Caffeine and Alcohol

Last week, the FDA announced findings that alcoholic energy drinks containing high of amounts caffeine and malt liquor were unsafe and issued warnings to the producers of such beverages. Monday, the Kansas Alcohol and Beverage Control (ABC) division announced that alcoholic energy drinks such as Four Loko, are banned and should be removed from shelves.

Kansas Statute Annotated 41-210 states the Director of the Kansas Alcohol and Beverage Control "...shall have broad discretionary powers to govern the traffic in alcoholic liquors and to enforce strictly all the provisions of this act in the interest of sanitation, purity of products, truthful representation and honest dealings in such manner as generally will promote the public health and welfare. All valid rules and regulations adopted under the provisions of this act shall be absolutely binding upon all licensees and enforceable by the director of alcoholic beverage control through the power of suspension or revocation of licenses."

Four other states have issued similar bans: Michigan, Utah, Oklahoma and Washington.

Letter from Thomas W. Groneman, Director of Alcohol and Beverage Control, directing liquor stores to remove caffeinated alcoholic beverages:

http://www.ksrevenue.org/pdf/AlchEnergyRescind.pdf

Press release from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding caffeinated energy drinks:
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm234109.htm

More information on caffeinated malt beverages from the FDA:
http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodIngredientsPackaging/ucm190366.htm

The brands included in the FDA's warning:
http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodIngredientsPackaging/ucm233755.htm#core

Fact sheet from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) on the dangers of mixing energy drinks and alcohol:
http://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/fact-sheets/cab.htm

News related to alcoholic energy drinks:

CNN:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/17/alcohol.caffeine.drinks/index.html?iref=allsearch

New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/27/us/27drink.html

Los Angeles Times:

http://www.latimes.com/health/os-caffeine-alcohol-mix-20101118,0,277094.story

The Wichita Eagle:
http://www.kansas.com/2010/11/22/1600064/state-bans-four-loko-other-caffeinated.html#storylink=omni_popular

The Kansas City Star:
http://www.kansascity.com/2010/11/22/2463028/kansas-announces-immediate-ban.html

Article contact: Kim Harp

Clean Out Your Refrigerator

Thanksgiving is coming. You know what that means: friends and family visiting, lots of food to buy and prepare. The day arrives, and you wade into the refrigerator looking for the chilled cranberry sauce. Where is it? Behind the container of Greek yogurt, that expired (is “use by” really that important?) 2 weeks ago? Maybe the cranberry sauce is lurking behind the carton of Chinese takeout from last week that you were going to eat for lunch … on Monday. Oops!

November 15th was National Clean Out Your Refrigerator Day. This annual event originated in 1995 by Whirlpool and is a good time to demonstrate just how varied and informative government documents can be. And though November 15th is past it’s never too late to take care of those culinary treasures in your refrigerator which have lost a bit of their nutritional luster.

So, grab a strong trash bag, don your plastic yellow gloves and put on your air filter face mask. But first, check out the treasure trove of government information below.


Food Safety from the USDA

Refrigeration and Food Safety
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/Refrigeration_&_Food_Safety/index.asp

Food Product Dating
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/Food_Product_Dating/index.asp

Fall and Winter Food Safety
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/Countdown_to_the_Holiday/index.asp

What does “Fresh” turkey really mean?
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/Poultry_Label_Says_Fresh/index.asp

Removing Odors from Refrigerators and Freezers
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/PDF/Removing_Odors_from_Refrigerators_and_Freezers.pdf

More Fact Sheets on food safety:
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets/index.asp

Refrigerator and Freezer Storage Chart
http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/storagetimes.html

Frozen Foods and Power Outages
http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/frozen_food.html

FoodSafety’s Channel on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/user/USDAFoodSafety
Lots about turkey right now


Regulation of refrigerators and freezers

Refrigerator Safety Act
http://www.cpsc.gov/BUSINFO/Rsa.pdf

Warnings about children and unused refrigerators
http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/5072.html

Recalls by product type (freezer, refrigerator)
http://www.cpsc.gov/cgi-bin/prod.aspx
or all household products
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/category/household.html


Energy Efficiency

What is the Energy Star program http://www.energystar.gov/ , and does your refrigerator or freezer qualify?
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=products.pr_find_es_products

How to Buy an Energy-Efficient Home Appliance
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/homes/rea07.shtm

Find a qualified refrigerator or freezer
http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=refrig.search_refrigerators

Federal Trade Commission, Appliance Energy Data
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/eande/appliances/fridge.htm

Appliance labeling FAQs
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/eande/faq.htm

Incidentally, November 29 is “Throw Out Your Leftovers Day”. After reading through these government documents, I bet you will already have taken care of that!

Article contact: Cindy Roupe

Kansas Commission on Veterans' Affairs

The first sentence of the Mission Statement of the Kansas Commission on Veterans' Affairs states that "the mission of the Kansas Commission on Veterans’ Affairs (KCVA) is to provide Kansas veterans, their relatives, and other eligible dependents with information, advice, direction, and assistance through the coordination of programs and services in the fields of education, health, vocational guidance and placement, and economic security."

As an advocate, resource center and service agency for military veterans and their families the Kansas Commission on Veterans' Affairs provides a wide range of programs which benefit clientele statewide whose service time ranges from World War II to newly completed service within any branch of the U.S. Military.

