Latest news with #SB100
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
MCHS promotes student leadership with Cougar Council
McLean County High School (MCHS) is focusing on preventing student alcohol, nicotine and drug use through a student leadership organization called the Cougar Council. Led by Leandra Keister, the McLean County Public School (MCPS) community education director, and Becky Tanner, the high school's Youth Services Center coordinator, the Cougar Council recruits students who display leadership skills for membership in the organization. 'Sometimes we operate on an invitation-only basis but sometimes we open up applications to students that want to participate in Cougar Council,' said Keister. 'We try to select members to represent all areas of student life like athletes, band members and ROTC participants.' Cougar Council, according to Keister and Tanner, focuses on alcohol and substance abuse prevention at the high school. 'Other schools might have similar clubs or programs, but we're always getting recognized at events and conferences for being leaders with the Cougar Council, along with Webster County,' Keister said. The club has existed since before Tanner took the position as Youth Services Center coordinator at MCHS, but Keister said that, like many clubs and organizations, Cougar Council had to revamp following the COVID-19 pandemic. Student members of the Cougar Council help to design events and activities surrounding October's Red Ribbon Week and dress-up dates during prom week to help promote the abstinence of alcohol, nicotine or drugs during the prom festivities. 'Some of our students were also able to attend a workshop about grant writing,' Keister said. 'Their grant application finished third in the state and it focused around creating 'Quit Kits'.' A Quit Kit is a collection of items and resources that are passed out to individuals in the community who are seeking a means to help with smoking cessation. 'I love that we've been able to help members of the community with the Quit Kits,' said sophomore Cougar Council member Mason Howard. 'Being a part of helping someone make a positive change has been rewarding.' Keister said that club members were also able to meet with members of the Kentucky state Congress to discuss SB 100, a bill to help with keeping vaping devices out of the hands of minors. 'I enjoyed being a part of the Frankfort trip. 'It was great to see how we could make a difference as students,' said Howard. 'And the students recently received word that the bill had passed,' Keister said. 'So it was neat for them to be able to see that they can make a difference in the state.' Keister said members of the Cougar Council also host the McLean County Community Coalition meetings. 'Each student presents a topic from the agenda to the group attending the meeting,' she said. Addison Benningfield, a junior, said that she's enjoyed participating in those meetings and watching her peers get involved in school activities and around the community. 'I like that we're able to participate in the Community Coalition meetings and that we get to talk about what we do with Cougar Council during the meetings,' she said. Senior Cougar Council member Kate Hayden said that she even got the opportunity to participate in a national anti-vaping advertising campaign thanks to her participation in Cougar Council. 'The campaign had a theme of 'More than the Boxes' suggesting that we are more than the stereotypes that people give us as students because lots of people believe that all high school students vape or drink alcohol,' she explained. 'It was such a cool experience and volunteer opportunity. I had friends calling and texting me to say that they saw me on a commercial.' Keister said that the club tries to add new members during the spring semester so that when the next semester comes around, the Cougar Council members already know the rules and what happens during club meetings. 'That way we're not having to start the new school year off with all brand new students who don't understand how Cougar Council operates,' she said. Freshman Eli Brown said that knowing that he's been able to make a difference in the community is what keeps him coming back to meetings and events. 'I'd heavily encourage any student interested in joining to fill out an application or accept the invitation. 'Just knowing that we, as students, can make a different in the community while making friendships is something that makes Cougar Council something exciting to join,' he said.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Local teen testifies about vaping
ASHLAND At 14, Delanie Crump has appeared before a Senate committee to testify about something she believes in. The Boyd County High School ninth-grader spoke to the General Assembly's Senate committee on education and the licensing and occupations committee in February about the negative impact vaping can have on youth using statistics to explain the urgency of the issue. She was urging the Senate to pass SB 100, which further enforces Tobacco 21, the law prohibiting those younger than 21 from purchasing tobacco or e-cigarette products. Crump, daughter of Daniel Crump and Brianna Davis, said the bill, which passed and will become law in January 2026, requires tobacco retailers to have a license to sell products and requires the use of a database to keep track of sellers; it also requires compliance checks on retailers and harsher penalties on those who violate the laws. These measures aim to enforce compliance, which would decrease underage sales. "This isn't just about lung cancer 30 years down the line. It's about kids dropping out of sports because their lungs can't keep up. It's about the anxiety and depression that nicotine addiction fuels. It's about academic distraction and under-performance. It's about an entire generation being stolen before they've had a chance to live fully," she said in her speech to the committees. Crump's mother said she was shocked to learn her daughter would speak to lawmakers. "It's not every day you see a 14-year-old who is brave enough to do that, especially on something as important as underage vaping," Davis said. "I'm so proud of her using her voice to make a difference." Crump said she enjoys public speaking, but she was nervous about speaking to the committee. "I've never spoken in a setting like