The Associated Press says, “Look for flu and COVID-19 infections to ramp up in the coming weeks.”
NEW YORK (AP) — Look for flu and COVID-19 infections to ramp up in the coming weeks, U.S. health officials say, with increases fueled by holiday gatherings, too many unvaccinated people and a new version of the coronavirus that may be spreading more easily.
High levels of flu-like illnesses were reported last week in 17 states — up from 14 the week before, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.
“Folks are traveling a lot more this season. They want to see their families,” said the CDC’s Dr. Manisha Patel. “And all of that sort of adds to the mix” in the spread of viruses.
Health officials are keeping an eye on a version of the ever-evolving coronavirus, known as JN.1. The omicron variant was first detected in the U.S. in September and now accounts for an estimated 20% of cases. The CDC expects it to reach 50% in the next two weeks, Patel said.
JANUARY 10, 2022
It’s been a tough couple of years for everyone – adults and kids alike.
When the pandemic first started, we were all worried about getting the illness. That sentiment certainly still exists for some, in particular people who are immunocompromised and the elderly. However, it seems we have now transitioned into a more generalized anxiety related to COVID-19, but not necessarily about contracting it. And the unfortunate reality is that our kids are feeling the same way.
THE SITUATION: MORE KIDS HAVE ANXIETY NATIONWIDE
We’re seeing more kids with anxiety nationwide. More psychology visits. More visits to the Emergency Department for suicide attempts. In fact, suicide is the second-leading cause of death in kids 10 years and older.
I don’t mention this to cause panic in parents, but rather to heighten our sense of awareness. Our kids have suffered much in the way that adults have, and we need to watch and take note (more on that later). While we don’t have an exact link to causation at this time, we certainly can make some guesses.
WHY KIDS HAVE COVID-RELATED ANXIETYWe’re noticing that kids are behaving in ways that are similar to how we act after experiencing significant loss. And I think this makes sense. They have missed out on nearly two years of normalcy. Two years of attending school in a typical way. Two years of uncertainty and disbelief. They’ve missed major milestones and activities, such as graduation, school dances, field trips and sporting events.
Not to mention the developmental impacts of virtual school. Kids learn by interacting with others and through hands-on projects. They develop socially by having to navigate relationships and work things out. Their sense of well-being, especially for teens, is tied to their peers and achievements. And now that some of these activities have started up again, many are anxious about returning to them, because they’re out of practice.
So what can we as parents do about it? I recommend the following:
1. ENCOURAGE RESILIENCYResiliency is the ability to manage and bounce back from a stressor. Without social interactions and activities, these skills have been sitting on a shelf. They need to be dusted off and used. This will take work and time. It can start by explaining that they have the ability to do it – they can do hard things. Perhaps remind them of another time when they worked through something difficult. Have them focus on what’s within their control and let go of what isn’t. Read this previous post for more tips on teaching resiliency.
2. PROMOTE BASIC BRAIN HEALTHThe last couple of years have wreaked havoc on our basic brain health, and this impacts how we think and feel. We’ve gotten out of our normal routines, sleeping patterns and healthy meals. I recommend getting back to a daily structure. Have a normal bedtime. Engage in regular physical activity. Eat meals together. It doesn’t have to be every day or even at dinner, but children who eat meals with their families are often more resilient than those who don’t eat with their family.
3. NURTURE PARENT-CHILD CONNECTIONSConveying a sense of connection with your children is so important for their sense of well-being and willingness to open up to us. Just hang out together and have fun on a consistent basis. You don’t have to have big important discussions. This will plant the seed for them to trust you and confide in you when they need help.
4. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELFThis goes back to the oxygen mask metaphor – when you’re on a plane, you need to put your oxygen mask on before you help someone else put theirs on. The same goes for mental health. It is difficult to help someone else when you’re not taking care of yourself. I realize this is easier said than done, but start taking small steps. Ask another adult to partner with you in making self-care a priority.
