Assault charges filed against 4 eighth-graders at Pierre Van Cortlandt Middle School for allegedly beating a 13-year-old classmate has posters debating “school-yard fights” vs. all-out assault. Consensus among readers is that this incident as described by police and school officials definitely falls into the category of an assault.
Here’s what one reader had to say:

Two kids squabbling over a girl or boy is one thing; 4 kids chasing down 1 kid is another!

Some readers cautioned against rushing to judgement because all the details aren’t known about the incident. They wondered if maybe the child who was jumped might be a bully and the victims were fighting back. Even if that was the case, readers pointed out it doesn’t excuse them from ganging up on one student.
And some were questioning the school’s oversight in this situation, which allegedly escalated to such a degree that the 4 were chasing the other student around the premises as they were beating him up.

Where were teachers that 8th graders could do this without anyone noticing? Do the kids have free reign of the school?

From another reader:

My question is, how did this incident even progress to the level described? Where was the adult supervision? Are there no principals/teachers/aides outside with the kids during recess? If PVC does station adults outside, are they completely oblivious? … Not only are these kids in sore need of some discipline and oversight (which they probably aren’t getting at home), but the PVC admin is setting up the district for a good lawsuit. Smarten up folks!

Not everyone agrees with police being called in to investigate the matter. Here’s one reader’s take:

Can someone tell me when school yard fights became police matters? … Now it seems like every little thing is a lawsuit or a police investigation. It’s kids fighting, it happens, it’s natural, and it’s a good lesson in life.

Regardless of how readers view the dynamics, one reader summed up the situation this way:

You are right about 1 thing – there was a good lesson in life – you can’t gang assault anyone and expect to get away with it just because it happened in a school.

Read the story by reporters Robert Marchant and Shawn Cohen and then tell us what you think.

So, this morning was the test for the new asphalt ramps to buffer the bump on the plates used during this round of deck replacement and joint work on the Tappan Zee Bridge. How did it go? From what I heard from local drivers, the ride was smooth. That was pretty much the view of drivers interviewed for the story on LoHud.

Sharon Hittman, who lives in West Nyack and commutes to Tarrytown, is a seasoned TZ bridge commuter for several years. Last summer, she spent plenty of time steaming behind the wheel in multi-mile-long traffic backups as the ramps caused traffic to come to a halt.

She and her husband carpooled this morning. Her review of the ramps? Raves. She said you could see the ramps, but couldn’t feel the bump.

“Great, great. We went over a plate and they finally listened. … they did a fantastic job.”

The New York State Thruway Authority was heavily criticized for the slow response to the traffic snarls created by the work. As the project ended, the Thruway Authority came up with solutions, including using the movable barrier to create five Westchester-bound lanes during the morning commute.This time, though, it seems pre-planning paid off.

As Nyacker wrote on today’s story chat about the smooth ride:

I’m the first one to criticize the NYSTA for their complete mis-management of the TZB (and general poor condition of the Thruway) but I have to commend them on this current solution. I barely even noticed I was driving over the road plates this morning.
But, this begs the question of why it took them over a year to figure this out.

Photo: Asphalt ramps lead up to a steel plate on the westboud Tappan Zee Bridge toay. ( Peter Carr / The Journal News )

It has been three years since Jim Amico’s 10-year-old son,  Jarrid, was killed by a van after being struck as he pedaled across the street near his Rye home on his bike. Police said that the 82-year-old man who was at the van’s wheel was driving below the speed the limit and was not charged.

It has been three years since Jim Amico has been trying to get a stop sign at the site in hopes that his heartbreak will never be shared by another.

Amico said that the two-lane corridor, in a school zone, is prone to fast cars, making it dangerous for pedestrians. He wants a stop sign there to slow down traffic. City city officials, though, have said a stop sign in the middle of the block would make the road more dangerous because drivers would not be expecting it.
Nevertheless, as our Editorial Board said in an April 2006 editorial: “City officials are obliged to take seriously the fear that speeding could contribute to other accidents, and the suggestion that stop signs and crosswalks could protect young lives. The road should be observed, further traffic control considered and prospects for improvements discussed with a community that is now mourning with one of its families.”

