Police officer sidelined following December incident

Police officer sidelined following December incident

A Ridgewood police officer injured in the line of duty is expected to need six to nine months to recover.

Officer Steven Shortway suffered a "severe knee injury" while attempting to remove Clifford Holmes, 51, from the United Methodist Church on Dayton Street last month, according to Ridgewood Police Capt. Tom Landers.

Landers said Holmes, who is homeless, has a "previous criminal history," but declined to elaborate further.

Police said the incident occurred as Shortway, Sgt. Brian Pullman and Officer Sal D’Amico responded to a call from the church on Dec. 21 to remove Holmes, who was sleeping on a bench inside the building. Holmes was asked to leave and refused, Landers said.

Shortway reached out to "assist" the man from the bench when Holmes "lunged" at the officer, forcing him to the ground, Landers explained.

Holmes then grabbed Shortway’s firearm by the handle as they struggled on the ground, and Holmes locked his legs around the officer’s, tearing ligaments in Shortway’s knee, Landers said.

Holmes was charged with assault, resisting arrest, attempting to disarm a law enforcement officer, defiant trespass and obstruction, according to a report in The Record.

Fire Department Layoffs Coming?

New Village Manager May Cut Nine Firefighters from Payroll

Recently appointed Village Manager Kenneth A. Gabbert has incorporated language into an ordinance scheduled for Village Council approval next week that could result in the layoff of 9 career (salaried) Ridgewood firefighters.

During this week’s Village Council Work Session, it was revealed that Dr. Gabbert and Ridgewood Fire Chief/Director James A. Bombace are at odds over the ordinance’s definition of platoon staffing levels.

Dr. Gabbert wants to cap platoon size at a “maximum” of 9 firefighters, while Mr. Bombace would prefer language in the ordinance that would permit platoon sizes of up to 12 firefighters. The Department currently operates with 3 platoons; a minimum of 9 firefighters now staff each platoon.

If Dr. Gabbert is successful in obtaining Village Council approval of the ordinance language as written by him, Chief Bombace may be forced to lay off 3 firefighters per platoon, or a total of 9 career employees.

Ordinance #3238, “Establish Table of Organization for Ridgewood Fire Department,” is scheduled for Public Hearing during the Village Council’s next Public Meeting on Wednesday, January 13th at 8:00 PM.

As a parent, you are under no obligation to disclose anything about your past to your child.

As a parent, you are under no obligation to disclose anything about your past to your child. If you do, it should be at your discretion and on your initiative. Just because your child - yes, your teen is still a child - asks you questions, you are under no obligation to tell them anything, especially under the misguided notion of "I have no choice but to disclose fully and truthfully to my child anything that they ask me, because I must be honest with them". The only message you are sending them is that they have the power to compel you to disclose to them on demand. You are not under oath in a courtroom. They have no “right” to know your personal history. Only you have the right to disclose your personal information when and in the manner that you deem fit – if ever.

This does not mean that you have to lie to your child.
There are other ways to communicate with your child without telling them everything they want to know when and in the manner they want to know it. More importantly, by not fully disclosing (particularly on demand) you are actually teaching your child that there are certain boundaries that are not to be crossed and that certain information is personal and private and is not to be shared – and it is not “wrong” or “dishonest” to do so. This lesson will actually serve them well when their friend/boyfriend/girlfriend asks them to text a nude picture of themselves or post a personal experience on a social networking site and are “bullied” by the argument of being dishonest (or not loving them).

And finally, yes, there are times when it is OK to “lie” to your children. You do not need to “fess-up” to your child about some incredibly stupid/illegal/dangerous/destructive/etc. mistake from your past if you do not want to. Sometime the truth is more damaging than a lie.

$65K Parking Meter Sleeves

Village Council to Consider Spending $65K+ For Decorative Parking Meter Sleeves

Yes, that's right; the Ridgewood Village Council is considering spending $65K, plus approximately 300 man hours of labor, to install decorative plastic sleeves on parking meter posts throughout the Central Business District.

$350K for bathrooms at Vets Field, now this. When will it end?

$48 million dollar Referendum :Cautiously Optimistic?

It seems that Ms. Goodman is right to be cautious about whether Ridgewood will ever see the $10 million dollars in matching funds from the state of NJ for our turf fields. We have it from a good source that Governor Corzine has refused to sign off on any school referendums. Which means that Ridgewood's recently passed $48 million dollar bond referendum is in limbo awaiting the approval of incoming Governor Christie. Who, by the way, has made it abundantly clear that he is going to cut state spending.

