NJ TRANSIT ANNOUNCES FULL, SYSTEMWIDE CROSS-HONORING IN ADVANCE OF MAJOR WINTER STORM
Customers advised to check njtransit.com before traveling
NEWARK, NJ — As this season’s first major winter storm moves toward the region, NJ TRANSIT operations, customer service and police personnel are taking steps to minimize delays, and ensure service reliability and safety due to the approaching winter storm. All customers are strongly advised to check njtransit.com before traveling for up-to-the-minute service information before starting their trip.
NJ TRANSIT plans to operate a regular weekday schedule on Monday, January 26 through Wednesday, January 28, however due to the predicted severity of the storm, there is the potential for significant shutdowns of NJ TRANSIT’s rail, bus, light rail and Access Link service. Customers are advised to regularly check njtransit.com for the latest service information.
Additionally, Customers are strongly urged to exercise extreme caution traveling in and around all transit facilities and when boarding or alighting buses and trains due to the expected icy conditions.
Systemwide Cross-Honoring in Effect from Monday, January 26 through and including Wednesday, January 28: To give customers additional travel options during the expected winter weather conditions, NJ TRANSIT will offer full systemwide cross-honoring from Monday, January 26 through and including Wednesday, January 28, enabling customers to use their ticket or pass on an alternate travel mode—rail, light rail or bus—including private bus carriers.
For example, customers who normally take the bus from Rutherford to the Port Authority Bus Terminal may use their bus pass or ticket on the train from Rutherford to New York Penn Station. Similarly, customers who normally take the bus between Atlantic City and Lindenwold may use the Atlantic City Rail Line instead at no additional charge. Customers using their tickets or passes to travel to a destination other than the destination printed on their original ticket will be subject to the appropriate additional fare if applicable.
NJ TRANSIT will also continue to closely monitor the crowds at New York Penn Station, Hoboken Terminal and the Port Authority Bus Terminal and make adjustments to service as necessary.
The corporation is preparing to minimize disruptions and delays to the extent possible. Rail and light rail crews and equipment are on standby to quickly respond to downed trees, power outages or other issues that may arise. In addition, NJ TRANSIT will be positioning locomotives at strategic locations across the rail system to rapidly respond in the event of a disabled train.
Customers are advised of the following:
Systemwide: NJ TRANSIT plans to operate a regular weekday schedule on Monday, January 26 through Wednesday, January 28, however due to the predicted severity of this storm, there is the potential for significant shutdowns of NJ TRANSIT’s rail, bus, light rail and Access Link service. Again, customers are advised to regularly check njtransit.com for the latest service information.
Travel Advice:
For the latest travel information, visit njtransit.com or access our Twitter feed at @NJTRANSIT prior to starting your trip. In the event of delays or service adjustments, NJ TRANSIT will provide the most current service information via the My Transit alert system, which delivers travel advisories for your specific trip to your cell phone, PDA or pager. (If you are not yet a My Transit subscriber, we encourage you to sign up at www.njtransit.com/mytransit) Service information is also available by calling (973) 275-5555 or from broadcast traffic reports.
Listen closely to public address announcements at stations for late-breaking service information.
Build additional travel time into your trip to a station, terminal or bus stop.
Stairs, flooring and platforms can be slippery, so please use caution when walking along wet surfaces or any outdoor surface exposed to the weather. Use extra care when boarding or exiting buses and trains.
Report slippery or unsafe conditions to bus operators, train crews or
NJ TRANSIT staff.
If you park, ensure your car is stocked with a snow brush and ice scraper so you can clear your car upon returning to the lot.
NJ TRANSIT is prepared to handle the impending winter weather:
Snow plows and salt spreaders are ready for service and snow-removal contracts are in place with outside vendors.
NJ TRANSIT is well-stocked with 16,000 bags of snow-melting supplies, and hundreds of shovels and snow blowers.
NJ TRANSIT has performed maintenance and testing on its two rail-mounted jet snow blowers in the event they are needed to help clear train tracks of snow and ice, particularly in rail yards.
