JV hoops win back-to-back at home

In Sports, Sports - Ravena, The Ravena News Herald

February 10, 2025

By Melanie Lekocevic

Capital Region Independent Media

RAVENA-COEYMANS-SELKIRK — The RCS junior varsity boys’ basketball team won back-to-back games on their home court last week.

On Feb. 4, the team defeated Lansingburgh in a close game, 58-56.

The team followed that up with a win against the Schalmont Sabres, again at home, by a dominating 54-38 score.

Sophomore Ryan Giangreco was on fire, scoring 22 points in the game. Freshman Chinazo Uba scored 14.

Freshman Elijah Kirkland shoots from the free throw line against Schalmont on Friday night. Melanie Lekocevic/Capital Region Independent Media

The Ravens were scheduled to play Tuesday against Voorheesville in an away match, with results too late for publication.

There are two games remaining in the regular season, both at home. The Ravens will face off against Ichabod Crane on Friday at 6:30 p.m. and against Scotia-Glenville on Feb. 18.

Record number of tickets issued in Operation Hardhat

In Current Events, Current Events - Ravena, Neighbors, Neighbors - Ravena, News, News - Ravena, The Ravena News Herald

November 24, 2021

Two parked police cars. The New York State Police, the state Department of Transportation, and the Thruway Authority have announced that state police and local law enforcement agencies issued a record number of tickets during 2021’s Operation Hardhat.

The joint initiative seeks to crack down on work-zone violations and highlights the importance of safe driving when encountering construction, maintenance and emergency operations along state highways.

“We are committed to making sure our roadways are safe, not only for those who travel them but also for those who work on them,” said New York State Police Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen. “Each day, law enforcement and other emergency responders, including highway workers, work in a dangerous environment and risk their lives to keep the travelling public safe. It is important that motorists are aware of their responsibility to follow the rules of the road and know that violations of the Move Over Law and work zone intrusions will not be tolerated.”

A total of 2,336 tickets were issued during Operation Hardhat details this year, breaking the previous record of 2,018 tickets set during 2020. The new record comes as New York state continues to experience an alarming number of work-zone intrusions and further highlights the need for motorists to slow down and drive carefully through work zones.

“The safety of our DOT family is always top priority, and I am so thankful to the women and men in law enforcement for the work they do to help keep our crews safe,” Department of Transportation Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez said. “Day after day our highway crews work in dangerous conditions so that the rest of us can travel through our great state safely. It is on motorists to stay alert, put down their cell phones, obey speed limits and drive safely through these work zones so that our road crews can do their jobs and go home to their families.”

During Operation Hardhat, members of law enforcement patrol the Department of Transportation and Thruway Authority work zones to enforce work zone speed limits and ensure that motorists are obeying flagging personnel.

Of the 2,336 tickets issued during 2021, 2,201 were issued by the state police, a significant increase from the 1,803 issued by troopers in 2020. Another 135 tickets were issued by local law enforcement agencies, including the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office, the Utica Police Department and the NYPD.

“It’s imperative that motorists obey posted speed limits and stay alert when driving through work zones,” Thruway Authority Executive Director Matthew J. Driscoll said. “As these results from Operation Hard Hat indicate, too many motorists are speeding and driving distracted when travelling through work zones and putting lives at risk. We thank our partners at New York State Police Troop T for keeping the Thruway safe and protecting the lives of motorists and our workers.”

Tickets issued in 2021 included the following violations: speeding – 855; cell phone – 434; seatbelts – 254; failure to move over – 167; failure to obey flagger – 1; failure to obey traffic control device – 4; and other violations – 621

Operation Hardhat details resulted in violations in almost every region of the state, including Hudson Valley – 326; Long Island – 311; Capital Region – 263; Central New York – 196; Southern Tier – 490; Mohawk Valley – 251; Western New York – 99; North Country – 67; New York State Thruway – 135; and New York City – 16.

Under “Operation Hardhat,” police officers are present within the work zones — dressed as highway maintenance workers — to identify motorists who are distracted by electronic devices while driving, disobey flagging personnel, speed through the work zone or violate the state’s Move Over Law, which applies to both emergency and maintenance vehicles.

In September, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation that authorized a pilot program to establish automated speed violation monitoring systems in work zones. These photo devices will be used to effectively monitor and penalize work zone violations, further supporting initiatives like “Operation Hardhat,” to hold motorists accountable.

At the 2021 Great New York State Fair, Hochul, DOT Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez and Thruway Authority Director Matt Driscoll unveiled a Highway Workers Memorial to honor transportation workers who lost their lives on the job. This permanent exhibit is located just outside the Exposition Center at the fairgrounds, serving as a reminder of the individuals whose necessary but dangerous work resulted in the ultimate sacrifice, and that motorists have a responsibility to drive safely through work zones.

