DHSS launches anti-tobacco campaign aimed at parents of teens

from 04-27-2023 Post Telegraph

Doctors received payments to deliver COVID-19 shots

LISA COX

Special to the Post-Telegraph

JEFFERSON CITY Missouri’s campaign, “Tobacco is Changing,” launched this week to educate parents about the different candy-ﬂavored tobacco products tempting kids into addiction. It is also the reality of the tobacco landscape –especially when it comes to e-cigarettes.

“Remember how shocked you were when you ﬁrst heard about JUUL, the disposable e-cigarette that looks like a ﬂash drive? Well, that’s a drop in the bucket compared to the many shapes that e-cigarettes now take, including smart watches, makeup compactsthey’re even hidden in hoodies and backpacks,” said Valerie Howard who leads Missouri’s Tobacco Prevention and Control program within the Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS). “When parents familiarize themselves with these new products, they will know what to look for.”

E-cigarettes continue to be the tobacco product of choice for teens.

The 2021 Missouri Youth Risk Behavioral Survey shows that 40% of Missouri’s high school students have tried an e-cigarette, and 19%, or close to one in ﬁve, have used an e-cigarette in the last 30 days. There are currently more high school students in Missouri using e-cigarettes than adults who smoke (17%).

Parents can view the tobacco products at TobaccoIsChangingMO.org. Site visitors will find photos of tobacco products ranging from different varieties of e-cigarettes, little cigars and cigarillos, menthol tobacco products, and even new smokeless tobacco products like toothpicks. In addition, parents can get information on tobacco industry tactics like flavors and packaging, how to talk to their child about this sometimes difficult topic and actions they can take to reduce youth tobacco use and exposure.

In addition to the Comprehensive Cancer Control Program within DHSS, the department’s Tobacco Prevention and Control Program has partnered with the Missouri

Academy of Family Physicians, Missouri American Academy of Pediatrics, Missouri Association of Rural Educators, Missouri Departments of Elementary and Secondary Education, Mental Health, Public Safety and Social Services, Missouri Hospital Association, Missouri Parents as Teachers Association, Missouri School Boards Association and Tobacco Free Missouri on this campaign to help educate Missouri parents about youth e-cigarette and other tobacco product use.

The Tobacco is Changing site includes a media toolkit with fact sheets, social media content and videos for communities and partners to use in their own communication efforts.

For more information about the Tobacco Is Changing campaign, visit TobaccoIsChangingMO.org. Free help for teens to quit using e-cigarettes is available by texting VAPEFREEMO to 873873 or at YouCanQuit.org.

Shown are some of the materials used in the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services’ anti-tobacco campaign.

MDC urging motorists to give turtles a “brake” while they’re moving

JILL PRITCHARD

Special to the Post-Telegraph

JEFFERSON CITY The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) encourages drivers to be cautious on the roads this spring and give turtles a brake! These reptiles are often hit by cars during the warmer months, but are at special risk this time of year because they are more active.

Common turtles spotted crossing Missouri roads include three-toed box turtles, ornate box turtles, and snapping turtles. Turtles emerge from their burrows and begin the hunt for food and mates during warm and wet conditions, which can lead them to cross roadways, oftentimes resulting in their death. Thousands of box turtles are killed every year by vehicles.

Young males make up most of the travelers, sometimes wandering as many as six miles searching for territories and mates. Females are also crossing the roads in search of nesting areas.

Turtles are ectothermic, or cold-blooded, and de- pend on external sources of heat to determine their body temperatures. This is why people see them on warm asphalt during cool, spring days.

Vehicles are one of the leading threats box turtles face in Missouri, and MDC urges motorists to be cautious and slow down if they see a turtle in the road. If helping a turtle make it safely across, check for trafﬁc and always move the turtle in the direction it is traveling.

Additionally, MDC urges the public to leave turtles in the wild. Taking a wild animal, whether a turtle or other wildlife species, and keeping it as a pet normally ends in a slow death. Leave turtles in the wild, follow the speed limit, and keep your eyes on the road.

