Why not to text while driving
The main reason not to text while driving is because it kills innocent people and probably the person who is driving. If someone is texting you, don’t look right at your phone, instead, wait until you make a full stop.
According to the FCC (Federal Communications Commision), people who text and drive think that they can get away with it without getting caught. In a recent study conducted by the FCC, it was shown that 18% of crashes were caused by drivers who were texting while driving.
In 2012, the FCC reported that 3,328 people were killed and around 420,000 people were injured. Texting forces you to take your hands of the wheel. Statistics have shown (FCC) that 40% of teens admitted to texting while driving. In most states, texting and driving is against the law.
Texting while driving happens at about the same rate for both men and women. That means that both genders text while driving.
How to avoid texting while driving
Staying off your phone while driving can be difficult. Once you hear a ring or a buzz, you are likely to be distracted, which means your eyes will be pulled from the road. Here are some tips to abide being distracted while driving:
The first thing you could do is to turn your phone on silent, especially while driving. That will help you to focus more on the road than your phone.
If that doesn’t work, then completely shut off your phone so you don’t start texting and causing distractions.
If those 2 steps don’t work out for you, then keep your phone out of reach, but don’t put it near you.
Lastly, download an app that prevents you from texting while driving.
These tips should help prevent you from texting while driving. It is important to be alert at all times and not be a distracted driver.
Start your fall off right with our fun seasonal activities in and around St.Paul!!
Activities:
We’ve got the best apple orchards. Head on down to Pine Tree Apple Orchard (450 Apple Orchard Rd, White Bear Lake, MN 55110 ) for some great apple picking, corn mazes, baked goods, pumpkins, cute photo opportunities and more! Another exciting orchard for all ages is the Minnetonka Orchards (6530 County Road 26, Minnetrista, MN 55364). With scenic, and pet friendly grounds, this is the place to find the best tasting apples, nature trails, play areas, petting zoo animals, a corn maze and more! Visit the orchard from 10am to 7pm any day of the week!
Pumpkin patches are also the ultimate multi-purpose fall item! Head down to Afton Apple Orchard (14421 So. 90th St. Hastings, MN 55033) to find pumpkins of every shape and size! They have pumpkins for all your decoration, carving, and cooking needs. You can also find many other great foods to pick, such as apples, raspberries, strawberries, and more! It’s family friendly and open 7 days a week!
If you are looking for the perfect fall outing, Twin Cities Harvest Festival is the perfect place for you!!! Pick any chilly day and drive on up to Brooklyn Park for endless fun! Included in your $10 ticket is a corn maze (largest in Minnesota!!), hay bale maze, hayride, corn pit, petting zoo, live music, and more! When I was there I even held a baby kangaroo!! Go with family or friends and it will be a day you will look back on and remember how amazing fall is!! More information can be found here https://twincitiesmaze.com/
Haunted house! Everyone loves a good scare! Head on over to Valleyscare for rides full of fun and a haunted house that’ll make you scream! 1 Valley Fair Dr, Shakopee, MN 55379.
Have you ever gotten so into a horror story that you felt like you were in it? Well, you have the chance to actually immerse yourself into a haunted story at The Haunted Basement (Building 9 of 2010 East Hennepin Avenue). You can step right into an artist-created and terrifying environment. With real life actors there for one purpose (to scare you), you’re sure to be chilled to the bone!
In need of fresh fall fruits and vegetables? Or some artsy food photos? Head on over to the Lowertown Farmer’s Market for some healthy snacks and a lot of fun!!
Movie nights! Everyone loves Halloween movies and snuggling in warm blankets with popcorn and snacks. Here are some of our favorite movies that would make your Halloween movie marathon great!
Family friendly movies: Halloween Town (1-3) Twitches 1 & 2 Hocus Pocus It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown! The Addam’s Family
If you’re more into being scared this fall, here’s a list of our favorite super scary horror movies! The Conjuring The Shining It The Babadook American Werewolf in London The Blair Witch Project
Food:
No one can argue that apple pie is an undeniable staple of fall. The smell of the oven when you come in to warm up after enjoying a chilly fall day is an unbeatable feeling. Homemade apple pie is the best way to do it, so we found the best recipe for you!! It is from Taste of Home and only takes 20 minutes to prepare!! It can be found here: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/apple-pie, and we suggest to eat with some cold vanilla ice cream, enjoy!!!