More than 750 rail switches, switch heaters and overhead wires have already been inspected as part of NJ TRANSIT’s preventative maintenance program.
Onboard heating systems, thermostats, weather stripping and electronic components have been inspected on NJ TRANSIT railcars, light rail cars and locomotives.
Bus maintenance personnel have inspected and performed necessary maintenance on a fleet of nearly 2,200 buses – from the heating and airbrake systems, to the engine fluids, tires, windshield wipers and doors.
PHOTO COURTESY OF BOB LEAFE Bob Leafe, a reader from of Hackensack, recently spotted this large crack on the bridge near River Road in Teaneck.
Road Warrior: Route 4 bridge in Teaneck gets no respect
JANUARY 25, 2015 LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, JANUARY 25, 2015, 2:49 PM
BY JOHN CICHOWSKI
RECORD COLUMNIST |
THE RECORD
During a stroll along the Hackensack River walkway on the day after Christmas, Bob Leafe became intrigued by the geese taking shelter under the Route 4 bridge in Teaneck, so he pulled out his camera and started shooting.
But when he looked closely at his work, Bob realized he had shot something a bit less idyllic than wildlife. His photo, as shown here, depicts what appears to be a vertical gash that extends along one of the giant pillars holding up part of the span that carries more than 100,000 vehicles each day, according to the state Department of Transportation.
“I’m no engineer, but that does NOT look good,” he wrote in an email. “Pretty scary,” he said later on the phone, adding that he would look for other ways to cross the Hackensack River from Teaneck to his home in Hackensack.
DOT engineers insist the span is safe enough for traffic — safer certainly than the Route 3 bridge over the same river between East Rutherford and Secaucus, whose left eastbound lane had to be closed last week for at least a month to repair persistent deterioration. Such road conditions rarely attract much attention from Trenton policymakers. But the Route 3 one attracted reporters and photographers to a DOT yard about a half-mile from the bridge, where Transportation Commissioner Jamie Fox again made his pitch for a “revenue enhancer.”
This term is code for some sort of additional levy that Fox believes is necessary to replenish the state’s Transportation Trust Fund, which has reached its bonding capacity. But the commissioner again avoided endorsing any hike to the hated 10.5-cent-a-gallon motor-fuels tax, which has always fueled most of the fund.
Obama’s New Psychiatric Diagnosis Targets “Internet Users” and “Internet Conspiracy Theorists” for Gun Ineligibility
Anyone who gets his or her news outside of the enemedia and the alphabets (ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, MSNBC) will be disarmed by the Democrat thought police.
This is serious. The era of the totalitarians is upon us — with a smiley, winking emoticon of course.
New Psychiatric Diagnosis Targets “Internet Conspiracy Theorists” Posted on January 24, 2015 by Dave Hodges, DC Clothesline
The Obama administration has a new partner in crime and it is the American Psychiatric Association (APA). The APA created the new Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (5th Edition) which was recently adopted. DSM 5 is highly controversial and has sparked outrage from the mental health practitioners.
As many of these practitioners point out, the new DSM-V makes a pathology out of simple and normal behaviors such as grieving for the loss of a loved one.
Submission of Documents by the Public – Master Plan Amendment Hearings on Multifamily Housing in CBD
SUBMISSION OF DOCUMENTS BY INTERESTED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC – MASTER PLAN AMENDMENT HEARINGS ON MULTIFAMILY HOUSING IN THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT
The Planning Board has scheduled January 29 and February 3 as hearing dates for interested members of the public to comment on the proposed master plan amendment. If any individuals intend to submit one or more documents for consideration by the Board, they are strongly encouraged to submit such documents as far in advance of these hearing dates as possible, so that the admissibility of the documents can be reviewed beforehand.
Any documents must be submitted to the Planning Board Secretary, Michael Cafarelli, either in person or by mail at Village Hall, 131 North Maple Avenue, or by email at [email protected].
