Ridgewood NJ, The Village council has hired Brigette Bogart of Brigette Bogart Planning and Design Professionals to serve as the village’s part-time planner, replacing the departed Blais Brancheau.
Bogart will attend planning and zoning board meetings, as well as review development applications filed by third parties, among other duties. Compensation will be an amount not to exceed $60,000.
According to the firm’s website, Brigette Bogart Planning & Design Professionals LLC was established in May of 2012 as a full service planning and design firm that recognizes the need to incorporate sustainable planning and appropriate urban design concepts into the future development projects.
Bogart has a Master of City and Regional Planning, University of Pennsylvania, 2000 and a Bachelor of Environmental Design in Architecture, North Carolina State University, 1997.
She has been awarded the 2008 NJPO Achievement in Planning for Borough of Park Ridge Rehabilitation Project,
2011 NJPO Achievement in Planning for the Township of Fredon Master Plan ,and the 2012 Recognized by Sustainable New Jersey as a member of a Certified Green Team.
Bogart previously worked for 12 years for the well-known Westwood-based planning firm Burgis Associates. In 2003, Bogart was named a Partner with Burgis Associates where she had been involved in all aspects of physical planning. Over a 12-year span, she has represented several municipalities in the review of subdivision and site plan development applications and the preparation of land use regulations as well as master plan elements. In 2010 She received her certification in Grant Writing.
Many residents may remember Bogart as the planner who testified on behalf of Citizens for a Better Ridgewood in 2014 during public hearings on the master plan amendments that would eventually rezone several parcels of land in downtown Ridgewood. Bogart said the rezoning requests “appear to be akin to spot zoning,”
She advised the Ridgewood Planning Board to engage in a cautious process, asking it to think about a “vision” for Ridgewood’s future as it moves forward. At the time their vision seemed more like Union City than Ridgewood .
Bogart herself took a cautious tone did not voice a stance against the developments, but she noted instead that the developments, though possibly at odds with Ridgewood’s best interests, would also help Ridgewood meet some of the current objectives in its master plan, such as enhancing aesthetics of certain areas downtown.
In the end, Bogart testimony reinforced the CBR’s contention that the problem was not development but “jumping from 12 units an acre to 50 units an acre seems reckless at best.”
At that time, the proposed amendments called for a density of 50 units per acre, which members of the grassroots organization CBR as well as most of the Ridgewood community, found unacceptable. Amendments were passed over a year later by the Planning Board reducing the density to 35 units per acre.
The Village Council also added two new members to the Planning Board, Carrie Giordano was appointed as the first alternate member of the board with a term that expires on June 30, 2018. Frances Barto was named as the second alternate, given a term of a little over two years that expires on June 30, 2019.
The village also engaged the Trenton-based Clark, Caton and Hintz planning firm for an amount not to exceed $35,000 to work on issues related to affordable housing.
Ridgewood NJ, in a recent ‘U.S. News & World Report’ Best States Ranking, New Jersey ranks 14th.New Jersey beat out New York, Florida, California, Hawaii and Pennsylvania in the overall rankings.
According to the study, the Best States ranking of U.S. states draws on thousands of data points to measure how well states are performing for their citizens. In addition to health care and education, the metrics take into account a state’s economy, the opportunity it offers people, its roads, bridges, internet and other infrastructure, its public safety and the integrity and health of state government.
What’s amazing is the rankings not only consider such categories as health care(pricey in NJ ), education (forgetaboutit ) but the “state’s economy(ugh), the opportunity it offers people (live with mom), its roads, bridges (total disaster), internet and other infrastructure (public rest rooms), its public safety (cops everywhere) and the integrity and health of state government( your kidding right).”
The Top 10 states in the overall rankings include (in order):
1. Massachusetts
2. New Hampshire
3. Minnesota
4. North Dakota
5. Washington
6. Iowa
7. Utah
8. Maryland
9. Colorado
10. Vermont
The Rankings noted the state’s “world-class universities, leading technology and biological science firms and one fast turnpike,” out of 50 states, the report lists New Jersey 2nd in education, 8th in health care, and 27th in opportunity.
In other categories, you guessed it New Jersey comes in dead last in the category of government, which takes into consideration such things as “Fiscal Stability” (ranked 49th in the country), “Budget Transparency” (29th), and “State Integrity” (18th) Scary New Jersey placed 18th.
The good news in the rankings, New Jersey leads the rest of U.S. states with a zero-percent over-capacity of its State Prison System. New Jersey comes in 2nd place for “Public Transit Usage,” and its low property crime rate ranked 3rd out of all 50 states.
