Cities in New Jersey that do not use resources to enforce federal immigration laws regarding undocumented immigrants —known as sanctuary cities— may soon be able to apply for state grants aimed at replacing federal funding that is withheld due to sanctuary jurisdiction.
On Monday, a bill requiring the state to establish a program to replace those federal funding losses (A-4590/S3700) was advanced by the Assembly Budget Committee. The bill was also scheduled to be put up for a vote in the state Senate but was held by Sen. President Steve Sweeney (D-Gloucester) due to the absence of some Democratic members. It will likely be voted on by both houses of the Legislature before the end of the legislative session in June.
“It’s critical for the state to support its local government entities in this dispute,” said Assemblyman Raj Mukherji (D-Hudson), one of the sponsors in the Assembly. “New Jersey is home to Ellis Island, the Gateway to America, and has played a pivotal role in welcoming immigrants to this nation. The state is one of the most diverse in the nation, and its communities and history have unquestionably been enriched and strengthened by welcoming and encouraging this diversity. We must protect this legacy.”
Trenton NJ, An effort by Senator Jennifer Beck (R-Monmouth) to force a vote on legislation she sponsors to forfeit the pensions of corrupt public officials (S-1557) was immediately blocked by Senate Democrats at today’s session of the New Jersey Senate.
A third attempt by Sen. Jennifer Beck to force a vote on legislation she sponsors to forfeit the pensions of corrupt public officials was immediately blocked by Senate Democrats today. (SenateNJ.com)
This marks the third time Democrats have voted to block the consideration of the pension forfeiture legislation. Previous motions by Beck to move the bill were immediately tabled by the majority on February 6 and February 13.
“Time and again, Senate Democrats have voted to protect the pensions of corrupt public officials,” said Beck. “It’s inexplicable that they would continue to choose convicted officials over the taxpayers they represent.”
An investigation by the Asbury Park Press last year found at least 40 convicted criminals collecting state pension checks of up to $83,000 per year.
“The APP found a million dollars of taxpayer money going to corrupt public employees, including some found guilty on federal corruption charges,” added Beck. “Those are just the people they found, there are probably dozens more. If you violate the public trust, you don’t deserve a cushy retirement at taxpayer expense. Why is that so hard for Democrats to understand?”
Updated on June 18, 2017 at 8:19 AMPosted on June 18, 2017 at 8:15 AM
BY CRISTINA ROJAS
For NJ.com
TRENTON — Trenton will lose out on $3.3 million in federal block grant funding over a three-year span — the result of years of mismanagement and sloppy recordkeeping under the city’s previous two administrations.
The funding cut approved earlier this month represents the city’s only recourse to repay Community Development Block Grant money that officials say was improperly used between 2007 and 2013.
A series of audits by the U.S. Housing and Urban Development found that $3,322,313 in costs for the block grant program were unsupported, unallowable or unreasonable and required repayment. But because the city can’t afford to reimburse HUD with non-federal funds, the amount it owes will be deducted from future block grants, beginning with the 2016 funds that have not yet been released.
New lines will improve reliability and ensure continued safety of gas service
June 18,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ,Public Service Electric & Gas Company (PSE&G) will be working in Ridgewood to replace nearly two miles of old gas pipes with new piping – ensuring a continued safe, clean and reliable gas system well into the future.
Beginning on June 16, work will take place Monday through Saturday between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., weather permitting. The gas main replacement portion of the work is expected to be completed by the fall. The paving and street restoration is expected to be completed in the spring of 2018.
“These upgrades are part of PSE&G’s three-year program to replace 510 miles of aging gas infrastructure throughout New Jersey,” said Joe Forline, vice president of gas operations for PSE&G. “After decades of being in the ground, old cast iron pipes can crack and unprotected steel may corrode. The new durable, plastic pipes will improve reliability, reduce the possibility of leaks, and ensure the continued safety of gas service for customers.”
PSE&G is committed to keeping customers in Ridgewood informed about where and when the work will take place. Residents will be notified when work begins in their area by mail, door hangers and social media. Customers can find more information, including a list of streets and video of how the work is performed at www.pseg.com/gaswork.
“The investments PSE&G is making to upgrade its aging gas infrastructure will benefit all Ridgewood residents by ensuring continued safe and reliable service,” said Mayor Susan Knudsen. “PSE&G is coordinating with the local police who will be directing traffic around work areas. We appreciate the patience of our residents while PSE&G performs this important work in our town.”
How the work will be done Before construction can start, the utility tests soil and digs test holes to verify the location of existing gas pipe. When this preliminary work is complete, PSE&G will begin installing the new gas lines.
