By Chris Neidenberg / Reporter

CARLSTADT (Sept. 2, 2010) — While justice may very well be blind, merchant Ronald Radomski views local police as “blind to the injustice” he has suffered in trying to solve what would seem like a clear-cut $4,000 bad check case.

Radomski, owner of Cutting Techniques, Inc. on Industrial Road in Carlstadt, said the case allegedly involves a New York City man, who, he complained, keeps snubbing his request to pay up without even trying to hide.

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By John Soltes / Editor in Chief

(Sept. 2, 2010) — A tropical storm warning has been issued for all of the coastal regions of New Jersey, in anticipation of the glancing blow from Hurricane Earl. Currently, the Category 3 storm has sustained winds of 145 mph and is headed toward the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

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By Andrew Segedin / Reporter

(Sept. 2, 2010) — “We’ve got another holiday to worry about. It seems Thanksgiving Day is upon us,” Charlie Brown says rather glumly to his sister Sally and friend Linus, in “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.” To which Sally, stunned and naïve, replies, “I haven’t even finished my Halloween candy.”

Such is the joke with American consumers. Independence Day sales are quickly followed by Labor Day sales and by Columbus and Veterans Day sales and so on. Back-to-school specials seem to start during the last week of June. But for local businesses dependent on holiday sales, Christmas in July is not a joke, it’s a necessary reality.

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By Chris Neidenberg / Reporter

(Sept. 2, 2010) — For members of New Jersey’s volunteer emergency ambulance squad who feel jilted over the state’s draconian reduction of the EMT Training Fund, Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-36) remains optimistic that the vast bulk of funds will eventually be restored.

Those volunteers upset with the loss of monies, currently set aside for continuing education courses and recertification, have both political parties to blame.

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By Kyle Orlowicz / Reporter

LYNDHURST (Sept. 2, 2010) — On a recent Saturday afternoon, the Lyndhurst community pool, opened to the public since April, is bustling but tranquil. A diverse crowd of around 15 people — nowhere near capacity — shares the large pool without conflict, while parents and spent swimmers look on from the bleachers. Though it may not rival a day at the beach, the brand-new indoor facility provides an affordable daily getaway for a family or individual on a budget.

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By Ray Smith / Reporter

WALLINGTON (Sept. 2, 2010) — Municipalities throughout New Jersey are certainly not immune to budget cuts. With the development of a large municipal public safety complex in East Rutherford, some towns are wondering if cutting costs could be achieved by combining municipal courts.

At the Thursday, Aug. 26 Wallington Borough Council meeting, the five council members in attendance voted unanimously to authorize a municipal court feasibility study.

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By Andrew Segedin / Reporter

LYNDHURST (Sept. 2, 2010) — Accomplished rhythm tap dancer, and Lyndhurst resident, Andrew Nemr will perform during the eighth hour of the 45th Annual Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon this weekend, Sept. 5-6. The appearance will be Nemr’s first on the show since 2006.

As in 2006, Nemr will be performing alongside his dance group CPD Plus (Cats Paying Dues) — a group of young dancers that Nemr works with in an effort to pass along the style and history of rhythm tap as it was passed along to him.

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RUTHERFORD (Sept. 2, 2010) — The Rutherford Labor Day organizing committee has announced the line-up for entertainment that will be at the event. At the Hutzel Memorial Band Shell in Lincoln Park, String Theory will perform from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; followed by The Rum Runners (Jazz Trio) with Ashley Pettet singing from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.; and the Kootz Band from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

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RUTHERFORD (Sept. 1, 2010, 9:55 a.m.) — The Borough of Rutherford’s revised 2010 collection schedule will be in next week’s The Leader.  Please be advised all borough offices are closed every Friday through Dec. 31.

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By Jennifer Vazquez / Reporter

NORTH ARLINGTON (Aug. 31, 2010, 4:25 p.m.) — The Borough of North Arlington is in its initial stages of commencing phase III of an expansive Ridge Road streetscape project. The development has come on the heels of the borough council approving a $670,000 bond, during the Aug. 19 borough council meeting, which includes a down payment for the continuation of the project.

According to the bond ordinance, the money will be used to continue revamping Ridge Road from Garden Terrace to Hendel Avenue.

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By John Soltes / Editor in Chief

TRENTON (Aug. 27, 2010, 1:25 p.m.) — Governor Chris Christie has fired Bret Schundler, the commissioner of the state Department of Education, according to an official press release sent today, Aug. 27. The firing came after New Jersey missed out on hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding in the "Race to the Top" educational initiative, a competitive grant program administered by the U.S. Department of Education.

