The “Finding Your Way: Life After Sexual Assault” booklet is designed for both the survivor and a confidant. One side gives information about dealing with the aftermath of an assault.
The information in the booklets for survivors include information on seeking counseling, managing trauma triggers, taking care of yourself after abuse or assault and safety planning after sexual abuse or assault.
The other side contains helpful information for friends and family members.
“We wanted to do something more than give people just the facts,” Jennifer Hecker, Options executive director, said. “[Friends and family] are dealing with a lot of feelings of guilt and remorse. We get questions on ‘How should we react?’ and we wanted to give them something to navigate the very murky waters.”
Hecker said the office often receives calls from friends and family saying, “I don’t know what to say.” or “I feel like I said the wrong thing.”
The booklet has adapted tips from the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network. More on this group can be found online at www.rainn.org.
According to the booklet, some suggestions on what you might say to an abuse or assault survivor are:
“I believe you.”
“I am sorry this happened.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“You’re not alone.”
“This doesn’t change the way I feel about you.”
“You can trust me.”
“Do you need to go to the doctor?”
But perhaps more importantly, the booklet urges loved ones to listen to survivors.
Things not to say include: “I understand,” “Everything will be OK,” “Cheer up,” You’re lucky that …” or “You should be over this by now.”
The booklet also discusses the many emotions a family member or friend may experience after a survivor discloses sexual abuse or violence. Emotions can include shock, anger, fear, guilt, worry, sadness, disbelief and confusion.
Hecker said sexual abuse and violence affects the entire family. When the perpetrator of sexual abuse against a child is a member of the family, it can affect the safety and financial security.
“Families are asking, ‘How do I move forward?’ ” Hecker said. “It changes the family dynamic, and they face a lot of complicated issues.”
Friends and family can pick up the booklets at Options, 2716 Plaza, Hays, or they are always free to call and talk to an advocate at 785-625-4202.
Options encourages anyone who is a survivor of sexual or domestic violence to use their service in person or call the 24-hour helpline at 1-800-794-4624.
Options has also made the booklets available to community partners, including local hospitals, doctors’ offices and law enforcement.
Blue Heron moved from 1013 Main St. to the former Philip Hardware building at 719 Main St. Co-owners Anissa Pfeifer and Sonia Larcom sit outside the new location.By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
Downtown Hays is experiencing a building shuffle. Two businesses have moved into new locations and two more are moving later this summer.
Blue Heron moved from its location at 1013 Main St. to the former Philip Hardware building at 719 Main St. A2Z moved from 2703 Hall St. in Eagle Plaza to 115 W. Eighth St. The owners of Refine bought the former Kuhn’s jewelry store building at 109 Main St. and will be moving from its current location at 115 W. 10th St. in July. Regeena’s Flowers is moving from 117 W. 11th to 1013 Main St., the former Blue Heron Building.
All of the business owners said there is a growing synergy downtown for retail, entertainment and dining that make the Bricks a perfect place to locate a business.
Sister owners of the Blue Heron, Anissa Pfeifer and Sonia Larcom were delighted to be able to relocate into the historic Philip Hardware Building on Main Street.
The building was constructed by Hill P. Wilson in 1874 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.The Philip family ran the hardware store in that location from 1896 to 1996. It also has been a newspaper office and a land office.
“We have always loved this building,” Pfeifer said. “It just has so much charm and history and character. It is amazing to be a part of the history.”
Anissa Pfeifer and Sonia Larcom say their smaller space has challenged them to be more creative with their outfits.
Larcom said, “Everyone knows Philip Hardware. I love it when people come in here and say they remember (Mr.) Philip here with his dog. They remember all the history behind it. It is rich in history.”
The new tenants are still working on signage. Because of the historical status of the building, they can not add signage to the front of the building. They plan to hang a sign from flanges on the side of the building and add more signage in the windows.
“It has this nice feeling to be downtown and on the Bricks,” Pfeifer said. “To see the downtown come alive … It is like a city within a city.”
The Blue Heron is in a smaller space, but the sisters said they have learned to better maximize their space and are even carrying a couple of new local lines.
Blue Heron has a new focus on local products, including Glam+Co. gift sets.
“We still carry the same amount of inventory,” Pfeifer said. “It gives us a nice feel to really utilize all our space and be creative in how we are putting outfits together.”