So, if Governor Christie doesn't sigh off on the recent school referendums, they will have to be voted on again. What do you think the chances are that our BOE can muster the 62 vote margin needed to pass this boondoggle of a bond again? If I were a bettin' man, I'd say slim to none considering we ain't gettin' the $10 mill in matchin' grant money from the new governor.

Watch how optimism turns to pessimism as our BOE grapples with this issue and a cash shortfall of close to $3 million in this year's operating budget.

As we have said all along, this group at Cottage Place is in over its head... in every capacity. Thank goodness we have great principals who run our schools in spite of the BOE and its bloated administration.

Save the Historic Schedler House

I would like to inform you and your readers that the Schedler Home was built in 1820 by John A. L. Zabriskie. that means it is 190 years old and historic.

The council thinks it is in bad shape and needs to be demolished. but none of them have been inside to see for themselves. It needs to be properly assessed by a historical architect. It was well taken care of by Florence Schedler and needs to be examined properly for its historical value.

yes, the village needs more fields. but preserving our history is important too. 7 acres of land is enough room for both. The council can not simply demolish a 190 year old historical house. They should at least consider ALL options first.

if you believe this house should be saved, let your voice be heard at the next council meeting on Jan 13.

Contracts to buy previously owned U.S. homes plunge

Jan. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Contracts to buy previously owned U.S. homes plunged more than anticipated in November...

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=awTO1mBUB_us

The index of signed purchase agreements, or pending home sales, dropped 16 percent as Americans waited for a first-time buyer tax credit to be extended, the National Association of Realtors said today in Washington.

Compared with November 2008, pending sales were up 19.3 percent, the real estate group said.

All four U.S. regions registered decreases in November, led by 26 percent slumps in the Northeast and Midwest. Contract signings dropped 15 percent in the South and 2.7 percent in the West.

Pending home sales are considered a leading indicator because they track contract signings. The Realtors’ existing- home sales report tallies closings, which typically occur a month or two later.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=awTO1mBUB_us

New Jerseyans are still running for the exits in large numbers

SURVEY: New Jerseyans Can't Afford to Escape!
January 5, 2010

Atlas Van Lines just released their 2009 migration survey (click here to view the report). Unsurprisingly, New Jerseyans are still running for the exits in large numbers. 2009 saw a slightly lower percentage of state residents leave than in 2008, but Assemblyman Alex DeCroce (R) notes that that is more a sign of economic distress than sustained recovery.

From the Assembly Republican Office:

"Assembly Republican Leader Alex DeCroce says a new report that found more households move out of New Jersey in 2009 than moved in shows just how crucial it is for the Legislature to work with incoming Gov. Chris Christie to lower taxes and make the state an affordable place for more families to live. “The only encouraging news in the report released by Atlas Van Lines is that New Jersey is not number one for a change,” said DeCroce, R-Morris and Passaic. “Connecticut was the hardest hit by outward migration in the Northeast. But there’s not much solace in the fact that New Jersey ran a close second.

“People are continuing to leave New Jersey because of high taxes and high unemployment. We must work together to stop this exodus otherwise the future of this state and our ability to resolve its monumental financial problems is grim.” According to a report in today’s edition of The Star-Ledger of Newark, Atlas determined 2,356 households moved out of New Jersey last year while only 1,480 moved in. While the number of people exiting New Jersey dropped 11 percent from the 2008 level, DeCroce said this is no reason to be optimistic. Atlas attributed the drop in moves to the nation’s economic woes.

“Essentially, fewer people moved out because fewer people could afford to make the move,” DeCroce observed. “The only sensible way to keep people in New Jersey is to lower their tax burden and improve New Jersey’s business climate. What the people need are more jobs and more money in their pockets.”

Permalink: blog.savejersey.com/2010/01/05/survey-new-jerseyans-cant-afford-to-escape.aspx

Village Officials Continue to Ignore Unsafe Road Conditions on Marshall Street near Franklin Avenue

The Fly and The Spider are both curious to know why Ridgewood Police Department, Street Department, and Construction Code officials continue to ignore the cause of icy road conditions on Marshall Street near the intersection of Franklin Avenue.

A building contractor working on a Marshall Street home continually pumps ground water from a foundation under construction directly into the street. At this time of year, the water freezes relatively quickly, turning the south end of Marshall Street into a virtual ice skating rink.

Wouldn’t you think that an alert police officer, or police supervisor (if they ever leave the comfort of the police station), might have noticed this condition and taken action? Or maybe someone from Sanitation, Recycling, etc.?

