Ruling puts $160M in affordable housing funds out of Christie’s reach for budget balancing
Friday, June 7, 2013 Last updated: Friday June 7, 2013, 11:29 PM
BY ANTHONY CAMPISI
STATE HO– USE BUREAU
The Record
Governor Christie will not be able to use up to $160 million in affordable-housing funds to balance the state’s budget after an appeals panel on Friday ordered new protections on the money. The new rules, if they stand, mean the administration most likely won’t see any of the money before June 30, the end of the fiscal year.
Though small in the context of the state’s $31.7 billion budget, the funds have become increasingly important because tax revenues earlier this year were lower than expected, giving the Christie administration a narrow margin to balance the budget. The New Jersey Constitution requires that the state end the fiscal year in the black.
Opponents of Christie’s plan to seize the funds, which are used by towns to finance projects for low-income and disabled New Jerseyans, say it could put construction of thousands of housing units at risk even as residents struggle to rebuild homes destroyed by Superstorm Sandy.
Justice Department Fights Release of Secret Court Opinion Finding Unconstitutional Surveillance
Government lawyers are trying to keep buried a classified court finding that a domestic spying program went too far.
—By David Corn | Fri Jun. 7, 2013 12:22 PM PDT
In the midst of revelations that the government has conducted extensive top-secret surveillance operations to collect domestic phone records and internet communications, the Justice Department was due to file a court motion Friday in its effort to keep secret an 86-page court opinion that determined that the government had violated the spirit of federal surveillance laws and engaged in unconstitutional spying.
This important case—all the more relevant in the wake of this week’s disclosures—was triggered after Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), a member of the Senate intelligence committee, started crying foul in 2011 about US government snooping. As a member of the intelligence committee, he had learned about domestic surveillance activity affecting American citizens that he believed was improper. He and Sen. Mark Udall (D-Colo.), another intelligence committee member, raised only vague warnings about this data collection, because they could not reveal the details of the classified program that concerned them. But in July 2012, Wyden was able to get the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to declassify two statements that he wanted to issue publicly. They were:
* On at least one occasion the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court held that some collection carried out pursuant to the Section 702 minimization procedures used by the government was unreasonable under the Fourth Amendment.
* I believe that the government’s implementation of Section 702 of FISA [the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act] has sometimes circumvented the spirit of the law, and on at least one occasion the FISA Court has reached this same conclusion.
Generation Opportunity releases Millennial Jobs Report
Washington, DC – (6/7/13) – Generation Opportunity, a national, non-partisan youth advocacy organization, is announcing its Millennial Jobs Report for May 2013. The data is non-seasonally adjusted (NSA) and is specific to 18-29 year olds:
The effective unemployment rate for 18-29 year olds, which adjusts for labor participation rate by including those who have given up looking for work, is 16.1 percent (NSA).
The declining labor force participation rate has created an additional 1.7 million young adults that are not counted as “unemployed” by the U.S. Department of Labor because they are not in the labor force, meaning that those young people have given up looking for work due to the lack of jobs.
The unemployment rate for 18-29 year olds is 11.6 percent (NSA). The unemployment rate for 18-29 year old African-Americans is 21 percent (NSA); the unemployment rate for 18-29 year old Hispanics is 11.7 percent (NSA); and the unemployment rate for 18–29 year old women is 10.6 percent (NSA).
Evan Feinberg, President of Generation Opportunity and one of the first Millennials to run for Congress, issued the following statement:
“With today’s depressing unemployment numbers and an economy that has been down for years, it would be nice for people my age to think that someone is watching out for us. Knowing that someone in Washington had our back would be comforting – and might give us some hope. Sadly, in recent days we’ve only seen more of the same from this Administration. We’ve witnessed President Obama state that more government involvement is the solution to unemployment, student loans, health care, etc. What has it gotten us? The highest sustained levels of youth unemployment since World War II, sky-high tuition and student debt, and rising insurance premiums. Government solutions aren’t solutions at all. Once again, Washington doesn’t get it.”
