RELATIONSHIP RED FLAGS

Hi Everyone. What an eye opener I got this week when I visited the Domestic Violence Center. They recently surveyed 6,000 teenagers and found 25% to 30% have been in abusive dating relationships. So I wanted to pass along some tips they gave me on red flags to look for. It’s an unhealthy relationship if your partner:
1…Tries to control you
2…Gets jealous or accuses you of cheating
3…Expects you to check-in all the time
4…Embarrasses you or puts you down
5…Threatens to hurt you or your pets
6…Makes you feel like you don’t have the right to say no
7…Isolates you from your family and friends
8…Makes decisions for you
9…Messes with your stuff
10.Physically restrains you
11.Threatens or forces unwanted sexual activity
12. Shares inappropriate information about you
13. Easily loses his/her temper
14. Scares you by acting violently, driving dangerously, yelling and calling you names, slamming doors, hitting, kicking or throwing stuff.
If you need help or more information, call the domestic violence hotline at 216-391-HELP(4357) or log onto www.domesticviolencecenter.org

How Clean is the Lake?

Hi Everyone,
I promised I would let you know more about the water quality report released today regarding our beaches.
The report was issued by the Natural Resources Defense Council. It says Ohio beaches posted 783 advisories last year warning swimmers about elevated levels of bacteria, and it ranks Ohio second in the nation for failing to meet national health standards. The thinking is that because Lake Erie is tested for bacteria each day, our beaches will have more advisories than those states that don’t test as often. Nevertheless, environmentalists say there’s still a problem and these are some things they suggest we can do to help.
1. Install rain gardens to slow down storm water.
2. Use natural fertilizers.
3. Maintain septic systems.
4. Properly dispose of animal waste and household hazardous waste.
5. Get involved in stream and beach clean up programs.
I’ll be back soon with some back to school previews.

Good Kids Doing Great Things

One of the things I like best about my job is all the great kids I meet throughout the area who are doing positive things. Such was the case this week. On Wednesday, I went to Buckeye Jr. High School in Medina County where Nicole Jackson was recognized for the work she does to help families of chidren with cancer. Nicole, who’s 14, knows their stuggle first hand. Her sister lost a battle with cancer three years ago. Nicole helps her mother host cancer benefits and they provide care packages for families filled with items like gas cards to help with the expense of driving back and forth to the hospital. Helping others has helped Nicole deal with her own painful loss.
The next day I went to Akron where the entire student body at Henry Robinson Elementary School performed 30 service projects in 30 days. These kids didn’t just pull weeds. They raised $200 to purchase a cow for poor widows in India who can make money from the milk. They want other schools to catch on and make this a national movement of kids changing the world. WAY TO GO to all my new friends!

Good Luck Spellers

Good luck to all the spellers in the Scripps National Spelling Bee this week, and especially to the six students representing Northeast Ohio. They are Tony Incorvati of Canton Country Day School, Tom Camp of Sheffield Middle School, Anamika Veeramani of Incarnate Word Academy in Parma Heights, Carly Nelson of Wickliffe Middle School, Rithey Pich of Visintainer Middle School in Brunswick and Alex Csorba of Seton Catholic School in Hudson. Over the last few weeks, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting all six of them. They are great kids, and they can spell words most of us never even knew existed! I’m sure they will all make us proud in Washington. News Channel 5 will air the finals Thursday night at 8.

Teens and Stress

Hi Everyone,

     I spent the day with some high school students who were learning how to relieve stress.  When I asked them what they have to be stressed about, they gave me a laundry list.  They say they overload themselves with extra-curricular activities to stay out of trouble and so that they’ll look better on college applications.  They’re also stressed about tests,  relationships, family life, and yes, swine flu.  They received some interesting stress relieving tips for each day of the week from Relaxation Therapist Azaad Khaira, who gave me permission to pass them on to you.  

Monday…Give compliments

Tuesday…Do something new that you’ve never done before

Wednesday….Show gratitude

Thursday….Acts of Random Kindness (ARK). Pay for the guy behind you at the toll booth or the coffee shop.

Friday….Forgiveness.  And that means forgiving yourself.

