Midmorning With Aundrea - April 2\, 2019

And gathering around in ttinthe hitting the road for a getaway?

Expect higher prices at the pump.

And, they provide hours of fun for the kiddos, but just how safe are those trampoline parks?

And, a soldier gets a long- overdue honor.

Midmorning starts right now.

A nestud a new study finds the gender pay gap has been shrinking over the last three years.

But at the current rate, there won't be a level playing field until the year 2070.

Hilary lane takes a closer look.

Katherine lyons quit her lifeguard job when she found out a less experienced&male& coworker was making more money.

:08-:13 i had plenty more qualifications than he did and he actually got paid 2 dollars more an hour her story is nothing new... but the latest study from glassdoor economic research finds the pay gap is slowly shrinking.

Women now earn 79 cents for every dollar a man makes.

That's up 3 cents from 2016.

:20-:36 "if progres continues at about the same pace as we've seen recently, we could see the gender pay gap close completely in one lifetime."

Lyons says 50 years is way too long.

1:26 sot that's just unreal.

It's unreal, it's unfair, it's unjust most working women agree.

78 percent say the gender gap is a serious problem.

Only 59 percent of men see it that way.

Jon kolterjahn is one of them.

:55-:58 i think it's wrong.

I think equal pay, equal work.

:59-1:09 the survey also found both men and women are growing bolder about asking for more.

At least 17 percent say they negotiated for higher starting salaries in their most recent jobs.

Glassdoor believes that's due in part to better transparency.

Half of all companies are sharing salaries internally and job sites are posting them.

That's a dramatic change from what the world was like 15 to 20 years ago.

Congress is watching the issue too.

Lawmakers have introduced the paycheck fairness act, which would add more protections for women in the workforce.

Hilary lane, cbs news, new york.

Did you have a credit card when you were a kid?

Chances are you didn't.

But that's not the case with today's children.

A new report finds more and more parents are trusting their children with plastic.

Mary moloney has a look at this growing money move.

How much credit do you give your child?

Apparently a lot.

8 percent of parents with kids under 18 say that at least one child has a credit card.

That's according to a new report released by credit- cards-dot-com.

21-percent of parents said their children used their credit cards without their permission at least once.

Not surprisingly-- the report also found the more a parent makes-- the more likely a child is to have plastic.

13-percent of parents who make more than 80-thousand have a credit-card carrying child.

That's compared with 5- percent of parents in the under 40-thousand catgory.

The survey found location may also play a role.

13-percent of children with credit cards live in the northeast.

8-percent live in the south.

And 5-percent in the midwest.

As you know, underage children can't apply for their own credit cards.

But they can be added to their parents' card accounts as authorized users.

The downside-- experts say they can make unauthorized purchases and ruin their parent's credit.

However, there are benefits to giving your child a credit card-- experts say it gives them a head start building their credit and learning how to manage their finances.

For consumer watch-- i'm mary moloney.

The warmer temperatures have many people ready to head out on vacations and road trips.

But as chris martinez tells us, triple-a says brace yourself for higher prices at the pump.

Drivers at this los angeles gas station don't like what they see when they pull up to the pump& "i probably spen about 3 to 400 dollars a month&" jeff buchignani's sales job keeps him driving all over the city& and he's fed up with the price of fuel.

"it's hard on th kids who are making minimum wage, and even the adults in the community& it's just too much money!"

Triple-a says as more people hit the highways for spring and summer road trips, a higher demand for fuel means even higher costs& "gas prices sinc the beginning of the year have increased 40 cents."

Triple a's jeanette casselano says prices are still better than they were this time last year.

But drivers can expect a gallon of regular to jump 10-cents in the coming weeks - and go even higher in late may.

"if you're on th west coast, you could see it increase a bit more, but more states and in the southern part of the country will definitely see that 10 cent increase."

That's unwelcome news for drivers like gina castagnozzi& "it costs like 7 bucks to fill up my tank."

And unfortunately, it's likely to cost even more in the near future.

Chris martinez, cbs news, los angeles all new cars sold in europe will soon have special devices to stop people from speeding.

Ian lee hit the roads in london to see how drivers are reacting.

