Daylight Saving arrives early, lasts longer

WARWICK — Daylight Saving Time arrives three weeks early this year, beginning 2 a.m., this Sundaymorning, March 11. And while there’s been some spec¬ulation in the national press about apotential technological meltdown, you won’t find much concern around here. For instance: • Farmer Cheryl Rogowski figures the extra hours of sunlight will only help the 150 kinds of produce she al¬ready grows. • Warwick Schools Superinten¬dent Dr. Frank Greenhall reports thatthe district already has programmed its computers to automatically update at the scheduled time. • Adds Robert Zeller, director of transportation for the Warwick School District. “We are just as concernedwith the afternoon runs as we are with the morning runs. I’m in favor of a window of daylight to both pick upand drop off the children. To me, Day¬light Saving Time is a sign that we are getting closer to spring and safer roadconditions.” • Radio station WTBQ 1110 AM in the Village of Florida is licensed to broadcast from sunrise to sunset, so it will get a jump start on its broadcast day. Daylight Saving Time takes placethree weeks earlier this year, thanks to the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The federal law requires that Daylight Sav¬ing Time begins on the second Sunday in March instead of the first Sunday in April, and extends through the firstSunday in November instead of the last Sunday in October. The goal is to save energy and thelogic goes: Longer hours of daylight means people won’t need as much elec¬tricity. If anything, people are lookingforward to the change. Ann Lombardi, spokeswoman for St. Anthony Community Hospital, saidthat although the change does cause confusion, as with the Y2K controver¬sy, the hospital has made the necessaryadjustments to ease the transition. Per¬sonally, she said, she’ll definitely en¬joy the extra hour of sunlight. The managers of the Tuscan Cafe and Sunoco Wally Mart said they be¬lieve that the extra hour of daylight will not appear to have any nega¬tive effects on their businesses. If anything, it may actually bring in more business since people are outand about more during the day¬light hours than at night. Meanwhile, the Warwick Vil¬lage Board passed a resolution this week to change the ending date of the overnight parking banfrom March 11, the new beginning of Daylight Saving Time, to April 1. The ban was scheduled to end with the beginning of daylight sav¬ing time, which was anticipated to be on the first Sunday of April — when snow season is over. With Daylight Saving Time beginning on the second Sunday in March, however, the overnight parkingban has been extended to a certain date — April 1 — in order to cover the snow season. Correspondent Tony Houston contributed to this report.