McGreevey comes to Paterson to defend controversial prison reentry initiative
JANUARY 6, 2016, 9:57 AM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2016, 10:02 AM
BY JOE MALINCONICO
PATERSON PRESS
PATERSON — Former Gov. Jim McGreevey made a surprise appearance at Tuesday night’s City Council meeting in an attempt to defuse criticism aimed at the new prisoner reentry program he is launching in Paterson.
Speaking to the council members, McGreevey said a similar reentry initiative he oversees in Jersey City has achieved low recidivism rates and high employment among its participants by providing them with counseling, job training and other services to ease their transition to life outside prison.
Then the former governor addressed council members’ concerns about Paterson’s use of municipal public works department employees working overtime to complete renovations on the privately-owned Montgomery Street building where some of the post-prison services will be provided.
McGreevey said the “crazed drive to get this done quickly” stemmed from concerns that the city could lose the $180,000 federal grant paying for the work if it were not completed quickly. McGreevey’s explanation matched the one provided by Mayor Jose “Joey” Torres on Monday. The mayor has said the overtime costs would be covered by the federal grant.
In an interview after his presentation to the council, McGreevey said he expected the program to begin operation in the middle of this month with its first group of 11 to 15 participants. He said that it would serve between 175 and 250 released inmates per year. In an effort to dispel some residents’ concerns that parolees would be living at the Montgomery Street building, McGreevey said the site would only be used during business hours to provide services and referrals.
“I believe we’re changing lives through the process of reentry,” said McGreevey, chairman of the board of the New Jersey Reentry Corporation, the nonprofit organization working on the project.
For the most part, council members seemed to show deference to the former governor as they complimented his efforts. Not until later in the night, long after McGreevey had left the building, did several council members sharply question administration officials about the project
As Connecticut Republicans increasingly hope he will say yes to a U.S. Senate race in 2016, conservative TV and radio host Larry Kudlow told Newsmax he will make a decision on whether to challenge Democrat Sen. Richard Blumenthal “before the end of February.”
In an exclusive interview with Newsmax, Redding resident Kudlow, 68, came the closest he has so far to becoming a full-fledged candidate.
Best known as a spirited champion of smaller government and slashing tax rates, the onetime Reagan administration deputy budget director told us that the issue that motivates him the most to run is the war on terror.
“The war against ISIS is the great issue of our time,” said Kudlow, widely known for his long-running “The Kudow Report” on CNBC and his nationally-syndicated radio show. “ISIS wants to destroy America and it is in cahoots with the groups that want to destroy Israel. But we must destroy ISIS.
“It burns in me we have a mediocre, left-leaning senator agreeing with Obama that ‘global warming is the issue of our time.’ And whatever skills I have, I will use them to run a scathing campaign on this issue.”
Ridgewood NJ, Registration for the Winter 2016 session will be held on Tuesday, January 19th, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., at the Community Center, Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood
This program, for boys and girls age 5 to 15, is designed to enhance self-esteem, self-discipline and safety awareness! Students are placed into classes according to age and ability. This is an ongoing program.
Classes will be held at Community Center, Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue on Tuesdays after school for a 10-week session, January 26 through April 5 (no class Feb 16). The cost is $100.00. Uniforms are highly recommended and are not included in the registration fee. Click on details below. Call KidSafe at 973-284-5650 for more information.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA Invites all American Muslims to endorse campaign
January 6,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA, the nation’s single largest Muslim organization, is launching an unprecedented and comprehensive campaign to separate True Islam from extremism. The True Islam and the Extremists campaign educates Americans and Muslim Americans on the peaceful, anti-extremist teachings of Islam by clarifying 11 of the most common misconceptions extremists use to radicalize youth.
With President Obama making a renewed call to root out extremist ideology by partnering with American Muslims, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community responds by further elevating our century-long efforts. To that end, the Community has extended invitations to over 2,100 Muslim American Imams and thought leaders to endorse the Campaign to demonstrate True Islam and advance this proven model to combat extremism.
