SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2014
BY JIM MCCONVILLE
SPECIAL TO THE RECORD
THE RECORD
FAIR LAWN – It took a lifetime for Ridgewood to win its first District 6 wrestling title. It took just a year to get the second, thanks to a senior class that helped turn around the program over their four years.
Five Maroons were named champions, four of them seniors, as Ridgewood won the team title going away. Perhaps the biggest of those wins came from senior Andrew Moras, who knocked off defending champion Zach Hunko of Glen Rock/Saddle Brook at 195 pounds.
Down 4-1 late in the second period, Moras escaped and got a quick takedown to tie it at 4-4 entering the third period. He scored a reversal with 1:28 left in the period to grab the lead and added a late takedown to insure his 8-5 victory.
“I just had to get a feel for how he was wrestling,” Moras said of his first district title. “It was a pretty repetitive match, and he was trying to toss me. All I had to do was put my weight back and I was able to slip right out.”
“This senior class has been amazing,” Ridgewood coach Torre Watson said.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/sports/246737711_H_S__wrestling_Ridgewood_repeats_in_District_6_comes_quicker.html#sthash.BXYT2nmL.dpuf
R.H.S. boys ice hockey: Ridgewood reaches Gold Cup final
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2014
BY JIM MCCONVILLE
SPECIAL TO THE RECORD
THE RECORD
WAYNE – It was back in mid-November on a Friday night when the fortunes of the Ridgewood hockey team took a turn for the worse. They were still two weeks away from the first practice, but injury had beset them.
Cooper Telesco suffered a broken bone in his arm near the wrist in a state football playoff game. Ridgewood hockey coach Mike Lucchesi found himself without a key element for his Maroons through the first 14 games.
Since then, Telesco has more than made up for lost time, and Wednesday night he was instrumental in getting Ridgewood into its fourth straight Gold Cup final, scoring the game-winner in a 2-1 semifinal victory over Fair Lawn.
The Maroons will face Paramus Catholic in Friday’s final.
Thomas J. Donohue :A steady flow of talented, industrious immigrants can fuel a booming economy
Thomas J. Donohue is president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceFebruary 13, 2014
WASHINGTON — In a global economy, investment follows talent. When we draw top talent to our shores, investment dollars follow because companies want to be near the best workers.
An infusion of capital and economic development will be a tide that lifts all boats, creating jobs and opportunity for all Americans.
But the reverse is also true. If companies can’t find talent on U.S. soil, or if it becomes too costly and burdensome, they will move their operations elsewhere. It’s in our own best interests to welcome the world’s brightest minds and hardest workers into our economy.
Immigrants can help bridge a growing skills gap in science, technology, engineering and math – the so-called STEM fields that are vital to a modern, competitive economy.
By David Sherfinski-The Washington Times Thursday, January 30, 2014
Sens. Tom Coburn, Oklahoma Republican, and Angus King, Maine Independent, have started a push to end the not-for-profit status for the National Football League, saying it’s only fair to taxpayers.
“This is a directed tax cut that [went] to the league office, which means every other American pays a little bit more every year because we give the NFL league office a tax break and call them a non-profit,” Mr. Coburn said on CNN’s “New Day.” “In fact, they’re not.”
Leaning Right in Hollywood, Under a Lens
By MICHAEL CIEPLY and NICHOLAS CONFESSOREJAN. 22, 2014
LOS ANGELES — In a famously left-leaning Hollywood, where Democratic fund-raisers fill the social calendar, Friends of Abe stands out as a conservative group that bucks the prevailing political winds.
A collection of perhaps 1,500 right-leaning players in the entertainment industry, Friends of Abe keeps a low profile and fiercely protects its membership list, to avoid what it presumes would result in a sort of 21st-century blacklist, albeit on the other side of the partisan spectrum.
