Rosie O’Donnell’s NJ home to be demolished, turned into affordable housing – upscale residents are outraged
After years of not being able to find a buyer for her Saddle River mansion, Rosie O’Donnell finally caved and sold her home at a loss, The Post has learned.
But the home’s next residents are already causing a stir in the tony neighborhood, home to the rich and famous, from rapper Ja Rule to singer Mary J. Blige.
The six-bedroom, nine-bathroom abode is expected to be demolished and turned into a series of affordable housing units per a landmark public court settlement with Fair Share Housing Center.
But the agreement has left its upscale residents outraged.
According to an unnamed source who lives in the area and was familiar with the proceedings, the borough had plans to comply with the affordable housing requirements in Saddle River. The requirements usually include sites that are 100% affordable.
However, in this case, local developers Saddle River Investors intervened, court docs show.
And their intervention only “added insult to injury,” the source said.
As part of a fair housing court settlement between the borough of Saddle River and the Fair Share Housing Center of NJ, the 5-acre lot that belonged to O’Donnell will be converted into 60 units — of which only 20% will be used for affordable housing.
Essentially, the source said, “the developer plans to segregate the units, instead of integrating them with the high density multi-family housing.” While there is no legal requirement that the units be integrated, residents say the current plan doesn’t sit well with them. Saddle River Investors has declined to comment on the matter.
The insider explained that of the 60 units in the plan, “only eight are set for low and moderate income and the developer will stick the eight units in the back corner of the property instead of integrating, so everyone will know these are the homes saved for the poor.”
The controversy calls to mind similar issues over affordable housing, such as the so-called “poor door” at the upscale Lincoln Square Tower in Manhattan.
“It’s a very complex issue,” another resident said. “Fair Share Housing decided to make Saddle River its example.”
Bergen County court records reveal the case — including the 20% affordable housing stipulation — was settled when the borough agreed to include O’Donnell’s property and two other neighboring properties that span 10 acres.
“It makes no sense and it’s creating a further divide between the wealthiest and the non [wealthiest],” they added. “There is not even public transportation here!”
O’Donnell, 59, sold the property at a $1 million loss for $5.3 million on March 17 after five years on the market, according to an insider. The actress, who is currently filming the new season of Showtime’s “The L Word,” first bought the home in 2013 for $6.3 million.
O’Donnell currently resides in an $8 million, four-bedroom, three-bathroom luxury New York City penthouse in Midtown.
Her rep has not responded to The Post’s request for comment.
New Jersey State Senator and former resident of Saddle River, Holly Schepisi, who now lives in a nearby town is also up in arms over the project.
“The town itself is against [it] but they had no choice,” Schepisi told The Post, adding that the area may not be hospitable to those on a limited income.
“Everything is out of pocket here,” Schepisi said. “Pay out of pocket for sports, schools… how is somebody with very little income viable to live in this town?”
Anthony Campisi, communications rep at the Fair Share Housing Center told The Post that Saddle River had an “obligation to zone.”
“It’s one of the most exclusive towns in the country,” Campisi explained. “Our role didn’t have to do with the sale itself. We negotiated a housing agreement and the town allowed the redevelopment on O’Donnell’s site. It is a prime piece of real-estate leverage for affordable housing.”
The home is currently pending a purchase by the Bergen County Borough through Saddle River Investors. Here’s a look at the space now at the center of debate in the community.
With the property spanning 9,173 square feet, the colonial home also included a separate full service year-round guesthouse with a dining room, living room/bedroom, two baths, laundry and kitchen. Other amenities of the home included a basketball court and an elevator.
The soon-to-be former estate featured an in-ground pool with a grotto waterfall, a plunge pool and a Jacuzzi spa.
via: https://nypost.com/2021/04/07/rosie-odonnells-nj-home-to-be-turned-into-affordable-housing/
Photo Credit: Realtor/nypost.com
Ron Paul spotted wearing a pair of Daisy Dukes for interview
Looks like Ron Paul likes his shorts as small as he likes his government.
The former congressman gave viewers on YouTube an eye full Wednesday, when he ended a Zoom interview by revealing he was wearing a tight pair of Daisy Dukes along with his dress shirt and suit jacket.
The 85-year-old Libertarian inadvertently gave the glimpse of his liberally cut short shorts in the last seconds of a video chat on political issues with host Doug Casey.
The men had finished discussing the future of personal liberty, when Paul rolled his chair back from the camera and showed just how much liberty his tiny jeans allowed his slightly tanned, thighs to enjoy.
