Senate Committee advances nominations of 17 Superior court judges
The Senate Judiciary Committee this morning advanced the renominations of 17 Superior Court judges, averting a fight that could have exacerbated a judge shortage in Essex County.
The renominations of the judges, from eight counties, now head to the Senate for a full vote on Thursday.
Democrats have said Gov. Chris Christie told them he would dump some Superior Court judges in the coming months. He did not renominate one judge from Essex and the renominations for several others came very close to the expiration of their terms. (Spoto, The Star-Ledger)
Executives see New Jersey is becoming as more business friendly but voice major concerns about its regulatory climate
While the state’s top executives believe New Jersey is becoming a better place to expand and run a business, they still have major concerns about its regulatory climate, a panel of business leaders said today at an economic policy summit unveiling the results of a CEO survey by the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University.
“A difference has been made almost overnight with the perception of New Jersey as a place to do business, but it takes a long time to turn structural issues around,” said Michael Van Wagner, executive director of the New Jersey Business Action Center. “If you had interactions with the administration, your view on the regulatory environment would be more favorable than it was in the past two years. It has to be, because I see it every day.” (Eder, NJBIZ)
Class-Action Lawsuit against Ridgewood Water , time to sell?
May 21,2012
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, On Wednesday, officials from Glen Rock, Midland Park and Wyckoff held a press conference with their attorney Joseph Fiorenzo and called for the total of 26% in rate hikes from 2010 and 2011 to be rescinded and $3.3 million refunded to ratepayers.
Wyckoff, Glen Rock and Midland Park filed a $3.3 million class action lawsuit claiming Ridgewood funneled water utility revenue into its own municipal operating budget to avoid making hard cuts.Months of mediation between the parties has broken down. So on Wednesday, officials from Glen Rock, Midland Park and Wyckoff held a press conference with their attorney Joseph Fiorenzo.
The suit alleges the village had funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars to subsidize its police and fire departments, its engineering department, the municipal attorney, expensive health and pension obligations .
Local critics claim Ridgewood Water has become an albatross around the necks of Village residents, overwhelmed by environmental and state regulation , alleged declining water quality and unwilling or unable to make the necessary investments in infrastructure. Regular summer water rationing and sky rocketing bills has not engendered the utility to anyone and rumors have surfaced from time to time that the utility was on the chopping block to sell The Village council was hoping for a positive outcome from mediation but the current “talks” have now hit a road block .
In somewhat over the top language Fiorenzo claimed the alleged bilking came between 2004-2009 and led to an operating loss for the utility. He then went on to criticize weak oversight and sloppy book keeping , claiming the utility would have shown a substantial profit . “Evidence revealed…there was no ‘loss’ to justify the extraordinary water rate increase,” Fiorenzo wrote in a statement. “Rather, Ridgewood has been bilking the ratepayers of Wyckoff, Glen Rock and Midland Park by having the ratepayers pay for a substantial portion of the operating expenses of the Village of Ridgewood.”
Ridgewood officials countered saying that Wyckoff, Glen Rock and Midland Park are taking their class action lawsuit to the media because their case is weak. Ridgewood Village Attorney Matt Rogers replied in a statement sent to media late Friday, “Generally, such tactics are used to inflame the situation due to lack of confidence in the legal merits of their case” Rogers remains confident in the Villages case saying adding the Village would continue “good faith and responsible effort” to keep water prices low for all Ridgewood Water ratepayers.
Obama’s war on coal hits your electric bill
By Phil Kerpen
Published May 22, 2012
| FoxNews.com
Obama’s War on Coal has already taken a remarkable toll on coal-fired power plants in America.
Last week the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported a shocking drop in power sector coal consumption in the first quarter of 2012. Coal-fired power plants are now generating just 36 percent of U.S. electricity, versus 44.6 percent just one year ago.
It’s the result of an unprecedented regulatory assault on coal that will leave us all much poorer.