Now the Internal Revenue Service is reviewing the group’s activities in connection with its application for tax-exempt status. Last week, federal tax authorities presented the group with a 10-point request for detailed information about its meetings with politicians like Paul D. Ryan, Thaddeus McCotter and Herman Cain, among other matters, according to people briefed on the inquiry.
The people spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the organization’s confidentiality strictures, and to avoid complicating discussions with the I.R.S.
Questioning outside vendor ban
FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 2014
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Questioning outside vendor ban
David M. McCarthy
To the editor:
Until recently, Ridgewood has allowed outside vendors to drop off lunches at its schools for Ridgewood students. Most of the deliveries have come from three vendors in and around town. They are serving not only working parents with limited time in the morning, but also students who don’t like the food served by the incumbent food service provider, Village Fresh, as well as others who have dietary restrictions that the in-house vendor cannot meet.
As of Jan. 13, the Ridgewood Board of Education has banned outside vendors from dropping off lunches at the various schools in town. Many reasons have been given for the recent change in policy. From the superintendent’s email announcement on the matter and from what was said at Monday night’s board meeting, here are the reasons I have heard: student safety/limiting access to the building; illegal parking by food delivery people; governmental guidelines concerning the nutritional content of lunch; too much disruption for school staff; outside deliveries may violate an exclusive provision in the Village Fresh’s contract; and due to a minimum profit provision in the Village Fresh contract, the popularity of the outside vendors may end up forcing Ridgewood to pay Village Fresh a make-whole fee if not enough kids buy their lunch at school.
Valerie McCants of Van Dyk Health Care, Inc. receives ‘Caregiver of the Year’ award from Paul Langevin, president of the Health Care Association of New Jersey (HCANJ). (PRNewsFoto/Van Dyk Health Care, Inc.)
Van Dyk Ridgewood Caregiver Honored With ‘Caregiver of the Year’ by Health Care Association of New Jersey
By Van Dyk Health Care, Inc.
Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014 – 11:08 am
RIDGEWOOD, N.J., Jan. 16, 2014 –/PRNewswire/ — Van Dyk Health Care, Inc. (www.vandykhealthcare.com) is pleased to announce that Valerie McCants, certified nurse aide (CNA) at Van Dyk Ridgewood, has been honored by The Health Care Association of New Jersey(HCANJ) with its esteemed ‘Caregiver of the Year’ award. McCants has been employed by Van Dyk Ridgewood since 1989.
“We couldn’t be more proud of Valerie,” said Mary Jo Kurtz, COO and Administrator of Van Dyk Ridgewood. “Her positive attitude and dedication to caring permeates throughout Van Dyk Health Care, the long-term profession as a whole and to the community at large. We are fortunate to have her on our team; but more importantly, our patients and residents are fortunate to have her as their caregiver.”
Each year, HCANJ (of which Van Dyk’s is also a member), accepts nominations from member organizations across the state. Yet, only one person from the hundreds of nominations received is awarded ‘Caregiver of The Year.’ The successful candidate must exhibit outstanding contributions in support of the long-term care profession, as well as demonstrate enhancement of the health and/or quality of life for patients and residents. Specifically, McCants had to meet the following criteria:
Be a resident advocate and exceed the call of duty in advocating for residents.
Demonstrate Innovative and creative contributions to improve the health and or quality of life of residents.
Demonstrates effective communication with residents, families and other staff.
To commemorate McCants’ achievements, HCANJ presented her with a distinguished plaque at its annual awards ceremony, held October 29, 2013 at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City.
“The role of a certified nurse aide is one of the toughest in the industry; yet somehow, Valerie makes it seem easy,” said Robert Van Dyk, president and CEO of Van Dyk Health Care, Inc. “Her attitude and the way she continually goes ‘above and beyond’ for patients, residents and their families is not just a job, but a vocation. This award is well-earned and well-deserved of a wonderful caregiver who is dedicated to her profession, as well as the people in her care.”
For more information, please contact Van Dyk Health Care at 201.445.8200.