• To upgrade the gas lines, PSE&G digs trenches, primarily in road surfaces, and lays new pipes block by block to minimize disruptions. There will be short-term road closures and detours during construction. Local police direct vehicle and pedestrian traffic. At the end of each workday, the trenches are filled in and protective plates secured on any open areas so people can safely drive and walk. Customers always have access to their driveways.
• When possible, the utility does not dig on properties. If PSE&G does have to dig on a customer’s property, the utility restores any disturbance after the service line is installed. Grass areas are repaired and seeded, and concrete or asphalt openings are patched until final restoration work is scheduled.
• After construction, a PSE&G technician needs to access the customer’s home to connect the service line and gas meter to the new gas main. The utility contacts homeowners to arrange a date and time to do the work. During this reconnection, customers can expect to be without gas service for about 4 hours.
• If a gas meter is inside, PSE&G relocates it to the outside of the customer’s home or business. A technician relights all appliances and makes sure they are working safely before leaving a home.
• When work is finished, the utility repairs roads with temporary pavement until the ground settles. This takes about 45 to 90 days. PSE&G then restores the roads with permanent paving in accordance with town ordinance and paving requirements.
### Public Service Electric and Gas Company (PSE&G) is New Jersey’s oldest and largest regulated gas and electric delivery utility, serving nearly three-quarters of the state’s population. PSE&G is the winner of the ReliabilityOne Award for superior electric system reliability. PSE&G is a subsidiary of Public Service Enterprise Group Incorporated (PSEG) (NYSE:PEG), a diversified energy company (www.pseg.com).
Visit PSEG at: www.pseg.com PSEG on Facebook PSEG on Twitter PSEG on LinkedIn PSEG blog, Energize!
Ridgewood NJ, President Trump pushed changes in US /Cuba policy , “To the Cuban government, I say: Put an end to the abuse of dissidents,” Trump said in Miami. “Release the political prisoners. Stop jailing innocent people. Open yourselves to political and economic freedoms. Return the fugitives from American justice — including the return of the cop-killer Joanne Chesimard.”
NJ State Police Colonel Fuentes’ Statement Regarding President Trump’s Administration New Policy Toward Cuba
“Just listened with great interest to President Donald Trump’s Miami speech on his Administration’s new policy towards Cuba. On behalf of all the men and women of the New Jersey State Police, I am grateful for his recognition and deep concern that Cuba continues to harbor this country’s most wanted cop killers and domestic terrorists. I am more hopeful than ever for the return of Joanne Chesimard to the United States to complete her term of imprisonment for the 1973 murder of Trooper Werner Foerster.”
I made the following comments at last night’s Village Council meeting re the Mayor’s plan to turn CRAB (Community Relations Advisory Board) and FAC (Finance Advisory Committee) to ad hoc committees:
I will address three points, Ad Hoc Committees, CRAB and FAC. The Mayor misuses the term Ad Hoc. An Ad Hoc Committee is by definition one that is created to serve a specific function for a limited period of time.
By their sheer function, CRAB and FAC cannot be Ad Hoc Committees. Regarding CRAB, I have lived in the is country since 1958, and I have never seen the country so divided on so many issues. We are polarized along political, religious, social, economic, religious and gender lines.
We need CRAB as we have never needed before, to help bring people together. And for CRAB to work it has to be populated by smart, strong, independently thinking individuals.
Regarding FAC, it is ironic that the reason we have a strong CFO is thanks to FAC and Roberta Sonenfeld. And let’s not forget that under Roberta’s predecessor, 16 tons of change flew out of the Village coffers.
And having a strong and active FAC is not a reflection on Bob Rooney’s capabilities. In fact, he should be the first to insist on a strong, independently minded FAC that will help him manage the financial affairs of the Village. We have a budget of some $50 million and if we were a corporation the CFO would work under the guidance of the Board’s finance committee.
I am tempted to comment on the Mayor’s motives in looking to neuter these two critically important committees but I will desist. Thank you.Rurik Halaby
Washington DC, House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) delivered the following opening statement today about the seven bills the committee is considering related to the National Flood Insurance Program:
There are so many important voices in our debate today on the reauthorization of the National Flood Insurance Program. Certainly the homeowners who have relied on this program — theirs is a very important voice because we go to their homes and we go to their household finances. Theirs is a very important voice. Homebuilders, they have an important voice. Insurance agents and companies, local communities — these are all important voices in this debate.
