier versions did. But the latest version also would allow a significant number of county contracts to be exempt.

The exemption included in the revised pay-to-play ordinance states that the proposed regulations would “not apply to those contracts awarded pursuant to a fair and open process.” According to state law, a “fair and open” process includes at least several provisions

The process must include public advertisement in newspapers or on the entity’s website, with “sufficient time to give notice.” The contract process must also be publicly opened to bidding and publicly reported when awarded, according to State of New Jersey guidelines.  (Bonamo, Hackensack Chronicle)

https://www.northjersey.com/news/130404683_Exemption_adds_to_pay-to-play_discussion.html
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>Admari Tea Tasting!

>Admari Tea Tasting!
Saturday 1pm-7pm
Remember the tea shop in midland park… Its back in a new format…Adrienne will be headed here Saturday talking and tasting tea. Stop by to say hi and try the new format of KickAssam, Tranquil and Balance. You will love it!

SPECIAL BOAR’S HEAD TURKEY $4.99/LB

Patrick & Sons
“A Unique Place to Shop”

Super Cellars
Discount Wines, Spirits & Beer

The Cheese Shop
Now @ 32 South Broad Street


John P Gray
“Son”
Patrick & Sons Super Cellars
32 South Broad St
Ridgewood,NJ 07450
(p) 201-444-0012
(f) 201-444-3070
(e) john@supercellars.com

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>Plug-in electric vehicles still in the slow lane

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Plug-in electric vehicles still in the slow lane

New Jersey is taking some small steps toward building a network of charging stations for plug-in electric vehicles throughout the Mid-Atlantic region, joining 10 other states and the District of Columbia in the an effort to come up with a development plan.

The U.S. Department of Energy yesterday awarded nearly $1 million to jump start the venture. Officials hope it will eventually enable electric cars to drive from northern New England to Washington, D.C.
The initiative comes at a time when New Jersey has already made a tentative effort to build a network of charging stations for plug-in electric vehicles, which are expected to be rolled out by automakers in the coming months. While several bills providing incentives to build the stations at malls, rest areas, and other locations have been acted on by the legislature, none have been enacted into law.  (Johnson, NJ Spotlight)

https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/11/0922/2222/
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>Underground explosion closes streets in Ridgewood

>Underground explosion closes streets in Ridgewood
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2011  
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Ridgewood police sealed off Franklin Avenue between Cottage Place and Chestnut Street this morning after a small underground explosion displaced a man-hole cover at the corner of Franklin and Oak.

Chief of Police John Ward told The Ridgewood News the incident, reported just past 9 a.m., involved a Public Service Gas & Electric (PSE&G) electrical junction beneath the street. He said it was believed the event caused transient power outages reported by some Eastside residences, and briefly knocked out the traffic light at the intersection of Linwood and Van Dien Avenues. No injuries were reported and power at the affected locations was quickly restored by backup electrical systems, Ward said.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/130422143_Underground_explosion_closes_streets.html

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>Aim to save seniority, congressional redistricting panel told

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Aim to save seniority, congressional redistricting panel told

There was far more talk of minimizing turnover than encouraging competitive races Thursday at a public hearing of the commission in charge of redrawing New Jersey’s congressional districts.
The commission, in charge of redrawing the state’s congressional districts, took testimony for the first time this year in a mostly empty theater on the Rutgers University campus.

A common theme — voiced by the three Democratic elected officials as well as the one political scientist who spoke — was that the commission ought to make continuity a goal.

The state’s loss of a seat in the House of Representatives, from 13 to 12 as a result of population shifts to states in the South and West, makes that trickier because two incumbents must wind up in the same district.
But that loss also makes continuity more important, said Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski of Middlesex County, the Democratic Party state chairman.  (Symons, Gannett)

https://www.app.com/article/20110922/NJNEWS/309220104/Aim-save-seniority-congressional-redistricting-panel-told
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>"I think we get hung up on the words ‘fast food,’" said Mayor Keith Killion.