Deflating Hospitals’ Arguments for Obamacare Medicaid Expansion
Edmund Haislmaier and Alyene Senger
June 6, 2013 at 11:55 am
The Obamacare Medicaid expansion debate continues in the states, and many hospitals are lobbying their state lawmakers to accept the expansion.
The hospitals argue that because Obamacare cut their payments for charity care—so-called disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payments—they need their states to expand Medicaid coverage so as to increase the number of insured patients to make up for the loss of DSH payments.
But this argument is faulty for a variety of reasons; here are the three main ones:
DSH payments through 2015 will not be based on whether a state expands Medicaid. The Obama Administration has recently released a proposed rule to allocate the first two years of DSH cuts using the most recent data on state uninsured rates. That means that the allocation will not vary based on whether states have agreed to expand Medicaid next year.
Even under the planned DSH payment cuts, most hospitals will still be profitable. For instance, in Ohio, a recent investigative study reported data extracted from tax filings by 88 Ohio hospitals and hospital systems, finding that the vast majority would remain profitable even without any charity care offsetting payments. The investigators found that “26 reported no direct offsetting funds for charity care,” only 16 “reported negative revenue minus expenses—or would have, absent charity care offsets,” and only 30 “reported charity care offsetting funds that exceeded 1 percent of their total revenue.” Lawmakers in other states would be well advised to conduct similar investigations and compare the facts to what they are hearing from hospital lobbyists.
There is ample money for charity care. Contrary to the “poor mouthing” that state lawmakers hear from their hospitals, there is, in fact, plenty of money in the system, though much of it is currently misallocated. A report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), based on 2007 data, found that “41 states made DSH payments to 717 hospitals that exceeded the individual hospitals’ uncompensated care costs as calculated by the auditors” (emphasis added). Furthermore, the GAO separately reported that, in addition to DSH payments, hospitals also receive billions more in other (non-DSH) supplemental Medicaid payments.
The hospitals made their deal with Congress and the Obama Administration, not with state lawmakers. If they now have a complaint, they should take it to Washington. Their problem is with Obamacare, not with the states.
NSA PRISM program taps in to user data of Facebook, Yahoo and others
• Top secret PRISM program claims direct access to servers of firms including Google, Apple and Facebook
• Companies deny any knowledge of program in operation since 2007
The National Security Agency has obtained direct access to the systems of Google, Facebook, Apple and other US internet giants, according to a top secret document obtained by the Guardian.
The NSA access is part of a previously undisclosed program called PRISM, which allows officials to collect material including search history, the content of emails, file transfers and live chats, the document says.
The Guardian has verified the authenticity of the document, a 41-slide PowerPoint presentation – classified as top secret with no distribution to foreign allies – which was apparently used to train intelligence operatives on the capabilities of the program. The document claims “collection directly from the servers” of major US service providers.
Although the presentation claims the program is run with the assistance of the companies, all those who responded to a Guardian request for comment on Thursday denied knowledge of any such program.
Ridgewood Art Institute celebrates young artists
Friday, June 7, 2013
BY EILEEN LA FORGIA
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
“It’s inspirational to see what children from all ages can do,” said Ridgewood Art Institute instructor Rebecca Leer. R.A.I’s. 54th Annual Young People’s Scholarship Exhibition fills the three gallery rooms at the 100-year-old barn through Saturday, June 15.
Kelsey Brentnall won the top $5,000 scholarship for her painting ‘CRIM.’Joe Mancini won the $3,000 scholarship for his self-portrait.’Rainy Night’ by Jamie Soohoo’Afternoon Break’ by Alice Zhang’Drawing of Skull’ by Esther Chow
“Our connection to the community is very important to us at R.A.I., and the support from family and friends is so incredible,” said instructor Laura Paray.
Each instructor gives a scholarship to one of their current students. Instructors also award scholarships to non-member young artists. The exhibition features 140 artworks by young students.
The Members Scholarships were awarded to high school seniors planning to study art in college: Kelsey Brentnall, $5,000; Joseph Mancini, $3,000; and Kayla Osborne $2,000.
“We draw a large number of young students from Ridgewood but also from surrounding communities,” said Paray.