Our most recent scientific survey conducted in Fall 2015 by YouGov indicates an urgent need to educate Muslim Americans on true Islam. For example, while true Islam backs free speech, 52% of Muslim Americans believe the state or someone from society should punish those who blaspheme against or insult Prophet Muhammad. Likewise, while Prophet Muhammad taught that loyalty to one’s nation of residence is part of a Muslim’s faith, only 52% of Muslim Americans believe Islam always requires loyalty to your country of residence. Moreover, while true Islam teaches separation of mosque and state, only about one in three Muslim Americans or 32% believe Islam supports separation of mosque and state. In contrast, 40% said it does not while 28% were unsure. Perhaps most concerning, 18% of Muslim Americans did not agree or declined to answer when asked whether true Islam condemns every form of terrorism. (7% and 12%, respectively).
Meanwhile, Muslim Americans express frustration at inconsistent Muslim leadership in the ideological fight against terrorism. A 2011 Pew survey reports that only 34 percent of Muslim Americans felt Muslim leaders have done enough to speak out against extremism. The same survey found that nearly half or 48 percent of Muslim Americans feel Muslim American leadership has not adequately addressed terrorism.
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA believes that education of all Americans—Muslims and non-Muslims alike—is the solution to remedy this misinformation about true Islam and in the best interest of our national security. Since 1920, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA has worked with local, state, and national governments, with interfaith organizations, and with other Muslim organizations with a proven model to combat radicalization and terrorism in America.
“The Muslim American community is a diverse and vibrant community, and we may not necessarily agree on certain dogmatic beliefs,” said Dr. Nasim Rehmatullah, Senior Vice President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA. “Our purpose here is not to debate dogma, but to recognize the common enemy of ignorance, fear, and extremism that harms all Americans regardless of belief. Our purpose is to stand united against extremism for the sake of peace and true Islam. On this tenet of justice, we look forward to working with all Muslim Americans and indeed all Americans to win this ideological war against extremism.”
The True Islam campaign rejects the notion that the “original” Islam is a violent ideology, and that reconciling Islam with modern values requires an “Islam 2.0.” Through the True Islam campaign, we seek to inform Americans (particular the youth) of the correct Islamic understanding—as taught by the Holy Qur’an and the
Prophet Muhammad—of the following eleven points:
True Islam wholly rejects all forms of terrorism.
True Islam believes in nonviolent Jihad of the self and of the pen.
True Islam believes in the equality, education, and empowerment of women.
True Islam advocates freedom of conscience, religion, and speech.
True Islam advocates for the separation of mosque and state.
True Islam believes in loyalty to your country of residence.
True Islam encompasses the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
True Islam believes in all verses of the Qur’an and forbids lying.
True Islam recognizes that no religion can monopolize salvation.
True Islam believes in the need for unified Muslim leadership.
True Islam rejects the concept of a bloody Messiah.
The True Islam campaign demonstrates with action and a proven model that no conflict exists between American and Islamic values. It educates the public and combats radicalization in both Muslim and non-Muslim Americans, which strengthens national security. The Campaign will be publicized through press conferences, flyer distributions, meetings with members of local, state, and federal government, opinion editorials, television and radio interviews, interfaith dialogues, public lectures, university hosted debates, and the public invitation to all Americans and Muslim Americans to join us.
Today, the Muslim American community stands at a crossroads, and the question before us is simple, stark, and clear: will we allow extremists to define Islam as a violent ideology or will we counter their narrative by demonstrating the peaceful, pluralistic teachings of True Islam? We hope you will join us in agreeing that the latter is the only rightly guided path, and look forward to hearing from you. Please find details on how to register your organization at www.trueislam.com and on social media @TrueIslamUSA.
By Karen Tumulty and Jenna Johnson January 4 at 9:53 PM
Cathy Cuthbertson once worked at what might be thought of as a command post of political correctness — the campus of a prestigious liberal arts college in Ohio.
