With Halloween just around the corner it is time to start thinking about an action plan on how you are going to handle the spookiest night of the year and what you can do to keep you and your friends safe. LFK has put together some ideas for you to do just that:

• Practice responding safely to risky situations that could arise while trick or treating such as if a car approaches you and someone you don't know tries to get your attention, practice moving away from the car and telling a trusted adult;
• Continuum of safe and unsafe actions such as approaching a house with no porch light on; walking down dark alleys; going inside a house; running across streets; Trick or Treating in groups; crossing the streets at corners or crosswalks after looking both ways;  wearing reflective clothing or carrying a light; etc.
• Compete taking this quiz and then create their own quiz for others: http://archive.ncpc.org/topics/halloween-safety.html

By now everyone has heard about the crazy fidget spinner trend; a three pronged device on ball bearings that spins on or between your fingertips. This device is marketed as a tool to help kids concentrate in class by allowing their body to move something physically with little or no thought process which helps them to focus their attention on other things, such as a teacher's lecture. However, a quick search on YouTube also shows that these tools can be used to perform all sorts of tricks that have become a fun new school yard competition between friends. This new competition has been causing some controversy on campus. While marketed as a tool teachers are now seeing this device as a disruptive toy. Instead of allowing kids to concentrate on the lessons teachers say that these devices are more distracting with their sound, lights and tricks and are now being banned from many classrooms. What do you think? Let us know here?

Unicorn hair and all the colors in-between have become a fun trend over the years so it is only natural that we want to share our expressive style with "man's best friend." However, this fun fad may come with some deadly risks. Hair dye seems so common that we forget that it is a chemical and if left on too long can cause injury and it can be even worse for an animal. One dog owner in Florida realized this when attempting to dye a Maltese mix purple and nearly caused the dogs death. The dog, now called Violet, suffered sever burns and injuries and had to be anesthetized from her painful wounds to allow her to heal. Luckily, she was able to pull through and is doing well with her new owner. Animal Services is using Violet's story to let others know that what seems like an awesome idea can quickly turn into a tragic situation. See Violet's full story here, beware some images are graphic in nature. Further, in Arizona you could also be committing a crime under Arizona's animal cruelty statue A.R.S. 13-2910, for recklessly inflicting unnecessary physical injury to an animal.  So, keep the dye for your do, and ask your vet before deciding to doing any style improvements to your pet.

Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman on the United States Supreme Court, wrote a letter to the public not only to inform it of her diagnosis but also to remind us that, “It’s not enough to understand, you got to do something.” Those are the words she lives by and  told her own three sons countless times. For her, “There is no more important work than deepening young people’s engagement in our nation.” So, after retiring from the U.S. Supreme Court, she continued to effect change through the creation of iCivics; a website created to help youth better understand the core principals of civics and government through interactive games and curricula. As she leaves public life to battle the early stages of dementia and Alzheimer’s, she reminds us again how important it is to help, “young people understand their crucial role as informed, active citizens in our nation.” Sandra Day O'Conner was just a "young cowgirl from the deserts of Arizona" who believes you have to do something and she became the first woman U.S. Supreme Court Justice. If a young person from Arizona can do that, imagine what you can do?

To read her full letter click here or visit ICivics here.