Soup is another great fall food for everyone to enjoy. It is perfect for being cozy and making you feel better when that fall cold comes around. Here are some great soup recipes that are easy to make and will guarantee to make you nice and toasty. http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipe-ideas/g3026/fall-soup-recipes/?slide=13
Who doesn’t love bread (if you are gluten free or just don’t like bread I sincerely apologize)? Bread is an essential part of many meals, especially fall meals. There are many different kinds of bread that could satisfy your sweet tooth or just be the perfect addition for your soup. Here are some great bread recipes that will give you a new love for bread. https://www.tasteofhome.com/collection/fall-breads/24/
Potatoes are always a great idea. No matter the weather nothing is better than a nice dinner with potatoes. There are all kinds of different potatoes to satisfy your potato need. Here are some great potato recipes. http://www.thekitchn.com/potato-chips-to-bacon-bites-14-129309
There are a million more fun things to do this fall in Minnesota, but we hope you found something to do, see, or eat!
When you set a goal, accomplishing it is easier said than done. Setting a financial goal can be a bit complicated. Whether you’re saving for college, a car, or even something for yourself, it takes a lot of discipline and determination to reach your financial goal when it may seem impossible. Saving money also starts with being financially stable, and knowing how to balance out your income.
photo courtesy of HiWay Federal
Say you have a job and you get paid each week, or every two weeks. If you are trying to save money, but need some cash on hand, it’s up to you to decide how much you are willing to put away each time you are paid. It can be hard not having a lot of money to spend, and there have been some cases where people start to take money from their savings and spend it. I will admit, I am one of those people who has a hard time figuring out how much to save, or what to save, or anything concerning money.
People have different financial goals which they feel is a good investment to benefit themselves. As you grow up, you many have different things to start saving for like: college, or a car, or a home, or anything that you think is important to acquire with a good plan.
There are several ways that you can start to save money and grow financially. First thing is to start saving at least something, even if it’s a small amount. If you put $5 away in savings every week, that can grow and bring you closer to your savings goal. Second thing is to develop a strategy for your income. For example, if you are associated with both a bank and a credit union, it may help you to put some of your money at each place. It can help you to grow a habit of not touching your money as you save.
Handling money is a stressful skill that takes time for people to develop as they grow up. When it comes to saving money, no one’s perfect. But you can start by setting a goal and giving yourself an action plan towards achieving it in the future.
If you want to start saving money or have questions about other financial topics, stop by Hiway’s Scots Branch. We can help!
The hardest part of Summer is when it comes to an end. That transition you have to make to get ready for a new school year must be hard for a lot of people. Having to start changing your sleep schedule is a struggle, because you know you got used to sleeping late at night, and waking up late in the afternoon. Having to be excited to see your friends you haven’t seen all summer but that slowly starts to fade into sadness when assignments get thrown at you left to right, and all you want do is zone out during the school day and come home only wanting to complain about how much you dislike school. But hey, who hasn’t? After awhile you get used to it, you may not like it, but after doing it for so many weeks you look at it like eh, whatever.
Students need to be assured that it’s acceptable to be nervous going into a new school year, not expecting your classes to be that hard is something most students expect the first weeks of school. Not having the same classes or lunch as your friends could be hard on some students. And they might end up thinking that the fun part of school is not possible anymore.
But we are here to give you some tips on how to make the beginning of a school year go nice and smoothly.
First get your sleeping schedule in check. Start by sleeping early the last week of summer. To get you used to it.
Second if your friends are not in the same class as you, make some new friends, we know it’ll be hard but hey, at least you tried and you might make a couple new friends.
Last, but not least, make sure you have fun with the new school year, don’t stress yourself too much; you don’t want to do that for the 10 months you’re in school (that would be no fun).
Hope these tips will help you feel more at “home” this school year!
This year, Mother’s Day is on Sunday, May 14th. Mother’s Day celebrates motherhood and is a time to celebrate our mothers and mother figures. For some people, it’s hard to think of what to give, or do for, our moms/mother figures because they deserve the world for everything that they do. These are some of the things I was able to come up with, and I hope they’ll help you when picking out something for your mom.
Who doesn’t love receiving makeup? Or better yet, getting a makeover! Sephora comes out with gift sets specifically for Mother’s Day. You can also just buy your mom’s favorites (you can add brushes too) and put it in a box and decorate it. Sephora also does makeovers in store, but most hair salons also do makeovers. Or, you can give your mom her makeover yourself!
