Here's your daily news roundup from 97.9 WGBW.
From the 97.9 WGBW newsroom, I'm Connie Feldman with this local news update.
If your giving spirit has been rekindled by the holidays,
now's a great time to think about giving the gift of life by donating blood.
As people focus on family, deal with winter weather and travel,
blood donations tend to drop around the holidays.
Scott Martyr from the American Red Cross says data shows only about 3 percent
of eligible Wisconsinites give blood.
The need for blood is constant. Every two seconds someone in this country needs a blood
transfusion, and it could be for any one of a bunch of reasons. People battling cancer,
mothers who are facing complications during childbirth or accident victims who need emergency
surgery. The Red Cross urges donors during the holiday months to come out and donate.
If you've ever been curious about where your blood goes or how it's used when you donate,
now there's even a way to track that using the Red Cross app.
Health workers say the process to give blood is simple and it only takes about an hour.
They say it can even become a gratifying holiday tradition for family and friends to go together
make it more fun. There are 744 hours in the upcoming month of January.
Red Cross workers say setting aside just one of those hours to donate blood can save a life.
To find a blood drive or appointment time here in Wisconsin, just go to redcrossblood.org.
The Packers will close out their regular season in Minnesota this weekend,
kickoff is set for noon on Sunday, January 4th. The Packers are locked into the NFC's
seventh and final playoff seed regardless of whether they win or lose against the Vikings.
The Vikings are eliminated with an eight and eight record.
Right now, about a million Wisconsin kids are on winner break.
The holidays are supposed to be a jolly time,
but when young people are already in crisis, they can be especially vulnerable this time of year.
The latest data shows more than half of kids surveyed say they're dealing with anxiety
and a third have recently felt hopeless. Psychologist Megan Kanye says symptoms of mental health
struggles don't always look like sadness. Sometimes they're conflict.
All of a sudden they go from being a really easygoing kids, all of a sudden they are arguing,
they're talking back, they're refusing to do school work, there may be a lot of school avoidance
or refusal. They may have stopped doing chores, they may be having trouble getting out of bed.
The Wisconsin Office of Children's Mental Health began its work more than 10 years ago,
and in that time they've seen a 42% rise in depression among young people.
Mental health professionals say disruption in routines like over the holidays when there's no
school can exacerbate struggles. Providers often see seasonal spikes in anxiety and depression
between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day. Kanye says how parents talk to kids and young adults
about mental health issues matters. She advises parents to avoid calling anxiety bad or negative.
Anxiety is a natural emotion meant to keep us safe. When channeled appropriately it can help
motivate us. Kanye encourages families to help kids build what she calls distress tolerance.
Learning to stay grounded when emotions run high. With news at the top and bottom of the hour
all day and on demand anytime at wgbw.fm, I'm Connie Felman, 97.9 wgbw news.
The box moves at the buzzer. Hi, I'm Mike Clemens with sports NBA. It was the bucks in the
Wizards battling in the final minute. Then with just one second left, Washington, CJ McCollum,
with a jump shot for the win. The bucks losing at home. 114 to 113 to the Wizards on New
Year's Eve. Doc Rivers not happy. We deserved the loose game. We didn't play hard enough.
We didn't play well enough together. We had a lead. We had every shot we wanted at the end of the
game. Our execution was flawless even at last play. But the basketball got sometimes don't allow
you to win. You don't play right. And so when you play like that, you lose the game.
NFL, another bold move by the Packers. They assigned defensive back Travon Diggs after he was
released by the Dallas Cowboys for poor conduct. Diggs receiving praise from his former teammate,
Micah Parsons, recovering from ACL surgery in LA Monday, Nate Hobbs and Safety Zane Anderson,
now on season ending IR with sports on Mike Clemens. A little sunshine early on, then becoming
mostly cloudy with a little light snow late morning into the afternoon. Our hike today right
around 12 with wind west at 5-15. Tonight mostly cloudy, down to 5 above tomorrow. Sunshine with a
high of 17. I'm meteorologist Sean Cable. That's your Green Bay News Roundup from 97.9 WGBW.
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