By Jenny Hopkins jhopkins@journalnet.com Looking to get lost in fun this fall? Then the Wild Adventure Corn Maze in Firth is your ticket. The maze, designed to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the Boy Scouts of America, is open until Nov. The maze is open on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays from 6 to 10 p.m. And Saturdays from noon to 10 p.m. Adult admission is $8, kids age 4 to 12 are $4, and kids 3 and under are free.

Mondays are family nights, each member of the family gets in for $4. 25 percent of the profits are donated to the Boy Scouts of America. To get there, take I-15 to exit 108, the Shelley/Firth exit, then go west over the overpass and follow the signs. Casey Park, manager of the Wild Adventure Corn Maze, said this maze is only one of about 90 the company creates all over the country every year. “We stay pretty darn busy during the summer months. This is our first year coming back to the area so we are looking to make this a tradition,” Park said.

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So how do they get the design into the corn? That’s a common question, Park says, and credits the creativity and skill of a graphic designer and tractor driver to making the maze look great. Basically, the graphic designer draws up a pattern for the maze, then the cooridnates are put into a Global Positioning System (GPS) device.

The tractor driver then takes the GPS and follows the coordinates. For more information about the corn maze, call 346-0195. MATTHEW PERRONE,AP Health Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Drugmaker Abbott Laboratories said Wednesday it is recalling millions of containers of its best-selling Similac infant formula that may be contaminated with insect parts. The voluntary action affects up to 5 million Similac-brand powder formulas sold in the U.S., Puerto Rico, Guam and some Caribbean countries. The company said the products may contain a small beetle or larvae, which could cause stomach ache and digestion problems. The recall does not affect any liquid formulas or other Abbott-brand products. A company spokeswoman said Abbott uncovered the insects last week in one section of a Michigan manufacturing plant.

“We immediately shut down that one area and began an investigation,” said Abbott’s Melissa Brotz. “We’re in the process of resolving it now.” Abbott manufactures Similac at several U.S. Brotz said the company has been consulting with the Food and Drug Administration, which determined there was no “immediate health risk” from the contamination. The company has set up a website and consumer hot line at (800) 986-8850. Consumers can enter the lot number on their containers online to determine if they are subject to the recall. The products should be returned to Abbott for a full refund.

“Delivering anything less than the highest quality infant formula is unacceptable to us,” said Brotz. “We will do whatever is necessary to maintain the trust of parents in the coming weeks.” The affected products were sold in plastic containers and various can sizes, including 8-ounce, 12.4-ounce and 12.9-ounce.

Similac is the best-selling infant formula in the U.S. Abbott’s nutritional products — which include adult brands like Ensure — had sales of $5.3 billion last year. Abbott expects to lose $100 million in connection with the recall. However, the North Chicago, Ill., company confirmed its third-quarter earnings guidance between $1.03 and $1.05 per share.

Shares of Abbott Laboratories fell 12 cents to $52.03 in afternoon trading. BLACKFOOT — The Blackfoot Performing Arts Center will open their 2010-2011 concert season with the world famous New Christy Minstrels on Wednesday, Sept.

Tickets are $20/$15 and available at blackfootpac.com, 208-317-5508, or at Tweedy’s Music in Blackfoot. The New Christy Minstrels were formed by singer/guitarist Randy Sparks in 1961. For the past four years, Randy Sparks has presided over a faithfully-restored 8-member group, reclaiming its rightful place on stage and in the hearts and minds of millions. In 1962, their debut album, “Presenting the New Christy Minstrels,” earned a Grammy for Best Performance by a Chorus. With weekly appearances on the debut season of The Andy Williams Show, they soon attracted a legion of fans across the country.

Before year-end, they were appearing at Carnegie Hall, followed by appearances at The Greek Theatre, The Coconut Grove, The Latin Quarter, The Copacabana, and The Hollywood Bowl just to name a few. In 1964, they made their first appearance at the White House before then President Lyndon Johnson. Between 1962 and 1968 they released sixteen albums.

