Latest / WIXN AM 1460 - Shaw Local Radio / Sinnissippi Center's Andy Jackson

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Sinnissippi Center's Andy Jackson · WIXN AM 1460 - Shaw Local Radio

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  Speaker 1: Good morning, Sock Valley. You've joined the Waking crew here
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  Speaker 1: on FM ninety five one and AM fourteen sixty w
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  Speaker 1: I x N. It is roughly just about eight fifteen
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  Speaker 1: now on your Thursday, December eighteenth morning, and that means
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  Speaker 1: it's time for talk line. And I'm joined today by
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  Speaker 1: our good friend Andy Jackson from the Sinneesippi Centers. Andy,
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  Speaker 1: how are you?
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  Speaker 2: Oh good?
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  Speaker 1: Braving the fog and the mist that is descended.
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  Speaker 2: Upon us little thickened spots. Yeah, yeah, still yet.
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  Speaker 1: I was doing my drive and seeing maybe about a
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  Speaker 1: foot in front of me, and I'm just glad that
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  Speaker 1: I've memorized the drive home because there's more than a
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  Speaker 1: few times where you're like, oh my god.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah it was. It's still pretty thick out there,
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  Speaker 2: so it's gonna take maybe a little extra time to
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  Speaker 2: get where you're going.
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  Speaker 1: Well, folks, stay safe out there. Holidays Christmas is approaching
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  Speaker 1: and for so many places, including Sineesippi Centers, that means
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  Speaker 1: holiday office hours and enclosures.
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  Speaker 2: Right, yes, yeah, our office will be closed for the
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  Speaker 2: Christmas holiday starting at noon on December twenty fourth, and
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  Speaker 2: then closed all day Thursday, December twenty fifth, and Friday,
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  Speaker 2: December twenty six, open up again on Monday, and then
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  Speaker 2: again we close for the New Year's holidays on Thursday,
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  Speaker 2: January first and Friday January second, and then open again
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  Speaker 2: on that following Monday, the fifth. However, we always have
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  Speaker 2: staff on call for those in crisis. It doesn't matter
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  Speaker 2: whether it's a holiday, middle of the night, weekend. Our
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  Speaker 2: crisis number twenty four hours is eight hundred and two
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  Speaker 2: four two seven and six four to two. There you
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  Speaker 2: have it.
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  Speaker 1: Remember those hours if you need to get a hold
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  Speaker 1: of them ahead of time or making plans for after
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  Speaker 1: the holidays, Now might be a good time to do that.
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  Speaker 1: Another important thing, and you know, I think maybe we
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  Speaker 1: don't always associate this with December is National Impaired Driving
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  Speaker 1: Prevention Awareness Month. Well I got that all out in
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  Speaker 1: one breath.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah. During the holidays, traditionally there are celebrations with family, friends,
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  Speaker 2: office parties, coworkers, other activities, and of course then traveling
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  Speaker 2: preases on our roadway starting all the way back to
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  Speaker 2: you know, Thanksgiving. So unfortunately, though, traffic related deaths spike
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  Speaker 2: between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, so and one of
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  Speaker 2: those is one of the causes. One of the major
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  Speaker 2: causes is in pair driving. So that's why December is
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  Speaker 2: designated National impair Driving Prevention Awareness Month. Yeah.
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  Speaker 1: You know, folks say we love holiday celebrations and and
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  Speaker 1: I'm not blaming these entirely, but you know, festive, good
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  Speaker 1: times of the year, holiday gatherings. You know, sometimes themes
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  Speaker 1: out at the bar may maybe go easy on the
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  Speaker 1: egg on the spiked eggnog, and you know, get a
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  Speaker 1: someone to drive for you.
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  Speaker 2: Sure, yeah, and that always have a plan. I know
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  Speaker 2: we like to be spontaneous when we're having fun, but
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  Speaker 2: the big thing is getting home safely. And so whatever
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  Speaker 2: that plan is, whether you have a designated driver, whether
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  Speaker 2: you're going to stay at a friend's overnight if you're
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  Speaker 2: far enough away, getting a hotel room for the night,
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  Speaker 2: calling a cab uber if it's if you have it there,
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  Speaker 2: or a lift if you have it there, whatever it is,
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  Speaker 2: you know, make that plan and then work that plan
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  Speaker 2: and come home safe. That's the big gift of the
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  Speaker 2: holiday season. And if you get in that situation, it's uncomfortable.
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  Speaker 2: But if a friend is going to drive impaired, make
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  Speaker 2: sure you do what you can to keep them safe.
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  Speaker 2: That confrontation isn't fun to try to take those keys,
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  Speaker 2: But you know the alternative that could happen is much worse.
