Some of Christie’s biggest bills match model legislation from D.C. group called ALEC
Let’s say you’re a state lawmaker, passionate about charter schools, and you want to turn this passion into laws that create social change. What you need are bills. And you want them fast — ready-made, just add water, written in language that can withstand partisan debate and legal scrutiny.
There is a place that has just what you want.It’s called the American Legislative Exchange Council, a little-known conservative group headquartered in Washington, D.C., and funded by some of the biggest corporations in the United States — most with a business interest in state legislation. (Rizzo, The Star-Ledger)
GRAYDON POOL BADGES: RESIDENT DISCOUNT SALES BEGIN APRIL 1ST
Purchase your resident membership early for a discount through May 19th. Village priced memberships are available to Ridgewood residents, non-residents who pay local property taxes to the Village of Ridgewood, and employees of the Village of Ridgewood and Board of Education. Proof is required.
GRAYDON POOL SEASON MEMBERSHIPS ADULT – $97.00 through May 19th, $110.00 thereafter. CHILD – $87.00 (ages 2-15, under 2 free) through May 19th, $100.00 thereafter. SENIOR – $20.00 (62 and older) through May 19th, $25.00 thereafter. DAILY GUEST PASS – $10.00 (Available to residents only) BADGE REPLACEMENT – $5.00 TENNIS BADGES ADULT – $30.00 CHILD – $25.00 DAILY PASS – $5.00 DAILY GUEST PASS – $10.00 (Available to residents only) BADGE REPLACEMENT – $5.00
NON-RESIDENT MEMBERSHIPS The Village Council and the Ridgewood Department of Parks and Recreation are pleased to invite all families in the surrounding area to join the Graydon Pool facility for the 2012 summer season. Non-Ridgewood adults will be charged $175 and children, ages 2 through 15, will be charged $155 for the 13-week season. Daily passes and guest passes are available to Ridgewood residents only. Membership sales will begin April 1st online.
HOW TO PURCHASE BADGES Badges will go on sale April 1st and can be purchased from the comfort of home on Community Pass. (Visa and Mastercard accepted).
Pre-season in person registration will be available Saturdays, May 12 and May 19, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, as well as Monday, May 28th, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon, at the Graydon Pool Badge Office, 259 North Maple Avenue. Badges can be purchased daily throughout the operating season.
Please contact the Recreation Office at 201-670-5560 with any questions.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will overhaul its security operation for the first time in decades, centralizing control over its police force and safety officials at its bridges, airports, bus terminals and the World Trade Center.
The agency’s Board of Commissioners on Thursday voted unanimously to create a Security Department within the agency. A new chief security officer will oversee the Port Authority Police Department and help coordinate safety policies across the agency’s properties and divisions. (Mann, The Wall Street Journal)
Hoops for Hope, a fundraiser for a local cancer survivor, will be held at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church Gymnasium, 52 Passaic Street, on Sunday, April 1 from 2-5 p.m. Boys and girls in Grades 3-12 may participate. Pre-registration is requested. For more information or to register, contact Mollie Van Horne at 201-658-4215 or [email protected].
> Ridgewood High School graduate Mike Graifman a solar pioneer
Ridgewood High School graduate uses energy to help in Haiti
FRIDAY, MARCH 30, 2012 BY JOSEPH CRAMER STAFF WRITER THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
In 2007, Mike Graifman, a Ridgewood High School senior at the time, made a presentation to the Board of Education about the potential environmental advantages and fiscal savings that could come with the use of renewable energy, specifically solar power.
Ridgewood High School graduate Michael Graifman and several of his classmates and colleagues at Tufts University in Massachusetts installed solar panels at a school in Haiti over winter break. More than four years later, as the district begins the process of installing solar panels on nine of its buildings, Graifman has just completed a solar energy project of his own, albeit in a place much different from Ridgewood.
Regular Public Meeting – Monday, October 8, 2007 MINUTES OF THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION Ridgewood Public Schools Bergen County, New Jersey October 8, 2007 Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Board of Education held on Monday, October 8, 2007, at 7:30 p.m. at the Education Center
Presentation: Solar Power Michael Graifman, Ridgewood High School senior, made a presentation about solar power.
Regular Public Meeting – Monday, October 8, 2007
Part I – General Benefits of Use of Solar Energy Michael explained that a solar panel takes the sun’s energy and converts it to electricity and said there are many reasons to use solar energy. He reviewed the following benefits: Environmental benefits: • Solar energy is 100% clean and results in no CO2 emissions. • It does not require strip mining. National political benefits: • Alternate energy keeps the money in the U.S. and provides freedom from dependency on foreign energy sources. • It is a growing industry that needs support. Educational benefits: • More environmentally geared thinking among students is needed now and in the future. • It can be worked into the curriculum. • It makes a public statement that Ridgewood High School is living up to its reputation for excellence. Financial benefits: • Solar energy production is 100% free. • New Jersey is rated one of the best states for financing installation of solar energy due to the CORE (Customer On-site Rebate) program and the SREC (Solar Renewable Energy Certificate) program. • It reduces the PSE&G bill. . Part 2 – Installation of Photovoltaic (PV) Solar Panels at Ridgewood High School Michael discussed the feasibility of the physical conditions at Ridgewood High School, showed photographs, described the proposed system (110.656 KW) and showed how the system size was calculated. He elaborated on the three possible financial pathways: 1) CORE rebate, 2) increase in SREC program, and 3) a combination of the two programs. Part 3 – Operation of System Michael presented graphs showing electricity production versus value of energy produced. He said as the efficiency decreases, the value of the electricity being produced increases and said this would be a good investment because the Board would save more money as the system ages.
