By Sherman Smith | editor-in-chief
Good morning! Our regular Sunday columnist, Max McCoy, is taking the week off, but opinion editor Clay Wirestone is writing about reasons for hope.
Fernando Wright/States Newsroom
OPINION
Galvanizing events in St. Louis and Hutchinson elevate and motivate this Kansas opinion writer
By Clay Wirestone
Too easily these days, we can find ourselves entrapped in a doom loop of bad vibes and negative thinking.
Social media algorithms feed us enraging engagement bait. Friends and neighbors can talk for hours about this, that or the other public outrage. Our society’s trust in institutions has dropped off the proverbial cliff.
Yet over this past week I found hope. Two events in three days showed me how in even the most challenging times, good people unite for positive purposes. Not only do shreds of hope remain for the future, but an abundant crop of the stuff sprouts underneath our feet. We just have to look down and see it growing.
On Wednesday and Thursday, Kansas Reflector staff visited the annual convening of States Newsroom editors. Our commander in chief, Sherman Smith, usually attends, but the meeting was held in St. Louis for the first time this year. Thus, I joined reporters Tim Carpenter, Morgan Chilson and Anna Kaminski for a train trek across Missouri.
Max Nesterak/Minnesota Reformer
New medical guidance affirms Tylenol safety during pregnancy months after Trump sows doubt
The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine published new clinical guidance this week affirming that acetaminophen, better known by its brand Tylenol, should be the “first-line” defense against pain and fever during pregnancy.
The directive contradicts the Trump administration’s notice to physicians last year cautioning against the use of the primary pain reliever recommended for pregnant women, following the president’s unsupported claims that the medication could lead to autism in children.
The national professional association for maternal-fetal medicine specialists, clinicians and scientists continues to recommend acetaminophen as the “first-line medication” to treat pain and fever during pregnancy. The federal government’s statements prompted the organization to review its 2017 guidance finding acetaminophen safe to use during pregnancy.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Kansas Reflector staff will participate in the following free public forums.
6:30 p.m. June 12, Kansas Museum of History in Topeka. Opinion editor Clay Wirestone will join a panel discussion: "From the Desk of William Allen White: What Can Journalism Today Learn from the Sage of Emporia?"
5:30 p.m. June 16, Bradbury Alumni Center at Washburn University in Topeka. Editor-in-chief Sherman Smith will lead a discussion on the proposed constitutional amendment to elect Kansas Supreme Court justices. Host: Kansas Appleseed. Register here.
6 p.m. June 24, Groover Labs in Wichita. Editor-in-chief Sherman Smith will lead a discussion on the proposed constitutional amendment to elect Kansas Supreme Court justices. Host: Kansas Appleseed. Register here.
6 p.m. June 25, Clint Bowyer Community Building in Emporia. Editor-in-chief Sherman Smith will lead a discussion on the proposed constitutional amendment to elect Kansas Supreme Court justices. Host: Kansas Appleseed. Register here.
7 p.m. June 27, Park City Senior Center. Host: Park City Community Pride.
2 p.m. Sept. 27, Red Rocks Visitor Center in Emporia. Host: Red Rocks.
If you're interested in having us talk in your town, email Sherman Smith at [email protected].
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