Savvy Chic Consignment Boutique is hosting a grand relocation shopping celebration event at their new location
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Time: 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Ridgewood, NJ 07450, 30 Cottage Place
Savvy Chic Consignment Boutique is hosting a grand relocation shopping celebration event at their new location. A portion of all sales to benefit Zoe’s Place, a program of Children’s Aid and Family Services. The mission of Zoe’s Place is to provide safe, supervised housing for pregnant teens and teen moms and their children, and to meet the need for critical
education, skills and support services that will enable the teens to become self-sufficient.
Evening features:
*Complimentary Food & Libations!
*Fashion Show Featuring Zoe’s Place Models! *Cupcakes Compliments of Zoe’s Cupcake Cafe! *Designer Hand Bag Give-Away!
*Cupcake Give-Away!
*Sale Racks as Low as $15!
*Gift Bags for All!
Property tax battle: Deadline looms on expiration of key law
TRENTON — Mayors say a group with an obscure and achingly bureaucratic name has been the most important tool in slowing the growth of New Jersey’s property taxes, the highest in the nation.
For the last three years, arbitrators who decide contract disputes between towns and their police and fire unions — known collectively as the Interest Arbitration Task Force — have been limited to increasing the workers’ salaries by just 2 percent.
But if the Legislature doesn’t act by April 1, that limit will expire. That would leave towns constrained by a 2 percent cap in overall tax increases but with less control over how much to pay police officers and firemen.
“We’re playing a little Russian roulette here,” said Bill Dressel, executive director of the League of Municipalities. “We could see arbitration awards potentially exceed the 2 percent cap that would put a stranglehold on municipalities to the extent that they would have to cut services.”
Gov. Chris Christie in his January State of the State speech called on the Legislature to make the cap permanent. (Friedman/Star-Ledger)
Others wonder since the youth overwhelming supported President Obama and every other scheme to have others pay for what they want , maybe they just deserve it ?
Perhaps the self entitled attitude has got them in this fix? The fisr even called them generation “Knuckle head ” claiming young people had an inability to make decisions .
Ignore the Administration’s Inflated Obamacare Coverage Numbers
Peter Suderman|Feb. 24, 2014 12:24 pm
In a speech to the Democratic Governor’s Association last week, president Obama touted the success of Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion. “We’ve got close to 7 million Americans who have access to health care for the first time because of Medicaid expansion,” he said.
That’s false.
We don’t know how exactly many people have gotten health coverage through Medicaid for the first time as a result of Obamacare, but the actual number is certainly much lower than the 7 million President Obama claimed.
As The Washington Post’s Fact Checker explains—again—the 7 million figure comes from reports counting the number of people who have enrolled in Medicaid since October 1 last year, when Obamacare’s online exchanges launched. But many of those enrollments are in states that did not participate in the law’s Medicaid expansion, and many of those who signed up in states that did participate were renewing existing coverage. Avalere Health, a health consulting firm that has been tracking Obamacare’s implementation, estimates that the number of new enrollees is somewhere in the range of 1.1 to 1.8 million. (And that number counts people who were previously eligible prior to Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion but signed up after the fact.)
That’s Medicaid. What about private coverage? Once again, solid numbers are hard to pin down. But the true number of enrollees is virtually certain to be lower than the administration’s headline estimates.
The administration said earlier this month that, by the end of January, 3.3 million people had signed up for private coverage through the exchanges. But that figure leaves two important questions unanswered: How many people have paid the first premium, a requirement to actually be enrolled in coverage? And how many of those people were previously uninsured?
Ridgewood moves ahead with $41,000 Maple Park restoration
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 19, 2014, 10:47 PM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — The Village Council signed off on a cleanup of Maple Park during its meeting Wednesday night.
The turf, which has become hardened from years of storm and floodwater damage, will undergo a complete restoration following a second round of bids on the project.
The cleanup was delayed last year, when the village rejected the sole bid it received for the project. A second round of bids was sought, and the contract was awarded Wednesday to LandTek.