Their “Ramblin'” album went gold and became a folk classic, garnering rave reviews and featured their first major hit single, “Green, Green.” The group’s other Top 40 hits include “This Land Is Your Land,” “Today, Ramblin’,” and “Green, Green.” The New Christy Minstrels concert is the first in the season. The other upcoming shows in the season are as follows: October 21- Destino If you enjoy the music of Josh Groban and El Divo, you are going to love Destino! They have created an international sensation and continue to receive high acclaim for their diverse talents as they promote the wildly successful sound of “popera” currently sweeping the musical charts. Tickets: $20/$15 November 15 – Pavlo Pavlo’s ability to combine his Greek heritage with flamenco music and spicy Latin rhythms has created a unique style of music he calls “Mediterranean.” He was nominated for a 2010 Juno award (Canadian Grammy) and hosted his own PBS special, “Pavlo, Mediterranean Nights.” He will be performing with his own band. Tickets: $20/$15 January 26 – Michael Martin Murphey (with the Teton Chamber Orchestra) Don’t miss one of country music’s finest musicians when Michael Martin Murphey comes to Blackfoot! Murphey is the number one best-selling singer/songwriter of American Cowboy Music and one of the world’s most respected singer/songwriters of Pop and Country-Western music. Tickets: $25/$20 February 14 – Perfect Gentlemen Make an unforgettable Valentine’s date with the Perfect Gentlemen as you enjoy an evening of harmony and humor.

Twice honored for “Best Arrangement” at the Harmony Sweepstakes National a Cappella Competition, these guys are funny, versatile, and flat-out great entertainers. Tickets: $15/$10 March 11– Allen Vizzutti (with the Jazz House Big Band) Allen Vizzutti headlines opening night of the Intermountain Jazz Festival. The world-renowned trumpet player is at home in a variety of musical idioms, often performing in jazz and classical styles in the same evening. He has performed the world with solo concerts, guest appearances, recording, and composing. Tickets: $18/$15 March 12 – Bill Watrous (with the Jazz House Big Band) The second night of the Intermountain Jazz Festival features trombone great, Bill Watrous. Watrous is one of the finest bop-oriented trombonists of the past 30 years and is known for his beautiful tone and remarkable technique. He is often featured performing in jazz concerts, jazz clubs, and soloing with big bands. Tickets: $18/$15 April 1 – The Music Man Get in line for a one-night performance of The Music Man as the Broadway touring musical makes a stop in Blackfoot.

Outstanding performers, in tow with their own orchestra, set, and sound, promise to make it an evening rich in entertainment. The Music Man is considered to be one of the most famous and successful musicals of all time. Tickets: $25/$20 Tickets can be purchased as a package or individually. Tickets will be discounted to $15 each if purchasing for 5-8 concerts. Individual tickets can be purchased at a higher price.

Interested people are encouraged to get their tickets early, as all seats are reserved and large audiences are expected for the performances. To receive a concert series brochure or to order tickets call the BPAC at 317-5508. An electronic monthly newsletter is available on request by contacting info@blackfootpac.com.

By Kristin Tillotson Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (MCT) Whether to circumcise is among the first decisions that parents of baby boys have to make. Michael Miller of Ramsey, Minn., chose to have the procedure done on his newborn son because he wanted him to “look like me and like the other boys in the locker room. It had nothing to do with religion and certainly nothing to do with any phony medical reason. Those first few showers in middle school are hard enough without being the different one.” Another new father, Troy Tepley of Minneapolis, said his wife ultimately left it up to him, as the other male in the family. “I did a lot of research and decided it was unnecessary,” he said. “We don’t live in an era where cleanliness is really an issue, and conformity wasn’t enough for me to change him from the natural way he was born.” The number of boys getting circumcisions has been falling nationwide for many years, from about 80 percent in the 1970s to below 60 percent at the start of this decade.

But a sharp drop indicated by a recent study — from 56 to 32.5 percent between 2006 and 2009 — is being challenged by doctors. The numbers were presented by a researcher for the Centers for Disease Control, but CDC officials have not endorsed them, saying they aren’t definitive. Circumcision rates vary considerably by region, with the Midwest and Northeast having the highest rates. Doctors in the Twin Cities say most parents in this region still opt to circumcise their baby boys, based on cultural mores. “Social norm is the only thing that matters to most parents I see,” said Dr. Aggiornare Software Autoradio Cinese. Karl Chun of Fairview Children’s Clinic. “People walk in and say, ‘I want it done,’ or ‘I don’t want it done.’ Rarely does anyone change their mind based on anything medically related I tell them.” The decision to circumcise can even vary by neighborhood, he said.