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  Speaker 1: Yes, yes, perhaps a lifetime of regret and your friend
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  Speaker 1: wishing you absolutely had. And I think it's an important
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  Speaker 1: part to think about too, is that it's not just
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  Speaker 1: about being so so drunk to the point that you
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  Speaker 1: can't walk. Even small amounts of alcohol can impair your driving, right.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, actually there's no nothing magical happens at point eight
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  Speaker 2: blood alcohol concentration the legal limit here in Illinois for
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  Speaker 2: being under the influence driving under the influence. About fifteen
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  Speaker 2: to twenty percent of people were killed in alcohol related
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  Speaker 2: crashes where a driver had a blood alcohol concentration under
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  Speaker 2: that point oh one to point oh seven. So the
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  Speaker 2: impairment begins immediately. It just starts. You know, the more
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  Speaker 2: the more you consume alcohol, the more it will ramp up.
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  Speaker 2: And uh so, but yeah, it doesn't matter how much.
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  Speaker 2: And then a lot of times there's other distractions too
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  Speaker 2: that will combine with that, or a lot of people
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  Speaker 2: a lot of crashes are drugs mixed with alcohol, and
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  Speaker 2: then maybe texting and driving or convert you know, other distractions.
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  Speaker 2: So always always keep that in mind. Yeah, it's it's
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  Speaker 2: always a dangerous mix. Then you you add in winter weather,
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  Speaker 2: ice patches, you know, foggy conditions like we have this morning.
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  Speaker 2: You know, our winters have been milder this this, I mean,
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  Speaker 2: we haven't seen any more snow since the couple of snowstorms.
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  Speaker 2: But uh, yeah, the it's maybe we've forgotten a little
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  Speaker 2: bit how to drive. We've been kind of spoild. We
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  Speaker 2: haven't had that much wintry weather the past two, three, four,
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  Speaker 2: five years, even maybe.
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  Speaker 1: We really haven't. But I absolutely agree with you. It
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  Speaker 1: feels like the first week or month, and maybe even
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  Speaker 1: sometimes stretching into now, people do forget. And we're from
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  Speaker 1: the Midwest, from crying out loud, we shouldn't be forgetting
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  Speaker 1: that quick.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I remember the getting a little off topic, but
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  Speaker 2: I remember the pictures from those seventies blizzards where the
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  Speaker 2: snow had piled up way high, even though the roads
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  Speaker 2: got plowed eventually.
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  Speaker 1: But yeah, we're looking at almost fifty degrees if it
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  Speaker 1: stays on track, and I don't think it's going to
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  Speaker 1: spike down sure for our Christmas this year.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, so that's thrown into the mix as well. And
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  Speaker 2: then you know a couple of other things though. Marijuana users,
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  Speaker 2: by the way, they shouldn't fail to mention this, are
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  Speaker 2: about twenty five percent more likely to be involved in
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  Speaker 2: a crash in drivers with no evidence of marijuana use.
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  Speaker 2: I think that's an important one too to talk about,
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  Speaker 2: but it is. It's you know, every year, around ten
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  Speaker 2: to fifteen thousand people are killed in alcohol impair driving crashes.
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  Speaker 2: That's nearly thirty three percent of all traffic related deaths
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  Speaker 2: in the United States. So that is very significant. Yeah,
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  Speaker 2: and a little bit on a younger age group twenty
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  Speaker 2: one to twenty four, they have the highest percentage of
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  Speaker 2: alcohol impaired drivers involved in fatal traffic crashes, about twenty
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  Speaker 2: nine percent.
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  Speaker 1: So yeah, that would seem to me that would make
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  Speaker 1: track in sense, right. This is that age group who's
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  Speaker 1: either just earned the right to legally go drink, or
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  Speaker 1: in their first few years of it, a lot of
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  Speaker 1: them experimenting with heading to the bars or having parties
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  Speaker 1: you know, at their home, where the focus for whatever
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  Speaker 1: reason seems to be on drinking as much as you
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  Speaker 1: can rather than just you know, enjoying a few livations
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  Speaker 1: and uh and having a good time and being safe.
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  Speaker 1: So it's it's not to put a damper on the season.
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  Speaker 1: It's to keep the season bright by keeping people safe
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  Speaker 1: and alive.
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  Speaker 2: Right, come, like they say in the old I'm really
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  Speaker 2: dating myself now, just just just be safe out there.
