Newark NJ, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Newark Field Office arrested 113 criminal targets during an operation Jun. 5-9, as part of the agency’s ongoing public safety and national security efforts. The operation was supported by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s New Jersey Field Office, the New Jersey State Parole Office, and ICE Homeland Security Investigations.
All of the targets in this operation were criminal in nature. 93% of those that were arrested were convicted criminals and 87% of them had prior felony convictions.
“The continued results of our Fugitive Operations officers and their law enforcement partners underscore ICE’s ongoing and steady commitment to public safety,” said John Tsoukaris, field office director of ERO Newark. “As part of this operation, we continue focus on the arrest of individuals who are criminal and are a threat to public safety and national security. Because of the tireless efforts of these professional officers, there are 113 fewer criminals in our communities,” he added.
“U.S. Customs and Border Protection is extremely proud to have assisted in this operation,” said Leon Hayward, Acting Director New York Field Office. “It is through collaborative efforts, such as the one leading to today’s arrests, that law enforcement agencies can combat illegal acts and apprehend criminals who pose a threat to the Homeland.”
“The State Parole Board is pleased to have been able to take part in this very successful fugitive operation. Cooperative efforts with other state and federal agencies serve as a force multiplier resulting in a significant public safety benefit. We are proud of the efforts of our parole officers and all that took part in the operation.” said James T. Plousis, chairman of the NJ State Parole Board.
The individuals arrested throughout New Jersey were nationals of Bangladesh, Central African Republic, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Iraq, Ireland, Jamaica, Jordan, Korea, Latvia, Liberia, Mexico, Morocco, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Peru, Poland, Slovakia, Trinidad and Uruguay.
These individuals range from age 18 to 74 years old and all were previously convicted of a variety of offenses. Some of the convictions included sexual assault on a minor, child abuse, possession of narcotics, distribution of narcotics, robbery, trespassing, damage to property, DUI, crimes against person, fraud, sex offense against a child/fondling, threaten to kill, sexual exploitation of a minor, domestic violence, battery, theft of us government property, possession of a weapon, illegal use of credit cards, burglary, larceny, aggravated assault and illegal reentry.
Among those arrested during this operation include:
A Iraqi citizen convicted of possession of narcotics A Honduran citizen wanted by Honduras for the offense of double Homicide A Latvian citizen convicted of heroin sale A El Salvador citizen convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor A Ecuadorian citizen convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor A Jordanian citizen convicted of synthetic narcotic possession A Dominican citizen convicted of cocaine sale A Bangladesh citizen convicted of aggravated assault with a weapon
In fiscal year 2016, ICE conducted 240,255 removals nationwide. Over ninety percent of individuals removed from the interior of the United States had previously been convicted of a criminal offense.
ICE is focused on smart, effective immigration enforcement that targets serious criminal aliens who present the greatest risk to the security of our communities, such as those charged with or convicted of homicide, rape, robbery, kidnapping, major drug offenses and threats to national security.
ERO Newark works closely with federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to enforce federal immigration laws as part of its homeland security mission.
In the letter Mr Weitz once again demonstrated the lack of professionalism that permeates the Financial Advisory Committee or FAC. If Mr Weitz or any other members of the FAC had ever had a job in Finance he would understand that every single communication is monitored by corporate compliance department.
In the late 90’s I was working for a firm called Dean Witter and in the coarse of business each week you would make hundreds of phone calls . One month I was called into compliance who promptly showed me a printout of phone numbers I had called that month ,yes everyone and singled out a certain number I had called once everyday . The number was my grandmother’s who was dying and I would just check in on her. The compliance officer simply apologized and added the number to the OK to call list .
Mr Weitz goes on to say ,”Shortly thereafter, the Deputy Mayor filed an open record request for any email Voigt received that contained my last name. Even more disturbing, several private individuals filed open records requests for any emails sent from my private email address to Voigt.”
Mr.Weitz that statement alone disqualifies you from serving on any financial board or being involved in any Municipal business . Any professional would know that there is no such thing as “private emails” in finance and no such thing as private emails doing the peoples business in politics .
OPRA requests are a legitimate part of Municipal operations. Questioning OPRA’s leaves many to question validity of committees like the FAC and raises further questions as to the motivations of certain politicians.
High school coach crams house with foreign ringers in squalid scandal
What started as a few probing questions about a suspicious New Jersey high school basketball program has become an investigation by federal immigration authorities.