“In some areas almost everyone does it, and in others almost everyone doesn’t. It’s more universally done in suburbs and rural areas.” In keeping with other organic movements of the past few decades, anti-circumcision groups such as New York-based Intact America and Minnesota NICE (Newborn Infant Circumcision Education) call the procedure not only unnecessary, but cruel and unnatural. The study at the center of the debate, conducted by the data-analyzing company SDI Health, was seen as a victory by the anti-circumcision movement. But pediatricians say the data collected left out an important trend — a major shift in the number of circumcisions being performed outside hospitals. Sheldon Berkowitz, medical director of the General Pediatrics Clinic in Minneapolis, called the figures “suspect,” because many more circumcisions are now being performed in clinics.

Hospitals charge facility fees, which cover equipment and assisting personnel, of $1,000 or more, atop a $300 to $400 doctor’s fee. While many private insurers still cover circumcision at least partially, they may not cover every fee, and copays also have gone up.

Recent changes in insurance coverage may also play a role. Medicaid stopped paying for the procedure in 2006, and some private insurers have reduced coverage, which is likely to have contributed to the decrease in families opting for the hospital procedure.

“Before the rules changed for insurance, we might have done 20 to 25 a month in our clinic,” said Berkowitz. “Now it’s 125.” A pediatrician for 26 years, he observed a “big shift” in attitudes toward circumcision during the 1990s, he said. “There was an effort to explain to parents that it wasn’t necessary, and the overall percentage of people doing it for medical reasons dropped. But I don’t think in this area it’s gone below 70 percent.” Dr. William Nersesian, pediatrician and chief medical officer for Fairview Physicians Associates, has performed about 800 circumcisions in his career, the last 25 years of which he’s worked in the southwest suburbs.

He agrees that it’s still “the majority choice” but notes that changing demographics play some role in the decrease. In his experience, “not as many Hispanic boys are circumcised, and among African-Americans it goes 50-50,” he said. While there is a slightly higher risk that uncircumcised men will develop cancer of the penis and contract urinary tract infections and STDs including HIV, many doctors and health organizations — including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC — are holding off on recommending circumcision for medical reasons. Ryan and Emily Boog of White Bear Lake, Minn., chose to have 7-month-old Matthew circumcised.

Because Emily had an emergency C-section, they wound up bringing their infant back as a 1-month-old for a $400 outpatient clinic procedure covered by insurance (minus a $40 copay). “We just always thought we would do it; it seems the norm to us,” Emily said. “It did cause me a lot of anxiety when they explained what they would do, and I couldn’t be in the same room. But it took no more than 10 minutes, and he didn’t even cry.”.

By Emily Bryson York Chicago Tribune (MCT) With back-to-school season in full swing, busy parents are trying to find convenient yet nutritious ways to hand their kids a healthy lunch. And that has the attention of food manufacturers. Kraft Foods Inc., General Mills Inc., Campbell’s Soup Co. And ConAgra Foods Inc. Are some of the food companies trying to show that packaged food can deliver on price, convenience, taste and health. From Kraft’s Lunchables to ConAgra’s Chef Boyardee, food manufacturers are reformulating their products in an effort to lure more parents. Some parents, with memories of what packaged foods looked like in their childhoods, need more convincing.

Nutritionists are more skeptical, and some doctors say that substitutes and fillers in reduced-calorie foods can be worse for kids than full-fat versions. Still, the demand for convenient packaged food that can count toward daily fruit or vegetable requirements is increasing. Experts say that’s driven not just by moms and dads but by kids.

The major packaged-food companies have launched products with reduced fat, calories or sodium for fall. Darin Dugan, senior director of marketing for Kraft’s Lunchables, said that while kids will opt for tastier options just like everyone else, they’ve also got an eye on what’s good for them. “Moms and kids are looking for fresher, more wholesome, less-processed lunch options,” he said. “While kids aren’t as nutritionally aware as moms, kids will tell you they know foods that are good for them and not so good for them.” Lunchables recently underwent sweeping changes to packaging and advertising, which came on the heels of product reformulations that cut calories, fat and sodium and also removed high fructose corn syrup from most of the line. The result has been dramatic sales gains that the company describes as about 10 percent. According to grocery scanner data from SymphonyIRI Group, a Chicago-based market research firm, Lunchables sales increased 6 percent over the 52 weeks ended August 8, to $578 million.