5. NOTICE CHANGES IN YOUR CHILDBasic changes in your children can indicate that they are having a difficult time. Be on the lookout for changes in sleep, eating, appearance, academics, energy level, activities, and social interactions. Pay attention to their social media accounts. When you notice any of these differences, ask them about it. Say something like, “I’ve noticed you’re eating less than normal”. Or, “you’re not hanging out with Suzie as much”. Follow up with, “let’s talk about that”. Or, “have you noticed that too”? They may not be open up right at that moment, but you’ve opened the door and it may lead to more conversations. And if you’re concerned, say so.
6. GET HELP WHEN NEEDEDIt is okay to ask if they’ve had thoughts of suicide or wanting to die. Parents sometimes worry that they will plant those thoughts in their heads, but this just isn’t the case. This allows them to share concerning thoughts with us. By asking difficult questions, parents open the door for children to discuss difficult topics. Children who talk about these feelings with trusted adults are at less risk of acting on them.
If you notice significant changes in your children, or if they talk about wishing they were dead or having thoughts of killing themselves, never hesitate to contact a professional. You can reach out to our Pediatric Intake Response Center at 513-636-4124, our Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology at 513-636-8107, or refer to a list of contacts on our mental health and resources page.
Columbus, Ohio – The ticket reseller StubHub is issuing refunds to thousands of Ohioans who purchased tickets to events that were later canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in response to a multistate investigation lead by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.
“We’d all like a refund from the ride COVID has taken us on, but in this case, there was written policy not followed,” Yost said. “That’s why we went to bat for Ohioans here and put money back in their pockets.”
Ohio, nine other states, and the District of Columbia initiated a coordinated investigation after receiving numerous complaints from consumers that StubHub was violating its own policy under the “FanProtect Guarantee.”
The policy stated that consumers would receive full refunds on ticket purchases, including fees, if events were canceled. StubHub suspended that policy in March 2020, following the mass-cancellation of events triggered by COVID concerns.
The California-based company began denying refund requests, instead of telling consumers that they would receive credits equal to 120% of their purchases for future events.
The policy change affected more than 12,000 consumers who had bought tickets to Ohio events through StubHub before March 25, 2020.
StubHub has agreed to settle a complaint filed Tuesday by AG Yost in Franklin County Common Pleas Court. The deal requires StubHub to:
The consent agreement includes an injunction that requires StubHub to:
Honor its refund policies.
Not change its refund policies for purchased tickets unless the purchasing consumer consents to the change.
Promptly process any refund requests it receives going forward for the events at issue.
The agreement also assesses a $654,100 civil penalty, which is suspended provided that StubHub pays the refunds owed to Ohio consumers and does not violate the other terms of the agreement.
Consumers who have not been contacted by StubHub and believe they are entitled to a refund may contact either StubHub at (866) 788-2482 or the Attorney General’s Office at 1-800-282-0515 or www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov.
Loveland, Ohio – The Loveland City School District Board of Education met tonight. Without a motion coming forward to change or alter the “Use of Face Coverings/Masks” policy, the Board let stand the current policy of the District.
Below is the current policy.
Revised June 3, 2021
8450.01 – USE OF FACE COVERINGS/MASKS
The Loveland Board of Education is committed to providing students, staff, and visitors with a safe and healthy environment.
On May 12, 2021, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine lifted the State’s COVID – 19 mask requirements, including the requirement of face coverings inside public buildings, effective June 2, 2021 Furthermore, he declared that local school districts will make their own determinations on Covid-19 mitigation efforts, including the wearing of masks and/or face shields.
As of the adoption date, June 3, 2021, of this updated policy, unless required by additional mandates, the decision to wear face coverings/masks on school buses, in school buildings, or at other school events, will be left to adult individuals and parents/guardians of K-12 students. The Loveland City Schools will continue to follow COVID-19 mitigation protocols to maintain a healthy environment for students, staff, and visitors and will continue to provide recommendations for personal protection from the spread of infectious diseases.¶
In order to maintain a healthy environment, the Board will follow any mandates set forth by the Ohio Governor, Ohio State Health Department, Hamilton County Health Department, and Ohio Department of Education, (“Directing Entities”) as it relates to protecting the health of students, staff and visitors. When any of these Directing Entities requires staff, students, and visitors to wear face coverings/masks while attending school, reporting to work at a school, or visiting a school, the District’s Administration will follow and enforce such directives.
