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Protest follows talk of demolishing Oradell mansion

Atwood-Blauvelt mansion

DECEMBER 4, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY NICHOLAS PUGLIESE
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

ORADELL — A former owner of the Atwood-Blauvelt Mansion said Thursday that the property’s current owner has signaled that it intends to file for a permit to demolish the historic structure.

Jeffrey Wells, who owned the home until 2011, said that representatives of CareOne, one of the state’s largest nursing home operators, informed him this week that “they were looking to do a walk-through on the house because they were going to apply for a demo permit.” Supporters of efforts to preserve the mansion, which was built in the 1890s, responded by staging a small demonstration there on Thursday.

But Timothy Hodges, CareOne’s chief strategy officer, said Thursday that the fate of the building has not yet been decided.

“Ever since CareOne acquired the property at 699 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell, it has continued to explore its development options for the property,” he said. “That process is still ongoing and no final decisions have been made.”

He added: “CareOne has not applied for a demolition permit from the Borough of Oradell.”

Borough Administrator Laura Graham confirmed that no such application had been filed as of Thursday afternoon.

Wells said the purpose for the walk-through would be to show CareOne’s construction professionals how the building receives utility services. The tour was scheduled for 10 a.m. Thursday, he said.

But when those professionals saw about a dozen people displaying a banner reading “SAVE the BLAUVELT” on the property’s front lawn, they canceled the appointment, Wells said.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/education/talk-of-demolition-1.1467524

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Traffic Alert Friday 12/4/15 Downtown for the Holidays starting at 4:30pm today

ridgewoodtreelighting thridgewoodblog.net

Traffic Alert Friday 12/4/15 Downtown for the Holidays

East Ridgewood Ave will be closed Between North Maple Ave and Broad Street starting at 4:30PM for the Downtown for the Holidays-30th Anniversary Celebration. Expect heavy traffic delays surrounding the business district due to the road closures.

Event Description

30th Year Celebration !
Santa is in Ridgewood-bring your list!
Lots of Music and entertainment !

Early Event – “for the kids”5:30 – 6:30 – Santa in the park for the “wee tots” along with live entertainment by the “clock”, in the stores and restaurants along E. Ridgewood Ave featuring the RHS Marching Band, RHS Ridgewood Carolers, RHS Orchestra, Taekwondo All In

NEW THIS YEAR –
5:30-9pm Special Feature-Holiday Express Train-bring the family and ride this fun train up and down E. Ridgewood Ave.

7-8 – “on stage live”Live entertainment and tree lighting Celebration featuring performances by Porch Light Productions, From the Top Studio, Art of Motion, Arthur Murray Dance Studio, Santa and Much More!

8-9 “Merriment on E. Ridgewood Ave Shh – Santa will be back in the parkLots of music on the avenueRestaurant reservation suggested

Specials going on during the Tree Lighting…
Femmebot has music and 10% store wide sale until 9pm on 12/4/15
Alex and Ani having in-store events-

THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING SPONSORSfor the 30th Anniversary Celebration

Columbia Bank
Valley Health System
Van Dyk Health Care
Freedom
BankCareOne at Ridgewood
Ridgewood News
Boiling Spring Saving Bank
PNC Wealth Management
Park West Tavern & LoftWest
Bergen Mental Healthcare
ConnectOne Bank
Ulrich, Inc.
C.C. VanEmburgh Funeral Home
Pearl Restaurant
Daily Treat Restaurant
Atlantic Stewardship Bank
Bagelicious
Country Pancake House and Restaurant
Life Opportunities
Unlimited
Pink Bungalow
Hillmann Lighting
Lazarus & Williamson
The Woman’s Club of Ridgewood
Christ Church
Cupcakes by Carousel
Femmebot Clothing
Beauty Plus Salon
Gold Fish Swim School
Ridgewood Public Library
West Side Nursery School
Ridgewood YMCA
Ridgewood Party Rental

For more details, please call us at 201-445-2600 or email [email protected] www.experienceridgewood.com

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The tax-avoiding Facebook mogul and an act of charity that reeks of hypocrisy

facebook-dislike-1

By IAN BIRRELL FOR THE DAILY MAIL

PUBLISHED: 20:18 EST, 2 December 2015 | UPDATED: 03:44 EST, 3 December 2015

Once, it was enough to put a notice in the newspaper when your child was born. But Mark Zuckerberg, the multi-billionaire founder of Facebook, likes to do things differently.