One of the new local lines is Glam+Co. , a company out of Victoria that sells gift sets and handmade cards for occasions such as bridal, baby showers and graduations. Blue Heron is also carrying hand-cut leather earrings from Fancy That Designs, which is also based in Victoria.
“I think it is important to give back to our local community,” Pfeifer said, “and I think they have such great artistic ability, and a lot of the lines fit in well with what we are doing here.”
In the fall, Blue Heron will roll out its own Fort Hays apparel, including T-shirts and sweatshirts.
The sisters, who are still in their mid-20s, continue to expand and hope to open a fulfillment center in Hill City for its online business and open more brick-and-mortar locations.
Blue Herons hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays.
A2Z Escape has opened at its new location at 115 W. Eighth St.
A2Z Escape opened last year across town on Hall Street, but owners Janet Giersch, Judy Brummer, Jerry Braun and Emily Nuttle said they wanted to move downtown to gain more exposure for their business.
Braun said locating downtown places the business closer to complimentary businesses, such as bars and restaurants.
“I think one of the things I like about being downtown is people can make an evening of it,” he said. “They can go to eat at Gutch’s and walk over here or vice versa. There are other things they can do in the general vicinity, so they can weave it into an evening downtown, just to get away.”
The business moved to its new locale at 115 W. Eight St. in March and already has participated in several downtown events, including Brews on the Bricks, Shop Hop and the Spring Art Walk.
The business has added a Sink or Swim room that allows two groups of people to compete head to head to see who can escape from the room first.
Inside A2Z Escape’s gambling-themed High Limit Hostage room. The business changes its escape room puzzles every four to six months.
“I would describe an escape room as being inside a puzzle,” Braun said. “There is a story that unfolds and you are a character in that story. You are solving the puzzle as the story unfolds.”
The escape rooms challenge visitors to a series of puzzles that have to be solved to unlock locks. Participants are not locked in the rooms and can leave whenever they wish, but time does not stop if participants exit the room during the challenge.
A2Z creates new escape scenarios every four to six months and right now has a gambling-themed High Limit Hostage room in addition to the nautical-themed Sink or Swim rooms.
Cost for up to an hour of play is $20 per person. Easier challenges are available for children’s birthday parties.
Regular hours are 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. Fridays, 12:30 to 10:30 p.m. Saturdays and 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Sundays. Other times may be available upon request. Reservations are preferred and can be made by calling 785-432-2958 or online.
The owners of Refine bought the former Kuhn’s jewelry store building at 109 Main St. and will be moving from its current location at 115 W. 10th St. in July.
Refine owners Brianne Sultzer and her mother Tonya Staab have purchased the former Kuhn’s Jewelry building at 109 Main St.
Sultzer and her mother had been renting the building on 10th Street and decided now was the right time to purchase a downtown property. Refine has been in its present location three and a half years, but Tonya Staab has been in clothing retail for 30 years.
The building will require extensive remodeling. Sultzer said she hopes to be open in the new space in July.
Refine is a ladies boutique, carrying apparel and accessories. They carry Kendra Scott jewelry and some gift and candle lines.
“I personally was really excited about owning a piece of historical property in downtown Hays,” Sultzer said. “You don’t see it come up for sale very often. That was part of the reason. I also wanted to be in the mix with all of the other stores downtown. I am right around the corner, but I feel it promotes all of us for all of us to be around each other.”
Other nearby businesses include Simply Charmed, Salon Ten O Seven, Paisley Pair, Bluetique and Something Blue.
“I definitely feel that downtown is the destination for shopping in Hays,” Sultzer said. “It continues and continues to grow. All of the events that we have downtown, the ability to walk from boutiques and restaurants and eateries … I think it all makes for a good family, couple, friend zone. It is definitely the place I would want to be. I don’t see myself ever leaving downtown. We all have a good camaraderie here and like to branch off of each other in terms of business tactics and customer base.”
The layout will be a different, but Refine will be in about the same square footage.
Sultzer said they will be weeding out some lines that have been poor performers and will be bringing in new lines when the store opens in its new location. Those products will be announced at a later date.
Regeena’s Flowers will open in the former Blue Heron Building, 1013 Main St. Further information may be released on that move and change in ownership later this week.
