Posted: 05/13/2015 10:36 am EDT Updated: 05/13/2015 10:59 am EDT
By Anjali Enjeti
You remember childhood, don’t you?
We wore our house keys around our necks like dog tags, walked home from school alone and let ourselves inside while our parents were still at work. We crossed busy intersections during rush hour to purchase bubble gum cigarettes with change from empty soda cans.
Our playgrounds were construction sites, heaps of dirt, creeks filled with snakes and turtles we collected as pets. We climbed trees, muddied our Garanimals, scaled fences between neighbors’ backyards. We spent Memorial Day to Labor Day barefoot, the soles of our feet blackened like coal, dirt clumping underneath our toenails. Skateboards, roller skates and bikes defined our boundaries — our Baby Boomer parents would scoff if we asked for a ride somewhere. They were too busy reading the newspaper, watching soaps or drinking beer on the stoop with the neighbors.
We were told to come in at dark, not a second earlier.
We had our kids late. Probably too late. Now we’re cranky, sleep-deprived 40-somethings changing chlorine-free, biodegradable diapers while Dora the Explorer morphs into a hormonal teen right before our very eyes. We claim we don’t regret waiting because we “needed to get established in our careers first” and “wanted to save enough money,” even though we know damn well we have neither viable careers nor anything resembling a nest egg.
We cart our children to chess, robotics, baseball practice, ballet, cello, swimming lessons and birthday parties. Though they run our lives like lunatic ringmasters, we insist such activities make them well-rounded / social / intellectual / competitive / creative.
They are rarely out of our sights. They’re our extensions, buds hanging off our stems, the quality, durability, and character of their bloom wholly dependent on our careful, measured, intentional nurturing. We stuff them into slings as babies, backpacks and strollers as toddlers, tie them with leashes as preschoolers and use GPS and apps to monitor their whereabouts as teens.
Empty nesters have been selling their houses to families with young children for generations in Ridgewood and we’ve done just fine. Now the developers and their friends on our Council want to build hundreds of apartments in town for empty nesters. This is a pipe dream – we all know that these apartments will attract families with school children from nearby cities with school systems that lag behind Ridgewood’s.
A couple things are going to happen that nobody wants to talk about. 1. Kids who live in the apartments will go to Ridge, Willard and GW where class sizes are already beginning to tick up. 2. If empty nesters trying to sell their houses are competing with developers renting apartments to families with kids, the value of your house will go down.
We are being sold a bill of goods by special interest groups, specifically developers and labor unions, that are supported by 3 members of our Council. Their “studies” have produced laughable results – traffic will decrease and school population will stay flat. False and false.
MAY 7, 2015, 7:52 PM LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2015, 8:07 PM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — Village resident Anthony Daniels is getting some high-profile support in his ongoing fight against Hodgkin’s lymphoma from actor Bradley Cooper.
The “American Sniper” star appeared Wednesday with Daniels, a 23-year-old former Fordham University business student and boxing enthusiast, on ABC’s “Good Morning America” to raise awareness of the onetime Ridgewood High School hockey player’s plight. Daniels, who is fighting the cancer for a fourth time, needs a bone marrow transplant.
“I was approached by Delete Blood Cancer and they said you know, ‘There’s a guy, he’s a young man at Fordham University dealing with blood cancer,’” Cooper said in the segment.
The actor was asked by the organization if there was anything he might be willing to do to help Daniels.
Cooper replied: “Well, can I meet him? Let’s meet and talk.”
Cooper, whose father had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and died from lung cancer four years ago, said in the segment that upon meeting Daniels, he was impressed by his determination to beat his cancer a fourth time.
May 12th – Final Day for Primary Election Registration
The Village Clerk’s Office and the League of Women Voters of Ridgewood would like to remind voters that May 12th is the last day to register to vote in the Primary Election (June 2nd). Voter registration forms are available at the Village Clerk’s Office at Village Hall or can be downloaded at www.njelections.org. In person registration on May 12th will be held in the Village Clerk’s Office from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and in the Library Lobby from 4:30p.m.-9:00 p.m.