So he welcomed his newborn daughter, Max, into the world with an open letter on his social media site, in which he and his wife, Priscilla Chan, pledged to donate almost all their £30 billion fortune to charity during their lives.

The happy couple talked rather smugly about how their first child gave them cause to reflect on the future, saying they were inspired by their desire to build a better world and because they have a ‘moral responsibility to all children in the next generation’.

Read more: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-3343771/The-tax-avoiding-Facebook-mogul-act-charity-reeks-hypocrisy.html#ixzz3tJ3sKgBj

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Ridgewood December School Recess -Recreation Activities

MAGIC SHOW FEATURING JOE FISCHER

December School Recess

Special Events with Ridgewood Recreation

MAGIC SHOW FEATURING JOE FISCHER – Monday, December 28th, 11:30 am at the Anne Zusy Youth Center, Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood. Tickets are $5 for all attending (under 2 free).

A show that is sure to amaze.

Be sure to watch for “Secrets of Magic” during our winter session – a 6 week class of behind the scene magic with Joe Fischer, with take home tricks each week.

ARCTIC ANIMALS ART CAMP WITH ABRAKADOODLE – Monday and Tuesday, December 28 and 29, 10 am to 12 noon each day, at the Stable, 259 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood. Grades K-3. $90, all materials provided ($100 non-residents).

Calling all animal lovers! Students will use clay and paint in this camp while learning about some snowy friends! From igloos and polar bears to chilly moose, a fun time will be had by all!

CHILDREN’S CRAFT WORKSHOP WITH MRS. C. – Monday, December 28th, 1 to 3 pm, at the Stable, 259 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood. Grades 2-6. $30, all materials provided ($40 non-residents).

Use your creativity and imagination while learning simple techniques required to draw, paint, and finish a project of your choice. All materials included. Bottle dolls, wood painting, basket weaving, tile painting, beads, jewelry, and a lot more!

TRIVIA MANIA WITH MAGIC CUBE – Tuesday, December 29th, 1 to 2:15 pm, at The Anne Zusy Youth Center, Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood. Grades 3-6. Tickets are $5 for all attending.

Come enjoy a live interactive trivia game show with buzzer system, lighting and sound effects, fun contestant games, musical competitions, audience participation activities, prizes, and two exciting co-hosts.

MYTHBUSTERS WITH EDUCATION EXPLORERS – Tuesday, December 29th, 1 to 3 pm, at The Stable, 259 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood. Grades 1-5. $45, all materials included ($55 non-residents).

Explore science the Busters Way! Children will participate in a variety of hands-on experiments that put common “myths” to the test. Using scientific method and children’s innate curiosity, they will have fun exploring many STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) principles.

Purchase of tickets for the shows or registration for the program offerings may be made either online at Community Pass, www.ridgewoodnj.net/communitypass or in person at The Stable, 259 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450, weekdays 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

For additional information, or if special accommodations are needed, kindly contact the Recreation office at 201-670-5560

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America needs a commander in chief, not a weather-obsessed meteorologist

abominable-snowman-520169

 

December 1, 2015

By Mike Huckabee

President Obama’s national security priorities are dangerous. Two weeks after terrorist attacks rocked Paris, he is visiting France, not to focus on fighting global terrorism, but to tackle the global warming “security imperative.” America needs a commander-in-chief, not a weather-obsessed meteorologist-in-chief.

The federal government cannot control the weather. Period. We can control borders, military assets, critical airspace, and American intelligence. We can also kill Islamic terrorists and radical ISIS murderers. America needs a president focused on what we can control, not fixated on weather patterns which we cannot.

Even if we could control the weather, 95 percent of the world lives outside America, and we cannot control the behavior of seven billion people across the globe. Put another way, other countries refuse to tackle simple, dangerous threats like nuclear weapons proliferation. So how does Obama expect to persuade massive polluters like China, Russia and Pakistan to embrace expensive, job-killing global warming regulations?

Obama’s obsession with global, utopian collaboration and building a personal climate change legacy has made him allergic to common sense. Meanwhile, the real “security imperative” keeps metastasizing.

ISIS keeps swelling in size and power and Obama still has no strategy. In the Syrian city of Raqqa, which serves as the ISIS capital, Islamic radicals have established a treasury department with an elaborate system of taxes, public services and real estate rental agreements. Between oil production, smuggling, antiquity dealing and kidnapping, ISIS is building a comprehensive infrastructure.

