Sunday, January 26 from 11:00am – 3:00pm YWCA Bergen County is joining the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce and Ridgewood YMCA for a Pre-Game Celebration Week! The day will be filled with football themed fun and activities! There will be a magician, sports and games for kids, football bloopers, a raffle for autographed footballs and other fun giveaways, workouts and so much more! And don’t miss the big taste-off competition with local restaurants bringing in samples of their best tailgate foods for judging by our esteemed panel! Bring a friend and join us for this FREE event! For more information, call 201-444-5600 ext. 400 or visit www.ywcabergencounty.org.
Village Looking for Train Station Coffee Bar
Bid Notice – Train Station Coffee Bar – Opening 2-20-14
NOTICE TO BIDDERS
Sealed bid proposals will be received by the Village of Ridgewood, in the Level Five Conference Room at the Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07451 on Thursday, February 20, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. prevailing time, and then publicly opened and read aloud for following project:
“Train Station Coffee Bar at the Ridgewood Train Station Building”
The Village is seeking a vendor to provide coffee services with simple food (garb and go style) in a designated space in the Train Station Building between the hours of 5:30 am and 10:30 am weekdays to commuters utilizing the Train Station. The selected vendor shall remunerate the Village for exclusive use of the designated space on a monthly basis.
Specifications and bid forms may be obtained by mail from the office of the Village Manager, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07451, telephone (201) 670-5500, extension 204. Documents may be examined or picked up in person between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the Office of the Village Manager, Level 5, Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07451, Monday through Friday. Prospective bidders requesting bid documents be mailed to them shall be responsible for providing their own postage/delivery service remuneration. No Specifications and/or Proposal forms shall be given out after 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 18, 2014.
Prices quoted must be net and exclusive of all federal, state and local sales and excise taxes. Bids may be submitted in person or by mail. Mailed bids shall be addressed to the Office of the Village Clerk. The Village assumes no responsibility for loss or non-delivery of any bid to the bid opening location sent to it prior to the Bid opening.
Each bid must be enclosed in a sealed envelope with the name of the bidder thereon and endorsed, ” Train Station Coffee Bar at the Ridgewood Train Station Building” and must be accompanied by the following: either a certified check, cashier’s check, or Bid Bond (Schedule B), drawn to the order of the Village of Ridgewood for $500; a Consent of Surety (Schedule A); a Corporation or Partnership Statement (Schedule C); a Non-Collusion Affidavit (Schedule D); and a Statement of Responsibility (Schedule E). Any award or awards may be made at a later or subsequent time or meeting of the Village Council. All required schedules, that is Schedule A, B, C, D, and E, are required to be submitted on the forms enclosed in the bid documents. No other forms will be accepted.
There will be a non-mandatory site walk through scheduled for Tuesday, January 28, 2014 at 11:00 am at the Train Station Building.
All bids submitted shall contain a copy of the bidder’s New Jersey Business Registration Certificate.
The successful vendor shall furnish and deliver to the Village of Ridgewood a performance and payment bond in the amount of $3,000.00 and one and one half month’s rent as security for the faithful performance of the Contract. Additionally, the successful bidder shall provide policies or Certificates of Insurance required by the Contract. In default thereof, said checks and/or bid bond and the amount represented thereby shall be forfeited to the Village of Ridgewood as liquidated damages, not as a penalty.
Proposals submitted by Bidders and/or Bidder’s Insurance Company(ies) not chartered in the State of New Jersey, must be accompanied by proper certificate(s) from the Secretary of State, indicating that such Bidders, Bidder’s Insurance Company(ies), and/or Surety Company(ies)’s is (are) authorized to do business in the State of New Jersey. The Village of Ridgewood reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to waive any informalities or to accept a bid which, in its judgment best serves the interest of the Village. No bids may be withdrawn for a period of sixty (60) days after the date and time set for the opening of bids.