HACKENSACK – Braced against the federal corruption charges filed against him, U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) stood up to a bracing breeze at the Bergen County commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide and criticized President Barack Obama’s handling of the issue. (Bonamo/PolitickerNJ)
Chris Christie risks a generational debate on entitlements: Robert Samuelson
on April 24, 2015 at 12:00 PM, updated April 24, 2015 at 12:01 PM
By Robert J. Samuelson
WASHINGTON — If New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has his way, the unfolding presidential campaign will focus on generational fairness. It will seek to curb spending on the elderly — mainly Social Security and Medicare — without putting the elderly at risk. This debate would be good for the country, but whether the country can conduct it without an orgy of bombast and distortion is an open question.
In case you missed it, Christie gave a speech in New Hampshire in mid-April proposing the following:
–Social Security benefits would be gradually reduced for those with non-Social Security incomes above $80,000 and ended at incomes exceeding $200,000, a plan Christie said would affect less than 2 percent of beneficiaries.
–Social Security’s eligibility age would slowly be raised (2 months a year, beginning in 2022) to 69 for full benefits and 64 for early retirement (from the present 62); Medicare’s eligibility age would be raised from today’s 65 to 67 in 2040 and 69 in 2064.
–Wealthier retirees with incomes above $85,000, who already pay higher Medicare premiums, would have their premiums raised on a sliding scale so that beneficiaries with incomes above $196,000 would pay 90 percent of the premiums for Medicare Part B (doctors’ bills) and Part D (drug coverage). Presumably, this also would be phased in, though Christie gave no details.
–Medicaid — the federal-state health insurance program for the poor — would be cut by putting a ceiling on federal payments to states.
Let’s concede that Christie’s gambit is self-serving. His presidential prospects are said to lag. He strives to differentiate himself from the herd of Republican contenders. What better way to demonstrate “leadership” qualities than to tackle an issue that, according to conventional wisdom, is political suicide. It’s a high-risk/high-reward strategy.
After giving a version of his stump speech to a mostly gray-haired crowd in Iowa, Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin was pressed on Friday by two twenty-something Republicans about a percolating issue he did not mention: immigration.
Mr. Walker’s apparent hardening on immigration has inspired a flood of reporting and commentary. Most recently he told the radio host Glenn Beck that he favored restricting legal immigration in tough economic times, a position to the right of most other 2016 presidential hopefuls.
He repeated that view Friday after a speech in Cedar Rapids, when Eddie Failor, 24, expressed concern “as a young Republican” that the party must make inroads to new voter blocs, including by supporting a comprehensive overhaul of immigration.
Mr. Walker told Mr. Failor that his top priority would be securing the border. He also said he favored “making sure the legal immigration system is based on making our No. 1 priority to protect American workers and their wages.’’
Alexander Staudt, the treasurer of the University of Iowa College Republicans, also told Mr. Walker in the meet-and-greet line that he was concerned that by talking tough on immigration, Republican candidates would turn off Hispanics.
Tim Cronin and Nancy Bigos of the Dept. of Parks & Rec have posted the Graydon schedule on the Graydon page of the Village calendar as follows (asterisks have been added):
2015 SEASON
Early Season – Saturday, June 6 to Thursday, June 18
Weekends, 10 am to 7:30 pm
Weekdays, ***12 noon*** to 7:30 pm
Regular Season – Friday, June 19 to Sunday, August 16
Daily, 10 am to 7:30 pm
July 4th – Holiday hours, 10 am to 4 pm
Late Season – Monday, August 17 to Sunday, August 30th
Weekends, 10 am to 7:30 pm
Weekdays, ***12 noon*** to 7:30 pm
****POOL CLOSED – Monday, August 31 through Friday, September 4****
Labor Day Weekend – Saturday, Sept 5 through Monday, Sept 7
Daily, 10 am to 7:30 pm
1. Graydon will open two hours late (at noon) on the first 9 weekdays in June following theJune 6-7 opening weekend (that is, June 8-12 and 15-18). Full opening hours (10 AM to 7:30 PM) will begin on Friday, June 19, the day after the last day of school. Late opening resumes for 10 weekdays in late August (Aug. 17-21 and 24-28).
Total of short days: 19 = 38 lost hours of beach time.
Note: Crestwood Lake in Allendale will open two full weeks earlier, on May 23. Weekday hours until school is out will be 1-5 PM throughout that period.
