Wednesday, January 30, 2013
A column posted on 'The Daily Beast' touts officials like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie as the solution to the GOP's problems.
- OPINION
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Wednesday, January 30
Does the Republican Party need more leaders like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie? It does, according to an column posted on The DailyBeast.com Wednesday. Columnist John Avlon wrote in the article that Christie is the example other Republicans should be looking to amidst the GOP's "existential crisis." "The 2012 ass-kicking is forcing Republicans to confront their deepest demons—namely, that they cannot simply write off whole regions of the country and remain a viable national party," Avlon wrote. "They cannot afford to alienate the fastest-growing communities of color in the USA. They cannot win a war against modernity." Avlon noted that Christie has maintained largely favorable ratings from voters in a state that went to President Barack…
Friday, January 18, 2013
A heartfelt farewell to a great editor and a realization that all roads lead home.
There's a tradition in the military called "hail and farewell"--an event that celebrates arrivals and departures at the same time as a show of continuity in a time of change. And so, I cannot possibly begin my first day as editor of Fort Lee Patch without recognizing the achievements of the editor from whom I am taking the reins. Over the course of the past two years I have had the opportunity to work with Erik Wander and get to know him. A quiet man of marked achievement, he is a tremendously gifted writer who can report the news in the most balanced and fair way possible. He cared deeply about providing the residents of Fort Lee with a community forum through Patch and he's done a remarkable job building upon, and sustaining, that …
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Fort Lee High School graduate, formerly of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence and now the president and founder of Safe School Technologies, presents the latest in a series of articles on gun laws.
- OPINION
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Wednesday, January 16
Editor's Note: The following article was submitted by Robert V. Tessaro, who recently moved back to Fort Lee after spending five years in Washington, D.C., where he worked for the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. What do ovens in the U.K. have to do with gun control policy in the U.S.? More than you may think. In 1963, England embarked on a program to convert the ovens and heaters in residential homes from coal gas to cleaner natural gas. While plentiful, coal gas was less clean and released carbon monoxide fumes when it was burned. While the benefit was to reduce pollution and have a more efficient fuel system, it had an unexpected benefit. The suicide rate in England began to drop dramatically. Up until that time, approximately half…
Monday, December 31, 2012
President Barack Obama signed an executive order last week calling for the pay raises, according to reports. Do you agree with the move? One Fort Lee resident calls on people to speak out on the issue.
- GOVERNMENT
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Monday, December 31, 2012
Editor's Note: United Republican Club of Fort Lee vice president Keith Jensen submitted the following Op-Ed to Patch for publication: To be a leader and accept a raise when you know it is in error, was given as political patronage, or when the salary and benefits are simply not justified relative to the reality of our economy does not demonstrate greatness; especially as a public official. It can be done. Freeholders Hermansen and Driscoll took a 25 percent pay cut for their positions when they took office, and I ask for bi-partisan comments where others have done so alike. When I was in the Army, there was an administrative error where I was being promoted to 1LT six months ahead of schedule because at the time it was mandatory to remain …
Monday, December 24, 2012
United Republican Club of Fort Lee official says in this Op-Ed that the goal is to collect 2,000 signatures by Dec. 28 and either a referendum on the roughly $2 million acquisition or a reversal of the governing body’s decision.
- GOVERNMENT
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Monday, December 24, 2012
The Fort Lee Republican organization has created an online petition opposing a decision by the Mayor and Council to appropriate more than $2 million to acquire land at 183 Main St., the current location of Woori Bank, for a park on the West parcel of Redevelopment Area 5. “Fort Lee does not need more debt,” the wording of the petition begins. “If a private venture is interested in a property it should be purchased entirely by this entity. The municipality does not need to be in the speculative business of real estate.” United Republican Club of Fort Lee vice president Keith Jensen submitted the following Op-Ed regarding the acquisition of the land and the petition to stop it: Essentially, the Borough of Fort Lee is guising the subsidizing …
Monday, December 17, 2012
There are no words to explain the tragedy of the massacre of children in Newtown, Connecticut.
A friend who lost her son to cancer once told me that there are orphans and widows, but there is no word to neatly define or identify a parent who has lost a child because there is no one word that can convey the enormity of such pain. What of those parents in Newtown, Connecticut whose children were mindlessly massacred? How do we come to know their pain? Friday began as an ordinary day for them. The mundane repetitive morning routine of waking up, brushing teeth, eating breakfast with a rushed kiss goodbye to children who were just a few years away from having taken their first baby steps. These children have not been lost, they have been removed. Removed before they had the chance to plan and plot the course of their lives; removed …
Monday, December 10, 2012
Of all the proposals, building redundancy into the grid looks to have the best chance of keeping the lights on next time
- OPINION
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Monday, December 10, 2012
The devastation left behind Hurricane Sandy poses huge challenges for the state -- not the least of which is how best to prevent future storms from leaving 2.7 million customers without power, some thousands of whom still lack electricity or gas on the barrier islands along the coast. In the more than a month since the storm hit, there has been no shortage of proposals to prevent disaster from striking again. The recurring questions are whether any of the schemes will work, and at what cost to ratepayers, who ultimately bear the cost. Those plans range from requiring utilities to install so-called smart meters in customers' homes and businesses; ordering gas stations and other facilities to buy backup generators; and forcing Jersey Central…
Thursday, November 22, 2012
The strength of a child defines the meaning of Thanksgiving.
Editor's note: Some stories are worth re-telling. This is one of them. It's a story I share every Thanksgiving to remind myself of why we are gathered together--to remember all that we have, and never forget what so many others have lost. Her name does not matter; only her story does. She was three years old the day before Thanksgiving 2005 when my neighbor asked if I could care for her daughter at my house. She did not ask me to watch her daughter because there were last minute holiday errands to run, or appointments to be met. No, she asked me to care for her three-year-old daughter because her only son would die that day. He was 16-years old. He had cancer. “Joey has a weed growing inside of him that’s poison,” this little girl …
Monday, November 12, 2012
Great? Good considering the circumstances? Terribly? Share your views in the comments.
- OPINION
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Monday, November 12, 2012
Most of Fort Lee lost power after Hurricane Sandy, closing schools for more than a week, bringing many businesses to a halt, causing great concern for the borough's seniors and generally disrupting life around town. Some residents were without service for more than 10 days, and others saw power go out again when a snowstorm hit. PSE&G says Sandy was an unprecededented disaster, among the worst in the history of New Jersey. More than 1.7 million were without power at its peak, and it takes time to work through even with the tens of thousands of crews brought in from other states, the utility told customers. "Since the start of the storm, PSE&G call centers have handled more than 1.9 million calls (more than 12 times the normal volume)," …
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
It's not even Halloween yet and some stores are already putting up Christmas decorations. Is it too soon to deck the halls or are you ready for the 2012 Holiday Season to begin?
It's an annual question for merchants and shoppers: How soon is too soon to deck the malls and shopping centers for the Christmas holiday season? Some stores have already begun the process. Christmas music, decorations and layaway ads can already been seen in the shopping aisle at local stores. Halloween decorations still dominate, but signs of Christmas are already creeping in. So what do you think? When is too early for the Christmas shopping season to begin? Do the decorations and Christmas ads entice you to buy early or make you grit your teeth and wish for more time before the holiday rush begins?
YOSEMITE SAM
9:58 am on Tuesday, February 5, 2013
ABSOLUTELY!!!! CHRISTIE FOR PRESIDENT 2016!!!!!!!!! more ›