Bath/shower
If you’ve been on social media you would see that bath and shower products are the new hype. Brands like Lush come out with special products for Mother’s Day, which you can buy individually or buy in a set. Other brands also come out with luxury soaps.
Flowers
Flowers are always the easy go to gift. But you don’t have to get the typical red roses. There are so many other beautiful flowers besides roses! I personally love sunflowers, and I know my mom loves daffodils. They’re easy to find at any store, or you can order them online and have them delivered. You can always add flowers to any other gift you give.
Customized anything
Whether you DIY a picture frame and put a photo you know is special, or have your mom’s name engraved onto a nice piece of jewelry, she’ll love it. Customized gifts are nice, and can also vary in prices, so it can fit any budget.
Mother’s Day is right around the corner, so start looking!
This years prom will be on Friday, May 5th. Some people are very excited and are planning on going, while others aren’t. If you are not planning on going, but still want to do something fun with your friends or alone here are some ideas:
Mani-pedi
Getting a manicure and pedicure done is always fun and relaxing. You can sit back, read a book, watch videos on your phone, or catch up with whoever you went with. Tams Nails (Woodbury) is one of my favorites.
Movie night
By yourself or with family and friends, binging on movies you love is always a good time. Some of my recommendations are Grease and The Breakfast Club. But if you’d rather go to the theater these are some of the movies that are currently playing, The Fate of the Furious, The Boss Baby, Beauty and the Beast and Smurfs: The Lost Village.
Bake!
Bake something new. If you’re into baking, you can find a new recipe online and try out! This is extra fun if you do it with friends or siblings. But if you prefer the easier route, you can head to a grocery store and buy your favorite cake mix. Whatever you make will be great to eat as you watch movies!
Have a photoshoot!
Dress up in your favorite outfit and go to a park or to your friends house and take pictures! You don’t need any kind of fancy camera; your phone will do just fine! Be creative and have fun! You can buy props from places like Urban Outfitters or a dollar store.
Go to a party/teen event
Prom isn’t the only place where you can dress up and dance the night away. If you’d rather go to a more casual event/dance than prom, start looking now for events. Myth Nightclub (Maplewood) sometimes hosts events for teens ages 16-21. There are also more venues in Minneapolis that do events for teens so start looking!
There are many more things you can do if you choose to not go to prom. These are just some of my ideas. Whatever you choose to do be smart and safe.
El consumo de energía es un problema todavía creciendo alrededor del mundo. En el año 2013, Estados Unidos utilizó más de 924.442 mil toneladas de carbón. Quemando tanto carbon libera a toneladas de Dioxido de Carbono al atmosfera. Todas esas gasses estan contribuyendo al problema de Calentamiento Global, que va a afectar a todos. La problema es que nadie piensa sobre el dano que estan causando, cuando dejan luces prendidas toda la noche o la puerta de la refrigeradora abierta por 15 minutos, tratando de pensar en lo que quieres comer.
Todos en el mundo estan afectados por los efectos de usar tanto carbon. Ademas que nosotros como la populacion humana siendo afectado por ella, las personas quien viven cerca de las plantas donde queman el carbon viven con muchas problemas ambientales. Ellos viven con la posibilidad de lluvia acida, problemas de respiracion por los particulos pequenos flotando por el aire y tambien Smog.
Hay muchas cosas pequenos que puedes hacer para ahorrar energía. Una manera es secar tus platos y tu ropa afuera en el aire cuando puedes envez de usar una secadora. Puedes substituir tus focos viejos con focos de LED que ahorran energía. Debes usar agua fria envez de agua caliente en tu lavadora de ropa. Puedes plantar arboles de sombra para evitar el calentamiento natural de tu casa en el verano. También asegurarse que todas las luces innecesarios están apagados. Estas cosas aparecen pequenos pero puden hacer una diferencia grande.
Nosotros como un sociedad moderna, todavia podemos hacer algo para conservar energia y ayudar a nuestra planeta.
For those who cannot read Spanish:
Energy consumption is a problem still growing around the world. In the year 2013, the United States used more than 924,442 tons of coal. Burning that much carbon releases tons of Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere. All those gasses are contributing to Global Warming, which is going to affect everyone. The problem is that no one thinks about the damage they are causing: when they leave lights on all night, or when they have the door of the refrigerator open for 15 minutes, trying to think of what they want to eat.
Everyone in the world is affected by the effects of burning so much coal. In addition to us, as the human population, being affected by it, the people who live near the plants where they burn the carbon live with many environmental problems. They live with the possibility of acid rain, breathing problems caused by small particles floating in the air, and also Smog.