2. Graydon will be CLOSED for the entire 5 days before Labor Day weekend (Aug. 31-Sept. 4). Rationale: lifeguards will not be available because they’ll be in school, with Ridgewood and some other schools opening before Labor Day (Sept. 7)–but none as early as Aug. 31, and Ridgewood with a half-day on Wed. 9/9 and only 2 full days of school, why close all week?
The other part of the argument is that pool managers will be unavailable because they are teachers.
So maybe hire a couple who aren’t teachers? There’s still time.
Total of lost hours that week: 47.5 (9.5/day x 5 days)
Total lost beach time: 38 hours (late opening) + 47.5 hours (week before Labor Day weekend) = 85.5 hours
That’s the equivalent of 9 full lost days (9.5 x 9).
Full hours all season would include 893 hours. Since the first Saturday in June is late this year (June 6), the season is already short. From the first Saturday in June through Labor Day runs 13 weeks 3 days, or (13 x 7) + 3 = 94 days; that’s 9.5 hours/day x 94 = 893 hours. Removing 85.5 hours constitutes a 10.44% reduction. An additional 3.5 hours of closing occur on July 4, when Graydon is closed at 4 PM as a “drop zone” for fireworks.
WHY IS IT NECESSARY to demonstrate to the council every year that people still care about Graydon? I don’t know, but it is.
WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES IT MAKE if people show up at a council meeting to express their views/displeasure? I don’t know, but it often helps. And the less familiar their faces are, the better–also odd but true.
I am not attempting to convene a rally. However, next Wednesday’s council meeting is our last shot at trying to get this year’s proposed reduced hours rolled back. THE COUNCIL MUST STILL VOTE ON IT, although it would have slid through this important step if I hadn’t noticed the web page announcement and yawped at them at the April 8 council meeting. There was no meeting this week; Graydon, I’m told, will be on the agenda for next week. (The agenda has not been posted yet; https://www.ridgewoodnj.net/agenda.cfm/)
If you care about this, please make your voice heard.
The council is tired of hearing my voice and so am I. It has been amply demonstrated that a show of strength and interest at a council meeting makes an impression on elected officials. It may not help, but it can’t hurt. And there is always next year and beyond for the council to consider and plan for.
Village Council
Public Work Session
Wednesday, April 22, 7:30 PM
Village Hall courtroom, 4th floor
Public comment is likely to begin shortly after 7:30, after the Pledge of Allegiance. Please consider stating briefly why the opening hours matter to you and why you believe our council and staff should make whatever effort is required to keep Graydon open for full summer hours–a situation that was assumed and unquestioned for decades.
Be specific, if possible: morning swim fan; work schedule prevents going when it’s open; want to invite guests or take children/grandchildren when a late opening is now scheduled; like to take vacation days from work to go swimming, but want to arrive before noon; council claims to care about seniors; school-aged children do not comprise Graydon’s only constituency; unnecessary to shut down for the entire week before Labor Day, even considering school schedules; why not at least open from 3 to 7:30 on those days?
If you can’t come, please consider contacting the council to express your views. Their email addresses will pop up in an email form through this link:
https://www.preservegraydon.org/write-council
And then we’ll see! Thanks.
Swimmingly,
Marcia
===========================================
Marcia Ringel, Co-Chair
The Preserve Graydon Coalition, Inc., a nonprofit corporation
“It’s clear—we love Graydon!”
www.PreserveGraydon.org
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, –That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.–Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good. He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them. He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only. He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures. He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people. He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within. He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands. He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers. He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries. He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance. He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures. He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power. He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation: For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us: For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world: For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury: For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies: For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments: For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever. He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us. He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation. He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands. He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.
In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
________________________________
The 56 signatures on the Declaration appear in the positions indicated:
Column 1
Georgia:
Button Gwinnett
Lyman Hall
George Walton
Column 2
North Carolina:
William Hooper
Joseph Hewes
John Penn
South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge
Thomas Heyward, Jr.
Thomas Lynch, Jr.