Below are links to some of the programs and services offered by the Commission:

KANSAS COMMISION ON VETERANS' AFFAIRS HOME PAGE
http://www.kcva.org/

CONTACT INFORMATION
http://www.kcva.org/contact.shtml
(Address, phone and fax numbers, email and comment form)

KCVA SERVICE OFFICE LOCATIONS
http://www.kcva.org/vs/office_locations.shtml
(The Commission has field and service offices in Colby, Garden City, Fort Dodge, Wichita, Winfield, Independence, Lawrence, Kansas City, Junction City, Salina, Emporia and Topeka)

VETERANS' BENEFITS
http://www.kcva.org/vb/
(Information on: Disability Benefits, Dependents' and Survivors' Benefits, Burial Benefits, Health Care, Education and Training, Home Loans, Life Insurance, Military Distinctive License Plates, Filing Claims, Appealing Claims, Medals, DD Form 214 (Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty), Prescription Drug Coverage, and Vocational Rehabilitation & Employment)

VETERAN SERVICES
http://www.kcva.org/vs/index.shtml
(Includes contacts and information on: Medical treatment, Claims assistance, the Persian Gulf War Health Initiative, Ionizing radiation exposure and Type II Diabetes treatment support for some Vietnam War era veterans.

VETERAN EDUCATION SERVICES
http://www.kcva.org/ves/
(financial support for veterans seeking further education at colleges/universities, vocational/technical schools, apprenticeship programs, other on-the-job training programs and flight schools)

MILITARY FAMILY SUPPORT
http://www.kcva.org/mfs/
(Lists of organizations which give support to military families)

OPERATION RECOGNITION
http://www.kcva.org/or/
("The State of Kansas sponsors "Operation Recognition" to honor World War II and Korean era veterans who left school to join the military and never received a high school diploma")

KANSAS SOLDIER'S HOME
http://www.kcva.org/sh/
(A care center for Kansas veterans located in Fort Dodge, about five miles southwest of Dodge City)

KANSAS VETERAN'S HOME
http://www.kcva.org/vh/
(A care center located in Winfield)

KANSAS CEMETERY PROGRAM
http://www.kcva.org/cp/history.shtml
("Senate Bill 19 was passed in 1999 authorizing the Kansas Commission of Veterans Affairs to establish, operate, and maintain a state veterans cemetery system, to serve the veterans, spouses, and eligible dependents of the veterans of Kansas")

KANSAS STATE SERVICES
Kansas Military Bill of Rights and other services provided by the State
Includes the following services and benefits provided by the State of Kansas:

• Funeral Picketing
• Pay Differential
• Activation Payment
• Governor's Military Council
• Tuition Assistance
• In State Tuition
• In-State Tuition for Military Family Member
• Kansas Military Service Scholarship
• Refund or Credit for Tuition
• Free Hunting and Fishing Licenses
• Spouse Employment
• Emergency Relief
• State Hiring
• State Agency Review
• State Income Tax Filings
• Business Tax Credits
• Vehicle Registration
• Registration Grace Period
• Grants to Veteran Service Organizations
• Annual Hunting License
• Permit Refund
• Elk Draw
• Deployment Refund
• Free Vital Statistics Records
• Open Records
• Professional License
• Armory Renovations
• Kansas Lottery
• Veteran's Reunion
• Kansas Public Employees Retirement System Military Benefits

Article contact: Bill Sowers
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Drawing the Lines and Divvying up the State

Now that the election has come and gone and votes have been tallied, one of the next tasks for the State Legislature is redistricting and apportionment. During the process of redistricting, the Legislature will use the new 2010 census population data to re-draw Kansas House, Kansas Senate, Kansas Board of Education and the state's four Congressional districts. As population shifts, counties may gain or lose representation in the State Legislature or Congress. The final drawing of boundaries will occur after the adjournment of the 2012 legislative session.

Public Law 94-171, enacted by Congress in December 1975, requires the Census Bureau to provide state legislatures with the small area census population tabulations necessary for legislative redistricting.

The Legislative Redistricting Advisory Committee has already begun work on compiling resources for the Legislature.

Members of the Redistricting Advisory Committee:
http://skyways.lib.ks.us/ksleg/KLRD/2010CommMembership/2010-redist-ad-grp.pdf

Find maps, demographic tables and profiles for current Kansas House and Senate districts enacted by the 2002 Legislature. The population information was derived from the 2000 US Census of Population and Housing. The same information is available for Kansas' 10 State Board of Education and four Congressional districts:

http://skyways.lib.ks.us/ksleg/KLRD/LegisDist.htm

Find your Legislative, Congressional and Board of Education district numbers:

http://www.ipsr.ku.edu/ksdata/vote/

See the data available to the Legislature to use to help determine district boundaries:
http://www.census.gov/rdo/data/redistricting_data.html and
http://www.census.gov/rdo/data/state_legislative_district_data.html

Guide to the 2010 Redistricting Data from the U.S. Census:
http://www.census.gov/rdo/pdf/StrengthInNumbers2010.pdf

Learn more about the timeline for redistricting in Kansas from the Legislative Research Department:
http://skyways.lib.ks.us/ksleg/KLRD/Publications/2010Briefs/s-s-2-redistricting-timeline.pdf

As prescribed by the Constitution, the first decennial census was conducted in 1790. Thomas Jefferson, Secretary of State at the time, directed the enumeration. Since then, the census has been taken in each year ending in a zero digit. Thus, the most recent enumeration (Census 2000) was the last census of the 20th century.

Learn more about apportionment at the U.S. Census:

http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/apportionment/index.html

Read the formula used to compute apportionment:
http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/apportionment/computing.html

History of apportionment in the United States:
http://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/apportionment/history.html

View current state data for Kansas from the State Data Center of Kansas:

http://www.kslib.info/sdc/

Article contact: Kim Harp