“You know, I couldn’t say ‘Merry Christmas.’ And when we wrote things, we couldn’t even say ‘he’ or ‘she,’ because we had transgender. People of color. I mean, we had to watch every word that came out of our mouth, because we were afraid of offending someone, but nobody’s afraid of offending me,” the former administrator said.
All of which helps explain why the 63-year-old grandmother showed up at a recent Donald Trump rally in Hilton Head Island, S.C., where she moved when she retired a year ago.
The Republican front-runner is “saying what a lot of Americans are thinking but are afraid to say because they don’t think that it’s politically correct,” she said. “But we’re tired of just standing back and letting everyone else dictate what we’re supposed to think and do.”
In the 2016 Republican presidential primary season, “political correctness” has become the all-purpose enemy. The candidates have suggested that it is the explanation for seemingly every threat that confronts the country: terrorism, illegal immigration, an economic recovery that is leaving many behind, to name just a few.
In exclusive Salon interview, the cultural critic finds parallels between Cosby and Clinton, takes down modern p.c.
DAVID DALEY
Over the next two days, she’ll hold forth on the GOP presidential field in devastating ways, and offer surprising thoughts on how she thinks Clinton vs Sanders will end. We start today with thoughts on Bill Cosby, Bill Clinton, campus political correctness and modern feminism.
The banner on the Drudge Report this morning is that Kathleen Willey is starting a site to collect harassment claims against Bill Clinton. New York magazine, meanwhile, has the stories of 35 women who say they were raped or assaulted by Bill Cosby. I wonder if you see a connection between the two stories: Would Bill Clinton’s exploits be viewed more like Cosby’s if he was in the White House now, instead of in the 1990s?
Right from the start, when the Bill Cosby scandal surfaced, I knew it was not going to bode well for Hillary’s campaign, because young women today have a much lower threshold for tolerance of these matters. The horrible truth is that the feminist establishment in the U.S., led by Gloria Steinem, did in fact apply a double standard to Bill Clinton’s behavior because he was a Democrat. The Democratic president and administration supported abortion rights, and therefore it didn’t matter what his personal behavior was.
But we’re living in a different time right now, and young women have absolutely no memory of Bill Clinton. It’s like ancient history for them; there’s no reservoir of accumulated good will. And the actual facts of the matter are that Bill Clinton was a serial abuser of working-class women–he had exploited that power differential even in Arkansas. And then in the case of Monica Lewinsky–I mean, the failure on the part of Gloria Steinem and company to protect her was an absolute disgrace in feminist history! What bigger power differential could there be than between the president of the United States and this poor innocent girl? Not only an intern but clearly a girl who had a kind.
Ridgewood NJ, Frigid weather is here, and heating systems are working extra hard. With three months of bill credits this winter, PSE&G residential customers will pay about 30 percent less for gas this season. But there are simple ways to lower bills even more:
Lower your thermostat by just one degree, which may reduce your heating bill by up to 3 percent. Save even more by lowering your thermostat 2 degrees during the day when you are home, and 5 to 10 degrees when you are away and at bedtime, if health conditions permit. Close fireplace dampers when not in use. Close and latch your windows. Set your hot water heater to no more than 120 degrees. Move furniture and drapes away from heating registers, radiators, and baseboard element covers. Open any register or baseboard dampers. Remove or cover window air conditioners to reduce drafts. Install insulated or lined drapes on your windows. Open your curtains and blinds that face the sun on sunny days to warm your home, and close them at night to keep the warm air inside. Use weather stripping or caulk to seal up cracks and prevent drafts in windows and doorframes. Beneath doors, install draft guards available at hardware stores. Use a shrink film insulation kit, commonly available at home improvement centers, on drafty windows or make one yourself from plastic sheeting and double-faced tape. Seal wall switches and electrical outlets on exterior walls of your home with small foam gaskets available from home improvement centers and hardware stores. Remove the cover plate, insert the gasket, and screw the cover plate back in place. Keep your garage door closed if the garage is attached to the house. If your budget permits, install (or have installed) a programmable thermostat that you can set to automatically lower room temperatures when rooms are not in use and at bedtime, if health conditions permit. Check for sufficient water levels in the sight glass for steam heating systems to ensure maximum efficiency. Clean or replace the furnace filter on hot air heating systems.