The NFL issued the following statement on “Deflategate
The NFL issued the following statement on Friday afternoon in response to inquiries about “Deflategate”:
“Our office has been conducting an investigation as to whether the footballs used in last Sunday’s AFC Championship Game complied with the specifications that are set forth in the playing rules. The investigation began based on information that suggested that the game balls used by the New England Patriots were not properly inflated to levels required by the playing rules, specifically Playing Rule 2, Section 1, which requires that the ball be inflated to between 12.5 and 13.5 pounds per square inch. Prior to the game, the game officials inspect the footballs to be used by each team and confirm that this standard is satisfied, which was done before last Sunday’s game.
“The investigation is being led jointly by NFL Executive Vice President Jeff Pash and Ted Wells of the law firm of Paul Weiss. Mr. Wells and his firm bring additional expertise and a valuable independent perspective. The investigation began promptly on Sunday night. Over the past several days, nearly 40 interviews have been conducted, including of Patriots personnel, game officials, and third parties with relevant information and expertise. We have obtained and are continuing to obtain additional information, including video and other electronic information and physical evidence. We have retained Renaissance Associates, an investigatory firm with sophisticated forensic expertise to assist in reviewing electronic and video information.
“The playing rules are intended to protect the fairness and integrity of our games. We take seriously claims that those rules have been violated and will fully investigate this matter without compromise or delay. The investigation is ongoing, will be thorough and objective, and is being pursued expeditiously. In the coming days, we expect to conduct numerous additional interviews, examine video and other forensic evidence, as well as relevant physical evidence. While the evidence thus far supports the conclusion that footballs that were under-inflated were used by the Patriots in the first half, the footballs were properly inflated for the second half and confirmed at the conclusion of the game to have remained properly inflated. The goals of the investigation will be to determine the explanation for why footballs used in the game were not in compliance with the playing rules and specifically whether any noncompliance was the result of deliberate action. We have not made any judgments on these points and will not do so until we have concluded our investigation and considered all of the relevant evidence.
“Upon being advised of the investigation, the Patriots promptly pledged their full cooperation and have made their personnel and other information available to us upon request. Our investigation will seek information from any and all relevant sources and we expect full cooperation from other clubs as well. As we develop more information and are in a position to reach conclusions, we will share them publicly.”
Lenore Skenazy’s New Show Brings Free-Range Parenting to Your TV Screen
Show airs Thursdays at 9 pm on Discovery Life
Robby Soave|Jan. 22, 2015 3:52 pm
Reason contributor and super-star Lenore Skenazy will be dousing the flames of parental paranoia on her very own show, “World’s Worst Mom,” beginning Thursday (tonight) at 9:00 p.m. EST on the Discovery Life channel.
The title is a satirical jape at Skenazy, who has embraced that distinction as a form of protest against helicopter parenting. Readers of her work here at Reason—and at her blog, Free-Range Kids—know that Skenazy is dedicated to the cause of helping parents put aside irrational (often debilitating) fears regarding their children’s safety. On her show, Skenazy meets with real parents whose anxieties have made them stifle their kids’ independence—such as a mother who spoon-feeds her 10-year-old son because she’s afraid he will choke, and won’t let him ride a bike. Skenazy’s mission is to show these parents that the healthiest thing they can do for their children is let them try new things, spend time alone, and discover that the world isn’t such a scary place, after all.
“World’s Worst Mom,” is real: the hyper-protective parents featured on it are real, worries and all. And while they represent the far-end of helicopter parenting, too many adults share some of their fears—even though kids are growing up today in the safest time in world history.
Michael Kaminski’s response to the 1/20 @NJSBA memo
Michael Kaminski is a high school history teacher with 23 years of teaching experience. He is also the president of the Delran Education Association.
I’ve read the January 20, 2015 release from the New Jersey School Boards Association, “Your Local School Board, Your Students and PARCC: Frequently Asked Questions” and quite frankly, it’s not worth the internet bandwidth that it takes up. I’m still trying to figure out why you’re speaking up now – on this issue – in support of PARCC and sit and stare, when your silence has been deafening on so many other important educational issues. Nevertheless, your FAQs require some more appropriate answers, so here they are.
