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County Equips School Buses With Stop-Arm Cameras In Hudson Valley County Equips School Buses With Stop-Arm Cameras In Hudson Valley
County Equips School Buses With Stop-Arm Cameras In Hudson Valley A Hudson Valley county is ensuring drivers are fined for not stopping for a stopped school bus by installing new stop-arm cameras. Rockland County Executive Ed Day announced on Tuesday, Aug. 27, that stop-arm cameras have been installed on nearly all school buses countywide in time for the 2024 school year. “These cameras will automatically record any vehicle that illegally passes a stopped school bus, capturing crucial evidence that will be used to enforce traffic laws and hold offenders accountable,” explained Day. “But this program is not about enforcement; it’s about saving lives, and n…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
Over 18K School Bus Passing Violations Caught On Camera In Yonkers: 'Truly Staggering' Over 18K School Bus Passing Violations Caught On Camera In Yonkers: 'Truly Staggering'
Over 18K School Bus Passing Violations Caught On Camera In Yonkers: 'Truly Staggering' Over the course of a school year, a Westchester County city's school bus stop arm camera program meant to capture illegal vehicle passings has caught more than 18,000 violations, officials announced.  Since partnering with Verra Mobility to launch their enforcement campaign in November 2023 and catch drivers who illegally pass school buses while the stop arm is extended, the city of Yonkers has captured 18,132 violations, officials announced on Thursday, June 27.  Earlier Report - School Bus Safety: Yonkers To Deploy Massive Stop-Arm Enforcement Program The month of May had…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Man Nabbed After Hit-Run Involving School Bus In Hudson Valley Man Nabbed After Hit-Run Involving School Bus In Hudson Valley
Man Nabbed After Hit-Run Involving School Bus In Hudson Valley Thanks to newly installed surveillance cameras, authorities were able to catch a 48-year-old driver who struck a school bus in the Hudson Valley and left the scene.  The incident that prompted the search for the driver happened in Putnam County on Friday, April 26, when a Dodge pickup truck struck a school bus's extended stop sign on Shear Hill Road in Mahopac, according to Carmel Police.  According to authorities, the collision occurred while the bus was picking up a student on its morning route. After the crash, the truck fled toward Croton Falls Road and did not stop to re…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Illegal School Bus Passing: Violators Will Soon Start Being Fined In Hudson Valley Illegal School Bus Passing: Violators Will Soon Start Being Fined In Hudson Valley
Illegal School Bus Passing: Violators Will Soon Start Being Fined In Hudson Valley Drivers in one Hudson Valley county caught illegally passing school buses will soon start receiving steep fines. Beginning on Sunday, April 28, drivers who pass a stopped school bus with flashing red lights in Putnam County will receive a violation notice in the mail, the Putnam County Sheriff's Office announced on Wednesday, April 24. These notices will contain a $250 fine for the first offense, which will increase for further violations. The announcement follows the beginning of the county's bus patrol program on Monday, April 1, which has been in a warning period. Since the start of the…

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by Ben Crnic
Lifestyle
‘So Grateful’: Student Injured In Deadly I-84 Bus Crash Reunites With Surgeons, Medics ‘So Grateful’: Student Injured In Deadly I-84 Bus Crash Reunites With Surgeons, Medics
‘So Grateful’: Student Injured In Deadly I-84 Bus Crash Reunites With Surgeons, Medics Audrina Crocitto doesn’t remember much about the charter bus crash that killed her band director and a retired teacher, and injured dozens of her fellow marching band students. The 15-year-old Farmingdale High School student on Long Island only remembers the initial impact of the bus careening off of I-84 in Orange County, in the town of Wawayanda, before it rolled several times down an embankment Thursday, Sept. 21. Following the crash, Crocitto was airlifted to Cohen Children’s Medical Center, where X-rays and MRIs revealed that titanium screws and rods would be needed to hold her spine …

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by Michael Mashburn
News
Double-Fatal Bus Crash Update: 3 Students In Critical Condition Hospitalized In Westchester Double-Fatal Bus Crash Update: 3 Students In Critical Condition Hospitalized In Westchester
Double-Fatal Bus Crash Update: 3 Students In Critical Condition Hospitalized In Westchester As school bells rang and a new day started for students at a Long Island high school where five of their fellow classmates remain in critical condition following a horrific bus crash that killed two adults, state, and federal officials are investigating the incident. The Orange County crash happened at around 1:10 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21, on I-84 in the town of Wawayanda, near Exit 15A. The charter bus carrying marching band members from Farmingdale High School in Nassau County was heading to Greeley, Pennsylvania for band camp when one of the six buses carrying students went through the wi…

