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TRENTON NJ, With revenues falling below expectations and spending holding steady, the state is in catch-up mode once again. Governor Murphy is scheduled to give his budget message on Tuesday, and his administration has been sanguine about New Jersey’s revenue shortfall. Assemblyman John DiMaio, the Republican budget officer, is not in denial – saying the prognosis is not good.
Continue reading NJ Budget Prognosis is Not Good
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WAYNE NJ, Assemblyman Kevin J. Rooney has filed an Open Public Records request seeking answers to the questions about the qualifications of new hires at the Schools Development Authority.
A NorthJersey.com report this week outlined how the chief executive officer of the Schools Development Authority hired 38 new people since August, some for higher salaries than the workers who were replaced even though they were inexperienced.
“The Murphy administration’s hiring practices continue to be problematic and need to be fully vetted,” said Rooney (R-Bergen). “Governor Murphy has tried to represent himself as an outsider in a state notorious for its corruption. But he hasn’t done a good job keeping good company. He surrounds himself with cronies who have their own cronies.”
Continue reading Rooney seeks answers to questionable Murphy hires at Schools Development Authority
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Trenton NJ, Senator Joe Pennacchio (R-26) warned that Governor Phil Murphy and New Jersey Democrats haven’t learned from their mistakes and are doubling-down on failed fiscal policies that are driving residents and jobs from the Garden State.
“Governor Cuomo recently admitted that high taxes are driving residents from New York, leading to budget deficits and the flight of residents from the Empire State,” said Pennacchio. “Unfortunately, Governor Murphy and New Jersey Democrats still haven’t learned from their mistakes. They’re doubling down on tax-hiking policies that have never worked, and New Jersey is doing worse than our neighbors and most of the nation as a result.”
The budget that was approved last year by the Democratic Legislature and signed into law by Governor Murphy raised taxes by $1.5 billion. It is dependent on revenues growing by 7.5 percent over the course of the fiscal year to stay in the black.
Continue reading Murphy & NJ Democrats Perpetuate a Fiscal Mess
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the Village of Ridgewood is looking to reactivate Ridgewood GeesePeace . Originally formed in March 2007, Ridgewood GeesePeace is a group of volunteers that recognized the health hazards associated with the unchecked growth of our resident Canada goose population and acted to resolve this wildlife conflict by implementing humane methods endorsed by major national wildlife protection and humane organizations.
During the first half of the 20th century, migratory geese were captured for use as live decoys. The resident Canada geese in are the descendents of these captive migratory geese. The captured geese, flight feathers clipped, sometimes with light weights on their legs, lured other migratory Canada geese into lakes, wetlands and rivers during the great Canada geese migrations in the spring and fall. These captive geese were also bred in captivity. As a consequence, their descendents do not have biological need to migrate to Canada since geese nest in the area where they were born.
The following editorial by Senator Robert Singer (R-30) on Amazon’s rejection of New Jersey’s proposal to host a new headquarters was published on Feb. 25, 2019 in the Asbury Park Press:
A whopping 238 cities across the United States sought to be the home of Amazon’s second headquarters, dubbed “HQ2.” Of all city applicants, Newark, New Jersey offered Amazon the largest tax benefits in the country. Regardless of being one of twenty cities to make the final cut, Newark was passed over by Amazon not once, but twice. It speaks volumes that a package of tax incentives totaling $7 billion could not entice Amazon to choose New Jersey.
Our state’s prime geographic location, diverse workforce, state-of-the-art infrastructure, convenient transportation, and best-in-the-nation schools should have made the Garden State an easy sell. The New Jersey Legislature’s successful bipartisan effort to top all other competing tax incentive offers nationwide should have made the Garden State an easy choice. The competition was fierce to court HQ2, and New Jersey was in play.
Continue reading Why Amazon Didn’t Choose NJ
THE RIDGEWOOD VILLAGE COUNCIL’S
PUBLIC WORKSHOP AGENDA
FEBRUARY 27, 2019
7:30 P.M.
Mayor: “Adequate notice of this meeting has been provided by a posting on the bulletin board in Village Hall, by mail to the Ridgewood News, The Record, and by submission to all persons entitled to same as provided by law of a schedule including the date and time of this meeting.”
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Hillsdale NJ, The New Jersey Department of Health is warning residents about a suspect case of measles—a highly contagious disease— who could have possibly exposed others to the infection while in Bergen County between February 17 and February 25, 2019. Testing at the CDC has confirmed the infection. The individual, who is a New Jersey resident, had recent contact with a community outside New Jersey experiencing an ongoing outbreak of measles.
Anyone who visited the following locations may have been exposed to measles:
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, NJGOP Chairman: Democrats In Trenton Have Been Driving Resident Satisfaction Drop For Years
Trenton, NJ – Yesterday Monmouth University released polling data that New Jersey’s quality of life index was at a record low.
In the release, pollster Patrick Murray noted “New Jerseyans seem to separate their views of the state as a whole from how they feel about their own neighborhoods.”