Are school districts required to administer the PARCC assessment?
NJSBA says yes, and on that lone point we can agree. Unfortunately, no one in educational leadership seems to understand what the term “administer” means. Does it mean “manage the operation or use of,” “to provide or apply; to put something into effect,” or even “to give ritually?” Apparently, the NJSBA believes that the term means “to force children to take” and if they don’t take it the first time, “to give habitually and repeatedly until they finally submit and take the darn test” because that is precisely what the majority of school administrators across the state are intending to do come March and May: administer and then re-administer the PARCC for as long as it takes to achieve compliance.
Must students participate in the PARCC assessment?
NJSBA says yes. Interesting enough, they correctly assert that state regulations contain the following provision: “…all students at grade levels 3 through 12…shall take appropriate Statewide assessments as scheduled.” Interesting because the Supreme Court has weighed in on the use of the term “shall.” In Cairo & Fulton R.R. Co. v. Hecht, the US Supreme Court sated: “As against the government the word “shall” when used in statutes, is to be construed as “may” unless a contrary intention is manifest. In George Williams College v. Village of Williams Bay, the Supreme Court of Wisconsin stated that “shall” in a statute may be construed as “may” in order to avoid constitutional doubt. In Gow v. Consoliated Coppermines Corp, a Delaware court stated “If necessary to avoid unconstitutionality of a statute, “shall” will be deemed equivalent to “may.” I think this sufficiently makes the point – but let’s see if a “contrary intention is manifest.” Even Commissioner Hespe stated in his September 30 memo that “…these advanced students are not expected to take a PARCC End-of-course assessment in mathematics, but must still demonstrate competency in mathematics to receive a state-endorsed diploma.” So, the Commissioner has acknowledged that “shall” is “may” and not “must” – at least in this case. But how about in others? According to his October 8 memo, the Commissioner said that “The NJDOE is not requiring students to take any commercial test as a condition of graduation but will allow schools to determine graduation readiness in a number of different ways.” Doesn’t sound like “shall” means “must” to me… But let’s pursue one other avenue. From that same memo: “Is a student who does not pass a PARCC end-of-course assessment required to retake the assessment”? Hespe’s DOE says “No. A student is not required to retake an assessment or retake the course.” Huh? So you “shall” take this completely meaningless test that you’ll only be “required” to retake if you refuse to respond to the questions. But no one else will. It doesn’t sound like the NJ DOE meant “must” when they said “shall.”
Do statutes, regulations or court decisions permit students to opt out of the state testing program?
NJSBA says no. But that’s not the whole truth. While there is no provision for “opting out” in New Jersey, other states do have such provisions. Somehow, those states are able to violate the conditions of the federal NCLB Act (Elementary and Secondary Education Act) and the 95% that the NJSBA refers to later in its document with impunity, but in New Jersey, they want us to believe that we cannot. So…we can’t opt out. Technically true. But WE COULD REF– USE.
What action should a school district take if a student refuses to participate in PARCC?
NJSBA cites Hespe’s memo that says that districts are “not required to provide an alternative educational program for students who do not participate in the statewide assessment.” So they are not required to…but they can. Here, the Commissioner clearly understands the concept that “shall” means “may” but not “must.” Districts absolutely can provide an alternative educational program. Just ask Bloomfield, Delran, Robbinsville, Milburn, Woodbridge, West Orange, Little Egg Harbor, Mahwah, Berlin Borough, Union Township, Waldwick, Washington Township, Swedesboro, Montville, and Princeton. Even the NJSBA admits that “districts have the discretion on how they will address situations” related to test refusal. Clearly. Thank you.
The NJSBA goes on to state emphatically that “the Spring 2015 PARCC Test Coordinator and Test Administrator Manuals provide guidance on what NJ school districts should do when a student refuses to take the state assessment.” No doubt they do. I completely agree with you. Pearson has stated that test refusals are “non-tested students” and the PARCC manual clearly states that non-tested students are prohibited from even entering the testing environment. So, on this issue, we agree. Students who refuse cannot enter the testing environment, meaning that they cannot be forced to “sit and stare.” Doing so would be a violation of testing security and would put school administrators at risk of losing their certification – since they are the ones who are insisting – on the behalf of the DOE – that students must “sit and stare.”