Arthur Middleton
Column 3
Massachusetts:
John Hancock
Maryland:
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia:
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton
Column 4
Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris
Benjamin Rush
Benjamin Franklin
John Morton
George Clymer
James Smith
George Taylor
James Wilson
George Ross
Delaware:
Caesar Rodney
George Read
Thomas McKean
Column 5
New York:
William Floyd
Philip Livingston
Francis Lewis
Lewis Morris
New Jersey:
Richard Stockton
John Witherspoon
Francis Hopkinson
John Hart
Abraham Clark
Column 6
New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett
William Whipple
Massachusetts:
Samuel Adams
John Adams
Robert Treat Paine
Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins
William Ellery
Connecticut:
Roger Sherman
Samuel Huntington
William Williams
Oliver Wolcott
New Hampshire:
Matthew Thornton
April 6, 2015 Last updated: Monday, April 6, 2015, 8:39 AM
The Ridgewood News
Print
Planning Board deliberations regarding multifamily housing in downtown Ridgewood previously scheduled for April 7 will be carried until Tuesday, April 21.
Councilwoman Susan Knudsen, a member of the Planning Board, announced last Wednesday night at the Village Council meeting that the public hearing for the land use element of the Master Plan AH-2, B-3-R, C-R and C Zone Districts would be moved to 7:30 p.m. on April 21 in the Sydney V. Stoldt Jr. Court Room.
The delay was attributed to information from the League of Municipalities regarding the state Supreme Court decision on affordable housing in early March, said Knudsen, which ruled that the courts would decide affordable housing rules, at least temporarily. Knudsen said the information would hopefully be available on April 20.
At the Planning Board’s March 17 meeting, it was suggested that board members compile a list of elements to work through with Village Planner Blais Brancheau.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/downtown-housing-hearing-moved-to-april-21-1.1303434
April 6, 2015 Last updated: Monday, April 6, 2015, 8:39 AM
The Ridgewood News
Print
Planning Board deliberations regarding multifamily housing in downtown Ridgewood previously scheduled for April 7 will be carried until Tuesday, April 21.
Councilwoman Susan Knudsen, a member of the Planning Board, announced last Wednesday night at the Village Council meeting that the public hearing for the land use element of the Master Plan AH-2, B-3-R, C-R and C Zone Districts would be moved to 7:30 p.m. on April 21 in the Sydney V. Stoldt Jr. Court Room.
The delay was attributed to information from the League of Municipalities regarding the state Supreme Court decision on affordable housing in early March, said Knudsen, which ruled that the courts would decide affordable housing rules, at least temporarily. Knudsen said the information would hopefully be available on April 20.
At the Planning Board’s March 17 meeting, it was suggested that board members compile a list of elements to work through with Village Planner Blais Brancheau.
Sun, April 19, 2015
Time: 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Location: Memorial Park at Van Neste Square, E. ridgewood ave between Walnut St and Oak St
Ridgewood Grows Green and Yellow…
The Conservancy for Ridgewood Public Lands &
The Ridgewood Environmental Advisory Committee
Invite you and your family to join our:
Daffodil Festival & Earth Day Celebration
Sunday, April 19, 2015, 11am-3pm
Memorial Park at Van Neste Square, Ridgewood
Fine Arts Show and Sale
Crafts for Children, “Spotty Dotty Daffodil Story Walk”
Daffy Dog Parade for your Favorite Pooch at 12:30pm
Environmental Programs, Refreshments
Sponsors:
The Valley Hospital
Jacobsen Landscape Design & Construction
Please also mark your calendars for our annual:
CRPL Plant Sale
Saturday, May 9, 2015, 8:30am-3pm
Graydon Pool Parking Lot, Ridgewood
Annuals and Perennials~~Perfect Gifts for Mother’s Day!
To order: www.cfrpl.org. P.O. Box 123, Ridgewood, NJ 07451
Readers challenge idea of a private corporation abridging students first amendment rights
“The Ridgewood Public Schools guards our data and only shares with state and federal officials the information that is required by law. We make every effort to teach our students about good digital citizenship and with the beginning next school year, we will teach it more formally through a Digital Citizenship Curriculum, from kindergarten through Grade 12.”DANIEL FISHBEIN
Students in New Jersey were told repeatedly that they had no choice about taking a test(PARCC) which then resulted in their private information being given to Pearson and also restricted their first amendment rights.
