As winter approaches, road conditions can quickly become hazardous. One of the most dangerous threats is black ice. Forming when temperatures approach freezing, black ice is nearly invisible, often catching drivers off guard. Bridges, overpasses and shaded areas are particularly prone to icy patches. Here's what you need to know to stay safe on the road this winter.

Why Is Black Ice So Dangerous?

Unlike snow or slush, black ice provides virtually no traction. Because it blends seamlessly with the road, drivers often don’t realize they’re on black ice until it’s too late. A single patch of black ice can cause your vehicle to skid, making it crucial to understand how to handle such situations.

Tips for Driving Safely on Black Ice

• Stay calm: If you hit black ice, avoid panicking. Keep a steady grip on the steering wheel.
• Don’t slam the brakes: Hard braking can cause your wheels to lock and worsen the skid. Instead, ease off the accelerator and let the car slow naturally.
• Steer in the direction of the skid: If the rear of your car slides, gently steer in the same direction the car is skidding until you regain traction.
• Avoid overcorrecting: Once you’ve regained control, carefully steer back onto your intended path.
• Reduce your speed: Slow down significantly in icy conditions to maintain better control of your vehicle.
• Avoid Sudden Movements: Jerky turns, rapid braking, or abrupt acceleration can all lead to loss of control.
• Increase your following distance: Leave more space between you and the car ahead to allow extra time to react.
• Do not use cruise control: Cruise control can cause your car to accelerate unintentionally on ice, increasing the risk of a skid.

Additional Precautions

• Check the weather: Stay informed about conditions before heading out.
• Inspect your tires: Ensure they’re in good condition and properly inflated to maximize traction.
• Carry emergency supplies: A winter kit with blankets, a flashlight, and a scraper can be lifesaving if you get stranded.

Adjusting your driving behavior and staying alert can make all the difference when navigating icy roads. By following these tips, you’ll not only protect yourself but also help keep others safe this winter.

Drive carefully and stay warm!

Some families of deceased military veterans will soon have the option of a “green burial” in three national cemeteries as part of a Department of Veterans Affairs pilot program.

The program–to be tested at the National Memorial Cemetery in Phoenix, AZ, Pikes Peak National Cemetery in Colorado Springs, CO, and Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, FL–was authorized as part of the National Cemeteries Preservation and Protection act of 2022.

The new VA initiative will help the department gather information on customer preferences and develop procedures surrounding green burials, where bodies are not embalmed and are most often buried in biodegradable containers. The burials will take place in sections of the cemeteries set aside for green interments. Both cremated remains and bodies will be accepted for burial in these sections. It is expected that the green burial program will be expanded to additional cemeteries.

The VA already accepts remains that are prepared for burial naturally. The specific sections for these remains, however, are new.

“The law provides that remains interred in a green burial section must be prepared for burial in a manner that does not involve chemicals or embalming fluids and must be buried in a biodegradable casket or urn, or are otherwise interred in a natural manner, such as securely wrapped in a biodegradable shroud,” a press release from the VA states.

Green burials and cemetery sections set aside for them have been growing in popularity as more people are concerned about the environmental effects of chemicals used in embalming, caskets and other containers.

The Colorado couple accused of mishandling the remains of 190 decedents they had been contracted to bury or cremate pleaded guilty in state court recently, admitting to their role in a horrific case of abuse that helped spur changes in the state’s regulation of the funeral industry.

Jon and Carie Hallford, who owned the Penrose-based Return to Nature Funeral Home, pleaded guilty to 190 counts of abuse of a corpse in exchange for the dismissal of a host of other charges, including forgery, theft and money laundering. Jon Hallford faces 20 years in prison as part of the plea agreement. Carie Hallford could be sentenced to between 15 and 20 years. Sentencing is scheduled for April 2025, according to an article in The Colorado Sun.