Some viewers at first thought the fresh take on business casual were boxers, but a closer look reveals they are a pair of short jeans cinched with a black belt.
The video immediately ended after the quick glimpse of the shorts.
During the interview, the outspoken libertarian harped on one of his favorite topics — including how Americans should continue their pursuit of freedom regardless of the current political climate.
“The only issue that matters will be our liberties,” Paul said, looking towards the future.
via: https://nypost.com/2021/04/07/ron-paul-spotted-wearing-a-pair-of-daisy-dukes-for-interview/
Photo Credit: Youtube
Police official: Chauvin trained to avoid neck pressure
MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis police are taught to restrain combative suspects with a knee on their back or shoulders if necessary but are told to “stay away from the neck when possible,” a department use-of-force instructor testified Tuesday at former Officer Derek Chauvin’s murder trial.
Lt. Johnny Mercil became the latest member of the Minneapolis force to take the stand as part of an effort by prosecutors to dismantle the argument that Chauvin was doing what he was trained to do when he put his knee on George Floyd’s neck last May.
Several experienced officers, including the police chief himself, have testified that Floyd should not have been kept pinned to the pavement for close to 9 1/2 minutes by prosecutors’ reckoning as the Black man lay face-down, his hands cuffed behind his back.
According to testimony and records submitted Tuesday, Chauvin took a 40-hour course in 2016 on how to recognize people in crisis — including those suffering mental problems or the effects of drug use — and how to use de-escalation techniques to calm them down.
Sgt. Ker Yang, the Minneapolis police official in charge of crisis-intervention training, said officers are taught to “slow things down and re-evaluate and reassess.”
Records show Chauvin also underwent training in the use of force in 2018. Mercil said those who attended were taught that the sanctity of life is a cornerstone of departmental policy and that officers must use the least amount of force required to get a suspect to comply.
Under cross-examination by Chauvin attorney Eric Nelson, Mercil testified that officers are trained to use their knee across a person’s back or shoulder and employ their body weight to maintain control.
But Mercil added: “We tell officers to stay away from the neck when possible.”
Nelson has argued that the now-fired white officer “did exactly what he had been trained to do over his 19-year career,” and he has suggested that the illegal drugs in Floyd’s system and his underlying health conditions are what killed him, not Chauvin’s knee.
In fact, Nelson sought to point out moments in the video footage when he said Chauvin’s knee did not appear to be on Floyd’s neck.
Nelson showed Mercil several images taken from officers’ body-camera videos, asking after each one whether it showed Chauvin’s knee appearing to rest more on Floyd’s back, shoulder or shoulder blades than directly on Floyd’s neck. Mercil often agreed.
Nelson acknowledged the images were difficult to make out. They were taken at different moments during Floyd’s arrest, starting about four minutes after he was first pinned to the ground, according to time stamps on the images.
In other testimony, Jody Stiger, a Los Angeles Police Department sergeant serving as a prosecution use-of-force expert, said officers were justified in using force while Floyd was resisting their efforts to put him in a squad car. But once he was on the ground and stopped resisting, “at that point the officers … should have slowed down or stopped their force as well.”
Stiger said that after reviewing video of the arrest, “my opinion was that the force was excessive.”
Chauvin, 45, is charged with murder and manslaughter in Floyd’s death May 25. Floyd, 46, was arrested outside a neighborhood market after being accused of trying to pass a counterfeit $20 bill. A panicky-sounding Floyd writhed and claimed to be claustrophobic as police tried to put him in the squad car.
Bystander video of Floyd crying that he couldn’t breathe as onlookers yelled at Chauvin to get off him sparked protests around the U.S. that descended into violence in some cases.
Instead of closing ranks to protect a fellow officer behind what has been dubbed the “blue wall of silence,” some of the most experienced members of the Minneapolis force have taken the stand to openly condemn Chauvin’s actions as excessive.
Chauvin had been certified to perform CPR, and Minneapolis Officer Nicole Mackenzie, who trains members of the force in medical care, testified Tuesday that department policy required him to start aid before paramedics arrived, if possible.
Officers kept restraining Floyd — with Chauvin kneeling on his neck, another kneeling on Floyd’s back and a third holding his feet — until the ambulance got there, even after he became unresponsive, according to testimony and video footage.
The officers also rebuffed offers of help from an off-duty Minneapolis firefighter who wanted to administer aid or tell officers how to do it.
Mercil testified that in his experience, it takes less than 10 seconds for someone to be rendered unconscious with a neck restraint. He said someone having a rush of adrenaline or a higher breathing or heart rate can be affected even faster.