Other business that have recently moved downtown are Das Essen Hutte, which relocated from Big Creek Crossing, the Hays Community Theatre, which is now in the renovated Elks Lodge, and Bluetique/Something Blue, which opened a new bridal store at 1008 Main St.
“With change comes excitement,” Sara Bloom, Downtown Hays Development Corp., said. “We are excited about moves and expansions in every business in downtown Hays.”
The Hays school district is preparing to send its first accreditation report to the state under a new accreditation system.
In the past, schools were measured based upon state assessment scores in reading and math.
Beginning this year, Kansas districts are being measured on student social and emotion growth, kindergarten readiness, individual plans of study, civic engagement, graduation rates and post-secondary success.
Shanna Dinkel, assistant superintendent, addressed the district’s graduation rates and post-secondary success rates with the board at its meeting on Monday.
The district’s five-year graduation average from 2011 to 2015 was 87 percent. The state’s goal is to get all districts to a 95 percent graduation rate.
Seventy-one percent of jobs in the state by 2020 will require a college or technical degrees or some type of post-secondary certificate, according to a Georgetown University Public Policy Institute study. Therefore, the state has set a goal for districts to have 70 percent to 75 percent of their students meet these goals.
Although the state has set goals for all districts, each district will be measured on its improvement, Superintendent John Thissen said.
The district’s five-year effectiveness rate toward this goal was 47 percent. These numbers do not include students who go directly to work in family businesses such as farms, those who enter the military or those who work in apprenticeships.
The 47 percent post-secondary effectiveness rate was within the effectiveness rate the state would expect considering a number of risk factors experienced by Hays students.
The most significant risk factor is coming from a low-income family. Thissen said on the KAYS Morning Show Tuesday the district needs to work with low-income students to show them there are ways they can go on to post-secondary education and be successful.
The district has approved a new program to start this fall called JAG-K that works with students with risk factors for dropping out of high school to help them earn their high school degrees and set and achieve post-secondary goals.
Dinkel also noted as the sponsoring district for the area’s special education cooperative, the district draws more special education students. The district works to help these students be successful, but these students are also counted in the district’s graduation rates and post-secondary success rates.
Students who enroll in the Learning Center also affect the Hays High graduation numbers. Although the students might successfully earn a high school diploma, they are not counted toward a positive graduation rate if they don’t graduate with their diploma within four years. GED recipients are also not counted as graduates.
On the other end of the education spectrum, parents of kindergarteners will be seeing a change this fall. All parents will be asked to complete surveys that assess their children’s developmental levels as they enter kindergarten. This confidential information will be used to help develop strategies to help the students build skills in kindergarten. The district will also use the data to develop strategies within the community to help prepare children for kindergarten.
In other business, the board voted to approve the workbook/material fees for students at $90 for the upcoming school year. This is the same as the fee was for 2017-18. The school calendar, school board meeting dates and a renewal of the Kansas Association of School Boards membership were also approved.
The Downtown Hays Market will open for the season on Saturday.
The market will open 7:30 to 11 a.m. every Saturday through the season at the Downtown Pavilion, 10th and Main streets.
The market has about 40 vendors signed up this year. There is no cost to be a vendor. More information on signing up as a vendor can be found at Downtown Hays website.
Parking is suggested across the street in the area where the market was in previous years. There is a new restroom available at the site.
The market has special events planned throughout the season, including music, arts and crafts, and education classes with the Hays master gardeners.
To keep up with these special events, follow the Downtown Market on Facebook. Click here.
Dane Murzyn, a sophomore at Fort Hays State University and DHDC intern, will serve as the market manager this summer. Applications are being taken for another intern this fall.
The teachers and students at O’Loughlin Elementary School have long thought of themselves as trailblazers, but long before the school honored her name, Kathryn O’Loughlin McCarthy was blazing trails of her own for women and the disenfranchised.
O’Loughlin McCarthy, a Hays resident, was most noted as being the first woman from Kansas elected to Congress, but she was breaking barriers and making a name for herself in politics long before she was elected to Congress in 1932.
She was born on April 4, 1894, in Ellis County. She lived with her family on their ranch outside of Hays until she was 9 and the family moved into the city of Hays, where her father owned an auto dealership and garage.
