skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

It's Bike and Walk to School Day for Minnesota Students

play audio
Play

Wednesday, October 9, 2013   

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Expect to see a lot more Minnesota students getting to class today under their own power. This is Walk and Bike to School Day.

The goal, said Jodi Gertken, coordinator for the BLEND Coalitiion at CentraCare Health in St. Cloud, is to encourage more kids to walk or bike, while teaching them about the lifelong benefits of being active.

"Throughout the state of Minnesota," she said, "you are seeing groups that are coming together to encourage kids as well as families - even businesses - to say, 'Can mom or dad come to work a few minutes late? We're going to have a national Walk and Bike to School Day.' And try to get kids more accustomed to it, and parents more comfortable with the idea that kids could walk and bike safely to and from school."

In Minnesota, more than 70 schools are taking part in today's activities.

Every day, safety is a real concern, as thousands of children are injured and hundreds killed each year while walking, skateboarding or cycling. Gertken said rural areas can present even more hazards for getting to school than big cities.

"Because a lot of the county or state trunk highways don't have wide enough shoulders, or actual sidewalks or trails, it's even more unsafe for kids in rural areas to walk and bike to school safely," she said.

To help communities with the needs for safer roads and infrastructure, the American Heart Association and other advocacy groups will seek bond money in the 2014 legislative session to fund more "Safe Routes to School" in Minnesota. With the current levels, demand for the program exceeds the funding available by a more than five-to-one margin.

More information is online at walkbiketoschool.org.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …


Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …


More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social media platform X temporarily shutdown searches of "Taylor Swift" following the release of explicit deepfake images in early 2024. (Mdv Edwards/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

Environment

play sound

A farm group is helping Iowa agriculture producers find ways to reduce the amount of nitrogen they use on their crops. Excess nitrates can wind up …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021