Bergen County News: Paramus Officer Wounded in Shootout, PTO Members Attend Martha Stewart Taping and More

Welcome to "Around The County," a weekly column that highlights stories in nearby Bergen County Patch communities.

This week's top story was Paramus Police Officer Rachel Morgan who was shot late Sunday night. She has undergone surgeries and remains at Hackensack University Medical Center. The Westwood man who had been charged with attempted murder in the incident died Wednesday after being taken off life support.

On a much lighter note, JWoww from the popular MTV show "Jersey Shore" stopped by Bookends in Ridgewood to sign copies of her book. In other celebrity related news, seven members of the Gibbs School PTO, in New Milford, got the chance to see a taping of "The Martha Stewart Show."

Fair Lawn:

•  - Before Sunday night, Fair Lawn's Mary Ann Collura was the last female officer in Bergen County to be shot. While Collura was killed in the 2003 shooting, Morgan is recovering.
•  - Instead of forming a separate oversight committee, the Historic Preservation Commission will meet with the Open Space Committee about the project.

Fort Lee:

•  - Fort Lee Superintendent Raymond Bandlow was due as much as a 6 percent raise but declined due to budget constraints.
•  - The Fort Lee Board of Education announced Monday it is adopting stronger measures to ensure that students who are not residents of the borough do not attend Fort Lee Schools.

Franklin Lakes:

•  - Family of James Azarian, 11, 'forever indebted' to donor.
•  - Officials relay appreciation of compassion following Marcus Ruta's death.

Glen Rock:

•  - No one was injured in the early morning incident.
•  - The district is still trying to solve a $1 million budget problem.

Hasbrouck Heights:

•  - Mayor says borough will not allow basin to be a threat to its athletic field.
•  - Budget introduction deadlines extended until after Governor Christie presents state budget on Feb. 22.

Mahwah:

• - Get a behind-the-scenes look at the specialty unit within the Mahwah Police Department.
•  - Mahwah High School has a slightly higher graduation rate than the state average.

New Milford:

•  - The Martha Stewart Show welcomed seven members of the Gibbs School PTO on Monday for a taping of their annual Chocolate Show.
•  - Four new vehicles were purchased to replace vehicles no longer up to the task of "frontline" duty and the department goes to a black and white theme with a new seal.

Paramus:

•  - Police Officer Rachel Morgan was shot Sunday night in Paramus. The .
•  - The students accidentally inhaled a small amount of vapor from a biology experiment.

Ridgewood:

•  - After receiving permission to dump an unknown amount of snow into the Ho-Ho-Kus Brook, the DEP has ordered Ridgewood to stop its dumping.
•  - Star of raunchy reality show Jersey Shore, JWoww was at Bookends to sign her new book "The World According to JWoww" and 800 fans braved the extreme cold to join her.

Teaneck:

•  - Toffler interfered with public records requests and made “erroneous and unsupported” allegations against the police chief, township manager, resolution says.
•  - More charges pending in case of Ridgefield Park man authorities say committed six robberies.

Westwood-Washington Township:

•  - Members of the governing body said the vehicle should remain in the township instead of going to the DPW superintendent's home.
•  - The majority of Washington Township councilmen approved a motion Monday to allow Washington Township Baseball Inc. to start a marketing campaign to get donations for a field house at Sherry Field in the township, which is estimated to cost $100,000.

Wyckoff:

•  - While Wyckoff schools can be proud about performance, the financial stress facing the state could eventually cause concern within the community.
•  - District decides against leasing space at Ramapo High School to Bergen County Special Services for an autism program.