Riverside County wants its residents to turn off the bright lights.
The county's board of supervisors has given a tentative OK to a law meant to fight the kind of light pollution that makes it hard for residents to see stars from their backyards. The law would require residents to shield bright exterior lights and point them away from their neighbor's homes and public streets. It wouldn't affect public street lights, according to the Riverside Press-Enterprise.
John Garrett, a member of the International Dark Sky Association, told KPCC, "'Hey, I used to be able to enjoy the backyard looking at the stars with my children. Now I can't. Is there anything I can do to get my neighbor to stop shining that floodlight at me?' This ordinance will help change that, and I hope it becomes a model for our cities to adopt as well."
There's even a provision in their that might put an end to those neighbors who leave their Christmas lights on for all the seasons. Holiday lights are kosher, but they have to be turned off between 11 p.m. and sunrise, and they have to be turned off completely after a month.
But Riverside County Supervisor Jeff Stone, who supports the ordinance, is working to make sure that the county can actually enforce the law.
"How will this affect electric billboards?" Stone said, according to KPCC. "We have athletic fields on school sites, and I'm concerned about enforceability. Are we going to have the light police? I want to see it enforced but I'm not sure this is going to be a top priority for a sheriff's department. I understand the motivation but I worry about broad-brushing and the ramifications it can have on us."
Once the law is finalized, resident's would have three to six months to turn off their
If finalized, the ordinance gives residents three to six months to comply. Anyone who violates the law once or twice is guilty of an infraction. Two violations are a misdemeanor. Fines are $100 for the first violation, $250 for the second and $500 or up to six months in jail for any other violations.
2011年9月30日 星期五
Ft. Totten charity event honors Throgs Neck worker
Pamela McGlaughlin said her brother, Billy Barnes, worked on subways and trains underground as an electrician for years, so when he got a job to work on the Throgs Neck Bridge, he was delighted to be out in the fresh air.
"He loved being outdoors and working on the bridge, and he loved extreme sports like sky diving," she said. "Changing a light bulb all the way up on the bridge was nothing for him!"
The Throgs Neck Bridge opened in 1961, and to commemorate the 50th birthdays of both the bridge and Barnes, who was killed in an accident while working on the bridge in 2009, the Bayside Historical Society will host a 5K foot race in October that will follow a new course from Fort Totten to the bridge.
The bridge was named after John Throckmorton, who settled the area in 1643, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Barnes was one of seven siblings raised in Bayside by parents John and Eileen, both of whom are members of the Bayside Historical Society. Billy, like all of his brothers and sisters, attended Sacred Heart School and St. Francis Prep. He eventually moved to Port Washington, L.I., but McGlaughlin said he returned constantly to visit friends and family.
Barnes founded a motorcycle club at his chapter of Local Union 3, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and even built a motorcycle himself.
"He had all these tattoos and muscles, but then he'd put on a polo shirt and go golfing," his sister remembered.
On Aug. 25, 2009, Barnes was operating a remote-controlled crane boom that came crashing down on him from his position on the bridge. He was 48.
McGlaughlin said she did not get the chance to speak with as many of Barnes' friends at his wake as she would have liked to, and she hopes the Totten Trot will be a good opportunity for his friends and family to come together and share their memories of him.
"I think it's going to be a lot of fun. I want to hear Billy's stories from his friends. One of his best friends is going to get the guys who worked on the bridge with him to come," she said.
For the past 10 years, the historical society has hosted an annual foot-race fund-raiser, and this year organizers decided to take the course to the Throgs Neck Bridge. This year's race will take place Oct. 30 at 9 a.m. and proceeds will support the society's education programs.
"He loved being outdoors and working on the bridge, and he loved extreme sports like sky diving," she said. "Changing a light bulb all the way up on the bridge was nothing for him!"
The Throgs Neck Bridge opened in 1961, and to commemorate the 50th birthdays of both the bridge and Barnes, who was killed in an accident while working on the bridge in 2009, the Bayside Historical Society will host a 5K foot race in October that will follow a new course from Fort Totten to the bridge.
The bridge was named after John Throckmorton, who settled the area in 1643, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Barnes was one of seven siblings raised in Bayside by parents John and Eileen, both of whom are members of the Bayside Historical Society. Billy, like all of his brothers and sisters, attended Sacred Heart School and St. Francis Prep. He eventually moved to Port Washington, L.I., but McGlaughlin said he returned constantly to visit friends and family.
Barnes founded a motorcycle club at his chapter of Local Union 3, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and even built a motorcycle himself.
"He had all these tattoos and muscles, but then he'd put on a polo shirt and go golfing," his sister remembered.
On Aug. 25, 2009, Barnes was operating a remote-controlled crane boom that came crashing down on him from his position on the bridge. He was 48.
McGlaughlin said she did not get the chance to speak with as many of Barnes' friends at his wake as she would have liked to, and she hopes the Totten Trot will be a good opportunity for his friends and family to come together and share their memories of him.
"I think it's going to be a lot of fun. I want to hear Billy's stories from his friends. One of his best friends is going to get the guys who worked on the bridge with him to come," she said.
For the past 10 years, the historical society has hosted an annual foot-race fund-raiser, and this year organizers decided to take the course to the Throgs Neck Bridge. This year's race will take place Oct. 30 at 9 a.m. and proceeds will support the society's education programs.
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