The initial move to the city from her country school was difficult. She was bashful, and the other children taunted her, calling her “country jake.” However, when O’Loughlin McCarthy entered the Fort Hays Normal School, which is now Fort Hays State University, to study education, she found her fire. She quickly earned honors as an accomplished debater and speaker.
After completing her bachelor’s degree in 1917, she enrolled at University of Chicago School of Law. Her father opposed Kathryn’s decision, but she persisted and was only one of three women in her graduating class. After law school, she clerked for the Kansas House Judiciary Committee for a year.
Kathryn O’Loughlin McCarthy, far right, campaigns with Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 in Colby. Photo courtesy of the Ellis County Historical Society
O’Loughlin McCarthy returned to Chicago where she became very active in politics during the 1920s. She campaigned on behalf of the Illinois League of Women Voters for eight-hour work days for women, maternity and infant care, and for women to be allowed to serve on juries.
O’Loughlin McCarthy told a reporter in 1932 how her years in Chicago readied her for her run for Congress.
“I had been well-trained in political tactics and debate and in rough-and tumble street speaking in political campaigns in Chicago and rural Illinois. … I spoke from the tail of a truck a thousand times to street meetings, through Chicago and towns nearby. I had learned to think rapidly while on my feet, even before a hostile audience. The heckler was meat for me. I organized the business women of Chicago into Democratic clubs, I had organized thousands of Negro women into Democratic clubs.”
Also while in Chicago, she served as an executive for an insurance company, but left that work for lower pay to assist the less fortunate. She worked as an attorney for Chicago Legal Aide and was an attorney for the Cook County Board of Public Welfare.
O’Loughlin McCarthy came back to Kansas in 1930, and ran for and won a seat in the Kansas House. She was the first woman from the area to earn a seat in the Legislature. While in the Legislature, O’Loughlin McCarthy helped establish what would become the Fort Hays State Historic Site.
When she decided to run for Congress in 1932, she faced an uphill battle. She was a single, female, Irish-Catholic, running against a two-time Republican incumbent in a primarily Protestant district. She beat nine men in the primary to advance. During her campaign, she wrote thousands of personal letters and crisscrossed the district, one of the largest in the nation, putting more than 30,000 miles on her car.
Right before she took her seat in Congress, she married fellow attorney Dan McCarthy. They were the first couple to be certified to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court.
While in Congress, she supported Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal. She fought to assist farmers and rural residents in her district who were suffering during the Depression. Key accomplishments included wheat allotment payments, government loans to farms, federal home loans, and getting one of the Kansas Civilian Conservation Corps stations in Hays.
She served only one term in Congress, as she was defeated in 1934 by Republican Frank Carlson.
She returned home and worked as an attorney in Hays, but her years of service did not end.
O’Loughlin McCarthy pushed to integrate FHSU. She offered African-American students a place to stay in her own home and even paid some needy students’ tuitions. She lost political clout with her fellow Democrats when she fought to stop the forced sterilization of institutionalized girls in Beloit and campaigned for better living conditions for both boys and girls in state custody.
She also campaigned for funding for a hot school lunch program at Jefferson School in Hays.
She died of cancer at the age of 57 on Jan. 10, 1952.
In a news story announcing her death, a friend said, “I think a better woman never lived in Hays. She gave almost to the point of sacrifice to make the burden a little easier for others. Of herself she never thought. She was impatient of her last illness because it hampered her in work she had cut out to do for others. She was a selfless person, generous to a fault and sincere in all she did.”
5th graders learn to embroider on “Colonial and Native American Days’ at O’Loughlin. File photo
The building that would become O’Loughlin Elementary School opened as Marian High School, a girl’s Catholic School, in 1961. The Catholic Diocese closed the school when the girl’s and boy’s Catholic high schools merged into Thomas More Prep-Marian in 1981.
Hays USD 489 acquired the former Catholic high school in 1989 with the help of a school bond. After the school was extensively remodeled, it was opened as O’Loughlin Elementary School in 1990.
Nancy Harman, O’Loughlin principal from 1998 to 2015, taught kindergarten and first grade when O’Loughlin opened as a public school.
“O’Loughlin school has always been a leader in educational research and looking at what makes learning successful for students,” Harman said.
