Regional briefs – April 6

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ODA LAUNCHES 2016 “AG IS COOL!” CREATIVE EXPRESSIONS CONTEST – The Ohio Department of Agriculture today announced it will begin accepting entries for the 2016 “Agriculture is Cool!” Creative Expressions contest. Children enrolled in school or home schooled in Ohio during the 2015-2016 academic year have until June 6, 2016 to capture their personal interpretation of why Ohio agriculture is cool for their chance to win prizes, including tickets to the Ohio State Fair.

“Ag is Cool!” entries, which can include an original video, photograph, drawing, or painting, will be judged in the following age categories. One winner from each age group and category will be chosen:

Grades K-2: Photography, Drawing or Painting

Grades 3-5: Video, Photography, Drawing or Painting

Grades 6-8: Video, Photography, Drawing or Painting

Grades 9-12: Video, Photography, Drawing or Painting

Entries will be judged by a panel that may include representatives from the Ohio Department of Agriculture, the Office of the Governor, the Ohio Expo Center, and professionals in the areas of video production, photography, drawing, painting and other visual arts. Judging will be based on the student’s visual representation of the “Ag is Cool!” theme, if it accurately reflects 21st century agriculture, creativity and use of Ohio images, and quality of work.

Winners of the art contest will be recognized by the Office of the Governor and other state officials at the Ohio State Fair on July 27, 2016.

For additional information about the contest, a complete copy of the rules and entry form visit http://www.agri.ohio.gov/AgIsCool/ or call 614-752-9817.

HUSTED STATEMENT ON VOTER ROLLS – Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted released the following statement in response to the legal assault on Ohio’s legally-required maintenance of the voter rolls taken today by Demos and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU):

“Voter rolls with deceased voters and people who’ve moved out-of-state have long contributed to the problems of voter fraud, long lines and discarded ballots.

“In 2011, there were several Ohio counties with more registered voters than eligible voters. That is why we have worked to bring our state into full compliance with federal and state laws for the first time ever, resulting in the removal of nearly 340,000 deceased voters and 1.3 million duplicate registrations.”

“Ohio manages its voter rolls in direct compliance of both federal and state laws, and is consistent with an agreement in this same federal court just 4 years ago.

“This lawsuit is politically motivated, election-year politics, is a waste of taxpayer dollars and opens the door for voter fraud in Ohio.”

ASHLAND PLANS ENVIRONMENT EVENT – Ashland University College of Arts and Sciences’ biennial Symposium Against Indifference on “Environmental Sustainability” concludes with events on two consecutive nights, April 13 and 14. Author and Distinguished Professor of English Dr. Scott Russell Sanders will discuss the elements of our common wealth as human beings, while AU alumnus and green chemist Dr. Marc Klingshirn will introduce the topic of green chemistry.

Both events are free and open to the public, and are co-sponsored by the Department of English, and Department of Chemistry, Geology and Physics, respectively.

On Wednesday, April 13, at 7 p.m. in the Hawkins-Conard Student Center Auditorium, Dr. Sanders will address how our culture is obsessed with private financial wealth while less attention and less protection is offered to the forms of wealth that we share, especially the goods of nature such as the atmosphere and oceans and the goods of culture such as the arts, public parks and legal institutions. He will present a slide lecture identifying elements of our common wealth, explain why they are vital to human well-being and explore ways in which they might be reclaimed and restored.

FINDLAY PHARMACY CLASS DOES WELL – University of Findlay pharmacy students’ passage rates on an exam that tests their legal knowledge landed the program on a list of the top nine in the country that was compiled by Pharmacy Times, an online publication that describes itself as a provider of practical information for todays pharmacists.

UF was one of nine programs in the country that boasts a 100 percent passing rate for its students’ first-time attempts to pass the Multistate Pharmacy Jurisprudence Examination (MPJE) in 2015. Students in UF’s program also had a perfect MJPE first-time attempt rate in 2014 and 2013, an accomplishment only four other programs in the country can boast.

The MPJE tests students on both federal and state-specific legal topics. For state-specific topics, each state’s pharmacy board approves the questions, according to the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy. Students are tested on responsibilities related to distribution and dispensing of pharmaceuticals, licensure and registration requirements, and laws that regulate or affect pharmacists and pharmacies, among other topics, the Pharmacy Times explains.

Staff report

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