Trial begins for woman accused of neglect
Laura Fritts wasn't home when an ambulance rushed her ailing mother to the hospital in February 2008. Still, Fritts is now on trial, accused of criminal neglect.
Authorities say Fritts, 64, was licensed to operate an adult foster care facility in tiffany sale at the time and that she knowingly let conditions exist at the facility that led to the neglect of her mother, Barbara Noyes, 78.
Fritts has pleaded not guilty to the gross misdemeanor charge. The trial got under way Thursday and could continue into Monday.
Fritts was one of three people charged in connection with the care of Noyes, a vulnerable adult suffering from Alzheimer's disease and a myriad of medical problems. She was one of four residents in Fritts' elder-care facility.
Prosecutors say Noyes was admitted to the Olmsted Medical Center emergency room on Feb. 9, 2008, for treatment of a pressure ulcer on her back. When admitted, staff at the hospital said she had an ulcer on her tailbone that was infected. Noyes died Feb. 12. The coroner listed the ulcer as a contributing cause of death, according to the complaint.
Jurors won't be told that Noyes died. Fritts and the others were not accused of causing her death.
Also charged were Kathleen Bryan of Arkansas, the victim's sister, who has pleaded guilty. An employee, Gloria Kay Darlene Graham Gleason of Winona, has pleaded not guilty; her trial is scheduled for October.
In opening statements Thursday, prosecutor Laurie Anderson told jurors that Fritts, as tiffany rings sale of the facility, was responsible for patient care.
"She hired the staff and set the standards," Anderson said.
At the time Fritts' mother was taken to the hospital, Fritts was in the hospital herself, where she had undergone scheduled surgery. Fritts entered the hospital on Feb. 5. Anderson said she gave no instructions to staff and left Bryan, who is not a nurse or trained professional, in charge of the foster care facility.
Anderson told jurors that the ulcer found on Noyes' tailbone had been there for some time and went unnoticed by Fritts or her staff.
Defense attorney Deanna Schleusner told jurors that Fritts had professional staff in addition to Bryan caring for residents in her absence. And, she said, when Bryan and the staff became alarmed that Noyes was deteriorating on Feb. 9, they called Fritts at the hospital and were told to call the ambulance.
Bryan was one of the early witnesses Thursday, who told of her experience caring for other family members in the past with similar conditions, including her own mother. She said she moved to Rochester to help care for her ailing sister and spent four years here helping out.
"I was not an employee," she told jurors. She said she helped with cooking, played card games with clients and cared for her sister.
When asked if she was left in charge when Fritts went to the hospital, she said "I guess you could say I was in charge."
She told jurors she never saw the ulcer on her sister's tailbone, even though helping her tiffany bracelets sale and change clothing.
Bryan told jurors she pleaded guilty to the criminal neglect charge because she failed to change her sister's underwear the morning Noyes was taken to the hospital. Medical staff said the undergarments were wet, a condition that could aggravate an ulcer.
"I never saw it," Bryan said of the sore. "I am not a nurse, and I would have freaked out and called for help."
In October 2008, Fritts was convicted by another Olmsted County jury of mistreating an 80-year-old Alzheimer's patient. She was convicted of gross misdemeanor maltreatment of a resident and ordered to pay $82 and do 90 hours community work service and be on probation for two years.
Fresh foods program lifts woman ‘from end of my rope’
When a life of yo-yo dieting failures grew into a roller coaster of emotional ups and downs, Bridgette Kossor searched for answers.
She found her 268 pounds on her frame of 5 feet, 5 inches, reflected bigger problems, she said.
Diet programs failed; self-discipline too often found itself in the cross hairs of a high-stress life.
A little more than three years ago, "I sat in my living room crying," she said. "I was at the end of my rope. I didn't know what to do.
"I had body image issues and weight issues. It was awful emotionally; it was hard physically.
"I've done every major diet, one of them 10 times," she said. "I used to do aerobics, strength training, walking, dancing and all the moving around on stage."
An in-demand singer, she often performed on the East Coast.
During one of those trips in late 2006, she learned of a program in Philadelphia run by macrobiotic diet guru Denny Waxman .
Macrobiotics is based on eating fresh food that's close to its origin from a vine or the ground. Adherents believe different food provides different values and quality of energy for life.
In early 2007 she met with Waxman for counseling. She was taken by the spiritual and mindfulness components as well as an understanding of food that was clearer to her than what she'd heard in past nutrition programs.