Nats..traffic europe plans to put the brakes on speeders with a mandatory system that forces drivers to stay within the limits.

I think it's a brilliant idea, i'm all for it.

When you have kids, it's very important to just respect the speed limits.

The system known as intelligent speed assistance, limits engine power when a car is going too fast.

European union leaders want the new technology put into all new cars, trucks and buses starting in three years.

Cameras installed on cars would recognize posted speed limits like this&while gps would also track speed zones to keep drivers in check.

Pushing hard on the gas pedal would override the system - but safety advocates hope people will realize the benefit of slowing down.

Speed is really a factor in every road crash because the faster you're going the longer it takes to stop and the harder you're hit in the event of an impact.

The speed limiter is one of several safety features the eu wants to mandate.

Other components would warn about driver drowsiness and distractions - such as smartphone use.

Some people don't want big brother as a backseat driver.

It's not for me - no thanks.

But if the european parliament approves the regulations - drivers with a lead foot won't have a choice.

Ian lee cbs news, london.

Jump and jump and jump.

The fun--and potential dangers of trampoline parks.

We'll e nuer o the number of trampoline parks has grown to more than athan a thousand around the world.

But in this country, they all operate without any federal oversight.

Injuries are on the rise and cbs news has confirmed, in the last seven years, at least six people have died at the trampoline parks.

Meg oliver reports.

Trampoline parks are packed on weekends with kids jumping.

"1:41:28 "lo below the screen there."

David chazen represents more than a dozen people injured at these parks in new jersey.

At the bottom right of the screen, a father unknowingly causes what's known as a double bounce.

11:41:34/sot david chazen "th force of the trampoline coming up after the father's hop across broke the four year olds femur."

Gymnastics coach don mcpherson has been an expert witness in more than 200 plaintiffs cases against trampoline parks.

"broken necks broken backs, dislocated and open fractured elbows.

Mo: these are injuries seem like military grade?

Mcpherson:13:00:5 3;06 they're-- their all catastrophic injuries."

Mcpherson says the danger lies in the design.

Several trampolines are connected with steel cables or chain links under thin padding.

As people jump, waves of energy are generated in all directions which can cause those 'double bounces' that can end in high impact collisions .

Emergency room visits from trampoline park injuries have shot up from 2500- in 2013... to almost 18- thousand in 2017.

Injuries that can lead to death.

At his peak ric sweze was a world class gymnast.

"...other than hi children and me that mattered most to his life was his gymnastics.

That changed in 2017 when ric visited a trampoline park in virginia with his husband, nick scandalios, and their twins.

Nick says ric was jumping on the trampoline when he came down wrong on his foot, stumbled and hit his head against a thinly padded wall.

11:46:25;20/nick scandalios the c2 vertebra cracked, constricted his airway and his blood flow, paralyzed him..

He was over 90% brain dead.

11:46:47;13 meg "within thre minutes you lost the love of your life."

11:46:53;03 nick "yup i watched the lights go out in his eyes.

In response to the deaths and injuries, the international association of trampoline parks told us "there are park that do not adhere to industry technical standards, and do not operate with safety at the forefront of their agendas."

The group will launch an initiative this summer to require third party inspections to ensure the safest experience possible.

Meg oliver, cbs news, new york yoga has received a lot of national attention because of the benefits for the mind and body.

Now... two women are bringing their expertise to classrooms in hopes of creating mindful kindergarteners .

Darla hernandez has more.

18:51:59 darla look live intro "it's about calming the min and the body teachers say that there's plenty of evidence shows that there's students are actually achieving higher scores interconnecting better with students and doing better after all after a mindful class.

Rachael 18:31:09 "at the end the say they feel calm they feel strong and they feel confident and they feel happy."

Rachael von eschenbach and mindi dugard founders of mindful u recently received a grant from phm schools to teach mindful yoga to 4 kindergarten classes at prairie vista school in granger.

Rachael "physica changes in their physical ability to attend and to focus to respond positively to mediate interpersonal relationships there's a feeling of connectedness."

Mindi says research shows that today children have more stress, depression, and anxiety.

All negatives that mindful yoga helps combat.