“Have you have ever had a circumstance where an individual has lost their pulse and suddenly come back to life and become more violent?” prosecutor Steve Schleicher asked, suggesting that Floyd was held down long past the point where he might be a threat.
“Not that I’m aware of, sir,” Mercil replied.
via: https://pix11.com/news/national-news/police-official-chauvin-trained-to-avoid-neck-pressure/
Photo Credit: pix11.com
Man chokes Burger King employee, intentionally slams head into steel bench during arrest
WAYNE, N.J. — Police arrested an unruly man who slammed his head into a steel bench while being arrested for choking a female employee at a Wayne Burger King on a recent Saturday afternoon, police said Monday.
It happened Saturday, March 27 at about 4:10 p.m. at a Burger King on Route 23 South. Officials said the man, David Siversten, entered the restaurant, approached the employee and wrapped both hands around her neck.
Police said video from the scene confirmed the account, and said Siversten outweighed the victim by 80 pounds.
The attack only ended when another female employee intervened, and Siversten fled the scene.
Officials arrested Siversten when they discovered him seated in a driveway on Newark-Pompton Turnpike, where he appeared to be drunk.
“You got me,” he said to the officer, walking towards him, according to authorities.
As he was being arrested, he intentionally slammed his head into the steel bench to which he was handcuffed, police said. He was taken to a local hospital before being cleared and transported to a local jail.
via: https://pix11.com/news/man-chokes-burger-king-employee-intentionally-slams-head-into-steel-bench-during-arrest-police/
Photo Credit: Wayne Police Department
Family sues after California man dies in taco-eating contest
The family of a California man who died in a taco-eating contest is taking legal action against the event’s organizers — claiming their negligence led him to choke to death.
Marshall Hutchings, 18, alleges in a suit filed Monday that his father, Dana Hutchings, 41, was not made aware of the risks and danger associated with the competition at a Fresno Grizzlies game, the Fresno Bee reported
The elder Hutchings had not participated in any similar events before he entered the amateur competition on Aug. 13, 2019, at Chukchansi Park, the suit argues.
But he began choking and collapsed only minutes into the eating competition, the suit said. He was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
The coroner’s officer determined that his cause of death was choking.
Martin Taleisnik, who is representing the Hutchings family, argued that participants in professional eating competitions train and prepare their bodies for such events.
“But that is not always present in an amateur eating contest,” Taleisnik told the newspaper.
“The conductors of this event should have made the risks known to the competitors and taken steps to protect them.”
The suit is seeking unspecified damages from Fresno Sports and Events, the owners of the Fresno Grizzlies.
Fresno Sports and Events declined to comment, the newspaper reported.
via: https://nypost.com/2021/04/06/family-sues-after-california-man-dies-in-taco-eating-contest/
Photo Credit: Facebook
Caitlyn Jenner mulling run to replace Calif. Gov. Newsom in recall
Former Olympian and reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner is mulling a run to replace California Gov. Gavin Newsom in a recall election, a report said Tuesday.
Though signatures on a legally required petition are still being verified, Newsom, a Democrat in his first term, is all but certain to face a recall election later this year, with critics objecting to the onerous COVID-19 restrictions he has placed on the state over the last year — and his unwillingness to follow his own rules.
Looking to challenge Newsom is Jenner, formerly a key cog of the Kardashian-Jenner reality television empire, Axios reported Monday, citing three sources familiar with Jenner’s thinking.
Jenner, 71, was a one-time supporter of former President Donald Trump, and would challenge Newsom as a Republican, the sources said.
Assisting Jenner in her deliberations is veteran GOP fundraiser Caroline Wren, who previously worked on a fundraising committee for Trump’s 2020 re-election bid, according to Axios.
Spokespeople for both Jenner and Wren declined to comment to Axios.
Decades prior to her reality television success, Jenner — who came out as a trans woman in 2015 — shot to fame as a gold medal-winning decathlete in the 1976 Olympics.
Should Jenner undertake the run and win, it would not be the first time that a high-profile Republican has succeeded in a California recall election.
In 2003, big-screen star Arnold Schwarzenegger defeated Democratic Gov. Gray Davis to become governor.
Schwarzenegger went on to win re-election in 2007.
via: https://nypost.com/2021/04/06/caitlyn-jenner-mulling-run-to-replace-newsom-in-recall-report/
Photo Credit: Michael Tran/nypost
Australian restaurant owner sorry for Snapchat post about ‘annoying Asians’
An Australian restaurant owner has apologized for posting a Snapchat of an order slip that described customers as “two very annoying Asians.”
