If your child finds an injured bat lying on the sidewalk or a baby groundhog that appears abandoned, would he or she pick up the animal and bring it home to nurse it? The answer should be an emphatic NO.

Rabies is a real threat in every Westchester neighborhood and the risk of contact with wild or stray animals is greater in the summer months.

Although the number of animals submitted to the Health Department for testing was down this year, compared with the same period last year, more of these animals have tested positive for rabies. From January through June 2007, the Health Department received 244 animals for testing, and 10 tested positive for rabies. In the first six months of this year, the Health Department tested 201 animals and found 13 of them had rabies. Read more » »

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Countrywide Financial Corp. said Friday it will cut as many as 12,000 jobs as it struggles to deal with challenging conditions in the mortgage industry.

The company said the cuts, amounting to as much as 20 percent of its work force, are needed because it expects new mortgages to fall about 25 percent in 2008 from this year’s levels.

“We are taking decisive action to ensure that Countrywide continues to be well-positioned for further success,” said Angelo Mozilo, chairman and CEO.

In recent weeks, the company borrowed $11.5 billion and sold a $2 billion stake to Bank of America so it could keep operating its retail banking and mortgage lending businesses. Read more » »