New Jersey’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement office — a division of the Department of Homeland Security — has opened a new investigation of Paterson Eastside’s hoops programs, according to NJ Advance Media. ICE officials are concentrating on how the program has been fed international players over the past six years and how the teenagers came — or were trafficked — to New Jersey.
Four months ago, NJ Advance Media reported players from Africa, South America and Puerto Rico had been brought stateside to play for Eastside’s teams since at least 2011, and that boys coach Juan Griles was housing — but apparently barely feeding — at least six of them. With the school district unable to issue proper immigration documents, they’re all at risk of deportation.
Statement of Compliance with the Open Public Meeting Act
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.”
Roll Call
RESOLUTIONS
THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTIONS, NUMBERED 17-144 THROUGH 17-145 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:
17-144 Authorize Renewal of Intent to Participate in Community Development Block Grant Program, HOME Investment Partnership Act Program, and Emergency Solutions Grant – Renews the Village’s intent to participate in these programs for the Program Years 2018 – 2020
17-145 Authorize Execution of Agreement for Participation in the Community Development Block Grant Program, the Home Investment Partnership Program, and the Emergency Solutions Grant Program – Authorizes the Mayor and Village Clerk to execute an Agreement which will commit the Village to participate in the Community Development Block Grant Program, the Home Investment Partnership Program, and the Emergency Solutions Grant Program for the Program Years 2018, 2019, and 2020
Adjournment
VILLAGE COUNCIL PUBLIC WORKSHOP AGENDA THE RIDGEWOOD VILLAGE COUNCIL’S
PUBLIC WORKSHOP AGENDA
JUNE 7, 2017
7:30 P.M.
REVISED
7:30 pm – Call to Order – Mayor
Statement of Compliance with Open Public Meeting Act
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.”
Roll Call – Village Clerk
Flag Salute/Moment of Silence
Swearing in of Fire Fighter Dane Knudsen
Swearing in of Fire Fighter Shelby Taylor
Public Comments (Not to Exceed 3 Minutes per Person – 40 Minutes in Total)
Presentation
Ridgewood Conservancy for Ridgewood Public Lands – Butterfly/Sensory Garden at the Stable
Motion to Suspend Work Session and Convene Special Public Meeting
Special Public Meeting – See Attached Agenda
Motion to Adjourn Special Public Meeting and Reconvene Work Session
Discussion
Ridgewood Water
Improvements to Booster/Transfer Stations
Award of Contract – Design and Construction of GAC Treatment System at Carr Treatment Facility
Parking
Central Valet Services Proposal
Steilen Avenue Parking c. Budget
Refund of Taxes – Disabled Veteran
Resolution Urging Extension of 2% Cap on Police and Fire Arbitration Contract Awards
Renovation of Graydon Pool Restrooms
Revenue Expense Report – April 30, 2017
On-Call Traffic Engineering Services Proposal
Parking Kiosk Pilot Study Proposal
Award of State Contract – Furniture for Village Hall
Policy
Boards and Committees
Train Station Parking Lot & Garber Square Bike Lane
Amendment to Power Tool Ordinance
Update on The Estate Card
Clinton Avenue Ordinance
Historic Preservation Grant Proposal through Bergen County Open Space – Zabriskie-Schedler House – Phase II
FOP Awareness Initiative
Prevention of Unlawful Enrollment of Children in Ridgewood Schoolse. Operations
Shared Services Agreement – Dewatered Sludge Disposal – Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission
Updating Master Plan
New Jersey Transit Senior Bus Grant Release13. Review of June 14, 2017 Regular Public Meeting Agenda15. Council Reports17. Resolution to go into Closed Session A. Legal – COAH; Valley Hospital; Unauthorized Disclosure of Attorney-Client Information – Employment Resumes; HealthBarn C. Personnel – Boards and Committees Liaisons19. Adjournment
B. Contracts/Negotiations –
18. Closed Session
16. Public Comments (Not to Exceed 5 Minutes per Person)
14. Manager’s Report
Ridgewood NJ, The New Jersey Choral Society is holding auditions for its youth choruses, treble and SATB, for students in grades 6-12. Auditions will be held Monday, June 19 and August 28 from 4-6 pm at St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church, 169 Fairmount Road, Ridgewood, NJ. Treble voices are accepted from grades 6-12 and SATB voices from grades 9-12. Audition requirements, including a memorized solo, and registration details are available on the New Jersey Choral Society website at www.njcs.org under “About”. Interested students, parents and educators can contact Festival Youth Chorus Director, Noelle Dachis, at [email protected] for more information.