For more information on Missouri’s turtles, visit the MDC online Field

Guide at https://nature. mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/search/ turtle.

Stacy Center hosts special events this weekend

Open house, pool reopening set for Saturday. Luncheon, silent auction scheduled for Sunday Princeton Post-Telegraph

PRINCETON The Stacy Center has announced two special events this weekend.

First, the center will have an open house to celebrate the reopening of the center’s swimming pool on Saturday, April 29 from noon to 3 p.m. There will be free swimming, snacks, games, discounted memberships and prize drawings.

Then on Sunday, April 30, the Stacy Center will hold a luncheon and silent auction in the Princeton Elementary School commons from

11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

The meal will consists of smoked loin, cheesy potatoes, green beans, salads and desserts. Organizers say there will be “many wonderful” items up for bid during the silent auction.

Gold, silver should be legal tender in the U.S.

PAUL HAMBY

Special to the Post-Telegraph

MAYSVILLE A friend received a 1910 wheat penny in change this past week. It is fascinating to look at a coin that has been in circulation for 113 years. When that coin was minted our money was backed by gold and silver. Just three years later, the Federal Reserve Central Bank was created. The Federal Reserve is a private central bank that is not part of the government. However they do control our money supply. Since the creation of the Federal Reserve, our dollar has lost 97% of its value.

In just the past three years, the earning power of your money has lost 25% of its value.

Back in the day, our U.S. dollars were backed by gold and silver. That all changed and today U.S. dollars are actually paper loans. Look at

CORRECTIONS & CLARIFICATIONS

The Princeton PostTelegraph strives for accuracy and fairness in all of its news stories and photo captions. If you feel we have made an error, please contact us at 660-7483266 or posttele@grm. net (email) to request a correction. If it is found we are in error, we will be happy to publish a correction or clariﬁcation.

Liberty Thoughts

the paper dollars in your pocket. Across the top it says “Federal Reserve Note.” The U.S. Treasury prints these notes that are loans from the private bank called the Federal Reserve.

In June 1963, President John F. Kennedy issued an executive order for the Treasury to again issue silver certificates. His goal was to get the United States out of debt. JFK took on the two primary ways that have been used to drive up our national debt: 1) war (Vietnam); and, 2) the creation of money by the privately owned central bank. His efforts to have all U.S. troops out of Vietnam by 1965 combined with the June 1963 executive order would have destroyed the profits and control of the private Federal Reserve Bank. JFK was assassinated five months later, in November 1963. Was JFK’s death a warning to future presidents from the Central Bank cartel?

Today we have cryptocurrency, Venmo, Paypal, Mastercard, Visa and paper money to use as legal tender. Legal tender is deﬁned as “Money that is legally valid for the payment of debts.” Why not gold and silver?

Utah was ﬁrst to recognize gold and silver as legal tender in 2011. Followed by Wyoming, Oklahoma and recently Arkansas. You can now pay your taxes in those states with gold or silver.

Missouri Senate Bill 100, sponsored by Sen. Bill Eigel, is similar. SB100 declares that the state of Missouri shall accept gold and silver as legal tender for payment of any debt, tax, fee or obligation owed. Capital gains on gold and silver would be exempt from Missouri taxes. The act requires the Missouri State Treasurer to keep in the custody of the state treasury an amount of gold and silver greater than or equal to 1% of all state funds.

This is not a mandate that a private business or organization must accept all forms of legal tender. Missouri businesses may still set their own policies. For example, some businesses do not accept $100 bills. Some do not accept certain other forms of payment.

Gold and silver should once again be legal tender. It’s time to stop the devaluation of our dollar.

Paul Hamby is a conservative, free-thinking farmer and small business owner from DeKalb County in northwest Missouri.

A mega-buck license plate

Some automobile owners are willing to pay an extra hundred bucks or so for customized plates. But that’s “chump change,” as they say, among auto aﬁcionados attending a recent Most Noble Numbers charity auction in Dubai. A license plate with the letter and number “P-7” (the signiﬁcance of which is a mystery) sold for $14,975,356 making it the most expensive license plate ever purchased, according to the judges at the Guinness Book of World Records. They don’t call them “vanity” plates for nothing.