that," she said. "However, once I was in the hearing room and on the stand, the nervousness went away, as I was focusing on what I was saying and how to say it in a way that would be most impactful. Following the speech, I was satisfied with the way it went, and I felt that the anxiousness leading up to it was worth it." Vaping wasn't an issue on her radar, but Crump said she joined the Youth Advisory Board for #icanendthetrend, a program through the University of Kentucky that aims to prevent vaping. Davis said joining the youth advisory board was a whim, but it turns out Crump found her passion. "They've really challenged all the students on the board and she made great friends in the process. She realized she wants to major in health care, thanks to this opportunity," Davis said. "I'm so grateful the program exists. I was also so impressed with the amount of respect the senators showed to her during her testimony. They were very encouraging and supportive. Senate Bill 100 is now becoming a law, thanks to these kids and the adults who believed in their bill." Crump's knowledge about vaping has grown, and learned some important facts, including: • Nearly one in 10 middle school students and one in five high school students uses e-cigarettes. • Flavored tobacco products, like menthols and sweet, fruity vapes, are directly designed to appeal to youth. • Nicotine can permanently damage developing brains. "These changes aren't radical. They're necessary. Every delay costs more lives. Every loophole in legislation lets addiction thrive," Crump said of the new law. Crump said the experience of speaking to the General Assembly was enriching. "I believe the most important lesson I learned was that anyone can make a difference, and the power of communities coming together," she said. "It was incredible to see so many other young people from around the state who are passionate about the issue coming together to make a change and actually seeing changes in progress. It taught me to never underestimate what can be done when people come together toward change." (606) 326-2661 | lward@
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Proposal to ban flags that represent political viewpoints in schools & public buildings advances
The rainbow flag of the gay pride movement and the flag of the United States (Getty Images) Members of the LGBTQ community unsuccessfully urged members of a Senate committee on Tuesday to reject a proposal that would ban local governments and public colleges and universities from displaying a flag that represents a political viewpoint. Including ones that represent a 'racial, sexual orientation and gender, or politically ideology viewpoint.' The measure (SB 100) is sponsored by Republicans Randy Fine from Brevard County and Jonathan Martin from Lee County. 'If someone wants to walk in here draped in a flag of any political group, so be it, it's their First Amendment right. If you want to hang it your yard, so be it. But a teacher should not be hanging a political flag in their classroom, having a government take a position on political views,' Fine told the Senate Community Affairs Committee. 'That is the idea. You shouldn't be hanging them on flagpoles. Government should be in the governing business. Politics should be left to the politicians.' LGBTQ advocates said the measure is aimed at local governments that display the Pride flag in June during Pride Month, and argued there is no compelling reason to pass such mandates on to local governments. 'The flag ban bill is unnecessary, unclear, unconstitutional, and dangerous,' said Jon Harris Mauer, public policy director with Equality Florida. 'This bill is unnecessary. It does not help Floridians struggling with insurance and housing affordability. Instead it is a made-up solution to a cultural war for political purposes. But it will have real harms.' 'It's wrong because LGBTQ+ is not political and this bill sends a message that our diversity shouldn't be celebrated and people identifying as LGBTQ+ should be ashamed of who they are and hurts the fight against bullying,' said Tallahassee resident Colton Taylor. 'I believe we should embrace each other lovingly, have compassion, see each other's humanity, protect the LGBTQ+ community, and recognize that diversity is our strength.' John Labriola with the Christian Family Coalition of Florida supported the bill. 'The bill does not mention LGBTQ flags but it does say that you can't have political flags, which that flag would be,' he said. After he was challenged on that assertion by South Florida Democratic Sen. Shevrin Jones that the Pride and/or Black Lives Matter flags were political, he fired back. 'The LGBT flag promotes a specific viewpoint that there should be special rights for LGBT people which isn't going —' Labriola began. 'Special rights or equal rights?' Jones interjected. 'No, special rights. We believe in equal rights. We don't believe in special rights,' Labriola said. Perhaps most controversially, the bill would allow active or retired members of the armed forces or National Guard to 'take reasonable efforts to stop someone from desecration, destruction, or removal of the United States flag.' 'I don't want a retired military person to want or feel that they would have to enforce this bill,' said Naples Republican Kathleen Passidomo. 'I do not want to see a 90-year-old veteran getting into an altercation with someone twice his size.' Although she supported it on Tuesday, Passidomo, chair of the Rules Committee, said that unless constitutional problems are resolved for the measure, 'I don't see it going forward.' Fine argued that the citizens who spoke out about how their First Amendment rights would be violated if the measure passed wouldn't feel the same way if some of those local governments were flying 'Make America Great Again' flags. The bill passed along party lines. With Fine leaving the Senate today to campaign for a congressional seat next week, Lee County Republican Sen. Jonathan Martin will carry the bill the rest of the way this session. It has one more committee stop before making it to the floor. The measure's House companion (HB 75) is being sponsored by Republicans Berny Jacques from Pinellas County and David Borrero from Miami-Dade County. It has yet to be heard in any committee so far. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
