Archive for December, 2009

Morris County’s Appeal to New Yorkers

Sunday, December 27th, 2009

A commuter rail boom in the New York and New Jersey has enabled many professionals in the area to live further from the big city. One of the places they’re moving is Morris County, New Jersey, a group of historic small towns 20 miles to the west. Settled more than 300 years ago, the area offers a well-established, attractive residential base, and solid property investment potential. Morris County includes more than 30 municipalities, and a wide variety of charming unincorporated areas. Homes here are often beautifully restored Victorian and Colonial-era buildings dating back to the early 20th century, which add to an already high quality of life in this attractive area.

Big City professionals also know Morris County for its wide variety of Fortune 500 headquarters, offices, and major facilities. Companies with operations here include AT&T, Honeywell, Bayer and Wyeth, BASF, Novartis, Exxon, and Colgate-Palmolive – good news for anyone who wants to avoid the daily commute to their corporate office job. Many professionals who move to Morris County also find jobs here, and are able to confine their relationship with New York and New Jersey to weekend visits.

Morris County’s uncrowded layout is another reason for its popularity. The county has less than 500,000 residents spread across more than 1,247 km and dozens of communities, which compares nicely to the urban sprawl of millions per square mile just to the east. Morris County’s low density has put it in high demand with wealthy buyers – it’s the sixth wealthiest county in the Nation by median household income, and tenth by per capita income.

Affluence with a taste for old world charm is part of the reason many of Morris County’s older homes here have been carefully preserved. A wide variety of old mansions have also been converted into museums, art studios, and schools. When visitors come to Morris County, they make a point of checking out heritage buildings like Acorn Hall in Morristown, which dates back to 1853.

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Cottonwoods

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009


Image taken on 2009-02-20 10:49:43 by ConanTheLibrarian.

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Orange County Sheriffs Hit the Streets in Protest

Friday, December 18th, 2009

Orange County Sheriffs hit the streets in protest

Deputies win court rulings later that day

By Michael Webster: Syndicated Investigative Reporter. Wed Feb 11, 2009 at 8:oo PM PST

Orange County Sheriffs Deputies are angry that they’ve worked for nearly a year without a contract. So they hit the streets  marching with their signs in a silent protest while they exit the Hall of Administration in Santa Ana California following a meeting of the Orange County Board of Supervisors who control there future.

Earlier today an Los Angeles Superior court judge ruled in the sheriff’s favor by issuing a potentially deadly blow to the county of Orange in its long-standing lawsuit seeking to rescind generous retirement benefits granted to deputy sheriffs in 2001.

The lawsuit has drawn the attention of law enforcement unions across the country because a ruling in favor of the county could unravel pension benefits granted to law enforcement officers nationwide.

Judge Helen Bendix, in a tentative ruling late Tuesday, granted the Orange County sheriff’s deputies’ motion for dismissal. A final hearing is scheduled for Friday. If Bendix’s thinking remains unchanged, it could spell the end of the county’s legal challenge, which has already cost taxpayers more than $1. 5 million in fees.

County Supervisor John Moorlach led the charge on the issue, persuading other supervisors to sue in January 2008.

Known as “3 at 50,” the benefit was adopted by county supervisors in 2001 and allows deputies to retire early while also granting them increased benefits. An actuarial study concludes that the benefit adds $187 million to the county’s unfunded pension liability, now hovering above the $2 billion mark.

The Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs has argued since the lawsuit was initiated that it was meritless and was generating millions in legal bills for taxpayers. They have said that several law firms told supervisors their strategy was a long shot and criticized the county for continuing with the lawsuit.

Orange County supervisors have argued that the benefit violates the state constitution’s limits on debts – because of the obligation incurred – and because the 3 at 50 benefit was granted retroactively.

Yet in this tentative ruling, Judge Helen Bendix came down on the side of the deputies by rejecting both of the county’s arguments, granting two separate AOCDS motions for dismissal.

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Meadow Hall is Really Popular in Sheffield

Monday, December 7th, 2009

Yorkshire boasts a population of almost 4,000,000, which makes it the biggest county in great britain. because of its size, the county is divided into 4 different bits; north yorkshire, west yorkshire, east yorkshire & south yorkshire. Yorkshire grew rapidly in the 19th century thank you to the Industrial Revolution. in fact, the county’s main industries of coal, textile & steel meant that the population in the county grew massively during this time. Yorkshire is a very substantial county, which was first lived in after the ice age retreated in about 8000 BC. while the first millennium, Yorkshire was lived in by Romans, Angles & Vikings. in fact, yorkshire’s name, first appeared in in 1065 in the anglo saxon chronicle. In the 19th century, Yorkshire was renowned as an industrial county thanks to its booming textile, steel & coal mining industries. The quick expansion of these industries increased the countys population. There’s lots of activities to do in Yorkshire, including some exciting museums & art galleries. One of the finest art galleries is the john ruskin gallery in sheffield, which houses a exciting collection of paintings, medieval manuscripts & books that belonged to the writer john ruskin. Yorkshire is a huge county, which means that it is no surprise that it offers fantastic shops. From fantastic markets in littler towns such as Harrogate, to large shopping malls in the cities of Leeds & Sheffield, you will find something for any shopper to enjoy in yorkshire. Meadow hall is a really popular mall in Sheffield. it was one of the first out of town shopping malls in england & boasts a sizable two hundred and forty stores. With a wide variety of small market towns & major cities, Yorkshire has a varied shops that has things for everyone to enjoy. If you enjoy cosy nights out at a rustic public house with a pint of beer & your friends, try one of Yorkshire’s market towns for instance Harrogate. alternatively, you’ll find more exclusive cocktail bars in the county’s larger cities for instance Leeds & Sheffield. In these exclusive cocktail bars, you’ll be able to sip a fine cocktail or glass of rose wine in beautiful surroundings. Whether you happen to go to in yorkshire, you’ll find that getting there is easy. Most towns & cities in Yorkshire are well-connected by road, & the major cities also have historic train stations, which offer connections to & from a number of locations throughout britain. Thank you for reading our sheffield guide!

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