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by Kathy Reakes
News
School Bus Safety: Yonkers To Deploy Massive Stop-Arm Enforcement Program School Bus Safety: Yonkers To Deploy Massive Stop-Arm Enforcement Program
School Bus Safety: Yonkers To Deploy Massive Stop-Arm Enforcement Program A city in Westchester will soon be launching the largest school bus safety program in the county in an effort to catch drivers who illegally pass the stopped vehicles.  The city of Yonkers will be partnering with Verra Mobility to implement technology on its school district's fleet of buses that will help catch drivers who illegally pass them, Mayor Mike Spano announced on Wednesday, Sept. 20.  To begin the program, 200 Yonkers school buses will be outfitted with the company's stop-arm enforcement solution, which will be used to issue warnings to offending registered vehicle …

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by Ben Crnic
News
School Bus Cameras To Be Installed By More Hudson Valley Districts: Funded By Illegal Passers School Bus Cameras To Be Installed By More Hudson Valley Districts: Funded By Illegal Passers
School Bus Cameras To Be Installed By More Hudson Valley Districts: Funded By Illegal Passers In an effort to catch drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses, Putnam County has entered into an agreement with a company to add cameras on stop sign arms to catch violators.  The county's new partnership with BusPatrol America to add cameras on school bus stop-arms was announced by County Executive Kevin Byrne on Thursday, July 20.  The agreement will now enable the six school districts within the county to deploy the cameras on their school bus fleets. The devices will be able to detect the license plates of vehicles that fail to stop for school buses, county officials s…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Cops Catch Man Illegally Passing Stopped School Bus In Westchester, Police Say Cops Catch Man Illegally Passing Stopped School Bus In Westchester, Police Say
Cops Catch Man Illegally Passing Stopped School Bus In Westchester, Police Say A man with a suspended license faces charges after allegedly passing a school bus while it was displaying its stop sign in Northern Westchester, police said.  The incident happened on Tuesday, April 18 around 2:30 p.m., when police in Yorktown noticed a vehicle pass a school bus that was displaying a stop sign and flashing red lights on Route 202, according to Yorktown Police.  Officers then pulled the vehicle over and discovered that the driver, 25-year-old New York City resident Jerlin Veras, had a suspended license and was driving an unregistered motor vehicle, police said.&nbs…

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by Ben Crnic
News
Legislation To Allow Cameras On School Bus Stop Signs In Westchester Proposed By Officials Legislation To Allow Cameras On School Bus Stop Signs In Westchester Proposed By Officials
Legislation To Allow Cameras On School Bus Stop Signs In Westchester Proposed By Officials Officials in Westchester are proposing a bill that would authorize school districts to install cameras on school bus stop signs as a way to catch drivers who illegally pass them.  The authorization that would be set by the proposed bill is required under New York state law for any county, city, or town that maintains roads, according to Westchester County Executive George Latimer.  This state law, known as New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law §1174-a, also imposes monetary penalties for drivers who fail to stop when a school bus displays its stop sign and flashing lights.  …

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by Ben Crnic
Schools
Hundreds Of Drivers Shown Passing School Buses At School District In Westchester Hundreds Of Drivers Shown Passing School Buses At School District In Westchester
Hundreds Of Drivers Shown Passing School Buses At School District In Westchester A pilot program employed by a Northern Westchester school district has found that nearly 400 drivers illegally passed stopped school buses over the span of two months.  The program, used by the Hendrick Hudson School District which serves over 2,000 students in Buchanan, Verplanck, Crugers, Montrose, Cortlandt Manor, Croton-on-Hudson, and Peekskill, came from a partnership with technology provider BusPatrol, officials from the company announced on Tuesday, Nov. 1.  Through cameras installed on 49 school bus stop arms, the company captured a total of 367 il…

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by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Police In Hudson Valley Town Monitoring School Bus Stops After Attempted Luring Incident Police In Hudson Valley Town Monitoring School Bus Stops After Attempted Luring Incident
Police In Hudson Valley Town Monitoring School Bus Stops After Attempted Luring Incident Police officers in a Hudson Valley town have increased police patrols at bus stops after an alleged attempted luring incident. The incident took place in Rockland County between 7:15 a.m. and 7:40 a.m., on Thursday, Sept. 22 in Ramapo in the area of North Airmont Road and Spook Rock Road. According to the Ramapo Police, a man with a beard, wearing yellow clothing, and driving a gray 4-door sedan approached an 11-year-old student waiting for her school bus.  It is alleged that the driver told the child that he knew her mother and that she asked him to drive her to school. The child ran…