Ridgewood NJ , In the Record’s recent editorial Failure to disconnect even the far left leaning Bergen Record had to admit ,”were the Village Council and the municipal administration? No one knew for at least 14 years that a council or Planning Board member had improper contracts with the town?
And as a readers so eloquently said ,”So let me get this straight, Mayor Aronsohn who voted for letting Riche do the work is now saying it was illegal. Then why did he vote YES! He was the one who gave approval NOT Riche. It’s like a cop tells me I can buy some pot and then arrests me for smoking it!
The Record: Failure to disconnect
Friday, June 7, 2013
The Record
A COUNCIL member should not do business with the municipal government he represents. That principle is not hard to grasp.
But for some inexplicable reason, it was not followed in Ridgewood, where Councilman Thomas Riche has had a long-standing business relationship with the village through his telecommunications firm, Extel Communications.
NSA’s Verizon Spying Order Specifically Targeted Americans, Not Foreigners
The National Security Agency has long justified its spying powers by arguing that its charter allows surveillance on those outside of the United States, while avoiding intrusions into the private communications of American citizens. But the latest revelation of the extent of the NSA’s surveillance shows that it has focused specifically on Americans, to the degree that its data collection has in at least one major spying incident explicitly excluded those outside the United States.
In a top secret order obtained by the Guardian newspaper and published Wednesday evening, the FBI on the NSA’s behalf demanded that Verizon turn over all metadata for phone records originating in the United States for the three months beginning in late April and ending on the 19th of July. That metadata includes all so-called “non-content” data for millions of American customers’ phone calls, such as the subscriber data, recipients, locations, times and durations of every call made during that period.
Aside from the sheer scope of that surveillance order, reminiscent of the warrantless wiretapping scandal under the Bush administration, the other shocking aspect of the order its target: The order specifically states that only data regarding calls originating in America are to be handed over, not those between foreigners.
Both Republicans and Conservatives have had mixed feelings about Christie for some time. He was supported by Republican groups and Conservatives. The Tea Parties rallied around his promises when he originally ran for Governor, and worked on his campaign – boots on the ground to get out the vote.
Then, he started doing some things that made us pause, such as openly and blatantly ignoring the dangers of Islam and Shariah law. Don’t you know he has been in bed with the militant – and even the terrorist – wings of the Islamists? It started way back, when he was a Prosecutor. He was, and is, a close friend of Imam Mohammed Qatanani, at the Passaic mosque, who was in this country illegally, having lied on his Immigration forms. He left out the fact that he had been in jail in Israel on terror-related charges and was an admitted member of Hamas. When Immigration found out, they tried to deport him, but Christie intervened in the Imam’s favor. To keep this short, I’ll cut to the chase. Christie’s appointment of Sohail Mohammed to the NJ Superior Court was a quid pro quo for his successful legal effort to keep Qatanani from being deported, just as was Christie’s appointment of McKenna, an Assistant Prosecutor who worked for Christie, as head of NJ Homeland Security, because Christie had sent him to testify at Qatanani’s trial, and give a good character reference.
Thinking Christie may not have known the truth about Islam, and the Imam, I explained all the details to him. I don’t believe he ever paid attention. Then, when he was directly challenged over his appointment of Mohammed, he viciously attacked the questioners on TV as a diversion, and never actually addressed the accusations.
All of this is available on the internet, so you can research it yourselves. Please. Don’t just take my word for it.
That brings me to the present. Refusing to take advantage of the death of Sen. Lautenberg, and appoint a Republican – or, God forbid, a Conservative to finish out the term – he will hold a special election just 3 weeks before the regular election, which the Democrats have a good chance of winning. This is total insanity, and nobody else in his position would do such a stupid thing. The upshot of this is that there is no way the people who put him into office – and it was large groups plus all the Tea Parties who did it – will vote for him ever again if he betrays us by allowing the special election instead of appointing a Republican. I have supported Christie and donated money, in the past, despite my reservations in some areas, but not now or in the future. With his refusal to appoint a Republican, he just slit his own throat, politically. I don’t think he’ll win re-election as Governor now, let alone get to run for President in 2016.
