Latest news with #GirlScoutsoftheUSA
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails names new CEO
Mar. 20—Celia Tellez spent her childhood days as a Girl Scout in New Mexico, building leadership skills and selling cookies to her neighbors in Old Town. On March 31, Tellez will take over as the next CEO of Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails. "My vision for this is to expand the inclusivity and the belonging of what we do," Tellez told the Journal. "I want to reach more girls and be able to create a larger community of collaboration and belonging and foster those leadership skills so that girls don't stop pursuing math, don't stop pursuing engineering or whatever leadership role they want." Tellez previously served as vice president of program strategy and development, national partnerships and council program operations for Girl Scouts of the USA. Before her work at the national level, Tellez served as chief of programs and community engagement at Girl Scouts of Central Texas, following a stint running her own business in Austin, Texas. Tellez brings more than 25 years of nonprofit management experience to the role. "Celia's leadership, strategic mindset and passion for empowering young women make her the perfect leader for this moment," said Marti Fourier-Revo, board chair of Girl Scouts of New Mexico Trails. "Her deep roots in New Mexico and extensive Girl Scout experience will be instrumental in strengthening our programs, expanding community partnerships, and ensuring long-term financial sustainability." Tellez attended the University of New Mexico, receiving bachelor's degrees in economics and Spanish. She said she is ready to build up the skills and confidence of girls in New Mexico. "This is my dream job," Tellez said. "I had experiences here as a Girl Scout and I have all this experience professionally as a Girl Scout and I want to make an impact in the community I grew up in."
Chicago Tribune
12-03-2025
- Chicago Tribune
Today in History: Nazi Germany annexes Austria
Today is Wednesday, March 12, the 71st day of 2025. There are 294 days left in the year. Today in history: On March 12, 1938, Nazi Germany annexed Austria, as German troops crossed the border into the country. Also on this date: In 1912, the Girl Scouts of the USA had its beginnings as Juliette Gordon Low of Savannah, Georgia, founded the first American troop of the Girl Guides. In 1928, the St. Francis Dam north of Los Angeles, California failed, sending over 12 billion gallons of water into San Francisquito Canyon and killing over 400 people. In 1930, Mohandas Gandhi began his 24-day, 240 mile (387 kilometer) 'Salt March' to the Indian village of Dandi (then called Navsari) as an act of non-violent civil disobedience to protest the salt tax levied by colonial Britain. In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered the first of his 'fireside chats,' a series of evening radio broadcasts to the American public. In 1947, President Harry S. Truman announced what became known as the 'Truman Doctrine' to help Greece and Turkey resist Communism during the Cold War. In 1980, a Chicago jury found John Wayne Gacy Jr. guilty of the murders of 33 men and boys. (The next day, Gacy was sentenced to death; he was executed in May 1994.) In 2003, Elizabeth Smart, the 15-year-old girl who vanished from her bedroom nine months earlier, was found alive in a Salt Lake City suburb with two drifters, Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee. (Mitchell is serving a life sentence for kidnapping Smart; Barzee was released from prison in September 2018.) In 2009, disgraced financier Bernard Madoff pleaded guilty in New York to the largest Ponzi scheme in history, having defrauded his clients of nearly $65 billion; he would later be sentenced to 150 years behind bars. (Madoff died in prison in April 2021.) In 2021, the city of Minneapolis agreed to pay $27 million to settle a civil lawsuit from George Floyd's family over Floyd's murder by police. Today's Birthdays: Politician and civil rights activist Andrew Young is 93. Actor Barbara Feldon is 92. Actor-singer Liza Minnelli is 79. Politician Mitt Romney is 78. Singer-songwriter James Taylor is 77. Author Carl Hiaasen is 72. Actor Lesley Manville is 69. Singer Marlon Jackson (The Jackson Five) is 68. Actor Courtney B. Vance is 65. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., is 57. Actor Aaron Eckhart is 57. TV journalist Jake Tapper is 56. Actor Jaimie Alexander is 41.
