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Minnesota woman leads charge on new law requiring adult changing tables in U.S. airports

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Minnesota woman leads charge on new law requiring adult changing tables in U.S. airports


MINNEAPOLIS — Linda Hood is always on the move. She’s a marathoner who has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro. 

In 2018, quadriplegia changed her body, but her will is the same — especially after she realized the basic task of using a public restroom was now alarmingingly complicated.

“We got on the floor and it was wet. It was cold. It was filthy,” Hood said. “It was awful and I looked at my husband and thought, this is disgusting.”

Babies have changing tables — why don’t kids and adults, she wondered.

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So Hood got to work, getting the first adult changing table in U.S. Bank Stadium, helping push for the first one at the Minnesota State Fair and now it’s law in Minnesota for changing tables to be in large, public new builds.

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This month, Hood set her sights on Washington to talk specifically about airport bathrooms.

“All I could do is say, ‘When are they gonna listen? I need someone to hear me,’” she said.

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And they did. Hood says she was warmly greeted by Minnesota congressmembers Betty McCollum and Dean Philips, where she explained the experiences of friends like Prince Cole, a Minnesotan and native Liberian who wants badly to visit home more often.

“Every time I go to the airport, I get huge anxiety. My anxiety is around the bathroom” Philips said. “You have to get changed and get changed on the floor so some people would rather stay at home than go through that, a humiliating experience.”

So Hood fought back against the norm and the Senate passed the bill. It’s soon to be law to have adult changing tables in U.S. airports.

“I got results and if I could have jumped out of this chair and jumped to the moon, I would have done it,” Hood said. “I had that much energy and that much joy. I was elated. It made me feel so good and I Just wanted to hug everyone in Washington and say, ‘Well done, good and faithful servants.’”

“When I found out the change was coming, I was like, ‘Thank God for Linda,’” Philips said.

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Because there’s no mountain Hood can’t climb.

The Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport already has two adult changing tables — one in Concourse D and the other near baggage claim.

Hood’s next mission is to broaden federal law and she is prompting the Olympic Committee to have adult changing tables at their venues. 

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Minnesota

Minnesota Wild regular season schedule released

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Minnesota Wild regular season schedule released


On Tuesday, the National Hockey League released its schedules for the upcoming season.

The Minnesota Wild will start the season at home on Oct. 10, taking on the Columbus Blue Jackets. They will then play another home game against Seattle on Oct. 12. After two back-to-back games at home, the Wild will be all over the place for the next three weeks, playing seven away matches before returning to the land of 10,000 lakes.

That will be the Wild’s longest stretch away from home for the entire regular season. The rest of the Wild’s 2024-25 season can be found below:

The 82-game season will conclude for the Wild on Tuesday, April 15, before postseason play begins.

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Minnesota passes new law allowing motorcyclists to split lanes

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Minnesota passes new law allowing motorcyclists to split lanes


The day’s local, regional and national news, detailed events and late-breaking stories are presented by the ABC 6 News Team, along with the latest sports, weather updates including the extended forecast.

(ABC 6 News) — A new law has passed in Minnesota allowing motorcyclists to split lanes, but it won’t go into effect until next July.

The law is similar to those in other states that allow motorcyclists to ride slowly between lanes in stopped or bumper-to-bumper traffic.

When the law does go into effect, Minnesota will be among at least half a dozen states allowing lane splitting.

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Teen vaping nicotine dependence increasing in Minnesota: Survey data

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Teen vaping nicotine dependence increasing in Minnesota: Survey data


Minnesota teenagers have increasingly found themselves dependent on nicotine, thanks in part to the rise in popularity of vaping, a new study has found.

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According to data from the Minnesota Youth Tobacco Survey, 70% of students who vape say they want to quit, and nearly two-thirds have tried to quit in the past.

Meanwhile, 79.6% of surveyed students who use e-cigarettes, or vapes, reported suffering dependence on the devices, which can provide high levels of nicotine and lead to stronger withdrawal symptoms such as mood fluctuations, stress, anxiety and depression.

“It’s a dire situation that so many of our teens are struggling with the health harms of nicotine dependence,” Minnesota Commissioner of Health Dr. Brooke Cunningham said in a statement accompanying the data. “Many teens may smoke or vape because they think it helps them relieve stress or anxiety, but the nicotine can actually worsen those feelings. We want teens to know that we understand the mental health challenges they may be facing and how hard it is to quit, and that free help is out there to support them.”

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The Minnesota Youth Tobacco Survey data show that among students who vaped in the past 30 days, 49.5% vaped at least 20 in the past 30 days – a 47% increase since 2020, and a 165% increase since 2017.

Until age 25, nicotine can negatively affect learning, attention and memory. It also increases risk for addiction to other substances, the study says.

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A majority of teens surveyed – 76.3% – reported their first tobacco product was flavored. In 2023, 93.3% of students who vape used a flavored vape in the past 30 days.

However, data show that overall vaping usage numbers could be declining.

In 2023, 13.9% of high school students reported vaping in the past 30 days – a decline from 19.3% in 2020.

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The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) offers the My Life, My Quit program to support teens in quitting commercial tobacco use, including vaping, by texting “Start My Quit” to 36072. 



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