Ridgewood Police Department inter-agency collaboration at Garden State Plaza shooting event
Our community can be proud of the professionalism and courage demonstrated by our police personnel along with those officers from the varied departments throughout the Garden State Plaza shooting event, both in Paramus and within the Village. This incident demonstrated the shared services initiatives and inter-agency collaboration already in practice amongst Law Enforcement agencies within the county and state.
Downtown for the Holidays and Tree Lighting Celebration Friday, December 6, 2013
New this year – “for the kids” 5:30-6:30pm – Santa in the Park for the “wee tots” and a “Kids Corner” offering holiday Arts & Crafts in front of the Park along with live entertainment by the “clock” and in the stores and restaurant along E. Ridgewood Ave. Featuring the RHS Marching Band, RHS Singers, RHS Orchestra 7-8pm “on stage-live” Live Entertainment and Tree Lighting Celebration Featuring performances by Porch Light Productions, From the Top Studio, Art of Motion and Arthur Murray Dance Studio. 8:00-9:00pm “merriment” on E. Ridgewood Ave. Shh – Santa will be back in the Park Lots of music on the Avenue – two live bands, carolers, musicians Stores will be having special sales, restaurant reservation suggested.
Pro Arte Chorale Presents Their 50th Anniversary Annual Holiday Celebration
Sun, December 08, 2013
Time: 3:00 PM
Unitarian Society of Ridgewood, 113 Cottage Place, Ridgewood 07540
Pro Arte Chorale presents their 50th Anniversary Annual Holiday Celebration!
Sunday, December 8, 2013
3:00 PM
Unitarian Society of Ridgewood
113 Cottage Place, Ridgewood, NJ 07540
Adults $10
Children under 18 free
Conducted by Janet Montgomery
For more information call 201-497-8400 [email protected]
www.proartechorale.org
Benjamin Britten: A Centennial Celebration
Fri, November 08, 2013 – Fri, November 08, 2013
Time: 8:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Location: West Side Presbyterian Church, 6 South Monroe Street, Ridgewood NJ
Cost: $23 per person
The Pro Arte Chorale will honor Benjamin Britten’s Centennial with a performance of several of his best known compositions, including works such as Festival Te Deum, Hymn to the Virgin, and more!
Purchase tickets online at www.proartechorale.org. Email: [email protected]
The Pro Arte Chorale strives to be one of New Jersey’s foremost volunteer choruses and to be among the top rank of regional choruses in America. The Chorale is committed to enriching the lives of its members, its audience and the broader community by exploring many musical traditions in a variety of venues, presenting performances of the highest artistic quality, and supporting educational endeavors.
Founded in 1964, the Pro Arte Chorale is celebrating its 50th season as one of the Northeast’s most prominent choral organizations. The Chorale has appeared in major concert venues across the region including the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, and the South Orange Performing Arts Center. In addition to its own subscription series, the Chorale has appeared with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, American Symphony Orchestra, Westfield Symphony Orchestra, and the Mark Morris Dance Company. In May 2008 the Pro Arte Chorale traveled to Liverpool, UK to peform with the Liverpool Welsh Choral at Mossley Hill Church, as part of Liverpool’s celebration as Cultural Capital of Europe. In May 2009 the Liverpool Welsh Choral traveled to the U.S. to join the Pro Arte Chorale and Westfield Symphony Orchestra in performances of Verdi’s Requiem in Ridgewood and Westfield, NJ.
The Chorale has been conducted by William Memmott, John Nelson, Roger Nierenberg, Bart Folse, David Crone, and Joshua Greene. In addition, the Chorale has sung under the batons of Nicholas McGegan, Zubin Mehta, Julius Rudel, Hugh Wolff, Zdenek Macal, Yuri Temirkanov, Leon Botstein, Gerard Schwartz and David Wroe.
Be sure to check out our Special Events page for our latest updates on events throughout the year.
Pro Arte Chorale is a proud recipient of funding from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
Administration Caught in New Obamacare Dilemma: Skyrocketing copays and deductibles
10/25/2013
Remember sequestration? Those automatic budget cuts that went into effect when Congress failed to do real budgeting a couple of years ago? It’s hitting Obamacare now.
Both laws have been around for awhile, but the Obama Administration hasn’t done anything to prepare for their collision.
The cuts are hitting a set of subsidies that were supposed to help pay deductibles and co-pays for lower-income Americans with Obamacare coverage. An Obama official pledged there would be a plan before the Obamacare exchanges opened on October 1, but that didn’t happen.