IRI data doesn’t include Wal-Mart or club stores. Lunchables is just one example.

While Gen Y parents may have had baloney on white bread, chips, a juice box and a snack cake, for instance, their kids may be more likely to have sandwich on wheat bread, fruit, pretzels or yogurt, and maybe a piece of candy. For fall, in response to the shifting mandate, ConAgra’s Chef Boyardee brand is promoting whole-grain pastas, while General Mills’ Yoplait is advertising Go-Gurt,a yogurt that can go into a lunchbox frozen and be thawed by lunch time. Campbell’s is pushing its fruit-and-vegetable drinks, V8 V-Fusion, which offer a full serving each of fruits and vegetables. The idea is to sneak vegetable nutrients into children’s diets with a sweet-tasting beverage. Some doctors and nutritionists argue that this strategy misses the point. The foods are, in short, side-stepping opportunities to eat whole foods that have fewer calories and more fiber, they say.

Geeta Maker-Clark, a family physician with NorthShore University HealthSystem, said she sometimes views the processed-food industry as “the enemy” of her work. “They market in such a way as to make the food seem irresistible and impossibly convenient for parents, and they really sort of create a situation in which it’s easier and cheaper for parents to choose what they’re offering versus something that’s clearly going to benefit their children,” she said. Highly processed food, she added, can be particularly dangerous for children with inflammatory conditions like asthma.

“(It) can worsen their problems,” she said. “And I don’t think most people know that.” Better-for-you updates of classic processed food are generally focused on reducing fat, calories and sodium, and sometimes removing such ingredients as high fructose corn syrup. Products that meet established criteria may be promoted within grocery stores as a “better for you” option.

Lattimore Fuggente Ita Download Utorrent Softonic on this page. In the absence of universal guidelines, the packaged-food industry created a “Smart Choices” labeling system, in an effort to denote healthier foods. The FDA shut down that program last fall and is in the process of establishing a federally-regulated standard.

From a business perspective, however, healthier makeovers often seem to boost sales. For instance, Lunchables discontinued its Maxxed Out line, which had larger portions and higher calories. Lunchables also launched a sub-segment dubbed “Lunchables with water,” which features white-meat chicken and turkey, crackers with whole grain, mandarin oranges, unsweetened applesauce or sugar-free Jell-O, and, of course, water.

Northfield-based Kraft has also revisited packaging and advertising. Kraft ditched movie tie-ins on packaging, and nutritional information is more prominent. Most Lunchables trays are now clear, because moms said they wanted to be able to see the food inside. Because the plastic trays aren’t recyclable, Kraft moved to avoid “green” criticism by partnering with TerraCycle to convert used Lunchables containers into lunch boxes and pencil cases. New ads focus on kids’ potential, and an updated logo stacks the words “Lunch” and “ables.” One advertisement, depicting a young boy doing a chalk drawing, says, “Even da Vinci started somewhere.” The ad is promoting a cheese-pizza lunch, with a side of mandarin oranges.

Katie Nahrwold, a mother of four who lives in Kenilworth, Ill., said she sees lots of Lunchables boxes when she volunteers in the school lunchroom. She added that some parents get it for their children as a Friday treat. “I think it’s easy for working parents just to grab and go,” she said. She buys the meals occasionally when in the grocery store with her kids at lunchtime, but they often eat the treat and leave the rest. “It reminds me of those old TV dinners,” she said. Juliet Berger-White, of Evanston, Ill., said she doesn’t buy Lunchables because her daughter wouldn’t like everything in the container. It’s easier for her to assemble a lunch piecemeal.

For the first day of kindergarten, she packed a turkey sandwich on wheat bread, pretzels, organic baby carrots, a plum, water and an organic juice box. Most days, Berger-White adds a small treat, like a piece of chocolate. “I think it’s fair to say we have to strengthen our relationship with moms and with kids,” said Lunchables’ Dugan. He added that changes to the products are altering parents’ perceptions in Kraft focus groups. Of the families tracked over the last year, 68 percent said Lunchables quality has improved, and 89 percent like the new package. “Moms told us they really wanted to see the food,” Dugan said, adding that “kids like what we’re doing, and they understand that the move to fresher, less-processed foods is the right thing to do.” Nutritionists are still skeptical. “I always applaud when companies reduce calories, sodium and fat,” said Toby Smithson, a registered dietician and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association.