O’Loughlin was a “choice school” at the time of its opening. In 1990, when many schools were still offering half-day kindergarten, O’Loughlin had an all-day kindergarten program.
O’Loughlin implemented “looping,” a practice in which a teacher kept a group of students for two grades. O’Loughlin also eliminated grades in favor of portfolios and parent-teacher conferences, which meant the sky was the limit for student academic achievement, Harman said.
O’Loughlin school exterior today
Cooperative learning and hands-on science education were included in the curriculum, which were new strategies in education at the time. Instead of studying primarily from textbooks and workbooks, teachers were more actively involved in curriculum development and reading, writing and social studies were integrated programs.
“We really did a lot of research on what was working in education and what would help students be successful,” Harman said. “Then we tried to implement those research-based practices into our classrooms.”
For their innovative approaches the school was recognized with a number of awards in its first 10 years. Some of these included Bank IV Better Schools Award in 1996; Kansas Exemplary Reading Award in 1993, ’95 and ’96; America’s Best Schools Award from Redbook magazine in 1995; Kansas Elementary Principal of the Year, Tanya Channell in 1995; and national Blue Ribbon School in 1997.
“It was an exciting, fun place to work,” Harman said.
Today, O’Loughlin is open to all students and continues to provide quality education to children kindergarten through fifth grades. A bust of Kathryn O’Loughlin McCarthy, carved by Hays artist Pete Felten, watches over the students as they come and go through the school’s main entrance.
However, the future of the building is unclear. O’Loughlin is not the oldest building in the Hays public school system, but it has not had significant upgrades or renovations in years. A failed school bond posed to voters in November would have remodeled the school into a center for the Early Childhood Education program, Westside program and Learning Center.
Bust of Kathryn O’Loughlin McCarthy carved by artist Pete Felten that sits in entryway to the O’Loughlin school.
The school board continues to discuss elementary schools in its long-range facility plans, but how O’Loughlin will factor into the plan has yet to be decided.
“I would be sad to see it go,” Harman said. “I have so many wonderful memories there. It was my home base for many, many years. My heart would be sad, but I think our district needs to go forward. Whatever makes that possible, we will have to adjust and accommodate.”
Whatever happens to the building, Harman, who still volunteers at the school, said she hopes students will keep the spirit of Kathryn O’Loughlin McCarthy alive.
“She believed in what was right and she followed that belief,” Harman said. “That was her guiding light. I think as long as you have in your heart what is true and right and you follow that, it will take you many amazing places.”
Special thanks to the Hays Public Library, O’Loughlin Elementary School, Ellis County Historical Society and USD 489 for assistance with research for this story.
Eleven Hays High School business students taught by Lindsay Hart were able to take the Word MOS Certification exam this May. Seven of the 11 passed the exam and are officially certified in Word MOS. This was the first time for all eleven students to take the certification exam.
After dropping student fees by $45 last year, Hays school officials are recommending to keep them the same for the 2018-19 school year.
The workbook/material fees dropped from $135 per student per year to $90 this school year after the district received an influx of funding from the state.
Shanna Dinkel, assistant superintendent is set to review the district’s first accreditation report to the Kansas Department of Education under its new accreditation system. The system looks at education aspects such as civic engagement, student’s social and emotional growth and post-secondary education or employment after graduation.
The board will continue to discuss long-range facilities planning. At its last meeting, the board decided to issue a survey to the community that addressed the district’s last bond attempt in November 2017, which failed.
The district will take up multiple housekeeping issues, including a property insurance contract, worker’s compensation contract, copier lease bids, renewal of the Kansas Association of School Boards membership, board meeting calendar and school calendar.
The proposed 2018-19 school calendar has school starting Aug. 15 and releasing on May 17. The proposal adds Jan. 7 as a student day instead of a teacher contract day.
The Community Assistance Center received a $1,000 grant from Midwest Energy to purchase fans for local families.
The CAC was able to purchase 59 fans and are targeting families who live in trailer parks and do not have central air.
The fans are available now. To qualify, you have to be registered with the CAC. The center has both box and oscillating fans while they last.
Laurie Mortinger, CAC co-director, thanked Midwest Energy for its donation.
