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Business
Siblings Open Bergen County Eatery Siblings Open Bergen County Eatery
Siblings Open Bergen County Eatery No sibling rivalry here: A brother and sister duo each with extensive culinary backgrounds have opened a restaurant together in Bergen County. Monique and James Rugile held the grand opening of Rugile's Kitchen in Haworth on Tuesday, Feb. 28. Photos of the Rugiles in Rugile's Kitchen.Cecilia Levine Walk inside the 147 Terrace St. restaurant and you'll see pictures of the siblings at various stages of life on the walls. You'll see James peeling potatoes and Monique at an outdoor market.  The siblings' passion for cooking began at an early age, growing up in Colorado. They both went on t…

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by Cecilia Levine
Schools
These NJ Schools Are Closed, Delayed Due To Snow Tuesday, Feb. 28 These NJ Schools Are Closed, Delayed Due To Snow Tuesday, Feb. 28
These NJ Schools Are Closed, Delayed Due To Snow Tuesday, Feb. 28 The first winter storm of the season is causing a change in plans for New Jersey schools on Tuesday, Feb. 28. Some districts have delayed openings while others are closed completely. Here's a list of which school are closed or delayed for Tuesday, Feb. 28. Check your school/district's website for details. Bedminster: 10: 50 a.m. start Bellville: Delayed Bergen County Tech: Closed Bergenfield: 2-hour delay Bernards: 2-hour delay Bloomfield: Delay Bloomingdale: Closed Bogota: Delayed Butler: Closed Cliffside Park: 10 a.m. start Clifton: Delayed Closter: Delayed Cresskill: Delayed Demarest: …