Mindi 18:36:40 "when there wit themselves or they're trying to take a test or they're trying to settle themselves down they'll have all those tools with them to give them for having life success."

Sara hammond says she's seen big changes in her kindergarten class& thanks to mindful yoga.

Sara "we had on of the children go down to take a test the other teacher said it was a hard test he saw her she was breathing at the computer she was doing her five finger breathing she's been doing the things that we've been teaching."

Sara says she would love for more students to have the opportunity to practice mindful yoga and be their best self.

Sara 18:39:11 they feel confident in themselves and i think it's been a great thing for them.

It takes more than lessons and homework to fix a school..first you have to clean it.

Jeff glor has the story of a school principal who did just that.

: oh my sweet lord akbar cook calls it the big room.

: whatever you guys need, we have it.

The place where he stores hundreds of donated bottles of laundry detergent, fabric softener, and dryer sheets inside west side high in newark, new jersey.

: we've been getting a lot of community service help from all around the state.

The big room was a solution to a big problem.

: my kids weren't coming to school.

Some of cooks' kids - he calls them all his babies - weren't showing up because they were wearing dirty clothes - and getting bullied.

: i think we have to put the microscope on basic needs.

Everyone wants high test scores but if the kid doesn't feel confidence in what they are, then what the heck are we doing?

: before raising the sat scores how about giving a kid clean clothes?

There you go.

Fight for that baby the way you want them to fight on that test today, west side has five commercial grade washers and dryers.

Deshon denny and briana singleton use them all the time.

: the first time when we got it i ain't gonna lie, i was scared to bring my clothes over // but i shrugged it off and asked cook can i use the laundromat?//he said, no, you good, we are about family in here.

You can bring it any time you want.

: we have a test coming up in about two weeks... principal cook, who grew up in newark, also started a program called lights áon.á he opens his school from 6 to 11 pm on fridays during the school year and three nights a week in the summer.

: 6 pm to 11 pm you're supposed to at home eating dinner, doing homework, sleeping?... that's not the case.

// my babies have to take care of their younger siblings.

Their parents are either working hard, or the parents are not there at all.

The kids use the gym, dance, and are fed warm meals.

It is a long way from what west side was just few years ago.

: students were fighting every day, getting kicked out.

: people were getting killed.

: once principal turns all that around?

: yes.// cook made a big impact on west side.

Good morning mr. cook!

Good morning, how you doing?

It might seem hard to believe that one person could clean up a school - and a whole neighborhood.

But in newark, the proof is right here - in the principal.

This is selfless work we do.

No on goes into education thinking they are going to get rich.

You're not getting a medal the end of the day?

No, sir.

But i have a gold medal around my heart from the love the kids give back to me and the fact that this community is taking it one step further.

Oh, you're giving me goosebumps jeff& history comes to life again in columbus.

We take you to tales from crypt st lt we just last week the family of army staff sergeant travis atkins was presented the medal of honor, on his behalf.

Sergeant atkins died-- so other soldiers could live.

David martin tells his story.

3 it was the first of june 12 years ago that staff sgt travis atkins called from iraq to tell his parents he was about to take his men out on a mission elaine: he did say that he was sorry he had forgotten to get something in the mail for me for mother's day.

Just hours later army officers arrived to tell them their son was dead..

Elaine: after we spoke to the chaplain // i went to the mailbox and there was a little package from travis with a mother's day card for me and a father's day card for jack.

// the card said "thanks fo everything" and it just brought it home.

It was only when they met with sand aijo and other soldiers in atkins' unit that they found out how he died.

Aijo: he had definitely sacrificed himself so that we could live.

Aijo was the machine gunner in their humvee and he watched as atkins and the team's medic got out to search two men they suspected of planting roadside bombs.

Aijo: that's when travis began to actually engage in a form of hand to hand combat with this man.

.

Travis bear hugged the man, lifted him off the ground and slammed him down.

Aijo didn't realize it yet but the man had pulled the pin on a grenade to detonate a suicide vest.

Atkins was wrestling himself into position to shield his men from the blast.

Martin: you were there.

// you're alive today because of him.

Aijo: i am yes sir.