Motorists are reminded to Move Over a lane, if safely possible, or slow down significantly whenever encountering roadside vehicles displaying red, white, blue, amber or green lights, including maintenance and construction vehicles in work zones. Motorists are urged to slow down and drive responsibly in work zones. Fines are doubled for speeding in a work zone. Convictions of two or more speeding violations in a work zone could result in the suspension of an individual’s driver’s license.

Positively Speaking: Forgive and forget

In Health & Wellness, Health & Wellness - Ravena, The Ravena News Herald

February 29, 2024

By Toby Moore

For Capital Region Independent Media

Toby Moore

My mom always said to me, “Toby, just forgive and forget.” I always thought, “Of course, just forgive and forget.” But when I got older and serious offenses came my way, I found it wasn’t that simple.

I’m all about forgiveness. It’s not easy to do, and although having an attitude of forgiveness benefits you more than anyone else, letting go of all the feelings is challenging. How do you forget? Is that even possible? I think it is but it’s not a one-sided issue.

Sometimes, I’ve forgiven someone who has treated me badly, but then, a month or two later, I’ve found myself angry with them all over again. That leads me to wonder, “Wait, I thought I forgave them. Why am I feeling this way?” Does that mean I didn’t forgive them, or maybe that I did forgive but didn’t forget?

I don’t have an easy answer.

If you forgive someone, does that mean you give them another chance to hurt you? Is that what it means to forgive and forget? We just pretend it never happened and give them another chance?

That old saying, “Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me!” resonates here. There’s also, “Forgive but never forget.”

Is it possible to forgive and forget? Won’t we always remember? On a human level, this is complex. In some religious traditions, it’s said that God forgives and forgets our wrongs. But can humans do the same?

Bishop Desmond Tutu, who endured the profound injustices of South Africa’s apartheid system, came to believe that “Forgiving is not forgetting; it’s remembering — remembering and not using your right to hit back. It’s a second chance for a new beginning.”

This quote underscores the nuanced nature of forgiveness, suggesting it’s about choosing not to retaliate rather than erasing the memory.

I try to take a path of forgiving before someone has even asked for forgiveness but the reasons for that are probably selfish because I understand a little about how bitterness can destroy the body and soul, but then I ask myself, “Is that real forgiveness, or is that me letting it go? And is that the same thing?”

Some of the people I find myself wanting to forgive the most are those who hurt me deeply, including family members and close friends. I forgave them as soon as it happened, but then I noticed a pattern of repeated offenses.

I’ve had family members who were combative towards me on a regular basis, often pushing me to the brink of madness every time I saw them. No matter what I did or how I approached the situation, it seemed they were out to get me. What made it especially hard was the fact that they were family, and it appeared there was nothing I could do to fix it — mainly because they didn’t want to fix it.

Time and again, I’d forgive them and then try to help them or spend time with them, thinking things would change. However, the same old pattern not only kept repeating itself but also got significantly worse with each visitation. I didn’t know what to do, and when I got my first opportunity, I packed up and left town as quickly as I could. I saw no other solution but to run away.

It’s a strange thing but some people won’t stop until they just can’t do it anymore and oftentimes that means removing yourself from the situation altogether so they don’t have the opportunity to do it again.

Dr. Robert Enright, a psychologist and pioneer in the study of forgiveness, suggests that forgiveness is a choice and a process, not a one-time act or an erasure of memory. He argues that forgiveness can lead to psychological and relational healing but doesn’t necessarily mean forgetting or condoning the offense.

One day, it dawned on me that, although I’m protecting myself against bitterness by trying to forgive and forget, they never apologized or acknowledged their wrongdoings so why am I allowing them the opportunity to do it again? How can I forget when they haven’t apologized?

Forgiveness involves more than just letting go of resentment. Even if you’ve forgiven someone and are keen on “remembering no more,” there’s another component to the story.

Did they ask for forgiveness? Have they taken steps to ensure it will never happen again? If not, then experience tells me it’s going to happen again and forgetting the offense is futile.

I remain committed to practicing the art of forgiveness. However, granting someone access to my life again and considering a renewed friendship demands their active involvement. While I acknowledge that forgiveness can be a solitary journey, I’ve come to understand that truly moving beyond the hurt — to forgive and forget—necessitates regaining trust from the person who wronged me.

Thus, though forgiveness may be the work of one, the process of fully forgiving and forgetting involves the efforts of two.

Toby Moore is a columnist, the star of Emmy-nominated “A Separate Peace,” and the CEO of Cubestream Inc.