Cyndi Loza

Click it or ticket

Local law enforcement agencies and the Nevada Department of Public Safety, Office of Traffic Safety are teaming up for the fourth and final Click It or Ticket enforcement wave of this year.

The special back-to-school Click It or Ticket enforcement wave, which begins today and will continue through Sept. 24, aims to help combat the high number of teen fatalities in motor vehicle crashes.

Before the campaign began last year in October, 78 percent of Nevada’s youths 16 to 20 were observed wearing seat belts. After the third enforcement wave in May, 89 percent of youths were observed buckled up in passenger cars.

As part of the national Click It or Ticket campaign, law enforcement officers will speak with teens about the importance of buckling up. Drivers ages 16 to 20 that are pulled over for violating a traffic law will receive an additional citation if they are not wearing a seat belt.

However, if that same motorist is buckled up, they might receive special incentives and prizes.

Family Day

Turn off the television and let incoming calls go to voice mail for Family Day this month.

A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children is a national movement to encourage families to set aside time to eat dinner together. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University launched Family Day in 2001 after its research continually found that children and teens who eat dinner with their families at least three times per week have much lower rates of substance abuse.

This year, Tune In To Kids and the Washoe County School District will celebrate Family Day on Sept. 22. By registering for Family Day at TuneInToKids.org, residents will have a chance to win a celebration dinner with special guests Washoe County School District Superintendent Paul Dugan and celebrity chef Jennifer Bushman. Bushman will prepare a unique meal for the dinner. In addition, a grand prize package valued at $200 will be awarded.

Families can also comment on TuneInToKids.org and entered to win one of three family cooking classes at the Back of the House cooking school, valued at $140.

Honorable mention

People who have distinguished themselves recently in education:

Casey Acklin, a student at the Davidson Academy of Nevada, was named a semi-finalist in this year’s Society for Science & the Public’s 2008 Middle School Program. Casey, 12, of Reno, was recognized for his Western Nevada Regional Science Fair Project, “Is Light Right? How Do Different Light Sources Affect the Regeneration of Dugesia tigrina?” About 300 semifinalists and their teachers were honored for their dedication and achievements in the national competition.