She added, however, that Lunchables’ sodium levels “still tend to be high,” and while improvements are a good thing, “we’re not quite there yet.” For some families, home-made lunches are the only way to go. Maker-Clark said that for her children, ages 7 and 5, she has a handful of lunch options that create variety and make her kids feel good about eating healthy. One day may feature a whole-wheat pita with almond butter, banana and uns weetened coconut flakes, celery with peanut butter and raisins, or cheese and crackers with grapes and a hard-boiled egg. Sides may include berries or Stonyfield Farm’s YoBaby yogurt.

“School lunch is a great opportunity,” Maker-Clark said of getting kids to eat healthy. “If they’re having a great lunch, and (other) kids see it, they have a sense of pride around what they’re eating.

That’s worked for my kids. They take pride in their great lunches, and so they tell other kids about them.”.

By Krista Jahnke Detroit Free Press (MCT) DETROIT — A night out used to mean dinner, a show or sporting event, and of course, a nice glass of wine. Now that I’m a parent, date night is more likely to include my couch, Netflix and take-out. I’m too cheap to hire a babysitter. The question of what to pay a decent sitter comes up frequently on moms’ websites. It confounds parents of all experience levels.

Should you pay one rate no matter how many kids you have? What if they’ll be asleep most of the time you’re away?

And what’s the base rate for our area? Not pretty: Tricia Seabolt, a 30-year-old mother of two in Chesterfield Township, Mich., searched online last month at Care.com and found the most common answer. “Everyone on there wants between $10 to $20 an hour,” Seabolt said. “I don’t know if that’s per kid, but it doesn’t seem worth it.” It does, however, seem accurate. According to Care.com’s rate calculator, stories from parents and insight from an expert, $10 an hour is indeed the Detroit area’s average rate — even for only one child.

It used to be the only way to find a sitter was through word-of-mouth. Now, with a competitive marketplace of online sites vying for parents’ frazzled attention, there are more — and pricier — options. Leslie Toth, a 39-year-old mother of two in South Lyon, Mich., said in her neighborhood, getting a word-of-mouth recommendation isn’t an option. “I found people wouldn’t give us names, because if they had a good one, they’d hold onto them,” Toth said. “People were basically hoarding baby-sitters.” That’s why earlier this year Toth opened the Detroit area’s first Seekingsitters.com franchise, which matches sitters with job requests.

Parents pay a one-time fee of $39.99. Then it’s either $10 for a single use or $9.99 monthly for unlimited requests. Toth said she makes things easy on the parents by connecting them quickly with qualified, certified sitters and arranging the payment upfront. Her users pay $11.50 for one child and $12.25 an hour for two.

Toth said her service offers peace of mind. “We check their credit, their driving record, we do a criminal check, we check the sexual predator list, we check who they live with,” said Toth, who said most sitters who apply do not pass her screening. “My own personal standards for babysitters are very high,” Toth said. “I make sure my sitters are people dedicating their lives to working with kids, whether they’ve worked in day care, worked as a nanny, they’re in school to be teacher or studying early childhood education.” Other subscription sites such as Care.com and Sittercity.com allow you to search personal ads that sitters create.

Most sites show the sitter’s photos, bios, rates and childcare philosophy for free. But you must pay to communicate with them. And it’s somewhat overwhelming. When I searched one site for a sitter in Royal Oak, Mich., it turned up more than 8,000 options.

But with a free site like Craigslist.com, you just don’t know whom you’ll get. Seabolt, who works part-time as a home care occupational therapist, looked on Craigslist last month when she briefly considered moving to a full-time position. She posted an ad for a sitter and got several replies, none promising. “One lady who replied was very persistent — almost annoyingly so,” Seabolt said. “She e-mailed me in all caps, told me how much she charges. My husband and I were still talking about it, and three hours later, she wrote back saying, ‘Are you still interested?