"He told me, when I look at my food, look to see if there's life in it or see if it's dead," she said.
There were no scales, no tape measures, just thinking about what she ate and why she ate it.
"That day changed my life; it changed how I began to look at my food and what it was," she said.
"Five weeks after I began the program, I'd lost 25 pounds," Kossor said. "My (bad cholesterol) was in half.
"By four months, I was down 50 pounds and off my (blood pressure) meds."
The pounds continued to come off. By late 2007, she had lost more than 100 pounds.
"I'm a size 14 and I started as a size 24.
"I'd started to experience freedom," she said. "I was excited for the first time in my life about food and learning about it."
Kossor eats fresh food, cooking it in a way that maintains the nutrients and benefits. Meat isn't prohibited, just uninteresting, she said.
She eats now, not to guard against calories, but to feel better and be a better person.
By 2008, she started commuting monthly between St. Louis and Philadelphia, learning to teach the philosophy that helped her.
Fast forward to the summer of 2009.
Jaimes McNeal is the founder of Phoenix Arises, a St. Louis business that offers seminars and coaching for personal development. Kossor had been a client some years ago, and word of her weight loss and new credentials reached McNeal.
'MY BIG REVEAL'
In the summer of last year, McNeal designed the program, "My Big Reveal" and Kossor accepted the offer to run it.
"It's important to let people know how to look at food," she said. "We've gotten far away from food that grows in the ground, and eating it. I want to bring it to that again."
Meanwhile, Kossor runs two organic community gardens and is designing new classes for children.
She said if she met her old self today, "I would tell her there is hope, and I'd tell her she could be who she really is because by the time I got to where I was, I'd almost given up."
Would she listen?
"I think she would."
Surprising Research Shows Men Like Cooking More Than Women
2010 MAR 25 - (VerticalNews.com) -- Today, Allrecipes.com, the world's #1 food site, launched ManTestedRecipes.com, the only social site catering to the unique food interests and preferences of male cooks. The community-driven site leverages the proprietary tools and technology that consistently makes Allrecipes the #1 food site, and represents the first brand launched under the newly restructured Readers Digest Association.
ManTestedRecipes is a social site dedicated to male cooks; a virtual man-cave where men can talk about food, post and comment on recipes, voice their opinion about cooking methods and find recipes for anything from a backyard barbeque or tailgate party to a satisfying family feast. ManTestedRecipes is offering anyone who submits a recipe from March 8 through April 30 the chance to win a $500 cash prize in the ManTestedRecipes Dude Food Contest.*
"Our research shows men genuinely enjoy cooking but have uniquely masculine interests and tastes; they deserve a dedicated and authentic community to connect with each other," said Lisa Sharples, president of Allrecipes. "Because the site is based on user generated content, it will be the genuine voice of men and what they want in food... a site created by men, for men."
Keywords: Allrecipes.com, Food, Technology.
This article was prepared by Food Business Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2010, Food Business Week via VerticalNews.com.
WOMEN FALL TO GRAND CANYON
Western New Mexico University issued the following news release:
WNMU's No. 1 and 2 doubles teams battled to the end against Grand Canyon University Thursday morning but came up just short. Both pairs dropped their match, 8-6. From there, the WNMU momentum took a downward spiral. The Lopes marked the 8-0 victory.
In singles play, Emily Lampman (Kerrville, TX, Tivy High School) and Vanessa Molina (El Paso, TX, Franklin High School, Tyler Junior College) dropped their first set, 7-5, but neither could continue their strong play in the second set. Lampman, in the fourth position, fell to Kaila Knopf, 6-2. At No. 6, Molina posted a score of 6-3 against Ali Brackey in the second set.
"We were nervous in the beginning and couldn't shake off the nerves," says assistant head coach Carolina Hannes. "We play them next week so we hope we can bounce back."For more information please contact: Sarabjit Jagirdar, Email:- htsyndication@hindustantimes.com.
THREE WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY WOMEN HONORED DURING
Washington State University issued the following news release:
Professor of psychology Rebecca Craft was named the 2010 WSU Woman of the Year at the annual Women's Recognition Luncheon today in the CUB ballroom.
Bernadette Buchanan Mencke, a doctoral student in WSU's higher education program, and Alice Smethurst, from Payroll Services, were honored with Woman of Distinction awards.