This is a unique and exciting opportunity for young choral singers to perform with the New Jersey Choral Society and Maestro Eric Dale Knapp, and a rare experience to include on college applications, especially for students heading into a music study. Students selected for the chorus are expected to attend weekly rehearsals, held at St. Elizabeth’s Church on Monday evenings, and all performances. The Festival Youth Chorus will be singing in at least three performances during the NJCS 2017-2018 season.
Established in 1980, the New Jersey Choral Society is one of the state’s most prestigious choral groups, well-known for presenting outstanding and unique programs. Under the direction of Eric Dale Knapp, NJCS performs three major concerts annually in Bergen and Essex counties. They have performed at Carnegie Hall and the White House and have toured internationally in Austria, the Czech Republic, Germany, China, Australia, England, France and Italy.
Ridgewood NJ, Eighteen Ridgewood Taekwondo athletes faced a major challenge at the Big East Tournament, which drew over 400 competitors from the tri-state area on April 30. The results were stellar: 23 Gold, 9 Silver, and 4 Bronze. The Big East Tournament was the final stop in the circuit before the nationals, which will take place on June 28 in Detroit.
Taekwondo All In, an instructional school for the Korean martial art, continues to establish itself as a premier school for the sport. The school received the “Best School” designation at the New Jersey Tournament several years running.
Youngmin Kim, a Taekwondo master and head instructor noted, “We have an amazing group of kids at Taekwondo All In. Their dedication and hard work is truly inspirational. Our goal at the school is to teach our students not only the martial art, but life lessons on grit, focus and hard work, which will benefit them in all aspects of their lives.”
The students and their medals earned are as follows:
Ricardo Edmilao 3 Gold Medals
Jenna Slota, Elliott Yi, Isaac Yi, Audrey Kim, Blake Edmilao, and Emily Kam 2 Gold medals
Lucas Woods, Liam Woods, Tyler Minn, Mason Allum, Kaylin lee, Tony An 1 Gold medal and 1 Silver medal
Dongjun Kim, 1 Gold and 1 Bronze medal
Kate Minn 1 Gold medal
Grace Chi, Elias Chi, Cooper Allum, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze medal
Ridgewood NJ, On this 73rd anniversary of D-Day let us remember, and honor, the soldiers who gave their lives for the freedoms of France and rest of Europe.
On June 6, 1944, more than 160,000 Allied troops landed along a 50-mile stretch of heavily-fortified French coastline, to fight Nazi Germany on the beaches of Normandy, France. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower called the operation a crusade in which, “we will accept nothing less than full victory.” More than 5,000 Ships and 13,000 aircraft supported the D-Day invasion, and by day’s end, the Allies gained a foot-hold in Continental Europe. The cost in lives on D-Day was high. More than 9,000 Allied Soldiers were killed or wounded, but their sacrifice allowed more than 100,000 Soldiers to begin the slow, hard slog across Europe, to defeat Adolf Hitler’s crack troops.
It was the beginning of the end for the Third Reich and a major turning point to free Europe and show that freedom can prevail over totalitarianism.
Ridgewood NJ, Five men, including two individuals who formerly worked at scam call centers in India, each pleaded guilty within the past two weeks for their respective roles in a massive telephone impersonation fraud and money laundering scheme perpetrated by India-based call centers.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez of the Southern District of Texas, Executive Associate Director Peter T. Edge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Inspector General J. Russell George of the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) and Inspector General John Roth of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (DHS-OIG) made the announcement.
From May 26 to June 6, Rajubhai Patel, 32, an Indian national most recently residing in Willowbrook, Illinois; Viraj Patel, 33, an Indian national most recently residing in Anaheim, California; Dilipkumar Ambal Patel, 53, an Indian national most recently residing in Corona, California; and Fahad Ali, 25, a Pakistani national and permanent U.S. resident most recently residing in Dyer, Indiana, each pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy before U.S. District Court Judge David Hittner of the Southern District of Texas. Hardik Patel, 31, an Indian national most recently residing in Arlington Heights, Illinois, pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy before the same court on June 2. Sentencing dates are pending for all five defendants.
According to admissions made in connection with the plea agreements, the five men and their co-conspirators perpetrated a complex scheme in which individuals from call centers located in Ahmedabad, India, impersonated officials from the IRS and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and engaged in other telephone call scams, in a ruse designed to defraud victims in the U.S. Using information obtained from data brokers and other sources, call center operators targeted U.S. victims, who were threatened with arrest, imprisonment, fines or deportation if they did not pay alleged monies owed to the government. Victims who agreed to pay the scammers were instructed how to provide payment, including by purchasing stored value cards or wiring money. Upon payment, the call centers would immediately turn to a network of “runners” based in the U.S. to liquidate and launder the fraudulently obtained funds.