There are many small things you can do to save energy. One way is to air dry your dishes and your clothes when you can, instead using a dishwasher or an electric dryer. You can replace your old light bulbs with energy-saving LED bulbs. Also, you could use cold water instead of hot water in your washing machine. You can plant shade trees to avoid the natural heating of your house in the summer, and you can make sure that all unnecessary lights are off. These things appear small, but they can make a big difference.
We, as a modern society, can still do something to conserve energy and help our planet.
If you’re out of ideas on what to decorate your room with, or even if you’re bored and you just want to create some crafty things for your room, here is an idea you can try. It’s really pretty simple, fun to make, and it looks really cool too.
The craft project is a “Stain Glass Votive Holder.” This is a really easy and simple decoration you can do. The materials you’ll need are:
tissue paper in any color you want
Mod Podge (matte finish) – in a pinch you can also use school glue
a paintbrush
scissors
a glass votive holder to fit your candle(s) – it could be wine tumblers or thrifted vases
paper punches in many different shapes
q-tips, which are optional.
Here are the 7 steps to do it:
Choose which colors you want, and then choose a paper punch that you would like, and punch out little, small shapes of them, and set them aside.
Then, take a bit of Mod Podge with your paintbrush and water, and mix them. It should just be a thin layer.
Now, start attaching the punched-out paper shapes to the glass votive using your paintbrush. You could also put the Mod Podge onto the glass first, and then stick the paper shapes on.
Then, brush over the shapes afterward to fully fill them with the Mod Podge. Wet tissue paper can rip easily, so don’t get too rough with it.
Brush gently and take your time. Then, keep attaching more and more shapes onto the glass votive. You could overlap them if you want to.
Once your glass votive is fully covered, set it aside to dry. When it’s dry, you’ll see the Mod Podge that isn’t covered with tissue paper. If this bothers you, you could get a q-tip and wipe it off.
When everything is dry, just have a candle to put into the glass votive and you’re all set!
The are so many ways that teens can get off their phones, especially in school, during church services, and also at the dinner table. Here are a few that might help.
One way to get off your phone is to turn off your data when you are in class, church, or at dinner. If you also turned your notifications off, it would help.
You can also uninstall things that you don’t really use, so it won’t take anymore of your time sorting through them.
You can also set a specific time to get on your phone and when to get off of it, and you can set a charging station outside your room so you don’t look at it.
Also, leave your phone home when you go to church or dinner.
There are many more ways to try to get off your phone, but these are just a few simple ideas.
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and everyone may want to decorate their homes with things or not. There are many things to decorate your homes with and it could be done with just the things that you have around in your home. Yarn, construction paper, envelops, etc. are all things that you can basically craft with.
Valentine’s Day has many different things related to it: hearts, cupids, etc. You can easily craft things from hand, and you can get little kids, or your younger siblings, to come and do it with you too. All the things that you’ll need to make these decorations are: colored paper/construction paper, scissors, a pencil, tape or double stick tape, and a ruler for measurements.
The first decoration you can make is the “Paper Heart Garland.” I’ve made this decoration before, and it’s really simple to make.
First, you’ll need to cut some colored paper into 3/4″ strips and fold them in half, but if you want to make some hearts twice as big, then cut two strips of paper and put them together at the bottom of each heart with double stick tape.
Once you’ve done this, get a pencil and curl the loose ends and get a piece of double stick tape and tape the curled part together.
Lastly, you can string the heart garland together from the bottom up with any string you choose. Push your threaded needle up through the bottom fold of each heart, and then use the double stick tape to sandwich the thread between the two halves of the curled tops.
Now, you’re all done! You can place your garland anywhere you like around your house. This decoration is easy to craft and use to decorate around your house.
Another decoration you can also do is the “Paper Flower.” This is also really simple and easy to make.
First, you’ll have to cut a 4×4″ square sheet of paper and draw a spiral, an actual spiral so you can cut it out, to get a spiral afterwards.
Then, cut out the drawn spiral and begin rolling the spiral from the outside end, and then you can keep rolling until there aren’t anymore rolls to roll, and then you’re done!
You can stick these onto branches, if you have a vase of branches hanging around your home, or they could be scattered on the table too. Another idea you can do with these are, you can also make a bouquet with them.
There are many kinds of decorations you can make, to decorate you home with, and these are just a few examples.
Links to both the decorations and the original page:
Plaid Line + PRIZM + Scottie News 