To be considered for the awards, candidates had to distinguish themselves in academic work, career, leadership and public service. Also, each had to contribute to the personal growth and success of others, especially women, through education, research and public or outstanding volunteer service.
Craft, who is also director of the graduate program in experimental psychology, has demonstrated her commitment to the people and community around her in a multitude of ways. She is honored for excellence in her career, leadership, public service and commitment to the personal growth and success of others.
She has demonstrated her commitment to women's issues through her research on sex differences in therapeutic effects of drugs, her teaching and her mentoring.
Craft has authored more than 50 peer reviewed publications, made dozens of invited presentations and nearly 60 conference presentations and posters, and earned 19 academic awards for her teaching and mentoring. She has served as president of the Association for Faculty Women. She also developed and offered a workshop illuminating gender differences in workplace communication styles that affect professional development and unit effectiveness.
"Rebecca is a distinguished scholar, an award winning teacher and mentor, a role model par excellence, and a truly delightful person," said one nominator. "(She) has worked hard to distinguish herself through individual accomplishment, but she worked equally hard to elevate the women around her."
Graduate student Buchanan Mencke was selected for her demonstrated excellence in academic work, public service and leadership. She shows great command of the intellectual material in her classes, and is also an active volunteer in her local community and a role model for other graduate students. As a wife and mother, she is an actively engaged member of the greater WSU community.
She thinks on a large scale, according to her nominator: "She is passionate to gain knowledge that can be applied toward improving the campus climate here at WSU and the social environment throughout the world."
A WSU employee for 25 years, Smethurst, in the words of her nominators, "provides world class customer service both within and outside the university." She is honored for excellence in mentoring others and contributing to their success, as well as her leadership and public service.
She is well-respected in her position as director of Payroll Services for ensuring the highest quality service to employees and to state and federal agencies. She possesses intricate knowledge of the complex policies and regulations she and her department are required to deal with, and is called upon by many at WSU and the state for input and help. She deals exceedingly well with complicated data, and trains and mentors those in her department.
Smethurst's concern for people is shown in the low turnover rate in her department. She is willing to take the time to invest in her employees and to show them that she is on their side.
Woman fights to keep Avon sign outside her house
It's the Easter Bunny's paradise outside a home along Pennsylvania Avenue in Hanover tiffany cufflinks, Lehigh County. Oversize pastel-colored eggs hug the perimeter of the house while a life-size blow-up bunny lounges next to a blow-up chick dressed as a bunny.
The colorful scene is impossible for drivers to miss.
Near the sidewalk, though, hangs a sign that you could, quite possibly, drive past without noticing: "Ask me about Avon."
Township officials have told Ruby Bauer the sign -- 22 inches high and 14 inches wide -- has to go.
Bauer disagrees, and on Thursday she will go before the Zoning Hearing Board to tiffanys she should be allowed to keep it there.
For 32 years, Bauer's been selling Avon products, her success so great she was featured in a 1997 People magazine ad for the company. In 2004, she was the top-ranked independent saleswoman in Lehigh and Northampton counties.
She and her husband moved to Hanover in 1984 and a few years later she hung the sign, which includes her phone number. If she takes it down, Bauer worries people will either think she's stopped selling -- or worse.
"People will think I died," wrote Bauer in her application for a variance, which requires that she proves she has a hardship.
The sign is not allowed in a medium-residential zoning district. And the township has received complaints about it, said Sandra Pudliner, township manager and zoning officer.
Bauer "refuses to remove the sign because she says it was grandfathered in," Pudliner said. But it tiffany pendants allowed even when Bauer put it up, Pudliner said.
Bauer questioned why the township waited this long to tell her to remove the sign. She said no one is bothered by it.
"We got signatures from around the neighborhood that nobody has a problem with it," she said.
Bauer will present the signatures when she makes her plea at tiffany earrings township's municipal building at 2202 Grove Road at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Discussing Oysters and Men
This bivalve-heavy addition to the Mermaid empire -- there are Mermaid Inn restaurants serving a Tiffany Notes seafood palette in the East Village and on the Upper West Side -- packs them in with a smart, successful trick: $1 oysters at the bar from 5:30 to 7 p.m. (Sundays from 5 to 7 p.m.). Located at 79 MacDougal Street, next door to the ever-mysterious Italian Rifle Club, the oyster bar tends to draw a downtown crowd, including four women who recently got their business degrees and now work together at American Express.