What will it take for Obama to wake-up to this menace? Maybe he would take ISIS seriously if he discovered they didn’t recycle.

Homegrown terrorists and radicalized immigrants continue to pop-up across Europe. The Department of Homeland Security refuses to reform a dangerous travel program that allows unscreened foreign passengers from 38 countries, including France and Belgium, to enter the U.S. without a visa.

Illegal immigrants continue to cross our porous borders and thousands of immigrants overstay their visas each year. America’s cyber-defenses remain incredibly vulnerable and the White House has endless excuses for security breaches, intelligence failures and routine Washington incompetence.

Now more than ever, America needs a commander-in-chief focused on the global war on terrorism, instead we have a community organizer focused on global warming. Obama’s blindness is beyond baffling, it’s dangerous. It shouldn’t take another Paris attack for this White House to open its eyes: radical Islamic terrorism is a much greater threat than a sunburn.

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is a 2016 Republican candidate for president of the United States.

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Breaking News Bergen County officials Are Seeking to Merge County Services With Cities Like Newark ,Paterson, Passaic and Jersey City

Van Nest Sq

December 3,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ , the Ridgewoood blog has learned from what we’ve seen in other presentations that this means they want to make things ‘regional’ and that means you’ll pay for costs in other towns even though you don’t get a vote?  Bergen County officials are seeking to use your tax money to fund services in other jurisdictions .

The meeting was held at Bergen Community College on Wednesday December 2nd under the guise of “Uniting New Jersey: Cities and Suburbs Working Together”,hosted by Bergen County Executive James J. Tedesco. The keynote speaker was Bergen Professor Phil Dolce, Ph.D., a noted suburban studies expert.

Bergen Professor Phil Dolce, Ph.D.,led a panel discussion featuring: Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino; Paramus Mayor Richard LaBarbiera; Teaneck Mayor Lizette Parker; and Jersey City Deputy Mayor Vivian Brady-Phillips on strategies for bridging the divide between suburbs and cities.

This would answer a lot of questions as to why the made dash to urbanize down town Ridgewood .

this is the invite

Officials Will Discuss Suburb/City Relationship at Forum

Elected officials from some of North Jersey’s largest suburbs and cities, including keynote speakers Bergen County Executive James J. Tedesco III and Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, will gather at Bergen Community College to discuss how communities can enhance collaboration during a free and open-to-the-public conference Wednesday, Dec. 2.

The “Uniting New Jersey: Cities and Suburbs Working Together” program will begin at 5 p.m. with a light buffet in the Moses Family Meeting & Training Center at the College’s main campus, 400 Paramus Road. Along with the College, the Volunteer Center of Bergen County and the North Jersey Public Policy Network will co-sponsor the event.

In addition to the keynote speakers, Bergen Professor Phil Dolce, Ph.D., a noted suburban studies expert, will lead a panel discussion featuring: Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino; Paramus Mayor Richard LaBarbiera; Teaneck Mayor Lizette Parker; and Jersey City Deputy Mayor Vivian Brady-Phillips on strategies for bridging the divide between suburbs and cities.

For the first time since 1950, growth in urban counties has outpaced their suburban counterparts in the New York metropolitan area, according to a Rutgers University Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy study. Experts believe the shift could have consequences for suburban areas that depend on significant property tax revenue. Bergen County, a major suburb of New York City, remains the state’s most populated county with approximately 933,572 residents according to the federal government. The county’s population has risen each year in the last decade.

For more information on the conference, or to RSVP for the light buffet and/or conference, please [email protected].

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Murdoch unloads on Kerry, Obama, the left

Rupert Murdoch

By BLAKE HOUNSHELL

11/30/15 11:11 PM EST

News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch, in a discursive speech Monday evening, blasted Secretary of State John Kerry and attacked the left for creating an “identity crisis” that he charged has undermined American strength and fostered terrorism around the world.

And he drew a connection between U.S. foreign policy and domestic culture, arguing that “in recent years, there has been far too much institutionalization of grievance and victimhood.”

The Australian-born media mogul, a naturalized U.S. citizen, also touched on the Republican presidential primary, which he said “has articulated a deep distaste for the slow descent of our country.”

“Before delivering my modest message,” Murdoch joked at the outset of his address accepting the Hudson Institute’s Global Leadership Award, “I feel obliged to alert college students, progressive academics and all other deeply sensitive souls that these words may contain phrases and ideas that challenge your prejudices — in other words, I formally declare this room an ‘unsafe space.’”