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By John Soltes / Editor in Chief

RUTHERFORD (Aug. 26, 2010) — For motorists making their way up and down the Route 17 corridor in South Bergen, the recent lane expansions and guardrail additions have largely been welcome news. Traffic and safety, for the most part, have been improved, especially in the locations in and around the four traffic lights that dot the highway from Hasbrouck Heights to Rutherford.

But did these improvements, which help thousands of motorists on a daily basis, come at the expense of local residents and business owners?

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By Susan C. Moeller / Senior Reporter

LYNDHURST (Aug. 26, 2010, 11:10 a.m.) — When Lyndhurst resident Sam Corkin received his third quarter tax bill and saw the amount — $385.66 more than the last bill — he was frustrated.

To protest, the retired grandfather wrote a check to pay the amount of last quarter’s bill, then filled a black bucket with change equal to the increase and headed to town hall to pay his taxes, Wednesday, Aug. 18.

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By Susan C. Moeller / Senior Reporter

LYNDHURST (Aug. 26, 2010, 9:15 a.m.) — John Blevis, who was placed on a paid leave of absence from Lyndhurst High School in January 2007, will return to the classroom this school year. But, that classroom will be in a different building.

An administrative law judge has recommended that the school district not proceed with its tenure charges against Blevis, who has 20 years of experience. So, a settlement has been proposed that would allow Blevis to continue to teach.

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RUTHERFORD (Aug. 25, 2010, 3:20 p.m.) — The storied history of The Leader Newspaper, South Bergen’s premier weekly publication, has seen a full suite of improvements and enhancements throughout its more than 100 years of publishing. For several years, it has lived up to its motto of being “The Pulse of the Meadowlands” for the local area.

Now, the newspaper, which serves eight communities in southern Bergen County, is ready to take a bold step into the 21st century media marketplace — and it has a few new friends to help it along the way.

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The information below is compiled from local police blotters, as that information is made available, and is not intended to give a full description of every criminal incident in the local area.

Burglaries

NORTH ARLINGTON — Some time between Monday, Aug. 16 at 8 p.m. and Tuesday, Aug. 17 at 1:30 p.m., a Morgan Place residence was burglarized. Police were notified after the resident returned home to find that the apartment had been broken into. The front door appeared to have been pried open. A laptop computer valued at $529 and the victim’s checkbook were reported missing. A neighbor reported seeing a black male of medium build carrying a black bag out of the building earlier in the day. An investigation is ongoing.

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By Kyle Orlowicz / Reporter

RUTHERFORD (Aug. 26, 2010) — With the national unemployment rate nearing double digits, it is becoming impossible to ignore the victims of the current economic recession in the South Bergen region. The Rev. Gregory Rupright meets with some of these fated individuals monthly at Rutherford Congregational Church to offer his support in their quest for new work. With the help of career development and placement professional Carol Anderson, Rupright’s Job Seekers Support Group offers ailing and desperate out-of-workers spiritual therapy with a mix of expert career advisement.

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By Jennifer Vazquez / Reporter

NORTH ARLINGTON (Aug. 26, 2010) — After a delay in its reopening that had local officials complaining of budgetary shortfalls, North Arlington’s trash transfer station, commonly known as the baler, is officially up and running for business as of Wednesday, Aug. 18. The baler had been closed since December 2008.

The facility’s new lease agreement between the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission and Environmental Logistic Services of Bridgewater, the company chosen to operate the transfer station, will be in effect for the next 10 years.

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By Ray Smith / Reporter

WALLINGTON (Aug. 26, 2010) — When the New Jersey Devils packed up and departed for Newark, many believed that it signaled the end of professional hockey in Bergen County. While no professional ice hockey team currently competes in the South Bergen area, one roller hockey team is making its own mark in a professional league, playing home games in Wallington.

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By Chris Neidenberg / Reporter

HASBROUCK HEIGHTS (Aug. 26, 2010) — While the traditional Labor Day weekend is a time of rest and relaxation for many, it’s anything but for Bob Ciavaglia and other volunteers preparing the borough’s pledge center for the 45th-annual Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon.

It’s a major responsibility. The site, local Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4591 hall off 513 Springfield Ave., handles most pledges called in by viewers from the New York area tuned to WWOR during the nearly 24-hour event.

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