Boston Globe
12-03-2025
- General
- Boston Globe
Today in History: March 12, Gandhi begins ‘Salt March'
In 1912, mill owners in Lawrence ended what was known as 'Bread and Roses'' strike, restoring much of the pay cuts to their low wage workers after congressional hearings exposed brutal factory conditions. In 1912, the Girl Scouts of the USA had its beginnings as Juliette Gordon Low of Savannah, Ga., founded the first American troop of the Girl Guides. Advertisement In 1928, the St. Francis Dam north of Los Angeles failed, sending 12 billion gallons of water into San Francisquito Canyon and killing over 400 people. In 1930, Mohandas Gandhi began his 24-day, 240 mile 'Salt March,' to the Indian village of Dandi, as an act of non-violent civil disobedience to protest the salt tax levied by colonial Britain. In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered the first of his 'fireside chats,' a series of evening radio broadcasts to the American public. In 1938, Nazi Germany annexed Austria, as German troops crossed the border. In 1947, President Truman announced what became known as the 'Truman Doctrine' to help Greece and Turkey resist Communism during the Cold War. In 1980, a Chicago jury found John Wayne Gacy Jr. guilty of the murders of 33 men and boys. (He was executed in May 1994.) In 2003, Elizabeth Smart, a girl who vanished from her bedroom nine months earlier, was found alive in a Salt Lake City suburb with two drifters, Brian David Mitchell and Wanda Barzee. (Mitchell is serving a life sentence for kidnapping; Barzee was released from prison in 2018.) Advertisement In 2020, with COVID-19 cases rising, the Boston Marathon was postponed for the firs time in its history.
USA Today
01-03-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Girl Scouts hit back after Joe Rogan calls their cookies 'toxic' on his podcast
The Girl Scouts are refuting a recent claim by Joe Rogan that its cookies are toxic, a statement he recently made on his popular podcast. Rogan cited a flawed study by Moms Across America that found that all Girl Scout cookies contain toxic metals. On his podcast Monday, he called the cookies "toxic as (expletive)." In a statement to USA TODAY on Friday, a Girl Scouts of the USA spokesperson said that "the health and safety of our customers is our top priority. "All Girl Scout Cookies are produced by our trusted licensed bakers, who are leaders in their industry and adhere to rigorous food safety standards set by the FDA and other relevant authorities," they said. "When you buy Girl Scout Cookies, proceeds stay local, every purchase of Girl Scout Cookies supports local troops in your community." Here is what to know about the study and what Girl Scouts of the USA said concerning its findings. Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle. What did the study find? Moms Across America conducted the study in partnership with GMOScience and released it on Dec. 30, calling the results "extremely concerning." "The sale of cookies containing potentially toxic ingredients raises profound ethical and public health concerns," the group said. "It is imperative for the Girl Scouts organization to confront this issue by addressing critical questions regarding their capacity and willingness to reformulate these products to ensure consumer safety." The group said that 100% of the cookies tested contained at least four out of five heavy and toxic metals — including aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury. They also said all of the 13 types of 25 cookies tested from three states (California, Iowa, and Louisiana) were positive for high levels of glyphosate, an herbicide typically used to kill weeds. The study, which wasn't published in a scientific journal, was not peer-reviewed and used a small sample size "that doesn't necessarily reflect contamination levels nationwide," Forbes reported. Additionally, Forbes noted that the findings of heavy metals and glyphosate were not compared to FDA food safety standards but rather water safety limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency, "which aren't applicable to food and can make results sound more alarming than they are." Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture allow pesticides and metals in residual amounts "at levels deemed non-harmful," and the agencies test products for safety on a regular basis, Forbes reported. What is Moms Across America suggesting Girls Scouts do? Moms Across America is calling on the Girl Scouts to: Inform their suppliers that they will only be sourcing wheat and ingredients that are not sprayed with glyphosate and other harmful drying agents starting in 2026. Source non-GMO ingredients starting in 2026. Require their suppliers to conduct batch testing for pesticides, including herbicides such as glyphosate and heavy metals, in orders made in 2025. Remove seed oils and substitute for coconut oil, organic butter, or organic unscented tallow in 2026. Start a 2025 program to support Girl Scouts to be champions for regenerative organic farming practices. Girl Scouts addresses allegations of 'toxic' cookies Girl Scouts of the USA addressed the study in a blog post earlier this month, in which it said the organization's cookies "are made with ingredients that adhere to food safety standards set by the FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) and other relevant authorities." "As a result, Girl Scout Cookies are safe to consume and are manufactured in accordance with all food safety regulations," the organization said in the blog post. The Girl Scouts also tried adding context to the study's claims, including explaining how heavy metals are environmental contaminants appearing naturally in soil, therefore all foods using plant-based ingredients may contain trace amounts. This does not mean the foods are harmful to consume, the organization added. In addition to being found in soil, small amounts of heavy metals can be spotted naturally in the environment, including in food products, due to air, water, and soil exposure, according to the Girl Scouts. Regarding glyphosate, the organization said the herbicide is "found nearly everywhere in the food chain," with trace amounts of it being found in fresh fruits, vegetables, cereals, baked goods, and other food and beverage commodities. "Our bakers have confirmed that the levels reported do not pose a food safety concern to our customers," the Girls Scouts said.
