LANSING (WWJ) – The percentage of teens in high school (aged 16 and older) who drove when they had been drinking alcohol decreased by 54 percent between 1991 and 2011, according to a Vital Signs study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The study found that nine out of 10 high school teens did not drink and drive during 2011.

“We are moving in the right direction. Rates of teen drinking and driving have been cut in half in 20 years,” CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden said in a release. “But we must keep up the momentum — one in 10 high school teens, aged 16 and older, drinks and drives each month, endangering themselves and others.”

For the study, CDC analyzed data from the 1991-2011 national Youth Risk Behavior Surveys. These national surveys asked high school students if they had driven a vehicle when they had been drinking alcohol one or more times during the 30 days before the survey. CDC researchers focused their analysis on students aged 16 and older.

The study also found that:

•Teens were responsible for approximately 2.4 million episodes of drinking and driving a month in 2011; some engaged in the dangerous behavior more than once a month.

•High school boys ages 18 and older were most likely to drink and drive (18 percent), while 16-year-old high school girls were least likely (6 percent).

•Eighty-five percent of teens in high school who reported drinking and driving in the past month also reported binge drinking — having five or more drinks during a short period of time.

“Teens learn from adults,” Pamela S. Hyde, the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, said in a release. “That is why it is critically important that parents, teachers, coaches and all caring adults in a young person’s life talk with them early and often about the dangers of underage alcohol use as well as drinking and driving.”

Many efforts have been helping to reduce teen drinking and driving. Some of the proven, effective strategies include the laws in place in every state that make it illegal to sell alcohol to anyone under age 21 and for those under age 21 to drive after drinking any alcohol, plus the graduated driver licensing systems in every state that allow teens to gain privileges, such as driving at night or driving with passengers, over time.

Parents also have a crucial role to play in keeping their teens safe on the road. They can model safe driving behavior and can consider using tools like parent-teen driving agreements with their teens. Safe driving habits for teens include never drinking and driving, following state GDL laws, and wearing a seat belt on every trip.

For more information and to see detailed survey results, visit www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/10/03/cdc-teen-drinking-and-driving-down-54-since-1991/

DETROIT (WWJ) - Detroit Public Schools is starting a new program that provides take-home Netbook computers for students in grades eight through 12.

DPS officials say the giveaway is part of an initiative to emphasize the value of continual attendance on Count Day, October 3, and every day following.

As part of the district’s Count Day incentives, several schools will begin distributing Netbooks, which are small laptop computers, to students on Wednesday. Distribution will continue each week throughout the month of October until roughly 19,000 Netbooks are distributed, providing students access to technology outside of the classroom.

Count Day was specifically selected to kick-off the take-home Netbook initiative to remind parents and students of the day’s significance.

DPS emergency manager Roy Roberts said attendance on Wednesday is extremely important as each student translates into state funding.

“There are many factors why attendance is important including financial, legal, and state reporting requirements. But the reason we’re most focused on getting children in school and making sure they are here every day is educational. For all of the efforts we’ve made to ensure that classroom instruction, technology and the most highly qualified teachers are in place, we’d be foolish to not work, with all of our might, to make sure that students receive a full day’s instruction, each and every day,” Roberts said in a statement.

The district’s new attendance theme: “First Day. Every Day. All Day.” has been proven successful with early attendance data exceeding previous years’ attendance rates. By the second day of the school year, the attendance rate had reached 85%, and that number increased to 90% by the start of the third week of school.

To date, the district has recorded more than 51,000 students, which is several hundred students above the anticipated enrollment amount for the 2012-2013 academic year. The adopted fiscal year 2012-13 budget is based on a fall term enrollment of 49,852.

The take-home Netbook program, along with an Individualized Learning Plan for every student and an Academic Blueprint for every parent, can further assist in making the connection for families between success in school and success in life, Roberts added.