Meanwhile, New Jersey ranked well in overall household income (4th), low suicide rate (2nd), fewest nursing home citations (4th), and pre-school enrollment (1st).
A New York labor union has exhausted its pension fund, leaving thousands of retirees at risk and sparking calls for a forensic audit.
Teamsters Local 707, which represents 4,000 retirees out of Long Island, became the first of several embattled Teamster locals funds to fully exhaust its money. The union was forced to turn over its pension fund to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), an independent federal agency.
Several retirees discussed their distress with the New York Daily News. Tim Chmil spent 30 years as a trucker and deducted portions of every paycheck to cover the costs of a defined benefit pension. He has now seen that money dry up as the pension fund teetered toward insolvency.
“It’s a nightmare, it has just devastated all of our lives. I’ve gone from having $48,000 a year to less than half that,” Chmil told the Daily News.
Neither Local 707 President Kevin McCaffrey, nor the PBGC returned requests for comment
Ridgewood NJ, Bergen County Prosecutor Gurbir S. Grewal announced the arrest of JAMES R. COWAN (DOB: 3/19/1944; widower; and formerly employed as a medical doctor) of 572 West Saddle River Road, Ridgewood, New Jersey for charges related to the distribution of controlled dangerous substances. The arrest is the result of an investigation conducted by members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Robert ANZILOTTI, the Dumont Police Department under the direction of Chief Michael J. CONNER, the Ridgewood Police Department under the direction of Chief Jacqueline LUTHCKE, and the State of New Jersey Department of Law & Public Safety, Division of Consumer Affairs & State Board of Medical Examiners under the direction of Attorney General Christopher S. PORRINO.
During the month of February 2016, law enforcement personnel initiated an investigation into the medical practice of Dr. James R. COWAN, a licensed Medical Doctor specializing in Psychiatry, located in his home office at 572 West Saddle River Road, Ridgewood, New Jersey.
During this investigation, detectives from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, in an undercover capacity, visited the office of Dr. COWAN, posing as new patients. During these office visits, the undercover officers received prescriptions for medications from Dr. COWAN in exchange for cash payments. The undercover detectives were not physically evaluated by Dr. COWAN or anyone else at his office, but instead were issued prescriptions for Xanax and Adderall.
During the month of March 2016, Dr. COWAN became medically ill, and was hospitalized for several months. While he was in the hospital, the investigation revealed that another individual, who was not licensed to prescribe medicine, continued to see patients and issue prescriptions to patients on New Jersey prescription blanks that were pre-signed by Dr. COWAN.
During the month of April 2016, while Dr. COWAN was hospitalized, a court-authorized search warrant was executed at the residence / office of Dr. James COWAN. During the execution of the search warrant, items including New Jersey prescription blanks, patient files, computers, and Controlled Dangerous Substances were located and seized, and office personnel were found to be in possession of numerous files for patients that were scheduled to come to the office throughout the week. It was learned that Dr. COWAN reviewed these patient files from a rehabilitation facility where he was located at the time. He then caused prescriptions to be issued to patients he did not examine for, among other things, Tylenol w/ Codeine, Adderall, Xanax, and Subutex to these patients. Additionally, while present in the rehabilitation facility, Dr. COWAN pre-signed numerous New Jersey prescription blanks.
During the month of May 2016, the New Jersey Department of Law and Public Safety Division of Consumer Affairs & State Board of Medical Examiners suspended the medical license and Controlled Dangerous Substances registration for Dr. James R. COWAN.
On Wednesday, March 1, 2017, Dr. James COWAN turned himself over to members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office. He was charged with one count of Knowingly or Purposely Distributing a Controlled Dangerous Substance, namely Xanax, N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5B(13), a third degree crime; one count of Knowingly or Purposely Distributing a Controlled Dangerous Substance, namely Adderall, N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5B(13), a third degree crime; one count of Knowingly or Purposely Distributing a Prescription Legend Drug, namely Azithromycin, in an Amount of at Least Five (5) but Fewer than One Hundred (100) Dosage Units, N.J.S.A. 2C:35-10.5(3), a third degree crime; one count of Knowingly or Purposely Distributing a Controlled Dangerous Substance, namely Tylenol w/ Codeine, N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5B(13), a third degree crime; six counts of Knowingly or Purposely Distributing a Controlled Dangerous Substance, namely Xanax, N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5B(13), a third degree crime; six counts of Knowingly or Purposely Distributing a Controlled Dangerous Substance, namely Adderall, N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5B(13), a third degree crime; one count of Knowingly or Purposely Distributing a Controlled Dangerous Substance, namely Subutex, N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5B(13), a third degree crime; and one count of Knowingly or Purposely Distributing a Controlled Dangerous Substance, namely Oxycodone, in an Aggregate Weight Exceeding One Ounce, N.J.S.A. 2C:35-5B(4), a second degree crime.