“BIDDERS ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF N.J.S.A. 10:5-31 et seq. and N.J.A.C. 17:27. A complete statement as to these requirements is included in the specifications.”
Study: Space not big enough for Ridgewood, Glen Rock to share garage
THURSDAY JANUARY 16, 2014, 3:11 PM
BY DARIUS AMOS AND RICHARD DE SANTA
STAFF WRITERS
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The land adjacent to Ridgewood’s water treatment facility is large enough to house a new village maintenance garage, but a recently conducted feasibility study revealed the tract cannot jointly accommodate Glen Rock’s Department of Public Works.
Since late last year, the two neighboring municipalities had been examining the Ridgewood-owned property in Glen Rock as a possible relocation site for their respective DPW operations. Both agreed to split the costs of two studies, which were performed by Ramsey-based Conklin Associates.
An ad-hoc committee comprised of officials from each town reviewed the results of the feasibility study last week, according to Ridgewood Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli, who said the report had a “very complex analysis because of the wetlands and other riparian issues surrounding the property.”
Albin Court resident questions legality of “Cell Site on Wheels” at Exxon on the Run
January 16,2014
Boyd A. Loving
5:43 PM
Ridgewood NJ, During Wednesday night’s Village Council meeting, a resident of Albin Court questioned the legality of a “cell site on wheels,” reportedly installed without permits at the Route 17 southbound Exxon on the Run. The resident claims that the installation has been there since at least November; another member of the audience claims to have seen it there since sometime last summer.
Council members disavowed any knowledge of circumstances surrounding the cell site installation claiming they had no idea who owned the equipment, nor if any permits were granted in connection with its operation.
Acting Village Manager Heather Mailander was directed to investigate the matter and respond directly to the resident with answers.
Publicly available documents indicate that within the last few years, at least two (2) cell phone companies have sought to construct a new tower(s) near the intersection of Franklin Turnpike and Route 17. 125 foot monopole style towers were proposed for the NJDOT Park & Ride/salt shed property, the Ridgewood Water Department property near Twinney Pond, the Valleau Cemetery, and 611 Franklin Turnpike (existing cell tower would be torn down and replaced with a new one).
An individual who represented himself as the owner/operator of Exxon on the Run advised a staff member of the Ridgewood Blog that the equipment on his property is owned by AT&T Wireless, and that AT&T is using the “cell site on wheels” because of antenna wind loading issues with their existing tower at 611 Franklin Turnpike. The individual also claimed that AT&T had tried to negotiate for space at the NJDOT Park & Ride, but was unable to do so.
by Imara Jones
Wednesday, January 15 2014, 7:00 AM EST
As the White House prepares to launch a major economic opportunity effort, record high unemployment among black and Latino youth underscores how essential it is to create job opportunities for young people of color.
The critical issue here is that the ages of 16 to 24 are make or break years for lifelong earning potential. With one out four blacks and one out of six Latinos under the age of 25 without work, a generation of youth of color risks falling behind.
The situation for black and Latino unemployed youths is so alarming that leading think tanks and economists are raising red flags about it at a staggering pace. One report on the topic by Demos, the public policy organization, argues that the “exclusion of young people of color” from job opportunities “weakens the promise of America.”*
It’s a Jersey Thing: Why Chris Christie – or Any Pol From the Garden State – Can’t Go National
Nick Gillespie|Jan. 15, 2014 5:32 pm
I’ve got a new column up at Time.com which discusses what being from New Jersey means for Chris Christie, the embattled governor of the greatest state in the country. Snippets:
Shows such as The Sopranos and Boardwalk Empire only make sense in a place like New Jersey, where everyone has a chip on their shoulder, is hustling to make a buck, and is desperate for prestige (as South Park memorably summarized it in 2010, “It’s a Jersey thing”). That’s the reason, too, that Abscam, the FBI sting operation that informs the plot of the acclaimed new movie American Hustle, was centered around Atlantic City and took down mostly New Jersey politicians, too. Even more than the typical elected official, Garden State pols want money, power, and respect.