DPS is also partnering with Internet Essentials from Comcast to ensure families are aware of a special low-cost home Internet service available to those qualifying for free- and reduced-price lunch.

The district’s goal in providing this service is to promote educational excellence not only during school hours, but also at home by facilitating resource sharing, innovation, and unlimited communication.

“Access to Netbooks will enable students to complete homework assignments, explore thousands of libraries, databases, and bulletin boards while exchanging messages with Internet users throughout the world in the comfort of their own homes,” Roberts said.

All Netbooks have LoJack tracking devices on them, and the Netbook devices are clearly marked with the DPS property logo. All parents were required to sign consent forms prior to the Netbooks being released to students.

As a proactive approach to control how students access and utilize the Internet, a student email system titled Gaggle has been programmed on each Netbook. Aside from being a student email provider, Gaggle has several popular features for communication and collaboration all within a safe, filtered, and controlled environment.

Gaggle’s collection of tools include Digital Lockers, Discussion Boards, Chat Rooms, Blogs, Profile Pages, Assignment Drop Boxes, Calendars, a Social Wall, GaggleTube, Zoho Docs and filtered texting, according to the program website.

Other Count Day initiatives include a full-school pizza party and raffles and prizes for students with perfect attendance during a 10-day period.

The district said they will hold an end-of-the-year event to honor the students with perfect attendance, along with an invited staff member who was impactful in each “perfect attendance” student’s teaching and learning.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/10/02/detroit-students-to-receive-take-home-netbooks-on-count-day/

SOUTHFIELD (CBS Detroit) For the 11th time, Providence Hospital was ranked as one of top 50 hospitals in the United States for heart care, according to an independent national study conducted by Truven Health Analytics, formerly the Healthcare business of Thomson Reuters.

They were included in the category of Teaching Hospitals with Cardiovascular Residency Programs.

“This recognition is a tribute to the entire heart care team at Providence and their commitment to providing the highest quality and most compassionate care to our patients,” says to Shukri David, M.D., chief of cardiology at Providence Hospital.

The study, now in its fourteenth year, singled out 50 hospitals that achieved superior clinical outcomes.

“This year’s 50 Top Cardiovascular Hospitals have proven that a commitment to deliver excellent care is still attainable in times of economic uncertainty,” said Jean Chenoweth, senior vice president for performance improvement and the 100 Top Hospitals® program at Truven Health Analytics. “The hospitals in this study have achieved higher levels of care and efficiency than their peers, demonstrating incredibly strong focus by cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons, and cardiovascular service administrators and staff on basic care and outcomes.”

The study shows that cardiovascular outcomes in U.S. hospitals are improving nationwide. Across all U.S. hospitals, 96 percent of cardiovascular inpatients survive and remain complication-free. Among the 50 Top Hospitals, performance surpasses these high-water marks as indicated by:

*Better risk-adjusted survival rates (41 percent fewer deaths than expected, compared with 9 percent fewer than expected at peer hospitals, for bypass surgery patients).

*Lower complications indices (35 percent lower rate of heart failure complications than peers).

*Fewer patients readmitted to the hospital after 30 days.

*Shorter hospital stays. The typical winning hospital released their bypass patients a full day sooner, and their heart attack and heart failure patients about three-quarters of a day sooner than their peers.

*Lower costs. Top hospitals spend $3,500 less per bypass case and $1,000 less per angioplasty than non-winners.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/10/02/providence-hospitals-ranked-among-top-for-heart-care/

DETROIT (WWJ) - The gift shop at Comerica Park opened at 5 a.m. Tuesday to several fans who were eager to snag limited edition memorabilia after the Detroit Tigers clinched the AL Central title Monday night.

The Tigers, paced by MVP front-runner Miguel Cabrera, beat the Kansas City Royals 6-3 to clinch back-to-back division titles for the first time since the 1934-35 seasons.

Among the people catching playoff fever is Sydney Hunter, who was waiting at the ball park to buy a special edition back-to-back championship t-shirt.