The “We Care” Mission of Van Dyk Health Care
Van Dyk Health Care, Inc. is a family of three facilities located in northern New Jersey: Van Dyk Ridgewood, Van Dyk Montclair and Van Dyk Park Place. Founded in 1953, the organization has built an unsurpassed reputation for excellence in care, that began with Marvin Van Dyk, and continues today with his son, Robert Van Dyk and his dedicated staff – all who share a mission of delivering quality care services to others in need, whether it be short-stay services or longer-term assisted or chronic care. Today, Van Dyk Health Care has grown to offer the full continuum of care services, including post-acute, assisted living, skilled nursing and long-term chronic care. The organization is committed to working closely with its hospital and medical partners to ensure its short-stay patients return home quickly and safely. Learn more at vandykhealthcare.com or 201.445.8200.
Unpack the assumption behind the stories about congressional productivity, and you find a bias toward statism: the notion that government action is inherently good, and that more government action is inherently better.
A. Barton Hinkle | January 1, 2014
You can’t swing a dead cat by the tail these days without hitting a news story about the lack of legislation issuing from the 113th Congress. From CNN to McClatchy to NPR to the L.A. Times, the air is thick with pieces lamenting that the 113th makes “the infamous ‘do-nothing Congress’ of the late 1940s look downright prolific.”
Apparently we’re all supposed to feel really bad about that.
Before the holiday break, Congress sent just 70 bills to the president’s desk. That compares — unfavorably, we are given to understand — with the 395 bills passed by the 80th Congress, whose supposed indolence Harry Truman ran against. It even compares unfavorably to the 112th Congress, which led to only 231 new laws.
The censorious pieces never stop to explain precisely why Congress should be judged according to the number of bills it passes. That’s simply assumed. This is one of those telltale signs of media bias that are always cropping up, if you keep your eyes open. (Here’s another: Run a Google News search for the terms “economic inequality” and “economic liberty.” The former shows up more than 50 times as often. Guess why.)
NJ toll collectors fighting to keep jobs on Turnpike, GSP
SATURDAY DECEMBER 28, 2013, 1:05 PM
BY DONALD WITTKOWSKI
ASSOCIATED PRESS
TRENTON — Working in a metal booth in the middle of a highway — while traffic zooms by and choking exhaust fumes fill the air — may not sound like an ideal job to most people.
But the unions representing toll collectors on the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike are fighting to protect those jobs as technology cuts into the work force and plans for privatization become more intense.
Union leaders are worried that toll takers may disappear altogether unless they are able to stop the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, the parkway and turnpike’s operating agency, from privatizing the fare-collection system on both roads.
“It’s just a shame what is being done. They’re in constant fear of losing their jobs,” Kevin McCarthy, president of Local 194 of the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, told The Press of Atlantic City. The union represents the turnpike’s toll collectors.
The turnpike authority has decided to accept bids for a private company to oversee toll collection, including the human toll takers and the automated E-ZPass system. The authority believes it may save millions of dollars by making the switch. The same issue was debated in 2011, but privatization was avoided then because the unions agreed to accept salary cuts and other concessions.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/NJ_toll_collectors_fighting_to_keep_jobs_.html#sthash.pBWERX6z.dpuf
Ridgewood resident shares Swedish tradition
THURSDAY DECEMBER 26, 2013, 2:02 PM
BY GLORIA GEANNETTE
MANAGING EDITOR
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Although she has lived in the United States for many years, Ridgewood resident Annika McCrea still celebrates Santa Lucia Day (Dec. 13) every year just like she did when she was a little girl in Sweden. Now her love for the “Festival of Lights” has spread to several hundred people in Ridgewood, who consider it the perfect beginning for their Christmas celebrations.
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McCrea moved with her family to France when she was only 8 and then to Belgium.
“It became especially important to keep our celebration alive when we weren’t living in Sweden,” she recalled.
According to the legend, Santa Lucia (Saint Lucy) walked in a white robe with a crown of candles to bring food and drink (today symbolized by Santa Lucia cinnamon rolls and coffee) to a famished village community in ancient Scandinavia – bringing light and hope to the country in a time of darkness and despair.