Scandal Palooza: Sebelius Asked Companies to Support Health Care Law
By ROBERT PEAR
Published: June 4, 2013
WASHINGTON — Kathleen Sebelius, the secretary of health and human services, disclosed on Tuesday that she had made telephone calls to three companies regulated by her department and urged them to help a nonprofit group promote President Obama’s health care law.
She identified the companies as Johnson & Johnson, the drug maker; Ascension Health, a large Roman Catholic health care system; and Kaiser Permanente, the health insurance plan.
At a hearing of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, Ms. Sebelius said she did not explicitly ask the companies for money, but urged them to support the work of the nonprofit group, Enroll America.
The group, led by former Obama administration officials, is working with the White House to publicize the 2010 health care law and help uninsured people sign up for coverage.
Parents, Coaches: Know the Risks of Concussions in Youth Sports
June 4, 2013
Ridgewood NJ. To assist parents and coaches in protecting young athletes from the serious head injuries that can result from returning to play too soon after a suffering a concussion, The Valley Hospital Sports Institute offers the ImPACT Concussion Management Test. ImPACT (Immediate Post Concussion Assessment and Cognitive Testing) is an innovative computerized evaluation system that assesses the effects and severity of a concussion and helps determine when it is safe for an athlete to return to contact sports following a concussion.
ImPACT testing is suitable for athletes ages 12 and older. It is a 20-30 minute neurocognitive test battery that has been scientifically validated to measure the effects of sports-related concussion. Typically, in the preseason each athlete is given a baseline test. And, when a concussion is suspected during the season, a follow-up test is administered to see if the results have changed from the baseline. This comparison helps to diagnose and manage the concussion. Follow-up tests can be administered over days or weeks so clinicians can continue to track the athlete’s recovery from the injury.
The Sports Institute recently enhanced its Concussion Management Program with the addition of the Biodex Biosway Balance testing unit. The test takes about 5 minutes and provides a psycho-motor assessment of concussion injuries. Athletes should be tested in the preseason to gather baseline information that can be used for comparison in the event of a concussion to assess the extent of the injury and the athlete’s readiness to return to activity.
Since most high schools in the area have the testing in place already, the Sports Institute is providing this service primarily for the recreation and town-sponsored youth sports teams for athletes ages 12 and older.
The next scheduled baseline testing sessions will take place on Tuesday, June 18; Wednesday, June 19; and Thursday, June 27. Two sessions will be held on each testing date at 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. at Valley’s Kraft Center, located at 15 Essex Road in Paramus. The tests will be conducted in the 3rd Floor Computer Lab.
Pre-Registration is required, as space is limited. The fee is $25. Space is limited. Please call 201-447-8133 for more information and to register.
A concussion is a brain injury. Concussions are most commonly caused by a bump or blow to the head, but, can also be caused by a sudden deceleration or acceleration of the head. In either scenario, the brain, suspended inside the skull and surrounded by fluid, continues to travel with momentum until it “bangs” up against the skull – causing a brain-bruising injury – or concussion. What may seem to be a mild bump or blow to the head can be serious.
You can’t see a concussion. Signs and symptoms of a concussion can show up right after the injury, or may not appear or be noticed until days or weeks after the injury. If your child reports any symptoms of concussion, or if you notice the symptoms yourself, seek medical attention right away. Common symptoms include: headache, dizziness, feeling foggy, nausea, fatigue and confusion. Common signs include memory loss, a loss of balance and coordination, and changes in personality. Concussion severity varies widely, and the number of signs and symptoms vary also – serious injuries may show few symptoms.
Although less common, bleeding in the brain can occur with some head injuries. Loss of consciousness, mental status deterioration and worsening symptoms raise the concern for a bleeding injury. An athlete does not need to lose consciousness (black out) to suffer a concussion. In fact, less than 10 percent of concussed athletes lose consciousness.
An athlete who suffers a concussion can be at risk for a condition known as Second Impact Syndrome if he or she returns to sports before full recovery. Second impact syndrome is a life-threatening condition in which a second concussion occurs before a first concussion has properly healed, causing rapid and severe brain swelling. Second impact syndrome can result from even a very mild concussion that occurs days or weeks after the initial concussion.