But as far as I’m concerned, perhaps the single-most important voice is the voice that remains underrepresented in the debate and that is the voice of the American taxpayer. The American taxpayer who has been called upon in the past to bail out a program that is currently drowning in $26 billion of red ink and suffers a $1.4 billion annual actuarial deficit.
Maybe that’s why I heard from Kathy in Garland, Texas in my district who wrote: “It’s just another reason the average person in this country is going under financially. Far too many programs are being funded by the average American but very few receive any benefits from what they are funding.”
In talking about the program, Steven of Larue in my district said: “This is just another instance of the federal government wasting the taxpayer dollars over and over and over again on the same problems. People that choose to live in flood-prone areas after receiving one payment benefit should be removed from the entirety of the program.”
Just two taxpayer comments. So again, we know for a fact the program is in debt. We know for a fact the program is running an actual annual deficit. So it begs the question: Should there be a permanent taxpayer subsidy? I say no. It cannot be, not when I’m sitting here looking at a national debt clock that continues to run out of control before us, which I continue to believe is a far under-appreciated clear and present danger to our republic. Part of those numbers spinning out of control represent the National Flood Insurance Program.
I don’t know if America will ever become a bankrupt society, but I know the face of bankruptcy is an ugly one. In Detroit, when it became bankrupt, thousands of street lights couldn’t afford to be replaced and ambulances did not run. Municipal retiree health care benefits were cut immediately. In Puerto Rico, hospitals had to lay off workers, ration medication, reduce services. In Greece, from 2008 to 2013 they became 40 percent poorer. Homelessness increased 25 percent in four years.
I don’t think America would ever become Puerto Rico, Detroit or Greece, but I don’t know, and it’s not something in good conscience I can ignore.
So I believe we need a National Flood Insurance Program that will make the program fiscally sustainable. I do believe that people should gradually – gradually – be expected to pay actuarial rates. They need predictability. We need to protect them from sticker shock, but the program must be made sustainable.
I believe market competition is important and we have heard evidence that in many places where there has been even limited market competition we have actually seen premiums decreased. And the industry is poised to come in. It’s a very different world today than it was half a century ago when this program was launched. Better risk assessment tools, better financing mechanisms to spread the risk globally. And so this is a bill that, perhaps, it would take as long as 15 years to fully phase in some actuarial rates. We’re talking today about bills that, if enacted, would increase premiums about $2 a month to put this on the road toward actuarial soundness where all will be protected, no one will be denied a policy, all will benefit from competition and the NFIP will be sustainable and the national debt clock will spin a little less rapidly.
With other important reforms of mapping, mitigation, claims processing protections and reforms, I commend all of the authors of the legislation that we will be marking up today and I look forward to the markup.
20170614 – VILLAGE COUNCIL REGULAR PUBLIC MEETING AGENDA
VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD
VILLAGE COUNCIL REGULAR PUBLIC MEETING
JUNE 14, 2017
8:00 P.M.
Call to Order – Mayor
Statement of Compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act
Roll Call – Village Clerk
Flag Salute and Moment of Silence
Acceptance of Financial Reports
Approval of Minutes
Proclamations
NONE
Recognition of Ridgewood Art Ambassadors
Comments from the Public (Not to exceed 3 minutes per person – 40 minutes in total)
Village Manager’s Report
Village Council Reports
Public Hearing – Historic Preservation Grant Application – Restoration of Zabriskie-Schedler House Phase II at Schedler Park Property
ORDINANCES – INTRODUCTION – RIDGEWOOD WATER
NONE
ORDINANCES – PUBLIC HEARING – RIDGEWOOD WATER
NONE
RESOLUTIONS – RIDGEWOOD WATER
THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTIONS, NUMBERED 17-148 THROUGH
17-149 ARE TO BE ADOPTED BY A CONSENT AGENDA, WITH ONE VOTE BY THE VILLAGE COUNCIL. THERE IS A BRIEF DESCRIPTION BESIDE EACH RESOLUTION TO BE CONSIDERED ON THE CONSENT AGENDA. EACH RESOLUTION WILL BE READ BY TITLE ONLY:
17-148 Award Contract – Improvements to Booster/Transfer Stations (NTE $827,000) – Awards a contract to the lowest responsible bidder, Fred Devens Construction, 403 Stonetown Road, Ringwood, NJ
17-149 Award Professional Services Contract – Design and Construction Administration of Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) Treatment System at Carr Treatment Facility (NTE $303,400) – Awards a no-bid contract to Arcadis U.S., Inc., 17-17 Route 208 North, Fair Lawn, NJ. The required Pay to Play forms have been filed with the Village Clerk’s Office.
