Study: Exercise may prevent addiction Studies in both humans and animals suggest that exercise may help prevent drug or alcohol addiction. The underlying question is whether regular physical activity spurs changes in the brain involving neurochemicals that sense and reinforce pleasure. The US government is pumping more money into research to find out. In a Brown University study, women in a smoking-cessation program were twice as likely to kick the habit if they also exercised three times a week. They also gained only half as much weight. Similar results were found in a study of teens and tweens. Those who said they exercise daily were half as likely to smoke, and 40 percent less likely to experiment with marijuana.

Bingo night will benefit former PTO President The school's PTO is organizing a Bingo Benefit Night to help raise money for former PTO President. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in Dec. 2005, and carcinomatous meningitis in Jan. 2007, after having gone through chemotherapy treatments for six months for her first diagnosis. "She's just such an incredible person, and we wanted to do something to help her out with all of the medical bills," said a parent who is organizing the event. "Even while she's going through this, she's still active in the school and helping out where she can. She's really an inspiration."

Pick good friends, Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell tells 5 grade class Minors can go to adult prisons for gang-related offenses, he warns. Picking your friends is so important, doing it well might help you do well in life. Doing it poorly could lead to problems, including serving time in prison.

More students getting free breakfasts Students from low-income families are eating more free and reduced-price breakfasts at school, an anti-hunger group said Thursday. The federal breakfast program feeds only two in five who need it. Still, it reached a record 7.7 million low-income children in the 2005-2006 school year, according to a report from the Food Research and Action Center. New Mexico posted the biggest increase, with 58 children getting breakfast for every 100 getting free and reduced-price lunches, up from 53 a year earlier.

Kids keep online threats secret from parents Schoolchildren are being "victimised, teased and mocked" on an internet "spider web" of instant messaging and blogging kept secret from parents, including instances of students exchanging insults, threats and explicit pictures via a network of home computers. Police say they have investigated and, in some cases, charged children for such cyber-bullying crimes as stalking, harassment and menacing other students, as well as child pornography. The reputations of children who make a mistake can be trashed. Kids can be victimised, teased and mocked for their boy or girl friends. Criminal offences relating to the behaviour of school children online have definitely been reported to police and they have been investigated," he said.

Violent Games UK to join EU campaign against violent video games An EU official was recently quoted as saying "We are not calling for censorship, but the sale of cigarettes and alcohol is prohibited to minor why not violent games."