So now what? Heritage expert Chris Jacobs writes in today’s Wall Street Journal:
There are two possible outcomes. The first is that individuals who have managed to enroll in subsidized health insurance will find they’ve been misled about their copays and deductibles. Families who currently think their plan will charge a $20 copayment for doctor visits may instead face a $25 charge when the sequester kicks in. Individuals who now believe they face maximum out-of-pocket costs of $2,000 may end up paying hundreds more.
The other option? Stick the insurance companies with the cuts and tell them to deal with it. (That would be about $286 million through next September.)
As Jacobs says, neither looks good for the Administration:
It can tell the American people that the “good deal” President Obama promised isn’t as good as they thought—that those who spent hours and days signing up on Healthcare.gov bought coverage that will cost more than advertised….Or the administration can try to force insurers to bear the full costs of the sequester reductions—and watch them promptly drop out of the exchanges.
Not a day passes when we are spared from another tale of Obamacare falling apart. It simply doesn’t work as promised. Share our video to spread the word about this latest problem.
Same-sex marriage requests met with confusion, frustration in some N.J. towns
Whether the first day of same-sex marriage in North Jersey was a joyous celebration, or a heartbreaking disappointment, depended on location and a sympathetic ear.
In Hawthorne, Jeff Gardner was able to say “I do” Monday to Ari Lash, his partner of 13 years, after he showed the proper paperwork to a Passaic County judge, who waived the state’s 72-hour waiting period for nuptials. Christian Reinhardt and Marijan Por did the same in Bergen County court and tied the knot hours later, as their 8-year-old daughter looked on.
A Bergen County judge dashed the hopes of high school sweethearts Sophie Papanikolaou and Teri Noel, of Fair Lawn, telling them they didn’t meet the legal requirements and had to wait until Thursday to make their 34-year relationship a legal marriage.
“I’m frustrated, I’m furious, I’m hurt,” Papanikolaou said. “We expected a rubber stamp. We’ve been together 34 years. Why would [the judge] give a flying leap?”
Confusion over how New Jersey’s marriage laws apply to gay couples seemed to be the key problem in local communities, as municipal officials and eager couples tried to make sense of it all. As of Thursday, there was no gay marriage in New Jersey. On Friday, suddenly there was, after the state Supreme Court rejected Governor Christie’s request to hold off on allowing same-sex marriages while his administration appealed a lower court ruling. (Baker/The Record)
Village of Ridgewood Wastewater Treatment Plant Now Fully Operational and Producing Renewable Energy
Oct. 18, 2013
GLOBE NEWSWIRE
Ridgewood NJ– Representatives of the Village of Ridgewood, NJ, Natural Systems Utilities, Middlesex Water Company, and American Refining and Biochemical today celebrated a Grand Opening of the public-private partnership’s renewable energy project at the Village’s water pollution control plant. The project has been designed to power the plant by renewable energy, significantly reducing the demand on the electric grid benefiting the Village and its neighbor community, the Borough of Glen Rock. This landmark achievement results in utility cost savings and lowers the Village’s carbon footprint.
Over the past year, a biogas system, designed to optimize the production of electricity from methane, was constructed through a retrofit at the existing water pollution control plant. Natural Systems Utilities (NSU), Middlesex Water Company (MWC) and American Refining and Biochemical (ARB), through a 20-year partnership with the Village of Ridgewood, made the up-front capital investment in the retrofit that enables the plant, through a new biogas fueled engine generator, to use an anaerobic digestion process to convert methane gas to electricity. In addition, the production of electricity is enhanced when food wastes such as fats, oils and grease are introduced into the process. The heat required for the anaerobic digester is also generated by the biogas, further increasing plant efficiency and reducing emission of greenhouse gases. This biogas conversion facility now has the ability to capture the energy from methane gas that was previously flared into the atmosphere, and convert it into renewable power. The project also incorporates four solar installations located throughout the Village. Together, enough energy is generated to power the wastewater treatment plant.
“Our public private partnership with NSU, Middlesex and ARB makes Ridgewood a national leader in sustainable municipal wastewater treatment,” said Village of Ridgewood Mayor Paul Aronsohn. “Producing energy at our facilities reduces cost while powering the facility with 100% renewable energy provides environmental benefits for the community. To be able to accomplish this at no capital cost to the taxpayer while realizing environmental benefits for the Village is something we can all take pride in,” added Aronsohn.
