A new school year is right around the corner, and so are the risks to drivers and students alike. Here are a few reminders to help make the back-to-school season safe for all. RULES FOR RESPONSIBLE ROUTINES As an experienced driver, you’re likely fully aware of common traffic rules and signage. However, these things may mean very little to the young ones in your neighborhood. Normal elements of everyday driving you may take for granted — such as assuming everyone knows to cross streets only at the appropriate places — may be completely absent in children’s minds. Also, remember that children may be on streets without sidewalks during this time of year or in too much of a hurry to catch the school bus to pay attention to their surroundings. Speaking of school buses, it’s important to remember what their flashing lights signify. If a bus’s lights are flashing yellow, the driver is preparing to stop to load or unload passengers. When its lights are flashing red and its “stop” sign is extended, cease operating your vehicle until all children have exited the bus and it begins moving again. SAFE STEPS FOR SCHOO LESSONS ON THE Food is fuel we consume to survive, but the companies responsible for producing the items that comprise the majority of the American diet are damaging our health in unimaginable ways. This argument is at the heart of a significant lawsuit against 11 major food companies, alleging these entities knowingly sold ultra- processed food products that contribute to hypertension, fatty liver disease, Type 2 diabetes, and severe medical conditions in children. Filed in December in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas, the nearly 150-page suit argues that the Fatal Flavors?
A tiny desert town along Route 66 in Arizona is home to a new hero — a big, shaggy ranch dog who rescued a toddler lost in the desert this past April. Two-year-old Boden Allen was missing from his Seligman, Arizona, home for 16 hours when a 6-year-old Anatolian Pyrenees named Buford appeared in his master’s driveway with the child at his side — 7 miles from Boden’s home. Buford’s owner, Scotty Dunton, had heard about the child’s disappearance. “I noticed my dog was sitting by the entrance (to his ranch),” he said, “and the little kid’s standing there with my dog!” He calmed the child, who was unharmed except for a few scrapes and nicks, and gave him water and food while calling authorities. Dunton was overjoyed. “I was ecstatic that he was okay and that my dog found him,” he said. Dunton asked Boden if he had been walking all night, and the child told him no, he had been lying under a tree. “Did my dog find you?” Dunton asked Boden. He wasn’t surprised when the child said yes. Dunton traced the little boy’s tracks more than a mile from his ranch, with Buford’s paw prints beside them. “That’s what he does,” Dunton said of Buford. “He loves kids. I can imagine he wouldn’t leave him when he found him.” Dunton’s discovery of the little boy ended an anxious 16-hour search by more than 40 search-and-rescue volunteers, sheriff’s deputies, and state public-safety officers. Wearing only a tank top and pajama pants, Boden had wandered away at about 5 p.m. into rugged desert terrain, where two mountain lions were spotted later that night. Boden’s frantic parents had reported his absence to the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office. DESERT HERO RANCHER’S DOG RESCUES TODDLER LOST IN THE DESERT
Dunton says he wasn’t surprised by Buford’s protective behavior. “He is a guardian dog. He patrols all night and keeps coyotes away,” he says. The Anatolian
plaintiff, Bryce Martinez, was diagnosed with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (also known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) and Type 2 diabetes at age 16 as a result of consuming a diet heavy in ultra-processed foods. The suit names companies such as Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Kraft Heinz, Mondelēz International (whose brands include Chips Ahoy! and Cadbury), and General Mills. These and other parties are accused of including misleading health information on their packaging (including obscuring sugar content through unclear terminology) and utilizing aggressive marketing tactics to appeal to underage consumers.
Pyrenees is a crossbreed, a combination of a Great Pyrenees and an Anatolian shepherd, known for its intelligence, gentleness, and protective nature.
In appreciation for their neighborhood hero, Buford’s admirers piled
chew toys, bones, and other gifts on Dunton’s doorstep for days after the rescue.
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