But as Tony Soprano (played so memorably by the late Jersey native James Gandolfini), could tell you, the same forces that spur ambition and success also carry within them their own demise. It quickly becomes difficult to know when serious lines are being crossed or the wrong messages are being sent to the people around you….
It’s telling that in his rise to national prominence, Gov. Christie captured headlines less for what he did than how he did it. Where other Republican governors have implemented major structural changes to collective bargaining (Wisconsin’s Scott Walker) or educational policy (Louisiana’s Bobby Jindal), Christie has essentially governed as a big-government conservative, spending more money each year he’s been in office and doling out conventional corporate welfare to favored constituents. The State of the State address he delivered yesterday didn’t change any of that.
What’s made him famous — or infamous, depending on your politics — was his willingness to shout down teachers, reporters, and even voters that he deemed idiots or worse. In short, it’s his Jersey attitude, not his policies, that have put him on top of potential Republican presidential candidates….
YWCA Bergen County January Vacation Day Program Includes Trip to FunPlex in East Hanover, NJ Ridgewood, NJ—December 11, 2013 – YWCA Bergen County is offering its Vacation Day program for children in grades K-6 on January 20, 2014. Trip includes transportation, unlimited foam frenzy & bumper cars, 20 game tokens, pizza and soda. The YWCA Vacation Day program provides full day care from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on designated school holidays. Based at the YWCA’s 112 Oak Street, Ridgewood facility, the program is supervised by the YWCA’s trained child care staff. The fee is $55 per child per day for families that are currently participating in YWCA Before or After School programs, and $75 for non-participating families. Advance registration is required. To register call 201-444-5600, ext. 352 or visit www.ywcabergencounty.org for details and registration forms. YWCA Before and After School Programs are offered at schools in seven Bergen County districts: Allendale, Cresskill, Dumont, Old Tappan, Oradell, Ridgewood, and Westwood. An after kindergarten program is available in Oradell. All programs are licensed by the State of New Jersey, Department of Children & Families.
The Senate Intelligence Committee releases a comprehensive report on the Benghazi attack determined that the attack was ‘preventable,’ faults State and Defense departments
~Anastasia
The Senate Intelligence Committee releases a comprehensive report on the Benghazi attack. The report determined that the attack was ‘preventable,’ faults State and Defense departments, and cites failure of Obama administration to ‘bring the attackers to justice.’
The Senate Intelligence Committee has released a comprehensive report on the Benghazi attack finding the tragedy was “preventable” and the administration failed to respond to “ample” warnings that security was deteriorating before Sept. 11, 2012.
The report faulted the State and Defense departments. It also cited the failure of the Obama administration to “bring the attackers to justice.”
Specifically, the report said the intelligence community provided “ample strategic warning” that security in eastern Libya was deteriorating and U.S. personnel “were at risk.” The report said multiple “tripwires” were crossed signaling security problems, and the State
Department should have increased its security posture in response.
The report also detailed a possible failed ambush, where attackers tried to lure the CIA into the hospital where Ambassador Chris Stevens’ body was being held.
The CIA did not take the bait.
“The committee worked on a bipartisan basis to investigate the various allegations that have come out since the terrorist attacks in Benghazi in September 2012 and to get to the truth about what happened leading up to, during and after the attacks,” Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said in a statement, adding she hopes the report puts “conspiracy theories” to rest.
Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., top Republican on the panel, also said the report provides “needed and deserved answers.”
“In spite of the deteriorating security situation in Benghazi and ample strategic warnings, the United States Government simply did not do enough to prevent these attacks and ensure the safety of those serving in Benghazi,” he said.
