More traffic cameras in Baltimore, Yeshiva U. in the NCAA tournament & Israeli embassy news
City expanding DOT’s traffic cam program
In two weeks, Baltimore’s restored traffic camera program will have roughly tripled from its initial size last summer, according to Baltimore Fishbowl. The Department of Transportation announced on March 2 that it’s installing cameras—specifically red light, speed and commercial vehicle enforcement ones—in 44 new locations around the city, some of them going in both directions. That will include 19 new speed cameras, which operate 6 a.m.-8 p.m. in school zones Monday through Friday, issuing $40 tickets to anyone caught moving 12 mph or more over the speed limit; 19 new red light cameras, which run 24/7 and issue $75 tickets; and six new commercial vehicle enforcement cameras, which punish truck drivers traveling on unauthorized roads with escalating fines starting at $125 and maxing out at $250 (the first violation only warrants a warning). The new devices will activate on March 19, according to the release. According to an interactive map updated for March 2018, DOT’s Automated Traffic Violation Enforcement System (ATVES) will now have 93 of the traffic-tracking devices, including more than 50 speed cameras.
Read more: City expanding DOT’s traffic cam program to more than 90 cameras
Yeshiva University eliminated from tournament
Yeshiva University was eliminated from the NCAA Division III men’s basketball tournament with an 81-67 opening-round loss to host York College of Pennsylvania. The Maccabees, who were making their first appearance in the national tournament, finished their season with a record of 18-11. Gabriel Leifer, a 6-5 forward from Lawrence, N.Y., led Yeshiva with 18 points. Daniel Katz and Simcha Halpert had 15 and 12 points, respectively, while Tyler Hod contributed 8 points and 9 rebounds. Yeshiva, a strong three-point shooting squad, missed 26 of its 32 shots from beyond the arc. Division III member institutions do not offer scholarships to their student-athletes.
Read more: Beth Tfiloh Grad is a Star on Yeshiva University’s Basketball Team
Guatemala to move its embassy
Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales said his country will move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May. Speaking at the annual conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee in Washington D.C., Morales said Guatemala will make the move on May 16, two days after the 70th anniversary of Israel’s independence, when the United States will move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The United States and Guatemala successively recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in December. “In May of this year, we will celebrate Israel’s 70th anniversary, and under my instruction, two days after the United States, Guatemala will move its embassy permanently to Jerusalem,” Morales said to raucous applause. “We are sure that many other countries will follow in our footsteps.” President Donald Trump’s decision last year to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital departed from decades of United States policy. Every mention of it at the AIPAC conference has been met with cheers. Most countries’ embassies are located in Tel Aviv.
Read more: Guatemala Will Move its Israel Embassy to Jerusalem in May
Trump says he may attend Jerusalem embassy opening
President Donald Trump said he may be present in Jerusalem when the U.S. Embassy opens in May. “We’re looking at coming,” Trump said March 5 in opening his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington, D.C. “If I can, I will.” Trump said last month that the embassy move from Tel Aviv would take place in May, timed with Israel’s 70th anniversary, following his recognition in December that Jerusalem is the capital. He is also planning to build a new embassy in Jerusalem, which could take up to nine years. In the meantime, the embassy will be housed in a consular building. “This will be remembered by our people through the ages,” Netanyahu said. “Others talked about it. You did it.” The two leaders met in the Oval Office in a closed-door session said to have been scheduled to coincide with Netanyahu’s visit here this week for the annual policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. A photograph of the visit showed Trump and Netanyahu flanked by their wives, Melania Trump and Sara Netanyahu.—JTA
Where there’s matzoh smoke…
The residents of a Brooklyn neighborhood demonstrated against the smoke coming from a local matzoh factory. Dozens of members of the South 5th Street Block Association in Williamsburg protested on March 4 against the Congregation Satmar’s factory. The residents told WPIX-TV that the factory spews what they described as toxic coal smoke, which is so bad in the early morning that some residents say they have to wear masks in order to get to the subway. They added that they have been complaining to the city for seven years to no avail. The factory burns coal and wood during the baking of the matzoh. A year ago, the bakery was heavily damaged in a fire caused by a new wood-burning oven that had been used for the first time. Its specialty is handmade shmura matzoh, the artisanal, disc-shaped type considered extra special because the ingredients are “guarded” against leavening before the wheat is harvested.–JTA
Tower Records founder Russ Solomon dies
Russ Solomon, who pioneered the superstore hangout for music lovers by founding Tower Records and expanded it worldwide before internet pirates and crushing debts rendered the chain obsolete and bankrupt, died on March 4 at his home in Sacramento, “The New York Times” reported. He was 92. His son Michael confirmed the death. Sacramento-based Tower Records once had 89 stores across the country and 144 stores run under license in nine other countries. Tower Records closed in 2006, liquidating after its second bankruptcy. The company had high debt from its global expansion and couldn’t compete with free digital download websites.
Read “The New York Times” obituary: Russ Solomon, Founder of Tower Records, Dies at 92
March for Our Lives
Attention citizen journalists! Jmore is looking for young adults who will be attending the March for our Lives in D.C. on March 24 and would like to contribute to our live coverage that day. If you’re interested, please contact amandak@jmoreliving.com
J-Phrase of the Day:
Pinkt Kahpoyer (Yiddish)
Meaning: Upside-down, the opposite
Usage: “What my boss says and what he does is usually Pinkt Kahpoyer, trust me.”
Go to facebook.com/JMORELiving every Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. to watch Need to Know with Editor-in-Chief Alan Feiler. Join the discussion on the week’s news and current events.
Former Baltimorean Mindy Sager Dickler, who made aliyah in 2021, writes about the experience of living in Israel over the past week.
The city’s not a winner when little girls can’t walk through a shopping mall with their mothers without getting shot, writes Michael Olesker.
When interviewing for a job, focus on everything you have to offer a prospective employer, advises Karen Hammer of the Ignite Career Center.
Rabbi Dr. Eli Yoggev writes about leading Beth Tfiloh's recent mission to Israel and the resilience of the Jewish people during the most challenging of times.