ORDINANCES – INTRODUCTION
3601 – Amend Chapter 265 – Vehicles and Traffic – Establish Stop Signs at Upper Boulevard and Glenwood Road – Establishes Stop Signs at Glenwood Road and Upper Boulevard
3602 – Amend Chapter 222 – Power Tools, Landscaping, and Yard Maintenance Equipment – Amends this ordinance to prohibit the commercial use of power tools in all residential zones or within 200 feet of a residential property line, when such use is conducted on a commercial or industrial property, on all Federal holidays
3603 – Authorize Special Emergency Appropriation – Master Plan Revision ($250,000) – Authorizes this expenditure, which will be financed over 5 years, with one-fifth of the amount paid each year
3604 – Amend Chapter 265 – Vehicles and Traffic – Hours for Closure of Clinton Avenue to Through Traffic – Authorizes Clinton Avenue to be closed to through traffic from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. on school days
ORDINANCES – PUBLIC HEARING
3599 – Amend Chapter 260 – Trees and Shrubs
3600 – Amend Chapter 212 – Parks and Recreation Areas Prohibition of Dogs Off-Leash in Certain Parks
RESOLUTIONS
THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTIONS, NUMBERED 17-150 THROUGH
17-185 ARE TO BE ADOPTED BY A CONSENT AGENDA, WITH ONE VOTE BY THE VILLAGE COUNCIL. THERE IS A BRIEF DESCRIPTION BESIDE EACH RESOLUTION TO BE CONSIDERED ON THE CONSENT AGENDA. EACH RESOLUTION WILL BE READ BY TITLE ONLY:
17-150 Waive Fourth of July Vendor Fees – Waives solicitor’s fees for vendors connected with the Ridgewood Fourth of July Committee
17-151 Grant Permission to Fireworks Company for Fireworks Display – Permits Fireworks Extravaganza, 174 Route 17 North, Rochelle Park, NJ to hold a fireworks display on July 4, 2017, with a rain date of July 5, 2017
17-152 Authorize Snow Plowing Agreement with Bergen County – Approves the second year of a two-year Agreement for snow plowing with Bergen County for 2017-2018, whereby the Village plows County roads, and is reimbursed for same by the County
17-153 Title 59 Approval – Reconfiguration of Ridgewood Train Station Parking Lot – Approves the plans and specifications for Train Station Parking Expansion with Compact Car Spaces for the Village of Ridgewood, prepared by the Village of Ridgewood Engineering Division, pursuant to Title 59
17-154 Title 59 Approval – Butterfly and Sensory Garden at The Lester Stable – Approves the plans and specifications for Butterfly/Sensory Garden at Lester Stable prepared by the Department of Parks and Recreation, pursuant to Title 59
17-155 Award Contract Under State Contract –
E-Ticketing Hardware (NTE $4,797.01) – Awards a contract under State Contract to CDW Government, 75 Remittance Avenue, Suite 1515, Chicago, IL
17-156 Award Contract Under Middlesex Regional Educational Services Commission Cooperative Purchasing Program – Furniture for Village Hall Lunchroom (NTE $15,000) – Awards a contract under Middlesex Regional Educational Services Commission Cooperative Purchasing Program to KI Furniture, 1330 Bellevue Street, Green Bay, WI
17-157 Title 59 Approval – Furnishing and Delivering of Crossing Guard Services – Approves the plans and specifications for Furnishing and Delivering of Crossing Guard Services for Village School Posts for the Ridgewood Police Department, June 1, 2016 through July 31, 2017, inclusive, renewed for an Additional Year, August 1, 2017 through July 31, 2018, prepared by the Engineering Division, in conjunction with the Ridgewood Police Department, pursuant to Title 59
17-158 Award Contract – Furnishing and Delivering Crossing Guard Services (NTE $329,630.49) – Awards a contract for the one-year extension in the original contract, to the lowest responsible bidder, All City Management Services, Inc., 10440 Pioneer Boulevard, Suite 5, Santa Fe Springs, CA
17-159 Title 59 Approval – On-Call Traffic Engineering Services – Approves the plans and specifications for Request for Proposals for On-Call Professional Traffic Engineering Services for the Village of Ridgewood, prepared by the Ridgewood Engineering Division, pursuant to Title 59
17-160 Award Professional Services Contract – On- Call Traffic Engineering Services (NTE $5,000) – Awards a Professional Services contract to Petry Traffic, LLC, 155 Passaic Avenue, Fairfield, NJ from July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018
17-161 Authorize Shared Services Agreement – Disposal of Dewatered Sludge (Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission, NTE $48 per 1,000 gallons) – Authorizes a three-year Shared Services Agreement with the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission, for disposal of dewatered sludge from the Village’s Water Pollution Control Facility
17-162 Approve Resource Room at Gatehouse at Irene Habernickel Family Park – Women Gardeners of Ridgewood – Approves the request of the Women Gardeners of Ridgewood to renovate and utilize one room in the upper level of the Gatehouse at the Irene Habernickel Family Park to serve as a collection site to house printed literature, periodicals, gardening books, reference materials, and historical artifacts or the Women Gardeners of Ridgewood. In addition, this resource room will be open to the public one afternoon per month, and a member of the Women Gardeners will be present to supervise activity and provide information and gardening assistance to the public. The Women Gardeners of Ridgewood will renovate and furnish the room as well as provide for insurance coverage, at their own expense, as a gift to the Village.