And when all else fails…..laugh!

Online banking story

Hi Everyone.  A few of you have emailed to ask me about the story concerning  people hacking into online bank accounts.  Here’s what I know….and it’s very disturbing.  Sometimes you may get an email that says you have received a greeting card from so and so.  Make sure it’s legit, because if it’s not,  that’s one way you can become a victim of the banking scheme. When you click on the link to the greeting card, you are actually downloading a “trojan program”that will be on your computer the next time you go to your banking site.  I interviewed Computer Science Professor Kenneth Atchinson at Baldwin-Wallace College.  He told me that when you go to your banking site and type in your information, like I.D. and password, this trojan program will be able to grab it from the key strokes and there goes your personal information….and your money.  Atchinson said the best prevention is not to click on those mysterious email links in the first place.  If you do, and you suspect you are infected, scan your computer for viruses….update your antivirus program…or reload your computer system.  He says, however, that online banking is okay as long as your computer is secure with up-to-date antivirus.  Also, remember that some greeting card emails are legit.  Usually they’ll give a company name like American Greetings…or you’ll recognize the name of the person who sent the greeting.  Let me know if you’ve run into any online schemes recently.

Debora

Hamilton House

Hi Everyone. There are some wonderful people who have made a commitment to help a Lorain County family move into a new home. Duane and Cheryl Hamilton lost their home in a fire three years ago. Since then they’ve been living with relatives and in motels with their six youngest children. So far about ten companies have signed on to help build a new home for the family. But they still need more help and supplies, gutters, kitchen cabinets and a sink just to name a few. If you can help, call (440)653-1502. There is also a fund called the Hamilton Family Project at all First Place Banks.

Lessons on giving

Hi Everyone.  I took a break from education stories this week and went to the Salvation Army Food Pantry in Lorain. They just reopened after being closed for nearly three weeks.  So many people need their help that they simply ran out of food.  I met one woman who is out of work and has three children to feed.  She was so grateful for the bag of cereal, pasta,  peanut butter and canned vegetables she received. The organization says requests for emergency food have risen from 200 to over 700 families in the past two years.  The good news is that the spirit of giving is alive and well in our area. People of all walks came together to fill the pantry shelves with food again.  There were big donors who gave thousands of dollars…and there were the folks up the street who are hurting themselves but brought a couple of cans from their own cupboards.  One man told me hopes his gift will encourage others to give as well.  And the Salvation Army can certainly still use any and all donations.  Already, the number of families they help at Christmas has more than doubled, and people are still asking for help.

A real mess

Hello Cleveland,

     For the past couple of weeks I’ve been busy visiting school districts that have tax levies on the ballot next month.  I couldn’t hit every single one, because there are so many.  But their stories are similar.  Their costs are increasing while their money is not.  In fact,  they’re losing money because of the housing crisis.  Property values are declining so homeowners are paying lower taxes to the school districts. In Brooklyn, ten businesses have also asked to be revalued and if their taxes are reduced, Brooklyn Schools may end up reimbursing $500,000 in taxes they’ve already collected.  It’s a real mess.  Schools like Euclid with football powerhouses are threatening to cut athletic programs.  Pay to play may not be an option in schools where families can’t afford the hundreds of dollars it would cost.  One school I visited has already silenced the band.  Their uniforms and instruments are in a closet collecting dust.  I can’t imagine my high school years without band.  I still do some of our dance steps. (In private, of course!)  Every Wednesday through October, I’ll bring you these levy stories on Live on Five and News Channel 5 at 6.  Hope you’ll watch.

Debora

I want to hear from you

Hello Cleveland,

From now on I’ll be able to chat with you on this spot about the stories I do for Live on Five and News Channel 5 at 6.  As most of you know, I specialize in education stories and I’d like to hear from you if you have an interesting idea.  It doesn’t have to be a major crisis.  The best stories are about ordinary people doing extraordinary things, like the high school student who came up with an idea for conserving gasoline through a science project.  You can send your ideas to me at lee@wews.com.  Right now I’m busy researching school levies that will be on the ballot in November, but I’ll be back in touch soon.

Debora