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by Cecilia Levine
Business
Fordham Grad Trades Corporate Gig For Bergen County Bakeshop Fordham Grad Trades Corporate Gig For Bergen County Bakeshop
Fordham Grad Trades Corporate Gig For Bergen County Bakeshop Baking has always made sense to Despina Kontomanolis. It's methodical, scientific, and she knew if she followed the steps meticulously, she'd get exactly the product she wanted. Baking proved to be imperative to the 36-year-old New Milford after she graduated from Fordham Business School, and began working in the corporate world in 2009. "I felt like my soul was dying," Kontomanolis said. "I was feeling like I wasn't living up to my full potential because I wasn't getting pleasure out of selling insurance or writing up leases." In 2015, she quit her corporate gig at the urging of friends…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Bogus Shooting Call Brings Police To Catholic Grammar School In Hillsdale Bogus Shooting Call Brings Police To Catholic Grammar School In Hillsdale
Bogus Shooting Call Brings Police To Catholic Grammar School In Hillsdale A bogus call of a shooting brought police to a Catholic grammar school in Bergen County. The "swatter" who made the false claim drew an immediate response to the preK3-8 St. John's Academy by police in Hillsdale mid-Monday evening (Jan. 23). They had help from, among others, their colleagues neighboring Park Ridge and River Vale, as well as the Bergen County Sheriff's Office.  Hillsdale Police Chief Robert Fracaviglia confirmed the call as swatting. An investigation was launched. Swatting exacts a toll on innocent residents, which is usually the intent. Often public figures and celeb…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
'Was That An Earthquake?' North Jersey Asks 'Was That An Earthquake?' North Jersey Asks
'Was That An Earthquake?' North Jersey Asks "What was that?" was the question that rumbled through a large swath of North Jersey and into New York State early Wednesday afternoon. Mine blasting? A sonic boom? Seneca guns? Unconfirmed reports of an earthquake or "seismic-like event" stretched from Newton and Sparta in Sussex County to as far east as the Palisades in Alpine beginning at 12:52 p.m. Jan. 11.  There were similar calls in several southern New York State counties, as well as in the Poconos in Pennsylvania. All are basically in the area of the Ramapo Fault Line. The longest and oldest in the Northeast -- at 185 m…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Four Suffer Smoke Inhalation In Overnight Old Tappan House Fire Four Suffer Smoke Inhalation In Overnight Old Tappan House Fire
Four Suffer Smoke Inhalation In Overnight Old Tappan House Fire Four people were hospitalized for smoke inhalation from an overnight house fire in Old Tappan, responders said. The blaze in the $1 million home at the end of a cul-de-sac on Parker Place broke out in the kitchen around 2:45 a.m. It immediately went to a second alarm on arrival, with a third alarm called roughly 20 minutes later. Old Tappan firefighters were met with heavy smoke at the Parker Place fire.OLD TAPPAN FD The Parker Place house fire in Old Tappan before dawn Saturday, Nov. 19 quickly went to three alarms.WOODCLIFF LAKE FD Firefighters had the blaze knocked down and under…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Park Ridge Family Loses All In Fire, Relatively Minor Injuries Reported Park Ridge Family Loses All In Fire, Relatively Minor Injuries Reported
Park Ridge Family Loses All In Fire, Relatively Minor Injuries Reported Loved ones and friends are rallying for a Park Ridge couple and their three young children who lost just about everything in a fire that sent four firefighters to the hospital. Authorities are investigating the cause of the two-alarm blaze, which broke out in the Henry Avenue home of Matt and Lisa Patterson shortly before 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9. Meanwhile, family friend Janet Zakrzewska launched a GoFundMe campaign to help the family. GO TO: Tragic House Fire - Matt and Lisa Patterson "They are the most hardworking, genuine, kind-hearted and giving people that we know!!" Zakrzewska …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
River Vale PD Recognized By Chiefs Association For 'Clarity, Transparency, Professionalism' River Vale PD Recognized By Chiefs Association For 'Clarity, Transparency, Professionalism'
River Vale PD Recognized By Chiefs Association For 'Clarity, Transparency, Professionalism' River Vale police met the highest standards of law enforcement when it received accreditation from the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police. NJSACOP is a statewide, independent credentialing body that analyzes the operational effectiveness and clarity of a police department’s policies and procedures. Although about 570 law enforcement agencies in the state are eligible for law enforcement accreditation, only 43% are accredited. River Vale police began the process, which can take up to two years to complete, in March of 2021. “It was a team effort,” said River Vale Police D…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Firefighters Contain Destructive Kitchen Fire At Westwood Restaurant Firefighters Contain Destructive Kitchen Fire At Westwood Restaurant
Firefighters Contain Destructive Kitchen Fire At Westwood Restaurant Firefighters kept a blaze that severely damaged a Guatemalan restaurant from spreading to the rest of a small shopping center in Westwood. The fire broke out in the kitchen and extended to the cockloft of Mi Flor Latin Cafe on Kinderkamack Road across from Kingsberry Avenue shortly before 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 22. Firefighters quickly climbed up and opened the roof as part of an aggressive attack that kept the blaze in check and was over in minutes. Their colleagues from Emerson and River Vale provided mutual aid. Fire inspectors were investigating the cause. The fire broke out in…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
DWI Driver From River Vale Drove Wrong Way On Rockland Highway: Sheriff DWI Driver From River Vale Drove Wrong Way On Rockland Highway: Sheriff
DWI Driver From River Vale Drove Wrong Way On Rockland Highway: Sheriff A River Vale motorist was drunk when he drove the wrong way overnight on a Rockland highway and somehow didn't hit anything, authorities said. Aidan Beahm, 25, was headed east on the westbound side of divided Route 59 in Nanuet when a sheriff's officer spotted the vehicle around 3 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 30, Rockland County Sheriff Louis Falco III said. Beahm was arrested, charged with DWI and issued summonses before being processed and released, the sheriff said. He was scheduled for a first appearance in Clarkstown Justice Court on Sept. 12.

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by Jerry DeMarco
Business
Rooftop Opens At Felina In Ridgewood Rooftop Opens At Felina In Ridgewood
Rooftop Opens At Felina In Ridgewood The rooftop has opened at Felina in Ridgewood after nearly 3.5 years. La Terrazza has its own food and drinks menu and is located on top of the Italian restaurant on East Ridgewood Avenue, initially run by four-star chef Anthony Bucco. Bucco left the restaurant during COVID-19, at which point Flavia Amaral and chef Carlos Valdez, both of Let's Meat in River Vale, took over. La Terrazza seats 85 guests, has a kitchen with a pizza oven, rosé bar, cocktails, and can be transformed into an event space. Felina/Terrazza, 54 E. Ridgewood Ave., Ridgewood.

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Drowning Bergen County Boy, 3, Pulled From Pool Drowning Bergen County Boy, 3, Pulled From Pool
Drowning Bergen County Boy, 3, Pulled From Pool A drowning 3-year-old boy was pulled from a backyard pool and rushed to Hackensack University Medical Center early Monday afternoon. Hospital staff tried to resuscitate the child, who was in cardiac arrest as police escorted the ambulance from the home on Forest Avenue in Rochelle Park shortly after 1:30 p.m. Hackensack and Maywood police assisted in clearing a path. The Bergen County Sheriff's Bureau of Criminal Identification responded to collect evidence and the county prosecutor's office was notified. It was another in a tragic string of accidents this summer not just in Bergen County …

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by Jerry DeMarco