Regional Briefs – October 15, 2015

Man Accidentally Runs Over, Kills Son on Toy Tractor

EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP, N.J. – In a tragic accident Tuesday, a man accidentally ran over his five-year-old son who was riding a toy tractor, killing him. The man was pulling out his driveway on his pickup truck and didn’t see his son.

October Storm Cost Jersey Shore Town $800,000

TOMS RIVER, N.J. – An early October storm came with an $800,000 price tag for a Jersey Shore town, the Asbury Park Press reported. Toms River must pay for employee overtime and 300 truckloads of sand to build dunes on the beach.

Ramapo State Forest Closed Because of Bear Reports

RINGWOOD, N.J. – New Jersey’s Ramapo State Forest remains closed for a second week after three different sets of hikers reported seeing an aggressive bear on the prowl, The Record reported. Traps captured a bear on Oct. 5, but officials don’t know if that was the animal acting aggressively.

WWII Veteran Receives French Legion of Honor

ROCHESTER – A 97-year-old military veteran on Tuesday received the French Legion of Honor for his service during World War II, The Associated Press reported. Don Levine flew 35 missions as a gunner and bombardier over France and was part of the Normandy, Battle of the Bulge, and Rhineland campaigns.

Uber Announces Amber Alert Program in NYC

NEW YORK – Uber drivers in New York City will be on the lookout for missing children, the ride-hailing service announced Wednesday, partnering with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Their 30,000 drivers would get Amber Alerts.

Plug May Be Pulled on Taxi TV in NYC Cabs

NEW YORK – New York’s Taxi and Limousine Commission is set to vote Thursday to remove the Taxi TV from city cabs and replace it with less intrusive technology, The New York Times reported. A pilot program would eliminate the monitors from 4,000 of the 13,500 yellow cabs. To replace its credit card option, one possibility would be tablets.

This article appeared in print on page 5 of the October 15th, 2015 edition of Hamodia.