Fox News
27-02-2025
- Health
- Fox News
Girl Scouts defends cookies amid 'toxic' concerns in ongoing controversy over ingredients
The Girl Scouts of the USA is responding to recent claims that its cookies contain "toxic" metals and other potentially harmful ingredients. A study by the nonprofit group Moms Across America, in partnership with GMOScience, claimed that Girl Scout cookies were tested for contaminants and found to contain traces of toxic metals and glyphosate, which is a herbicide commonly used to kill weeds. Joe Rogan on Monday referenced the report on his podcast, calling the cookies "toxic as [expletive]." A spokesperson for the Girl Scouts of the USA told Fox News Digital this week, however, that its cookies are safe and meet all U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards. "The health and safety of our customers is our top priority," the Girl Scouts, headquartered in New York City, told Fox News Digital in a statement. "All Girl Scout cookies are produced by our trusted licensed bakers, who are leaders in their industry and adhere to rigorous food safety standards set by the FDA and other relevant authorities," the group also said. The study revealed that 22 of 25 cookie samples tested positive for all five metals – aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury, according to Moms Across America. The Girl Scouts of the USA issued a response to the report. Thin Mints were found to contain the highest level of glyphosate — while Peanut Butter Patties had the highest level of toxic metals, Moms Across America claimed. In a Feb. 6 post on its official blog, the Girl Scouts of the USA issued a response to the report. "Rest assured: Girl Scout cookies are safe to consume," it said. The Girl Scouts went on to claim that environmental contaminants, which can include heavy metals, "can occur naturally in soil." "This means that nearly all foods using plant-based ingredients, including organic foods, may contain trace amounts," according to the blog. "This does not mean that these foods are harmful to consume." The Girl Scouts also said that glyphosate "is found nearly everywhere in the food chain." "Trace amounts of glyphosate can be found in fresh fruits, vegetables, cereals, baked goods, and other food and beverage commodities," the blog said. "Similarly, small amounts of heavy metals can be found naturally in the environment, including in food products, due to air, water and soil exposure. These metals are not added to our Girl Scout cookies." The Girl Scouts said its bakers "confirmed that the levels reported do not pose a food safety concern to our customers." A "questions and answers" page about glyphosate found on the FDA's website provides more details about the use of the herbicide on certain crops. "Certain trace amounts of pesticides, or pesticide chemical residues, may remain in or on some crops after they're harvested," the FDA said. "The FDA's role is to ensure that pesticide chemical residues on or in domestic and imported foods do not exceed the limits established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)." The EPA "has established tolerances for glyphosate on a wide range of human and animal food crops, including corn, soybean, oil seeds, grains, and some fruits and vegetables." "According to the EPA, glyphosate has a low toxicity for people." Several social media posts incorrectly suggested that Girl Scout cookies had been recalled. The Girl Scouts of the USA has been around since 1912. The first recorded sales of cookies to fund troop activities was in 1917. Today's debate and concern about ingredients in many common foods comes as the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement gains steam with the confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of Health & Human Services.