We respectfully ask the Village to restore the standard Graydon opening time of 10 AM every day throughout the summer.
The Village website states that Graydon will be closed until noon on 28 days in a three-month swimming season: the first 13 weekdays in June and the last 15 weekdays (3 weeks) in August.
Without a morning swimming option, many may see no point in buying Graydon badges–especially those with young children or grandchildren to amuse on a hot day. Once they’ve gone elsewhere, they may never return.
We believe that simplifying the daily schedule to 10 AM to 7:30 PM, as before, would encourage new and renewed memberships, reduce confusion, and not risk alienating potential patrons.
We love our natural, sand-bottomed pool—our beautiful, unique, safe oasis. We want Graydon to thrive. Our wish, and we hope yours, is for this landmark to remain a quintessentially Ridgewood summer tradition. To attract patrons year after year and generation after generation, Graydon must remain open for business.
If you agree that Graydon should open at 10 AM every day, please “sign” the petition above by replying to [email protected] with the following message text:
Full name(s) Street address AND TOWN Number of people in household Use kiddie pool (children, grandchildren, other)?
PLEASE RESPOND BY TUESDAY, April 3, or no later than Wednesday afternoon.
The petition statement and list of signers will be presented to the Village Council on Wednesday, April 4 (7:30 PM, 4th-floor courtroom, Village Hall). Please come if you can.
Thanks for your support in keeping Graydon natural AND open.
Till soon, Marcia Ringel and Alan Seiden Co-Chairs, The Preserve Graydon Coalition, Inc., a nonprofit corporation “It’s clear—we love Graydon!” [email protected]www.PreserveGraydon.org
Budget review: School aid, pricey consultants are scrutinized
The Christie administration’s education budget was first up for the Democrat-controlled legislature’s review yesterday, facing a barrage of questions from the fairness of its funding for local schools to the high-priced consultants hired inside the state department itself.
The target of the mostly polite questioning was acting education commissioner Chris Cerf, who with his top staff, sat through more than four hours of inquiry from the Senate budget committee about his decisions and policies on a broad range of topics, not all of them budget related. (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)
Potential changes to Ridgewood’s Graydon Pool schedule are criticized
THURSDAY MARCH 29, 2012, 4:52 PM BY JOSEPH CRAMER STAFF WRITER THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The Graydon Pool schedule for the 2012 season shows reduced hours in the early part of the summer and has drawn some criticism from residents, but Village Council members say the discussion is far from over.
Earlier this week, the 2012 schedule of operations for Graydon Pool was posted on the village website, indicating reduced operational hours on weekdays from June 2 to 20, the early part of the summer when a majority of Ridgewood children are still in school. The new opening time for the first three weeks as indicated on the website is 3 p.m. on weekdays, a three-hour delay from the noon opening of previous seasons.
For the period from Aug. 13 to Sept. 3, the pool would open at noon on weekdays, a delay from 10 a.m
> Mayor Killion proclaim April 4th Arthur Murray Day in Ridgewood NJ! Wed, April 04, 2012 Time: 1:00 PM – 10:00 PM Arthur Murray Dance Studio, 257 E. Ridgewood Ave. (entrance on Maple Ave.)
Mayor Killion has proclaimed April 4th Arthur Murray Day in Ridgewood NJ in honor of Arthur Murray Franchised Dance Studios 100 Year Anniversary!
Arthur Murray Dance Studio is located at 257 E. Ridgewood Avenue (Entrance on Maple Ave.)
In 1912, a young immigrant living in New York named Moishe Teichmann taught his first dance lesson. At the outbound of WW1, under pressure of an anti German feeling prevalent in the US, Teichmann changed his name to Arthur Murray.
On April 24, 1925, Murray married his famous dance partner, Kathryn Kohnfelder – A Jersey City resident, with whom he had met at a radio station in New Jersey. She was in the audience while he was broadcasting a dance lesson.
After their marriage, the mail-order business declined and the Murrays opened a dance school offering personal instruction. Their business prospered, especially in 1938 and 1939 when Arthur picked 2 little-known dances, the “Lambeth Walk” and “The Big Apple”, and turned them into dance crazes. They were taught at hotel chains throught the country, and the name “Arthur Murray” became a household word.