Loveland, Ohio – COVID-OR-NOT, in 2020 when the local Memorial Day ceremonies were cancelled, Loveland Magazine decided to hold one anyway.
I didn’t do too much head-scratching before I remembered Ryan Linday’s Memorial Day address in Loveland in 2017 because it was a very good one – the best one of my recollection. Ryan quickly agreed to record a message and brought Steve Bow to play taps.
I also remembered young Paul Laufersweiler the eighth-grade student from St. Columban School who read a speech at a Veterans Day service in Loveland. I contacted his mom and asked her if Paul would like to record a speech for 2020’s Memorial Day. Almost immediately she responded, “Just tell us where to meet you.”
Below is the story Loveland Magazine published last year on Memorial Day with the speeches by Ryan and Paul and Taps played by Steve.
[2 Videos] We hope you will watch Loveland Magazine’s Memorial Day Service
A Memorial Day observance with speeches
COVID-or-not – it felt imperative to somehow have a Memorial Day Service in Loveland
by David Miller
Monday marks the nation’s most significant holiday, so it should not go without remembrance. For many, it’s quite sobering and you may want to think twice about saying, “Happy Memorial Day” if you want to avoid blank awkward stares.
Traditionally the area has annual gatherings with speeches given on the stage of the Loveland Veterans’ Memorial or at the monument at Veterans’ Memorial Plaza in Home of the Brave Park, however because of COVID 19 and an Ohio ban of large gatherings the annual Memorial Day ceremonies were canceled this year. Before the Loveland Memorial was built in the West Loveland Historic District the event was held on the lawn in front of the Loveland Elementary School.
Given the National Holiday’s significance, because without the ultimate, life-giving sacrifice of young men and women there would be no other holidays celebrated in this country, including Independence Day, Christmas, Easter, or Labor Day, it felt imperative to somehow have a Memorial Day observance non-the-less, COVID-or-not.
I didn’t do too much head-scratching before I remembered Ryan Linday’s Memorial Day address in 2017 because it was a very good one – the best one of my recollection. Ryan is a “third-generation Veteran” and his uncle died in Vietnam. Ryan quickly agreed to record a message and brought Steve Bow to play taps.
I also remembered young Paul Laufersweiler the eighth-grade student from St. Columban School who read a speech at last November’s Veterans Day service in Loveland, The service is put on by students who walk from their school to the Veterans’ Memorial each fall to lay wreaths and honor current and past veterans. So, I contacted his mom Stephanie who I also met that day and asked her if Paul would like to record a speech for this year’s Memorial Day. Almost immediately she responded, “Just tell us where to meet you.”
Much of the morning that Ryan, Steve, and I spent while at the Chapel at Union Cemetery in Symmes Township centered around a conversation about how many more Veterans in recent years have died by suicide than in battlefield combat. Truthfully, it was Steve and Ryan doing the lamenting with me just listening. They remembered those lives with sobriety and respect for their pain and suffering, their endless dark days, and the families in these recent years who lost their Veteran but never received a Gold Star to put in the home’s window.
To those numerous families in Loveland I want you to know that the loss of these young souls and your pain was memorialized with quiet somber reflection at our three-person Memorial Day service at the cemetery yesterday.
Monday, Ryan and Steve will visit other local cemeteries and return to Union Cemetery to lay wreaths and Steve will play Taps to honor the greatest of our community’s heroes – including yours.
When I was with Paul and his mom on Friday to record Paul’s speech we didn’t chat about such somber subjects – I don’t have those things in common with the young man. Our conversation was about Paul’s promising future and his dreams. I believe we all have a responsibility to Paul to turn them into reality. Thank you Paul for recognizing at such a young age who it was that came before you who allows the possibility of your aspirations.
Let’s make a mission statement after hearing Paul’s last sentence of his speech – to make it so for him and all of our children. To make is so for all the Gold Star Families and those who did not receive the Gold Star but deserve it as much as anyone.
We really must make Paul a promise that we will make this country and community live up to the promise now laid at our feet, by so many lost lives who held the same dreams and potential as he has.