Obama administration looks to curtail free speech and squelch dissent with New IRS 501c Regulations
commentary by Ron DuBois
Jan 27
Well, once again I am saddened by the illegal and unconstitutional machinations of our Government. The fraud and illegal maneuverings of the last three elections pale in comparison to this. The IRS is issuing “regulations” that would prevent 501 (c) (4) organizations – mainly Conservative organizations – from doing just about anything opposing the President. People cannot support a group or candidate, or even mention them, can’t donate money, or even volunteer their time. They cannot do a get-out-the-vote drive, hold a bi-partisan meeting, or hand out flyers. Nothing. This would effectively prevent any opposition from being mounted against any Democrat, the President, or any Presidential appointment. The IRS does this knowing there is insufficient time to mount a legal challenge prior to the November elections. I would hope there would be a way for Congress to intervene, but the Democrats still control the Senate. This is a major, major, development. Ron D.
New IRS Regs can Tip 2014 Elections
With his signature ‘stroke of the pen’, Pres. Obama’s IRS has proposed sweeping new powers to oversee campaign laws. As you will see, these rules stack the deck against opposition to the President.
Under a proposed regulation, Pres. Obama is using the IRS to close the loophole that allows §501(c)(4) groups to spend 49% of their budget on elections without disclosing the names of their donors.
By itself, that disclosure may not be bad, but the new IRS regs do not stop there. If these rules go into effect, many of the activities readers are engaged in right now could lead to fines and imprisonment.
The new rules require reporting on all §501 (c)(4) donations that engage in any form of political activity. (See below for the expanded definitions of ‘political activity’.) But, the same does not hold true for groups like Planned Parenthood that can segregate their donations between abortion activities and other activities.
While most conservative groups use §501 (c)(4) organizations, liberal groups tend to use §527 organizations that do not fall under these new rules.
For the first time in our history, the rules consider administration appointments and the confirmation process itself as political activities. This give the IRS the authority to police opposition to any administration nominations.
Once an issue has been raised for or against a candidate or appointee, the IRS sees discussion of that issue or even retaining information about that issue in website archives as political activity that can be controlled. This includes distributing voter guides, registering voters or getting out the vote drives. While one can argue that voter guides can be distributed by either party, therefore this applies to liberals and conservatives alike, not really. Once the practice is controlled by the government, the sitting administration is the only one left that can guide the electorate.
These are the proposed regulatory changes:
1. The IRS would declare that a broadly expanded category of “candidate related political activity”, including voter registration drives and non-partisan voter education, is not beneficial to the community as a whole and does not promote social welfare. Therefore it is treated as political speech.
2. The definition of “candidate” is expanded to include anyone who is proposed by another for selection, nomination, or appointment to any public office in a political organization, or to be a Presidential or Vice-Presidential elector.
3. “Candidate political activity” would include the appointment and confirmation of executive branch nominees.
4. Issue oriented communications would be treated as “candidate related political activity” even if it is neutral or non-biased or if it is just intended to explain a non-electoral action such as a vote on pending legislation. Voter guides and get-out-the-vote drives would be defined as “candidate-related political activity.”
5. “The Treasury Department and the IRS contend that content previously posted by an organization on its Web site that clearly identifies a candidate and remains on the Web during the specified pre-election period would be treated as candidate-related political activity.”
6. Any event an organization hosts within the 60/30 day election timeframe, at which a candidate appears, whether or not it was previously scheduled, would constitute “candidate-related activity.”
7. The definition of “express advocacy” is radically expanded to include any communication that makes “reference to a particular issue or characteristic distinguishing the candidate from others.” (For example, during an election that included Pro-Life and Pro-Choice candidates, any reference to the abortion issues would become express advocacy, even if the election was not mentioned.)
8. The IRS would include statements about political parties, not just candidates, in its definition of express advocacy.
9. Any contribution to a §501(c) organization that engages in “candidate-related political activity” would itself constitute “candidate-related political activity” by the donor.