The four solar generation facilities were constructed on several properties including Village Hall, the Fire Department, the EMS Building and the Water Pollution Control Facility and have been activated and producing electricity since February 2013. The biogas engine, the workhorse of the project, has undergone energy optimization testing and has since been successfully integrated into the wastewater treatment process. Facilities were designed and built by NSU, MWC and ARB under a joint venture known as Ridgewood Green, RME, LLC which owns the newly constructed additions. The facilities are being operated by Village employees in concert with Ridgewood Green RME.
In addition to cost savings from the utility bill, additional income was generated by selling all the renewable energy certificates (RECs) to 3Degrees, a leader in the renewable energy marketplace. RECs produced by the biogas technology at Ridgewood and the related solar projects have a relatively high value because of their unique characteristics, compared to other Green-e Certified National RECs. 3Degrees is purchasing Ridgewood’s premium RECs and, in turn, supplying Ridgewood water pollution control plant with lower cost Green-e Certified National RECs, equivalent to 100% of the plant’s energy needs, thereby ensuring the plant is powered with renewable energy, while maximizing the return on investment in the project. The sale of these RECs is part of the overall economic package that allows for the supply of lower cost electricity, ultimately benefiting Ridgewood utility customers.
“Many municipalities are struggling with aging infrastructure, underperforming utility facilities and severely constrained municipal budgets. This project demonstrates how partnerships with municipal and industrial leaders can achieve a lower carbon footprint while converting wastes to valuable resources for use in the local community. By repurposing an existing facility in this way, everyone benefits — the environment, the Village residents and our renewable energy investors,” said Dominic Kulik, CEO and Chairman, Natural Systems Utilities.
The public private partnership was recognized with an Environmental Achievement Award from PlanSmart NJ in November 2012 for its leadership in protecting, restoring and enhancing the quality of the environment. PlanSmart NJ is an independent non-profit planning and research organization committed to improving the quality of community life through the advancement of sound land use planning and regional cooperation.
“Optimizing energy production in this manner demonstrates the unique relationship between water, wastewater and renewable energy where the integration of these commodities has resulted in environmental and economic benefit for all parties,” said Dennis Doll, Middlesex Water President and CEO. “In addition to helping the Village realize cost savings, the project is improving air quality and lowering energy costs, truly helping the Village to become more sustainable,” added Doll.
NSU, MWC and ARB worked with several key partners on various components of the project including Bio-Organic Catalyst, Inc., HDR-HydroQual Engineers and Advanced Solar Products. Bio-Organic Catalyst, Inc., (partner with NSU) provides optimization of the anaerobic digestion process with addition of an enzyme product which increases biogas production. HDR-HydroQual Engineers provided engineering design services and construction assistance for the project. Advanced Solar Products provided turn-key installation of the solar panels at the four Village locations.
The Ridgewood YMCA is gearing up to its upcoming 8 week session with registration set to open on Monday, October 21 at 8:30am. The sessions will begin on November 4 with classes running through December 31.
Registration is available in person at the Y, by phone at 201-444-5600, or for current members at www.ridgewoodymca.org. For a complete listing of Ridgewood Y program offerings, visit www.ridgewoodymca.org.
On October 15, 2013, voter registration will be conducted from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Village Clerk’s Office on the 5th Floor of Village Hall and from 4:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the lobby of the Ridgewood Public Library, 125 North Maple Avenue. This is the final opportunity for voter registration in order to be eligible to vote in the November 5, 2013 General Election in November.
All residents of Ridgewood who are at least 18 years of age and citizens of the United States are eligible to vote. Residents who have recently moved to Ridgewood, as well as those who have moved within Ridgewood, must re-register to vote even if they were previously registered at another address.
Massive Signal Outage on Tuesday for NJT caused by computer problems at NJT Rail Operations Center
October 10,2013
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, New jersey Transit experienced significant delays due to computer problems at the NJ TRANSIT Rail Operations Center on October 8th knocking the entire transit system off line . The system wide signal outage was restored and all trans are operating .
Details from NJT are as follows at approximately 9 a.m., the NJ TRANSIT Rail Operations Center experienced a problem with both computer servers that control the railroad’s Train Management and Control System (TMAC), resulting in a loss of signals on all NJ TRANSIT-controlled rail lines. NJ TRANSIT personnel worked to correct the problem as quickly as possible.
Signal problems impact the ability of NJ TRANSIT to safely provide full passenger rail service. As a precaution, NJ TRANSIT suspended passenger rail service until signals could be restored. All trains remained fully powered during the disruption, with train crews providing announcements to customers.
The conduct of the National Park Service over the last week might be the biggest scandal of the Obama administration
Advance Editorial From Our Forthcoming 10/21-10/28 Issue
Oct 21, 2013, Vol. 19, No. 07 • By JONATHAN V. LAST
We are a nation that has a government—not the other way around.”