17-163 Authorize Cleaning of Kings Pond Park by Ridgewood Wildscape and Partners – Authorizes a cleanup by Ridgewood Wildscape and their partners of the Kings Pond area on June 11, 2017. The Village will provide assistance by providing chest waders, gloves and other protective equipment to handle the debris, rakes and hand tools, and pickup and disposal of the debris. This cleanup has been reviewed by the Village Engineer, pursuant to Title 59.
17-164 Support the Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP) Awareness Initiative – Supports the FOP Awareness Initiative and urges the medical community to continue researching for treatment and a cure for this rare genetic disorder in which the body makes additional bone in locations where bone should not form which in time produces a “second skeleton” that immobilizes the joints of the body
17-165 Approve 2016-2017 Renewal of Ridgewood Lodge No. 1455 BPOE Liquor License – Approves the 2016-2017 renewal of the Ridgewood Lodge No. 1455 BPOE liquor license
17-166 Approve 2017-2018 Renewals of Liquor Licenses – Approves the annual renewal of liquor licenses in the Village of Ridgewood
17-167 Authorize Refund of Taxes for Disabled Veteran (Block 3106, Lot 28) – Authorizes a refund to a resident who has filed proof of a 100% permanent disability due to active service in time of war. This refund shall be from November 28, 2015 forward, without interest.
17-168 Urge Support of 2% CAP on Police and Fire Arbitration Awards – Urges the State Legislature to support a five-year extension on the 2% CAP on Police and Fire arbitration awards, which will provide them with hard data to examine and then make a final decision as to whether this law should be made permanent
17-169 Authorize Mailing of Estimated 2017 Third Quarter Tax Bills – Authorizes the mailing of estimated tax bills for the 2017 third quarter
17-170 Approve Funding of Master Plan Revision through Special Emergency Notes – Approves the funding of the Master Plan Revision through Special Emergency Notes and that they be paid in amounts of not less than one-fifth of the total amount appropriated
17-171 Authorize Acceptance of Senior Bus from NJ Transit – Authorizes the Village Manager to accept a Chevrolet El Dorado from NJ Transit, which is used as the Senior Bus by the Village. This vehicle is being released to the Village in “as is” condition with no warranties. This acceptance also requires that when the vehicle is sold in the future, any proceeds will be used for transportation services.
17-172 Approve and Authorize Execution of Agreement – Estate Card Tax Savings Program Master Service Agreement – Approves the Estate Card Tax Savings Program Master Service Agreement and authorizes its execution by Village Officials
17-173 Appoint Members to Planning Board – Appoints James Van Goor as a Class II Member with a term expiring 6/30/18; Councilman Jeffrey Voigt as a Class III Member with a term expiring 6/30/18; Joel Torielli and David Scheibner as Class IV members with terms expiring 6/30/2021; and Frances Barto as an Alternate #2 member with a term expiring 6/30/19. All appointments will be effective at the Planning Board’s Reorganization Meeting.
17-174 Appoint Members to Zoning Board of Adjustment – Appoints Sergio Alegre and Greg Brown as regular members with terms expiring 6/30/21 and John Papietro as Alternate #1 with a term expiring 6/30/19
17-175 Appoint Municipal Court Judge – Appoints David T. Pfund as the Municipal Court Judge from 7/1/17-6/30/20
17-176 Appoint Village Attorney – Appoints Matthew Rogers as the Village Attorney under a no bid contract from for a term of 7/1/17-6/30/18. The required Pay to Play forms have been filed.
17-177 Appoint Village Labor Attorney – Appoints Dominick Bratti of Budd Larner, P.C. as the Village Labor Attorney under a no bid contract from 7/1/17-6/30/18. The required Pay to Play forms have been filed.
