Halloween is Thursday night, and Biloxi public safety leaders are advising those families who are not participating in organized gatherings to make safety a priority when trick-or-treating in city neighborhoods. The city offers these tips for you to be aware of and share with your children:
When trick-or-treating:
-A parent or responsible adult should always accompany young children on their neighborhood rounds.
-Use a flashlight to see and be seen.
-Remove any mask or item that may limit eyesight before crossing a street, driveway or alley.
-Stay in a group, walk slowly and communicate where you are going.
-Trick-or-treat only in well-known neighborhoods at homes that have a porch light on.
-Remain on well-lit streets and use the sidewalk. If no sidewalk exists, walk at the farthest edge of roadway facing traffic.
-Never cut across yards or use alleys.
-Never enter a stranger’s home or car for a treat.
-Obey all traffic and pedestrian regulations.
-Always walk. Never run across a street, and only cross the street as a group in established crosswalks.
-Don’t assume the right of way. Motorists may have difficulty seeing trick-or-treaters. Just because one car stops, doesn’t mean others will.
-Never consume unwrapped food items or open beverages that may be offered. In fact, no treats should be eaten until thoroughly checked by an adult at home.
-Authorities should be notified immediately of any suspicious or unlawful activity.
After trick-or-treating:
-Wait until children are home to sort and check treats. Though tampering is rare, a responsible adult should closely examine all treats and throw away any spoiled, unwrapped or suspicious items.
-Try to apportion treats for the days after Halloween.
-Although sharing is encouraged, make sure items that can cause choking (such as hard candies) are given only to those of an appropriate age.
See more safety tips from Biloxi Police
News & notes: Infrastructure video, council, texting, last call
Infrastructure: Have you see the new video status report on East Biloxi infrastructure work? It was filmed last week, and, in three minutes offers the latest info. See the video and detailed progress maps by clicking here.
Council schedule: The next scheduled meeting of the Biloxi City Council is Nov. 5 at 6 p.m. To see video of the most recent council meetings, click here.
Texting: The city’s text message service, which recently picked up dozens of new subscribers with Cruisin’ The Coast and Popp’s Ferry Bridge advisories, now has more than 9,000 subscribers. To sign up for the free B-Alert service, text BILOXI to 888777. To see recent texts and to learn more about the service, click here.
Last call: The October lineup of BTV is winding down. The basic lineup of programming – Ray Fournier, “A Day in the Life of Biloxi,” council meetings, and other standards – will remain, but Cree Cantrelle, as F. Arbeau Caillavet, and the tours of the Biloxi cemetery – will be relegated to cyberspace. To see the current BTV lineup, good until Oct. 31 at midnight, click here. To see BTV online now, click here.