I’ll take wonderful care of your angel babies.’ That’s when I thought, ‘You know, I don’t know these people.' ” You can, of course, always ask a favor of someone you do know. Seabolt used a generous neighbor; I have both sets of grandparents on speed dial.

Because sometimes another night on the couch just won’t cut it. ——— HIRING A SITTER?

Questions to ask: Have you taken the Red Cross babysitter class, which teaches basic skills? Do you have CPR or first aid certification? Have you taken any classes in early childhood education or development? What are your general discipline and childcare philosophies? What is included in the rate? Will you make my child dinner?

Do dishes and other light house-work? Will you pick them up or drop them off? If your sitter has worked in a daycare setting, ask about his or her certification. Even those operating out of their homes must register with the state and meet many state regulations.

Ways to save: Hire a younger sitter. You can probably find a ‘tween or young teen who charges $7-8 an hour. Negotiate to pay one rate for hours when your child is awake and another after they go to bed. Start a baby-sitting co-op with friends. Each family in the co-op could agree to baby-sit another family’s kids for one night a month and get one night a month out.

Go out with friends and leave the kids at one home and jointly hire a baby-sitter. Find a sitter working out of his or her home; it might cost less if you are willing to take your children to them. Where to look Call nearby day-care centers and ask whether any of their teachers baby-sit. If your place of worship has a youth group or nursery program, ask there.

Try subscription sites like Care.com, Sittercity.com, Seekingsitters.com, Sitters.com, Elitesitters.com. Do you have a favorite family recipe that you want to share with the community?

Delicious home made apple pie? Cool kid’s treats? Click the link to enter the Idaho State Journal’s Greatest Holiday Recipe contest! Entries will be accepted through Oct. And the best entries will be printed in a special community holiday recipes cookbook to come out in the Journal in mid-November, just in time for the holidays. Tell us about your recipe. Has it been passed down in your family for generations?

Did you create it yourself? Photos of the dish are encouraged, but not required to enter.

We look forward to hearing about your delicious dishes! You can enter online, or mail or bring your entry down to the Idaho State Journal offices. Mailed in entries must be postmarked by Oct.

Mail or bring recipes to: Idaho State Journal 305 S. Box 431 Pocatello, ID 83204. Pocatello – The Pocatello/Chubbuck School District asks the community to help keep children safe! In Pocatello and Chubbuck there are more than 13,500 students attending public and private schools. Some children walk and bike to and from school while others are transported by bus or by parents. The increased traffic around area schools combined with commuters to and from work can create hazardous conditions for pedestrians.

We ask that the community get involved in making sure school children get to and from school safely. There are several things that help keep children safe. Everyone must get involved: parents, students, school staff and the community. Encourage students to walk to and from school whenever possible. There are benefits of having students walk to and from school.

Students get increased physical activity that helps keep them fit and healthy; Fewer cars decrease traffic congestion, noise and air pollution; Walking to and from school improves a child’s ability to focus on their school work; Form a group of trusted adults to accompany neighborhood children as they walk to and from school; Instruct children to go directly to school and directly home from school; and Instruct children what to do if they become lost; Children who are bussed, should memorize their bus number and the location of their bus stop. Motorists should be aware of school zones, slow down and watch closely for children. Children and Families Enjoy “Cool” Programs & Events in October! October 2010 is a month packed for educational fun at the Pocatello Zoo! For a little pre-Halloween preview, why not bring your little trick-or-treaters to Pocatello’s biggest “Howl”oween bash – Pocatello ZooBOO 2010?

The “fang”tastic activities will take place at the Pocatello Zoo, on Saturday, October 23, 2010, 10:00 a.m. And no, you aren’t seeing things! The hours will remain extended so that everyone can have a “howling” good time all day long! This year’s theme will be “Creatures of the Night.” Cost to get into the event is the admission to the Zoo. And if the weather remains fair, the wild bison hay rides will be available this year for only $2.00 per person. And don’t let your little angels drive you batty anticipating Halloween night.