Are The Fly and The Spider the only folks in Ridgewood not asleep at the switch? Tony Merlino – are you there?

H1N1 Vaccines Available @ Village Hall

The Ridgewood Health Department will offer H1N1 vaccines to all pre-registered Ridgewood residents on Tuesday, Jan. 19.

The vaccines will be available to all residents, regardless of age and precondition; however, preregistration is required. Those interested in receiving the vaccine should call 201-291-6090 before the clinic, which will be held from 4 to 6 p.m. at Ridgewood Village Hall.

West Side Presbyterian Church hosts Emerson String Quartet

Emerson String Quartet
Parlance Chamber Concerts

January 10th at 2:30pm at West Side Presbyterian Church, 6 S. Monroe St. Ridgewood, the Emerson STring Quartet will perform Barber's Adasio for Strings and the Final Quartets of mendolssohn and Dvorck. Tickets: $35; Seniors/Students $25. For advance tickets email: parlance2@aol.com Childcare available for children under 7 yrs. old.

Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce hosts Restaurant Week 2010

Restaurant Week 2010
Mon, January 18, 2010 - Thu, January 21, 2010
Location: Various

Event Description

Great deals at your favorite local restaurants in January! Join us for Restaurant Week 2010.

Monday - Thursday, January 18-21
Monday - Thursday, January 25-28

For more information, contact the Chamber at (201) 445-2600 or email info@ridgewoodchamber.com.

$48 million dollar Referendum :"cautiously optimistic" that Ridgewood will be getting the $10 million in NJ grants

Oh goodie! Laurie tells a commenter at her personal blog that she's "cautiously optimistic" that Ridgewood will be getting the $10 million in NJ grants to offset the bond referendum. Why not 100%?!?

She pushed hard, along with all of her BoE comrades on something that isn't a certainty.

Appalling, not to mention an insult to the voters. Such an omission should have been trumpeted...how many voters who voted 'yes' would have change their vote if they knew that.

I'd like to know how many other board members will fess up to this uncertainty.

Poll: by a huge margin readers fear for the Villages fiscal integrity

Are you concerned about the fiscal integrity of the village ?

Yes 189 (84%)

No 36 (16%)

Is it because the blog sits on a Cablevision server and there's some fear of retaliation?

"I'm very surprised that the blog hasn't yet put up an entry about Cablevision dropping HGTV and FN. Is it because the blog sits on a Cablevision server and there's some fear of retaliation? Only reason I can think of. There seems to be room for blog articles about the TSA and the health care squabble, but not about this high-handed behavior that strikes closer to home.

Both parties show plenty of greed; Cablevision, however, is clearly not paying close to market rates, will not negotiate in good faith for these channels and will gladly sacrifice customers to save pennies."

First a few corrections; this blog is hosted by eblogger aka blogspot which is owned by Google ,and yes we have had many "squabbles" with Google over the years. We have no business relationship with Cablevision that I am aware of.

Next its only Television aka the "boob tube" ie...the bigger the tube the bigger the boob as we used to say and its an antiquated fascist medium that in its present form has no future. As of this moment you are still free to watch what you want and if your can not get the networks you desire in your area there are plenty of alternatives available on the internet or through other providers.

We are fans however of FN and HGTV after all they are one of the few networks were we don’t have to see Obama 24/7 and unbeknownst to many "Ridgewood blog" readers we actually were interviewed about doing a pilot for a cooking show . We have heard the corporate owner of FN and HGTV has severe financial troubles right now and as many of you know so does most of the old line media.

As for the “greedy” ,the greedy are made up of those who think they are entitled to something but don’t feel obligated to pay for it and want others to pay for it, for them. If the shoe fits ?

“Obamacare” will effect every American ,even the folks with "perfect kids" that live in Ridgewood and it will fundamentally or should I say detrimentally alter healthcare in a manner more suited for the lines at the DMV. There are many issues posted on this blog that may from time to time seem not directly related to Ridgewood ,but I am sad to say they do.

Finally unlike some other let us say lesser flogs or blogs and contrary to popular local misinformation topics on this blog are 90% of the time initiated by the readers of this blog. The BOE or VC or some family clan or even some evil person with malevolent intentions toward our fair Village does not control all of the content on this blog .As you so noted noone till now has felt the urge to bring up the Cablevision issue and that my friend is why it hasn’t been brought up.

Thank you for your continued support,

the Ridgewood blog Staff

I'm afraid anyone who believes their kids don't lie is in for a rude awakening.