Last week PJM Interconnection, the company that operates the electric grid for 13 states (Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia) held its 2015 capacity auction. These are the first real, market prices that take Obama’s most recent anti-coal regulations into account, and they prove that he is keeping his 2008 campaign promise to make electricity prices “necessarily skyrocket.”
Senate Dems back increase in air travel fee to close funding shortfall at TSA
By Erik Wasson – 05/22/12 12:33 PM ET
The Senate Appropriations Committee on Tuesday moved forward with legislation to increase airline passenger security fees, beating back a GOP attempt to keep them at current levels.
The 2013 Homeland Security appropriations bill would increase one-way fees for passengers from $2.50 to $5 in order to close a budget shortfall at the Transportation Security Administration.
Forty-three Catholic organizations file lawsuits against HHS mandate
By Michelle Bauman
Washington D.C., May 21, 2012 / 10:39 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Forty-three Catholic dioceses and organizations across the country have announced religious liberty lawsuits against the federal government to challenge the Obama administration’s contraception mandate.
The announcement was applauded by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, who called it “a compelling display of the unity of the Church in defense of religious liberty.”Washington D.C., May 21, 2012 / 10:39 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Forty-three Catholic dioceses and organizations across the country have announced religious liberty lawsuits against the federal government to challenge the Obama administration’s contraception mandate.
The announcement was applauded by Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, who called it “a compelling display of the unity of the Church in defense of religious liberty.”
Ridgewood High School’s Annual Celebration of the Arts, a two-day presentation of the work of visual and performing artists, will begin with a gallery opening and reception on Thursday, May 24 at 7 p.m. The reception will be followed by the Kick-off event at 7:15p.m. and then three concerts featuring the Choir & Orchestra, Small Ensembles and the Wind Ensemble.
Thursday evening’s opening events will be followed by a full day of exhibition and performance assemblies on Friday, May 25. Performances are scheduled throughout the day in the Campus Center and the Little Theatre. During the celebration, the halls, galleries and concert stages will be filled with displays and performances of more than 1,200 students as the districts’ administrators, teachers and students celebrate the work of visual artists, student musicians, dancers and actors.
The Celebration of the Arts galleries and performances are open to the public. There is no admission fee.
Bill to decriminalize small amount of marijuana gets N.J. Assembly committee hearing
Getting caught with a small amount of marijuana would be akin to getting a traffic ticket under a bill that is up for consideration by an Assembly panel on Monday.
The measure before the Assembly Judiciary Committee, which has bipartisan sponsorship, would replace criminal penalties with fines for those caught with less than 15 grams of marijuana — or enough for more than 30 joints.
Too far out there? According to Roseanne Scotti, state director for the Drug Policy Alliance. it’s the furthest a bill to decriminalize marijuana has ever gotten in the New Jersey Legislature. (Friedman, The Star-Ledger)
The Politicization of Gay Marriage
May 17,2012
By Ian Linker
President Obama recently announced in an interview on ABC that he personally supports gay marriage. It’s really no surprise, is it? Obama’s actions as President have left no doubt about his views on the subject. Since he has been President, the Department of Justice has stopped enforcing the Clinton-era-Defense-of-Marriage law and Obama has ended the military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy. Then why the sudden urge to publicly announce his “personal” views? Well, the Vice President’s recent statement announcing his comfort with gay marriage before the President’s announcement may have forced the President’s hand from a timing perspective. But – as 67% of Americans in a new CBS poll agree -this was a deeply political calculation in an election year, albeit one Obama probably would have liked to make closer to the election – thank you, Mr. Biden. Some pundits in the mainstream media are calling Obama’s announcement risky. They say it could potentially energize his base, which given Obama’s recent fundraising may have happened, and youths, but alienate more conservative Democrats in swing states such as North Carolina, which the day before the President’s announcement voted to ban gay marriage, and were so crucial to the President’s victory in 2008.
