Did you know policemen and other First Responders carry more than weapons and restraining devices to help in times of emergency?

Sometimes they carry Winnie the Pooh.

"Most of us officers are parents," said police lieutenant TJ Low. "We understand that kids are sometimes traumatized by seeing an officer in uniform. It's something as little as a teddy bear or a police sticker that goes a long way with these kids. That's what we want to pass along to them: we're there for them. We're not there to hurt them. We're not going to take their parents away. We're just there doing our job, and we want the kids to have somebody they can look up to."

Studies have shown that when police respond to family disturbance, they are often viewed as the "bad guy" by young children, who believe the police are there to take away their parents.

This is a belief that often is taught in the home of many parents who skirt the law, especially when drugs are involved.

An officer ofttimes will give a child a stuffed animal to 'break the ice,' or when the child is afraid during what could be a traumatic family event.

"That kind of helps give them some security, and kind of helps them when they're in a time of trouble and things aren't going well at home," patrol officer Jimmy Knox told David Chasanov of Fox25 TV. "It's kind of a bright light in their lives during a dark moment."

A pair of teens in California learned about this heart-warming program and began a drive to make sure every police officer in their area had plenty of stuffed animals to go around.

Michael and Elizabeth Christensen, siblings in Carlsbad, Calif., in a story highlighted by the Church News, saw the need and the great cause and put together a program to fill the need.

"The Christensens invited local schools, law enforcement, first responders and businesses to take part. Over several weeks, they organized donation drives at five locations. “When we first started reaching out to organizations, people said ‘no’ until we started showing up in person,” Michael said. “We spend most days running around, meeting with people after school, creating partnerships with local schools and businesses throughout Carlsbad and Encinitas.”

If you want to help or perhaps start a program in Utah, the St. George Police Department and the Washington County Sheriff's Department said they'd be glad to take donations on behalf of the children.

Here are links to contribute: St. George Police Department, Washington County Sheriff's Office, Washington City Police Department, Hurricane Police Department, Santa Clara/Ivins Police Department.

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Dedication And Enthusiasm: St. George's Police Dogs Turn Work Into Play

Photo by Marisa Teruel on Unsplash
Photo by Marisa Teruel on Unsplash
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You probably work pretty hard.

Modern society dictates that we put in 40, 50 or even 60 hours a week in our jobs if we're to be considered a valuable employee. Being the first one in the office and the last one out is often revered in the workplace (whether that's right or wrong is a debate for another time).

But if you love your job so much that it's like just going out to play, then being at work long hours is no big deal.

That's why Enzo, Karly and Emma don't mind at all putting in a long week. To the trio of St. George police officers, work is play.

I'm sure by now you know I'm talking about the three police dogs employed by the City of St. George.

And when it's time to go to work, those three can't wait.

"They don't know that it's work, they think it's time to play," said K9 Division Director Joe Watson. "You've got to understand that these are high motor, high energy dogs and they are excited to get out there and do what they've been trained."

Watson joined me on The Andy Griffin Show to talk about the 10 dogs working for our safety throughout Washington County, and in particular the three canines that work for St. George City.

"They work hard and they don't even know it," Watson said. "To them it is just fun."

I wish we all could love our jobs that much.

With each dog there is a mandatory four hours a week of training in each discipline they specialize in. Most dogs have at least two areas they specialize in (narcotic detection, explosive detection, criminal apprehension, etc.), which equates to at least eight hours of training each week to remain certified.

Watson, who used to be a K9 handler officer himself, now supervises the program. He is a big believer in the value of the K9 program.

"It's the only use of force a police officer has that can be recalled," he said. "You can't recall a taser or a bullet, but you can recall a K9."

Watson also was adamant about the most crucial role of a police dog.

"They save lives, of civilians and of police officers," he said. "If I can send my K9 into harms way to help save a human's life, I will be sad, but I will not hesitate to do it."

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Stay Sharp And Age Well: The Benefits Of Engaging In Intellectual Activities

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Photo by Milad Fakurian on Unsplash
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No less than three major studies have produced overwhelming evidence that stimulating the brain -- doing brain exercises -- helps us fight off potential dementia and Alzheimer's Disease.

From Alzheimers.org: "People who regularly do intellectual activities throughout life have stronger thinking abilities. This may give them a reserve of thinking skills, which may protect them against losses that can occur through ageing and disease."

The website theconversation.com puts it like this: "New studies show that increased participation in social, mental and physical activities is linked to a slower rate of cognitive decline in older adults. This research shows a “dose-response” relationship, where the more activities we do, the slower the rate of decline becomes."