Martin: what did it mean to you when you found out he was going to receive the medal?

Aijo: it was good to see that there was a grateful nation that was as thankful as i was for the sacrifice he made for me and others.

His father, a vietnam vet, says none of that surprised him because he had talked to his son about being a soldier.

Jack: we talked about the responsibility // of what you owe to people who are serving under you, and what you need to do to // protect them.

The medal was presented to atkins' son trevor oliver, who was ten when his father died.

It is, of course, this nation's highest honor but perhaps not travis atkins' greatest achievement.

Jack: the real reward is what your men think of you.

That was on full display when those who served with him -- privates to colonels -- were asked to stand.

Dm, cbs news, washington for 29 years, the tales from the crypt performances have been a part of the columbus pilgrimage.

Our cash matlock stopped by for the opening night performance at friendship cemetery.

Dozens of people made their way to the friendship cemetery in columbus friday night to experience the annual mississippi school of mathematics and science's tales from the crypt.

"it think it's a fantastic idea t have younger people investigate the lives of the people that have lived in this town."

The performance is the final result of months of work for the ms students.

"in the fall semester, they d primary document research and develop their writing skills and research skills.

We want them to get that out of the project.

Then, in the springtime, we turn it into a performance.

So every student here is developing the skills of performance and public speaking and also we think our students are learning a lot about community service."

"it's one of the most uniqu classes we're ever going to take.

There aren't very many things that rely both on researching, writing, and performing all in one."

But the students aren't the only ones learning a lesson about history..

"i really hope they take awa that history isn't dead.

We're in a graveyard, but everything that these people went through even as long ago as it was, it's still kind of happening."

"people can hopefully lear about history and maybe teach something moral about what people of the time might have went through."

Those in attendance say they hope other communities and schools will adopt similar projects.

"i think they'll find out ho lives were lived differently and i think they will pick up some things from that and it will be helpful for them."

"people have stories that ar worth being told and i think they'll value people more as a result of that experience."

You can catch the "tales fro the crypt" performance wednesday and friday nights this week.

Tours begin at 7pm.

Finding your happy place.

A college professor believes he's found the key.

That story next.

Evy da e every day, ellen degeneres closes her show here on wcbi by saying - be kind to one another.

Looks like she is onto something.

If you are feeling blue, try saying nice things to other people.

Not only can your kind words cheer others up, you may also feel better.

Stephanie angleson reports.

Happiness.... everyone wants it.

But do any of us really ... truly... know how to get it.

Dr. doug gentile/professor of psychology "people walk around being s anxious a lot of the time.and we come up with a lot of strategies on how to work with that.

The problem is all of our best strategizing is what got us into the problem in the first place."

.

Dr. gentile and his team of researchers set out to see if some simple behaviors could really change your mood.

They enlisted the help of 500 isu students and asked them each to walk around the halls of buildings for 12 minutes.

But there was more to this...a little homework if you will.

They each had to do something extra while they walked.

Dr. doug gentile/professo r of psychology we gave them randomly assigned one of these conditions they either went out and wished each other well.

They thought about how they were connected to each other.

Thought about how they might be better off than others or just looked at fashion."

When the students checked back in, they had some surprising results.

The students who wished other people well, felt better.

A lot better.

Dr. doug gentile/professo r of psychology "for me th biggest surprise for me was that we could see this effect in such a short amount of time.

Just 10 or 12 minutes of walking around doing this, changed their mood and lessened their anxiety.

Changed their perception of social connection."

Could it really be this simple?

Dr. gentile says yes....it is that simple.

The better question may be...will it be easy for people to put into action?

Perhaps not.

Dr. doug gentile/professo r of psychology "because its s easy for us to get caught by our own thoughts.

Jump on that train of thought and ride it wherever its going.

Rather than actually paying attention to the people around us and this is one of the benefits of a mindfulness practice.

It helps us breakourt of our thinking and pay attention to what's really happening what am i doing in this moment."

But don't let that discourage you.

While it may take effort at first...dr. gentile says this is one quick fix you can believe in.

And you may be on your way to more happiness...in just 12 minutes."

We'll be right back to wrap thatnd m that and more on the next