But there is something else that motivated Obama. By talking social policy, the President forced his Republican opponent, Governor Mitt Romney, and Republicans running in races around the country to do the same. (Indeed, Governor Romney felt compelled following the President’s announcement to remind the American people that he is unequivocally against gay marriage and, taking the issue one step further, is against civil unions that give the same benefits as marriage.)
President Obama has a good reason for shifting the focus to social issues. Polls show Americans overwhelmingly disapprove of the way Obama is handling the economy and believe Governor Romney would do a better job handling the economy. Why? There’s no great mystery there. The federal government has incurred more debt in the first three and a quarter years of the Obama administration than the first 232 years of our nation’s history combined. The economy is growing at a barely mediocre 2.2% annualized rate. Unemployment remains higher at 8.1% than Obama said it ever would be if Congress passed his nearly $800 billion so-called stimulus initiative and millions more have simply left the job market. Gas prices are too high, though they have dropped in recent weeks. Social Security and Medicare are in worse trouble than previously realized. And, “it is George Bush’s fault” is simply not resonating with voters like it did when Obama ran in 2008.
Governor Romney is ahead of the President in some polls and has run a so-far successful general election campaign critical of the President’s economic stewardship. Romney is making this a close race because he has so far managed to keep to the issue most important to the American people, especially independent voters – the economy. If Obama knocks Romney off message and the media, complicit in the plot, pepper the Governor with questions about gay marriage, and other social issues, Romney loses focus and Obama increases his re-election odds.
Romney and other Republicans must resist the urge, however, to debate social issues. As important as they are, social issues will not win this election. “It’s the economy stupid” is as true today as it was when Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign effectively used those words so many years ago. Republicans must constantly emphasize to the American people that they have a proven plan to cut and control spending, balance the budget, and grow the economy and create jobs through tax and regulatory reform. They also must emphasize to the American people that they have a plan to save the entitlement programs for future generations and that they have the courage to push their plans regardless of the political costs. This is the message Republicans must send if they want to keep the President on the defensive throughout the campaign and retake the White House this November.
Obama’s political decision to announce he is for gay marriage must not distract us. There is far too much at stake.
Ian Linker is an attorney and a former Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate from New Jersey.
Bethlehem Lutheran Church Celebrates Music Saturday May 26
The members of Bethlehem Lutheran Church invite everyone to an organ and brass concert on Saturday, May 26 at 7:00PM. Please join us for this free performance in our sanctuary located at 155 Linwood Ave. in Ridgewood, NJ. We will be celebrating the important part music has played at Bethlehem. This concert is a part our 100th anniversary celebration.
The concert will feature classic and contemporary music as well as a Hymn Sing and patriotic music. The NJ Brass Quintet is a fabulous ensemble. Their sound will fill the sanctuary with celebration. They will be joined by Bethlehem’s Elena Crudge on organ and piano. The members of Bethlehem are eager to share her talents with our community.
The New Jersey Brass Quintet is a non-profit corporation dedicated to the cultural enrichment of the community in which it serves. The musical ensemble’s programs include educationally oriented children’s concerts, park concerts in a “Village Brass Band” setting, and special concerts for various occasions in addition to traditional chamber music concerts. Its repertoire ranges from earliest madrigals to the most contemporary compositions available.
The dedicated professional musicians that compose the NJBQ bring a high degree of talent and creativity to the ensemble. Each member of the quintet is an experienced educator as well as an accomplished performer.
Elena Crudge, organist and pianist, is a native of Russia. She graduated from the Moscow State Music College “Gnesini” and the Voronezh State Institute of Arts with honors. She majored in piano and qualified as a teacher, accompanist and soloist of the Chamber Ensemble.
After graduation, Moscow Region Music College employed Elena for 10 years as accompanist for chorus and individual instruments. She performed in public concerts arranged by the college.
Elena has been the organist at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Ridgewood since 1994. She is a member of American Guild of Organists (AGO).
Admission is free, however a free will offering will be welcome.
