News – In Brief: Catch up on national, local and school news

The FDA delayed the decision on whether to permit Juul to stay on the market, while banning the sale of thousands of e-cigarettes from other brands on Sept. 16. Despite the spike in underage vaping, the agency claims they need more time to determine a verdict on Juul.

They rejected applications to stay on the market from about 950,000 e-cigarette brands due to their appeal to teens. However, the agency has yet to rule on the most popular brand — Juul.

Sept. 16 was the deadline for the FDA to issue decisions on marketing applications from Juul and hundreds of other companies after the agency was sued by anti-tobacco organizations in an effort to expedite their review of vaping products. 

In order to stay on the market, companies must show that their products benefit public health — adult cigarette smokers who use the products are likely to quit smoking, while teens aren’t likely to get addicted.

After years of regulatory delays, the FDA is bringing scientific scrutiny to the multibillion-dollar industry and has yet to authorize any vaping product as a safe alternative to smoking. 

“Ensuring new tobacco products undergo an evaluation by the FDA is a critical part of our aim to reduce tobacco-related disease and death,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Janet Woodcock to CNN. “We know that flavored tobacco products are very appealing to young people, therefore assessing the impact of potential or actual youth use is a critical factor in our decision-making about which products may be marketed.”

The FDA didn’t indicate when they’ll rule on Juul and other manufacturers, and President of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids Matthew Meyers pledged to go back to court if the FDA doesn’t finalize its timeline for the remaining decisions.

The Johnson County Library Foundation held their 25th annual fundraiser, “Library Lets Loose,” on Saturday Sept. 18  The event was virtual, festive and free for families in the community.

Library Lets Loose was held via Zoom, with a reception that began at 6:30 p.m. and a program that began at 7 p.m.

Emcees Kathy Quinn and Stann Tate lead guests through the evening, with digital storytelling from Johnson County community members. 

The event was hosted by long-time library supporters Rick and Denise Mills, and celebrated the Foundation’s 25th anniversary by sharing stories of lives profoundly impacted by the library. 

Denise has been a passionate advocate for the public library system for years and appeared in 2006 with then-First Lady Laura Bush and then-County Librarian Mona Carmack to accept an award recognizing Johnson County Library as one of the nation’s top library systems. 

The hosts have pledged to match all donations up to $25,000. Registration was free, but donations were encouraged. All $100 donations were given a chance to win a gift basket valued at $200. 

“The library hosts events throughout the year for everyone from children to seniors,” Mills said. “So we’re confident that all donations will be considerately funneled back into the community through these initiatives.”

Proceeds from the event help to excel their taxpayer-funded budget, enhancing the library’s early literacy offerings, teen programs, incarcerated services, online programming, MakerSpace STEM education and Race Projet KC.

The annual SME Musical Review will be held on Sept. 22 and 23 in the East auditorium with a $5 admission fee or free with your student ID.

The Motown-themed cabaret will feature ten solos, nine duets and two “all cast” numbers performing songs of the genre such as “Please Mr. Postman,” “Chain of Fools,” “Rockin’ Robin” and “I Heard it Through the Grapevine.”

“It’s a pretty low-key event and a good way to kick off the year and get people involved in theatre,” thespian and junior Kate Whitefield said. 

The showcase is no-cut and there are about 25 cast members. The directors — Ken Foley, Tom DeFeo and Brian Cappello — assigned the groups and songs to be performed back in August. 

A few previous participants opted out of the cabaret this year because they considered the theme to be cultural appropriation as the Motown genre is deeply rooted in Black culture and the cast is primarily white. 

“We celebrate music of other cultures in choir all the time — it’s great music, it’s part of the American Song Book, we’re just celebrating the music of Motown,” Foley said. 

Last year, the concert was held online without a set theme and about 15 people sent in video performances of songs of their choice to be shown via WebEx. 

This year, with the event being in-person, the Theatre Department hopes to draw a crowd of 75-100 people as it involves more cast members and has a developed theme.