What is the impact on the school district if students do not participate in PARCC?
According to the NJSBA, the sky will fall. They cite the Commissioner’s October 30th memo and claim that districts must meet the 95% requirement. For some reason, both he and the NJSBA fail to mention that NJ has an NCLB waiver. School districts that do not receive federal Title I monies have NO OBLIGATION to meet the 95%. See FairTest.org’s piece on this. We are under NO obligation to meet those testing requirements. Even schools that receive Title I funds are not at risk of LOSING funding for failing to meet the magical “95%” – they would simply be told to re-direct a small percentage of their Title I funds for “remediation” purposes. So, let’s not get fooled by them holding funding over our heads, because honestly, even if this were true – if we’re only testing because we’re afraid of losing funding, what does that say about the testing itself? Threaten – Test – Punish. What a wonderful educational climate we’re living in.
But what about the Average Daily Attendance? Well, the NJSBA got it right. Schools could be adversely affected if their average daily attendance over a three-year period falls under 96%. All I can say to this is – perhaps the NJSBA and Commissioner Hespe and some of the more heavy-handed Superintendents in our state should not be suggesting that we keep our children home from school during testing days unless they want to risk losing funding as a result of their own advice. Better yet, maybe test refusals should consider keeping their children home during testing as leverage against Draconian “sit and stare measures.” You want my child to sit and stare? My response will be to keep them home and then you might actually risk losing your precious testing dollars. Race to THAT top.
NJQSAC? Low participation rates “may” negatively affect your QSAC outcome. There are too many variables here to consider…and the NJSBA took a page out the Hespe playbook here. They were so intentionally vague you can’t even tell if there’s any shred of truth to this. Well played, NJSBA. I challenge you to offer proof that districts will lose funding for failure to meet PARCC participation levels specific to QSAC. As a matter of fact, I challenge you to offer proof that ANY DISTRICT ANYWHERE IN NEW JERSEY will lose funding under ANY of the conditions that you mention in this portion of the document. (Waiting patiently…)
What is the impact on students who do not participate in PARCC?
NJSBA wants us to believe that there’s some “valuable information about his or her academic progress and needs that will not be available.” Um…like what? What is PARCC going to provide that your child’s teacher cannot provide? What is PARCC going to provide that is any different or better than what Hespe’s last failed attempt at standardized testing (NJ ASK/HSPA) provided? And while I’m on that point – why should we believe that Hespe can suddenly get this testing thing right when he admitted during his presentation at the NJEA Convention that ASK and HSPA failed to provide us with the data we needed to really assess how we’re doing. So we tested for a decade based on his recommendation and now he returns to the big boy seat in the DOE to tell us all he was wrong all that time – but, seriously, this time he really knows that he’s gotten it right? Or, that PEARSON has gotten it right? Sorry. I just cant buy that.
Then, NJSBA adds a threat about “excessive absences.” You’re the one telling us we should be absent to avoid testing. Just you – and the Commissioner – and his cronies.
May a school board adopt an opt-out policy?
NSBA says “there is no explicit statutory or regulatory prohibition against such a policy.” Thank you. Good day.
But what about the “Code of Ethics for School Board Members?” I’m pretty sure that treating both tested students and non-tested students compassionately is in direct alignment with the Code of Ethics. Our schools are entrusted to care for our students – every single one of them – whenever they are in their care. It’s incomprehensible to me that this could somehow mean that school boards “can’t” or “shouldn’t” create opt-out/refusal provisions, but SHOULD enforce sit and stare policies. I challenge the NJSBA to explain to me how “sit and stare” jives with the Code of Ethics.
There’s no reason to discuss the remainder of the NJSBA document. But, I would make some recommendations to the NJSBA:
Start attending the DOE open public testimony sessions. There, you’ll come to the realization that NJ residents are NOT happy with the PARCC and are not pleased with the Commissioner’s response to test refusals.
