Compiled by Sandy Eller
As Schools Open, Ramapo Police Remind Parents and Drivers of Safety Tips With those big yellow buses back on the roads again, carrying our precious children to and from school, the Ramapo Police Department is urging parents to spend a few minutes talking to their children about pedestrian safety including: • Looking both ways before crossing the street • Crossing only at corners, never in between • Obeying police officers, crossing guards, and traffic signals. • Watching out for turning cars • Being especially careful in bad weather • Playing far away from traffic
Drivers are reminded to exercise extra caution near schools and to always drive at or below posted speed limits. Motorists should always be prepared to stop when they see a school bus with flashing red lights on either side of the roadway, even on divided and multilane highways. Passing a school bus whose red lights are flashing is a punishable offense with fines ranging from $250 to $400, a possible prison sentence of up to 30 days, and five points on your license, with increasing penalties for further offenses, including the possible suspension of your driver's license for a minimum of six months.
Rockland Police Seeking Officers Less than three weeks remain until the applications deadline for the county’s police civil service test, the first step towards a career in local law enforcement. The Ramapo Police Department has been recruiting candidates at local signups over the past few weeks. The test, which is administered by
Rockland County and will be given in mid-November, is available in several languages besides English, including Yiddish. “This is an opportunity to begin a career in law enforcement, a proud and rewarding profession,” said County Executive Ed Day, a former commander with the NYPD.
Conflicting Predictions for Winter Weather While the Farmer’s Almanac is calling for frigid temperatures and above-average snowfalls in our area this coming winter, the Old Farmer’s Almanac is predicting far milder weather. Despite their similar names, the two annual guides are completely different books. The Farmer’s Almanac was first published in 1818, 26 years after the debut of the Old Farmer’s Almanac. Both were intended to be used as reference guides by farmers, and include tide tables and planting charts in addition to weather forecasts. Both also claim to use “secret” formulas to predict the weather for the upcoming year.
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Whether or not either is actually accurate is a subject of much debate. CNN senior meteorologist Dave Henin suggested that readers approach the weather forecasts with a measure of skepticism. “It’s difficult enough to do a five-day forecast,” said Henin. “We’re really good at the day of and the next day, (and) we’re better at temperature a ways out than precipitation. But to forecast out that far in advance... even the science behind our long-range forecasting is sometimes not that solid.” (Rockland Daily Voice)