Senate report: Benghazi attackers tied to Al Qaeda groups
Structural Assessment , Irene Habernickel Family Park Horse Barn
Request for Proposals – Professional A-E Svs for Structural Assessment for Horse Barn – Open 2/13
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
Requests for Proposals (RFP’s) will be received by the Village of Ridgewood, in the Level 3 Conference Room, at the Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey, on Thursday, February 13, 2014 at 4:00 p.m. prevailing time, then publicly opened and read aloud for:
“Request for Proposals
For Professional Architectural/Engineering Services
For the Structural Assessment of the Irene Habernickel Family Park Horse Barn 1057 Hillcrest Road”
The Village of Ridgewood is seeking proposals for professional architectural/engineering services to assess the condition of the Horse Barn at the Irene Habernickel Family Park for proposed uses.
The RFP package may be obtained from the Engineering Division Offices, Level 3, Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450, (201) 670-5500, extension No. 238. Proposal packages may be examined or picked up in person between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., at 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07450, Monday through Friday. Prospective respondents requesting proposal documents be mailed to them shall be responsible for providing their own postage/delivery service remuneration. No proposal forms shall be given out after 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, February 11, 2014.
All prices quoted in the proposal must be net and exclusive of all Federal, State and Local Sales and Excise Taxes. Proposals may be submitted in person or by mail prior to the proposal opening, addressed to the Office of the Village Clerk. The Village assumes no responsibility for loss or non-delivery of any proposal sent to it prior to the date and time stated for receipt of proposals.
Each proposal must be enclosed in a sealed envelope with the name of the respondent thereon and endorsed, ” Request for Proposals
For
Professional Architectural/Engineering Services
For the
Structural Assessment of the Irene Habernickel Family Park Horse Barn 1057 Hillcrest Road”.
All respondents shall present satisfactory evidence of being authorized to do business in the State of New Jersey. All respondents shall also provide a copy of their New Jersey Business Registration Certificate with their proposal. All respondents shall adhere to the requirements presented in the “Request for Proposals”. The Village of Ridgewood reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, to waive any informality or to accept a proposal, which in its judgment best serves the interest of the Village.
” BIDDERS ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF N.J.S.A. 10:5-31 et seq. and N.J.A.C. 17:27). A complete statement as to these requirements is included in the Request for Proposals.
Village of Ridgewood Bid Notice – Coach Bus Transportation Services – Opens January 29
NOTICE TO BIDDERS
Sealed bid proposals will be received by the Village of Ridgewood, in the 3rd Floor Conference Room, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07451, on Wednesday, January 29, 2014 at 10:00 am prevailing time, and then publicly opened and read aloud by the Director of Parks and Recreations or his designated representative for the following project:
Supply of Coach Bus Trasportation Services
The work of the Contract shall be to supply: Coach Bus Transportation Service for the Village of Ridgewood, Department of Parks and Recreation as needed and described in the contract specifications.
Specifications and bid forms may be obtained from the office of the Ridgewood Parks and Recreation Department, 259 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07451, weekdays between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., by telephone (201) 670-5560, or by Email request to [email protected]. Documents may be examined or picked up in person between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the offices of the Parks and Recreation Department, 259 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, New Jersey 07451, Monday through Friday. Prospective bidders requesting bid documents be mailed to them shall be responsible for providing their own postage/delivery service remuneration. No Specifications and/or Proposal forms shall be given out after 4:30 p.m. on Monday, January 27, 2014.
The contractual obligation of the Village of Ridgewood under this Contract for these items is contingent upon the availability of appropriated funds from which payment for this Contract can be made.
Prices quoted must be net and exclusive of all Federal, State and Local Sales and Excise Taxes. Bids may be submitted prior to the bid opening in person or by mail, addressed to the Office of the Village Clerk. The Village assumes no responsibility for loss or non-delivery of any bid sent to it prior to the Bid opening.