After a few words of praise for former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who had just introduced him to the hawkish think-tank crowd, Murdoch quickly pivoted to a sweeping indictment of U.S. foreign policy under Barack Obama, though he did not mention the president by name.

“For a U.S. secretary of state to suggest that Islamic terrorists had a ‘rationale’ in slaughtering journalists is one of the low points of recent Western diplomacy and it is indicative of a serious malaise,” Murdoch said, referring to Kerry’s recent mangled attempt to draw a distinction between the assault on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and the more recent Paris attacks. “For America to be embarrassed by its exceptionalism is itself exceptional and absolutely unacceptable.” (Kerry quickly walked back those comments, remarking the next day that “such atrocities can never be rationalized, and we can never allow them to be rationalized.”)

Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2015/11/henry-kissinger-rupert-murdoch-fox-216294#ixzz3t6CBwAIb

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USA retail stores sales plummet. We just need more parking, everywhere!!!

parking cbd

 Retail Store Sales Fell 10% Thanksgiving Weekend as Online Gains

Lauren Coleman-Lochner LaurenLochner
December 1, 2015

U.S. holiday shoppers spent more of their time last weekend online and less in line.

Consumer spending at brick-and-mortar retail locations in the U.S. fell 10 percent to $20.4 billion over the four-day Thanksgiving weekend, according to ShopperTrak. The Chicago-based research firm gathers sales and traffic data from receipt information and devices in stores.

Retailers cut back on Thanksgiving hours, rolled out discounts earlier this year and ran more of their bargains online, putting less pressure on consumers to rush out for discounts after their turkey dinners or the next morning. The strategies also contributed to a 26 percent increase in online sales over the weekend, according to International Business Machines Corp. But even after the brick-and-mortar drop, ShopperTrak maintained its forecast that those sales will rise 2.4 percent this holiday season.

“The success of the holiday season doesn’t hinge on the performance of a single day,” said Bill Martin, ShopperTrak’s founder. “Seven out of the top ten sales days still remain, and December is anticipated to be strong.”

ShopperTrak’s forecast for the holiday season is weaker than that of the National Retail Federation, which has predicted a 3.7 percent sales gain for November and December.

Spending Less

The shoppers that did hit the mall last weekend may have kept a lid on spending. About half of Americans shopped on Black Friday this year, similar to last year, the International Council of Shopping Centers said Tuesday. But 55 percent said they spent the same or less than last year, according to a survey of 1,016 adults the trade group commissioned from Opinion Research Corp.

Janeen Price, who was shopping with her daughter in Greensboro, North Carolina, over the weekend, said she was a more serious Black Friday bargain-hunter in previous years. Now, her kids are grown up and she doesn’t feel the need to butt heads with other shoppers, said Price, 50.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-12-01/retailers-store-sales-fell-10-last-weekend-shoppertrak-says

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Fate of Ridgewood property’s historic house remains uncertain

zabriskieschedler_theridgewoodblog

 

DECEMBER 1, 2015    LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2015, 9:45 AM
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Ridgewood police officer Robert Hirsch handles his last assignment, escorting the Christmas tree

12299343_1017526801643686_4382375818163533936_n
photo courtesy of the Ridgewood PD

Ridgewood police officer Robert Hirsch handles his last assignment, escorting the Christmas tree

November 30,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, After 30 years of serving the Village Of Ridgewood police officer Robert Hirsch handles his last assignment, escorting the Christmas tree from Dorchester Avenue to North Broad Street where it will be lit this Friday during the annual downtown for the holidays celebration. Officer Hirsch joined the Ridgewood Police Department in 1985 prior to that he worked for New Jersey Transit as a police officer. We wish Bobby the best in his retirement.

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A Sign of things to Come : Paterson May Not Meet Payroll

Paterson Falls

Paterson looks to hold emergency meeting to make Friday’s payroll

NOVEMBER 30, 2015, 10:16 AM    LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2015, 10:16 AM
BY JOE MALINCONICO

PATERSON – Officials were scrambling Monday morning to schedule an emergency City Council meeting later in the day in an effort to issue Friday’s paychecks to Paterson’s 1,800 municipal workers.

The mayor has said the council must approve temporary budgets for December and January on November 30 in order for the employees’ next checks to be issued on time.

The employee checks were placed in jeopardy last week when the council objected to the administration’s lack of spending cuts and voted 4-4-1 to reject its proposed temporary budget.

