Time has stopped in Montclair, according to Montclair Village Association’s Daniel Swafford. The street clock outside the shuttered Raimondis Montclair Paint has stopped at 9:35, pending an upgrade to the building.

MONTCLARION: September 7, 2016

Here’s a little medical quiz: What do you do with expired opioids, knowing you shouldn’t flush or trash them? Do you: A) take them to a hospital pharmacy; B) take them to the police station; C) buy an expired prescription drug mailer from Kaiser Permanente; or D) take them to the nearest fire station.

Reader Jerry Smith tried all of the above before finding the answer, which is D, take them to the nearest fire station. The odyssey began when he realized that Kaiser Permanente doesn’t take prescription pain or sleeping pills. Knowing it’s a no-no to flush them or leave them in a house with children, he bagged them and started driving.

First stop was Oakland’s main police station, where they told him to go to Highland Hospital. A wild goose chase that included stops at the emergency room and the pharmacy finally led him to uncover one of the biggest secrets of all times. Oakland fire stations collect your prescription drugs for free, bag them up and send them to the station that handles hazardous waste, where they burn them.

So, because of Jerry, we now know where to take our unwanted pills. With a little investigative reporting, he may have done more to keep drugs out of our waterways than any elected official. And for that — he deserves a fist pump and the key to the city.

Crime blotter: CVS can’t get a break with the break-ins. Thugs smashed through the Montclair drugstore’s storefront again the other night, trying to get to the ATM inside. Enough is enough. The manager had the money machine hauled away — and it won’t be back anytime soon.

Email bag: Shepherd Canyon Road has more than its fair share of accidents and reader Brian Coyle says he knows why. The stretch of road between Shepherd Canyon Park and Escher Drive has vertical edge drops of at least four inches. “Someone’s going to get killed,” he says, adding “AAA reported that edge drops were at least twice as fatal as other off-road crashes.” Coyle has compiled data at: https://sites.google.com/site/shephardcanyonedgedrop/.

Clocking in: Time has stopped in Montclair, according to Montclair Village Association’s Daniel Swafford. Our handsome street clock outside the shuttered Raimondi’s Montclair Paint has stopped at 9:35. That means it’s now only accurate twice a day. “The Ramondis have been very generous to donate the power for the clock all these many moons,” says Swafford. “They’re currently upgrading the building to be more attractive to a good quality tenant.” And that’s why the plug has been pulled leaving Montclair frozen in time — for the time being.

Speaking of frozen in time … My 23-year-old son and I were shopping in menswear at the Montclair McCaulou’s when he spotted the train set in the children’s department. Fond memories washed over him as he pulled the engine along the old wooden track. That toy has entertained restless children for at least 40 years. It’s nice to see traditions in play.

Got news? You can reach Ginny Prior by email at ginnyprior@hotmail.com or on the web at http://www.½ ginnyprior.com.