Feauture insight from CDC on importance of sex education

Eastern High School provides comprehensive sex education

Due to the increase of sexually transmitted diseases and infections, Lansing Eastern High School continues to provide students with comprehensive sex education

  Eastern High School ensures its students are well-informed about various topics related to sex and sexuality through high-quality teaching and learning because sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are on the rise. Understanding attitudes and values about sex can help students navigate relationships with themselves, their partners, and their community while managing their sexual health.  Eastern High School Assistant Principal Catherine Bates said the high school wants to empower students with facts and information to make healthy choices correlated to sex and sexual matters. “We provide it [ sex education course] so that students are fully aware and responsible,” Bates said. “It’s part of health education because we want our students to live a healthy lifestyle.

Ukraine turmoil impacts Michigan economy

While the Russia-Ukraine war is taking place across the Atlantic Ocean, the economical effects of it are being felt in the United States. 

Russia is one of the world’s largest exporters of oil and natural gas, particularly to

Europe, and the Russian invasion on Ukraine puts a major hold on many supply chains and imports. 

One of the courses that Pozo teaches is called “Hotspots in global affairs”, which was recently assigned  from a World Affairs Council lecture by Fiona Hill, a former intelligence officer for Russia and Eurasia. Tommy Jelsomeno, a student at Western Michigan University studying global and international relations, said, “Especially with a lot of gas coming from both Russia and Ukraine, I think we’ll definitely see some domestic changes.”

Chart showing national average gas prices from one year ago and today. Information collected from GasBuddy Credit: Sarah Marilyn

“That possibility has pushed up the national average price of gasoline considerably in the last week, and the situation could worsen at any time, keeping gas prices elevated for the foreseeable future,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “In addition to the unstable situation with the Russian invasion, we’re also entering the time of year that seasonality pushes gasoline prices up by anywhere from 25 to 75 cents by Memorial Day. It’s simply looking like a perfect storm for motorists at the pump, with little to no relief anytime soon.”

According to GasBuddy the best days to fuel up are Friday and Monday.

Q&A with John Lehman, fire chief of the City of Grand Rapids

Fire Chief John Lehman said he hopes to continue the Homeless Outreach Team after the pandemic ends. 

Grand Rapids Fire Chief John Lehman is most proud of the Homeless Outreach Program that was started in an effort to battle the COVID-19 pandemic.  When the homeless became sick they needed implementation of a new program that allowed the sick to isolate while undergoing quarantine.  Safety threats prompted Grand Rapids leaders to make changes that would keep everyone safe, including the homeless community. 

Firefighters and police officers establish relationships with the homeless to connect them with Social Services, Substance Abuse Assistance, Mental Health Assistance and other resources. 

The fire chief also discussed the future of continuing the Homeless Outreach Program even after the pandemic ends. 

Spartan Newsroom Reporter Sarah Benner spoke with John Lehman, the fire chief of the city of Grand Rapids, about future careers in the fire department and how COVID-19 is impacting his job. Here’s an overview of his comments, edited for space and clarity. On how COVID-19 impacted the Fire Chief Department: 

COVID has taken a big operation toll on the operation, when we don’t have the bodies to fill the seats it impacts us in a large way. We were able to get through it by working with the labor and union to relax some work rules. Counting on the fact that all our employees were coming in working overtime shifts and working extra duty to fill in for those vacancies of those that were off sick.