Based on the statements in his June 2 guilty plea, beginning in August 2012, Hardik Patel owned and managed the day-to-day operations of an India-based scam call center before later leaving for the U.S. While in India, in his capacity as a manager, Hardik Patel communicated extensively via email, text, and other means with various India-based co-defendants to operate the scheme and exchange scripts used in the scheme, coordinate the processing of payments from scammed victims, obtain and exchange lead lists used by callers to target U.S. victims, and exchange spreadsheets containing the personal identifying information (PII) of U.S. persons misappropriated by the scammers to register reloadable cards used in the scheme. Hardik Patel also managed worker payroll and kept detailed records of profits and expenses for various associated scam call centers. Hardik Patel continued to communicate with India-based co-defendants about the scheme and assist with the conspiracy after he moved to the U.S.
According to his June 6 guilty plea, Rajubhai Patel operated as a runner and assisted a co-defendant in managing the activities of a crew of other runners, based primarily out of Illinois, who liquidated victim funds in various locales in the U.S. for conspirators from India-based call centers. Rajubhai Patel communicated about the liquidation of scam funds via electronic WhatsApp communications with domestic and India-based co-defendants, purchased reloadable cards registered using the misappropriated PII of U.S. citizens that were later used to receive victims’ funds, and used those cards to purchase money orders and deposit them into various bank accounts of co-defendants and others as directed. Rajubhai Patel also admitted to creating and maintaining spreadsheets that detailed deposits, payments to co-conspirators, expenses and profits from the scheme.
According to admissions made in his June 2 guilty plea, Viraj Patel first became involved in the conspiracy between April and September 2013, prior to entering the U.S., when he worked at and assisted with overseeing the operations of a call center in India engaging in scam activity at the behest of a co-defendant. After entering the U.S., beginning in December 2014 Viraj Patel engaged in additional activities in support of the scheme in exchange for a cut of the profits, including serving as a processor of scam victim payments and as a runner engaging in the purchase and liquidation of cards loaded with victim scam funds. Viraj Patel communicated with various India-and U.S.-based co-defendants in furtherance of the conspiracy, and also obtained and circulated lead lists to his co-conspirators containing the PII of U.S. citizens for use by the call centers in targeting victims of the various fraud schemes and to register reloadable cards used to launder the proceeds of the schemes.
Based on the admissions made in his May 26 guilty plea, since late 2013, Dilipkumar A. Patel operated as a runner in and around Southern California, along with other co-defendants based in the region. At the direction of India-based co-conspirators, often via electronic WhatsApp communications, Patel admitted to participating in the purchase of reloadable cards registered with the PII of U.S. citizens, and the subsequent liquidation of victim scam funds loaded to those cards by co-conspirators, while keeping a percentage of the victim funds on the cards for himself.
According to his guilty plea, also on May 26, beginning in or around 2013, Fahad Ali worked as a member of a crew of runners operating in the Chicago, Illinois area, the Southern District of Texas and elsewhere throughout the country. Ali admitted that he first served as a driver for an Illinois-based co-defendant engaging in activities in furtherance of the conspiracy. Ali later operated at the direction of that co-defendant and others, via various means of communication, including text messages, to purchase reloadable cards, and then liquidate victim scam proceeds placed on those cards by India-based co-conspirators, in exchange for recurring payments. Ali also admitted to using false identification documents to receive wire transfers from victims of the fraud.
To date, Hardik Patel, Rajubhai Patel, Viraj Patel, Dilipkumar A. Patel, Fahad Ali, 51 other individuals and five India-based call centers have been charged for their roles in the fraud and money laundering scheme in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in the Southern District of Texas on Oct. 19, 2016. Including the most recent pleas, a total of nine defendants have pleaded guilty thus far in this case. Co-defendants Bharatkumar Patel, Ashvinbhai Chaudhari, Harsh Patel and Nilam Parikh previously pleaded guilty on April 13; April 26; May 11; and May 18, respectively.
