Learning to drive is very exciting for teens, and a driver's license is a giant step toward independence. But when a teen driver is getting ready to hit the road, a parent's job isn't done. In fact, talking to your kids about the dangers of driving is one of the best things you can do to keep them safe. Tragically, many parents just assume their teens get this information elsewhere, so they don't have the conversation. October 19-25 is Teen Driver Safety Week, and it's a great time for parents to talk to their teen drivers about the risks they face.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens 14-18 in America. In 2012 alone, 2,055 teen drivers were involved in fatal crashes, and 859 died.

Every parent should talk to their teens about the rules of safe driving, but a recent survey shows that only 25 percent of parents have done so. It can be difficult to talk to teens about anything, let alone a serious topic like safe driving. Many parents don't know what to say, or give up if they feel like they're not being heard. In order to provide parents with the tools, resources, and words they need to keep their teens safe, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has teamed up with state and local highway safety and law enforcement organizations on the teen driver safety campaign "5 to Drive". The education and awareness campaign identifies the five most important rules all teen drivers need to follow.

We encourage you to get the facts, start talking to your teen about the "5 to Drive," and Set the Rules Before They Hit the Road.

1. No Drinking and Driving. Compared with other age groups, teen drivers are at a greater risk of death in alcohol-related crashes, even though they're too young to legally buy or possess alcohol. Nationally in 2012, 28 percent of the young drivers (15 to 20 years old) killed in crashes had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .01 grams per deciliter (g/dL) or higher.

2. Buckle Up. Every Trip. Every Time. Front Seat and Back. In 2012, of all the young (15- to 20-year-old) passenger vehicle drivers killed in crashes, more than half (55%) of those killed were not wearing seat belts.

3. Put It Down. One Text or Call Could Wreck It All. In 2012, among drivers 15 to 19 years old who were distracted in fatal crashes, nearly 1 in 5 were distracted by their phones. This age group had the highest percentage of drivers distracted by phone use.

4. Stop Speeding Before It Stops You. In 2012, speeding was a factor in almost half (48%) of the crashes that killed 15- to 20-year-old drivers. By comparison, 30 percent of all fatal crashes that year involved speeding.

5. No More Than One Passenger at a Time. Extra passengers for a teen driver can lead to disastrous results. Research shows that the risk of a fatal crash goes up in direct relation to the number of teens in a car. The likelihood of teen drivers engaging in risky behavior triples when traveling with multiple passengers.

Please talk to your kids?this week and every week?about how to be smart and safe behind the wheel.

For more information about Teen Driver Safety Week and the "5 to Drive" campaign visit www.safercar.gov/parents.

Susan DeCourcy is the Regional Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Region 7.

Patrick Hoye is the Bureau Chief, Iowa Governor's Traffic Safety Bureau.

The Green Bay Packers and Miller Lite Partner with Old Wisconsin to Create the Ultimate Retail Destination for Wisconsin Shoppers and Packers Fans

Homewood, Ill. (Oct. 9, 2014) - A new tailgating promotion from Old Wisconsin brings together Miller Lite with the brand's popular meat snacks in the "Touchdown to Flavor Town" campaign cheering on the Green Bay Packers. Old Wisconsin and Miller Lite are teaming up to help fans celebrate the Packers with high-value offers at participating grocery stores, convenience stores and liquor channels. The campaign is supported with in-store displays, POS and merchandisers; stadium and scoreboard signage at Lambeau Field; out-of-home, digital and radio advertising; and game-day sampling. This is the third year Old Wisconsin has sponsored fall Packers Nation promotional programs.

"Old Wisconsin is thrilled to be joining forces with Miller Lite to enhance the Packers Nation experience for fans and cheer on the Packers to another title this year," said Jeff Weber, Old Wisconsin's national brand manager. "This campaign builds on the success of past Packers Nation retail efforts to create shopper excitement and drive retail sales."

This Wisconsin-based promotion supports Old Wisconsin meat snack brands including 6 oz. and 8 oz. Snack Bites, 6 oz. and 8 oz. Snack Sticks and 9 oz. Summer Sausage paired with Miller Lite, Miller Genuine Draft, and Miller64 (24- and 30- packs, both cans and bottles). The dual-branded program features two retail windows ending in late November.

During the second retail window, Old Wisconsin invites fans to participate in the "Touchdown to Flavor Town" photo caption contest. Visit Old Wisconsin's Facebook page from Nov. 3 through Nov. 16 to submit a caption and vote for your favorites for a chance to win a green and gold tailgating prize package worth $1,500. For more details, visit http://www.OldWisconsin.com.

About Carl Buddig & Company
Based in Homewood, Ill, Carl Buddig & Co. has been feeding family traditions for more than 70 years with the very best in taste, variety and convenience. Carl Buddig & Co. is the family-owned parent company of Buddig lunchmeat and Old Wisconsin hardwood smoked sausage and snack products. Buddig offers an assortment of quality, thin-sliced lean meats for sandwiches, snacks and special recipes including Buddig Original, Premium Deli, Deli Cuts and Fix Quix products. Old Wisconsin sausage and meat snack products are handcrafted and smoked over real hardwood fires. To learn more, visit www.buddig.com and www.oldwisconsin.com.

