Local Rite Aids may be changing their names soon after Walgreens announced today they are buying Rite Aid in a $17.2 billion deal.
If the deal gets approval from the antitrust review, the second and third largest pharmacy companies will combine and surpass the current number one, CVS.
Rite Aid stores will keep their names for right now, but they eventually will change. The consolidation of the two stores is just another change that the health care industry is changing due to Obama Care.
If approved that would mean Walgreens will have more than 13,000 stores in the U.S alone. In recent years, Walgreens has been buying up other chains, such as Duane Reade in 2010 and the European pharmacy chain Boots Alliance, last year. Walgreens currently is in 11 different countries.
Written By: Kirby Socker
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Fall foliage peaks at SUNY Oswego
By Renee Dunn
OSWEGO, N.Y– Autumn is considered by some people as one of the most beautiful times of the year because of leaves changing, and the peak of Fall is here in Oswego. Strong leaf colors are being expected for several sections of Jefferson, St. Lawrence and Oswego counties this week.
According to I Love NY.com, the Thousand Islands-Seaway region of New York, which includes Oswego County, will experience 80 to nearly 100 percent leaf color change this week. This means that oak, maple, and sweetgum trees will be bright shades of red, yellow and orange while fewer areas of muted green, orange and purple remain.
For the students of SUNY Oswego, this color change of foliage brings about many opportunities to explore all of the beauty the campus has to offer. SUNY Oswego’s outdoor club takes trips in the fall to view the leaves changing colors, which peak at different times around the state.
“The adirondacks start first so we got a jump start a few weeks ago in the adirondacks to see the peak. Now it’s in the central New York region, [so we] kind of just drift with the leaves to chase the peak colors for the best hikes for our club members,” Meteorology student and co-president of SUNY Oswego’s Outdoor’s club Zach Butler said.
Rice Creek Field Station also offers opportunities to watch the change in seasons. Rice Creek has trails that are open during daylight hours that can be used for viewing the changing of the leaves in the fall. Student’s can also educate themselves on the ecosystem of Rice Creek at the field station’s wildlife exhibit.
Other areas of New York, such as Long island, are still in their midpoint of color change and are expected to reach their peak later in the month.
For more information and to view a map of peak fall foliage, visit https://smokymountains.com/fall-foliage-map/. -
Trump administration announces new Title IX guidelines
Written by Erin Meyer
OSWEGO, N.Y– The Trump administration has announced new guidelines for colleges on how to comply with the Title IX program. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced her intention to rescind the Obama-era program, which protects people from sex-based discrimination in education programs or activities which receive Federal financial assistance, last week.
“This interim guidance will help schools as they work to combat sexual misconduct and will treat all students fairly,” DeVos said in a written statement. “Schools must continue to confront these horrific crimes and behaviors head-on. There will be no more sweeping them under the rug. But the process also must be fair and impartial, giving everyone more confidence in its outcomes.”
DeVos overturned past guidelines issued by the Obama administration in 2011 and 2014, including guarantees that assault victims are not denied access to education, and issued new guidelines for dealing with cases of sexual misconduct.
The announcement has been met with criticism from advocates for survivors of sexual assault. “It’s On Us,” an initiative to stop sexual assault on college campuses created by President Barack Obama in 2014, has created a petition to maintain current Title IX regulations.
It is currently unclear how these changes will affect the implementation of Title IX at SUNY Oswego, if at all. The campus branch has not yet commented on the announcement, though its page on the school’s website still reflects the standards put in place under the Obama administration.
For more information on Title IX and SUNY Oswego’s sexual harassment policies, visit https://www.oswego.edu/title-ix/.
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Syracuse University offers mumps vaccine
by Josh Holfoth
SYRACUSE, N.Y.– Syracuse University is offering a boost in the m-m-r vaccine, as the number of mumps cases continues to grow. 4,000 more vaccines for mumps are being made available to students, after 27 confirmed cases of the mumps on the Syracuse campus.
Onondaga county health commissioner, Dr. Indu Gupta says that the outbreak is still spreading, as 2 other confirmed cases of the mumps have popped up in Onondaga County but the outbreak is mainly on the university campus. The vaccine is expected to help contain and eliminate the outbreak but officials that it is not a replacement for the everyday precautions people should take to avoid the disease.
Mumps is contagious and spreads through saliva and respiratory secretions, so people are urged to avoid sharing drinks or utensils and mouth to mouth contact. SUNY Oswego had a case of the mumps in September of last year but it did not lead to level of outbreak that Syracuse University is experiencing now.
Vaccines will be free for Syracuse students and the University is holding a 2 day vaccination event on Thursday and Friday this week.