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by Kathy Reakes
Schools
COVID-19: NY Announces New School Guidelines For Masks, Social Distancing COVID-19: NY Announces New School Guidelines For Masks, Social Distancing
Covid-19: NY Announces New School Guidelines For Masks, Social Distancing With schools ready to begin reopening, the New York State Department of Health has just laid out its guidance for mask-wearing and social distancing for students and staff. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that the Public Health and Health Planning Council passed an emergency regulation and a determination was issued requiring all teachers, administrators, and other school employees to submit to weekly COVID-19 testing unless they show proof of vaccination. The emergency regulation authorizes the state Health Commissioner to require weekly testing or proof of vaccine…

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by Zak Failla
News
School Bus Driver In Northern Westchester Admits To Driving Drunk With Children On Board School Bus Driver In Northern Westchester Admits To Driving Drunk With Children On Board
School Bus Driver In Northern Westchester Admits To Driving Drunk With Children On Board A school bus driver in Northern Westchester admitted to driving drunk with dozens of children on board. Somers resident William Mendez, 62, who was working for Royal Coach Lines, which was employed by the Somers Central School District, pleaded guilty on Tuesday, Sept. 22 to driving while intoxicated with young children on his bus last December. Specifically, Mendez pleaded guilty to Leandra’s Law, Westchester County District Attorney Anthony Scarpino, Jr. said, a felony that is related to driving while intoxicated with a child passenger. A parent notified school officials in Somers that M…

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by Zak Failla
News
Two Students Injured After School Bus Is Rear-Ended In Westchester Two Students Injured After School Bus Is Rear-Ended In Westchester
Two Students Injured After School Bus Is Rear-Ended In Westchester Two students were injured after the school bus they were riding in was rear-ended. The crash took place in Somers around 8 a.m., Thursday, Nov. 7, when a Royal Coach school minibus/van and a car collided near the corner of Route 202 and Miller Avenue, said New York State Police. The only children on the bus were the two students, whose injuries were described as minor, when the incident occurred at a stop sign at the intersection, said Amanda Bergen, a spokeswoman for the Somers school district. All onboard the bus, including the driver, a monitor, and the two students, were taken to the h…

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by Kathy Reakes
Schools
Random Drug Tests For School Bus Drivers Under New State Law Random Drug Tests For School Bus Drivers Under New State Law
Random Drug Tests For School Bus Drivers Under New State Law School bus drivers in New York will soon be subjected to random drug and alcohol tests following the passage of new legislature. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed a bill that will crack down on potentially impaired school bus drivers, requiring them all to submit to random testing throughout the year.  The law, which was signed by Cuomo last week, will take effect in 120 days. It will also prevent drivers from consuming alcohol eight hours prior to their shift, an increase of two hours from the previous laws. The drivers will be placed in a pool for random screenings once the legislatu…

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by Zak Failla
News
Motorist Killed In Crash Involving School Bus, Car In Area Motorist Killed In Crash Involving School Bus, Car In Area
Motorist Killed In Crash Involving School Bus, Car In Area One person died following a crash between a car and a Red Hook school bus, according to Hyde Park police. According to Lt. Robert Benson, the crash occurred around 8 a.m., Monday in the area of South Quaker Lane and Dana Place. Once on scene, officers found a head-on crash between the bus and the car with a possible ejection. An investigation into the crash revealed that a 2002 Honda Civic was traveling north on South Quaker Lane, and a 2015 Ford Red Hook School bus traveling south on South Quaker lane collided. The operator of the Honda was partially ejected and was pronounced dead at the …

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by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Police To Crack Down On Drivers Who Pass Stopped School Buses Police To Crack Down On Drivers Who Pass Stopped School Buses
Police To Crack Down On Drivers Who Pass Stopped School Buses State and local police will be cracking down on motorists that pass stopped school bus during “Operation Safe Stop.” The special enforcement detail - the 15th annual - will be focused on deterring motorists from passing the buses and is designed to educate the public about the dangers of passing buses when they are dismissing students and their lights are flashing. “Passing a stopped school bus is one of the most dangerous actions a driver can take, and these incidents are easily preventable,” Terri Egan, Executive Deputy Commissioner of the New York State DMV and Acting GTSC Chair stated.…

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by Zak Failla
News
Accusation Yonkers School Bus Driver Watched Porn Under Investigation Accusation Yonkers School Bus Driver Watched Porn Under Investigation
Accusation Yonkers School Bus Driver Watched Porn Under Investigation Officials with the Yonkers school district are investigating reports that a school bus driver watched pornographic material while working with students in the city, according to a lohud report. Two employees working with First Mile Square, the bus company employed both in Yonkers and other school district have been taken off their routes, according to the report, which states that the incident is currently under investigation. According to the report, no students witnessed the alleged lewd behavior. Few other details were immediately available. Officials from First Mile Square denied commen…

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by Zak Failla