Editorial: Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month
Researchers in August reported an overall decline in cancer deaths among Latinos in the U.S. The flip side to that hopeful coin is research showing that the rate of cancer screening among Hispanics remains stubbornly low. Delaying diagnosis and treatment reduces the odds of a positive prognosis and ultimate survival. This is particularly true for […]
Editorial: Defeating our common enemies
Five people in Olathe have tested positive for what was, at the dawn of the 20th century, the world’s “most feared disease.” Today, tuberculosis, once the leading cause of death is under control here in the U.S. But the disease, which is preventable and curable is still claiming lives elsewhere. In fact, it “has passed […]
Editorial: Voter apathy for presidential candidates
There’s a nettlesome enthusiasm gap for the 2024 presidential election. At the heart of it is an abysmal lack of enthusiasm for the two major party presidential frontrunners. Pres. Joe Biden, the Democrat and former Pres. Donald Trump, the leading Republican remain stubbornly stuck in a persistent dead heat, according to 538/USA Today poll ending […]
Editorial: Halloween: deliciously ghoulish whimsy, safely
Halloween, the first celebration of this year’s autumn-into-winter holiday season is next Tuesday. It’s well-timed, a delightful distraction giving license to redirect attention from worrying headlines to fantastical indulgences. The quirky holiday invites the fanciful. People of all ages are summoned to make-believe, to dress up and pretend to be someone or something else. All […]
Editorial: KC’s Westside CAN & does
Last weekend, 173 cats and dogs were vaccinated, microchipped and licensed at a low-cost drive-thru pet clinic on Kansas City’s storied Westside. In September, 2,287 pounds of produce was harvested at the location and shared with neighbors. And in July, 353 school kids lined up for complimentary backpacks containing all school district-required supplies. With the […]
Editorial: 2023: year of strikesEditorial:
Labor Day preceded a historic moment in the U.S. labor movement. On Sept. 15, the United Auto Workers (UAW) declared the first ever simultaneous strike against The Big Three – Ford Motor, General Motors and Stellantis. It started with 12,700 employees stopping work at three assembly plants. A settlement remains out of reach despite ongoing […]
Editorial: Wanted: healthy Hispanic blood
Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. requires a blood transfusion. A single automobile accident victim can use as much as 100 units of blood, warned the American Red Cross in a call to action in August. The nonprofit humanitarian organization, which supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood just followed up with another warning. […]
Editorial: Remember this: 988
Suicide Prevention Month ends Saturday (Sept. 30). The 15th annual observance is meant to raise awareness about suicide prevention, connect people facing a mental health crisis with resources, remember lives ended by suicide and acknowledge those impacted. Last year, 49,449 individuals in the U.S. died by suicide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported […]
Editorial: Hog-wild inflation vs. lean wages
The economy’s recovering, the federal government keeps telling us. It’s on the upswing, and the rate of inflation’s on the downswing. Americans aren’t buying it. Soaring prices for gas, groceries, housing, insurance, taxes and utilities make economic recovery a hard sell. Based on their own experience, 70% of Americans regard the economy as worsening, not […]
Editorial: Fall ushers in Hispanic Heritage Month
The U.S. is heterogenous by nature. Long before European colonization, the peoples occupying this land were socially diverse. According to the federal government, 574 different American Indian tribes and Alaska Native societies called what’s now the 50 states home.Throughout succeeding centuries, millions of immigrants arrived from all over the globe, bringing their customs and cultures. […]