Ramapo Ridge Middle School and and Mahwah High School home-school organizations are soliciting nominations for the 2011-2012 HSO and HSA positions. The volunteer positions available range from President, VP, secretary and treasurer to parent coordinators for each grade, newsletter editor, and hospitality director. Acting as liaisons between parents, school faculty and central administration, HSO and HAS members attend bi-monthly meetings where they are “welcome and encouraged to discuss their concerns and suggestions with” school principals, according to the solicitations set up by the …

The Mahwah Board of Education has approved the 2011-2012 school calendar, and posted the final version on the district website. A topic of discussion over the past two board meetings, the calendar allows for more snow days than this year’s did, a reaction to the number of weather events that affected the schools this year. The calendar again has four snow days scheduled in, as it did this year, however, an extra day off is built in, so that in the event of five snow days, that will be the first day added back into the instructional calendar. That extra day is Monday, April 9, which is …

AT&T announced last week that it has activated six new mobile broadband cell sites throughout the state, including one in Mahwah. The site, which AT&T says will improve coverage in and around Macarthur Boulevard, will allow customers to “surf the Web, download files faster, and enjoy the very latest interactive mobile applications.” The company’s executives say the increased coverage is in an effort to increase consumer and business communication capabilities in the area. AT&T President in New Jersey, J. Michael Schweder, said “"AT&T's ongoing investments in the state will help ensure that …

SCORE Bergen is offering "Simple Steps", a five-session weekly series of workshops for people interested in learning what they should consider before starting a small business. For those interested in becoming entrepreneurs, the workshops will help develop their business concept and marketing plan. In the final two sessions, attendees will evaluate the financial risks and rewards of their business concepts. SCORE Bergen is the local chapter of SCORE, a non-profit national organization made up of more 10,500 volunteers dedicated to helping emerging and existing small businesses by providing …

As cabin fever is beginning to set in this winter, most teens and parents are realizing that summer will be here before you know it. Ramapo College of New Jersey is offering Mahwah middle and high schoolers summer activities that will be entertaining, and look good on their transcripts and resumes! Two, two-week-long sessions of the Ramapo Explorers Middle School Academic Camp are back for the second summer in a row. According to the college, this program gives “campers a chance to explore special topics in a fun and interactive environment. Campers follow a schedule from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. …

Effective the first week in March, solid household waste pickup will be reduced from twice a week to once, according to a public notice released by the township Tuesday. Suburban Disposal, Inc. will now conduct curbside pickups on the first day of the currently scheduled week. For example, “if two times per week is Monday and Thursday, one time per week will be on Monday only,” according to the town. The once-a-week schedule will happen from Oct. 1 through May 31. The town says that from June 1 through Sept. 31, the current twice-a-week pick-up schedule will resume. The town says “There is no…

Mahwah’s two Boy Scout troops are celebrating the organization’s birthday today, as scouting is an important part of the lives of many boys in the community. As Boy Scouts turns 101 today, members of Troops #258 and #50 keep the spirit of the scouts alive through fun activities, like hiking, camping, and earning merit badges, and by engaging in various community service projects. According to Patrice Scully, the recruiting chairperson for Troop #258, Mahwah scouts have been involved in “building the Mahwah train station museum, replacing a bridge at Ramapo Reservation, building a trail at …

The Bergen County Youth Police Academy is opening its doors again for a new class in the summer of 2011. The program is accepting applications now through May 6 from students entering grades 9-12 who live in Bergen County. The two week program is being held at the Bergen County Law and Public Safety Institute in Mahwah from June 27 to July 8. The camp will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is free of charge to participants. The camp is run as a coordinated effort between Bergen County, the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, the Bergen County Sheriff's Office and the Bergen County Police …

Residents will soon have another way to shop for groceries. FreshDirect, an online grocer, is expanding to Bergen County on Feb. 14. FreshDirect CEO Rick Braddock will deliver the first Bergen County order to Paramus Mayor Richard LaBarbiera at Borough Hall. Braddock will make stops in Garfield and East Rutherford as well. All the mayors involved are donating the food to local charities. FreshDirect won't lack for competition in the area. With an A&P in Mahwah, a Pathmark in Ramsey, Shop Rites in Ramsey and Oakland, and Stop & Shop in Wyckoff, to name a few. Many of these brick-and-mortar …

Departmental budget discussions are now officially underway in the township, and the first-round discussions for several 2011 budgeting issues are happening at a special Town Council meeting Thursday night. Budgets from some of the township’s major departments – the police, department of public works, water utility and sewer utility – will be discussed at the meeting.  Cuts in state aid and the recent slew of winter weather should make the PD and DPW discussions particularly pivotal to the overall 2011 budget in Mahwah. Individual department talks began last week, as the mayor’s budget was …

