So, whose kids were home today because of the no-show snow storm? Is this getting just a bit silly yet?

New rule, there should at least be snow on the ground before we cancel classes, no?

How many times are we going to cancel school or announce an early release the day before a storm, only to be surprised that the storm either never materializes or does not do what it was supposed to do?

I get the whole "erring on the side of caution" thing, but you know, was it seriously necessary to declare an early release for today yesterday? Could districts not have waited until this morning to make a call on this?

Back in the day, decisions about school cancellations were made that morning. We'd lay in bed waiting for the air raid siren to wail to tell us that school had been canceled, or we'd tune in to WBSM for the news. Mistakes were rare back then because we dealt with things as they were occurring.

Media hype of storm systems has gotten so out of control and we are basing important life decisions on their reports. Did you know that this storm was named Toby by The Weather Channel?  Snowstorms have names now...and bombogenesis too!  The hype sells ads and makes big money for big media companies. They start hyperventilating about a storm a week before it even forms.

And they play us for suckers every time. I think they are in cahoots with the markets.

Got an idea...next time a storm is coming, how about if we wake up that morning, look out the window and decide if conditions warrant cancelling school?

Barry Richard is the host of The Barry Richard Show on 1420 WBSM New Bedford. He can be heard weekdays from noon to 3 p.m. Contact him at barry@wbsm.com and follow him on Twitter @BarryJRichard58. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author. 

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