“Second Impact Syndrome can be prevented,” Donald Tomaszewski, Director of The Valley Hospital Sports Institute. “Don’t allow an athlete to return to sports after a concussion until their symptoms have completely resolved and they have been cleared by a medical professional experienced in treating concussions
IRS victims testify as new agency scandal emerges
Jun 4, 3:25 AM (ET)
By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER and ALAN FRAM
WASHINGTON (AP) – Conservative groups who were targeted by the Internal Revenue Service are getting their say on Capitol Hill just as the details of another IRS controversy are being made public.
The leaders of six conservative groups were scheduled to tell lawmakers Tuesday about their mistreatment at the hands of IRS agents. Several of the groups say their applications for tax-exempt status were delayed while agents asked intrusive questions that the IRS has since acknowledged were inappropriate. One group, the National Organization for Marriage, says the IRS publicly disclosed confidential information about donors.
Leaders of the groups were scheduled to testify before the House Ways and Means Committee. Ways and Means is one of three congressional committees investigating the IRS’ treatment of such groups. The Justice Department is conducting a criminal investigation.
For more than 18 months during the 2010 and 2012 election campaigns, IRS agents in a Cincinnati office singled out tea party and other conservative groups for additional scrutiny when they sought tax-exempt status, according to a report by J. Russell George, the Treasury Department inspector general for tax administration.
The Village Council and the Ridgewood Department of Parks and Recreation are excited to announce memberships are now on sale for the upcoming summer season and all are invited to join the Graydon Pool facility as season members for the 2013 summer season. Come enjoy fun in the sun so close to home! Opening day was Saturday, June 1st.
Pool features include a shaded playground, water play fountains, shade kites, Adirondack chairs, picnic area, sheltered pavilion, charcoal grills, and The Water’s Edge Café. Additional amenities include a lending library of reading books, volleyball, basketball, ping-pong tables, shuffleboard, four-squares and hop-scotch. Special programs include “Storytime Under a Tree” for the little ones and swim instruction for children and adults, as well as an adaptive swim class. The Graydon Swim Team welcomes youth members, ages 8 to 14.
Resident fees are $110 per adult, $100 per child (ages 2 through 15) and $20 for seniors (62 and older). Non-resident adults will be charged $175 and children, ages 2 through 15, will be charged $155 for the13 week season.
Badges are now on sale and can be purchased from the comfort of home on Community Pass at www.ridgewoodnj.net/communitypass (Visa and MasterCard are accepted). In person registration assistance will be available at the Graydon Pool Badge Office, 259 North Maple Avenue. Badges may be purchased daily throughout the operating season, June 1st through Septemer 2nd.
Details are available at www.ridgewoodnj.net/graydon or you may call the Recreation Office at 201-670-5560 with any questions or if special accommodations are needed.
Democrats look to squash Christie’s Proposed School Voucher Program
June .2,2013
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, At $2 million, the Christie administration’s proposed school voucher program is a very small piece of the $12.4 billion that the state projects it will spend on public education next year., but Democrats looking to support the all powerfull teachers union are looking to put an end to educational opportunity for the poor.
Democrats lead by State Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen), the Democratic majority leader, this weekend repeated earlier comments that she was convinced the Democrats would put an end to the pilot, which would provide $10,000 vouchers for low-income students to attend qualifying schools, public or private. (https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/13/06/03/christie-s-proposed-school-voucher-program-at-latest-crossroads/ )
State Sen. Paul Sarlo (D-Bergen), the chairman of the budget committee, last month also said much of the same thing: there were too many Democrats against it being part of an appropriations bill — if any law at all. ( https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/13/06/03/christie-s-proposed-school-voucher-program-at-latest-crossroads/ )
Gov, Christie and pro school choice vocatives have been pressing for vouchers since he first ran for governor, and it is the one piece of his education agenda still unfulfilled..
