Latest news with #SmittenKitten
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Uptown sex shop says it's 'dangerously close' to closing 'forever'
Uptown sex shop says it's 'dangerously close' to closing 'forever' originally appeared on Bring Me The News. The future of sex-positive sex shop The Smitten Kitten is in limbo. On Wednesday, the Lyn-Lake store sent out a newsletter sounding the alarm. "This week we came to the conclusion that we are dangerously close to shutting our doors forever," the newsletter reads. "Local product based businesses like Smitten Kitten are going up against Big Box stores, tariffs, and the constant struggle and vilification of being queer sex educators under fascism in 2025," the shop continued. While Smitten Kitten is a sex shop selling books, sex toys, and other products, it's also a community space. It offers inclusive, sex-positive classes, discussions, and social gatherings that have helped many in the community build connections. In Wednesday's newsletter, the shop announced a sale that will run on Thursday and Friday as part of an effort to keep the lights on. The company did not respond to a request for comment. "Smitten Kitten is more than just a s*x store, we are a safe place to explore, learn and find community in each other through our collective and individual struggles," the newsletter concludes. "Whether that's coming out, transitioning, cancer, sexual trauma, etc. We want to continue to serve our customers and community for as long as we possibly can." It's assumed that the business' mention of "fascism" is a reference to the second Trump administration, the rise of which has been characterized partially by attacks on sex education and targeting of the LGTBQ community. The administration has taken a series of steps since Trump returned to office that have hallmarks of authoritarianism, autocracy, and right-wing populism, including the suppression of certain political speech, the targeting of immigrant communities, and the minimization of the legislature and judiciary. But the claim from the left that his regime is fascist is the subject of ongoing debate even though the policies listed above tend to feature in fascist story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on May 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Smitten Kitten in Minneapolis saves woman from overdose with Narcan
The Brief Smitten Kitten, an adult gift shop in Minneapolis, said its staff saved a woman from an opioid overdose in her car outside its store earlier this week. According to owner Jennifer "JP" Pritchett, its staff are "trained in harm reduction" and had Narcan on-hand, ultimately administering seven doses before paramedics arrived. The act demonstrates "they're more than just a store" in the LynLake community that they have been in business for two decades. MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Smitten Kitten, an adult gift shop on Lake Street in the LynLake neighborhood of Minneapolis, is being praised for saving a woman's life outside their doors this week. What we know On March 13, Smitten Kitten demonstrated quick thinking as they administered Narcan to a woman experiencing an overdose in her car outside their doors. At the time it occurred, staff members administered seven doses of Narcan during a suspected opioid overdose, reviving and stabilizing the woman until paramedics arrived. Trained in harm reduction, owner Jennifer "JP" Pritchett says that the store keeps Narcan on hand – an act that demonstrates "they're more than just a store" in the community where they have been in business for two decades. What they're saying "One of my staff members noticed someone pass out in their car by themselves right outside the store. We went out and knocked on her windows, but she wasn't alert, and I could see that her chest wasn't moving," Pritchett told FOX 9. "We suspected she was having some kind of overdose. We checked her pulse and there was nothing. I hollered to my staff to get our [Narcan] supply, and we started administering it like we have been trained to do by Southside Harm Reduction [Services]. We administered both the nasal spray and an injection. That plus some sternum rubs revived her successfully… I couldn't stop thinking about her, and her family. The first thing that she mentioned once she was revived was her child." Pritchett is quick to note the fast-thinking and empathetic actions of her staff as a catalyst to the situation's success. What's next Pritchett says that Smitten Kitten will continue to be "a safe, inclusive space and a testament to how businesses can make a real difference." The Source FOX 9 interview with Smitten Kitten owner Jennifer "JP" Pritchett.
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- Yahoo
Board: Massage therapist under investigation for sexual assault, money laundering
Maple Spa of Ankeny. (Photo via Google Earth) A state licensing board has agreed to temporarily refrain from taking formal disciplinary action against a massage therapist under investigation for sexual assault, money laundering and prostitution. The Iowa Board of Massage Therapy states in a newly issued order that licensee Qingxia Hao of Ankeny is currently under investigation by law enforcement 'for crimes including, but not limited to, money laundering, prostitution, and sexual assault with intent to commit sex abuse.' The board states that in order to give Hao 'the opportunity to respond to the pending criminal investigation' and to protect the public, the parties have agreed that the board will not pursue formal disciplinary charges against Hao at least until the case is resolved, and that Hao will refrain from practicing massage until that time. Hao is not currently facing any criminal charges. According to a sworn affidavit filed by Ankeny police in connection with a search warrant, it was in May 2024 that officers were first alerted to suspicious activity at Hao's Maple Spa, located at 314 S. Ankeny Blvd. The owner of the nearby Smitten Kitten, a cat-grooming business located in the same strip mall as Maple Spa, allegedly told police the spa's clientele appeared to be only men and that at times there was a line for service that led out the door, with most clients receiving services for only 15 minutes, rather than the expected 30 to 60 minutes required for a massage. Police then determined Hao had been operating at Maple Spa since April 2022, when she was first licensed by Iowa Board of Massage Therapy. The affidavit also indicates that in November 2023, Hao had been charged with the sale of sexual relations in Wichita, Kansas. The available records don't indicate the disposition of that charge. According to the affidavit, police surveillance at the spa began in June 2024, and continued through July and August, at which point officers received a complaint from an individual who indicated he went to Maple Spa for a massage and was offered sex. A similar tip was received in late September. That month, police conducted a traffic stop involving an alleged Maple Spa customer who, according to police, reported having sex at the business with 'multiple girls throughout the years.' In October, police conducted another traffic stop involving a Maple Spa customer who allegedly reported a similar experience. According to the search warrant application, police suspect Hao has used an Ankeny apartment to facilitate human trafficking by housing sex workers there. Court records indicate that on Dec. 30, 2024, police executed a search warrant on the apartment, on Maple Spa and on Hao's vehicle and took custody of numerous financial records and a cell phone. Hao did not return a phone message seeking comment.