“I was watching every bit of it and watched the replay also, I loved it just that much. It was great that they didn’t have to depend on anyone but themselves and they deserve it. I’m looking forward to Miguel Cabrera getting the whole shot, he’s going to get the triple crown,” Hunter told WWJ’s Ron Dewey.

Hunter said even if they don’t win the World Series, winning the division for the second consecutive year makes this season special enough.

Ann Newton also made it a point to be downtown Detroit Tuesday morning to get her collectibles, dropping over $500. She thinks the team has what it takes to go all the way.

“Part of me had doubts but then I thought, if they continue to play small ball then they’ll be great. And that’s what they kept doing and they won. And that’s how you win the game, is to play small ball,” she said.

The Tigers (87-73) will have the worst record among AL division champions, which means they’ll open the playoffs Saturday at home against the division winner with the second-best mark, the Associated Press reported.

After the game, Coach Jim Leyland got emotional while talking about the monumental win with Fox Sports Detroit.

“This is about the players, this about the three million people and probably a lot of them that couldn’t afford to come that didn’t show up but were with us in spirit every night, I thank you for that,” he said.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/10/02/tigers-fever-spreads-through-metro-detroit/

DETROIT (WWJ) - Retailer giant Meijer is preparing to hire thousands of new employees for its stores as it prepares for this year’s holiday season and continued growth throughout the Midwest.

The Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer announced Tuesday it will be hiring 12,000 additional employees to staff its 200 stores across five states.

Meijer stores are open 24 hours, and only close on Christmas Day. While staffing needs vary from store to store, all Meijer stores have positions available. Interested candidates are asked to complete an online application at www.jobs.meijer.com. During the online application process, prospective team members can indicate their store preference.

Candidates may also complete an online application at the employment kiosks located at the front of most Meijer stores. The local store management will then follow-up with qualified candidates.

“While most of the seasonal opportunities are part-time, these jobs can provide a gateway to a full-time career at Meijer,” Jenny Hawat, vice president of talent recruitment and retention, said in a release.

“As we move into a new year, we frequently look to seasonal employees first to fill our ongoing part-time and full-time needs. It is a wonderful opportunity to get your foot in the door and demonstrate success within a growing company,” she said.

Meijer was recently named to the National Retail Federation’s “Hot 100 Retailers” list. The company is preparing to open six new stores in 2013, including the first Meijer in the city of Detroit.

For more information and to apply, visit www.jobs.meijer.com.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/10/02/meijer-to-hire-12000-workers-for-holiday-season/
 

DETROIT (WWJ) As President Barack Obama and Republican contender Mitt Romney prepare to battle it out in the debate ring, the most recent poll shows Obama is pulling no punches in his lead over Romney in Michigan.

The newest EPIC/MRA poll shows Obama with a 47 to 37 percent margin over Romney.

The GOP candidate has lost five percentage points in the state since the previous poll, and pollster Bernie Porn thinks the drop can directly be attributed to Romney’s remark about the ”47 percent” of Americans who would rather rely on government handouts than take care of themselves.

“I think in terms of the impact of that, it was very profound, and I think most people may well consider it a revealing comment more than thinking that it was an invasion of his privacy in comments before fundraisers,” Porn said.

Porn said if Obama maintains his current lead in Michigan and other battleground states, he will have more than enough votes to easily win the electoral college.

“It will be difficult for him to overcome this, not only in Michigan but I think in every one of the battleground states he is trailing President Obama from a couple to a few to several points,” Porn said. “If you were to award the states, Obama would come in with about almost 350 electoral votes.”

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/10/01/obama-leads-romney-by-10-points-in-michigan/

NOVI, Mich. (WWJ) – More than 4,000 tech jobs are up for grabs today at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, where the Engineering Society of Detroit is holding it’s annual fall job fair.

