It seems that the boys were walking on a railroad bridge that runs over the NYS Thruway. The police are theorizing that between the traffic noise and the rain, they didn't hear the train. Also, they were walking in the same direction as the train, so they didn't see it coming. And if they did, because they were on a bridge, they probably wouldn't have had anywhere to go.

Beth, she knew both the boys. We're a pretty small school district. They were more friends of friends, and the boy that died had transferred recently to a local Catholic high school, but when the entire high school is only a few hundred kids, a loss like this really hits home.

I can only think of their parents and can't imagine their pain.

Yes, her best friend was hit by a car last January. Although she has recovered to a great extent, she has suffered severe short-term memory loss and has several painful surgeries on her leg ahead. However, she's walking, she's talking, and that's a heck of a lot more than we ever expected.

TIS, we've had coyote problems here, too. We've had them show up in our yard and our neighbor's dog was eaten by one a few years ago. They are scary, although they usually don't do much harm. It's the price we pay for overdevelopment.