—Ronald Reagan
The conduct of the National Park Service over the last week might be the biggest scandal of the Obama administration. This is an expansive claim, of course. Benghazi, Fast and Furious, the IRS, the NSA, the HHS mandate—this is an administration that has not lacked for appalling abuses of power. And we still have three years to go.
Even so, consider the actions of the National Park Service since the government shutdown began. People first noticed what the NPS was up to when the World War II Memorial on the National Mall was “closed.” Just to be clear, the memorial is an open plaza. There is nothing to operate. Sometimes there might be a ranger standing around. But he’s not collecting tickets or opening gates. Putting up barricades and posting guards to “close” the World War II Memorial takes more resources and manpower than “keeping it open.”
Reminder : Train Station Pedestrian Tunnel Closed for Restoration from October 7 to End of October
Beginning on or about Monday, October 7 and continuing through the end of October 2013, the pedestrian tunnel at Ridgewood Station will be closed from all five points of entry (stairs and ramps) due to rehabilitation of the tunnel walls.
During this time, customers may use the stairs or elevators serving the Franklin Avenue underpass for access to and from Garber Square, Wilsey Square, North Broad Street and the center platform serving tracks 3 and 1.
Customers should allow for additional time during this time.
We regret any inconvenience and thank you for your patience
Park Service OKs immigration reform rally on ‘closed’ National Mall
By CHARLIE SPIERING | OCTOBER 7, 2013 AT 2:06 PM
A planned immigration reform rally will take place on the National Mall on Tuesday even though the site is closed due to the government shutdown.
Organizers for the “Camino Americano: March for Immigration Reform” were spotted Monday setting up a stage and equipment on the National Mall for the rally which will take place on Tuesday.
A few scattered barriers around the park have signs informing visitors that the area is closed as a result of the government shutdown.
Susana Flores, a spokesperson for the rally, confirmed for the Washington Examiner that the Park Service will allow the event to take place under the group’s rights granted by the First Amendment.
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About 30 members of Congress are expected to attend the rally, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J.
More Upside to Government Shut down : the Obama administration’s ongoing efforts to wreck the U.S. economy has been put on hold
By Ben Goad and Julian Hattem – 10/06/13 12:07 PM ET
Regulators and proponents of stronger protections warn that rulemaking delays will jeopardize public safety and health. But some conservatives say the reprieve from red tape is welcome, even if it doesn’t last long.
“We’re very pleased that the Obama administration’s ongoing efforts to wreck the U.S. economy with more and more heavy-handed and colossally expensive regulations has been put on hold,” said Myron Ebell, director of the right-leaning Competitive Enterprise Institute’s energy and environment center.
“By and large, the people writing those regulations and trying to get them promulgated are not in the office,” he said.
Thousands of workers from U.S. regulatory agencies have been sent home indefinitely as Congress tries to reach an agreement on legislation to restart the government. Several agencies are operating with fewer than 10 percent of their usual workforce.
Regulatory activities have fallen by the wayside, as remaining workers must limit their focus to the most crucial functions to protect lives and property.
The effects can already be seen in the Federal Register, where new regulations and draft rules are published daily.
posted at 1:01 pm on October 5, 2013 by Ed Morrissey
Remember when the media rushed to talk about transparency in the Barack Obama “Hope and Change” era? Good times, good times. Leonard Downie, who once worked as the executive editor of the Washington Post and wrote a novel about Washington corruption and the Iraq War, finds a bigger and non-fictional problem in the successor to George W. Bush. Downie gives the Post a preview of his report from the Committee to Protect Journalists which outlines the Obama war on reporters and their sources:
“A memo went out from the chief of staff a year ago to White House employees and the intelligence agencies that told people to freeze and retain any e-mail, and presumably phone logs, of communications with me,” Sanger said. As a result, longtime sources no longer talk to him. “They tell me: ‘David, I love you, but don’t e-mail me. Let’s don’t chat until this blows over.’ ”
Sanger, who has worked for the Times in Washington for two decades, said, “This is most closed, control-freak administration I’ve ever covered.”
Many leak investigations include lie-detector tests for government officials with access to the information at issue. “Reporters are interviewing sources through intermediaries now,” Barr told me, “so the sources can truthfully answer on polygraphs that they didn’t talk to reporters.”
The investigations have been “a kind of slap in the face” for reporters and their sources, said Smith of the Center for Public Integrity. “It means you have to use extraordinary measures for contacts with officials speaking without authorization.”