>“I think we get hung up on the words ‘fast food,'” said Mayor Keith Killion.

Ridgewood Planning Board continues debate on village fast food ordinance
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011  
BY JOSEPH CRAMER
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

The Ridgewood Planning Board went back for seconds on the issue of amending the village’s fast food ordinance at Tuesday’s public meeting.

Planners addressed the importance of moving beyond the negative stigma the ordinance’s name carries.

“I think we get hung up on the words ‘fast food,'” said Mayor Keith Killion.

The idea of amending the existing fast food ordinance, which currently prohibits fast food entirely in the downtown area’s B-1 zone and permits it with conditions in the B-2 zone, was revived at a board meeting in August by Village Planner Blais Brancheau with the intent that applicants currently prohibited under existing ordinance could potentially fill some of the vacant storefronts in Ridgewood’s Central Business District (CBD).

https://www.northjersey.com/news/130350513_Ridgewood_Planning_Board_continues_debate_on_village_fast_food_ordinance.html

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>Committee: Private funds needed to develop Schedler property in Ridgewood

>Committee: Private funds needed to develop Schedler property in Ridgewood
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2011
BY KELLY EBBELS
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

The village’s last remaining major undeveloped open space area, the Schedler property east of Route 17, can only be renovated with a private fund-raising initiative, according to Ridgewood’s Open Space Committee.

The revelation came from Ralph Currey, chair of the committee, during a presentation at Wednesday’s Village Council meeting. He recommended that the village support the formation of a non-profit foundation to oversee a fund-raising effort.

“In the opinion of the open space committee, only a significant private fund-raising initiative will enable the property to be developed in the foreseeable future,” Currey said.

Local funding was inaccessible due to dwindling funding available from county open space fund reserves. Open space taxes were cut last year, and there are tight restrictions on the village’s finances, he said.

https://www.northjersey.com/community/history/more_history_news/130366323_Committee__Private_funds_needed_to_develop_Schedler_property_in_Ridgewood.html

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>Letter: Valley project does not have broad public support

>Letter: Valley project does not have broad public support

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2011  
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
PRINT | E-MAIL
Valley project does not have broad public support

To The Editor:

Valley Hospital’s slick campaign to jam a monstrous expansion down our throats continues to play a cat and mouse game with numbers, perception and reality. The full page ad by Ridgewood Residents for Valley in last weeks The Ridgewood News displays an imposing list of 625 supporters under bold letters declaring “broad public support for this project.” The ad also takes a veiled shot at Concerned Citizens of Ridgewood (CCR) by pointing out Valley’s supporters put their names in the public record, which CCR has not done, the inference being that CCR exaggerates resident opposition.

The reality is “broad public support” should not be confused with “majority.” Not by a long shot. In every village election since Valley’s massive expansion has become a hot button issue, the anti-Valley forces have prevailed by a whopping 60-40 margin. And not one of those voters was required to list their name in a newspaper ad for their votes to count.

READ THE FULL TEXT : https://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/130403938_Letter__Valley_project_does_not_have_broad_public_support.html

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>John Stossel : Why our kids deserve a free market in education

>John Stossel : Why our kids deserve a free market in education
John Stossel | September 22, 2011

School spending has doubled over the past 30 years. Yet what do we get? More buildings and more assistant principals—but student learning? No improvement. If you graph the numbers, the spending line slopes steeply, while the lines for reading, math, and science scores are as flat as a dead man’s EKG.

Why no improvement? Because K-12 education is a government monopoly, and monopolies don’t improve.

And yet I’m happy to announce some good news: Cool things are starting to happen in classrooms.

I was surprised to meet kids who said they like school. What? I found school boring. How can it be that these fourth-graders tell me that they look forward to going to school and that math is “rockin’ awesome”?

https://reason.com/archives/2011/09/22/exciting-schools

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>Time to get New Jersey’s teachers off the clock?