The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
HSI, DHS-OIG and TIGTA led the investigation of this case. Also providing significant support were: the Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs; Ft. Bend County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office; police departments in Hoffman Estates and Naperville, Illinois, and in Leonia, New Jersey; San Diego County District Attorney’s Office Family Protection and Elder Abuse Unit; U.S. Secret Service; U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General; IOC-2; INTERPOL Washington; USCIS; U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service; and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in Northern District of Alabama, District of Arizona, Central District of California, Northern District of California, District of Colorado, Northern District of Florida, Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Illinois, Northern District of Indiana, District of Nevada and District of New Jersey. The Federal Communications Commission’s Enforcement Bureau also provided assistance in TIGTA’s investigation.
Senior Trial Attorney Michael Sheckels and Trial Attorney Mona Sahaf of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, Trial Attorney Robert Stapleton of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys S. Mark McIntyre and Craig M. Feazel of the Southern District of Texas are prosecuting the case.
A Department of Justice website has been established to provide information about the case to already identified and potential victims and the public. Anyone who believes they may be a victim of fraud or identity theft in relation to this investigation or other telefraud scam phone calls may contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) via this website.
Anyone who wants additional information about telefraud scams generally, or preventing identity theft or fraudulent use of their identity information, may obtain helpful information on the IRS tax scams website, the FTC phone scam website and the FTC identity theft website.
Newark NJ, from the Presidents desk ,the United States Air Traffic Control (ATC) system is one of the most important and vibrant elements of our Nation’s infrastructure. Every day, the dedicated men and women of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) safely and efficiently guide thousands of aircraft to and from their destinations, collectively carrying millions of passengers and tons of cargo. Yet, the FAA’s ATC operations are currently mired within a Federal bureaucracy that hinders innovative operations and the timely introduction of new technology. In order to modernize our ATC system, the Administration supports moving the FAA’s ATC operations into a new non-governmental entity. This will enable ATC to keep pace with the accelerating rate of change in the aviation industry, including the integration of new entrants such as Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Commercial Space Transports. A more nimble ATC entity will also be able to more quickly and securely implement Next Generation (NextGen) technology, which will reduce aircraft delays and expand the availability of the National Airspace System (NAS) for all users.
ATC reform presents an exciting infrastructure improvement opportunity, and its completion will demonstrate early progress toward much needed infrastructure reform across all sectors. The Administration’s principles for reforming ATC will drive legislation that will reduce delays, further improve aviation’s leading safety record, protect access to rural communities, and accelerate much needed capital investment. These principles insulate one of our most important national assets from political interferences and the crippling effects of budget uncertainty, while keeping intact FAA’s critical safety oversight. Additionally, they preserve essential working relationships and interoperable capabilities with the Department of Defense (DoD), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and law enforcement agencies that are critical to ensuring the safety and security of the Nation.
This proposal demonstrates that the Federal Government does not have to supply all of the resources required to develop and maintain our Nation’s vast infrastructure. Often, it simply needs to remove obstacles hindering investment and innovation. The new ATC entity envisioned in these reform principles will be self-sustaining, financed through fees paid by the users of the NAS. These fees will be more efficient and less burdensome than the patchwork of aviation taxes that supports the system today.
The time has come to embrace a bolder vision of what our Nation’s ATC system can be and how best to move forward to achieve it. In 2016, House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Bill Shuster introduced the Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization (AIRR) Act to move ATC from the Government to a not-for-profit, independent entity. The Administration supports the proposed AIRR Act as a good foundation for reforming the ATC system, and believes the legislation can be improved. Accordingly, the Administration supports the enactment of legislation that incorporates the principles detailed in this document
The Principles
Safety: The FAA’s appropriate role is the inherently governmental function of safety regulator. Removing ATC operations from the FAA would further this principle, and bring it in line with the recommended practice of the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) and the approach used by the majority of developed aviation states around the world. Aviation safety regulation would remain within the Department of Transportation, and the FAA would migrate to a performance-based framework responsible for providing effective oversight of the new ATC entity.
National Security: Protecting our Nation’s security is of paramount importance. Accordingly, the new ATC entity must provide airspace access, prioritization, integration, cooperation, navigation, and information management services and support at levels of quality that ensure sustained national security and law enforcement capabilities. This must be done at no cost to the Federal Government. The new entity must develop interoperability plans, procedures, policies, and programs that ensure it can operate effectively, under all circumstances, with DoD. The new entity must also be able to work under DHS control in exigent circumstances involving physical, adversarial, and technological threats and circumstances. The Federal Government would indemnify the new entity for costs incurred in connection with operations that support Federal national security and law enforcement activities.