10. Contributions would be defined to include in-kind donations and volunteer services as well as cash.
This regulation severely represses Free Speech and Free Association of those opposing the president, while leaving his supporters relatively untouched. While it is likely most of this ruling is unconstitutional, the point is moot for the short term. By the time any opposition case makes its way through the court system, the 2014 elections will be over.
Then there is the perception issue. The media will hail the fairness of finally forcing §501 (c)(4) organizations to reveal their donors while ignoring the colossal trampling of Free Speech.
There still is an opportunity until February 27th to make comments to the IRS on IRS REG-134417-13.
Lawyer for Christie administration seeking documents, interview with Hoboken mayor
Sunday, February 9, 2014 Last updated: Sunday February 9, 2014, 7:48 PM
BY SHAWN BOBURG
STAFF WRITER
The Record
A team of $650-per-hour attorneys representing Governor Christie’s office is seeking documents and a private interview with the Hoboken mayor, whose explosive allegations are a focal point of an ongoing federal probe — that the Christie administration tied Sandy recovery money to approval of a real estate project.
In letters obtained by The Record, lawyer Randy Mastro asked that Mayor Dawn Zimmer and four other Hoboken officials provide his legal team with documents already handed over to federal investigators. Authorities are looking into Zimmer’s claims that she was pressed to support a developer represented by the law firm of David Samson, the chairman of the Port Authority and a Christie confidant.
file photo County Executive Donovan hosted a conference call with officials from around the county preparing for snow
Bergen County Executive Kathleen Donovan Responds to Democrats attempt to tie lane closures on the George Washington Bridge to her administration
Bergen County Executive Kathleen Donovan Together, we have always put public service and the interests of taxpayers, families, seniors, and young adults before politics. Sadly Democrats, who now control the Bergen County Board of Freeholders, do not.
Instead, Democrats on the freeholder board choose to put politics before common sense. Recently, these same Democrats have tried and failed to somehow tie my administration to what now appears from recent news reports to be politically motivated lane closures on the George Washington Bridge. These lane closures are truly troublesome. I have always contended these attacks against me and my administration are totally inappropriate, a waste of time, and little more than political grandstanding.
Now the Record editorial on this topic agrees with us. Their calm, thoughtful narrative supports our position. Here are several excerpts from that editorial: “Now the board’s attempt to get top officials of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to come to Bergen County to discuss the scandal clearly has more to do with politics than anything else.” It is also worth noting that I, as Bergen County Executive, have no jurisdiction over the Port Authority.
The Record editorial also states: “The freeholders have no jurisdiction over the Port Authority. Additionally, there now are ongoing investigations into the matter by a joint legislative committee, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Port Authority inspector general.”
As your County Executive, I will not let politically motivated attacks distract me from my dedication to serving you, the citizens of Bergen County.
Thank you for your time, support, and well wishes. You can find the full Record editorial here.
Did Showdown Kill Boehner’s Immigration Dreams?
by Jonathan Strong 31 Jan 2014
Immigration is the zombie of political issues–even when it is dead, it is still alive. The combination of the Democratic Party, business interests, and a GOP operative class yearning for its promise of improved standing with Hispanic voters means that you can never really count it out.
That said, it is hard to imagine Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) moving forward after yesterday’s closed-door showdown. According to estimates from those who were in the room–both in favor of moving forward and against–the dozens of GOP lawmakers who spoke were at least 80-20 against bringing a bill to the floor this year.
There is a palpable sense of disappointment among those interested in moving forward. In private conversations, the word that is used is that the meeting was “predictable.” The same people in the GOP conference who kept Boehner from moving on a bill in 2013 are just as opposed in 2014.
Immigration hawks, meanwhile, sense they scored a major victory.
John Phillip Osborne master painter and senior instructor will give an oil painting demonstration at RAI
Ridgewood NJ, John Phillip Osborne master painter and senior instructor will give an oil painting demonstration on Sunday, February 2, 2013 at 2:00 pm.
And enjoy the Juried Art Exhibit as you are making your way through our galleries, which will be on display through February 10th.
