•June 2, 2021•
Park playground equipment and swing set apparatuses in backyard jungle gyms are exciting places for children to be active outdoors. Play equipment gives children opportunities to exercise and engage with friends.
Despite all the benefits of playing outside on playground equipment, many youngsters get hurt on playgrounds every year. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons says each year more than 220,000 children under age 14 are treated in hospital emergency rooms across the United States for playground-related injuries. The Canadian Public Health Association reports that 1,841 children in Canada under the age of 18 required hospitalization between the years of 2014 and 2015.
The same organization says fractures are the most common playground injury, followed by contusions/abrasions and lacerations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adds that playgrounds present an elevated risk for internal injuries, concussions, dislocations, and amputations. Children also may suffocate if hooded sweatshirt drawstrings get tangled. Read More

•June 2, 2021•
Personal safety refers to physical and mental well-being, but individuals also must take steps to safeguard their financial well-being.
Thieves have various ways to steal individuals’ personal data - everything from hacking into banking or shopping accounts to stealing physical mail. But thieves also have more sophisticated, often hidden ways to steal private financial data. Consumer Reports says the public should be aware of skimmers and shimmers, which are sophisticated devices that steal data when people use public credit and debit card readers at ATMs, gas pumps and other locations.
A card skimmer is placed on top of the point-of-sale terminal. When a person swipes his or her credit or debit card, the device collects data from it. That data can be used to make fraudulent purchases and to produce counterfeit cards. Among the newest tools scammers use are shimmers, which are tiny types of skimmers that are capable of reading data from new chip-based cards, according to the ATM Industry Association, a nonprofit trade organization. Criminals can even retrofit hidden cameras at ATMs and other locations with card skimmers. Skimmers and shimmers are often Bluetooth-based circuit boards that can transmit stolen card data wirelessly. A thief can drive by a terminal to download card data remotely from a mobile device or laptop. Read More

•June 2, 2021•
The Lake Land College Nursing associate degree graduates were honored at a pinning ceremony in front of the Luther Student Center May 12. Each of the 70 graduates received a nursing pin and a keepsake card.
Darian Hays, Lovington earned a Clinical Excellence Award. Read More

•June 2, 2021•
The United States flag was first imagined after the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. The Continental Congress authorized creation of the first national flag on June 14, 1777. It was decided that the flag should have 13 stripes, alternating red and white, to represent the original 13 colonies, and that the new union be represented by 13 white stars in a blue field to signify a “new constellation.” Francis Hopkinson, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, is most often credited with the original design. Read More

•June 2, 2021•
By Cheri Burcham
Family Life Educator

This is a great time to share this article from Extension Educator Judy Schmidt with advice to those who are graduating this year. She says: those of you graduating in 2021 have achieved so much! You have learned to adjust your way of learning during a pandemic, found creative solutions to obstacles and challenges, and developed innovative ways to support and encourage each other. That’s a lot! Read More