Kevin McCoy, USA TODAY6:33 p.m. EST December 27, 2013
The third-largest U.S. retailer says its investigation of the massive data breach is continuing.
Hackers who stole data for up to 40 million credit cards and debit cards used in Target stores removed encrypted data with personal identification numbers — but the theft isn’t expected to compromise card holder accounts — the retail giant said Friday.
“We remain confident that PIN numbers are safe and secure,” said a statement issued by Molly Snyder, a spokeswoman for the company hit by the November-December data breach.
According to the company, Target does not have access to nor does it store the encryption key within its computer systems. When a Target customer uses a debit card in one of the company’s stores and enters his or her PIN, the number is encrypted at the keypad with a widely used security program known as Triple DES, the company said.
Ridgewood Art Institute hosts members-only show
Friday, December 13, 2013
BY EILEEN LA FORGIA
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
The Ridgewood Art Institute Holiday Show and Sale features close to 200 artworks – landscapes, still life and portraits. These one-of-a-kind paintings can prove to be a unique holiday gift.
“Members’ artworks take you on a journey from Ridgewood and New Jersey throughout Europe through all the seasons,” said artist Kate Faust. She is showing two oil florals: “Wild Forsythia” and “Sweet Magnolias.” The latter was inspired by her neighbor’s tree.
Local treasures include Sydney Kobuskie’s “Paterson Falls,” Lisa Miller’s “Ridgewood and Broad” and “Ramapo Trail” by Ron McCarty, all watercolors.
Ridgewood falls to Montclair in North 1, Group 5 final
Sunday, December 8, 2013
BY JIM MCCONVILLE
SPECIAL TO THE RECORD
The Record
EAST RUTHERFORD – For a full year Ridgewood has been waiting and anticipating a rematch with Montclair. After a 24-0 playoff semifinal loss in 2012, the Maroons and their 31 seniors wanted another crack. Be careful what you wish for.
The Mounties won last year by being more physical than Ridgewood. They won the North 1, Group 5 final again this year using the same formula. The most surprising aspect of the 33-0 Montclair win Saturday was the zero on the Maroon side of the scoreboard.
Two early turnovers didn’t help the Ridgewood cause, but this was a game that saw Montclair dominate the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. On a handful of occasions, Montclair running back Shaquan Oliver and quarterback Elijah Robinson could be seen moving a pile four and five yards after contact.
“We didn’t play our game,” Maroon quarterback Jamal Locke said. “There’s not much we can do about it now. They took it to us.”
Traffic stop of Bergen County freeholder DeNicola not political, investigation says
Friday December 6, 2013, 6:31 PM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN
STAFF WRITER
The Record
A controversial traffic stop of a Bergen County freeholder was not politically motivated, a sheriff’s Internal Affairs investigation has concluded.
The investigation into the Aug. 14 incident in which a sheriff’s officer pulled over Freeholder Maura DeNicola as she drove home on Route 208 after a board meeting, found that the officer acted properly, John McCann, attorney for Sheriff Michael Saudino, said Friday.
DeNicola said at the time that she believed she was targeted because of her opposition to folding the Bergen County Police into the Sheriff’s Office. Vincent Surace, the officer who pulled her over, said she was driving too slowly in the passing lane. The stop led to the discovery that her vehicle’s registration had expired.
Do as I say Not as I do : Some Reid staffers exempt from Obamacare exchanges
By Chris Frates, CNN Investigative Correspondent
updated 10:19 AM EST, Wed December 4, 2013
Washington (CNN) — Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, one of Obamacare’s architects and staunchest supporters, is also the only top congressional leader to exempt some of his staff from having to buy insurance through the law’s new exchanges.
Reid is the exception among the other top congressional leaders. GOP House Speaker John Boehner, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell have all directed their staffs to join the exchange, their aides said.
