Thursday, May 17, 2012
A Letter to the Editor from Bergen County Clerk John Hogan
To the Editor: Too often, we, the hardworking taxpayers of Bergen County, have witnessed the abuses of government—double-dipping of public pensions, inflated salaries prior to retirements to boost pensions, cost over runs on projects, costly lawsuits on differences that should simply be settled by negotiations, unlimited overtime… The list goes on and on… We have all read the headlines and news stories of these abuses of the public trust. Day after day we watch with disgust as our tax dollars are wasted as we look to our elected officials to properly act on our behalf. Last year as a candidate for Bergen County Clerk, I raised one such issue of wasted tax dollars—the inflated cost of election printing by the Bergen County Clerk’s office. I…
Friday, May 11, 2012
A state legislative committee approved a bill this week that would bar the practice.
Can an employer force you to reveal your Facebook or other social media password as a condition for getting hired or keeping your job? That issue began to get some attention in March after a statistician in New York reported that during an interview with a potential employer, the woman interviewing him had searched for his Facebook and, upon discovering that it was private, asked him for the password. The statistician, Justin Bassett refused and left the interview, according to the Associated Press. But the story brought to light other instances where employers have sought similar access to social media accounts, and have led several states to consider legislation to ban the practice. California's assembly voted Thursday to approve such …
Friday, May 4, 2012
By Keith Jensen.
Editor’s Note: Fort Lee resident and former Republican candidate for State Assembly in District 37 Keith Jensen submitted this letter in response to Sen. Loretta Weinberg’s (D-37) recent Op-Ed published on NorthJersey.com. Senator Weinberg, in response to your opinion most recently published in our local County newspaper and here on the Teaneck, Fort Lee and Hasbrouck Heights PATCH, I find it unsettling that you did not bring these issues up about Port Authority salaries before. Much more unsettling is how you remain silent when towns in your District, like Teaneck and Fort Lee, are passing referendums and raising school and municipal budgets to cover the need for Millions of Dollars because our school systems do not have enough money to …
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
To earn high school diploma, end-of-course exams are coming, but may take awhile.
After much talk since taking office, Gov. Chris Christie Monday finally released his plans -- some new, some old -- to raise the requirements for gaining a high school diploma in New Jersey. But it will be some time for the changes to take hold, if they get that far. The first students to face the requirements will be today’s fourth graders when they reach high school in 2016. Christie and his top education staff Monday used a visit to West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional High School North -- one of the state’s higher performing schools -- to unveil a much-anticipated list of proposed changes to what will be required to graduate from a New Jersey high school. Chief among them will be a new battery of so-called end-of-course exams in 9th, 10th …
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Patch asks readers what they think would make a good business to fill an empty storefront on the Boulevard.
There's been a lot of new businesses coming to the Boulevard recently. New jewelry store Michael A. Diamonds has just opened. The Risotto House, where the Chicken Place once was, is expected to open soon and a new restaurant is planned for the former location of Maria's Kitchen which recently closed. The Tibet Shoppe, which recently closed, is now the only vacant spot on the Boulevard. Once again we've decided to ask readers what types of business they would like to see come to this location on the Boulevard. Tell us what YOU think and Let us know in the comments!
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
An editor's personal journey through autism.
This story is not mine to own. It could belong to you. It could belong to your sister, your friend, your neighbor, the waitress at Jersey Boys, the bank president, the school principal, the police officer directing traffic. In New Jersey, the story belongs to all of us. The findings of a federal study released last week show that one in 49 children, and one in 29 boys, are diagnosed with autism in New Jersey. Nationally, one in 88 children are diagnosed annually. Autism is a disease that gives itself freely and without prejudice. There is no way to protect your child from it; no diet or vaccine that will prevent it. It is, as experts will tell you, pervasive. Autism has been an unwanted guest in my house for 11 years. It has attached …
Parents tell Board of Ed trustees they are concerned about second grade class sizes at Euclid
A handful of parents of Euclid Elementary School students say they are concerned about the number of kids in the second grade classrooms. The parents told Board of Education trustees last week asking them for a resolution to the issue. The parents claimed there are 79 students in that grade split into three classes - two which have about 24 students and a third has 29 students. One parent said the classroom is overcrowded and feels that students who are struggling would do better if they were able to have more attention from the teacher whose hands are tied due to the extra kids. According to a New Jersey School Boards Association survey featured on NJ Spotlight last summer, increasing class size is the norm in most districts. NJ Monthly …
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Todd Cohen, of Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, thanks volunteers of the Northern New Jersey Affiliate for hard work and support.
- OPINION
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Thursday, March 29
To the Editor: April is Volunteer Appreciation Month, and I would like to take a moment to sincerely thank all of our volunteers with the Northern New Jersey Affiliate of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, the national organization creating hope in a comprehensive way through research, patient support, community outreach and advocacy for a cure for all their hard work and support. The award-winning Northern New Jersey Affiliate has relied on its amazing group of volunteers to host numerous events and raise over $500,000 since the affiliate’s inception five years ago. Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death. There are no early detection tools, few effective treatment options and there is no cure. Despite these …
Sunday, March 25, 2012
This reader says film adaptation was true to the book.
It's not every week I'd let two of my kids stay up til 3 a.m. to go to a midnight movie on a school night - but the fact we were at Caldwell Cinema Thursday instead of sleeping, is a testament to how much we love Suzanne Collins' series, "The Hunger Games." And, if the packed theater was any indication, the rest of America does too. The movie was filled with fans - some who'd read all three books in the series, some who had only gotten through the first one. There was also one teenaged girl, was hurriedly finishing the pages of the first book, minutes before the lights went out. For book fans, the movie didn't disappoint. The depiction of Panem was just as bleak as described in Collins' trilogy. Prim and Rue were sweet and innocent, and …
Saturday, March 24, 2012
A rabbit can mean a 10-year commitment, and shouldn't be a hastily-decided Easter gift.
- OPINION
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Saturday, March 24
With Easter quickly approaching, many families seek the perfect gift to give their loved ones and children. An appealing option always seems to be a pet rabbit—what better way to celebrate the Easter Bunny than a fluffy friend of your very own? Unfortunately, many times the decision to purchase a rabbit is done in haste and new owners realize quickly these animals (whose lifespan is generally six to ten years) take more care and attention than most new owners are willing to give. It is estimated that the amount of rabbits abandoned at shelters greatly increases following the Easter holiday. This ends up leading to an influx of rabbits being neglected, improperly cared for, left at animal shelters, or, worst of all—let out into the wild, an…
HobokenOwl
11:45 am on Wednesday, May 16, 2012
No kidding, B@b. My point was your "Professional" online persona is your linkedin account. Your fun online persona is fb. more ›