This photo was taken when Paul read a speech last November on Veterans Day
Meet Paul Laufersweiler
Paul just graduated from eighth grade at St. Columban school and will be attending Loveland High School in the Fall. He has already successfully auditioned to be in the marching and symphonic bands. He has two sisters, Emily still attending St. Columban as a sixth-grader and Amy who will be a junior at LHS who is in the Show Choir.
Paul said he is interested in studying science, however, he is also really interested in learning more about communicating so he might be taking those courses as well.
“When I was really little I wanted to be a pizza pilot where I would fly around in a plane and drop down pizzas to people.” I asked him if he would throw them like frisbees and he said, “Yes, I’ll get a thin crust, real crispy, so they won’t flop around.”
Paul was the student council President at St. Columban this year. Annually they raise money for school supplies for St. Julie School in Uganda, but because of COVID 19 they were not able to complete all of their fundraising activities. At the urging of his little sister Emily, they decided the canceled Walk-A-Thon should still take place, but by the students walking in their own neighborhoods. This photo (right) provided by his mom is Paul opening donations and notes from St. Columban families who contributed to the “Virtual” Walk-A-Thon. In the end, they raised $1,000.
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Meet Ryan Lindsay
Ryan is a lifelong Loveland resident and 1994 Graduate of LSH. He enlisted the Army right out os high school and served until 1998. Since, he has been a self-described “civilian-slave for the system.” Ryan told me, “Im proud to be a resident and citizen of the City.” For the past 15 years he has been an office manager for a heating and cooling company.
When I asked Ryan what he plans on doing with the rest of his life he said, ”Work, and then do lots of fun things when we are again allowed to do them. I go to Indy car races, sport car races, and concerts.”
I asked him if he ever raced and he said laughing, “No, that’s a rich man’s sport and I want to keep my money for when I retire. I know I would like it so much but I know how much it costs so I would probably bankrupt myself. It’s funner to watch somebody else spend that money so I’d rather watch ‘em do it. do it and that way if there’s a wreck I won’t have a bill to pay or anything like that.” He said he would probably try out a “Driving School” in a professional setting just to try it out to see how his skills stack up. “I would love to race cars, but then you see the price tag.”
He did race bicycles from the late nineties until 2012. “I kinda got too old and too busy with work to keep doing that. I did travel all over the country and would still like to do it but there isn’t enough time now to train and keep fit.”
Ryan will spend his Memorial Day with other veterans making their annual pilgrimage to local cemeteries, praying, and laying wreaths.
Meet Steve Bow
Steve has lived in Loveland since 2012 and has played the trumpet for 41 years. He is a technical specialist with a German company and works from home doing quality control and business and sales development. He does travel to South Carolina and Tennessee to consult with large companies such as Volvo and Volkswagen about quality and technical problems.
Steve was born in 1967 and grew up in Texas. His dad was an engineer for Dow Chemical for “the better part of 40 years.” The family moved to Columbus in 1980. He graduated from Ohio State in 1990 with a degree in metallurgical engineering and he’s been in the steel industry for a little going on 21 years. Steve’s father, Kenneth E. Bow, is a retired Army, Lt Col.
“I consider myself an Ohioan because I was in seventh grade when I first lived here,” Steve said. He attended OSU for five years and was in the marching band for four playing trumpet and in the “S Row” on the field.
Steve is the Assistant State Director, SW/NW Ohio District of Bugles Across America, an all-volunteer Taps organization. Bugles Across America (BAA) offers live/real bugle/trumpet players to sound Taps at Veterans funerals and events so the electronic device can be avoided. Steve has sounded Taps for around 300 “Missions” despite having a full-time job.
Recently, Steve has sounded Taps in Normandy in 2015, Arlington National Cemetery in 2013 and 2016, the D-Day Memorial in Bedford, VA, and various other Veterans events, including participating in a Full Honors funeral with the US Army and last year he played at Dayton National Cemetery.
In 2018, Steve and his daughter Claudia, a Music Ed major at NKU, sounded echo taps at the Normandy American Cemetery. They have also sounded Taps on Omaha Beach.