Attend the PARCC Study Commission open public testimony sessions. There will be hundreds of citizens testifying about how bad the PARCC is – and about how they want the Commissioner and school boards across this state to come up with non-punitive, educationally sound responses for test refusals. It will be overwhelming. Trust me.
Listen to NJ 101.5. I can’t believe I’m suggesting anyone listen to this station which has been notorious for its bashing of public school teachers, but even they get it. This test is bad. Sit and stare is bad. Pearson is the devil.
Ask your members…your own local BOE presidents. Ask them what’s been happening in their own districts. They’ll tell you the same thing. People want answers. And they are not the answers you’re giving them. They’re not the answers in your January 20 document.
New Jerseyans want responsible, student-centered, educationally-appropriate activities for test refusers, and while that’s the most immediate concern connected to the upcoming PARCC administrations, New Jerseyans also want to have a say in what has been a completely one-sided conversation on testing. I believe that they, like me, are fed up with the over-testing of our children and they want it to stop.
________________________________
*Adding: In response to a number of public posts–primarily from parents–criticizing the 1/20 memo, the NJSBA posted this response on its Facebook page:
JANUARY 22, 2015 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, JANUARY 22, 2015, 2:40 PM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
In drafting a working definition for the term “civility,” participants of Tuesday’s Civility Roundtable discussion harkened back to the sermon of this week’s Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration.
“It’s OK to be angry, but do not sin,” said the Rev. Thomas Johnson, pastor at Mt. Bethel Baptist Church, repeating the biblical verse quoted by the Rev. James Forbes Jr. on Monday.
“To sin,” added Robin Ritter, program coordinator at the Ridgewood Library, “that’s the disrespectful behavior. If we look at it that way, what’s the appropriate response? I’m angry, we’re talking about it, how do we have that dialogue?”
Finding the answer to Ritter’s question is the roundtable’s overriding goal, to create more civil behavior in Ridgewood’s public discourse. During their conversation this week, the panel members took the next step in promoting civility by recognizing what goes into civil discourse.
“Civility is not only the right thing to do and the decent thing, it’s the smart thing to do,” said Mayor Paul Aronsohn. “[By being more civil] this enriches the conversation and probably helps us to get to where we need to be.”
New Jersey governor to hire emergency manager for Atlantic City
(Reuters) – New Jersey Governor Chris Christie will install an emergency manager in Atlantic City to assume control of the struggling gambling hub, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.
The Journal, citing an unnamed senior administration official, reported that Christie is expected to announce hiring corporate restructuring attorney Kevin Lavin to handle the city’s strained finances and daily operations on Thursday.
The Journal also said Christie would bring in Kevyn Orr, the restructuring lawyer who led Detroit through itsbankruptcy as the city’s emergency manager, as a part-time consultant to the recovery effort. (Reuters
Village Green to host “Wine Dinner With a Heart” Feb. 5. benefit dinner
January 21,2015
Ridgewood NJ, Village Green in Ridgewood is offering “Wine Dinner With a Heart” Feb. 5. The $100 ticket price will include a five-course menu with five wines from Carlo Russo’s Wine and Spirit World of Ho-Ho-Kus. Proceeds will benefit the Congenital Heart Defect Coalition. For reservations, call 201-675-3835 or email [email protected]. Village Green, 36 Prospect St., 201-445-2914, www.villagegreenrestaurant.com.
Our Chef Kevin Portscher, a Bergen County resident and graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, has trained at some of New York and New Jersey’s premier fine dining establishments.
His cuisine highlights simple and classic preparations, paired with fresh and local ingredients.
Kevin’s culinary passion extends far outside his kitchen; he is a member of the Society Culinaire Philanthropique, the Chefs de Cuisine Association of America, and the American Culinary Federation. He competes in a variety of food competitions, most recently winning a gold medal in 2010 for his cold fish presentation, and a silver medal in 2011 for his charcuterie platter at the Salon of Culinary Art NYC
Kevin is a big supporter of Jersey Fresh produce, and he also volunteers for a number of organizations including, the Forget Me Not Foundation, and Table to Table, an organization that helps to feed the hungry in New Jersey.