The Hallfords were charged in 2023 after inspectors discovered the 190 corpses in various states of decay in the defunct Return to Nature Funeral Home. Some of the bodies had been in the facility for at least four years. The couple had contracted with families to handle burial and cremation arrangements for the decedents. Instead, they stacked the bodies in the funeral home and misled the survivors on the disposition, even sending dried concrete, rather than cremated remains, to some families.

The Hallfords admitted in court that they knew what they were doing would “outrage normal family sensibility” and that they did nothing to rectify the situation, according to The Colorado Sun. Bodies stored in the funeral home were found wrapped in duct tape. Others were wrapped in sheets. Some were stacked on top of each other while others were stored on the ground.

The couple pleaded guilty in federal court in October 2024 to one charge each of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for illegally obtaining Small Business Association COVID-19 relief loans and spending the money on items such as cars, vacations, cosmetic medical procedures, dinners and jewelry. As part of the federal plea, they were also ordered to more than $1 million in restitution for the SBA loans and damages to victims.

In addition to the criminal charges, the Hallfords were facing a $1 billion judgment against them as the result of a civil suit, according to a story in The Gazette.

The Hallfords’ case was cited as one of the reasons for an overhaul of Colorado’s funeral industry regulations, which were among the most lax in the country. Funeral directors in the state were not licensed, a fact that led some advocates to point out that, although the Hallfords faced criminal charges, there was little the state could do to sanction them as funeral directors.

The state adopted a sweeping reform of funeral industry regulations, which called for the licensing of funeral directors, along with basic education and continuing education requirements.

A leader in the preservation of a historic Black cemetery in Camden County, NJ, has been honored for her efforts. Pope Francis has approved changes to papal funeral rites. An article explores the meaning of those changes. And an Indian man who had been declared dead was found to be alive just before he was about to be cremated. These stories and more are in the week in funeral news.

NEWS

This Historic Black Cemetery Holds Thousands of Stories. Meet the NJ Woman Fighting to Preserve Them
By Nyah Marshall (NJ Advance Media)
The legacies of thousands of freedom seekers, enslaved people and Black veterans are preserved among the headstones and markers at a 125-year-old Black cemetery in Lawnside, NJ. Land development, financial struggles and changes in leadership have threatened the Camden County cemetery over the years. But, thanks to hundreds of volunteers–including one dedicated woman recently honored with a national award for her efforts–the landmark has endured. Read more here.

Indian Man Wakes Up on Funeral Pyre Moments Before It Was Going to Be Lit
By George Johnson (The Telegraph)
An Indian man declared dead by doctors at a public hospital woke up on a funeral pyre moments before cremation. Rohitash Kumar, a 25-year-old with speaking and hearing difficulties, developed a fever. As his health deteriorated, he was taken to a hospital in Jhunjhunu, a city in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan. Read more here.

Human Burial Practices Had Their Origin in the Levant, Israeli Researchers Say
By The Jerusalem Post
The burial practices of Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens originated in the Levant region around 120,000 years ago, according to a new study published in the journal L'Anthropologie. Researchers from Tel Aviv University and Haifa University in Israel analyzed 32 ancient gravesites in the Levant, including 17 neanderthal burials and 15 homo sapiens burials, shedding light on the cultural practices of these ancient hominins. Read more here.

What Do the Revisions to the Papal Funeral Rites Signify?
By Andrea Gagliarducci (National Catholic Register)
Pope Francis, who turns 88 on December 17, 2024, now knows exactly what his eventual funeral will be like. The specific details are laid out in the second edition of the Ordo Exsequiarum Romani Pontificis, which was produced by the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff and released to the public on November 19. Pope Francis, who approved the revised rites in April, received the first copy of the printed volume on November 4, according to Vatican News. The revisions reflect Francis’ desire to simplify the rites and, in some instances, to dispense with centuries-old traditions whose ancient roots had become difficult even for Vatican experts to decipher. Read more here.