IN THE SEATS Members of this year's freshman crop at Amex (managerial track): Shanika Strings, 33; Erin Seo, 27; Jane Gu, 28; and Raiquel Cole, 27.
ON THE PLATES A bicoastal mix of a dozen of the house's finest oysters: two Blue Points (that day's $1 Tiffany Keys), two Cherrystones ($1.25 each), two Chef Creeks ($2.50 each), two Hog Islands ($3.15 each), two Wellfleets ($2.75 each) and two Royal Miyagis ($2.25 each.)
WHY THEY CAME Ms. Seo, the group's social coordinator, heard about the $1 special and with the help of Ms. Gu -- her designated attendee at all events -- organized an after-work excursion, especially because there were two oyster virgins in their midst: Ms. Strings, who tends to be the life of the party, and Ms. Cole, who tends to pay. After much anxiety over whether to chew or swallow, Ms. Strings, for one, could not make up her mind. "I've been thinking about it, but I'm just not brave enough," she said.
WHAT THEY TALKED ABOUT Beyond oyster etiquette, guys. Ms. Gu was squared away: She got married this summer. Ms. Cole was right behind her: She's been dating some dude from Washington long-distance for the last three years. Which left Ms. Seo ("All of my friends are" -- sigh -- "married except for me") discount tiffany Ms. Strings (who said with candid humor, "I'm old and still single.") Another dozen, please ...
Kansas State University
A recent Kansas State University study found that the availability of supermarkets -- rather than the lack of them --increased the risk of obesity for low-income women living in small cities. This suggests that policies to increase healthful eating behaviors might need to be tailored based on geographic location.
K-State researchers studied the availability of food stores for low-income women in Kansas to see whether there was a link to obesity. The findings showed that limited availability of grocery stores did not contribute to an increased risk of obesity in metropolitan or rural areas, but it was associated with an increased risk of Return To Tiffany in micropolitan areas in Kansas, defined as cities with fewer than 40,000 people.
"This study was one of the first to look at supermarket availability across the urban-rural continuum, and the findings suggest that policies to increase healthful food availability may need to differ depending on urban influence," said David Dzewaltowski, K-State professor and department head of kinesiology.
Dzewaltowski and Paula Ford, assistant professor of public health sciences at the University of Texas at El Paso, published the study in the January issue of Obesity, a research journal. Ford led the project as a doctoral student at K-State.
Research has shown that a lack of nearby food stores that offer healthful items contributes to higher incidences of obesity for consumers. Studies also have shown that low-income residents have an improved quality of diet when larger grocery stores and supermarkets are available. That's because these stores often supply consumers with healthful foods at a lower cost compared to small grocery and convenience stores.
Dzewaltowski said most studies that have investigated links between food environments and obesity have relied upon census tracts or ZIP codes for analysis. However, this can lead to faulty results. The K-State study used a statewide, geographically referenced dataset of Kansans participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Tiffany 1837 for Women, Infants and Children from October 2004 to December 2006.
"Previous research assumes that most people shop within their own census tract or ZIP code," Ford said. "However, other studies have found that most people shop outside of their census tract. By examining the number of stores within a 1- to 3-mile radius of these women's homes, we were able to get a more accurate and realistic assessment of supermarket availability."
To be eligible for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program, a recipient must be a pregnant, breastfeeding or postpartum woman with children younger than 5 years old and a household income less than 185 percent of the federally designated poverty level. The researchers' data included each woman's body mass index.
The study included only socioeconomically disadvantaged women because they are at greater risk of obesity than are wealthier women. They also are likely to be more dependent on nearby grocery stores and supermarkets because of limited transportation options and fewer economic resources, Ford said.
The researchers looked at the availability of food stores -- specifically convenience and grocery stores and supermarkets -- located within a radius of 1, 3 or 5 miles of the women's residences. The women's homes also were categorized as being in a rural, micropolitan or metropolitan area. The first item the researchers examined was the availability of these stores in the different areas.
The findings showed significant geographic disparities regarding the availability of supermarkets. However, the majority of the women lived within 1 mile of a small grocery store. Dzewaltowski said this is important because previous studies have indicated that rural areas are food deserts where low-income residents have to travel far to access healthful foods.