The state on November 25 sent the city council a letter criticizing its action. “The City Council’s failure to act on a temporary budget jeopardizes the fiscal well-being of the City,” wrote Timothy Cunnnigham, director of the New Jersey Division of Local Government Services.

Cunningham said the council should “work with the administration to identify specific budget cuts” and approve the temporary budget in the meantime so that Paterson could meet its financial obligation to employees, vendors and bondholders.

It’s not clear whether the council would budge at an emergency meeting. Under laws government fiscal decisions, the administration needs six votes to get the temporary budget passed. That means at least two council members among the five who abstained or voted against it would have to change their minds.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/paterson-looks-to-hold-emergency-meeting-to-make-friday-s-payroll-1.1464758

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GLENWOOD ROAD STAIRS IN RIDGEWOOD CLOSED 2 WEEKS FOR REPAIRS

Road_work_theridgewoodblog

Notice of Closure due to Repairs – Nov 30 – 2 weeks

The Glenwood Road stairway from Upper Boulevard to the Ho-ho-kus Train Station will be closed to all pedestrians starting Monday, November 30, 2015. The closure will last approximately 10 to 14 days, depending on the weather.

The closure is necessary so that portions of the stairway can be repaired in response to several recent complaints. Pedestrians are advised to plan alternate routes during the closure.

Glenwood Road itself will also be closed to traffic.

In advance, thank you for your cooperation,

Department of Public Works

Village of Ridgewood

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Mayor and his Cronies Accused of Bad Mouthing Local Ridgewood Business’s that do not support their agenda

paul Aronsohn

November 30,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridewood NJ, Reader posts , “Paul Aronsohn – the same Paul Aronsohn that contacted one of my clients and tried to convince him not to stop using my services. All because I do not support Mr. Aronsohn’s policies. I ask you, what gives Mr. Aronsohn the right to interfere with my business operations? The answer is, he has no right to do so but he thinks because he is the mayor of Ridgewood and I’m a resident of Ridgewood, he can get into my personal business. Time to contact an attorney about Mr. Aronsohn’s big mouth.”

We have heard this story all to often , most are familiar with the attempt to derail Mike Sendon’s campaign with a despicable and cowardly email to his employer . And most are keenly aware that this was a third rate low life attempt to disenfranchise Ridgewood voters .

Advertises on this blog have been attacked and subtly threatened , fake blogs have been set up by local failures to attack this blog the list goes on and on.Playing favorites may not be a crime but it is terrible governance. Bringing Hudson County politics into Ridgewood is lowering the entire standing of this town and its residents . The bad news for the purveyors of this garbage is that  this isn’t Hudson County and its never going to be . Elections come and go but Ridgewood will always be Ridgewood .

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Friends of Schedler Launches Facebook Group

Save Our Schedler Members & Friends at the Schedler House3
file photo by Boyd Loving
November 30 ,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, It’s taken a little while to get the Friends of Schedler facebook page started but it’s ready.
You are all invited to come take a look, join and better understand where This neighborhood is, what situations the local neighbors are facing and what situations the kids would be facing if a field were built here. Come see the exposure to Rt 17 and the close proximity the children would be playing to that busy highway.
“Our mission: To promote the responsible development of the Schedler parcel, the last open space in Ridgewood, with consideration of the environment, neighborhood, and town.”

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“This smacks of a ‘carbon imperialism’,” wrote Arvind Subramanian, the Indian government’s chief economic advisor.

Obama-pictured-as-king

Paris climate talks: Through the smog, coal-hungry India sees ‘carbon imperialism’ in the West

As Delhi rushes to boost its coal generation to satisfy rocketing energy demands, John Kerry’s decision to single out India as a “challenge” provokes fury

Andrew Marszal in New Delhi

6:56PM GMT 28 Nov 2015

It’s rush hour in the world’s most polluted city, and just visible through the dense blanket of smog is an electronic billboard informing motorists that the air quality has dropped from “very poor” to “severe”.

If this were Beijing an emergency would be declared, with schools closed for the day and production at factories halted. But here in Delhi, judging by faces barely visible behind anti-pollution masks, nobody seems to have noticed.

When John Kerry, the US secretary of state, last week singled out the country most likely to pose a “challenge” to climate change talks at Paris, it wasn’t China he named – it was India.

• Paris climate change conference: everything you need to know about the UN summit.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/india/12022821/Paris-climate-talks-Through-the-smog-coal-hungry-India-sees-carbon-imperialism-in-the-West.html