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"GOT MENTORS?"
"got mentors?" was the theme for the 2011 TeamMates T-shirt Day in Nebraska City. Several businesses and educators participated in the event by purchasing a T-shirt and wearing it to work on January 26th. Over 130 shirts were sold with the following employers participating: Waddell and Reed, Nebraska City Chiropractic, St. Mary's Hospital, Arbor Bank, Farmers Bank and Trust, Miller Farrell , NC NewsPress, NCECBVI, Lourdes Central Catholic, Northside Elementary and Cargill. Northside Elementary won the Educators Challenge by having the
highest percentage of participation over other schools. Staff at Northside enjoyed a lunch provided by TeamMates of Nebraska City as their reward.
Special Thanks to our Corporate Sponsors: Arbor Bank, Farmers Bank and Trust, Waddell and Reed, Nebraska City Chiropractic and St. Mary's Hospital.
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Legislative Bills Focus on Impaired Driving
Several State Senators have introduced bills into the 102nd session of the Nebraska Legislature that relate to impaired driving:
- LB 625, introduced by State Sen. Tony Fulton of Lincoln, would mandate that drunken drivers have their licenses revoked and would require judges to order them to use interlocks. The bill would also make impaired driving with a child in the car a felony.
- LB 667, by Sen. Mike Flood of Norfolk, introduced a 10-point bill that would expand interlock use. The bill is controversial because it would repeal the state's current administrative license revocation law, or ALR. Flood's bill would make getting an interlock a condition of bail after a drunken driving arrest and would make interlocks mandatory for anyone wishing to drive after a first or second offense. This bill would also create a new crime "intoxicated transportation of a child", make it a felony to procure alcohol for a minor who is then involved in a fatal crash, raise the penalty for simple procuring to a mandatory 7 days in jail, increase penalties for multiple offenses of operating watercraft under the influence, remove the 12-year "look-back" limitation on previous drunken-driving convictions, make motor vehicle homicide a separate and distinct crime from driving under the influence, and make it a separate crime to cause serious bodily injury in an alcohol related crash.
- LB 554, introduced by Sen. John Harms of Scottsbluff, would prohibit open containers on boats.
- LB 693, by Sen. Tom Carlson of Holdrege, would make bars liable for damages caused by drunken patrons they serve. Nebraska is one of only a few states that do not have such "dram shop" laws.
- LB 675, introduced by Sen. Pete Pirsch of Omaha, would double the fines for drunken driving convictions. The fine for a first offense would rise from $500 to $1,000. For a third offense, the fine would rise from $600 to $1,200. The bill also would increase penalties for hit-and-run drivers involved in accidents that cause a death or serious injury. Another provision would make it illegal for repeat drunken drivers to drive with as little as 0.02 percent alcohol in their blood.
- LB 659, introduced by Sen. Russ Karpisek of Wilber,would make it a crime to drive after using a controlled substance. The bill would apply when any amount of a drug or medication not prescribed by a doctor is found in blood or urine tests. Drivers could defend themselves against criminal charges by showing they were following doctors' orders in taking the drug or medication.
Source: Omaha World Herald, 1/4/11 and 1/20/11
Hearings have not been scheduled yet for any of these bills. We will pass along hearing schedules as the information becomes available.
You can contact your State Senator about any bill or issue:
Senator LaVon Heidemann
District #1, Room 1004 State Capitol
PO Box 94604
Lincoln NE 68509-4604
Phone: 471-2733
Email: lheidemann@leg.ne.gov
Senator Dave Pankonin District #2, Room 1101 State Capitol PO Box 94604 Lincoln NE 68509-4604 Phone: 471-2613 Email: dpankonin@leg.ne.gov The latest information about activities of the legislature is available at http://www.nebraskalegislature.gov/. |
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Teach your teen to follow these helpful tips to be safe on the roads this winter!
 | | Does your road look like this? |
In many parts of the country winter means snow, ice, reduced visibility, extended dark hours, and cold temperatures all resulting in dangerous driving conditions!
When the weather outside is frightful, it's more important than ever to make sure YOUR teen driver is under YOUR influence. Be sure to include supervised behind the wheel training when it is safe to do so and remember that there will be times when your teen should not be on the roads.
Remind YOUR Teen of The Three P's of Safe Winter Driving
PREPARE for the trip. PROTECT yourself.
PREVENT crashes on the road.
PREPARE
- Maintain Your Car: Check battery and tire tread, keep windows clear, put no-freeze fluid
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in the washer reservoir, and check antifreeze. - Have On Hand: flashlight, jumper cables, abrasive material (sand, kitty litter, even floor mats), shovel, snow brush and ice scraper, warning devices (like flares), and blankets. For long trips, add food and water, medication, and a cell phone for emergency calls.
