Montana
Montana principals: Vaping impacts our kids, our schools and our health – Daily Montanan
Montana Principals: Vaping Impacting Our Kids and Schools
As principals we strive to ensure our schools are engaging, safe and healthy environments that promote learning. However, youth vaping in Montana is threatening our kids’ health and safety and creating unnecessary barriers to academic success.
Montana has a serious problem with youth e-cigarette use. Our most current Montana Youth Risk Behavior Survey data tell us 26% of our high school students currently vape and nearly half (48%) of them have tried vaping. We are encouraged that most Montana youth report they do not vape, but we are very concerned about the health and well-being of the one in four students who do.
While youth vaping is a discipline problem that can disrupt learning in our schools, it’s become an addiction problem, too. Like all other tobacco products, electronic cigarettes contain nicotine, an addictive drug that can harm the developing brain. Nicotine impacts the portions of the brain that control attention and learning; its use can increase symptoms of anxiety and amplify depression. Nicotine use in adolescence may also increase the risk for future addiction to other drugs. It’s also important to be aware that some principals report kids are vaping marijuana and other drugs, in addition to tobacco products.
Devices that show up in our schools come in a myriad of shapes and sizes, many that resemble school supplies like highlighters, markers and USB drives. It can be very difficult to identify what has been referred to as “stealth vaping” in our buildings.
We are concerned that these highly addictive products come in flavors especially attractive to kids. Flavors like cotton candy, mango pineapple ice, skittles and blue raspberry are hooking our kids and impacting their lives physically, mentally, socially, emotionally and financially.
Principals, teachers and counselors are connecting kids to resources to help address an addiction to electronic cigarettes. Quitting resources like the state of Montana’s My Life My Quit website (mt.mylifemyquit.org) are free, confidential and specifically designed for youth. We know that prevention is key. We urge parents to talk to their kids about the harmful risks of vaping; you have a great influence on the healthy choices your kids are making.
In short, the notion that vaping is somehow safe and harmless to youth is false and Montana’s standing as the state with the second highest incidence of youth e-cigarette use calls for corrective action. We urge Montana decision makers at the state and local levels to help us address this problem and put the best practices for youth tobacco use prevention into action.
HELENA, Mont. — Montana counties have accepted enough signatures for Seth Bodnar, running for U.S. Senate and Michael Eisenhauer, running in Montana’s 2nd Congressional District, to be on the November ballot, although counts are still unofficial.
County election officials are continuing to verify signatures submitted by Tuesday’s deadline as part of the candidate petition process.
The Montana Secretary of State’s Office has not yet verified, certified or accepted the petitions, according to the Secretary of State’s office.
Counties must submit candidate petitions to the Secretary of State’s office by June 1.
The Secretary of State’s office will then conduct its “statutory review to ensure the petitions meet the necessary legal requirements under law.”
The deadline for the November general election ballot to be certified is Thursday, Aug. 20. By then, all qualifying candidates and any potential ballot issues that qualify for the general election will be officially certified.
The following was out by the Montana Secretary of State’s Office:
The attached report is unofficial. It includes totals that the county election officials have processed and entered in the system. These totals do not represent what the Secretary of State’s Office has received, reviewed, tabulated, or certified. The certified totals may differ from what is reflected.
Seth Bodnar, U.S. Senate
- 13,327 required
- 18,772 accepted
- 7,812 rejected
Kimberly Persico, MT-01
- 6,742 required
- 563 accepted
- 156 rejected
Michael Eisenhauer, MT-02
BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT
- 7,274 required
- 7,754 accepted
- 4,720 rejected
Severe storms moved through parts of Montana on Thursday, prompting a total of 5 Severe Thunderstorm Warnings. Reports included strong wind gusts and hail in several communities, including Augusta, Choteau, Sunburst, Bigfork, Kalispell and Evergreen.
The strongest reported wind gust was 60 mph near Augusta, while hail up to 1 inch was reported near Evergreen and Kalispell.
STORM REPORTS:
12 SE Grant — 56 mph thunderstorm wind gust
7 NNE Augusta — 60 mph thunderstorm wind gust
5 ENE Choteau — 59 mph thunderstorm wind gust
Sunburst — 54 mph thunderstorm wind gust
Ennis — 59 mph thunderstorm wind gust
3 SSW Ennis — 52 mph thunderstorm wind gust
2 E Helena — 54 mph thunderstorm wind gust
19 E Swan Lake — 56 mph thunderstorm wind gust
2 NNW Yaak — thunderstorm wind damage – Multiple downed trees reported along Highway 2 between MM 3 and 8
3 WSW Blacktail — 53 mph thunderstorm wind gust
1 NNW Troy — 49 mph thunderstorm wind gust
5 ENE Choteau — 56 mph thunderstorm wind gust
Turah — 0.88″ hail
1 NNW Bigfork — 0.75″ hail
3 SW La Salle — 0.50″ hail
2 N Evergreen — 1.00″ hail
1 W Kalispell — 1.00″ hail
3 WNW Kalispell — 0.75″ hail
BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT
Have a storm photo to share, UPLOAD it at NBCMontana.com/chimein
LAS VEGAS (KSNV) — A man from Las Vegas has been sentenced after stealing coins and precious metals from a Helena shop in Montana.
This comes after Bishop Lott, 47, pleaded guilty in January to one count of interstate transportation of stolen property.
A judge sentenced Lott on Thursday to 27 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $276,153.08 in restitution to the Helena business as well as five other theft victims.
MORE | Southern California man pleads guilty to importing, trafficking 70 pounds of ketamine
The government alleged in court documents that Lott, along with Ricky Rynell Rose, broke into Wayne Miller Coins in Helena and stole nearly $59,000 in coins and precious metals from a Helena business.
Rose pleaded guilty last year and was sentenced to 39 months in prison.
The Helena Police Department received a call on March 3, 2024, reporting that Wayne Miller Coins had been burglarized earlier that day.
BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT
As part of their investigation, Helena police officers reviewed surveillance footage from multiple businesses. They analyzed email account data, which led them to Lott and Rose, who had taken the stolen material to Nevada.
-
Dallas, TX5 minutes agoVigil honors victims of Dallas apartment explosion that killed three and injured five
-
Miami, FL12 minutes ago
Miami kosher, Mutra, restaurant earns Michelin star | The Jerusalem Post
-
Boston, MA14 minutes agoRed Sox outfielder Roman Anthony suffers another injury setback
-
Denver, CO20 minutes agoDenver weather: Warm weather to end May
-
Seattle, WA27 minutes agoSeattle City Council proposal would use street closures to curb gun violence
-
San Diego, CA30 minutes agoSan Diego teen organizes Eid goodie bags for children after Mosque tragedy
-
Milwaukee, WI35 minutes agoWhat is treatment court? Milwaukee County celebrates graduates
-
Atlanta, GA42 minutes agoAtlanta airport unveils new South Parking Deck, adding more than 7,000 spaces
