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Letter To The Editor: Parents of Young People in Edwardsville District 7 Need To Be Aware Of Plan To Install One All-Gender Restroom

1 year 8 months ago
Letter to the Editor: Parents of young people in Edwardsville District 7 should be aware of plans to remove two traditional “single sex” bathrooms at Edwardsville High School – to be replaced with one “all gender” bathroom – to be used by both boys and girls – with 22 toilets, but no urinals. On Monday, as an Edwardsville taxpayer, I attended a school board “work session” at Liberty Middle School. An architect showed plans to the board and superintendent, with citizens able to listen and watch the discussion. The legislation that allows “multiple-occupancy, all-gender” bathrooms for schools was introduced by Rep. Katie Stuart (D – Edwardsville) and this legislation was signed into law by Gov. Pritzker in August 2023. Rep. Stuart is a math teacher by profession, and her husband, Dr. Steve Stuart, is the principal at Edwardsville High School. The presentation mentioned Loudoun County, Va. and St. Paul, Minn.

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Missouri Children’s Division head sees progress on St. Louis abuse and neglect case backlog

1 year 8 months ago
The leader of Missouri’s agency responsible for investigating child abuse and neglect says its St. Louis office is making progress in eliminating a massive case backlog. Last year, St. Louis Public Radio reported on the troubles in the Children’s Division office in St. Louis, which serves the city and St. Louis County. A combination of high turnover and inability to hire people created a backlog of 6,124 cases of abuse or neglect allegations that remained open after 45 days. And the staff’s 16 investigators had an average caseload of 150 — when federal guidelines say it should be closer to 10 to 12. In a wide-ranging interview on Wednesday, Children’s Division Director Darrell Missey said that increased hiring should play a major role in eliminating overdue cases over the next few months. Missey said the agency is close to reaching its goal of having 60 investigators to look into abuse and neglect claims in St. Louis and St. Louis County.

Durbin, Braun Urge FDA To Crack Down On Misleading Social Media Ads That Promote Prescription Drugs

1 year 8 months ago
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) and U.S. Senator Mike Braun (R-IN) urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to take swift action to update its enforcement tools to reflect the current social media platforms and tactics used to promote prescription drugs, and to prioritize the protection of children from harmful and inaccurate medical advice. With the dramatic rise in social media use—especially among youth—there has been an alarming proliferation of dangerous and misleading content promoting prescription drugs. The bipartisan pairing of Senators request answers from FDA on their actions to crack down on these targeted ads by March 27, 2024. The Senators wrote, “Studies show that patients are more likely to ask their provider for a particular medication and to receive a prescription if the patient has seen a direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertisement for the drug. This can inflate demand for medications that may not be clinically

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1st Riverbend Wellness Festival to Encourage Holistic Wellness with Local Appeal

1 year 8 months ago
ALTON - According to organizers, the inaugural Riverbend Wellness Festival is “for the Riverbend and by the Riverbend.” Scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 2, 2024, the festival will include over 30 vendors, 10 keynote speakers and several workshops that promote mental, physical and spiritual wellness. The festival, located at Milton Schoolhouse in Alton, encourages attendees to connect with local resources and learn about ways to take a holistic approach to wellness. “We really wanted people to be able to come and find their people, find their community,” Beth Ahlin said. “We tried to be as well-rounded as possible with the speakers and the vendors so people could shop and do some self-care that day as well as meet people that could help them on their wellness journey. And we wanted to appeal to everybody. Families, individuals, couples, it doesn’t matter. Everybody’s welcome.” Ahlin, who owns CE Ahlin Counseling

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UFL unveils official league football

1 year 8 months ago
The United Football League is getting ready to start its first season, and you can't play football without the ball. On Thursday morning, they unveiled the official league football and we already have one right here to show.
Ty Hawkins