17-178 Appoint Village Bond Attorney – Appoints McManimon, Scotland, and Baumann, L.L.C., 75 Livingston Avenue, 2nd Floor, Roseland, NJ as the Village Bond Attorney from 7/1/17 through 6/30/18 under a no-bid contract. The required Pay to Play forms have been filed.
17-179 Appoint Municipal Prosecutor and Assistant Prosecutor – Appoints Margaret Sullivan, Esq. as the Village Prosecutor and Christine Lilore as the Assistant Village Prosecutor from 7/1/17-6/30/18
17-180 Appoint Public Defender and Alternate Public Defender – Appoints Susan Cassell, Esq. as the Public Defender and David Altieri, Esq., as the Alternate Public Defender from 7/1/17-6/30/18
17-181 Appoint Community Development Representative – Appoints Janet Fricke as the Village Council’s representative in the Community Development program
17-182 Appoint Representative to Open Space Trust Regional Committee – Appoints Timothy Cronin as the Village Council’s representative to be a part of the County of Bergen’s Open Space Trust Regional Committee
17-183 Appoint Members to Community Center Advisory Board –
17-184 Appoint Members to Ridgewood Arts Council
17-185 Appoint Village Councilmembers as Liaisons to Various Boards and Committees – Appoints Village Councilmembers as Liaisons to various boards and committees through June 30, 2018
17-186 Approve Release of Closed Session Minutes
Comments from the Public (Not to Exceed 5 minutes per person)
Resolution to go into Closed Session
Closed Session
Legal – COAH; Valley Hospital
Contract Negotiations – Central Valet
Personnel – Boards and Committees
Reader, “If people just read this and don’t share the information, nothing will change. Do people think change comes by people sitting on their duffs in the living room and doing nothing more? Go to the event and support her at this event, otherwise, leaving it to someone else just won’t cut it anymore. Progressives who want to change the face of all the communities are working to make it happen…what are YOU DOING? If you can’t go, call your legislator even if it’s Pascrell and tell him this will lead to blighted areas in your town, overbuilding which perhaps including taking people’s homes through eminent domain if you are in the area they want, higher taxes due to more schools being needed, more traffic and of course road repairs and infrastructure costs – sewer, water, etc.”
June 14,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Paramus NJ, Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi will initiate a series of statewide legislative hearings to address New Jersey’s affordable housing crisis. The first will be held on June 15 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Bergen Community College’s Technology Education Center room 128.
Schepisi will be joined by other invited guests, including fellow legislators, mayors, town officials and planners, engineers, traffic experts, board of education members, environmental groups and other interested parties.
She said the hearings will examine ways to provide a better way toward affordability for the residents of this state while protecting towns from a recent state Supreme Court ruling that could force the construction of up to 1.5 million unneeded housing units to satisfy a fictitious population increase of 3.35 million in the next nine years – while Rutgers projects a population increase of only 219,000.
“We have reached a critical juncture in the State of New Jersey. We are the most costly, the most densely populated with the highest number of outmigration because people can no longer afford to live here. Instead of smart discussions regarding how to implement change to reduce living costs for all of our residents, the legislature’s inaction is forcing communities to potentially double their housing population in just the next nine years, destroying all existing housing prices while increasing property taxes,” said Schepisi. “We need to stop the court’s action and fix this issue while we still can.”
Ridgewood NJ, so the “Rainbow flag of Gay Pride Flag is flying in Ridgewood and on June 10th a group called ACT for America is had “March Against Sharia” events in cities across the nation , but none in New Jersey.
Noticeably absent from the marches were Rep .Josh Gottheimer, NJ Assemblymen Tim Eustace, any members of CRAB(Community Relations Advisory Board) , Jan Philips and Alfred Doublin from the Bergen Record .
When it really counts these politicians, activists and editors are no where to be found . Maybe they should wave a more appropriate flag instead of the “rainbow’ ,of just solid yellow.
The nationwide marches were in support of basic human rights for all ,and against the horrific treatment of women, children, and members of the LGBTQ community that is sanctioned by Sharia law.
The Prophet … said: “Kill the one who sodomizes and the one who lets it be done to him. May Allah curse him who does what Lot’s people did. Lesbianism by women is adultery between them.”
Gays were clearly targeted by Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old American citizen and devout Muslim from Fort Pierce, Fla., the son of immigrants from Afghanistan in the jihadist attack at that popular gay club in Orlando.