Visit PSE&G’s Home Energy Toolkit at www.pseg.com/toolkit. You can calculate the energy efficiency of your home and find out how to save energy and money on appliances and heating systems.
When making home improvements, always wear the appropriate safety equipment such as eye protection, gloves and a mask to protect against dust; and remember to check your carbon monoxide and smoke detectors for proper operation and replace their batteries at least once every year.
I am pleased that you have formally outlined The Record’s editorial policies. I am also happy to hear that you believe in freedom of speech, religion and the press, however I did not see that you are in support the Constitution or The Bill of Rights. You have stated that any group of citizens should not run roughshod over the best interests of the people as a whole
I also understand that the newspaper’s mission is not to please the public. According the recent to Gallop poll:
68% of Americans do not want to be “politically correct”.
70% of Americans say that the Government is too big.
68% of Americans are against Obamacare.
I feel that Obama is pathological lier. He has ignored our Constitutional separation of powers through the illegal use of Executive Orders or his illegal waivers of Obamacare’s dictates or his refusal to enforce immigration laws, and massive new regulations that are destroying capitalism, and my country that I have fought for.
I have yet to see an article on Obama and his Far Left agenda. I and the majority of Americans agree upon these is issues. You stated that the success of any democracy depends on a full debate of the issues, if they are printed.
Economy in close second, followed by unemployment and immigration
BY: Ali Meyer
January 4, 2016 3:31 pm
For two years in a row, the federal government was named the number one problem in the United States, according to areport from Gallup. Sixteen percent of Americans said they were dissatisfied with some facet of government, whether it be President Barack Obama, Congress, or political conflict.
Americans named the economy as the nation’s second chief problem, and 34 percent mentioned either inflation, the budget deficit, or unemployment as cause for concern.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the setting of Fish Urban Dining is striking. Situated in a former Bank of America branch on East Ridgewood Avenue, the restaurant has 30-foot-high ceilings with six huge chandeliers, and its sleek dining room extends into what was the bank’s vault, complete with a five-ton steel door.
Jim and Karen DeGilio, the married couple who own the restaurant and a second Fish Urban Dining, in Asbury Park, opened their Ridgewood place in July. It has been packed ever since. It has high-quality seafood, attentive service and some excellent nonaquatic dishes, too.
“We pride ourselves on serving fresh, uncomplicated seafood with fair prices in a comfortable, fun setting,” Mr. DeGilio said in a phone interview following my visits.
Dave Symniuk, the executive chef at both locations, has worked with the couple for over a decade and oversees a team of cooks that handles day-to-day preparations.
In landmark shift, hospitals agree to fees in lieu of property taxes
JANUARY 3, 2016, 10:59 PM LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, JANUARY 3, 2016, 11:00 PM
BY LINDY WASHBURN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
For more than a century, New Jersey’s non-profit hospitals have been exempt from paying property taxes, despite relying on their communities to maintain local roads and provide police and fire protection. Now the state’s largest hospital association says its members are willing to make payments to towns they reside in — but many municipalities want more.
In a historic change, the New Jersey Hospital Association recently declared its support for a proposal in the Legislature to require non-profit hospitals to make “community service contributions” to municipalities. The move came after a tax court decision this summer that Morristown Medical Center was not entitled to its property-tax exemption because its operations were little different from those of a for-profit company. That hospital has since agreed to pay $15.5 million over 10 years.
Concerned that Judge Vito Bianco’s decision would lead to tax battles involving many other hospitals, the hospital association endorsed a proposal by state Senate President Stephen Sweeney. The measure would assess non-profit hospitals a fixed daily contribution — not a tax — of $2.50 per bed, to be used for public safety expenses or to reduce property taxes.