Village Green Restaurant
36 Prospect Street
Ridgewood, NJ 07450-4402
NJ transportation fund or NJ transportation Slush fund
Readers Demand A Full Accounting of the NJ transportation fund before any New Revenue Sources are Sought
“The Federal Highway Administration tracks all revenues collected by states for use on transportation. The two main sources are the gas tax and tolls. NJ gasoline taxes are low, but the state’s toll collections rank second in the nation behind only the much larger New York. The result is that NJ actually has, according to the Feds, the eighth highest annual revenues to devote to roads and bridges of any state. And yet the NJ Transportation Fund is bust? Why you ask? According to a 2013 study by the Reason Foundation, NJ spends 8.4 TIMES the national average for every mile of road it maintains or builds… it’s not because of the low gas tax, it’s because of inflated union wage rates to build & maintain roads at 8X the national average.
Reader says , We all know that the transportation fund is a black hole of graft an corruption. Why else do the unions want it fully funded? Also gotta love how Senate Budget Committee Chairman Paul Sarlo sees no alternative other than raising the gas tax, but then in the next breath he proposes lowering or doing away with taxes on pension benefits!!! How are the two related you ask? Good question, but probably too difficult for our union hacks to answer because they love riding this gravy train.
He is sometimes referred to as “Senator Sanzari’ since his employer (Sanzari) benefits as a major road builder if the gas taxes are raised..and actually spent on road projects instead of just going into the general fund.
N.J. transportation chief orders immediate review of state’s bridges
JANUARY 20, 2015, 4:39 PM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2015, 11:09 PM
BY CHRISTOPHER MAAG
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
The fight over New Jersey’s nearly-broke transportation fund ratcheted up two notches Tuesday when Transportation Commissioner Jamie Fox called for immediate safety inspections on every bridge in the state and local officials were warned not to count on $200 million in state transportation aid this year.
If the transportation fund is empty on July 1, that could throw into limbo an additional $100 million in matching federal aid for towns, endanger scores of road and bridge projects, and cause fiscal headaches for local officials. It also might increase pressure on the Legislature and Governor Christie to fix the transportation fund quickly, some politicians said.
Fox’s inspection order came hours after the collapse of an interstate bridge in Cincinnati, and after the department closed a smaller bridge in New Jersey that engineers discovered was unsafe.
“I’ve ordered an expedited review of all our bridges, state and local,” Fox said. “I’d rather be safe than sorry, so we know definitively whether we have any unsafe bridges.”
Fox’s move illustrates how depleted the transportation fund has become. Officially called the Transportation Trust Fund, it raises $1.2 billion a year, mostly from highway tolls and motor fuels taxes. After years of state borrowing against the fund’s revenues, however, nearly all of the money raised goes to paying the fund’s $18.2-billion debt, and little remains for repair or construction work.
Iowa Sen. Ernst promises GOP focus on Americans’ concerns
Jan 20, 8:13 PM (ET)
By ALAN FRAM
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans controlling Congress will focus on people’s concerns about jobs and health care and steer the country away from President Barack Obama’s failed policies, the newly minted senator delivering her party’s official response to the State of Union address said Tuesday.
In remarks that mixed calls for bipartisan cooperation with a flexing of GOP independence, freshman Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, cited Americans’ worries about stagnant wages, lost jobs and canceled health care coverage. She called on Obama to cooperate with Republicans to simplify the tax code by lowering rates and eliminating unspecified loopholes, and to ease trade barriers with Europe and Asia.
“Americans have been hurting, but when we demanded solutions, too often Washington responded with the same stale mindset that led to failed policies like Obamacare,” Ernst, referring to Obama’s health care overhaul, said in excerpts from her speech released before its delivery. “It’s a mindset that gave us political talking points, not serious solutions.”