Continue reading You May Love Ridgewood but Most think New Jersey is a Mess
“As just about everyone in this state, if not the country, knows by now, Amazon has terminated its plans to bring its second headquarters to New York State. It is a tremendous loss for New Yorkers and I hope that at a minimum, we understand the lessons learned.
“In my 23 years in the State Capitol, three as Budget Director, Amazon was the single greatest economic development opportunity we have had. Amazon chose New York and Virginia after a year-long national competition with 234 cities and states vying for the 25,000-40,000 jobs. For a sense of scale, the next largest economic development project the state has completed was for approximately 1,000 jobs. People have been asking me for the past week what killed the Amazon deal. There were several factors.
Continue reading Open Letter From New York State Budget Director Robert Mujica Regarding Amazon
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Ridgewood NJ, NJ TRANSIT, with support from Amtrak, has completed an early action construction contract that included five major construction elements for the Portal North Bridge Replacement Program. This contract broke ground in October 2017 and these construction elements were completed earlier this month – on time and on budget.
This NJ TRANSIT-sponsored and managed project was accomplished with the cooperation and support of the Gateway Program Development Corporation (GDC) and our Federal partners. This milestone also demonstrates the ongoing commitment by the regional partner agencies to deliver a cost-effective program in a timely manner.
Continue reading PORTAL NORTH BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION PROJECT MAKES HEADWAY
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Fort Lee NJ, Four additional people have been charged for their respective roles in a conspiracy to distribute more than five kilograms of cocaine, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced today.
Victoria Irizarry, 30, of Fort Lee, New Jersey; Marisol Vargas, 34, of Rowland Heights, California; Daniel Estrella, 28, of Lyndhurst, New Jersey; and Cohen Easton, 46, a/k/a “Power,” of Paterson, New Jersey, are charged by complaint with one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute approximately five kilograms or more of suspected cocaine.
Continue reading Additional People Charged in Conspiracy to Distribute over 5 Keys of Cocaine in Bergen County
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
NEWARK NJ, A New York man today admitted participating in a scheme that used secret card-reading devices and pinhole cameras on various New Jersey bank locations to steal at least $428,581, U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito announced.
Bogdan Rusu, 39, of Queens, New York, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Esther Salas to an information charging him with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:
Rusu and others sought to defraud financial institutions and their customers by illegally obtaining customer account information, including account numbers and personal identification numbers. Rusu admitted installing equipment on ATMs at banks in New Jersey. Eleven other defendants charged in this scheme have pleaded guilty.
Continue reading Skimmers Net $428,581 from Various New Jersey bank locations
“Trenton Democrats continually waste OUR TAX DOLLARS on this kind of garbage! Always playing dirty politics instead of working to lower our taxes, cut spending and implement the services they are suppose to be doing for the citizens of NJ!!
How about using Our Tax Dollars on actually maintaining our roads, bridges & seeing to it that our Governor, Mayors etc are “ upholding the rule of law..” such as immigration laws. They should be cutting funding given to illegals living in sanctuary cities in NJ at tax payers expense!! Overturning Gov’s Free Community college forcillegsls causing s greater burden on many families that can’t afford to send their own children to those same colleges!!
No instead Trenton Democrats choose to waste time & OUR money making a political blunder that will cost We the Taxpayers legal fees, court cases and frankly more embarassment then they all do already!!! “
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Paramus NJ, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo announced the arrest of CHRISTOPHER GIORDANO, also known as COURTNEY BREESE, (DOB: 06/10/1988; single; employed as a marketing manager) of 496 Ridge Road, Monmouth Junction, New Jersey on charges of Theft By Deception and Falsifying Records. The arrest is the result of a joint investigation by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Financial Crimes Unit under the direction of Chief Robert Anzilotti and the Moonachie Police Department under the direction of Chief Richard Behrens.
In July 2017, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Financial Crimes Unit received information from the Moonachie Police Department of an alleged theft in an amount greater than $150,000.00 from a restaurant based in Teterboro.
Continue reading FOOD CRIME : MONMOUTH JUNCTION MAN SCAMMED RESTAURANT OUT OF $150 GRAND
“Trenton Democrats continually waste OUR TAX DOLLARS on this kind of garbage! Always playing dirty politics instead of working to lower our taxes, cut spending and implement the services they are suppose to be doing for the citizens of NJ!!
How about using Our Tax Dollars on actually maintaining our roads, bridges & seeing to it that our Governor, Mayors etc are “ upholding the rule of law..” such as immigration laws. They should be cutting funding given to illegals living in sanctuary cities in NJ at tax payers expense!! Overturning Gov’s Free Community college for illegals causing s greater burden on many families that can’t afford to send their own children to those same colleges!!
No instead Trenton Democrats choose to waste time & OUR money making a political blunder that will cost We the Taxpayers legal fees, court cases and frankly more embarrassment then they all do already!!!”