House votes to ‘put Kentucky kids ahead of tobacco,' license retailers of nicotine products
In Kentucky, almost 20% of high school students use electronic cigarettes and 5% smoke, according to The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. (Getty Images) FRANKFORT — Kentucky is one step closer to licensing retailers who sell nicotine with the passage of Senate Bill 100 in the House Wednesday 82-11. It passed the Senate in late February. The House made some changes to the bill — which the Senate will have to vote on — but kept the licensing requirements laid out by Sen. Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, in place. Under SB 100, Kentucky would license all retailers who sell tobacco and vape products, giving the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) inspection and enforcement powers over them, similar to those it exercises over alcohol retailers. It would also fine retailers who sell nicotine products to minors and give half the money collected in fines to a youth prevention program in a state where about 5% of high school students smoke and almost 20% use e-cigarettes, according to The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids. Smoking costs the state more than $2 billion every year in health complications, according to the campaign. The other half would go toward enforcement expenses. Smoking is a leading cause of preventable death across the country, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. In Kentucky, smoking and lung cancer rates exceed those in the rest of the nation. The House Licensing, Occupations, & Administrative Regulations Committee passed Higdon's bill Wednesday morning and sent it to the House floor. In that meeting, Higdon reiterated he wants to go after 'bad actors' who expose youth to nicotine. 'We have a lot of good retailers. In fact, probably 99.8% of the retailers in Kentucky run good businesses and follow the rules and would never sell to an underage person,' Higdon said. 'This bill has teeth that ABC can enforce and get rid of bad actors.' Mallory Jones, a high school senior, testified alongside Higdon that her generation is being 'strategically manipulated' to purchase vapes. 'As a youth advocate and heart survivor, I'm concerned about what I'm seeing in my school, among peers and in my community,' said Jones, adding they get sucked in by 'intentionally flashy, colorful, fun, flavored products.' 'It's time for us to put Kentucky kids ahead of tobacco,' she said. Seven hours later, SB 100 cleared the House with bipartisan support. Several Republicans voted against it.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Concealed guns on campus could become reality with South Dakota governor's signature
Rep. Spencer Gosch, R-Glenham, speaks on the South Dakota House floor on March 5, 2025. Gosch supported a bill Thursday allowing concealed handguns on college campuses so students can protect themselves "the way God intended." (Makenzie Huber/South Dakota Searchlight) People with firearms training will be allowed to carry concealed handguns on college campuses in South Dakota if Gov. Larry Rhoden signs a bill passed by the House of Representatives on Thursday at the Capitol in Pierre. A call for rejection from a representative who formerly served as a Highway Patrol trooper and said he lost sleep over the proposal, along with a plea from another who leads a campus suicide prevention group, weren't enough to keep Senate Bill 100 from a 55-14 win. It passed even more decisively in the Senate on Feb. 12, with just two senators saying no. The bill came from Sen. Mykala Voita, R-Bonesteel, who amended it after input from the Board of Regents to allow colleges to ban guns near flammable chemicals and require them to be locked up when in their owners' dorm rooms. The amended bill also requires people to have an enhanced concealed carry permit — which can only be obtained after completing a firearms safety course — to carry on campus. Bill to allow concealed pistols on college campuses clears state Senate One senator said it 'might be the best bill' he'd ever seen, calling it a boon to self-defense for young people. The bill's prime sponsor in the House, Glenham Republican Spencer Gosch, added his own superlatives to the self-protection theme as he urged his fellow representatives to give the idea a green light. 'It's a great bill for the citizens of South Dakota to be able to protect themselves the way God intended,' Gosch said. 'I'd urge you to please vote yes.' Rep. Jim Halverson, R-Winner, was the first to rise in opposition. 'I slept very little last night because I couldn't make peace with my God if I didn't stand up and speak against this bill today,' Halverson said. He spoke of his time in the state Highway Patrol, firearms-related threats to law enforcement officers at the state Capitol, and 'a lot of stuff I don't want to talk about today' involving guns. Military members and law enforcement go to great lengths to secure their firearms, he said, and he doubts college students are likely to treat their weapons with the same degree of respect. 'A locked box in a dorm room just doesn't seem like a good plan,' Halverson said. It's a great bill for the citizens of South Dakota to be able to protect themselves the way God intended. – Rep. Spencer Gosch, R-Glenham Rep. Erik Muckey, D-Sioux Falls, is director of Lost & Found, a nonprofit group that works to prevent suicides on campus. Suicide is the leading cause of death among college-aged students, and he said South Dakota's rate of suicide by firearm is 12 times the national average. 'I hate seeing that statistic, because it hurts my heart, hurts my soul,' said Muckey, who said bills like SB 100 carry more risk of contributing to suicide than personal safety. Rep. Marty Overweg, R-New Holland, rejected that idea. He described himself as a grandpa who worries 'more than anyone,' but doesn't worry about guns causing suicides. People make their own choices, he said, and adults are empowered to take risks. The right to bear arms and protect oneself, he said, shouldn't be infringed upon 'because I'm worried something bad might happen.' 'Those rights are solid,' Overweg said. 'Those rights belong to every law-abiding citizen, 18 years and older, and I say if they have the right to protect themselves, they should have that right.' SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