Companies hiring include Altair, Denso, Chrysler, DTE, ITT, Magna and Mitsubishi Motors. These companies and more will be looking for engineers and technical professionals to fill full- or part-time vacancies in a variety of fields and skill levels, for positions including: Architects, Chemical, Civil, Computer, Design, Energy, Electrical, Biomedical, Environmental, Aerospace, Transportation, Biofuels, Defense, Manufacturing, Mechanical, Programming, Technical and other engineering and technology related fields.

The job fair is free to ESD members and only $15 for non-members (includes a one-year free membership to ESD, which is good for new first time members only.) It will take place starting at 2 p.m. until 7 p.m. today at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi.

To register, visit http://ww2.esd.org/home.htm. For more information, call 248-353-0735.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/10/01/esd-holding-job-fair-in-novi-today/

DETROIT (WWJ) – Some welcome news for drivers today. Gas prices are going down again.

AAA Michigan reports that the average price of gas statewide is $3.879 per gallon. The average price dipped 2.2 cents this week, following last week’s nearly 11-cent decline, according to the auto club. In metro-Detroit, however, as of this morning, prices were as low as $3.73 a gallon at a station at Six Mile Road and Inkster in Livonia.

However, even though prices are down, the statewide average is still 49.7 cents more than last year.

AAA surveys 2,800 Michigan gas stations daily. To find the cheapest gas nationwide, click here to be connected to the AAA Fuel Price Finder.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/10/01/welcome-news-for-drivers-gas-prices-are-down-again/

DETROIT (WWJ) – The Detroit Chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists will host and roast a Pulitzer Prize winner and social activist.

On October 6, at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center, Angelo Henderson one of the founders of Detroit 300, will be on the hot-seat, the focus of a roast by the Detroit chapter.

The chapter expects to host more than 400 attendees – including several area journalists, religious and civic leaders to participate in the roast.

The Detroit Chapter is celebrating its 30th anniversary and launched a 30-30-30 campaign at the beginning of the year.

The group’s goal is to host 30 events and raise $30,000 to support our scholarship fund and programs. The chapter was established in December 1981 and officially founded in 1982.

The association provides scholarship opportunities in print and broadcast journalism in addition to addressing racism in news coverage and employment.

You can find more information about the DC-NABJ roast of Angelo Henderson, HERE.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/2012/09/30/pulitzer-prize-winner-angelo-henderson-to-be-center-of-roast/

SOUTHFIELD (WWJ) - Autumn has arrived and the time has come for local health departments to gear up for this year’s flu season. This time, the H1N1 swine flu is not the only strain that is a major concern.

Kathy Forzley, Manager and Health Officer of the Oakland County Health Division, says this season’s flu vaccine is formulated to take on a trio of influenza strains.

“In this flu shot, there are three strains,” Forzley told WWJ Newsradio 950′s Pat Sweeting. “One of them being the 2009 H1N1 and then there’s two new strains and one of them that we saw (was) the Wisconsin strain. We saw a little bit of that last year so we’re expecting (that) we might see it again this year. And the other one was seen in the Southern Hemisphere and actually there’s been a considerable heavy number of cases in Australia and that will be incorporated into this shot this year.”

Last month in Wisconsin, health officials reported two cases of people infected with a new strain of swine flu. There were also heavy reports coming from Australia about the deadly H3N2 flu strain activity being widespread across the country.

In Oakland County, flu vaccinations are currently available at the Health Division offices in Pontiac and Southfield locations. Forzley reminds the public who should be immunized against influenza.

“Everyone over six months should get the flu shot,” Forzley said. “The elderly, the very young and the immune compromised are the ones that have potentially the greatest risk for life threatening symptoms or illness. Even though you might not fall in that category, you should still get your flu shot because you’re not only protecting yourself. You’re protecting the people around you.”

Flu symptoms to watch for are fever, aches and loss of appetite.

http://detroit.cbslocal.com/category/news/