THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3RD., 2024
              IT USED TO BE EASY!

  October 3rd is "Walk, or ride your bike, to
school day! 
   It was organized by the organization
Partnership For a Walkable America to build
awareness for the need for walkable communities.
The first observance was in 1997. In 2000 it
became an International Day when Canada and the
United Kingdom joined in the promotion.
   Walking and biking have become very
popular exercises these days. There's a growing
number of trails nearly everywhere. But most
don't go to schools!
     When I was a kid in Hazleton my Grade
school was two and a half blocks from my house.
My Junior High was three blocks away. The
walk to High School was the longest at about
a mile or so. But it was a walk, at least until I
got my driver's license and access to Dad's car.
      School mergers pretty much did away with
neighborhood schools and raised the stock of
companies that make school buses!
        My first ride in a school bus came after I
became a TV reporter and was doing a story
about drivers that don't obey the school bus
laws.
         I think walking to school is a great idea.
If you live next door! The big new schools, you
know the ones that were going to improve
education and save us money by combining
services, are usually located on a couple acres
of land far enough from most homes so as to
make walking a little bit dangerous.
          Of course many of those old buildings
that weren't good enough to be schools anymore
are still standing as apartment or office complexes.
Maybe we could turn them back into neighborhood
schools and get back to the trend of walking.
          Or perhaps the students can be given an
extra half hour to walk around those new schools.
That should give them a mile or two!
           Hope it all works out and that all your
NEWS is good!