Steve said, “In addition to my full-time job and the BAA, I also own an art business on the side where I paint Military aircraft nose art from WW2 and aircraft insignia art on aluminum panels to replicate the originals.” He has shipped his artwork to clients around the world. “I also do leather jackets and I have been painting since 2012. My company is STB Aviation Art LLC.”
Steve will spend his Memorial Day with other veterans making their annual pilgrimage to local cemeteries, praying, and laying wreaths, and of course Steve will sound Taps.
The office of Ohio Sen. Rob Portman won’t say whether he’s one of the Senate Republicans unwilling to support a coronavirus-relief bill under negotiation between the Trump White House and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Ohio Sen. Rob Portman
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, on Tuesday warned the White House not to agree to the bill because the $2 trillion price tag was too high for many in his caucus. That message comes as hopes of passing a relief bill before next year seem to be dimming.
With a raging virus continuing to throttle the economy, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell earlier this month urged passage of a relief bill to avoid lasting damage. Many other economists have been making the same argument, while those who study poverty say legions of Americans are being added to its numbers.
In Ohio, those who work with the poor warn of cascading homelessness and say food banks are seeing huge demand.
It wasn’t until late July — as federal unemployment supplements were running out — that McConnell introduced his own bill. But he later admitted that he didn’t have enough votes in his own caucus to pass it.
Earlier this month, just after a covid-infected Trump was released from the hospital, he abruptly broke off negotiations with House Democrats. Then he abruptly reversed himself again and by Tuesday he was saying he wanted a bigger package than the $2.2 trillion deal being pushed by Pelosi and the Democrats.
For his part, McConnell has been promoting a bill less than an fourth that size — $500 billion — that would have included an unemployment supplement and aid to schools. Democrats blocked it Wednesday, saying the bill was woefully inadequate.
That brought a blast from Ohio’s Democratic senator, Sherrod Brown.
“Once again, Mitch McConnell is telling Americans, ‘you’re on your own,’” Brown said in an email. “Millions of people are suffering right now and he would rather stall a COVID relief package to continue rushing through an illegitimate Supreme Court nomination. Workers are struggling to figure out how to pay their bills, stay in their homes, and keep their families safe while McConnell would rather focus on his power grab.”
Portman’s staff wouldn’t answer directly when asked whether he supported a relief bill of about $2 trillion, roughly the size of that being negotiated between House Democrats and the Trump administration.
“Rob has consistently called on both parties to come to an agreement on additional covid relief for families and small businesses — legislation that would support increased (coronavirus) testing, provide additional funding for schools and state and local communities, restart the Payment Protection Program, and provide needed liability protections,” spokeswoman Emmalee Cioffi said in an email.
She also provided a transcript of a Sept. 10 speech Portman gave on the Senate floor in which he castigated the earlier covid-relief bill passed by House Democrats as too expensive.
“It’s a $3.5 trillion bill,” Portman said. “And remember, we’ve already spent about $3.5 trillion making this the largest deficit in the history of our country and making our debt now, for the first time since World War II, the size of our entire economy. That concerns all of us, and it should.”
Portman also was highly critical of Obama-era deficit spending amid a historic recession.
But he wasn’t nearly so concerned about deficits in 2017 when he was pushing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act at a time when the federal unemployment rate was 4.1%.
Portman’s promise was quickly shown to be empty, and by early 2018, the tax cut was projected to add more than $1.3 trillion to the deficit over 10 years. Nor did it deliver the economic growth that Portman, Trump and McConnell promised, the Congressional Research Service reported last year.
Just before Congress passed the tax cuts, Portman told WKSU that he’d support clawing them back if they didn’t produce the promised growth. So far, that hasn’t happened, either.
Marty Schladen has been a reporter for decades, working in Indiana, Texas and other places before returning to his native Ohio to work at The Columbus Dispatch in 2017. He’s won state and national journalism awards for investigations into utility regulation, public corruption, the environment, prescription drug spending and other matters.
Loveland, Ohio – This week, the Loveland City School District has shared videos on FaceBook to give families a better insight into what to expect as they welcome back students on Monday, August 31.
Here’s what Loveland High School teachers and administrators had to say.
Milford, Ohio – On August 21, Milford School Superintendent John Spieser announced that the District needed to delay the start of the school year for one week. The first day of school for all Milford students (either learning In-Person or in Eagle Online) will be Monday, August 31.