Unclaimed Cremated Remains Highlight Gaps in Georgia Funeral Regulations
By Eric Mock (Fox 5)
After the discovery of dozens of cremated remains inside a closed Marietta, GA, funeral home, one state lawmaker says this highlights a significant problem in Georgia that the state legislature must address. Read more here.

Regulatory Board in Nova Scotia Says Funeral Directors Should Be Required to Confirm Body ID Before Cremation
By Tom Ayers (CBC News)
The board that regulates funeral directors in Nova Scotia says a law needs to change so that its members are held individually responsible when the wrong body is cremated. Adam Tipert, a funeral director and chair of the Nova Scotia Board of Registration of Embalmers and Funeral Directors, said a recent Court of Appeal ruling that exonerated a Cape Breton funeral director who was involved in the second wrongful cremation in the province in five years sends the wrong message. Read more here.

Columbian Mutual Life, a company that sold preneed funeral insurance policies in several states in the Northeast, including New Jersey, has been taken over by the State of New York and placed in a process called “rehabilitation.”

The New York Department of Financial Services was granted permission by the state Supreme Court in Broome County to take control of Columbian after a potential sale of the struggling company fell through earlier in 2024.

Columbian made the decision in late spring to stop selling policies in an effort to preserve capital. But that was not enough.

The state Department of Financial Services argued that the takeover was needed because “continued operation” without Columbian being placed in rehabilitation “would be hazardous to its policy holders, creditors or the public,” according to the Supreme Court ruling.

Rehabilitation is a process in which the state superintendent of financial services takes control of the operations of a company with the goal of restoring it to firm financial footing. Columbian, in a note to policyholders, said the superintendent would review the “company’s financial condition, and if possible, will develop a plan to return the company to financial health.”

Columbian told policyholders that all “policy terms will be honored in rehabilitation. The company will continue to pay claims as they come due in ordinary course. Policyholders should still pay their premiums will Columbian remains in rehabilitation.

Earlier in 2024, the firm had been in negotiations with Constellation Insurance Holdings, which had pledged about $100 million for cash payments to policyholders. The deal, however, fell through, a development that prompted Columbian’s decision to stop selling new policies. The company also laid off 25 percent of its workforce at its Vestal, NY, office.

The company’s financial strength rating had been downgraded as well.

The New Jersey Funeral Service Education Corporation needs your financial support to continue providing quality training, support and outreach to assist the next generation of funeral service leaders.

Giving Tuesday, which comes on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, is the perfect time to invest in the future of funeral service with a generous donation to further the NJFSEC’s mission.

This year, Giving Tuesday is December 3, 2024, and the NJFSEC has made it easier than ever to donate. Those seeking to give can now do so online here. All you need is to have your credit card handy and fill out the simple form that can be found on this page.

If you prefer to still make your donation by check, you can download a fillable donation form here. Once the form is filled out and printed, you can write your check and mail your contribution to:

New Jersey Funeral Service Education Corporation
P.O. Box L
Manasquan, NJ 08736-0642

Those with questions can contact 800.734.3712.

The NJFSEC has remained dedicated to assisting those actively working to enter funeral service in improving their craft and helping the families they serve. These newest funeral service workers are the future of the industry, and they deserve your support.

There are challenges facing funeral service, and the NJFSEC is actively working to meet those challenges head on. Eligible New Jersey resident mortuary school students can apply for NJFSEC scholarship awards, which assist students who show promise in getting the education needed to obtain a New Jersey funeral director license.

With the help of your donations, the NJFSEC has contributed more than $100,000 to assist future licensees and further the missions of hospice and palliative care workers. Your generosity also supports the work of suicide prevention counselors and individuals that work in crisis and grief management, organ and tissue donation, social work and geriatric care.

The NJFSEC hopes you will consider a tax-deductible contribution as part of your end-of-year financial planning. The NJFSEC thanks you for your continued generosity and support.