I love how all the NJ DOE apologists are glossing right over the fact that our schools were being asked by a private corporation to discipline a student. What’s next? If a kid tweets that the school lunch is disgusting, will the school punish him on behalf of Aramark??
Bethlehem Lutheran Church to Host Pancake Breakfast, Easter Egg Hunt & Holy Week Celebrations
March 22,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood, NJ,Bethlehem Lutheran Church today announced its Holy Week series of events designed to help local families experience fellowship, fun and community.
The fun kicks off with the congregation’s annual Pancake Breakfast and Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 4, at 9 a.m., in the church’s gymnasium. After breakfast, the Easter Egg Hunt will take place on the church’s front lawn at 10 a.m. There will be all kinds of prizes, including lots of special prizes. It’s a great time for young families – all are welcome. The cost is $5 per person or $10 per family or a food donation for Center for Food Action.
“Our annual pancake breakfast and Easter egg hunt is a wonderful time for young families,” said Rev. Andy Nelson. “Photos from the morning will no doubt appear on hundreds of social media pages by the several hundred parents and their children attending. Our members are excited to share the joy and wonder of Easter with everyone who comes and to see those Easter baskets fill up with plastic eggs.”
Additionally, Bethlehem will host Holy Week services with inspirational music and messages,
and the presence of the Lord’s Holy Spirit. The schedule is as follows:
PALM SUNDAY – March 29
Worship Services at 8:45 a.m. and 11 a.m.
MAUNDY THURSDAY – April 2
Worship Services at 11 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.
GOOD FRIDAY – April 3
Services at 11:00 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. (Tenebrae, service of light to darkness, one of the oldest
traditional services in the Christian church.)
EASTER SUNDAY – April 5
Sunrise Communion Worship – 7:30 a.m.
Praise Communion Worship – 9 a.m.
Festival Communion Worship – 11 a.m.
We truly hope to see you and wish everyone a joyous Easter. The members of BethlehemEvangelical 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. Bethlehem has active ministries in music, education, community outreach and sports.
For our regular worship schedule, we offer 2 Sunday services: Contemporary Praise Service at 8:45am and Traditional Worship at 11am with Sunday School and Bible Class at 10am. Please join us at 155 Linwood Avenue, Ridgewood.
The mission of Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church is to Trust God and care for His people by sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ in our world, community, work, church, and home. Please visit our website www.bethlehemchurch.com .
The Obama administration sets new record for denying, censoring government files
MARCH 18, 2015, 1:41 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2015, 1:41 PM
BY TED BRIDIS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration set a new record again for more often than ever censoring government files or outright denying access to them last year under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act, according to a new analysis of federal data by The Associated Press.
The government took longer to turn over files when it provided any, said more regularly that it couldn’t find documents, and refused a record number of times to turn over files quickly that might be especially newsworthy.
It also acknowledged in nearly 1 in 3 cases that its initial decisions to withhold or censor records were improper under the law — but only when it was challenged.
Its backlog of unanswered requests at year’s end grew remarkably by 55 percent to more than 200,000. It also cut by 375, or about 9 percent, the number of full-time employees across government paid to look for records. That was the fewest number of employees working on the issue in five years.
Senate panel probing possible Obama administration ties to anti-Netanyahu effort
By Steven Edwards
Published March 14, 2015
FoxNews.com
A powerful U.S. Senate investigatory committee has launched a bipartisan probe into an American nonprofit’s funding of efforts to oust Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the Obama administration’s State Department gave the nonprofit taxpayer-funded grants, a source with knowledge of the panel’s activities told FoxNews.com.
The fact that both Democratic and Republican sides of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations have signed off on the probe could be seen as a rebuke to President Obama, who has had a well-documented adversarial relationship with the Israeli leader.
The development comes as Netanyahu told Israel’s Channel Two television station this week that there were “governments” that wanted to help with the “Just Not Bibi” campaigning — Bibi being the Israeli leader’s nickname.
It also follows a FoxNews.com report on claims the Obama administration has been meddling in the Israeli election on behalf of groups hostile to Netanyahu. A spokesperson for Sen. Rob Portman, Ohio Republican and chairman of the committee, declined comment, and aides to ranking Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill, of Missouri, did not immediately return calls.