The inspiration for Muslims to brutalize and mass murder gay people does not come from ISIS, but is deeply rooted in Islamic law, affirmed by many of Islam’s most renowned scholars and Islamic Sharia law. This is why, wherever sharia is the law, homosexuals are persecuted and killed. The Washington Post in a 2014 report listed ten Muslim countries where homosexuality may be punished by death (Yemen, Iran, Mauritania, Nigeria, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, United Arab Emirates, and Iraq.
Ridgewood NJ, According to Vicky Herbert ,When the Ridgewood Historical Society and Schoolhouse Museum needed some heavy lifting, they called on local student entrepreneur, Joe Rahaim. We had bulky furniture and years of accumulated material in the attic we needed moved ,” said Historical Society volunteer, Kelly Gioia. Since the non-profit organization didn’t have regular volunteers with the strength, nor did they have a budget, Gioia called Joe’s Odd Jobs. Joe was happy to volunteer his time and said he would reach out to get some of his student crew to help too. “When I put the text out to my regular workers, the response was amazing, everyone wanted to help even though it was going to be an unpaid project,” said Joe Rahaim, “the Ridgewood community and it’s word of mouth have been very good to me, my business, and my team so we were happy to give back to the Historical Society”.
Joe Rahaim, is a rising senior at Ridgewood High School and Owner and Founder of Joe’s Odd Jobs, a local business he started his freshman year of high school. The business started out as a way to work given his busy sports schedule, but as word got out, he couldn’t do all the jobs himself and had to enlist fellow students. The business has now grown to a 10- plus person operation. “I found a niche”, said Rahaim, we do a lot of small projects like moves, clean-outs, minor landscaping, and small painting jobs. “It has been a great experience for me, I like hands-on projects and most of all, working with a great crew that knows how to have fun and work hard,” said Rahaim”
Ridgewood NJ, Stage II restrictions (2 days per week irrigation) were imposed in June 2016 and are still in effect in Glen Rock, Midland Park, Ridgewood and Wyckoff. Without these restrictions, the use of drinking water for irrigation will continue increasing toward levels that are unsustainable regardless of drought conditions. To reverse this trend, an ordinance was approved by the Village Council on April 12, 2017 to amend the provisions governing Watering and Water Emergencies in the Village of Ridgewood Code. Changes include:
Making 2 days per week irrigation permanent year round,
Restricting irrigation hours to limit losses to evaporation,
Restricting irrigation using private wells to 2 days a week,
Adding new exemptions, including drip irrigation and smart controllers.
This ordinance became effective on May 2, 2017 and applies only to Ridgewood, but it is expected that the Boroughs of Glen Rock and Midland Park, and the Township of Wyckoff will enact similar rules as they have in the past. Below is the approved ordinance. Questions can be directed to Ridgewood Water at 201-670-5521 or [email protected].
Ridgewood NJ, according to Rasumussen half of voters still favor President Trump’s temporary travel ban and see it as an anti-terrorist measure, not religious discrimination. Voters also think the U.S. Supreme Court is likely to uphold the ban.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 50% of Likely U.S. Voters favor temporarily barring entry to the United States of people from Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen until the federal government improves its ability to screen out potential terrorists from coming here. Forty-one percent (41%) are opposed. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Support for the ban is down slightly from the mid-50s in late January.
Critics of the travel ban say it is aimed at blocking Muslims from entering the United States, and 39% agree. Fifty-two percent (52%) say Trump’s order is aimed instead at keeping out terrorists. The seven Muslim-majority countries in question were identified by the Obama administration as terrorist havens.
Democrats are far more likely than Republicans and unaffiliated voters to view the temporary ban as anti-Muslim and to oppose it.
Fifty percent (50%) of all voters think the Supreme Court is likely to uphold the president’s temporary travel ban which has been stopped by lower courts, with 21% who say it’s Very Likely. Forty percent (40%) feel the high court is unlikely to uphold the ban, but that includes only 12% who say it is Not At All Likely to do so.
(Want a free daily e-mail update? If it’s in the news, it’s in our polls). Rasmussen Reports updates are also available on Twitter or Facebook.
The survey of 1,000 Likely Voters was conducted on June 4-5, 2017 by Rasmussen Reports. The margin of sampling error is +/- 3 percentage points with a 95% level of confidence. Field work for all Rasmussen Reports surveys is conducted by Pulse Opinion Research, LLC. See methodology.
Even before the weekend horror in London, 77% of Americans said a terrorist attack like the one days before in Manchester is likely to occur here within the next year, although only 36% say it’s Very Likely.
Most voters of all ages agree that Trump’s travel ban is aimed at keeping out terrorists. But a plurality (48%) of those under 40 oppose the ban, while the majority of their elders favor it.