Cybersecurity: The new ATC system must be secure, robust, and resilient. Components will fail, but those failures must not significantly affect the ATC system’s ability to provide safe and effective operation at peak capacity. Additionally, as part of our Nation’s critical infrastructure, the new ATC system must be able to detect and defeat malicious cyber-based efforts to manipulate or degrade its operations.
Access: The new ATC entity must maintain open access for all users of the airspace and, specifically, those in rural communities, general aviation users, and the military.
Open Access: All users, including the general aviation industry and emerging new entrants, must have open access to our Nation’s airspace. The FAA would continue to certify new entrants (such as Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Commercial Space Transports) as part of its responsibility to oversee safe use of the NAS. The new ATC entity would grant FAA-certified users access to the NAS, subject to their participation in the system’s user fees, their being equipped, as necessary, to fly in controlled air space, and their compliance with other applicable rules and regulations.
Rural Access: The new entity must maintain access and services to rural communities and general aviation users.
Military Access: To ensure safe and effective execution of military missions, the new ATC entity must ensure continued military access to delegated Special Activity Airspace (e.g., Military Training Routes, Military Operating Areas, Warning Areas, and Restricted Areas); be capable of enforcing temporary airspace restrictions; and meet national security airspace requirements for DoD training, testing, and exercises.
Noise: Efficient use of the airspace requires new technology and efficient air routes. The new ATC entity must have the authority, after seeking public comment, to adjust airspace routes. The proposed route change would only be subject to National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review if the change exceeds the FAA-established noise threshold. The FAA would still be responsible for ensuring—within a reasonable period of time, like 120 days—that any proposed route change does not create a safety hazard.
New Entity: America’s growing aviation system demands a new, independent, non-government organization to operate our Nation’s airspace. The new entity should have access to capital markets in order to spur capital investment, technology adoption, and innovation faster, more effectively, and securely. Over the last 20 years, more than 50 countries have already successfully transitioned their ATC operations.
Transition Period: The transfer of ATC operations from the FAA to the new entity should be completed within an established 3-year transition period overseen by the Secretary of Transportation. The transition period should be marked by milestones developed and monitored by the Secretary of Transportation, in coordination with the Secretary of Defense, to ensure adequate progress. The transition period may be extended only with the approval of the President.
Not-For-Profit Entity: The new ATC entity should be a not-for-profit, non-governmental entity.
Fees: The new ATC entity should be financially self-sufficient through the collection of user fees that cover both its costs of operations and recapitalization. The aviation taxes that currently cover these costs should be sunset, except for those necessary to continue to fund the Airport Improvement Program. General fund revenues should fund the rest of the FAA. Users should have input in the fees and their structure, which should be guided by ICAO principles and be consistent with the international obligations of the United States. Except national-security users (including DoD aircraft, DoD-contracted flights, and foreign military aircraft), diplomatic users (including non-commercial United States Government and foreign sovereign State aircraft), and public safety users, all users should pay their fair share. To ensure that rates are just and reasonable, however, users should have the ability to request review by the Secretary of Transportation, rather than the Congress. Any determination by the Secretary of Transportation should be final.
Financial Authority: The new ATC entity should have the authority to borrow funds and enter into contracts, leases, and other arrangements during and after the transition period. The new entity should also have the authority to procure goods and services, hire employees, and to bond or pledge future revenues to fulfill the terms of financial arrangements and other transactions. Additionally, the new entity should have the authority to sell or transfer its assets.
Assets: All assets currently owned by the FAA and used in the operation of ATC should be transferred, at no charge, to the new ATC entity. The users of the ATC system have already paid for those assets and should not be charged for them again. The assets should be transferred along with any environmental liabilities associated with them. Accordingly, sufficient funds to account for those liabilities should also be transferred to the new entity.
Governance: A professional Board of Directors should manage the new ATC. The members of the Board should have a fiduciary responsibility solely to the new ATC entity and be free of any financial conflict of interest. Board seats should not be reserved for any entity, except for the ATC entity’s Chief Executive Officer, who would serve as a representative of the new entity. The new entity should represent all users impartially, and no group should have even the appearance of influence over the Board. The Board should ensure that DoD and national-security equities are adequately represented and that the entity maintains appropriate relationships with national and international air navigation service providers and forums. To establish the initial Board, the Secretary of Transportation should select eight members from candidate lists provided by five nominating groups. The nominating groups should be airlines, unions, general aviation, airports, and the Department of Transportation. Each nominating group would provide lists of six to ten qualified persons to the Secretary.
United States-based carriers with annual revenues greater than $10 billion should develop the airline list.