This month we learned that the city has indeed launched a study at the accident site to find out how drivers’ sight lines can be improved.

That’s called responsive govenrment. Even though it has been three years. Amico’s consistent advocacy, born out of grief, has been a fight against “city hall’’ — that euphamism for all levels of government that belongs to us but sometimes doesn’t listen. Good for him. Good for him and the neighborhood.

Photo: Jim Amico of Rye holds a portrait of his son Jarrid April 17, 2009. Jarrid was hit and killed by a van  on Midland Avenue while riding his bike three years ago. ( Matthew Brown / The Journal News )

News that the 86-year-old Ridgeway Country Club, the latest victim of the recession, is on the market for $20 million has residents buzzing about what can be done to preserve the property from development.

Apparently, membership in the club in White Plains, which sits on more than 120 acres, has fallen from 250 to 185 families despite a campaign of reduced prices and other incentives to try and attract members. Golf industry professionals say that private clubs in the Lower Hudson Valley are feeling the pinch as the recession takes its toll on Wall Street, as well as other lucrative professions from which such clubs usually draw their members.

Here’s the full story from reporter Keith Edding; and here are a few comments from readers:

Remember a few years ago, there was a movement in creating a central park for White Plains. How about this club? Open it up.

Good idea about the central park, if the city could afford to buy it. I don’t think the money is there, but a central park could be great, and the building would be a great child’s and/or adult day care/senior center/ community group meeting hall. There’s no money, though.

Maybe the county should buy it as the county could use another public course. Housing would be a big mistake. Everyone just hears ‘more tax revenue,’ but it would not cover the added strain on infrastructure and schools.

The City of White Plains should jump on this. A public golf course, pool and catering facility would make this city a more desireable place to live. Rye and several towns in Connecticut have been successfully running municipal facilities like this for years, so there’s no reason White Plains can’t do it. As a long-time resident, I’d certainly support a bond issue to cover the cost.

Last night my home telephone number was randomly selected to be part of a Quinnipiac University poll on national politics, or so the fellow who called told me. It was the first time I’ve gotten to contribute MY thoughts to one of the big national polls we often report on, so I said I’d be happy to participate.  

Little did I know how hard it would be to simply answer the questions. The pollster asked about issues regarding Pres. Obama, the Republicans in Congress, the Democrats, the state of economy, the question of gay marriage, gays in the military, abortion, and the United States’ relationship with various countries (on a scale of 1 to 100).

Naturally, given my job title, I have no shortage of opinions on any of those subjects. The hard part was shoe-horning my opinion into a simple “favorable/unfavorable” or “agree/disagree.”  I wanted to add a “But” to every answer I gave. Who knew it would be so hard to issue opinion that’s just yes or no, without adding a nuance or a lengthier explanation? I know that pollsters dwell in the realm of statistics and that they can’t quantify the “buts” or the clarifications, but it seemed to me that the answers I gave were only half-truths because of the missing explanations.

It did make me realize that framing the question of a poll can definitely skew the results. It also made me grateful for my job, where I can express an opinion at length.

A Scarsdale mom who booted her 10- and 12-year-old daughters out of the car in White Plains, police said, and then drove off, apparently because the girls had been fighting, sparked a debate among readers. Based on the responses, opinion is pretty evenly split between those who thought the mother’s actions were completely out of line and those who could sympathize with what they assumed were her feelings of frustration at the girls, although they didn’t condone kicking the girls out of the vehicle.

Here’s the story by reporter Rich Liebson with more than 45 comments so far. Here’s what some readers have to say:

OK, maybe not the best tactic to discipline the girls, and maybe she should have done it a block from home, but to actually drive away and leave one of them is just stupid.