After arrest processing, James COWAN was released pending a first appearance court date at Central Judicial Processing.
Bergen County Prosecutor Grewal states that these charges are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt and would also like to thank the Dumont Police Department, the Ridgewood Police Department, and the Division of Consumer Affairs & State Board of Medical Examiners for their assistance in this investigation.
The spring home-buying season is about to be in full swing and all the single ladies will be helping to drive the market, according to new real estate data.
In New Jersey, first-time homebuyers are a big portion of the market — 35 percent. And single women — mostly in the millennial generation — make up 19 percent of that portion.
Nationally, single women are twice as likely to buy a home than single men.
But why?
Ralph DiBugnara, vice president of Parsipanny-based Residential Home Funding, based in Parsipanny says many millennial women are getting married and having children later in life.
“It’s become an empowering thing to own their own home,” he said. “They don’t have to start a family, they don’t have to get married.”
Trenton NJ, Governor Christie unviels his final budget as governor ;
“This is the ninth time I’ve come before a joint session to address our state’s budget. Each time I’ve had specific goals in mind; guiding principles to follow. Government should get smaller. Taxes shall not be increased. Our core commitments must be met. Each time, with varying degrees of struggle, harmony and acrimony, we have reached these goals – I have stuck to those principles. Let me assure you that today will be no different.
– Governor Chris Christie, New Jersey State Budget Address, February 28, 2017
The Fiscal Year 2018 budget will be the eighth and final state budget of Governor Chris Christie’s tenure. When Governor Christie entered office in 2010, New Jersey was enduring an unprecedented fiscal crisis, with an immediate $2.2 billion mid-year fiscal deficit, as well as an unthinkably large $10.7 billion projected budget gap for Fiscal Year 2011 — more than a third of the prior year’s budget. At that time, it was uncertain whether the State would be able to meet its payroll within two months.
The staggering $13 billion two-year gap represented the culmination of years of reckless tax-and-spend policies and shortsighted budgeting practices that ignored economic realities. While state and national economies faltered, spending in Trenton under the previous administration continued unabated at unsustainable levels — increasing 58 percent from 2001 to 2008. The previous governor’s Fiscal Year 2010 budget was propped up with temporary income tax hikes, corporate surtaxes, reliance on one-time federal stimulus funds, temporary employee furloughs and other desperate gimmicks.
Today, Governor Christie is presenting his eighth consecutive balanced budget built on a foundation of fiscal restraint and responsibility. The Fiscal Year 2018 budget will fund $2 billion less in discretionary spending than was spent in Fiscal Year 2008.
The Governor’s Proposed Fiscal Year 2018 Budget:
• Calls for $35.5 billion in State appropriations, a 2.6 percent increase, largely due to non-discretionary costs.
• Contains $2 billion less in discretionary spending than the Fiscal Year 2008 budget.
• Includes the largest pension payment in New Jersey history with a $2.5 billion contribution to the State’s defined benefit funds.
o This will bring total pension contributions by the Christie Administration to $8.8 billion.
o That will be more than two and a half times the total contributions made by all governors combined during the 16-year period from Fiscal Year 1995 through Fiscal Year 2010.
• Renews the Governor’s commitment to higher education in New Jersey. Overall, higher education funding is maintained at a total of $2.2 billion in Fiscal Year 2018.
• Proposes a seventh-consecutive year of the highest amount of school aid supporting Pre-K through Grade 12 education in New Jersey history. The Fiscal Year 2018 budget proposes more than $13.8 billion for education, an increase of $523.2 million.
• Provides more than $17 billion in direct and indirect property tax relief, nearly half the total budget, including $13.8 billion in school aid and $1.5 billion in municipal aid.
• Continues more than $1 billion for direct property taxpayer relief programs:
o 423,300 seniors and citizens with disabilities will receive an average Homestead Benefit of $511, while 169,500 other homeowners earning up to $75,000 will receive an average Homestead Benefit of $397.
o 138,200 seniors and citizens with disabilities will continue receiving Property Tax Freeze benefits averaging $1,401, while 25,100 new beneficiaries will receive their first year of benefits averaging $219.