- Know what to do: Stopped or Stalled? Call for emergency assistance, put bright markers on antenna or windows, and shine the dome light. If you run your car, clear the exhaust pipe, and run it just enough to stay warm.
- Plan Your Route: Allow plenty of time (check the weather and leave early if necessary), be familiar with the maps/directions, and let others know your route and arrival time.
- Practice Cold Weather Driving! Be sure to include supervised inclement weather driving practice with your teen.
- Warn Your Teen About Freezing Bridges, Overpasses, and Ramps: Even if temperatures are above freezing and the roads may just look wet, they still may encounter icy in shady areas.
- Rehearse maneuvers slowly on the ice or snow in an empty lot.
- Teach and show them how to steer into a skid.
- Educate your teen to know what their brakes will do: press steady on antilock brakes, and pump non-antilock brakes.
- Remember that stopping distances are longer on water-covered roads and ice.
- Don't idle for a long time with the windows up or in an enclosed space.
PROTECT
- Buckle up!
- Never place a rear-facing infant seat in front of an air bag.
- Children 12 and under are much safer in the back seat.
- Sit back 10 inches from an air bag.
- Remove distractions.
- Limit passengers.
- Limit night time driving.
PREVENT CRASHES
- Drugs and alcohol never mix with driving.
- Slow down, and increase distances between cars.
- Keep your eyes open for pedestrians walking in the road.
- Avoid fatigue. Get plenty of rest before the trip, stop at least every three hours, and rotate drivers if possible.
- Focus! Do not get distracted by allowing extra passengers, changing the radio, texting, or talking on the cellphone.
- Follow all Graduated Driver Licensing Laws (GDL's) in your state.
Check out www.weather.com for more tips on driving in different weather conditions.
For more information about safe driving, check out the following
sections of the Under YOUR Influence website:
Seat Belts
Graduated Driver Licenses
Underage Drinking
Keep YOUR teen under YOUR influence during this winter driving season!
For even more information and helpful tips, visit UnderYOURInfluence
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Feb 1 - 28 National Youth Leadership Month
Sun - Feb 6 Super Bowl XLV Cowboy Stadum Arlington, TX
Feb 6 - 12 Burn Awareness Week
Wed - Feb 9 United Against Violence Mtg. 8:00 - 11:30 NCCCF
P4OC Board Retreat 12:00 - 2:00 NCCCF
Mon - Feb 14 Valentines Day
Wed - Feb 17 Ash Wednesday
Mon - Feb 21 Presidents Day
Thurs - Feb 24 SAIL Conference
Syracuse Middle School
CONTACT Laurie to post YOUR information.
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Help Wanted - Volunteers
 The following P4OC programs have volunteer openings that require one hour per week of volunteer time to make a difference in the life of a child:
Study Buddies Tutors in Nebraska City - 2 openings
Study Buddies Tutors in Syracuse - 3 openings
Study Buddies Tutors in Talmage - 3 openings
TeamMates Mentors in Nebraska City - 10 openings for males
For more information, click on the links above or call 873-6343.
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Planning the Perfect Super Bowl Party There's a reason it's called throwing a party - a host has to be ready for the occasional trick play and juggle the unexpected when it comes to staging an event that's fun, entertaining and safe for everyone. Responsible hosts know that part of showing guests a great time is making sure they get home safely. Dealing with safe driving is an important hosting duty so we've compiled some quick tips to help you throw a completion this season: 1. Plan activities. Planned activities like party games, door prize drawings or amateur fortune-telling engage people, make for less active consumption of alcohol and ensure that your friends remember the great event long after the last touchdown was thrown. 2. Avoid mixers. Mixers won't help dilute alcohol. Carbonated mixers like club soda or tonic water cause alcohol to be absorbed into a person's system more quickly. Fruit juice and other sweet mixers mask the taste of alcohol and may cause people to drink more. 3. Designate sober drivers. As guests RSVP, confirm that at least one person in each group is prepared to be the non-drinking designated driver. 4. Provide plenty of food. Food helps prevent guests from drinking on an empty stomach, which causes guests to get intoxicated faster. 5. Avoid too many salty snacks. They tend to make people thirsty and drink more. 6. Offer non-alcoholic beverages. Give beverage options that don't involve alcohol to designated drivers and others who prefer not to drink alcohol. 7. Respect 21. Never serve alcohol to someone under the legal drinking age, and never ask children to serve alcohol at parties. 8. Be ready to step in. Despite your efforts, if some of your guests have had too much to drink, drive them home, arrange for a ride with another guest who is sober, call a taxi or invite them to stay over. Don't commit a party foul! Use these tips to help throw a party that sails into the end zone.
Article from Laura Dean-Moody, MADD National President |
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