I'm afraid anyone who believes their kids don't lie is in for a rude awakening. I trust my kids, but I know they are not beyond stretching the truth either to do something they want or to protect their own asses.

I absolutely agree that we need to know where are kids are going and who they are with. It is mandatory that our kids bring their cellphones and answer when we call or they lose their privileges to go anywhere for the rest of the week. "I forgot my cellphone" only cuts it to a point and after that, it's BS.

Random sleep-overs now that they are teenagers is out. They have a home and a bed, they don't need to sleep at someone else's house. If there's a party that includes a sleep over, the hosting parents are responsible for my child. If your kid is in my house, I care for them as if they were my own. I expect you to do the same.

Get to know who your kids friends are. My kid's friends have "friended" me on Facebook. You'd be surprised at the things you find out without even trying.

Most important, you don't have to be your kid's "best friend", but your kids should feel that they are able to talk to you, even if it means hearing something that makes you cringe!

It's always a delicate balance when you are the parent of a teen

Do you people have nothing better to do than grumble and complain about everyone and everything? This blog has reached new lows - you've run out of things to complain about (the Village Council and the BOE) and so now you are attacking tax-paying, law abiding community members who happen to have teenage children? It's always a delicate balance when you are the parent of a teen - eveyone does the best they can and what they don't need are some anonymous posters blogging and criticizing with no knowledge of the facts.

I suspect that the posters here either do not live in Ridgewood, or have children in the elementary and middle schools and think they will never have to deal with such issues because their children are "perfect" and their relationship with them is completely open and honest.

Whatever the reason, find something else to grumble and complain about - this entire post is mean-spirited and pointless. By the way, I am the parent of two honor roll and involved studenets at the high school- as with most teens across the US there is much temptation. We try to keep the lines of communication open and do the best that we can - just like all the other well meaning parents out there.

"2010 Resolutions for the Village of Ridgewood"

The NYT ran a story today on the "2010 Resolutions for NYC" where they asked a bunch of people what the New Years Resolutions should be for the city. Would it be interesting to hear what your community thought the resolutions for the village should be ?

JJ

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Speak Your Mind ..........................

New Years Resolutions anyone?

PJ, So do we really make New Years Resolutions as future goals we want to accomplish or do we simply make New Years Resolutions to make us feel better about all the things we haven't done that we should ? For instance ;instead of facing the fact that we are FAT we make a resolution to loose wait in the future eat healthier or exercise regularly ?

"39% of Americans say they plan to make a New Year's resolution.
According to the latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey, 54% will pass on a first-of-the-year resolution this time out, but seven percent (7%) haven't made up their minds yet."

Our generation of parents have reached new heights of narcism

I'm sure you raise your kids great. So do we with ours. I think you are somewhat delusional about the minds of young people. I can tell you that you will not even be aware of what they are thinking or up to. Our oldest is old enough now and safely through the vulnerable years. We thought she was always doing the right thing, and put down the occasional mistep (getting caught with pot and one instance of a missing vodka bottle) as no big deal. Well, as a young adult, she admits now to things that went on that make my wife and I shudder. The stuff she tells us about what some of the other kids did is mind-blowing. These are kids from the nicest homes you can imagine.

I think it's somewhat arrogant of us to assume that our kids are the good ones, and are focused on their schoolwork. Our generation of parents have reached new heights of narcism, and we have relationships with our kids that our parents generation never had. We are definitely closer to our kids today, but we are not the cool parents that we think we are. Our kids are driven by the same old feelings of wanting to be popular, fitting in, and highly susceptible to peer pressure. Hormones are out of control and the ability to communicate with one and other is 24/7.

I'm not suggesting that you turn your house into a no-fun zone with extreme surveillance on your kids. I'm just letting you know that they are extremely vulnerable between 12 and 18.

Ridgewood Recycling Program :I am absolutely dismayed about this revelation.

I am absolutely dismayed about this revelation.

First of all, isn't recylcing supposed to be about saving the planet, the environment, the Earth????? Is it only about the money?

Second, what a sham this is, that we have to go to all this trouble to separate everything and then the Village employees just glom it all together and send it to the landfill. I have seen at times the garbage men REJECT something that was put in my recycle can because it had the wrong number on the bottom. This was in the past when evidently they were told to take this task seriously. Now, what the heck, why not just put it all in one big black garbage bag.

I am absolutely disgusted with the powers in this town who have authorized such an outrage. They should be fined for permitting this.