Pascack Valley School Split, Conrad's T.V. Appearance, 7-Eleven Rejection Top This Week's News

A study commissioned by Hillsdale and River Vale found that a split of the Pascack Valley Regional High School District would cause large tax increases for residents of the two towns, raise the overall cost of high school education in all four towns and potentially lower the level of performance in both high schools.

Woodcliff Lake and Montvale petitoned the Executive County Superintendent last year to allow them to withdraw from the district, citing potential savings laid out in a 2009 feasibility study.

Report: Splitting Pascack Valley District 'Would Succeed'

Splitting the Pascack Valley Regional High School District would create only "some minor difficulties" for maintaining the current quality of education, according to a report prepared on behalf of Woodcliff Lake.

Conrad's Confectionery Appearing on 'The Chew'

A crew from ABC's daytime talk/cooking show The Chew was in Westwood Wednesday filming a segment at Conrad's Confectionery.

The episode is scheduled to air March 22.

Host Carla Hall, known for her appearances on two seasons of Top Chef, interviewed J.J. Krachtus about the shop's chocolate Easter bunnies, which range in size from just 2 inches to 3 feet in height.

Westwood 7-Eleven Plan Rejected by Board

The Westwood Zoning Board rejected an application to build a strip mall at the former Chevy dealer on Kinderkamack Road for the second time in less than a year during their meeting Monday night.

Board members unanimously voted to deny the plan, which called for a portion of the building to be demolished and replaced with a smaller 8,051-square-foot mall that would have included a 7-Eleven and as many as four other businesses.

Hillsdale Blockbuster Closing

The Hillsdale Blockbuster will close March 22, a store employee confirmed.

Until then, the store will be selling off all their merchandise, including movies, games and retail fixtures at increasingly reduced prices.

The Denver Post recently reported that about 300 Blockbuster stores would be closing across the country.

Flood Solution Group Offers to Work With Hillsdale Officials

The Hillsdale & Westwood Flood Solution Group, an organization of residents affected or concerned by flooding, offered to work more closely with the Hillsdale government during a borough council meeting Tuesday night.

Donald MacLachlan, an attorney representing the group, said that the council should form a committee tasked with advising the governing body on resolving the flooding problem along the Pascack Brook.

MacLachlan said the committee could help with formulating a plan and also finding funding for any projects needed for the plan. The state government is currently "highly sensitive" to flooding issues, he said.

The Hillsdale and Pascack Valley school boards both approved preliminary budgets during their respective meetings this week.

The Pascack Valley Regional Board of Education approved a tentative $48 million for next year, including a $44 million tax levy.

The Hillsdale Board of Education also approved a preliminary budget during their meeting this week, including a tax levy of $18 million.

Hillsdale School Board Appoints Krista Flinn

The Hillsdale Board of Education picked Krista Flinn as their new member, district Business Administrator Lirca Garcia told Patch.

Flinn is a former class mom and co-president of the Meadowbrook FFA with two children in the district and another at Pascack Valley High School.

During their meeting Monday, the board interviewed three candidates for the open seat left by Debbie Loganchuk, who resigned from the board as of March 1.

Hillsdale K-8 schools will share Pascack Valley High School's fiber optic Internet connection under a new interlocal agreement approved by both school boards Monday.

The new service will improve Internet speed and capacity at the schools while saving money, according to Hillsdale Superintendent Rick Spirito.