Who let the dogs out?

The United States Postal Service says, “More than 5,800 postal employees were attacked by dogs last year,” an increase over 2022. The USPS says dog attacks are an “important public health issue.”

The Postal Service launched the Dog Bite Awareness Campaign in June to remind folks that, like dogs, letter carriers are people too, and their safety should be of the utmost concern.

The awareness campaign provides several tips for “protecting mail carriers while making their rounds.”

One tip advises, “If a carrier delivers mail or packages to your front door, place your dog in a separate room and close that door before opening the front door.” USPS says, “Some dogs burst through screen doors or plate-glass windows to attack visitors.”

Additional tips to keep the mail carrier from being mauled by your dog can be found on the USPS website.

Mailer carriers are trained to protect themselves from out-of-control dogs and they are taught to “stand their ground and protect their body by placing something between them and the dog – such as a mail satchel – and to use dog repellent if necessary.”

The top 10 states for dog attacks on postal workers in 2023 were California (727), Texas (411), Ohio (359), Pennsylvania (334), Illinois (316), New York (296), Florida (193), North Carolina (185), Michigan (183) and Missouri (180).

The Postal Service says Springfield had the most dog bites in Massachusetts in 2023 with five, Woburn with four, and Beverly, Milton, Shrewsbury and Webster with three each. Twenty other Massachusetts communities experienced two bites and another 55 locations each had one, for a total of 116 state-wide in 2023.

The USPS data did not indicate how many if any, dog attacks occurred in New Bedford, Fall River, Taunton or the surrounding towns. I guess no news is good news.

A dense fog advisory was issued by the National Weather Service on Thursday at 7:29 p.m. in effect until Friday at 8 a.m. for Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Plymouth, Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket counties.

The weather service describes, “Visibility one quarter mile or less in dense fog, especially along the immediate coast. Areas of dense fog may expand inland and as well as the south coast into the evening and overnight hours.”

“Low visibility could make driving conditions hazardous,” adds the weather service. “If driving, slow down, use your headlights, and leave plenty of distance ahead of you.”

Guidance from the weather service for navigating foggy conditions

If a dense fog advisory is issued for your area, it means that widespread dense fog has developed and visibility often drops to just a quarter-mile or less. These conditions can make driving challenging, so exercise extreme caution on the road, and if possible, consider delaying your trip.

If driving through fog becomes inevitable, remember these safety guidelines:

Reduce speed:

• Slow down and allow extra travel time to reach your destination safely.

Visibility matters:

• Ensure your vehicle is visible to others by using low-beam headlights, which automatically activate your taillights. Utilize fog lights if your vehicle is equipped with them.

Avoid high-beams:

• Refrain from using high-beam lights, as they create glare, making it more difficult for you to see what’s ahead of you on the road.

Keep a safe distance:

• Keep a considerable following distance to account for sudden stops or shifts in traffic patterns.

Stay in your lane:

• Use the road’s lane markings as a guide to staying in the correct lane.

Visibility near zero:

• In cases of near-zero visibility due to dense fog, activate your hazard lights and seek a safe spot, like a nearby business parking lot, to pull over and stop.

Limited parking options:

• If no parking area is available, pull your vehicle as far to the roadside as possible. Once stationary, turn off all lights except the hazard flashers, engage the emergency brake, and release the brake pedal to ensure your tail lights are not illuminated, reducing the risk of other drivers colliding with your stationary vehicle.

By adhering to these weather service precautions, you can navigate foggy conditions more safely, reducing the likelihood of accidents and ensuring your personal safety.

Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service.

MASSACHUSETTS — After a week of mass beach closures due to excessive bacteria levels in Masschusetts, the number of closed beaches has dropped — but there are a handful of beaches newly closed since the last update Wednesday.

The number of closed swimming beaches across the state fell from 20 Wednesday to 14 Tuesday as several previously-closed beaches in Templeton, Worcester, Lynn, Clarksburg, Westford, Townsend, Winchester and Quincy have reopened.

However, the following five beaches have now been added to the list of CLOSED beaches in Massachusetts Thursday, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

Milton, MA

Houghton’s Pong @ Bathhouse

Tenean

Concord, MA

Walden Pond – Main

Meanwhile, the following beaches have now been closed for days due to excessive bacteria levels:

Charlemont, MA

Great Barrington, MA

Old Maid’s Park

Saugus, MA

Pearce Lake @ Breakheart Reservation

Greenfield, MA

Greenfield Municipal Bathing Beach

Templeton, MA

Beamans Pond – Day Use

The following beach has been closed for days due to harmful cyanobacteria bloom:

Natick, MA

The state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation opened 81 freshwater and saltwater beaches for the season just before Memorial Day weekend. But the fun quickly came to a halt by the following weekend, when many beaches began to close.

“In general, when beaches are closed, elevated bacteria is a result of a preceding rainstorm is responsible for the closure,” a representative for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health told Patch Wednesday. “This is because the rain washes the bacteria or excessive nutrients on land into the water and the nutrients allow small populations of bacteria to rapidly reproduce to unsafe levels.”

See Also: MA Sets Date For DCR Pools To Open: 2024 Swimming Season

The water testing frequency at beaches in the state varies from beach to beach, but tests occur anywhere from daily to monthly, officials said, adding that testing frequency depends on how likely the beach is to have water quality issues.

Beaches found to have high bacteria levels are reopened for swimming after a test result shows bacteria levels below DPH standards.

According to the DPH, Swimming in unsafe waters can cause illnesses with the following symptoms:

• Gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal pain
• Respiratory symptoms like sore throat, cough, runny nose, and sneezing
• Dermatological symptoms like skin rash and itching
• Eye and ear symptoms like irritation, earache, and itching
• Flu-like symptoms like fever and chills

Most of these symptoms are minor, but a more serious illness may occasionally occur, officials said. Children, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems are at greater risk for illness.

Also on Patch: