Thursday, May 17, 2012
Attorney Joseph Fiorenzo says Ridgewood Water illegally reapportioned water utility monies for village operations.
Negotiations to resolve a $3 million class action lawsuit filed by Wyckoff, Glen Rock and Midland Park alleging Ridgewood Water has bilked ratepayers out of millions, have stalled. Attorney Joseph Fiorenzo claims in the law suit filed in Superior Court in Bergen County that the Village of Ridgewood has "been engaged in sham accounting to artificially inflate the costs of the Water Utility and decrease the expenses of the village." The Hackensack-based attorney is accusing Ridgewood of falsely claiming that a 21 percent rate increase in 2010 and a 5 percent increase in 2011 were justified by an operating loss of more than $1 million in 2009-10. "Evidence revealed... that there was no 'loss' to justify the extraordinary water rate increase…
Firefighters investigating why the grounds of an office ignited late Thursday morning.
Members of the Ridgewood Fire Department are investigating the cause of a fire at a professional office building near Ridgewood's downtown late Thursday morning. According to Fire Chief Jim Van Goor, firefighters responded to 124 Prospect St. after reports that mulch ignited on the building grounds. The fire – with flames reaching an approximate four feet in height – was quickly contained, he said. Damage was found to a gutter, the chief said. There were no reported injuries and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
Museums in Allendale, Wyckoff, Mahwah, Ridgewood and more on the 8-stop tour
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
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8 hours ago
The Ridgewood Schoolhouse Museum is one of the participants in the Northwest Bergen County History Tour on May 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This tour is sponsored by the Coalition of Northwest Bergen Historical Organizations. Tickets are $10 per person - children under 12 free - and are good at eight historical homes and museums in the northwest Bergen area. In honor of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the Schoolhouse Museum has an exhibit showcasing the unique local history during the turbulent times. Tickets are on sale at the Schoolhouse Museum in Ridgewood on Thursdays and Saturdays from 1-3 p.m. and Sundays 2-4 p.m. and at Abma's Farm Market in Wyckoff, Monday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. To purchase tickets by mail, send…
Officials have no explanation as to why two new, ready-to-go police cars are tucked away in the woods while old vehicles in service are falling apart.
If you're up early, you can sometimes spot Ridgewood police officers holding jumper cables to the batteries of their patrol cars. Some break down midway through shifts. Meanwhile, nestled in the woods on the Ridgewood-Glen Rock border, two brand new Crown Victorias have been collecting dust for well over a month. Village officials have not offered an explanation as to why two of five new vehicles ordered have not yet replaced older, sometimes broken down vehicles. "When you're jumpstarting cars and responding to emergency calls, and we have two cars heading out with absolutely nothing," one officer said, "it becomes an officer and public safety issue." Two of the village's patrol cars have been stripped of their radar detectors, computers …
Three-day event offers arts and crafts, food and music as well.
Patch is offering 50-percent off gate ticket prices to this weekend's 30th annual Festival of Ballooning. But you'll need to act quickly. The discounts are only available through this Sunday, May 20. The festival, held Friday-Sunday, July 27-29, at Solberg Airport in Readington, offers much, much more than ballooning. There are rides, an arts and crafts festival, yoga and Zumba demonstrations, and food—lots of it. Every evening, there will be a music concert and twice each day on Saturday and Sunday and once on Friday, more than 100 balloons will rise majestically into the sky. And Patch will offer all attendees a chance to leave all your troubles behind and take a free tethered balloon ride. Just find our table at the festival and sign up…
Without mom's blessing, it's unclear whether the 18-year-old EMT Sean Massaro is still running for one of three open seats in November.
It's unclear if 18-year-old EMT Sean Massaro plans to continue his burgeoning school board election campaign after his mother came out and said the position's demands could jeopardize his education. Known for his heroism in helping evacuate two homeowners from a burning house in December, Massaro announced to Patch on May 2 he had filed the paperwork for one of three seats on the Glen Rock Board of Education in November. "I really think the board would benefit from a young voice," Massaro, a senior at Bergen Tech in Paramus, said previously. But a week later his mother Jeanne said the teen should focus on schoolwork when he begins his freshman year as a nursing student at Caldwell College. "Sorry, he is not running[,] everyone," Jeanne …
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
An airsoft gun was removed from a George Washington Middle School's student's locker Wednesday morning; students and staff were never in danger, principal says.
A student is facing discplinary action after bringing in a replica firearm to Ridgewood's George Washington Middle School Wednesday morning. According to a letter written to parents Wednesday afternoon, Principal Katie Kashmanian says an undisclosed student brought an airsoft gun that shoots plastic pellets to school. "The replicas are designed to be non-lethal but they can look realistic and are understandably frightening when people see them," Kashmanian wrote. After learning of the gun's presence in the student's locker, administrators handed over the replica to police, Kashmanian's letter states. Administrators and police have met with the student's parents to "discuss further disciplinary action as well as other appropriate …
The arrest of a 21-year-old New York man Tuesday night could lead to dozens of closed cases throughout the New York and New Jersey area, police say.
Correction: An earlier version misidentified which pharmacy filled the prescription on April 25. Had 21-year-old Armend Salijaj of Manhattan 'liked' the Glen Rock Police Department, he'd likely be at cozier digs than the Bergen County Jail in Hackensack. Salijaj was arrested in connection to an attempted prescription fraud bid that ended in a dramatic foot chase on Tuesday night, and police believe the capture could lead to numerous police departments solving similar outstanding cases. The arrest, police tout, is a result of effective use of social media, alert police and cognizant citizens. According to Det. James Calaski, the pharmacist at Rock Ridge Pharmacy noticed a familiar man attempting to fill a prescription just past 6:30 p.m. on…
Mayor and governor have fun with their images
Just because they're the state's two most prominent politicians doesn't mean they don't have a sense of humor. The office of Gov. Chris Christie yesterday released a lighthearted video co-starring Newark Mayor Cory Booker as a peripatetic go-to guy, riffing off his now national-scale image as a man of action following his rescue of a neighbor from a burning building several weeks ago. As the Democratic mayor of the state's largest city is depicted doing everything from coming up with a spare guitar for Bruce Springsteen to catching a falling baby, a faux-frustrated Christie hisses "Booker!" The video was produced for the New Jersey Press Association's Legislative Correspondent's Club show. Click on the video above to see the Cory and Chris…
Burglary occurred on Grove St. last week, according to police.
A burglar broke into a garage on Grove St. and made off with over $4,000 in electronics, according to the Glen Rock Police Department. Police reported the victim said $4,300 worth of recording equipment and electronics were taken from a locked, detached garage behind the residents between May 6 and May 7. The side door to the garage was kicked in, police said. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the Glen Rock Police Detective Bureau at (201) 670-3947 or (201) 670-3948.
Mike Kilhaney
7:03 pm on Thursday, May 17, 2012
Great comment by "over 50 years in town"....BUT the Ho-Ho-Kus rate increase was specifically to raize new taxes for Ho-Ho-Kus purposes ! The lawsuit against Ridgewood/Ridgewood Water Company alledges that they did accounting "sham" specifically to bilk Wycoff, Glen Rock, and Midland Park citizen/ratepayers out of several million dollars to benefit ONLY RIDGEWOOD taxpayers/ratepayers ! There is a … more ›