The image appeared Saturday on the account of Shay Hayston, who is listed as a joint owner of several Brisbane eateries, including Froth on Brunswick, No. 5 Cafe and The Stand, according to news.com.au.
“Omg I love my staff,” read the caption posted along with three laughing emojis with the offensive image on Hayston’s account, the news outlet reported about the receipt for the chicken and avocado croissant and fish tacos.
Whistleblower Alec Madara told The Sunday Mail in Australia that the post was “not OK” in light of a rise in hate crimes against Asians across the world.
“Was the intention to be racist? I couldn’t say, that’s not for me to decide, society can have their viewpoints and talk about it, I just know it didn’t sit with me well,” he said.
Amid the backlash, Hayston offered a mea culpa and said he wished “to apologize for the offense and hurt caused.”
“I’ve been a business owner in the Valley for more than six years, personally and professionally invested in diversity. I’m deeply disappointed and embarrassed at my actions as they go against everything I pride myself on,” he said, news.com.au reported.
“Internally, I and my team will do better to ensure we uphold the diversity and inclusivity that is at our core” Hayston added.
Freddie Wintrip, who said he was the manager of The Stand, wrote on Facebook that he wanted to apologize “on behalf of everyone at The Stand for what has happened in recent events.”
“Whilst this incident did not happen at The Stand nor were any of our beautiful performers, staff or patrons involved, it did not happen within our shared space. This behaviour is truly unacceptable and I cannot condone it,” he wrote.
The Stand shares space with Froth, according to the outlet.
“We are a family and a space that provides a freedom to express whoever you want to be. As a white cis male myself I understand I am coming from a place of privilege as I write this,” he wrote, referring to cisgender, a person whose gender identity matches their sex assigned at birth.
“Thank you to the amazing people of colour educating me since moving to Australia, I see you, I love you, I support you. The Stand will always continue to do the same especially for our BIPOC community of performers and patrons alike,” Wintrip continued.
“Many of us know the people involved in this incident. They have in the past done incredible things for our community. However they have made a very ignorant mistake. A mistake they must learn from, apologise and educate themselves on.”
The Strand said it “will be closed until a formal investigation within the company is completed and resolved.”
It added: “While these comments happened in our shared space, it is not condoned by The Stand staff, performers or patrons. We are also looking at options if and how The Stand can continue in the future.”
via: https://nypost.com/2021/04/05/australian-restaurant-owner-apologizes-for-anti-asian-post/
Photo Credit: instagram
Toddler shot in head, fighting for life after Chicago road rage attack
A 2-year-old boy was shot in the head and left fighting for his life during an apparent road rage incident on Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive on Tuesday.
The boy was in a car driven by his grandmother just north of Grant Park, when shots from another vehicle rang out around 11 a.m., WGN reported.
The toddler was hit in the head by a bullet, and was in grave condition, the station reported.
“At this time, it appears that they are completely unknown to each other and there was a dispute possibly over somebody not letting somebody into a lane of traffic,” said Commander Jake Alderden, according to the station.
The road rage incident escalated over a period of several blocks in one of the Windy City’s most scenic and busy areas, police reportedly said.
A driver, who was rear-ended as the mayhem unfolded, saw the aftermath of the attack.
“A lady appeared and I didn’t see where she came from but she had a baby and she was trying to get into the car next to me,” the unidentified witness told WGN. “She was saying that her baby had been shot.”
A gun was found in the grandmother’s car, but it is unclear if it was fired, the station said.
“Unbelievable,” the witness told the outlet. “These innocent people. Innocent people are just going about their day and something like this happens.”
via: https://nypost.com/2021/04/06/toddler-shot-in-head-after-chicago-road-rage-attack/
Photo Credit: Chicago Tribune via AP
Woman charged after child shows up to school with 260 grams of cocaine
A North Carolina woman was busted on drug trafficking charges after a child showed up to school with a large quantity of cocaine last week, police said.
Over 260 grams of the drug were found inside the child’s book bag last Tuesday by a school resource officer at Trent Park Elementary School, according to the Craven County Sheriff’s Office.
The discovery led to the arrest of 27-year-old Sharae Becton, authorities said.
She is charged with trafficking cocaine, possession with intent to sell/deliver cocaine, and child abuse.
Police did not reveal Becton’s relationship to the child.
A photo posted to the Craven County Sheriff’s Office’s Facebook page shows cocaine wrapped inside a vacuum-sealed plastic bag, along with a baby blue Jansport backpack.
via: https://nypost.com/2021/04/06/woman-charged-after-child-shows-up-to-school-with-cocaine/
Photo Credit: Craven County Sheriff’s Office