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Tuesday, September 17, 2024

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As U.S. Senate votes down IVF bill, MN parent speaks out; After false pet claims, Springfield mayor says Trump visit would be 'an extreme strain' on resources; Report: immigration enforcement changing, NW detention still high; Suicide rates rising among Indiana's diverse communities.

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JD Vance calls for toning down political rhetoric, while calls for his resignation grow because of his own comments. The Secret Service again faces intense criticism, and a right to IVF is again voted down in the US Senate.

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Rural voters weigh competing visions about agriculture's future ahead of the Presidential election, counties where economic growth has lagged in rural America are booming post-pandemic, and farmers get financial help to protect their land's natural habitat.

National Civics Day encourages leadership, community engagement

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Friday, October 27, 2023   

Today is National Civics Day, rooted in history and a reminder of the importance of learning the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. On this date in 1787, the first Federalist Papers were published and used as a philosophical basis for the U.S. Constitution.

Charlie Hyde, president and CEO of the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site in Indianapolis, said a civics education has a more distinct purpose than a history or social studies course.

"This is all about encouraging public participation in our American system of self-government," he said. "Learning about civics encourages critical thinking, community engagement, civil civic discourse. If you understand how your government functions, then you can take a leadership role."

House Bill 1384, passed in the 2021 Indiana General Assembly, mandates that, starting in this current school year, Indiana students take one civics class in the sixth, seventh or eighth grade.

A 2021 Indiana Civic Health Index by the Indiana Bar Foundation found voter registration rates in the state are highest among people with college degrees - at almost 85% - followed by those with some college, at 77%. Voter registration among high school graduates was 63%. The index also found that in the 2020 election, Indiana ranked 46th among states for its low voter turnout.

Hyde cited many avenues to civic engagement.

"You might lead your local school PTA, or you might decide at some point to run for office, or maybe you just want to help change a law, or put something into action," he said. "It's important to know how to make those things happen."

The Civic Health Index recommended establishing a school program, modeled after the state's STEM certification program, to improve civic education by 2023 - and increasing civics course requirements at all grade levels by 2026.


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Toledo's Dorr Street once boasted more than 130 businesses between Collingwood Blvd. and Detroit Ave., including retail shops, restaurants, lodging, medical offices, entertainment venues, and services like auto repair, laundry and beauty salons. (Wikimedia Commons)

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Early voting for the upcoming general election runs from Oct. 21 to Nov. 1. (Rob Goebel/Adobe Stock)

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Minnesota's Center for Rural Policy and Development said in rural settings, parents are often forced to take a child to the emergency room during a mental health crisis. (Adobe Stock)

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