Opinion & Editorial Spring-for-SIDS Day is Next Month
By Katie Howdeshell
SCMCAA Poplar Bluff Full Year Center is the local sponsor for Spring-for-SIDS Day, a fundraising event being held April 29 to benefit the American SIDS Institute. SIDS, or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, is the name given to a mysterious baby killer that takes the lives of between 2000 and 3000 infants each year in the United States. It is the number one cause of death in infants between one month and one year of age. SIDS is sudden and unexplained and even after an autopsy, no cause of death is found. In a typical situation, parents check on their infant whom they think is sleeping only to find their baby dead. Spring-for-SIDS Day is especially important to PBFYC. One of their employees, Katie Howdeshell, lost a baby to SIDS in June 2009. Katie and her husband, Don, were enjoying their son, 2 month and 28 day old, Carter. Carter had recently started smiling at his parents, a smile that melted their hearts. On June 17, 2009, Carter laid down for a nap, and when his dad checked on him, he wasn’t breathing. His mother received the life-changing phone call, and immediately returned home. There was nothing they could do. Following Carter’s death, the Howdeshell’s, who already had a 17-month-old son, chose to have another child, their only daughter, who bears an uncanny resemblance to the older brother she will never meet. They remember Carter daily, but, as a friend once put it, have found a new normal, a day to day life that will never be the same. Every day unfortunate parents all over the world experience this heartbreak. Dr. Betty McEntire, with the American SIDS Institute has worked with SIDS since 1976. “We have seen a tremendous decline in the incidence of SIDS since I began,” she explained. “However, we still cannot tell parents why their infant died. They are left with no closure. “We don’t know the exact cause of SIDS, and there is no way to guarantee an infant will not die,” McEntire continued. “However, there are proven ways to reduce the risk of an infant dying of SIDS. Don’t smoke during pregnancy and don’t let anyone smoke around your baby. Always place your baby to sleep on his or her back in a bare crib. Keep the crib close to the parents’ bed. Instead of using covers, put enough clothing on the baby to keep him or her warm but not too warm.” Full lists of reduction techniques are available at www.sids.org. During Spring-for-SIDS Day, employees at PBFYC in exchange for a $5 donation will be given a SIDS information card and a decorative sticker. All employees with Spring-for-SIDS stickers will be encouraged to wear their casual spring outfits.
Spencer takes off on “Claire Air”
By Derek Spencer For a few weeks I have been planning to get off the ground with a piece for the opinion section, and now I’ve found that - literally. As I dive into becoming a frequent contributor to the Times opinion section, our U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill is nosediving her chances at re-election in her family’s private plane. It came out this week that Mrs. McCaskill owes an estimated $287,000 in property taxes on her plane, which among other purposes she was using for campaign events. Do not worry folks, this will not put a financial strain on her; she ranks around the 17th wealthiest member of Congress (according to www.watchdog.org in 2010). But what does this do to her reelection chances come 2012?
attend to, and this is via Twitter. Last January, McCaskill apologized to her mother for just simply quoting a vulgar word in a senate hearing. McCaskill really needs to apologize via Twitter to her mom now for her language the other day: “just sell the d*** plane,” she was caught saying on a conference call. The only thing McCaskill has sold so far are bad excuses and politics as usual. Let’s bring a fresh face and accountable official to public office. I say ground Mrs. McCaskill’s luxury plane and never send it back to Washington, D.C. to represent all of us who actually pay our taxes!
To submit a letter to the editor or become a contributing columnist, e-mail the managing editor Tim Krakowiak at tim@semotimes.com.
I would think voters divest in Claire McCaskill like Sarah Steelman divested our public dollars in foreign companies with terrorist ties as Missouri state treasurer. Steelman looks to be McCaskill’s worst nightmare to come out of the Republican primary since she will bring a heavy ethics reform record and platform. While the election is over a year away, McCaskill has some immediate business to
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