#   #   #

Over half a century ago, when my brother Frank was at the Iowa School for the Deaf, he was told he could be one of three things: a printer, a cobbler, or a baker. He had unlimited potential, but his choices were limited by the societal barriers faced by too many people with disabilities. Our country has changed since then. With the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, we began to tear down those obstacles and expand the opportunities for people with disabilities. We have increased the accessibility of our buildings, streets, parks, beaches, and recreation areas. Today, our books, TVs, telephones, and computers are more accessible. We are on the path toward the full realization of the four goals we set out to achieve with ADA: equal opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency; however, there is still work to be done.

Unfortunately, one area of American life has been resistant to change: employment and the pathway it provides to participate in the middle class. Twenty-four years after the signing of the ADA, Americans with disabilities remain disproportionately poor and face significant barriers to joining and remaining in the middle class.

This October, we observe National Disability Employment Awareness Month. While we should celebrate the progress that has been made, we must also recognize and confront the very real employment crisis faced by Americans with disabilities. People with disabilities remain far more likely to be impoverished, to be out of the workforce, and to be experiencing the detrimental effects of living in poverty.

On the most important economic measures such as unemployment, workforce participation, annual earnings, and poverty, people with disabilities often are in the worst condition compared to almost any other group. Twice as many Americans with disabilities live in poverty than those without disabilities. Less than 30 percent of working-age Americans with disabilities participate in the workforce, and households with an adult member with a disability earn 38.4 percent less than households without an adult member with a disability. These facts make it clear that people with disabilities are still encountering roadblocks in the path to the middle class and that the ADA's goal of economic self-sufficiency has not yet been achieved.

As chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, I launched an investigation into these roadblocks. I heard from over 400 people with disabilities from across the country, all of whom had or currently live at the poverty level. They reported experiencing employment discrimination, discriminatory wages, inaccessible workplaces, and persistently low expectations about what they can accomplish. They also reported that they often cannot participate in the workforce because they lack reliable, accessible transportation and accessible, affordable housing. To fully realize the vision of the ADA, we as a nation must confront these problems.

Congress needs to do its part to develop strategies to clear the path to the middle class. I am optimistic that we will begin to see the benefits of the 2014 Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, passed by my committee, and recently signed into law by the president. The new law requires that schools and vocational rehabilitation programs work together to ensure young people with disabilities develop the skills and knowledge needed in emerging fields. It also provides resources for employers to learn how to support people with disabilities in the workforce and how to provide accommodations so individuals with disabilities can be successful at work. I have also recently introduced three bills, the Universal Home Design Act, the Accessible Transportation for All Act, and the Exercise and Fitness for All Act, to address the physical barriers to employment that people with disabilities still experience.

At the same time, we can all work to eliminate attitudinal barriers by celebrating the many contributions of America's workers with disabilities and educating others about disability employment issues. The time for America to shed narrow views about people with disabilities - prejudices that limited the opportunities for my brother and continue to limit the opportunities for countless others - is well overdue. Together, we can take the needed steps towards ensuring opportunity for all.

To read my report on disability and poverty visit: http://www.help.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/HELP%20Committee%20Disability%20and%20Poverty%20Report.pdf. You can also learn more about ways to observe Disability Employment Awareness Month by visiting the Department of Labor website: http://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/ndeam/index-2014.htm.

A PDF version of this article can be found here.

October 8, 2014

IA/IL QUAD-CITIES- In its 9^th year, the 2014 KJ's Mustache Challenge is a local event where participants toss out their razors for four weeks in an effort to raise funds for preventive programs provided by the Quad Cities Child Abuse Council. This year the Challenge will occur one month earlier in hopes to enjoy a warmer 'growing season'. The Challenge begins on October 23^rd and culminates in a Mustache Bash Pub Crawl in downtown Moline on November 22^nd.

New this year, too, is a Ladies Night Event celebrating those women who are 'Stache Enablers', at this event ladies can sign up their husbands, brothers, fathers and friends into the Challenge. This new 'Stache Enablers' event is October 16^th at Refresh in downtown Moline from 6p to 8p featuring fun mustache prize giveaways.

"The Mustache Challenge is for everyone," says longtime Challenge committee member, Tracie Veto. "We encourage our sister Challengers to support the men in their efforts to grow a mustache, yes, some Challengers look a bit different for a few weeks but it's for a great cause. The women have just as much fun with the Challenge as the men do!"

The Mustache Challenge committee is hosting the Official Challenge Kick-Off Party at Pints on Utica Ridge Road in Davenport on October 23^rd from 5:30p to 7:30p, this officially begins the 'Growing Season'. At the Kick-Off Party you can sign up for the Challenge, participate in a prize winning raffle and win mustache merchandise.

For a minimum donation of $25 Challengers will receive the commemorative t-shirt, eligibility to compete in the Best Stache competition and to win prizes during the Mustache Bash Pub Crawl on November 22^nd in Downtown Moline.

This fundraiser is in memory of Mustache Challenge participant, Kyle John of Moline, who at age 27 passed away in 2008 after a courageous five year battle against Ewings Sarcoma. His close friends have continued the Mustache Challenge in celebration of his spirit and charitable heart.

For more information about KJ's 2014 Mustache Challenge and the QC Child Abuse Council visit www.kjmustachechallenge.org and www.childabuseqc.org. KJ's Mustache Challenge is also on Facebook.

#####