Seventy-four percent (74%) of Republicans and 56% of unaffiliated voters view the temporary ban as anti-terrorist. Fifty-eight percent (58%) of Democrats see it as anti-Muslim instead. Even more Democrats (64%) oppose the travel ban, while 77% of GOP voters and unaffiliateds by a 50% to 39% margin favor it.
Republicans are much more optimistic than the others, however, that the Supreme Court will uphold the ban.
Ninety-seven percent (97%) of voters who Strongly Approve of the job the president is doing favor the travel ban. Among voters who Strongly Disapprove of Trump’s job performance, 79% oppose it.
New Hillary Clinton Email Confirms She Used Blackberry Against Security Advice
June 11, 2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Washington DC, What did the Russians know, and when did they know it? A question for today and President Trump? Actually we should be asking this about the years when Hillary Clinton was secretary of state. The illicit system she cobbled together to send and receive emails was essentially transparent to the Russians and, for that matter, anyone else with a smidgen of technical expertise.
As the latest example of this, we have submitted new evidence to U.S. District Court Judge Emmet G. Sullivan showing that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton knowingly used an unsecure BlackBerry device despite being warned by “security hawks” against doing so.
Judicial Watch obtained the email record in a response to a court order from our May 5, 2015, lawsuitagainst the State Department (Judicial Watch, Inc. v. U.S. Department of State (No. 1:15-cv-00684)) after it failed to respond to our March 18, 2015, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking: “All emails of official State Department business received or sent by former Deputy Chief of Staff Huma Abedin from January 1, 2009 through February 1, 2013 using a non-‘state.gov’ email address.”
The new document brings the known total to date to at least 433 emails that were not part of the 55,000 pages of emails that Clinton turned over to the State Department. These records further appear to contradict statements by Clinton that, “as far as she knew,” all of her government emails were turned over to the State Department.
The email was sent to Susan Kennedy, presumably former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s chief of staff. Kennedy wrote Clinton on March 7 2009: “Just in case you are still allowed to carry your blackberry, your friends are watching with great pride.” Clinton responded on March 8, 2009:
Against the advice of the security hawks, I still do carry my berry but am prohibited from using it in my office, where I spend most of my time when I’m not on a plane or in a “no coverage” country.
The email, uncovered by Judicial Watch and written by Clinton, demonstrates that she reviewed or was at least informed about a March 6, 2009, Information Memo from Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security Eric J. Boswell to Clinton Chief of Staff Cheryl Mills in which he wrote that he “cannot stress too strongly, however, that any unclassified BlackBerry is highly vulnerable in any setting to remotely and covertly monitoring conversations, retrieving email, and exploiting calendars.” [Emphasis added]
In a recent court filing pertaining to the pending motion to compel Clinton to answer interrogatory questions she refused to answer under oath, Judicial Watch argues that interrogatory 14 is particularly important:
Interrogatory 14 seeks to uncover why Secretary Clinton continued using a personal BlackBerry to conduct State Department business after being advised of the risks in doing so. This interrogatory is pertinent because Secretary Clinton’s personal BlackBerry was an integral part of the operation of the clintonemail.com system, a subject squarely within the scope of discovery. It was how she accessed her email. Without her personal BlackBerry, there likely would have been no clintonemail.com system because the Secretary did not use a desktop or laptop and a State Department BlackBerry would have linked to an official “state.gov” email account.
We submitted the questions to her under a court order on August 19, 2016, in a separate lawsuit.
Mrs. Clinton seemingly ignored the advice of “security hawks” and violated numerous laws related to the handling of classified material and government documents. The State Department sat on this document for 18 months. It is a smoking gun that shows why she must held accountable under criminal and civil law.
Clinton refused outright to answer questions about the creation of her email system; her decision to use the system despite warnings from State Department officials; and the basis for her claim that the State Department had “90-95%” of her emails.
In her responses sent to Judicial Watch and the court on October 13, 2016, Clinton refused to answer three questions and responded that she “does not recall” 20 times concerning her non-government clintonemail.com email system. She preceded her responses by eight “general objections” and two “objections to definitions.” The words “object” or “objection” appear 84 times throughout the 23-page document submitted to the court and Judicial Watch.
The Clinton responses to interrogatives were received in the Judicial Watch Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, which was first filed in September 2013 seeking records about the controversial employment status of Huma Abedin, former deputy chief of staff to Clinton (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of State (No. 1:13-cv-01363)). The lawsuit was reopened because of revelations about theclintonemail.com system.