Activities like: puzzles, games and quizzes, reading or even adding up your shopping bill in your head as you go around the supermarket.

From dementia.org: "Exercising the brain is an important, enjoyable part of everyday life for everyone. It has a part to play in a positive, healthy lifestyle in the same way as physical exercise. Stimulating leisure and social activities are also thought to be important in maintaining a healthy brain."

Locally, Utah Tech in St. George has an exciting program that many may not know about, although it's been around for a very long time.

The Institute For Continued Learning, specifically geared toward seniors and those who want to stimulate their brains near or after retirement, offers dozens of classes for a nominal fee ($55 per semester and you can take as many classes as you want).

The classes are taught by industry professionals in the subject area, most of them retired as well,

You can click on this link to see the list of classes, but a small sampling includes Art History, Journaling Techniques, Constellations (astronomy), Creative Writing, Evolution of Radio, Photography, History of Utah, Italian Cooking, Mark Twain, Bellydancing, Philosophy, Shakespeare, Tennis, and Traveling the World with KDXU contributor Gary Sorensen -- as well as dozens more.

Most of the classes take place during the day, perfect for the retired set, although some classes are at night.

It's the perfect place to stimulate the brain.

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Overcoming Vaccine Hesitancy In Utah: Expert Advice For Parents

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Southwest Utah Public Health Officer Dr. David Blodgett is not one to mince words, especially when it comes to vaccines.

"They saved the world, all but eliminated some deadly diseases and increased life expectancy all over the modern world," he said recently on the Andy Griffin Show.

That's why Blodgett and other health professionals are extremely frustrated in the recent trend to not get children vaccinated.

As many as 40 percent of children are not getting immunized in recent times in the United States for basic childhood diseases -- pertussis, chicken pox, polio, tetanus, diphtheria, hepatitis, measles, mumps, rubella and many others.

Why not? Well, that's complicated.

There's the usual group of anti-vaxxers, who have erroneously blamed immunizations for autism, compromised immune systems and toxins in the blood system. But that group makes up less than five percent of the total.

The reason the other 35 percent of parents haven't immunized their kids range from paranoia, apathy or a mistrust of vaccines after the low success numbers from the Covid-19 vaccines.

From the website childrensdefense.org:

"There are now hundreds of anti-vaccine websites, each amplified by social media, causing some to call the spread of extreme views a “cultural epidemic.” The cumulative effect of the controversy and confusion generated can make it difficult for parents to understand the facts and to make well-informed decisions for their children."

In other words, anti-vaxxers are stripping away the facts and using emotion to gain followers.

When I was young, measles, mumps, chicken pox and even polio to a lesser degree were still quite common.

These seemed like relatively harmless diseases at the time, but looking back at the statistics can bring a sobering reality.

  • Before 1963, when the measles vaccine became widely available, about 6,000 people (mostly children) died every year from the disease. In 1978, measles was declared eradicated from the United States. Not one vaccinated person died from measles that year.
  • Diphtheria killed 15,000-20,000 people a year in the United States before the vaccine. Since 2004, there have been no cases of diphtheria in the USA among vaccinated people.
  • Mumps was deadly before 1968, with the mortality rate of those infected averaging about 2-4 deaths per 10,000 people (so 20 to 40 deaths in a city the size of St. George). Since the modern vaccine, in 2017, there were 5,629 cases of mumps in the US, down from 186,000 pre-vaccine.
  • Chicken pox was extremely common 30 years ago and killed an average of 150 people a year. Now, about 30 people a year die from chicken pox.
  • Today, less than 10 people in the United States are reported to have rubella and it is usually associated with travel and not being vaccinated. During the last major rubella epidemic in the United States from 1964 to 1965, an estimated 12.5 million people got rubella, 11,000 pregnant women lost their babies and 2,100 newborns died of the disease.
  • Tetanus is uncommon in the United States, with an average of 30 reported cases each year. In 1950 (pre-vaccine), tetanus killed nearly 600 Americans.
  • Polio vaccine was licensed in the United States in 1955. During 1951-1954, an average of 16,316 paralytic polio cases and 6,600 deaths from polio were reported each year. Since 1988, more than 18 million people can walk today who would otherwise have been paralyzed, and 1.5 million childhood deaths have been averted thanks to the polio vaccine.