During this fun-filled overnight sleepover at the Zoo, your little ghosts and goblins will take an exciting flashlight tour, play animal myth jeopardy, create a “monster” craft, sleep with two owls and pumpkins in the Education Center, and wake to a frosty morning tour of the Zoo! Breakfast, dinner and snacks are included. The Spooktacular ZooSnooZzzz is scheduled to begin on Friday, October 29, 2010, at 6:30 p.m. And runs until October 30, 2010, at 10:00 a.m. Cost per child: $50.00 – Non-resident card holder; $46.00 Resident Card Holder, or $42.50 Pocatello Zoo Society Member. (An additional discounted rate is available to groups of 10 or more children.) Please call the Pocatello Zoo to make reservations today! And don’t forget that the Pocatello Zoo is still open weekends through Halloween (October 31), 10:00 a.m.

For more information, or to make reservations, please call 234-6264. CHICAGO (AP) — Swallowing button batteries can be fatal or cause serious harm, and research suggests that severe injuries in children, though relatively scarce, are on the rise. The dangers are highlighted in a new medical report about 10 cases at a Utah hospital, including seven that caused severe damage, and in last week’s recall of more than 1 million Chuck E. Cheese battery-containing toys. There are no reports of children injured by the Chuck E. Cheese toys, but the toys were recalled because swallowing batteries can be so dangerous.

Button batteries are widely used in dozens of household products including toys, games, remote controls, musical greeting cards, cell phones, watches and lighted shoes. Batteries pose a special swallowing risk; even if they don’t completely block the throat, they can trigger a chemical process when they lodge there that can burn through tissue within just a few hours.

“These are bad news. They have to be removed immediately,” said Dr.

Fuad Baroody, a pediatric ear, nose and throat specialist at the University of Chicago. Baroody said his hospital treats about two to three children each year with battery-related injuries. In the throat, “the window for safely removing batteries is only two hours,” said Dr. Toby Litovitz, director of the National Capital Poison Center.

When surrounded by moist tissue, batteries can create an electrical current that combines with body fluids to form a caustic lye-like chemical, she explained. Aidan Truett, a 13-month-old boy in Hamilton, Ohio, died last November when a dime-sized battery burned through his esophagus and burst his aorta. No one saw him swallow the battery but his parents took him to the doctor when he began spitting up. Doctors suspected a stomach problem; several days later an X-ray revealed the battery in his throat, his father, Lonnie Truett, recalled. Doctors surgically removed the battery and sent Aidan home, but he died a few days later when his aorta burst, Truett said.

“We have no idea where the battery came from,” Truett said. Parents need to be aware, he said, and keep objects containing button batteries “behind lock and key.” The Archives of Otolaryngology published a report Monday from doctors at Primary Children’s Medical Center in Salt Lake City about 10 cases treated there between 1998 and 2008. All were babies and young children; many required major surgery. “We’re continuing to see these problematic cases” at least once a month, said Dr. Albert Park, a report co-author and a head and neck specialist at the hospital. “This is a very much under-appreciated problem, and the severity of these conditions is under-appreciated.” Every year more than 3,500 people swallow button or disc-shaped batteries, according to Litovitz’s center, an independent group affiliated with George Washington University Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

Lithium cell batteries at least 20 millimeters in diameter, a little bigger than a penny, are the riskiest. They’ve become commonplace because they’re lighter and more powerful than older-model batteries, Litovitz said.

They’re also more likely than older models to lodge in young children’s throats and cause damage, and have been implicated in at least six of 10 deaths since 2003 reported to the center. Of 80 severe cases reported to the center since the 1970s, 42 occurred since 2004. Ten of 14 deaths reported since 1977 occurred within the past six years, Litovitz said.

She said many cases likely go unreported. Her center operates a 24-hour hot line offering advice when battery ingestion is suspected.

By Roger Moore The Orlando Sentinel (MCT) ALPHA AND OMEGA Rating: PG for rude humor and some mild action What it’s about: An alpha wolf is transported to a new wilderness with a non-alpha wolf with an idea that they will repopulate the park, which will never do. The kid attractor factor: Cute canines have adventures and make a few “mating” jokes. Good lessons/bad lessons: Class differences can be overcome when “puppy love” is involved. Violence: Dogfights Language: Disney clean Sex: Mating jokes, but vague ones Drugs: None Parents’ advisory: Harmless and kid-friendly in every way. EASY A Rating: PG-13 for mature thematic elements involving teen sexuality, language and some drug material What it’s about: A teenager invents a promiscuous reputation for herself as a means of fitting in and uses that rep to help others become more visible in high school.

