Cold turkey commute. Don’t even think about lighting up while waiting for your Metro-North train. Doing so could get you kicked off the platform, up to $50 in fines or a trip to jail.

The MTA‘s new ban on outdoor smoking starts today, following a months-long grace period the agency gave smokers to get used to the idea. The ban, which had a soft launch in November, prohibits smoking on Metro-North and Long Island Railroad outdoor platforms, as well as ticketing and boarding areas.

The ban does not apply to Metro-North stations in Connecticut.

Violators have gotten away with just warnings since November. But after several months of  leafleting, signs, announcements and electronic alerts, the MTA now expects passengers to play by the rules.

“I don’t want to be buried…in a pet cemetery,” sang the Ramones. But some people do.

Back in June we told you about the woman who wanted to be buried in the Hartsdale Pet Cemetery with her loved ones: her dog and her four cats. The State’s Cemetery Board said no.

Now, things have changed. The state Division of Cemeteries has resurrected regulations that once again permit pet owners to have their ashes interred with their beloved animals in pet cemeteries like the 115-year old one in Hartsdale, the State’s best known.

“My wish has been granted and I will be able to be with my furry family forever,” Rhona Levy of the Bronx was quoted by the Associated Press as saying.

Human ashes are allowed at pet cemeteries that follow certain conditions, such as not advertising that they take humans. Hartsdale has an estimated 700 humans interred with about 75,000 animals.

photos: Natalie Maynor

U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey, who represents most of Westchester and parts of Rockland Counties in Congress, made fast friends with a group of New Rochelle High School seniors during a classroom visit Monday, inviting them to meet again online Tuesday night during President Obama’s State of the Union address.

“I don’t want to talk at you,” Congresswoman Lowey, a Democrat who represents New York’s 18th District, said.  ”I want to have a conversation.”

Lowey’s visit to teacher Darren Gurney’s AP macroeconomics class was a precursor to the virtual Facebook and Twitter chat with students she has planned for before and after the President’s speech. Students can participate by going to Lowey’s Facebook page  or using the hashtag #LoweyChat on Twitter.

She also will meet with New Rochelle High AP government students in Washington later this week.

Lowey reiterated several times her commitment to staying non-partisan during the classroom discussion, which touched on her priorities: creating jobs, investing in education and tax relief.

She did, however, come right out and say how important she thinks it is for young people to get involved in their government as soon as they are old enough.

“It’s sad to me that in this great country of ours such a small percentage of people vote,” she said.

“Whatever you do with your life, I hope you will take some time for public service because it is very rewarding.”

Photo courtesy of Paul Costiglio

Hartsdale Pet Cemetery

The Hartsdale Cemetery on Central Avenue appears to be a bit more than it says it is. The New York Division of Cemeteries has now ordered it to stop burying the ashes of pet owners alongside their pets.

The ruling will block one woman from going ahead with her final resting plans. According to the Associated Press, Rhonda Levy of the Bronx said, “Suddenly I’m not at peace anymore. You want to be with the people you are closest with, your true loved ones. The only loved ones I have in my life right now are my pets, which I consider my children.”

Levy, 61, said she has no backup plan and is hoping the state order will be reversed. And Taylor York, a law professor, said the state order compounded the grief in her family after the April death of her uncle, Thomas Ryan. Ryan’s wife, Bunny, and their two dogs, B.J. I and B.J. II,
are buried at Hartsdale. Ryan had arranged, and prepaid, to join them, York said. There’s also a space for B.J. III, who’s still alive.

But Ryan’s ashes sit in a wooden box at his sister’s home because the state’s new rule won’t allow him into Hartsdale.

Hartsdale has an estimated 700 humans interred with about 75,000 animals.

–With thanks to Loop reader Christopher