Investing In New Jersey’s Transportation Infrastructure
Today, Governor Christie proposed a $400 million supplemental appropriation in this Fiscal Year. These funds will be invested and spent quickly over the next 100 days to address bridge deficiencies and road conditions in all of New Jersey’s 21 counties. Further, these funds will be used to expedite technology enhancements and other infrastructure improvements for New Jersey Transit and will allow the New Jersey Department of Transportation to deliver the largest construction program in state history. The results will be smoother roads, safer bridges and a more technologically sound mass transit system.
In October 2016, Governor Christie signed legislation that reauthorized the New Jersey Transportation Trust Fund Authority Act. As a result of that legislation, Governor Christie’s fiscal 2018 budget provides a record $2 billion State Transportation Capital Program. The Program includes over $1.3 billion for State and local highway and bridge projects, and another $677 million for mass transportation projects.
Ensuring Access To Care While Keeping Down Costs
The NJ FamilyCare program currently provides comprehensive health care coverage to more than 1.8 million New Jersey residents at a projected $4.2 billion cost to the Fiscal Year 2018 budget. The program serves individuals eligible for both Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and represents a partnership between the State and the federal government. The NJ FamilyCare program, while having some of the highest income limits in the nation, has traditionally provided health coverage exclusively to low-income families, seniors and people with disabilities. On January 1, 2014, Governor Christie expanded the program, using 100 percent federal funding, to provide health coverage to low-income childless adults.
The proposed Fiscal Year 2018 budget represents the fourth full fiscal year of the NJ FamilyCare expansion, and while a fraction of the costs associated with this eligibility group have shifted to the State budget, the expansion continues to represent a tremendous value for New Jersey. Since the Governor’s decision to expand NJ FamilyCare in 2014, an additional 487,000 uninsured New Jersey residents have gained coverage under this program. Not only did this expansion provide reliable medical coverage to many formerly uninsured residents, the infusion of federal dollars has generated meaningful savings to the State budget. Through Fiscal Year 2018, the shift of State costs to the federal government combined with the reduction in demand for Charity Care has resulted in a cumulative savings of $2 billion to the State.
Commitment To World-Class Healthcare
With the goal of ensuring a stable and accessible hospital system that provides care of the highest possible quality, the Department of Health’s budget makes significant investments in three hospital subsidy programs: Charity Care, Graduate Medical Education and Delivery System Reform Incentive Payments.
• Charity Care. Governor Christie’s expansion of NJ FamilyCare has led to a dramatic increase in NJ FamilyCare enrollment, which continues to be funded almost entirely by the federal government. The associated decrease in uninsured residents has reduced by more than half the documented claims for uncompensated care submitted by New Jersey’s hospitals. Since the expansion took effect on January 1, 2014, 487,000 low-income residents have gained health insurance through NJ FamilyCare, a 38-percent increase in program enrollment. This fundamental shift allows for a $25 million reduction in State funding for Charity Care in Fiscal Year 2018. The Fiscal Year 2018 budget provides $252 million in combined federal and State support to offset the costs hospital facilities incur in treating the uninsured.
• Graduate Medical Education (GME). The Fiscal Year 2018 budget increases support to New Jersey’s teaching hospitals by $30 million, with the total amount available through the Graduate Medical Education program now totaling $218 million. This marks the third year in a row that funding for this critical program has been increased, with the total amount available now more than triple the funding provided when Governor Christie took office. This enhanced commitment to GME will help to ensure that New Jersey residents have continued access to an adequate number of well-trained doctors.
• Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP). Funded at $166.6 million, the Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) program was launched in Fiscal Year 2014 as a replacement for the Hospital Relief Subsidy Fund. The program continues to reward innovation and quality by distributing funds to hospitals based on measurable improvements in health outcomes.
Continued Emphasis On Community-Based Care And Services
Governor Christie is committed to fundamentally changing the way services and programs support individuals with developmental disabilities and their families, by moving away from a system that has historically focused on institutionalization to one that emphasizes home and community-based services and supports. To this end, resources have been refocused to provide people with intellectual and developmental disabilities with the ability to live as independently as possible with the proper supports.
The five-year Olmstead settlement agreement, signed February 2013, covered fiscal years 2013 to 2017 and required 600 placements over that time period. By the end of Fiscal Year 2018, the Department expects to have placed a total of 737 individuals, well exceeding the requirements of the Olmstead agreement due in large part to the acceleration of placements from the closure of North Jersey Developmental Center and Woodbridge Developmental Center in Fiscal Year 2015.