The kid attractor factor: It’s “Glee” without the singing — sassy, sexually curious kids learn hard life lessons in the crucible of high school. Good lessons/bad lessons: “Infamy” is not the same thing as “fame.” Violence: None to speak of Language: Some profanity Sex: Basically, that’s the subject here. Drugs: Some references, materials Parents’ advisory: The subject matter should give parents of 13-and-unders pause. Its frankness makes it more appropriate for older teens — 15 and up.

By Julie Deardorff Chicago Tribune (MCT) In the 1930s, federal guidelines suggested that babies complete toilet training by 6 to 8 months of age. To which a modern parent might respond: Bwahahaha! Today’s kids aren’t in a rush to get to the throne. Most children start potty training around their second or even third birthday, an age that has steadily risen over the years as diapers have become more comfortable and widely available. Critics say postponing this milestone can be unhealthy for the child, stressful for the parent and hard on the environment and wallets because of the extended use of disposable diapers.

They advocate starting toilet training as soon as possible, often before a baby can walk or talk. But experts say the child must be physiologically and behaviorally ready. Trying earlier and failing can set up a cycle of frustration, negativity and other problems, said pediatrician Mark Wolraich, author of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ guide to toilet training. Plus, the time you spend working on and agonizing over incontinence could probably be better spent simply enjoying your baby, he said. “Children do almost all become potty-trained,” Wolraich said.

Still, if you want to initiate toilet-training your toddler before he turns 2 — and everything becomes a battle of wills — keep these facts in mind: Little research has been done. There’s no official definition of what it means to be toilet-trained, and there are no universal guidelines for when and how to begin the process. The AAP recommends customizing the approach to your child. For the first year, babies can’t control bladder or bowel movements. So while they may learn to associate the toilet with elimination, the parent is really the one who is being trained.

Pediatrician Ari Brown likened it to teaching a 4-month-old to walk, something that children are developmentally ready for around 12 to 15 months. “Parents are also welcome to try toilet training earlier than age 2, but the odds would be that success would not happen any earlier and just means a longer duration of work for the parent and potential frustration for the child,” said Brown, co-author of “Baby 411″ (Windsor Peak Press, $14.95). Still, infants can be conditioned to use a potty.

Other cultures use “assisted toilet training,” which can begin at 2 or 3 weeks. Parents carry the infant 24/7 and learn the subtle cues the baby makes just before he needs to pee or poop.

In the U.S., however, this can be difficult, especially for those who work outside the home. Even if you recognize Pookie’s signals you have about 15 seconds to get him to a bathroom.

Diapers can increase the risk of bladder infections. “This happens mostly for girls only because poop is sitting in the diaper and the germs can track up into the urethra and cause infection,” said Brown, who doesn’t think the risk is high enough to warrant infant toilet training. On the other hand, once girls are toilet-trained, they are also at risk for bladder infections because they wipe the wrong way, she said.

Two- and 3-year-old children love to say “No!” and are learning independence, which often makes toilet training tricky. Positive reinforcement is good, but try not to be overdramatic, said Dr.

Harvey Karp, a child-development specialist and assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Southern California School of Medicine. “If the child thinks toileting is so important to mom and dad that they applaud and jump up and down, it puts too much pressure on them and they may regress,” said Karp, the author of “The Happiest Baby” series of books. Or they use it against you, Karp said. “They think, ‘I know what you love so I won’t give it to you.' ” Instead, Karp suggested trying a technique called “gossiping.” “You say, ‘Good job, sweetheart!’ You’re happy, pleasant, not over the top.

Five minutes later, you whisper to the Elmo doll, ‘Hey, Elmo, Bobby peed all by himself! ” And Bobby is thinking, ‘I’m hearing this a lot lately from people.’ The words don’t matter as much as the way you say them.” SIGNS OF READINESS Is your child ready to be toilet-trained? Here are some signs that she is, from the American Academy of Pediatrics: Your child stays dry at least two hours at a time during the day or is dry after naps. Bowel movements become regular and predictable.

You can tell when your child is about to urinate or have a bowel movement. She can follow simple instructions. She can walk to and from the bathroom and help undress.

She seems uncomfortable with soiled diapers and wants to be changed. She asks to use the toilet or potty chair. She asks to wear “big-kid” underwear.