The number and types of stores available differed in the metropolitan, micropolitan and rural areas. Rural low-income women had 74 percent fewer supermarkets and 55 percent fewer small grocery stores available within a 1-mile radius as compared to women in metropolitan areas. Yet the number of convenience stores per 10,000 residents was highest in rural areas.
The researchers also looked at how the availability of different food stores contributed to area residents' obesity. They found that the availability and density of food stores was not associated with obesity in metropolitan and rural areas. However, contrary to previous studies, the findings showed that the presence of a supermarket is not Tiffany Notes against obesity for women in these areas. Women who resided in micropolitan areas in Kansas had an 18 percent increase in obesity risk when living within a 1-mile radius of a supermarket. The presence of small grocery and convenience stores also was associated with an increased risk of obesity.
Dzewaltowski said the findings indicate that the choice of supermarkets may be a more relevant issue than the availability of supermarkets. The findings also suggest that most of the low-income women reside within the urban cluster of the micropolitan areas and are likely to be exposed to multiple fast food restaurants and other high-caloric density eating opportunities, which are often absent in rural areas.
The researchers said policies that increase the accessibility of healthful foods at small grocery stores might be a promising strategy for reducing the higher prevalence of obesity in rural areas.
Keywords: Alternative Medicine, Bariatrics, Breastfeeding, Economics, Fast Food, Food, Food Stores, Kinesiology, Obesity, Pediatrics, Poverty Level, Public Health, Therapy, Treatment, Women's Health, Kansas State University.
New labor economics study findings recently
"The allocation of Moluccan immigrants across towns and villages at arrival in the tiffanys and the subsequent formation of interethnic marriages resemble a natural experiment," scientists in Tilburg, Netherlands report.
"The exogenous variation in marriage formation allows us to estimate the causal effect of interethnic marriages on the educational attainment of children from such marriages," wrote J.C. Vanours and colleagues, Tilburg University.
The researchers concluded: "We find that children from Moluccan fathers and native mothers have a higher educational attainment than children from ethnic homogeneous Moluccan couples or children from a Moluccan mother and a native father."
Vanours and colleagues published their study in Labour Economics (How interethnic marriages affect the educational attainment of children: Evidence from a natural experiment. Labour Economics, 2010;17(1):111-117).
For more information, contact J.C. Vanours, Tilburg University, Dept. of Econ, tiffany pendants, Tilburg, Netherlands.
Publisher contact information for the journal Labour Economics is: Elsevier Science BV, PO Box 211, 1000 AE Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Keywords: City:Tilburg, Country:Netherlands, Economics, Life Sciences, Pediatrics
This article was prepared by Economics Week editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2010, tiffany earrings Week via VerticalNews.com.
17 WVU students model for charity benefit
More than a dozen WVU students strutted down the runway in fashionable winter wear hoping to raise money for two organizations.
The Saturday-evening event was a fundraiser for the WVU Public Relations tiffany Society of America (PRSSA and PRSSA) and the Mountaineer Boys & Girls Club, said show director Brandon Thomas. The two groups split the earnings.
Funding for the Boys & Girls Club has decreased during the past few years, and Thomas said they wanted to help.
"We really wanted to highlight the Boys & Girls Club," Thomas said.
The show allowed everyone to take a break from their hectic schedules and enjoy fashion and help raise money for a good cause, he said.
Seventeen WVU students participated as models and the PRSSA organized the tiffany rings. The models displayed clothing from Gap, Rue 21, Pacific Sun and Vanity. The show had four scenes and more than 50 people attended the showcase.
One of the models, WVU senior Megan Puglisi said she watched the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show last week and got a few tips on how to work the runway. With only 20 minutes of practice at home she said she was ready to go.
"I'm a natural," Puglisi joked.
The fashion show shows people how important the Boys & Girls Club is to the kids, tiffany bracelets said. It also was a unique way to increase funds instead of a traditional fundraising program.
"If we do something out of the box, it's going to attract a crowd," Puglisi said.
WVU junior Ben Hancock agreed with Puglisi that the fashion show was a fun and different type of fundraiser. He added the event helps increase the club cash flow, but also allows the PRSSA students to practice their skills.
One of Hancock's friends is involved with PRSSA and Hancock said when he heard about the event he jokingly asked why Hancock wasn't a model. The joke soon turned to reality as he became one. But, he said he had no problem and was excited for the tiffany cufflinks.
"I thought it would be fun," Hancock said.