In addition to the Olmstead commitment to move individuals with developmental disabilities out of developmental centers, Governor Christie’s determination to provide services in the community includes funds to develop additional community placements and services that divert admissions to developmental centers. The Fiscal Year 2018 budget provides $89.7 million of new State and federal funding to create community placements and services, including Olmstead placements.
As a result of reforms initiated under the Medicaid Comprehensive Waiver, adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities that are living independently or with family are becoming eligible for substantially increased in-home support services for which the State will receive a federal match. When the Supports Program is fully implemented, it is expected to generate approximately $100 million in matching funding on previously State-only costs to create an estimated $200 million program, which will allow for the further expansion of services.
Family Services
The Fiscal Year 2018 budget continues and enhances the Christie Administration’s commitment to providing a wide array of services to children and families throughout New Jersey through Department of Children and Families (DCF) programs.
• Child Protection and Permanency (CP&P). The Fiscal Year 2018 budget includes a total of $986.6 million in State and federal funds for the operations and services provided by this DCF Division that is responsible for investigating allegations of child abuse and neglect
• Children’s System of Care (CSOC). This program helps more youth remain at home, in school and in their own communities, while still receiving the full scope of services they require, and provides coordinated care for more than 61,000 children and adolescents. The Fiscal Year 2018 budget includes a total of $592.5 million in State and federal funds for the operations and services provided by this Division, an increase of $24.3 million over the fiscal 2017 Appropriations Act.
• Family Success Centers. The Governor’s proposed budget protects funding for these centers which are community-based organizations that provide a wide array of services ranging from day care, resume writing and parenting classes to domestic violence prevention and substance use disorder services. The number of Family Success Centers in New Jersey will increase to a total of 58 in Fiscal Year 2018.
Lead Safety
Through continuing and increased appropriations, Governor Christie’s Fiscal Year 2018 budget continues to address lead concerns in New Jersey, ensuring the State remains a national leader on this issue. Governor Christie has added $10 million in additional State funding to effectuate the update in lead regulations to make New Jersey’s standards for identifying elevated blood-lead levels in children consistent with those of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Department of Community Affairs will continue working through nonprofit organizations to remediate lead-based paint hazards affecting low- and moderate-income households in New Jersey.
The Fiscal Year 2017 budget provided $10 million to reimburse school districts for costs related to lead testing between July 13, 2016, and July 13, 2017. School districts that tested their water during that time period can continue to seek reimbursement in Fiscal Year 2018 from unexpended Fiscal Year 2017 balances.
Ridgewood NJ, according to sources the old IRS phone scam is in full swing in New Jersey once again !
The Ridgewood blog is reposting the IRS updated notice on these scam calls. Ridgewood was the scene of many of these calls last year and continues to be a prime target.
Scam Phone Calls Continue; IRS Identifies Five Easy Ways to Spot Suspicious Calls
Update September 2016 — To file a complaint using the FTC Complaint Assistant, choose “Scams and Rip-Offs” and then “Impostor Scams.”
IR-2014-84, Aug. 28, 2014
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service issued a consumer alert today providing taxpayers with additional tips to protect themselves from telephone scam artists calling and pretending to be with the IRS.
These callers may demand money or may say you have a refund due and try to trick you into sharing private information. These con artists can sound convincing when they call. They may know a lot about you, and they usually alter the caller ID to make it look like the IRS is calling. They use fake names and bogus IRS identification badge numbers. If you don’t answer, they often leave an “urgent” callback request.
“These telephone scams are being seen in every part of the country, and we urge people not to be deceived by these threatening phone calls,” IRS Commissioner John Koskinen said. “We have formal processes in place for people with tax issues. The IRS respects taxpayer rights, and these angry, shake-down calls are not how we do business.”
The IRS reminds people that they can know pretty easily when a supposed IRS caller is a fake. Here are five things the scammers often do but the IRS will not do. Any one of these five things is a tell-tale sign of a scam. The IRS will never:
Call to demand immediate payment, nor will we call about taxes owed without first having mailed you a bill..
Demand that you pay taxes without giving you the opportunity to question or appeal the amount they say you owe.
Require you to use a specific payment method for your taxes, such as a prepaid debit card.
Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
Threaten to bring in local police or other law-enforcement groups to have you arrested for not paying.
If you get a phone call from someone claiming to be from the IRS and asking for money, here’s what you should do:
If you know you owe taxes or think you might owe, call the IRS at 1.800.829.1040. The IRS workers can help you with a payment issue.
If you know you don’t owe taxes or have no reason to believe that you do, report the incident to the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) at 1.800.366.4484 or at www.tigta.gov.