Basketball will meet comedy this March in Mahwah, as the Harlem Wizards will be playing a friendly game against the “Mahwah Thunder,” a team comprised of Mahwah teachers, policeman, fireman and others on Friday, March 4 at the Ramapo Ridge Middle School.  A group of hard-working parent volunteers have been putting together the event, which supports the “Safe Night” gala held on graduation night for seniors from Mahwah High School. The gala evening is, “an opportunity for the senior class members to be together one last time as a class in a safe, drug and alcohol free environment,” according …

This winter's harsh weather has put Bergen County, as well as the rest of New Jersey, in a "precarious position" for flooding when the snow melts, State Climatologist Dr. David A. Robinson said. Snowpacks which have accumulated since December's blizzard need a "well-behaved melt" in order for New Jersey to avoid widespread street flooding problems, Robinson said. By well-behaved, Robinson meant that temperatures need to rise gradually over time for a for a snow melt; ideally, temperatures would be in the 40s during the daytime and freezing at night, which would stop the melt for 8-12 hours at…

The first installment of 2011 property taxes are due Tuesday. Taking into consideration Tuesday’s forecast, which is calling for three to five inches of snow and additional accumulations of ice and sleet, residents may want to consider making payments a day early. According to the Mahwah Township website, residents can pay taxes by mail, with a check, by direct withdrawal, or in person, using a check or cash. Mahwah’s website reminds home and business owners that “our office can not recognize post-marked mail.” Checks should be made payable to the “Mahwah Tax Collector.” The township center …

The students, parents and teachers at Ramapo Ridge Middle School have been participating in Aeropostale's Fourth Annual Teens For Jeans clothing drive.   Through Tuesday, Feb. 1, homeroom classes at Ramapo Ridge will continue to collect jeans of any brand, style and size to donate. The pants will be "given to help clothe the homeless youth during the cold winter months," according to a donation letter sent home to middle school parents. The Community Service Club, who is organizing the school's involvement in this event, sent around statistics on homelessness to help motivate Mahwah families …

This Saturday night marks the close of WinterFest, which has been running in town since it kicked off with a tree lighting ceremony at Veteran’s Park in December. From 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., the Mahwah Regional Chamber of Commerce will host a family-friendly bash to celebrate the two-month event, which was focused on community and giving back. Mr. Snowman will be back in action, along with contest prizes, goodie bags, refreshments, and entertainment by Mad Science. WinterFest, the Chamber’s largest community outreach program, has been sponsored by a slew of local businesses, who will all be …

As the town council is preparing for a special meeting next Monday, Jan. 31 on the ongoing debate over the proposal to rezone the International Crossroads Complex, a regular meeting will be held tonight at 8 p.m. On the agenda are important issues facing Mahwah, including a review of the library's budget for 2011. In preparation for next week’s special meeting, the Council will also hear the Business Administrator’s report on the “Ordinance Amending the Township Code Pertaining to the Adoption of the International Property Maintenance Code.” Immediately before this meeting, will be a school …

Tony A. Maggiore, the assistant manager at Franklin Turnpike’s STS Tire and Auto Center, is a stickler when it comes to preventative automobile maintenance. “If you check out your car before driving, you can avoid a lot of potential bad situations,” said Maggiore, who is known to co-workers and customers as the “tire guru.” The manager, who is a certified expert on five major brands of tires, including Bridgestone and Firestone, recommends the following to avoid damage to your car during cold and/or snowy weather: Check your tire pressure before you start driving – that will give you the most…

The Mahwah Fire Depart is reminding residents that cleanup of fire hydrants in town is essential after every snow event. The Department says this would be a critical help to them as precious seconds are lost when fighting a fire if hydrants are covered in snow and ice. Hydrants may be difficult to locate or time consuming to dig out during a blaze. “On one call so far this winter, we had a frozen hydrant because of snow build up,” said Second Assistant Fire Chief Brad Stio. “Valuable time is lost when we can not find one or have to dig it out and hope it’s not frozen.” So, the fire department…

On top of the Dec. 26 blizzard, Mahwah got more snowfall than any other municipality in the state during the first snowfall of 2011. And that was just the beginning.  How snowy has it been this winter? It seems like we’ve been digging out a lot and more snow is expected Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. Is this normal, or what? Patch asked the state climatologist Dr. David A. Robinson for his take on the snow. “I suppose everyone is getting a bit used to snow of late, “ he said, “though if your car is sliding on snow or ice it is anything but ‘ordinary’.” So has the amount of snow been …

Prepare for road closures throughout Mahwah and Ramsey as PSE&G is conducting roadwork through May.  According to PSE&G, the company “is upgrading and replacing underground electric facilities from our Waldwick Switching Station to the South Mahwah Substation.” Work on the 5.5-mile underground line will take place trough May of this year, with the majority of work in Mahwah happening now through Apr. 15.  The construction will affect Franklin Turnpike from Wyckoff Lake to West Airmount Rd. and associated side streets. This week, crews were working on West Airmount Rd. between Franklin Tpke. …