Ernst’s speech marked her party’s first State of the Union response during the Obama presidency in which the GOP has had majorities in both the House and Senate. It came as Republicans are hoping to expand their appeal among women and minorities in advance of the 2016 presidential and congressional elections.
“We plan to make Washington focus on your concerns again,” she said. “We heard the message you sent in November, loud and clear.”
The evening’s speeches came as the economy has been adding muscle, with economic growth accelerating and unemployment falling. In his remarks, Obama said it was time to “turn the page” on years of war and economic weakness and turn to investments that would strengthen the country.
Temporary cell tower returns to Ridgewood location on Route 17
JANUARY 19, 2015 LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, JANUARY 19, 2015, 2:04 PM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
The recently removed temporary cell tower that overlooked the Exxon Mobil station along Route 17 is returning.
The Ridgewood Zoning Board of Adjustment on Jan. 13 granted a five-month extension to a previously approved resolution that allowed AT&T to install and operate a temporary tower at the site. Dubbed a cell on wheels (COW), a tower is needed in that location to provide customers with seamless coverage of the latest network technology, as required by the Federal Communications Commission, company representatives said.
During last Tuesday’s hearing, zoning board members discussed few details of the extension but verified that the terms of the original resolution would be in effect through the length of the extension.
“Bring back the COW exactly how it was,” said Bruce Whitaker, zoning board attorney.
Last June, the board approved AT&T’s original application to install the trailer-mounted, 75-foot cell tower at the service station site.
A board resolution included terms for required setbacks, shielding and operation, among other details, and stated that the equipment would be removed on or before Dec. 31, 2014.
“The best way to make your dreams come true is to wake up.”
Republicans Need to Stop Wasting MLK Day
January 19, 2015 5 Comments
By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog
If Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was alive and well today, Save Jerseyans?
I think he’d be impressed by how color blind my generation is; he’d also be disgusted by the Al Sharptons and Jesse Jacksons of the world and how they’ve profited while many of America’s black neighborhoods continued to suffer.
So we can honor Dr. King’s legacy through volunteer work, yes, but more importantly by rejecting race profiteers and voting for REAL change. Not the fluffy, fake Obama variety that comes prepackaged in a can.
“The time is always right to do what is right.” Amen!
Where to start?
Republicans can stop wasting MLK Day with platitudinal calls for “service” in our communities and utilize a unique opportunity to advocate for, again, REAL change. Like the implementation of school choice reforms. The inequality in our education system isn’t tied to funding, and it remains the last great civil rights hurdle facing America’s youth.
Why don’t more GOP’ers speak out? They don’t do it more often, I suspect, due to a lack of confidence. They’re gun shy after effectively getting hit with the race card for decades, but I believe it’s a needless fear because the country is changing.
We’re more color blind than ever. Barack Obama and his party’s economic job performance where black America is concerned is nevertheless nothing short of abysmal.
President Obama’s tax plan is Piketty-lite, aimed at reversing years of economic rot among America’s poorest 50 percent
Derek Thompson Jan 19 2015, 1:51 PM ET
At this stage in Obama’s presidency, ambitious tax proposals to soak the rich are the political equivalent of desert rain dances—sometimes impressive, often well-meaning, always doomed, and essentially ceremonial. The administration’s latest tax-modification ritual would raise taxes on wealthy estates and large banks to pay for larger tax breaks for middle-class households, particularly those with two working parents and kids. The plan is Piketty-lite, skimming the wealth of the 1 percent to redistribute among the incomes of poorer workers.
Why should America’s richest families have to withstand yet another tax increase to benefit poorer Americans? The short answer is that the United States has, since the turn of the century, cemented its status as the best place in the world to be among the working rich, while poorer workers have suffered compared to other advanced countries. Here’s the longer answer…
Twenty-five years ago, the United States was the richest country in the world, for richer and for poorer, for both the 10th percentile and the 99th. Although America’s richest 50 percent is still the richest top half of any country, our distinction as the land of opportunity is eroding from the bottom up, as the Upshot elegantly showed. American superiority is rotting from the bottom up.
