CHP Beefs Up Holiday Patrols
Hollister – The California Highway Patrol has deployed 80 percent of its patrol force as part of a holiday crackdown on drunk drivers, speeders and seat belt scofflaws – the three major sources of highway fatalities.
Statewide traffic deaths jumped this Thanksgiving over last year, CHP Captain Otto Knorr said.
“We’re determined to reverse those numbers for the Christmas holiday season,” Knorr said.
Expanded patrol presence began Friday at 6pm and will last through midnight Jan. 2, 2006.
State Officials Discuss Alternatives to Exit Exam
Sacramento – State officials met Thursday morning here to discuss the California High School Exit Exam and to look at alternatives to measure if a student is ready to earn a high school diploma.
The class of 2006 will be the first group of students required to pass the CAHSEE in order to graduate.
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell has asked his staff to study options for the 100,000 students who still need to pass the exam.
During Thursday’s hearing, officials listened to options but didn’t make any announcements. They should come to a decision in January, said John Affeldt, managing attorney for Public Advocates – a public interest law firm founded in 1971 to address the underlying causes of poverty and discrimination and to strengthen the voices of minorities, immigrants and the poor through public policy.
“The news was that they had the hearing and for the first time were considering alternatives,” Affeldt said.