The center also was the beneficiary of the annual letter carrier food drive last weekend. Mortinger said the collection was a little less what was needed to stock the pantry for the summer. Usage of the center’s food pantry increases during the summer when children are home from school.
The center is especially in need of baking mix like Bisquick and box meals like Hamburger Helper. Monetary donations are also always accepted.
The CAC is located at 208 E. 12th and is open 7:30 am. to 1 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. During the summer, the CAC is also 1 to 3 p.m. Saturdays. The center can be reached by phone at 785-625-9110.
The Hays West Central Kansas Special Education Cooperative has hired Chris Hipp as its new special education director.
Hipp will start the new position as of July 1. He replaces Raj Sharma whose contract for the upcoming school year was not renewed on the recommendation of the four superintendents in the co-op. This includes Hays, Ellis, Victoria and La Crosse.
Hipp, 44, lives in Hays and has been working as a corporate trainer for Aflac, but he has an extensive background in special education and school administration.
“I decided it was time to get back into school administration,” he said. “That is where my heart is.”
He is the former director of the North Central Kansas Special Education Co-op, which is based out of Phillipsburg. That co-op covered 13 school districts. Some of those districts included Norton, Plainville, Natoma and Smith Center. He worked as director for five years and assistant director for three years.
Hipp is a native of Claflin and received both his bachelor’s degree in psychology and master’s degrees in EDS in school psychology at Fort Hays State University. He also has endorsements for building level administration and district leadership in special education.
Hipp’s first job out of college was working as a school psychologist for the Hays special education co-op. He spent a year in Winfield and worked in Smith Center for 14 years. There, he was a school psychologist and then worked as an assistant principal and athletics/activities director for the junior/senior high school.
The Hipps moved back to Hays from the Smith Center to be closer to family, but Hipp said he always wanted to get back into education.
Hipp said the co-op has an outstanding staff.
“My ultimate goal is to first, come in and get to know the system and get reacquainted with the Hays system. … get in and figure out all the things that are going really well and find out what the staff needs to do an even better job with kids with disabilities and to help them and their families,” he said.
The Hays school board, with the support of the co-op districts, voted to increase pay $2 per hour for all paras starting the next school year in an attempt to decrease turnover. Paras in the co-op work part-time and do not receive benefits. The co-op has discussed increasing hours and reinstating benefits, but the cost, which would be $600,000, is too high at this time, school officials said.
“One of the pain points from what I can gather is definitely turnover at the paraeducator spot,” he said. “That is such a vital piece in education and special education specifically. Anything we can do to help provide those folks what they deserve to try to create as much tenure as possible — I think that raise is a great start.”
He said as the co-op moves forward, he would look at benefits and the compensation package as a whole as well as training and development for paras.
“Finances are always a challenge — trying to find the right mix and being able to meet students’ needs as efficiently as possible with the resources that are provided,” he said. “That challenge will never change. Beyond that it is keeping the great teachers and paras we have and continuing to find new as people retire and move on. That is always the No.1 key. If you can get and keep great teachers and paras, you are going to have a lot of success. Kids are going to do well and families are going to be successful and happy.”
Hays Superintendent John Thissen said, “I feel fortunate to have someone with experience. He worked for the co-op north of us. I am very pleased he has that experience and is able to come help us out at this point.”
Chris and his wife, Jody, have two daughters — a third grader and sixth grader who attend Holy Family Elementary School.
Dr. Michelle Pope discusses vaping with students at Thomas More Prep-Marian.
By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
Nicotine is still dangerous even if it doesn’t come from a cigarette.
Dr. Michelle Pope of Hays gave a lecture to Thomas More Prep-Marian Junior High students Friday about the dangers of vaping.
Not only is the nicotine you can consume through vaping dangerous, but so are other chemicals and heavy metals you take into your lungs when you vape.
Vaping liquids are loosely regulated by the federal government and 95 percent of the juices are made in China. This means the juices may have chemicals in them that are not listed on the label. In fact, a study of vaping juices found the majority of the juices that said they did not have nicotine in them in fact did contain nicotine, Pope said.
“I think that is kind of scary, because you really don’t know what is in there,” she said. “When we put stuff in liquid and we heat them up, they change, and you don’t really know what that is going to do.”