You can file a complaint using the FTC Complaint Assistant; choose “Other” and then “Impostor Scams.” If the complaint involves someone impersonating the IRS, include the words “IRS Telephone Scam” in the notes. [See update at top of page.]
Remember, too, the IRS does not use unsolicited email, text messages or any social media to discuss your personal tax issue. For more information on reporting tax scams, go to www.irs.gov and type “scam” in the search box.
Ridgewood NJ, Super Science Saturday, is coming this Saturday March 4th, 9am to 1:30pm at Ridgewood High School 627 East Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07451.This is the 29th annual Super Science Saturday!
Super Science Saturday hailed as the “Greatest Science Extravaganza in Northern New Jersey,” brings fun and excitement to science through professional presenters and student projects. As a joint project of the Ridgewood Board of Education and the Super Science Saturday Volunteer Committee, we aim to bring all science lovers together for a day of fun and learning for all ages.
In an effort to make Super Science Saturday an even better experience, we have changed venues to Ridgewood High School, giving more space for student presenters in our “Hall of Science.” Our adult presenters will also have generous space throughout hallways, the Cafeteria, and the Campus Center.
Super Science Saturday will appeal to everyone from the casual observer to the aspiring scientists. Most of all, we hope to spark an interest in science among children, showing them the wonders of science. Through interactive exhibits such as a wheelchair maze, live animals, and demonstrations of chocolate making to more complex brain wiring demonstrations, Super Science Saturday will satisfy the scientific appetite of everyone.
We encourage everyone to join the fun! Check out our volunteer page to learn about getting involved. This day cannot happen without the support of dedicated volunteers. Sign up now and make this Super Science Saturday one to remember.
For information please contact :Super Science Saturday
201-300-2900 [email protected]
Washington DC, President Donald Trump promised “open doors” at the White House this week. Where the White House doors used to be closed, they are now wide open – open for the People’s Business. But, most importantly, we are translating these meetings into action.
In a statement Trump said , ” Where the White House doors used to be closed, they are now wide open – open for the People’s Business. But, most importantly, we are translating these meetings into action.
One by one, we are checking off the promises we made to the people of the United States. And we will not stop until the job is done.
✔️We will reduce taxes. ✔️We will cut regulations. ✔️We will support our police. ✔️We will defend our flag. ✔️We will rebuild our military. ✔️We will take care of our Veterans. ✔️We will fix our trade deals. ✔️We will cut wasteful spending. ✔️We will promote our values. ✔️We will rebuild our inner cities. ✔️And we will bring back our jobs and our dreams.
The forgotten men and women of America will be forgotten no longer. That is the heart of this new movement – and the future of the Republican Party.
The GOP will be the party of the American Worker. We will not answer to donors or lobbyists or special interests – but we will serve the citizens of the United States of America. Global cooperation is important. But there is no such thing as a global anthem, a global currency, or a global flag.
There is one allegiance that unites us all, and that is our allegiance to America. No matter our background, or income, or geography – we are all citizens of this blessed land. And no matter our color, we all bleed the same red blood of patriots.
We all salute the same American Flag. And we are all made equal by the same Almighty God.
As long as we have faith in each other, and trust in God, then there is no goal beyond our reach. There is no dream too large, no task too great. We are Americans. And the future belongs to us.
The future belongs to all of you. And America is about to come roaring back – Bigger and Better and Stronger than ever before.
Thank you, God Bless You, and God Bless the United States of America ”
Deploys team to Philadelphia to help with clean up and security
February 27,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA stands in solidarity with Jewish Americans this weekend as the second Jewish cemetery in the last week was vandalized. Reports indicate that over 100 tombs were broken or destroyed at the Mt. Carmel Cemetery in Philadelphia, PA.
“We are deeply troubled by these rising and ongoing attacks on our Jewish sisters and brothers and members from our Philadelphia chapter are in route to assist in clean up,” said Dr. Nasim Rehmatullah, national vice president for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA. “We call upon all Americans to stand united against this hatred and extremism.”
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community issued a statement on January 19th expressing deep concern over the waves of bomb threats at Jewish centers around the country. Sadly, these bomb threats have since continued. We stand ready to serve and protect our Jewish sisters and brothers against these acts of intolerance and hatred, and pray for our nation’s safety.