The association estimated that the payments from all of the state’s s would total $21 million to $25 million, including about $2.7 million annually from the six non-profits in Bergen and Passaic counties, if the measure is enacted as written. They are Hackensack University Medical Center; The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood; St. Joseph’s Healthcare System’s two hospitals in Paterson and Wayne; Englewood Hospital and Medical Center and Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck. Hospitals owned by for-profit companies — HackensackUMC at Pascack Valley in Westwood and St. Mary’s General Hospital in Passaic — already pay property taxes.
Updated 1404 GMT (2204 HKT) January 3, 2016 | Video Source: CNN
CNN)Armed protesters have taken over a building in a federal wildlife refuge in Oregon, accusing officials of unfairly punishing ranchers who refused to sell their land.
One them is Ammon Bundy, the 40-year-old son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who is well-known for anti-government action.
He spoke by phone to CNN on Sunday at 8 a.m. ET. Asked several times what he and those with him want, he answered in vague terms, saying that they want the federal government to restore the “people’s constitutional rights.”
“This refuge — it has been destructive to the people of the county and to the people of the area,” he said.
“People need to be aware that we’ve become a system where government is actually claiming and using and defending people’s rights, and they are doing that against the people.”
The group is inside part of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge near Burns after gathering outside for a demonstration supporting Dwight and Steven Hammond, father and son ranchers who were convicted of arson.
Prosecutors said the Hammonds set a fire that burned about 130 acres in 2001, to cover up poaching. The father and son were sentenced to five years in prison.
The Hammonds said they set the fire to reduce the growth of invasive plants and to protect their property from wildfires, CNN affiliate KTVZ reported.
There will be a Village Council Special Public Meeting held on Friday, January 8, 2016 @ 5PM in the Court Room at Village Hall. Various Consultants will be presenting proposals for the 4 Multi-Family Housing Studies covering; fiscal impact, traffic, education & municipal infrastructure
Dear Councilwoman Knudsen, Village Council and Village Manager:
On behalf of the Supporters of Citizens for a Better Ridgewood (CBR), I request that the Village Council promptly review and change the date of the Multifamily Housing Impact Study Presentations, which are apparently set for Friday, January 8th at 5pm. This meeting MUST be scheduled at a time that will encourage Resident input and attendance… after all it is called a “Special PUBLIC Meeting.” The current scheduling has the direct and true effect of substantially eliminating the ability of many (or most) Residents from being able to attend. We recognize you are working hard to expedite these presentations, but nevertheless, the serious public attendance issues with a Friday 1/8, 5pm timeslot should have been evident and understood as a given before making this problematic change. This issue and this meeting are too important to your Resdients. Beyond the fact that Fridays are generally an inopportune time for such events, the 5pm timing eliminates most Residents with school age children (as this is their dinnertime), as well as the majority of our workers and commuters, who will not be home in time to attend. Given this, who then, is this “Public” meeting planned for?
While I am sure this was not intended, leaving the meeting set for such a difficult time, creates the divisive appearance that the Village Council is seeking to bypass or avoid public attendance and input. That is most certainly not what our Council, or our Village needs at this time. Our Mayor has been a vocal advocate of finding ways to improve the tenor of public discourse. Providing an “inaccessible” meeting time, for such an important event, will raise the level of frustration, Resident-exclusion and act as a setback to those noble intents.
The timing of this meeting is wrong for Ridgewood. Please reschedule at a time that encourages public attendance.
Who announces regulations on one of the top selling products of the year just before Christmas— the Obama Administration, of course! Donald Scarinci, PolitickerNJ Read more
Christie administration ends waiver for food stamp work requirement
About 11,000 New Jerseyans may have their food assistance discontinued after Gov. Chris Christie’s administration said Thursday that the state is no longer offering a certain waiver in the program. Brent Johnson and Samantha Marcus, NJ.com Read more
