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113 Idaho schools awarded Fresh Fruit & Vegetable grants

Submitted by Camille Troxel on Monday, May 20th, 5:00 pm
113 Idaho schools awarded Fresh Fruit & Vegetable grants

Schools across Idaho have been awarded Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program grants so that they can provide healthy snack options throughout the day. A total of 113 schools were awarded the grant including 20 schools in 10 districts in North Idaho.

 

“The Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program is a voluntary program that many schools across Idaho have used not only to provide more nutritious options, but also as a creative way to teach Idaho students about history, geography, writing or other critical subjects,” said Tom Luna, Superintendent of Public Instruction.

 

The program is part of a federal initiative by U.S. Department of Agriculture to offer schools a wider variety of produce. Schools are reimbursed for providing fresh produce to all students during the school day, but it has to be at a time outside of the normal lunch hour.

 

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National Drug Take Back Day

Submitted by Camille Troxel on Friday, April 26th, 1:01 pm
National Drug Take Back Day

On Saturday, April 27th, police departments across the region will be hosting drug collections as part of the Drug Enforcement Administration's fifth National Drug Take Back Day.

 

The DEA has collected over 1,000 tons of unused and expired prescription drugs over the last three years. The take back day was started to get the public more involved in the prevention of prescription drug abuse.

 

Unused prescription drugs in homes are considered a public health and safety concern by the DEA. According to the DEA this is because the drugs are “highly susceptible to accidental ingestion, diversion, misuse and abuse”.

 

A survey done by the DEA found that the majority of abuses get their prescription drugs through friends and family. Often times it's as simple as raiding the medicine cabinet. Americans currently abuse more prescription drugs than those using cocaine, hallucinogens and heroin combined.

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Idaho Among Lowest For Health Insurance

Submitted by Camille Troxel on Thursday, April 11th, 4:07 pm
Idaho Among Lowest For Health Insurance

A new study has been released regarding companies that offer health insurance to employees. The news isn't good for Idaho. The state ranks among the lowest in the country.

A report released last week states that only 43 percent of Idaho companies provide their workers with health insurance. That makes it the fourth lowest nationally. Other states in the region, Montana and Wyoming, rank lower. It is, however, an improvement from last year's score of 41 percent.

The numbers get worse. Among small businesses with 50 employees or less, Idaho ranks second lowest with 28 percent of them offering health insurance. For companies that offer insurance for employee family members, the employees pay 31 percent of their premiums on average. This is the third highest employee contribution requirement in the nation.

The report was published by the University of Minnesota's State Health access Data Assistance Center. 

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Frontline Fitness celebrates grand opening tonight

Submitted by Jacob Palmer on Thursday, March 7th, 5:00 pm
Frontline Fitness celebrates grand opening tonight

 

Pat Benatar said love is a battlefield. At Frontline Fitness in Post Falls, fitness is a battlefield.

Frontline Fitness, on West Seltice, is celebrating its grand opening today. The new gym spared no cost in setting up – it has a full weight room with machines, free weights and cardio machines, as well as a full dedicated space to group fitness.

“We're trying to make this an adult playland,” owner Chanda Branson said. “We're trying to change the focus of fitness and gyms being a place where people don't want to go. We want this to be a concert-type atmosphere where people want to go.”

The gym will utilize the Les Mills line of group fitness exercises, which features new songs and routines every three months to keep classes fresh. They will also have “nine-ish” trainers on hand to help members reach their fitness goals.

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Idaho gets failing grades from American Lung Association

Submitted by Jacob Palmer on Monday, January 21st, 12:45 pm
Idaho gets failing grades from American Lung Association

 

The American Lung Association released its grades for the State of Tobacco Control 2013, and Idaho did not fare very well.

The report measures state and federal efforts to enact regulations and legislation that limit access to tobacco.

Although the state received a thumbs-up for “increasing its funding for tobacco prevention and cessation initiatives by about $1.6 million” for 2012, the state received an F for tobacco prevention and control program funding. Idaho should not feel too bad, because they have company in failing this category - 41 states and the District of Columbia also received an F.

 

"Overall funding for tobacco prevention and cessation activities increased substantially in 2012 from $1.2 million to over $2.8 million, which was a welcome development," the report read.

Due to Idaho's low cigarette tax, the state received an F in that category. Idaho has the 42nd highest state cigarrette tax out of the states and Washington, D.C.

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Dirty Dash registration opens

Submitted by Jacob Palmer on Wednesday, January 2nd, 1:27 pm
Dirty Dash registration opens

 

The popular Dirty Dash opened registration today for the 2013 “race” to be held at Riverside State Park on July 13.

Loyalty registration, which runs until Jan. 30, costs only $35. After that the price to sign up steadily rises the closer we get to the event.

“Resolve to make 2013 your dirtiest yet and we guarantee to make that happen for you in one unforgettable morning of feasting on filth, groveling through grime, delighting in dirt, and wallowing in mud rather than self-pity,” a news release from Dirty Dash said.

Sign up at thedirtydash.com.

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Hospice agrees to pay $50,000 for stolen laptop

Submitted by Jacob Palmer on Friday, December 28th, 12:24 pm

A stolen laptop with patient information is going to cost the Hospice of North Idaho $50,000 in a settlement with the  federal government.

The Coeur d'Alene Press reported Friday the hospice agreed to pay the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' office of human rights after the facility realized an employee's car was broken into and the laptop was missing. The hospice said in a news release that patient information was unlikely to be compromised.

"In the summer of 2010, an employee's vehicle was broken into, and their laptop was stolen," Spokeswoman Amanda Miller said. "While the thief was apprehended, the laptop was never recovered, hence all the steps Hospice of North Idaho took in case of malicious activity.

Potentially vulnerable patients were reached and offered credit monitoring, according to the hospice.

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