School choice advocates have been looking to break the monopoly grip on public education and have made some inroads but the NJEA controls to many democrat votes and continues to wage a war on the poor denying them educational opportunities afforded the wealthy and middle classes.
State Democrats seem all to happy to allow where on lives to determine the quality of eduction a child receives .
NEWARK, NJ — NJ TRANSIT today announced that new rail timetables will take effect Sunday, June 2, reflecting adjustments made to accommodate Amtrak’s long-term tie replacement project on the Northeast Corridor. The project will require Amtrak to take one of four tracks out of service on a portion of the line, affecting both weekday and weekend train schedules.
Next month, Amtrak, which owns and maintains the Northeast Corridor, will continue a railroad tie replacement project that began earlier this year, advancing the work to areas where station stops are located. Their crews will begin working on Track 4, the local outbound (to Trenton) track, which will be taken out of service for several months between New Brunswick and Metuchen.
“While we have worked very closely with Amtrak to minimize the impact to Northeast Corridor customers, the reduced track capacity is similar to taking a lane out of service on a busy superhighway,” said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director James Weinstein. “Some customers will experience changes in their departure times and longer trip times—however, the work Amtrak is performing now will benefit customers in the long term.”
In order to minimize congestion and reduce delays from the tie replacement project, NJ TRANSIT designed the new Northeast Corridor schedule to make the most of the remaining three tracks, keeping one track in each direction open for local service while using the remaining track for express service in the peak direction.
The new schedule will show slightly longer trip times for trains to/from Trenton, adjustments to departure times, and a reduction in the total number of train stops through the work zone during non-peak hours in an effort to mitigate congestion and minimize delays.
Among the impacts:
Customers traveling to or from the “middle zone” (New Brunswick, Edison and Metuchen stations) will be most affected by the project because only three tracks will be available. NJ TRANSIT has worked with Amtrak to minimize disruption for customers traveling in the peak direction (to Newark/New York in the morning and to Trenton in the afternoon). Peak‐direction customers will not see a significant reduction in the number of trains, but trip times will be extended. Customers traveling in the “reverse peak” direction (toward Trenton in the morning or toward Newark/New York in the afternoon) will have fewer trains due to limited track capacity.
With Track 4 out of service, trains will not be able to reach the platform at New Brunswick, Edison and Metuchen stations. At these stations only, Amtrak will install special platform bridges, enabling customers to board/alight trains on the adjacent “express” track at the same height as the regular platform. Customers boarding at these stations must not stand or wait on the platform bridges until directed by a uniformed crew member. The platform bridges will line up with the end doors of most cars, but center doors (and “quarter‐point” doors near the stairs on multilevel cars) will not be used. Customers detraining at New Brunswick, Edison and Metuchen are advised to use end doors only and to listen for announcements from train crews.
Customers traveling to/from stations in the outer and inner zones—that is, stations from Jersey Avenue west and Metropark east—will not see a significant reduction in service. Some departure times will be adjusted, so customers are advised to review timetables carefully.
Amtrak estimates that Track 4 will be out of service for several months, but a more exact projection will not be known until the work begins. When the work on Track 4 is complete, Amtrak will move to Track 1, the inbound local track, to replace ties in the same area between New Brunswick and Metuchen. A new timetable will be issued when Track 4 is returned to service and Track 1 is taken out of service. Overall, the tie replacement project will continue into the fall.
In addition, the reduced track capacity will limit NJ TRANSIT’s ability to work around operational problems (e.g. a disabled train or switch problem), and delays from these types of issues could be longer as a result.
New timetables will be available on www.njtransit.com starting on Friday, May 24, with printed copies available on trains and in stations shortly thereafter. NJ TRANSIT encourages customers to carefully review the new schedule to determine how these changes will affect their commute.
Detailed updates about the tie replacement project will be posted on njtransit.com, as well as on NJ TRANSIT’s Facebook and Twitter feeds. Customers are encouraged to sign up for My Transit alerts to receive up-to-the-minute service information about their specific trip to their PDA, cell phone or email. Current My Transit subscribers are reminded to update their alert preferences to reflect the new train numbers effective with the June 2 timetable change.