Cainsville Melanie Chaney

May birthdays that I am aware of are as follows: Amy Kokesh, Diana Crouse, Deanna Seymour, Chris Seymour, Tamme Schwartzkopf, Jay Bain, Toni Dunagan, Kenny Crawley, Katie Crabtree, Kaitlyn Smith, Keely Waddle, Andy Hamilton, Kyla Plymall, Joshua Schoonover, Barbara McLain, Gary Turner, Glenda Mercer, Hilarie Vaughn and Kenny Wayne Thompson.

Isaac, Shyanne, Lilah and Lakelynn Chaney were Saturday night, April 22 visitors of Herman and Melanie Chaney.

I was told by some friends that I saw on Friday night that it should be in the Cainsville news. Which means my friends apparently read the article. So here it is: Melanie Chaney visited with some friends on Friday night, April 21 in Princeton.

There was a home baseball game against Newtown/Grundy on April 25. Junior high and high school HDC track will be at South Harrison on April 26. High school track will be at South Harrison on April 27, with junior high track at Worth County. There is a baseball game at Gilman City on April 28. I don’t have a new calendar yet so I’m not sure what else is going on at school in May. I know school is about over though and it has went fast.

Please keep Bill Bain in your thoughts and prayers. He is having some health issues and could use them.

Send me some news, so I don't have to write about what I did! Have a great day.

School Food

All menus subject to change. PRINCETON

Breakfast is available to all students. It is served with a choice of 1% white milk or skim chocolate milk. Cereal is available as an option every day except where noted. Fruit and juice are available every day. Nutri-grain bars are available on select days.

Monday, May 1: EggStravaganza bacon and cheese.

Tuesday, May 2: pancakes, sausage patty.

Wednesday, May 3: french toast sticks.

Thursday, May 4: Pop Tart, yogurt.

Friday, May 5: biscuits, sausage gravy.

Lunch is served with the choice of 1% fat-free white milk or fat-free chocolate milk. Students in grades K-5 have the choice of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or the menu entree. Students in grades 6-12 have the option of a chef salad or the entree every day unless noted. All bakery items are whole wheat or whole grain. Fruit is served with lunch.

Monday, May 1: chicken sandwich, french fries, red peppers.

Tuesday, May 2: sweet and sour chicken, steamed broccoli, brown rice.

Wednesday, May 3: pork patty, mashed potatoes, white gravy, peas, roll.

Thursday, May 4: spaghetti with meat sauce, romaine salad, carrot sticks, breadstick.

Friday, May 5: hamburger, potato wedges, celery sticks, dessert.

MERCER

Breakfast is served with orange juice and white or chocolate milk. Cereal is an optional entree.

Mondays: egg entree. Tuesdays: cereal, toast. Wednesdays: breakfast roll. Thursdays: sausage, pancakes. Fridays: biscuits, gravy.

Lunch is served with milk. A salad bar and fruits and vegetables are available every day, except where noted. Students in grades PK-6 will have the choice of option A or a chef salad. Students in grades 7-12 will have the choice of either option or a chef salad.

Monday, May 1: a) popcorn shrimp; b) tenderloin sandwich; baked sun chips.

Tuesday, May 2: a) chicken and noodles; b) chicken nuggets; mashed potatoes, green beans, roll.

Wednesday, May 3: a) chicken alfredo, breadsticks; b) hamburger; corn.

Thursday, May 4: a) meatball sub; b) hot ham and cheese sandwich; baked fries.

Friday, May 5: a) nacho supreme; b) baked potato; refried beans.

MERCER CO.

Food Pantry

Located in the basement of Princeton United Methodist Church.

Second and fourth Tuesday: 9-10:30 a.m.

Other Tuesdays: 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Note: Persons can pick up their food in the church basement. At present, social distancing will be observed, and masks are recommended but not mandatory.