Each bid must be enclosed in a sealed envelope with the name of the bidder thereon and endorsed, Supply of Coach Bus Transportation Services and must be accompanied by the following:
? A certified check, cashier’s check, or Bid Bond (Schedule B), drawn to the order of the Village of Ridgewood in the amount of $1,500.00;
? A Consent of Surety (Schedule A);
? A Corporation or Partnership Statement (Schedule C);
? A Non-Collusion Affidavit (Schedule D); a Statement of Responsibility (Schedule E);
? A copy of the bidder’s State of New Jersey Business Registration Certificate.
Any award or awards may be made at a later or subsequent time or meeting of the Village Council. All required schedules, that is Schedule A, B, C, D, E, and F, are required to be submitted on the forms attached to the bid documents. No other forms will be accepted.
The successful bidder shall comply with all applicable provisions of the Prevailing Wage Act, as determined by the New Jersey Department of Labor. All contractors, their subcontractors, and material suppliers shall comply with all applicable provisions of the Public Works Contractor Registration Act, pursuant to Public Law 1999 Chapter 238 and the Contractor Business Registration Program, pursuant to Public Law 2004 Chapter 57. Evidence of satisfactory registration shall be submitted at the time of the bid (where applicable).
The successful bidder shall furnish and deliver to the Village of Ridgewood a performance and payment bond (Schedule F) in the amount of 100 percent of the accepted bid amount as security for the faithful performance of the Contract. Additionally, the successful bidder shall furnish policies or Certificates of Insurance required by the Contract. In default thereof, said checks and/or bid bond and the amount represented thereby shall be forfeited to the Village of Ridgewood as liquidated damages, not as a penalty.
Proposals submitted by Bidders and/or Bidder’s Insurance Company(ies) not chartered in the State of New Jersey, must be accompanied by proper certificate(s) from the Secretary of State, indicating that such Bidders, Bidder’s Insurance Company(ies), and/or Surety Company(ies) is (are) authorized to do business in the State of New Jersey. The Village of Ridgewood reserves the right to reject any or all bids, to waive any informalities or to accept a bid which, in its judgment best serves the interest of the Village. No bids may be withdrawn for a period of sixty-days (60) after the date and time set for the opening of bids.
“BIDDERS ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF N.J.S.A. 10:5-31 et seq. and N.J.A.C. 17:27). A complete statement as to these requirements is included in the specifications.
Will IRS bully people to sign up for Obamacare?
BY: Byron York January 13, 2014 | 5:25 pm | Modified: January 13, 2014 at 6:26 pm
The individual mandate, Obamacare’s requirement that all Americans have health insurance that includes “minimum essential coverage,” has been in effect for two weeks now. No one has noticed because nothing has happened. But it will.
The mandate is the heart of Obamacare; without it, supporters believe, the system won’t work. So the Obama administration hopes millions of Americans will voluntarily comply with the mandate and purchase government-approved coverage. If they don’t do it voluntarily, they’ll be punished.
Starting next year, the government will collect a penalty — the administration calls it a “shared responsibility payment” — from Americans who don’t go along with the Obamacare edict. The penalty starts small — just $95 per adult and $47.50 per child this year — but could conceivably reach thousands of dollars per family per year once the fee scale is fully in effect.
The threat of coercion lies behind the entire Obamacare scheme. The question for the coming year is, how coercive will the government be?
The Democrats who wrote the Affordable Care Act in 2009 gave the Internal Revenue Service power to collect Obamacare penalties. Many Americans are quite familiar with how coercive the IRS can be. Fearing public opposition to IRS threats, the law’s authors forbade the IRS from bringing criminal charges or seizing houses and property from those who don’t buy government-defined “minimum essential coverage.” But Democrats still gave the IRS significant authority.
“Although the Act provides that the IRS may not use criminal prosecutions, notices of federal tax liens, or levies on property to collect an unpaid penalty, the IRS may employ offsets against federal tax refunds,” the Obama administration wrote in its 2012 Supreme Court brief in defense of the mandate. “The IRS also may seek payment through correspondence or phone calls from IRS employees.”