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  Speaker 2: Hill Street, Hill Street Blues, the television show Hill Street Blues,
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  Speaker 2: didn't they always They always started that show where they
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  Speaker 2: were in a briefing or something, right, and they and
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  Speaker 2: then you tell them before the before the police went out,
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  Speaker 2: let's be let's be let's be careful out there or
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  Speaker 2: something like that.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, no, absolutely, but I mean it's it's a
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  Speaker 1: good point to mention. So so what can you know,
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  Speaker 1: what are some of the things folks can do to
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  Speaker 1: help prevent those who are impaired from driving?
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  Speaker 2: Andy, just have that conversation. If if you're trying to
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  Speaker 2: prevent a friend from driving impaired, like I said before,
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  Speaker 2: have that which is usually going to be probably a stressful,
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  Speaker 2: uncomfortable confrontation of taking the keys and doing whatever you
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  Speaker 2: need to do to get them home safe, whether you're
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  Speaker 2: calling them a cab or you can drive them home
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  Speaker 2: and help them get their car, you know later in
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  Speaker 2: the day. I think getting them a hotel room something
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  Speaker 2: like that. Whatever you can. It's going to be different
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  Speaker 2: in every situation, but do what you can to keep
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  Speaker 2: them safe rather than let them drive home. Absolutely.
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  Speaker 1: Moving into the into the new year, do you have
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  Speaker 1: Sinissippie Centers have any focus or any any big things
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  Speaker 1: coming up?
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  Speaker 2: Oh? I mean, yeah, there's always something. There's always something
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  Speaker 2: going on a little on the spot. We'll talk about
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  Speaker 2: that more, maybe in next month and beyond. I know
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  Speaker 2: that one of the biggest things isn't necessarily it's ongoing
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  Speaker 2: right now, is a conversion to a new electronic health
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  Speaker 2: record and to better serve clients. So that's been a
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  Speaker 2: big process for us, and that's kind of been taking
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  Speaker 2: up a lot of time and things like that. But
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  Speaker 2: there are some things on the horizon that we'll talk about.
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  Speaker 2: The agency still is still seeing growth and we're still
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  Speaker 2: trying to adapt to that growth. And I'll just say
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  Speaker 2: I'll just leave that one there right now and put
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  Speaker 2: a pin and we'll talk probably a little bit more
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  Speaker 2: about it in coming months January February, maybe a little
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  Speaker 2: bit further down the road. But yeah, much like you know,
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  Speaker 2: we just opened our Byron office this in twenty twenty five,
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  Speaker 2: so that was part of the growth that we've been
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  Speaker 2: responding to, so more of that might be on the horizon.
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  Speaker 2: So just leave it there, a little little, a little,
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  Speaker 2: a little hints and teases, and we'll leave it there.
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  Speaker 1: I love those breadcrumbs, sand and Jackson here. We'll have
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  Speaker 1: those post Christmas gifts for us after the new Year.
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  Speaker 1: I absolutely love that. I know this was your focus here.
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  Speaker 1: Anything else you wanted to share this morning.
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  Speaker 2: No, just you know, wish everyone happy, safe, healthy holiday season.
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  Speaker 2: And we thank everybody for their support of Sinnesippi Centers
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  Speaker 2: throughout this year and throughout the years. And uh, just
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  Speaker 2: everybody have a have a good holiday season.
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  Speaker 1: Absolutely the most that's really the most important message for
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  Speaker 1: this time of year. It's it's above all else, it's
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  Speaker 1: about family and friends.
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  Speaker 2: And it comes fast, and we talked about that and
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  Speaker 2: it comes fast and it and it goes fast, and
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  Speaker 2: uh and that has been particularly our experience this year
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  Speaker 2: because of a couple of things personal in my personal life.
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  Speaker 2: How fast the you know, Christmas is arriving and how
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  Speaker 2: fast it will be going and then the New Year
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  Speaker 2: and and the other holidays during this time, so very
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  Speaker 2: very quick.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, you know, anymore the months and God, what's seeming
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  Speaker 1: to be the years seemed to just tick off.
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  Speaker 2: Well, the older you get, the faster it goes. But boy,
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  Speaker 2: I tell you what, I.
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  Speaker 1: Know that I didn't want to say it, but you
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  Speaker 1: said it and you confirm it. Oh God, you're right though,
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  Speaker 1: that's how it goes. So it does seem so it does.
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  Speaker 1: So slow down, appreciate that and keep your family and
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  Speaker 1: friends safe. Take these tips from from Andy and enjoy
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  Speaker 1: your holidays. Andy, I thank you very much for all
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  Speaker 1: you you do for coming and delivering this important message.
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  Speaker 1: People need to be reminded about safety this type of year,
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  Speaker 1: and I hope you and your family have a happy
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  Speaker 1: holiday season.
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  Speaker 2: Well. My pleasure always to be here and thank you
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  Speaker 2: very much the same to you and your family.