Common ingredients in vaping juice include nicotine, propylene glycol, glycerin (or some other solvent) and other additives. This can include arsenic, which is found in pesticides, and formaldehyde, which is used to preserve dead bodies and lab specimens. It also can contain heavy metals, such as nickel, tin, lead, chromium and cadmium. Cadmium, which is also found in batteries, can cause kidney failure and bone disease.
Vaping and smoking in teens can permanently stunt lung development.
The nicotine concentration you are receiving can vary depending on what liquid you buy and what delivery device you use.
Nicotine, specifically, can cause cancer, is addictive and damaging, especially to the adolescent brain. It can also cause heart attack and stroke.
Young people’s brains are not fully developed until they are 25. The second greatest period of brain development happens when you are a teenager and young adult. Because teens are developing connections in their brains more quickly, they can become addicted more quickly.
Nicotine also affects the limbic system, which governs memories and emotions. Nicotine can permanently lower impulse control. It can also affect attention and learning and increase risk of mood disorders, such as depression and anxiety.
Some research has indicated teens can become addicted to nicotine with use of less than half of a cigarette, Pope said.
“Most people would say a half cigarette — ‘That is not that big of a deal. I’ll just try it. My friends are here, and I don’t want to look silly.’ If you have a genetic predisposition or a brain that is highly triggered by (nicotine), it can be all it takes to become addicted,” Pope said.
“What do I mean by addicted? Your brain reminds you of that and that was good and fun. You should do that again. You think about it again and you want to do it again. You may argue you that you don’t want to do it again, but you end up doing it anyway. It does not mean you have to do it every day.”
Pope noted signs of addiction can include: craving an e-cigarette, feeling nervous without an e-cigarette and having trouble quitting vaping. She noted youth can vape as little as once a month and still be addicted.
E-cigarette use has risen dramatically since 2011, when only 1.5 percent of high school students reported vaping. In 2015 that had risen to more than 16 percent. In 2016, more than 2 million middle and high school students reported they had vaped in the last month.
“E-cigarettes, you say, ‘Oh, weren’t those designed to help people stop smoking?’ If that is the case, this is an interesting statement. More kids use them than adults,” she said. “You guys are the prime market. You are the prime target.”
Companies are marketing to youth. They have developed candy-flavored juices with bright packaging. Some of these include gummy worms and a flavor like Swedish Fish. About 80 percent of youth who try vaping for the first time use a flavored juice, Pope said.
“There is a whole lot of science behind why they do flavoring, but basically it gets your foot in the door,” she said. “Once your foot is in the door, they have got your money, because you are going to keep coming back.”
Even the vaping devices are geared toward kids. Delivery systems called JUULs look like USB drives and can easily be hidden in school supplies. JUUL refills often contain twice as much nicotine as standard vaping juices.
“Somethings that may seem really cool and seem like it may not hurt you, but you have to be very careful,” Pope said. “Sometimes the smallest things and the coolest-looking things are the sneakiest things.”
In addition to the dangers of using the vaping products, vaping devices have been known to explode. Last week, the first death linked directly to a defective vaping device was recorded. The vaping device exploded in the person’s face, killing the vaper and then setting the rest of the house on fire.
Calls to poison control for vaping fluid overdoses in children have also skyrocketed in recent years, Pope said. Vaping juice can be deadly if ingested orally by children younger than 6.
A new high priority item on the proposed Hays Parks Improvement Plan is a shade structure for the bison herd in Frontier Park West.
By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
The city of Hays welcomed two baby bison to its herd last week at Frontier Park.
One was born Tuesday and another was born Friday.
The first calf was born to one of the herd’s 5-year-old cows. Another calf was born Friday to one of the 4-year-old cows. Neither the cows nor the calves have names.
Jeff Boyle, director of the city’s parks department, said the bison’s keeper thinks all five of the cows in the herd will likely have calves this season, including the herd’s white bison, sometimes referred to as Ghostbuster.
The bull in the herd does not exhibit any albino traits, so it is unknown if Ghostbuster would have a white or brown calf.
Boyle said the best time to see the calves is in the early morning or at dusk.
He noted visitors should not attempt to climb the bison’s fences. Bison can weigh between 800 and 2,000 pounds. They are very territorial. They have been known to charge, and victims can be gored by their horns.
By CRISTINA JANNEY