In announcing the delay, Spieser said, “We know this delay will be an inconvenience for our families. However, it is the right thing to do at this time for our students and our staff. Our entire staff has been working diligently to open school, but with the challenges COVID presents, some things have proven to need more time than estimated. Things we thought would come together have not yet, and we need the additional time.”
Spieser said that giving school staff an extra week to prepare will help “tremendously”. “An extra week will give us more time to finalize student schedules.
Elementary children, both for In-Person and Eagle Online, received their teacher assignments last week. Junior High and High School students, both for In-Person and Eagle Online, will receive their schedules this weekend.
Spieser said that the delay will also give the Transportation Department more time to finalize routes.
Once parents finalized their decision August 7, the District originally implemented a “freeze period” until the end of the first two weeks of school, not allowing any switches between learning plans. Yet, to accommodate the various needs of families, they did allow parents to switch their children from attending in person to attending online. Spieser said, “We over burdened ourselves by the number of requests we committed to accommodate, which then impacted teacher assignments and student schedules significantly. We can no longer accommodate requests to switch from in person to online until September 14.”
This delay does not impact extra-curricular or athletics; those will continue as scheduled.
The first day of school was originally scheduled for Monday, August 24.
Parents/students have the choice between In-Person Learning and Eagle Online Learning. Students who are learning In-Person are learning in the buildings daily with safety protocols in place. Students who are learning in Eagle Online do not attend in-person, they learn through our online program delivered by Milford teachers.
Lt. Nick DeRose noted that the county also has experienced a rise in cocaine traffic – almost all laced with fentanyl – and LSD in recent weeks.
Batavia, Ohio – Clermont County law enforcement and treatment specialists are noticing an uptick in methamphetamine (or meth) after a slowdown during the spring shutdown of the economy.
The Clermont County Opiate Task Force touched base on drug and alcohol trends in the era of COVID-19 in an Aug. 13 meeting.
For Help 24/7 Call: 528-SAVE (7283)
Sheriff’s Office Lt. Nick DeRose, commander of the Clermont County Narcotics Task Force, said both volume and prices of meth have increased substantially in July and August. He noted that the county also has experienced a rise in cocaine traffic – almost all laced with fentanyl – and LSD in recent weeks.
Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid analgesic that is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent. Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), also known colloquially as acid, is a hallucinogenic drug. Effects typically include altered thoughts, feelings, and awareness of one’s surroundings. Many users see or hear things that do not exist. Dilated pupils, increased blood pressure, and increased body temperature are typical, according to a news release issued by the County.
“COVID slowed things down, but come June there was a major increase – mainly a mixture of meth with fentanyl,” said Lt. Matt Green of the Union Township Police Department. “Some are doing meth and cocaine and not knowing they’ve been laced with fentanyl.”
The department has handled 40 overdoses in the past two months, Green said.
The report also noted that people who use meth experience a roller coaster of emotions, members of the task force reported. Many meth users are fidgety with nervous energy. They often experience psychosis, with symptoms including delusions, hallucinations, talking incoherently, and agitation. The person with the condition usually isn’t aware of his or her behavior.
Dr. Shawn Ryan of BrightView said meth causes the body to produce an amount of brain hormones “off the chart.” He added that it’s difficult to normalize the hormones as part of a treatment plan.
Jamie Lutson of Clermont County Municipal Court Probation said she had noticed a big increase in females addicted to meth. “Some say they are using the drug to stay awake so they can work and take care of their children.”
Lutson added that alcoholic relapses occurred more frequently as treatment programs “came to a screeching halt.”
Lee Ann Watson, associate director of the Clermont County Mental Health & Recovery Board and co-chair of the Opiate Task Force, said the group will use the input to help target efforts to address the situation.
“When I was really little I wanted to be a pizza pilot where I would fly around in a plane and drop down pizzas to people.” I asked him if he would throw them like frisbees and he said, “Yes, I’ll get a thin crust, real crispy, so they won’t flop around.”
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![[VIDEO] A day at Loveland High School will look like this](https://lovelandmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/proud-tiger.jpg)
