In brief: School bus drivers end NYC strike

New York – The monthlong school bus strike that affected tens of thousands of children in the nation’s largest school district ended Friday, after union leaders were assured by prospective New York City mayoral candidates that their concerns would be heard after this year’s election.

Leaders of the Amalgamated Transit Union said service for New York City schools would resume Wednesday, after classes resume after the Presidents Day holiday.

Some 8,000 bus drivers and aides walked off the job Jan. 16 over job protection issues.

Tickets sell out for squirrel shoot

Holley, N.Y. – A weekend squirrel-shooting contest in upstate New York is a sell-out, with all 1,000 tickets spoken for, organizers said, despite a push by animal rights groups and others to cancel the event.

The 7th annual “Hazzard County Squirrel Slam” will raise money for the volunteer Holley Fire Department, the event sponsor.

Prizes ranging from $50 to $200 will be given out today for the largest squirrel shot and the heaviest group of five squirrels. Five rifles and shotguns are to be raffled off, according to a flier on the western New York fire department’s website.

Critics have sought to stop the event through online petitions and protests, calling the event cruel and a bad example for children. The contest targeting red and gray squirrels is open to anyone over age 12 with a hunting license.