Guess this says why some species eat their young. At least mommy dearest stopped the car before ditching the kids.

I’m not saying it’s right, but I can see where it could happen in a moment of temporary insanity! A lot of damage to undo in these kids now.

I’ve had feelings that strong with my children. I understand how the mom did it. It doesn’t make her a bad mom. It’s an awfully hard job to be a mother. Kids really don’t know. Of course I never actually left my children anywhere, but I understand that moment of flipping out and making them get out of the car.

The streets of White Plains really are not safe for young children on their own. What a ridiculous thing to do. Grow up, mom!

The times really are a changing. In this economy, it’s not just that old jobs are disappearing—whole professions vanishing like smoke—but new jobs are being created too. 

The Wall Street Journal reports today that there are now more bloggers than firemen in the United States. Also, more bloggers than bartenders or CEOs.   The journal reports that there are 20 million bloggers in the country today, though only 1.7 million of them make any money at all and far fewer—only 452,000—actually make their living through blogging. 

The truth is that for less than $100 anyone can become a blogger and have the privilege of sitting in front of a computer screen all day, writing about the subject that most interests them. Some hit the jackpot and develop huge readerships that lure advertisers and generate pay. Most don’t, but presumably they like what they are doing. 

Blogging has been recently glamorized in the movie State of Play, which pits a scruffy old-time print journalist against a cool, young blogger. Each of them are investigating to get to the heart of a great story.  Hmm, it’s Hollywood. Which one do you think will win. I know which side I’m on.

Today, we received a letter to the editor, sent via e-mail, with all the pertinent verification information: Name, address, phone number. The email was even a variation on the signed letter-writer’s name.

When I called to verify that letter, I got quite a shock, but not as much of a shock as the guy on the other end of the phone. The gentleman told me that the letter carried his name and was sent from his e-mail, but he didn’t write it. It seems that a heated argument had taken place between him and some houseguests. He saw the letter in his “sent” e-mail box this morning, apparently sent last night while the houseguests were there. He was tracking down our number when I called.

What was the letter about? What else, religion. The gentleman said the opinions expressed in the letter were pretty much the opposite of what he had argued the night before with his houseguest. Talk about wearing out your welcome.

So, if you write (and we hope you do) make sure you include phone numbers where you can be reached during business hours. And sent them here: letters@lohud.com.

Now even the staycation is feeling the economic pinch. New York State Parks will be opening pools later in the season and closing them earlier, and keeping various lake beaches, including the popular Lakes Welch, Sebago and Tiorati closed on certain days, too. Here’s the news coverage.

This is on top of service trims this winter after the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation saw its current budget cut after its high season, so there was little it could do but shutter many of its facilities. The cuts for this year are designed to save $5 million in operating costs. (And, of course, the cancellation this summer of the Empire State Games was due to budget contraints.)

The pools, parks and lakes are popular with local families and camps, including many New York City programs that give kids a taste of nature. The cuts are far from ideal, and hit Rockland, which is one third parkland, pretty significantly.

Jim Hall, executive director of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, which oversees state parks in the Palisades region that includes Rockland, didn’t mince words. He told staff writer Khurram Saeed:

“People would like and expect the parks to be open and will be frustrated by some of these cuts.”

Forum posters didn’t like it too much either. Here’s a comment from one:

Cutting back on state parks is just crazy. At a time when individuals are barely hanging on to their jobs and homes, the state lawmakers have decided to close park facilities – the most basic and inexpensive places for recreation.

Letter writer Robert Reeg views the cuts in services, and the general lack of upkeep at many park facilities, as short-sighted. Here’s his full letter, and a little taste:

Has it occurred to (State Parks Commissioner Ash that with the economic downturn, state park facilities will be in even greater demand? … Many folks have had to cancel cruises and trips to Europe. These families will still need a place to visit nearby. Why not plant the seed corn, let it grow and flourish, and make some money for the state in the process? It doesn’t seem like a great mystery to me.