Unions representing at least 50 percent of FAA employees that would transfer to the new ATC entity or representing more than 10,000 United States commercial pilots should develop the union list.
The two largest trade groups representing general aviation (Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and National Business Aviation Association (NBAA)), should jointly develop the general aviation list.
Two members should be selected from the airline list, two members should be selected from the union list, one member should be selected from the general aviation list, one member should be selected from the airport list, and two members should be selected from the Department of Transportation list. Those eight initial Board members would then select a Chief Executive Officer. Those nine Board members would then select four independent Board members. The 13-member Board would be constituted for at least the transition period, plus the first year of operation. After this time, decisions about Board constitution and members’ terms should be left to the discretion of the Board. Once the initial Board members are nominated, no group should have an exclusive right to name successor Board members.
Labor: The new ATC entity should honor existing labor agreements. Employees who transition to the new entity will no longer be Federal employees, but they should be held harmless and have similar rights to those they had as Federal employees at the FAA. Consistent with those rights, employees of the new entity should not be permitted to strike.
Spectrum: The new ATC entity should not be charged for its use of spectrum, as the FAA is not charged for spectrum use today. The new entity will occupy spectrum shared with Federal entities. The new entity, however, could be required to vacate existing spectrum band (at some point) and move to another frequency along with other Federal entities. In any future spectrum reallocation, the new entity should be treated as a Federal entity, including with respect to the use of any reallocation auction proceeds to finance relocation expenses. Relocation expenses could include those associated with the development, procurement, and installation of new radar systems that are interoperable with government systems on a different spectrum band.
Ridgewood NJ, According to the NJ Department of Homeland Security the election infrastructure subsector is complex and includes both physical and cyber assets, including voter registration databases, voting machines, and other systems to manage elections and report results, as well as storage facilities, polling places, and centralized vote tabulation locations.
In advance of the New Jersey primary on June 6, Erin Henry, Principal Planner in the Preparedness Bureau at NJOHSP, sat down with Michael Geraghty, State Chief Information Security Officer, and Robert Giles, Director of the State Division of Elections, to discuss New Jersey election systems security and efforts in New Jersey to keep these election assets secure and the voting process free from interference.
Although there are no specific or credible threats to election systems in New Jersey, the FBI confirmed cyber attacks on voter registration systems in Arizona and Illinois in 2016.
New Jersey’s primary elections will be held on Tuesday, June 6, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Your polling location is listed on the front of your sample ballot, which you will receive by mail prior to each election. Only registered voters are issued a sample ballot.
Primary elections, held in New Jersey each June, are the only elections where party affiliation affects the candidates for which someone can vote. In all other elections, a voter’s party affiliation is not even listed in the poll book.
New Jersey has “closed” primaries. This means that only Republican voters can nominate Republican candidates, and only Democratic voters can nominate Democratic candidates. Voters registered with any of the other political groups recognized by the State of New Jersey (Libertarian, Green Party, etc.) cannot vote in either the Republican or Democratic primary.
Unlike some other states with closed primaries, voters in New Jersey who are unaffiliated with any political party or group can declare either Republican or Democrat at the polls on the day of the primary and vote in that party’s primary.
Ridgewood NJ, according to the NJ office of Homeland Security the terrorist attack in London on June 3 highlights the continuing threat from “low-tech,” unsophisticated weapons such as vehicles and knives. Although there are no specific threats to New Jersey, these types of attacks require little preparation and could be conducted with little or no warning. Last week’s attack in London follows vehicle rammings at Westminster Bridge in London in May; in Stockholm, Sweden, in April; at a Christmas market in Berlin in December; on the campus of Ohio State University in November; and at a Bastille Day celebration in Nice, France, last July. ISIS and al-Qa’ida have encouraged their followers to attack where they are, with whatever weapons they can acquire. Last week, a pro-ISIS message encouraged its readers to kill civilians, with a caption reading, “Run them over by vehicles,” and showing an image with a truck, a knife, and a handgun (see photo).
The scenario for the attack on London Bridge and at Borough Market was similar to those of the attacks at Westminster Bridge and Ohio State University. In each case, the attackers drove a vehicle into pedestrians, then got out of the vehicle and began stabbing people. These multi-phase attacks extend the incident, thus increasing the number of casualties and amplifying the terror effect.
PLEASE NOTE: AFTER CAREFUL CONSIDERATION OF RECENT EVENTS AND FOR THE SAFETY OF OUR PATRONS, KATHY GRIFFIN’S NOVEMBER 3RD PERFORMANCE HAS BEEN CANCELLED.