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Time to get New Jersey’s teachers off the clock?

The recommendation is tucked deep into the report commissioned by Gov. Chris Christie, one of nearly 50 suggestions to ease the red tape tying up public schools.

But it may be one of the more significant or provocative recommendations made by the Education Transformation Task Force: rethink New Jersey’s decade-old requirement that its teachers rack up 100 hours of professional development every five years.

Headed by former state education commissioner David Hespe, the task force appointed with much fanfare by Christie earlier this year said it was time to move beyond “clock hours” in determining if teachers are getting enough professional development.

“The Department and the State Board should seek to amend this regulation to focus on student learning rather than on hours of professional seat-time,” the report read. “The goal should be on driving outputs, not mandating inputs.”

The report suggested more focus on teacher collaboration and support through “professional learning communities,” where teachers can learn from each other on a daily basis.  (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)

https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/11/0922/2228/
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>Resident Meeting to Share Ideas on Village Hall Flooding

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village+hall+flood



Resident Meeting to Share Ideas on Village Hall Flooding 


Monday October 3rd residents are invited to meet with Mayor Killion and staff for an idea exchange concerning the options for repairing the Village Hall First Level.


The focus is not on issues of the past. Residents are asked to share their ideas and recommendations of areas to be considered as we develop plans for the first level.


Monday October 3, 4:30pm to 5pm First Level is open for a general tour by residents


Monday October 3, 5pm-6pm Council Chambers, General Discussion re Village Hall First Level


No rain date has been established.


 Hot Offers

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>Govs. Christie, Cuomo had dinner together one week before Port Authority announced toll hikes

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Govs. Christie, Cuomo had dinner together one week before Port Authority announced toll hikes

Gov. Chris Christie and Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York had dinner a week before the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which they jointly control, announced a steep increase in tolls to cross the Hudson River, according to information posted on New York State government website today.
Christie and Cuomo have both denied knowing about the toll increases until a few days before the Port Authority publicly unveiled its proposal.

The dinner meeting, at the Beacon Restaurant in Manhattan, became public when Cuomo released detailed copies of his schedule for the first eight months in office on a new site intended increase government transparency.

The sharply higher toll increases were announced on Aug. 5, and at the time Christie issued a statement critical of the large rise. He later said he was shocked by the proposal and had only learned of it on Aug. 3.  (Gibson, The Star-Ledger)

https://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/09/gov_christie_cuomo_had_dinner.html
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>Christie continues to hammer teachers union

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Christie continues to hammer teachers union

Gov. Chris Christie continued his normally combative tone toward the teachers union today when asked during a Rider University event with Gov. Mitch Daniels about repairing the relationship with the educators before continuing on with his plans for education reform.

Christie said his attitude toward the union hasn’t changed since he first entered the race for governor.
“I’m willing to repair a relationship that is willing to be productive,” said Christie at the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics. “But my position regarding the teachers union has been the same form the time I got into the race until today.  When they are ready to come forward and be participants in meaningful reform that will improve especially urban educational opportunities for our kids then I will sit at the table with them anytime.  If they want to continue to pass on to me warmed over protections of the failed status quo then they can continue to stand outside my office and look in the window.”  (Isherwood, PolitickerNJ)

https://www.politickernj.com/51163/christie-continues-hammer-teachers-union
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>GALLUP: Majority in U.S. Continues to Distrust the Media, Perceive Bias

>GALLUP: Majority in U.S. Continues to Distrust the Media, Perceive Bias
More perceive liberal bias than conservative bias
by Lymari Morales

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The majority of Americans still do not have confidence in the mass media to report the news fully, accurately, and fairly. The 44% of Americans who have a great deal or fair amount of trust and the 55% who have little or no trust remain among the most negative views Gallup has measured.

https://www.gallup.com/poll/149624/Majority-Continue-Distrust-Media-Perceive-Bias.aspx