2005 file photo: Emily Sprinkle, then 5, of the Bronx, plays at Lake Welch Beach in Harriman State Park.

With the Obama administration expected to take action on CO2 emissions in an effort to reduce climate change, those on both sides of the issue are already weighing in. I got a bunch of form letters this morning from local residents, which begin, “I want our leaders to know that here in New York we support bold action on climate and energy, including a cap on carbon pollution.” (Of course, readers of this blog know what happens to form letters around here.) They continue, “Capping carbon pollution will ignite the transition to clean energy, end our dependence on dirty fossil fuels, and put America on a path toward economic recovery. A cap on carbon pollution will create tens of thousands of good-paying American jobs that can’t be shipped overseas. Consumers and businesses will benefit from stable energy prices, and with greater energy efficiency, we can get more from the energy we have which will mean lower electricity bills.” Opponents beg to differ – arguing that C02 reduction efforts would hurt the economy, or would be ineffective, or that the money could be better spent on other, more pressing issues. So far, an honest difference of opinion.

However, another recent letter is claiming that “science” has disproven the idea of man-made climate disruption. A rather extraordinary claim considering that the worldwide scientific community, after decades of studies that have undergone strict peer review, has overwhelmingly concluded that increased C02 emissions are causing changes in the climate (although there remains a bit of debate about how much change will occur and how quickly). So what proof does this letter-writer offer to the contrary? He refers to “a Petition Project, signed by 32,000 scientists” who dispute the accepted scientific conclusions on global warming. This is also known as the “Oregon Petition,” originally distributed in the late 1990s and re-distributed in 2007, which claimed, “There is no convincing scientific evidence that human release of carbon dioxide, methane, or other greenhouse gasses is causing or will, in the foreseeable future, cause catastrophic heating of the Earth’s atmosphere and disruption of the Earth’s climate.” (The petition includes a cover letter by Dr. Frederick Seitz, president of the National Academy of Sciences in the 1960s, who later became a consultant to the tobacco industry.) And the “32,000 scientists” who signed this declaration? Wikipedia states: “The term ‘scientists’ is often used in describing signatories; however, many of the signatories have degrees in engineering or medicine.” (In other words, fields unrelated to the study of climate.) The Seattle Times noted such suspicious names on the petition as “Michael J. Fox,” “John C. Grisham” and “Dr. Geri Halliwell” (aka Ginger Spice of the Spice Girls). Scientific American in 2001 stated, “Crudely extrapolating, the petition supporters include a core of about 200 climate researchers – a respectable number, though rather a small fraction of the climatological community.”

For good measure, the letter-writer also notes, “A 2007 in-depth survey of relevant literature showed that global warming is due to changes in solar flares, and unrelated to atmospheric carbon dioxide,” citing the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons. Again, physicians and surgeons are not climate scientists, and it wasn’t much of a surprise to see Wikipedia note that this journal is published by The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, “a politically conservative non-profit organization” (with a connection to the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine behind the “Oregon Petition” cited above) whose publication “has been criticized by the medical community for alleged inaccuracies, poor research, and quackery.” Past articles in this publication promoted creationism and claimed that HIV does not cause AIDS. In 2005, an article claiming that America had had more than 7,000 cases of leprosy in the previous three years because of illegal aliens “was cited and repeated by Lou Dobbs as evidence of the dangers of illegal immigration. However, publicly available statistics show that the 7,000 cases of leprosy occurred during the past 30 years, not the past 3. . . . The article’s erroneous leprosy claim was pointed out by 60 Minutes, National Public Radio, and the New York Times among other sources, but has not been corrected by the Journal.”

The writer concludes his letter by saying, “It is unclear why Obama has turned a deaf ear to science’s warning that he is betting the national birthright on a phantom crisis.” If the examples above are what the writer considers “science,” then he has answered his own question.