At the Ridgewood Art Institute 12 East Glen Avenue Ridgewood, NJ 07463
201-652-961 www.ridgewoodartinstitute.org
January 26th – February 10th, 2014
34th Annual Regional Juried Show
The juried show is open to all artists working in a representational or traditional manner in the New York Metropolital Area. Professional and non-professional works will be judged on an equal basis by a qualified jury. Only accepted works will be shown.
Juried Show 2014 Award Winning Paintings
A selection of the award winning paintings from this year’s show
Ridgewood PRE-GAME CELEBRATION Super Sales and Special Game menu’s Mon, January 27, 2014 – Sun, February 02, 2014 Time: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM All around Ridgewood, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Come to Ridgewood and join in on the
Shop and Restaurant Super Specials:
We will start to list some of the businesses that will have Sale Days and Special Menu’s
BOOKENDS – 20% OFF on ALL Sport books
211 E. Ridgewood Ave.
LUCKY BRAND – 20% OFF REGULAR PRICE
67 E. Ridgewood Ave.
KATE SPADE – 10% DISCOUNT
202 E. Ridgewood Ave.
GYPSY WARRIOR BOUTIQUE – up to 80%
203 E. Ridgewood Ave. $10-$50
FEMMEBOT CLOTHING – 75%
203 E. Ridgewood Ave.
LaBOTTEGA Italian Gourmet – Super Bowl Specials
14 Oak St.- Nachos/Buffalo Chicken + more.
CHESTNUT DELI & CATERING-football shaped hero’s and lots of trays for your party.
25 Chestnut St.
THE OFFICE BEER BAR & GRILL
“Kids corner super bowl brunch” 2/2/14.
call for reservations 201-652-1070.
NE Laser Vein Institute offering 75 minute
Rhonda Allison’s uplift signature facial at $60 ($90 value) 201-445-4410.
PRE-GAME CELEBRATION Super Sales and Special Game menu’s
Mon, January 27, 2014 – Sun, February 02, 2014
Time: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Ridgewood, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Come to Ridgewood and join in on the
Shop and Restaurant Super Specials:
We will start to list some of the businesses that will have Sale Days and Special Menu’s
BOOKENDS – 20% OFF on ALL Sport books 211 E. Ridgewood Ave.
LUCKY BRAND – 20% OFF REGULAR PRICE 67 E. Ridgewood Ave.
KATE SPADE – 10% DISCOUNT 202 E. Ridgewood Ave.
GYPSY WARRIOR BOUTIQUE – up to 80% 203 E. Ridgewood Ave. $10-$50
FEMMEBOT CLOTHING – 75% 203 E. Ridgewood Ave.
LaBottega Restaurant – Super Bowl Specials 14 Oak St.- Nachos/Buffalo Chicken + more.
N.J. residents face frustration, confusion over Obamacare
Nearly 2.2 million Americans have selected insurance plans through the Affordable Care Act and federal officials said glitches in the enrollment process continue to be smoothed out. But in North Jersey, many residents remain frustrated and confused, waiting for insurance.
It’s been 14 days since the first policies went into effect, but some in North Jersey say they are still unable to complete an application on the troubled government website, while others say they have enrolled but are awaiting a bill from an insurance company so they can pay their premium. Still others have yet to receive the cards showing they have coverage. And then there are those who report that they qualified for the newly expanded Medicaid program and are waiting to hear back from the state, which operates it.
David Oscar, an insurance broker whose company manages health policies for 2,000 small businesses and 600 individuals in New Jersey, said his customers are complaining about all parts of the process.
“It’s insane out there,” Oscar said. “Customers still can’t get through the federal marketplace and the insurance systems can’t keep up with the demand. People are upset, angry and frustrated.”
Of the nearly 900,000 uninsured residents in New Jersey, 34,751 selected insurance plans through the federal marketplace by the late December enrollment deadline, according to numbers released Monday by the federal Department of Health and Human Services. Another 71,142 were told they qualified for free Medicaid coverage.
It is unclear, however, how many enrollees have paid their first premium and actually have coverage — federal officials have repeatedly declined to provide those numbers to reporters. (Williams/The Record)