The members of Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Ridgewood want you to know that God has a plan for you and he loves you. Our faith is in Christ. Our guide is in the Bible. Our love is for all. Come celebrate with us. We offer 2 Sunday services: Contemporary Praise Service at 8:45am and Traditional Worship at 11am with Sunday School and Bible Class at 10am. Our summer worship schedule of one service at 9:30 begins on Sunday June 10 and runs through Sunday September 9. Please join us at 155 Linwood Avenue, Ridgewood.
The Freedom Of The U.S. Capital Markets Is Under Attack
By REP. SCOTT GARRETT Posted 05/14/2012 06:14 PM ET
Are you fed up with our lackluster recovery and stubbornly high unemployment? Do you wonder why, three years after we officially pulled out of the Great Recession, we still haven’t hit our economic stride? Look no further than the current occupant of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
The reason economic growth is stuck in neutral is because the Obama administration is determined to regulate risk out of our capital markets. Put another way, President Obama believes that state-controlled capitalism is the best path to economic prosperity.
As a free-market capitalist, I couldn’t disagree more with President Obama’s vision for America’s economy. I believe that market-driven capitalism fueled by free ideas, free people and the freedom to take risk is what creates economic prosperity.
Robust economic growth requires healthy and dynamic capital markets, the ability to access credit and some good old-fashioned competition. In the past, policies mindful of basic economics allowed our capital markets to become the deepest and most liquid in the world.
In fact, our capital markets became the envy of the world specifically because government got out of the way so that they could flourish and grow.
Unfortunately, the story has changed dramatically over the last few years. Because of laws like Dodd-Frank and the tidal wave of regulations that are drowning our capital markets, pools of private capital have dried up, jobs creation has been placed on life support, and the global supremacy of our capital markets is now in jeopardy.
N.J. effort to reduce regulations hurt by lack of construction
While the Gov. Chris Christieadministration has made overturning a decade’s worth of strict regulatory policies a top priority for the state, business owners won’t recognize the improvements until construction picks up, an economist said.
“Old perceptions die very hard, even if attempts have been made to improve the state’s tax climate and regulatory environment,” said James Hughes, dean of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University. “If a company was looking to add a new facility, and it has had to deal with a strict regulatory environment in the past, the CEOs still have that perception in their mind now.” (Eder, NJBIZ)
Road Closure May 21 – Crossing from Ho-Ho-Kus Train Station into Ridgewood
Please be advised that the subject roadway crossing into the Borough of Ho-ho-kus from the Village of Ridgewood over the train tracks will be closed by New Jersey Transit for work on their crossing starting May 21, 2012 for a period of approximately 1 to 2 weeks. The crossing will be closed during the duration of the work. The road will be closed with barricades and signs on both approaches (Ridgewood and Ho-ho-kus).
The work is the replacement of the track crossing area and some paving work on the approaches.
Pedestrian access across the tracks will be maintained during the road closing so that the walking commuters can get to the Ho-ho-kus Train Station.
Please share this information with those who travel in that area that utilize the subject crossing.
Teacher professional development—the quiet controversy
As the Christie administration presses for changes to teacher tenure and evaluation, upcoming revisions to teacher standards and the kinds of professional development that would be required could spark their own debate.
For more than a decade, the state’s teachers have been subject to rules enacted under former Gov. Christie Whitman that require they accumulate 100 hours of approved professional development every five years. (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)
N.J. to contribute to proposed Amtrak tunnel
By Paul Nussbaum
INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
The Christie administration, which killed a trans-Hudson rail tunnel because of fears of cost overruns, will pay its “fair share” of a proposed Amtrak tunnel project linking New Jersey and New York City, Christie’s transportation chief said Friday.
The payment would probably be a user fee to share the tunnels that Amtrak proposes as part of its $14.5 billion Gateway project, state transportation commissioner James Simpson said.
Simpson, in Voorhees to address the Chamber of Commerce of Southern New Jersey, declined to predict how much of the cost New Jersey would be willing to shoulder. He said he was meeting with Amtrak president Joseph Boardman and other officials to discuss cost-sharing.