About Ahmadiyya Muslim Community: The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is a dynamic, reformist and fast-growing international movement within Islam. Founded in 1889, the Community spans over 200 nations with membership exceeding tens of million. Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA, established in 1920, is among the oldest American-Muslim organizations. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the only Islamic organization to believe that the long- awaited messiah has come in the person of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908) of Qadian, India. Ahmad claimed to be the metaphorical second coming of Jesus of Nazareth and the divine guide, whose advent was foretold by the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad. The Community believes that God sent Ahmad, like Jesus, to end religious wars, condemn bloodshed and reinstitute morality, justice and peace. Ahmad’s advent has brought about an unprecedented era of Islamic revival and moderation. He divested Muslims of fanatical beliefs and practices by vigorously championing Islam’s true and essential teachings
Ridgewood NJ, It’s not unusual for careers to get off to wobbly starts as young people, hampered by their lack of experience and contacts, find it difficult to achieve a firm footing.
That’s one reason they should make it a goal to find mentors who could help guide them through the rough patches.
“One of the biggest benefits of having a mentor is that person’s success can act as a catalyst for your belief in yourself,” says Lauren Davenport, CEO and founder of The Symphony Agency (www.symphonyagency.com), a marketing and technology firm.
“It’s also a way to expand your network because a mentor can introduce you to people who could help you with your career and who you otherwise might not meet.”
While mentors can be a great asset for young people in their career advancement, don’t expect the mentor to materialize out of nowhere and then do all the heavy lifting, Davenport says. Much of the onus is on the mentee to seek the relationship, cultivate it and make the most of it.
She says a few ways to do that include:
• Don’t be afraid to reach out. A simple LinkedIn search can help you find people who are currently in your dream job. Somehow, they managed to get the very thing you want. How did they pull that off? Send them a short message and tell them your aspirations. Ask if they can spare 30 minutes for you to visit their office and “pick their brains” about how they achieved success. • Do your homework. After you went to all the trouble to set up that meeting, you don’t want to show up unprepared. Learn all you can about this potential mentor with a Google search. Write down any questions you want to ask. For the meeting, dress like you already have a job with the person’s company and be 10 minutes early, Davenport says. • Join a networking organization. If reaching out to an individual isn’t in your comfort zone, seek a networking organization that focuses on career growth. Sign up for a MeetUp group taught by someone you admire. “Take notes as the person speaks,” Davenport says. “After the event, you’re also going to need to muster up the courage to introduce yourself. To find a good mentor, in most cases you really are going to need to take the first step.” • Pay attention to the mentor’s advice. You may not follow through on every suggestion, but you do need to listen to what they have to say. After all, the wisdom and experience they can provide is the whole point of having a mentor. Davenport recalls early in her career joining a networking group and trying to pitch her company to the members without success. She mentioned to her mentor her inability to generate any business. “She told me if I wanted to be taken seriously as a business woman I needed to change my wardrobe,” Davenport says. “I put away the summer dresses I typically wore and bought some tailored jackets and other clothes that helped present a business-professional look.” Soon after, business picked up.
“I still actively seek women who are in my industry and at similar career levels,” Davenport says.
“Sometimes they even work for competitors. We don’t share any company secrets, but we often are experiencing similar struggles, so we swap stories and give each other advice on how to overcome those challenges.”
About Lauren Davenport
Lauren Davenport is chief executive officer at The Symphony Agency (www.symphonyagency.com). She founded the company after discovering that businesses were struggling to understand how to implement marketing and technology to reach their full potential in the digital age. Her natural entrepreneurial drive grew the organization from a boutique consulting business into a multi-million dollar agency. She is a contributor for the New York Daily News and has been featured on PBS, ABC Action News, iHeartRadio, AMEX OPEN, and more.
JENNIFER COFFEY AND TIM DILLINGHAM | FEBRUARY 27, 2017
With 14 counties under drought warning, the governor must release the Water Supply Plan — whether it’s ready or not
Jennifer Coffey and Tim Dillingham
With the beginning of the new calendar year, New Jersey has entered its third consecutive year of drought, with 14 counties remaining under an official drought-warning status. While winter rains and snow are helping drinking-water reservoirs refill, the drought warning remains. In six weeks, spring will bring blooming flowers, growing lawns, warmer temperatures, and increasing demands for water. Increasing demands for clean water during a time of drought in the most densely populated state in the nation is why, despite what one prominent scientist has recently written, we desperately need an updated Water Supply Plan for the Garden State.
Gov. Chris Christie’s failure to release an update to the State Water Supply Plan is threatening New Jersey’s supply of clean, fresh drinking water. On Earth Day 2015, in April, the New Jersey Senate Legislative Oversight Committee held a hearing at which experts testified on the need for an updated Water Supply Plan. Our current plan is 21 years old and 16 years overdue for an update. Committees in both houses of the New Jersey Legislature have passed resolutions directing the governor to release the draft plan immediately, yet amidst a drought warning, there is still no sign of the plan.