To put it succinctly: "The facts are simple: Vaccines are safe. They are highly effective. They are supported by every major American medical society and government agency and are a routine part of pediatric care." --- Children's Defense Fund.

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The Impact Of Marijuana Legalization: Utah Must Learn From Colorado And Oregon

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Photo by manish panghal on Unsplash
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Currently, cannabis with THC (AKA, marijuana) is legal in Utah if the person possessing the drug has a medical prescription for it.

From Wiki:

"In February 2018, the Utah House of Representatives passed HB 195, a bill to legalize the "right to try" and grow medical marijuana plants for terminally ill patients. On March 7, the bill was passed "easily" by the state senate, and on March 21, the governor signed it into law. On November 6, 2018, The Utah Medical Cannabis Act was passed as ballot Proposition 2. Provisions must be set by the state for dispensaries to open by January 2021. On December 3, 2018, the Utah Legislature passed HB3001, amending the Utah Medical Cannabis Act as passed through Proposition 2. The Governor signed HB3001 into law later the same day, causing it to go into immediate effect.

Essentially, the only people allowed to possess cannabis or THC are those with a prescription from a medical professional, presumably granted to help the patient in end-of-;life (terminal) situations.

And while Utah and about half of the other states in the USA are sticking with this stance, there are many other states that have legalized the drug for recreational use.-- 25 in all.

Our neighbor to the east, Colorado, legalized recreational marijuana and immediately saw an increase in violent crime and property crime. Hey, it might be legal, but it's not cheap.

But Oregon lawmakers, perhaps while smoking some of that Wacky Weed, have taken it a step further.

The Beaver State recently passed laws that make it legal to possess a "small" or "personal" amount of cocaine, heroin or amphetamines.

So apparently in Oregon, they're OK if you use those drugs, you're just not allowed to sell them.

After the recent legislation, a number of the eastern counties in Oregon reiterated their desire to secede from the state and join the more conservative Idaho.

So if the proven facts of higher crime, and cancer-causing chemicals in THC don't deter Oregon, apparently they also have no problem with addiction, convulsions/seizures, coma, brain damage, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeat, lung damage and myriad other side effects of cocaine, heroin and meth.

In the past year, an alarming number of "tent cities," human feces on the streets, discarded hypodermic needles and broken glass have also cropped up in the Beaver State.

Oregon is breaking new ground, for sure. But that new broken ground will likely be needed for cemetery plots.

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Grading Utah: Poverty A+, Education B, But Utah Fails At This ...

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Photo by Tierra Mallorca on Unsplash
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Governor Spencer J. Cox recently flooded social media with a bit of a pride boast.

In his Instagram, Facebook and X posts, he touts the great advantages of living in the state of Utah.

Utah receives high grades for low poverty (second in the nation to only Vermont), high charitable contributions, a humming economy and the lowest unemployment rate in America.

But one area Cox fails to mention is Utah's wage/housing discrepancy.

On average, a full-time worker in the state of Utah makes $49,306 a year, ranking the Beehive State as 45th out of our 50 states.

Shift over to the average price of a single-family dwelling in the state, $588,862, and you can see the wage/housing price difference is staggering.

It's simple math. If a family has two working adults who both have full-time jobs, they'll draw a little under $99,000 a year.

To purchase a home with 10 percent down (that's a staggering $59,000), the housing payment at the current interest rate of 7.5 percent for a 30-year fixed mortgage would be $3,412 a month.

Back to the working couple: at $99,000 a year, minus about $25,000 in taxes, leaves them with about $6,166 a month to try and get a house.

If they bring home $6,100, but need $3,400 for a house payment, well that just doesn't work.

No bank in the world would touch a couple with a 56-percent debt ratio.

So, yes, I am very proud to live in this gorgeous state with epic views, world-class outdoor sports and a big heart that takes care of the less fortunate.

But when it comes to getting our young families a place to live, Utah fails with a capital "F."

Utah rankings:

  • Poverty Ratio -- No. 2 in the nation -- A+
  • Charitable contributions -- No. 1 in the nation -- A+
  • Unemployment -- No. 1 in the nation -- A+
  • Happiness quotient -- No. 1  in the nation -- A+
  • Economic outlook -- No. 1  in the nation -- A+
  • Health insurance coverage -- No. 2  in the nation -- A+
  • Women's equality -- No. 50 (out of 50)  in the nation -- F
  • Median income -- No. 45  in the nation -- D-
  • Housing affordability -- No. 42  in the nation -- D
  • Air quality -- No. 45 in the nation -- D
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