The main leverage the IRS will have is the refund “offset.” That simply means if a taxpayer is due a refund, but has also incurred an Obamacare penalty, the penalty will be subtracted from the refund. So a taxpayer who has a $500 refund coming but incurs a $695 Obamacare penalty will receive no refund.
In addition, that taxpayer might face a letter and a phone call — or a series of them — from the IRS telling him to pay the rest. Anyone who has received a letter or phone call from the IRS knows the experience can be quite intimidating. Or, in the words of the administration’s Supreme Court brief: “Offsets, correspondence, and phone calls are consistently some of the most productive tools in the federal tax collection process.”
Ridgewood Education Foundation plans new direction
MONDAY JANUARY 13, 2014, 1:06 PM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The Ridgewood Education Foundation (REF) is thinking bigger.
With a new campaign officially announced at a REF fundraiser last week, the private organization formerly known for its micro-grants for individual classrooms will now focus its energies on “truly innovative” grants and projects that affect more Ridgewood students district-wide.
A first $100,000 grant has already been given to the Board of Education (BOE) to aid the district with implementing Ridgewood High School’s (RHS) 1:1 technology initiative.
The REF will also make a $100,000 commitment to “21st century learning.”
“[Twenty-first century learning] is not limited to technology or STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics),” the organization noted in a press release. “It is about collaboration, creativity, project-based learning, critical thinking skills, civic literacy.”
Obamacare may get sick if young Americans don’t sign up
By Lewis Krauskopf | Reuters – 22 hours ago
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Now that more than 2 million people have signed up for private insurance plans created by President Barack Obama’s healthcare law, a crucial next check-up for the new marketplace will be to see how old customers are.
Early data from a handful of state exchanges shows the administration needs more young adults to sign up in the next three months to help offset costs from older enrollees and prevent insurers from raising their rates.
Critics of Obama’s Affordable Care Act say the market won’t attract enough young people to keep it financially viable, putting more pressure on government funds to compensate for any insurer losses.
Data from seven states and the District of Columbia, which are running their own marketplaces, show that of more than 200,000 enrollees, nearly 22 percent are 18 to 34 years old, according to a Reuters analysis.
Second wave of health-insurance disruption affects small businesses
By Ariana Eunjung Cha, Published: January 11 E-mail the writer
When millions of health-insurance plans were canceled last fall, the Obama administration tried to be reassuring, saying the terminations affected only the small minority of Americans who bought individual policies.
But according to industry analysts, insurers and state regulators, the disruption will be far greater, potentially affecting millions of people who receive insurance through small employers by the end of 2014.
While some cancellation notices already have gone out, insurers say the bulk of the letters will be sent in October, shortly before the next open-enrollment period begins. The timing — right before the midterm elections — could be difficult for Democrats who are already fending off Republican attacks about the Affordable Care Act and its troubled rollout.
Some of the small-business cancellations are occurring because the policies don’t meet the law’s basic coverage requirements. But many are related only indirectly to the law; insurers are trying to move customers to new plans designed to offset the financial and administrative risks associated with the health-care overhaul. As part of that, they are consolidating their plan offerings to maximize profits and streamline how they manage them.
Children who watch too much TV may have ‘damaged brain structures’
The more time a child spends watching TV, the more profound the changes It leads to more grey matter in the regions around the frontopolar cortex area of the brain – towards the front and side of the head
By ROBIN YAPP
PUBLISHED: 13:03 EST, 10 January 2014 | UPDATED: 13:04 EST, 10 January 2014
Watching too much television can change the structure of a child’s brain in a damaging way, according to a new study.
Researchers found that the more time a child spent viewing TV, the more profound the brain alterations appeared to be.
The Japanese study looked at 276 children aged between five and 18, who watched between zero and four hours TV per day, with the average being about two hours.
Read more: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2537240/Children-watch-TV-damaged-brain-structures.html#ixzz2q7Sxkmnl
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