The Water Supply Plan works as an accounting checkbook for New Jersey’s water supplies. The goal is to ensure that we have enough clean water for residents, businesses, power production, farming, and the environment for this and future generations. The master plan includes recommendations for balancing the diverse demands on the water supply with the amount of water that replenishes the sources of that water — precipitation that feeds our shared streams, rivers, and underground water sources known as aquifers.
Updated February 24, 2017
Posted February 24, 2017
By Bobby Olivier | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
For a huge swath of New Jerseyans, work means commuting, and commuting means public transportation. NJ Transit and the PATH host more than 700,000 daily riders between bus and rail.
And unfortunately, not every New Jersey commuter is a perfectly polite passenger. In fact, some seem put on this earth — or train car — just to devolve our daily routines into maddening frustration and rage.
Here are 12 of the most loathsome types of New Jersey commuters, from the phone talkers to the eaters to the ones who WON’T. STOP. STARING at you. Commuting is enough of a pain without these human nightmares fooling with our sanity.
Ridgewood NJ, There was a time when nothing was more sacred than going to a baseball game, getting a hot dog and keeping score in the stands. Children from past generations would enter the gates at their favorite baseball stadium and immediately ask their parents to get a scorecard and pencil, so that they could track every play. In the days before YouTube, Wikipedia and baseball reference sites, keeping score was one of the only ways to look back on games and remember what happened – batter to batter.
As technology advanced the art of scorekeeping faded from popular use, and now many fans don’t know what a backwards “K”, “HPB” or a “6-4-3 DP” means. To help bring scorekeeping back to the 21st Century, GameChanger has launched apps for iOS and Android. GameChanger, available for free, is the leading digital scorekeeping app that also helps amateur baseball and softball teams stay organized and informed.
GameChanger features an easy-to-use tutorial that guides even the most inexperienced users step-by-step and pitch-by-pitch. With one click, users simply have to select the virtual field on the screen and a set of dropdown menus will allow them to input the play. The app keeps track of all the action, so that users can review the game anytime, anywhere. In-game stats include everything from pitch counts to first-pitch strike percentage.
Ridgewood NJ, according to Rasmussen Reports most Americans favor screening out immigrants to this country who don’t share our values or a belief in our basic constitutional freedoms.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 61% of American Adults favor a proposal to keep out “those who do not support the U.S. Constitution or who would place violent ideologies over American law. In addition, the United States would not admit those who engage in acts of bigotry or hatred for reasons of religion, race, gender or sexual orientation.” Just 19% oppose such a ban, while 21% are not sure. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
This is the wording President Trump used in his initial executive order temporarily freezing refugees into this country and visas for those from seven Middle Eastern and African countries until proper vetting procedures to screen out potential terrorists are in place. The question, however, did not identify Trump as the source of the proposal.
Last August when he first proposed it, 59% of voters supported candidate Trump’s temporary ban on immigration into the United States from “the most dangerous and volatile regions of the world that have a history of exporting terrorism” until the federal government improves its screening procedures. Thirty-two percent (32%) were opposed.
Fifty-eight percent (58%) of Americans believe that criminals should be prosecuted more severely if it can be proven that their crime was motived by the victim’s race, color, religion, national origin or sexual orientation. A new high, this finding had previously been in the mid- to upper 40s in surveys since 2009. Twenty-eight percent (28%) still disagree, while 14% are undecided.
Sizable majorities in most demographic groups favor both the immigration litmus test and so-called hate crime prosecutions.
In an interesting side note Democrats, are less supportive of restricting immigrants with hateful ideologies than they are of prosecuting Americans for hate crimes. Republicans, on the other hand, view restrictions on newcomers to this country more favorably than prosecution of existing Americans.
Not surprising given the recent political rhetoric only 49% of Democrats favor keeping out of the country those who do not support the Constitution or who in engage in acts of bigotry or hatred for reasons of religion, race, gender or sexual orientation. But 65% of Democrats support prosecuting criminals more severely if it can be proven that their crime was motivated by the victim’s race, color, religion, nation origin or sexual orientation.
Conversely, 78% of Republicans favor the constitutional/hate crime litmus test for immigrants, but only 57% support prosecutions based on the same standards.
Just over half of Americans not affiliated with either major party favor both proposals. But 33% of unaffiliateds oppose hate crime prosecutions, compared to just 16% who are against the restrictions on new immigrants.