There are now hundreds of Arthur Murray studios globally, with specially trained instructors, making Arthur Murray the most successful dance instructor in history.
On April 4th, Arthur Murray Franchised Dance Studios world wide, will celebrate the legacy of Arthur Murray by having a dance party in every franchised studio in the world that will be streamed live on the internet making it the world’s largest dance party. Dance studios in the United States, Austrailia, South Africa, Europe, Canada, Dubai and many more will similtaneiously stream their celebrations of this once in a lifetime celebration; Arthur Murray’s 100 years of changing people’s lives one step at a time.
For my details in Ridgewood call – Sarah and Lucia 201-389-6980 www.danceclassesnewjersey.com [email protected]
Grading teachers: More schools invited to join evaluation pilot
As the Christie administration expands and extends its pilot program for developing a statewide teacher evaluation system, it is also fine-tuning requirements for districts and adding some flexibility on how teachers are graded.
The state Department of Education yesterday put out its requests for proposals to join the pilot, expanding from 10 districts this year to up to 30 next year. (Mooney, NJ Spotlight)
>Scott Garrett Discusses Threats to American Capital Markets in Speech to U.S. Chamber of Commerce Mar 28, 2012
WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ), Chairman of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government-Sponsored Enterprises, today delivered a speech to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce titled “Restoring American Competitiveness.” In his speech, Garrett highlighted the ways in which the heavy-hand of the Obama administration is locking up capital and threatening American competitiveness.
Below is the full text of Garrett’s remarks as prepared for delivery:
“First, I want to thank the Chamber and its Center for Capital Markets Competitiveness for inviting me to speak with you here today.
“Thanks very much, David, for that very kind introduction, and thanks to Tom Quaadman and his team for all of the good work they do, regardless of what some Beltway regulators say about you. In fact, were looking forward to having Tom testify later this morning before the subcommittee on accounting and auditing issues. Tom, you’ll be happy to know that there are many members of the subcommittee that have similar concerns about mandatory firm rotation.
> Scott Garrett: Health Care Act provision threatens our freedom WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2012 BY SCOTT GARRETT THE RECORD
OUR COUNTRY’S founding principles of limited government and individual liberty were on trial this week as the Supreme Court heard oral arguments regarding the constitutionality of President Obama’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
At the heart of this act is the individual mandate, which holds that the federal government can require citizens to purchase health insurance under threat of monetary penalty.
Such a law is unprecedented, unnecessary, unlimited and, above all else, unconstitutional. Never before has the federal government required people to buy a good or service as a condition of lawful residence in the United States. And yet, using the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution as its rationale, that’s exactly what the Obama administration intends to do.
>West Bergen Center for Children and Youth Asperger’s Related Services presents Friday Playgroup Workshops for ages 4-7.
The workshop will be held at the West Bergen Counseling Group at 615 Franklin Turnpike, 2nd Floor, Ridgewood. The cost is $175 for five sessions. The workshop will be held on Fridays from April 27 to June 1 at 3:45 to 5 PM. The workshop is for children who need improvement in play skills with peers. The workship will focus on practicing sharing, cooperation, compromising, sportsmanship, and conversation skills.
Registration must be received by April 20, 2012. Pleace contact Kelly Doyle, 201-857-0080, ext 7500 for further information or to register. Payment is due at time of registration.
Established in 1963 as a child guidance clinic, today West Bergen provides comprehensive services for all age groups with various levels of need. West Bergen Mental Healthcare recently celebrated being voted number one in client satisfaction by the Mental Health Corporations of America’s Nation Survey for 2010. The Agency has earned this notable recognition seven times since 1998.
>Government proposes first carbon limits on power plants By Timothy Gardner
WASHINGTON | Tue Mar 27, 2012 4:19pm EDT
(Reuters) – The Obama administration proposed on Tuesday the first rules to cut carbon dioxide emissions from new U.S. power plants, a move hotly contested by Republicans and industry in an election year.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s proposal would effectively stop the building of most new coal-fired plants in an industry that is moving rapidly to more natural gas. But the rules will not regulate existing power plants, the source of one third of U.S. emissions, and will not apply to any plants that start construction over the next 12 months.
The watering down of the proposal led some ardent environmentalists to criticize its loopholes, but a power company that has taken steps to cut emissions praised the rules.
>State Supreme Court to hear judge pension reform case Monday
A short-handed state Supreme Court will listen to arguments today over whether judges and even its own members must pay more toward their pensions.
Five jurists will hear the case, a judiciary spokeswoman said Friday, a bare minimum needed for a quorum for the seven-member panel.
Chief Justice Stuart Rabner has announced he will recuse himself because he had lobbied Gov. Chris Christie’s administration over the matter. Former Justice Virginia Long retired earlier this month after reaching the mandatory retirement age. A seat remains vacant, and Appellate Judge Dorothea O’C. Wefing has been temporarily assigned to the high court. (Method, Gannett)