All Kathy Griffin ticket buyers will be issued a full refund. If you purchased your tickets on Ticketmaster please call 800-745-3000. If you purchased your tickets through another party, please contact them directly.
KATHY GRIFFIN FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2017 AT 8:00PM AT STATE THEATRE NEW JERSEY
A note on the New Brunswick theater’s Facebook page reads:
“Please note: After careful consideration of recent events and for the safety of our patrons, Kathy Griffin’s November 3rd performance has been cancelled. All Kathy Griffin ticket buyers will be issued a full refund. If you purchased your tickets on Ticketmaster please call 800-745-3000. If you purchased your tickets through another party, please contact them directly.
Ridgewood NJ, NJ TRANSIT is joining with the National Safety Council and numerous other organizations across the country in recognizing National Safety Month during the month of June. Safety is the utmost priority for the corporation and NJ TRANSIT recognizes that collaboration between the agency and the public is necessary to effectively promote safe choices around the public transportation system.
“The safety of our customers and employees remains our top priority,” said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Steven H. Santoro. “That’s why we have been so focused on having Amtrak perform critical infrastructure repairs at Penn Station New York to ensure the reliability of the tracks, which serve as the foundation of safety for tens of thousands of customers each and every day.”
“We can use this month to be reminded of some simple ‘do’s and don’ts’ which will further promote a safe environment for our customers and our employees,” Santoro said.
“NJ TRANSIT is spreading the message of safety everywhere,’’ said Office of System Safety Chief Gardner Tabon. “National Safety Month is a time when we reinforce our face-to-face engagements, inform and educate employees, customers, motorists and others of safety protocols and risky behaviors by visiting them at selected work sites, by printing messages on pay stubs and by hanging posters in visible locations. These reminders promote the idea that we all share in the responsibility of staying safe.’’
Following are some important safety tips for everyone:
Rail and Light Rail Safety:
Never take a short cut along, around or across rail tracks.
Only cross railroad tracks in clearly-identified, designated areas where there are lights, signs and grade crossings.
Always stand behind the yellow safety line when waiting on the station platform.
Do not lean on train doors and stand clear as the doors open and close.
No running or playing on platforms or around tracks.
Listen to train personnel and watch your steps when boarding and exiting a train.
Bus Safety:
When waiting for and riding a bus:
Use designated crosswalks and sidewalks to reach the bus stop.
Never run after a bus; you may slip and fall, or may be struck by another vehicle.
Wait for the bus at designated stops and stand two to three feet from the curb.
Hold handrails while boarding the bus.
Stand behind the white line when the bus is in motion.
NJ TRANSIT will be increasing safety advertising and handouts onboard bus, rail and light rail vehicles. During the month, NJ TRANSIT will be hosting employee safety day events at various work sites to remind employees of the importance of safety protocols.
Point is they developers and friends would sell out any sane limitations on scale,building heights,
location ,appropriateness of type of business or residential multi family units as they jet out of here with the cash in hand.no less impact on school Registration cost of supporting rental and new owned condo families.
Garazilla 2 is the opening door to other developments after ken smith gets its free pass during summer at the shore VC sweetheart deal on developer possibly contributing to Traffic Light Costs w town exposed on the total cost overruns and traffic nightmare,Transit Village would do nothing positive for long paying average homeowners and excessive tax levies for schools and lack of consolidation of area towns services
A significant decline in the number of NJ high school graduates who will be seeking college degrees should be a major concern for the next governor and other leaders
Daryl G. Greer
New Jersey will experience about a 20 percent decline in the number of high school graduates through 2030, according to a recent report, “Knocking at the College Door,” by the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education (WICHE.) That will mean a drop to 90,000 from a current high of about 111,000 graduates annually, and more of these students will be from lower- income families and less-prepared academically for college.
That has important economic consequences for colleges, students, businesses, and the state — which need to be considered, now.
Historically, 70 percent to 80 percent of New Jersey high school graduates enroll in college. Obviously, fewer students paying tuition places stress on colleges’ financial operations. This is especially true, because about 70 percent of public colleges’ revenue comes from student tuition and fees. Add to this increasing competition for New Jersey students from surrounding states, such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Massachusetts, which also face declining enrollments. Pile on another dilemma in a no-growth environment: New Jersey already leads the nation as the number one net exporter of college-bound students. We lose about 30,000 students annually to other states. Regional competition for well-prepared New Jersey students who are able to pay for college will be at an all-time high. Not every university in the state can compete effectively for students in this environment.
