School Is In Session, So STOP For The Bus

With kids back to school across the Commonwealth, a Peabody mom is here to remind drivers to STOP for the Bus.

As we were winding down summer and getting back into our fall routine last week and local schools were back in session, Maria Scheri was good enough to reach out to me with this message. Actually, I'll just let Maria deliver the message herself, as she did in the email she sent me:

"My name is Maria Scheri, and I'm a mom from Peabody who last fall started the school bus safety initiative called, S.T.O.P the Operator from Passing. I'm also co-chair of the Peabody School Zone Safety Task Force, which I created with our mayor.

Why? Because drivers are not stopping for the school buses when the red lights are flashing and the stop sign is out. Sadly, drivers are also being disrespectful of the school crossing guards and the school bus drivers. The goal of both my initiative and the taskforce is to get the message out there that this is not OK - no matter what city or town you are driving in.

I have been listening to you since you were on WBCN, and I am reaching out because I feel like you're the guy to help me to get this message on the radio - when people are in their cars driving - to remind everyone to slow, down & pay attention in school zones, stop for the kids to let them cross the street and never ever give the finger to the school crossing guard!"

Message received, Maria. And you know I'll be passing it along weekdays between 11 and 4 here on the air. Maria's message is spreading and resonating with the community, too. The Salem News has this piece on kids and drivers pledging to make commutes safer this school year. Keep an eye out for Maria and STOP for the Bus, who were featured on on 7News, too.

When does summer end? I mean, I know when Autumnal Equinox takes place. But things are different here in New England.

Summer is my favorite season. Why? Because it's the best damn season if you live in New England. "Yeah, but it's hot!" Yeah, but THE OCEAN. "Right, but the water is so cold!" You poor, pitiful person. That's the whole point! Cold water to refresh you on a hot day. Let me be brutally honest: if the summer weather in New England is too hot for you and the ocean water in New England is too cold, you probably don't belong here. Move to California, you'll be much more comfortable.

I've spent this summer as I spend every summer: body surfing at the beach and swimming in lakes and hiking and crushing cold beers while watching summer sunsets. And stargazing! Did you catch the Perseid meteor showers last month? Magnificent. That's summer in New England, baby. I love the weather, I love the pace, I love the routine, I love the extra time with my kids. I wish summer would go on forever. Alas, it does not. And that's what were getting into for this week's 12-Inch Poll.

Technically, the aforementioned Autumnal Equinox signals the end of summer and beginning of fall. But for some, summer ends before that. Do you close the book on summer when the kids go back to school? Is Labor Day Weekend summer's last hurrah? Or are the final nails in summer's coffin those fall food products that seem to pop up in stores earlier and earlier every year? I've shared a short summer-themed playlist to mark each of these below, so scroll through those and cast your vote in this week's Poll. You can probably guess what I'm voting for.