This and That, October 4, 2026

New Drug Alert

The drug Ketamine has been in the news a lot lately but have you heard of Kratom? The story from CNN (all bold mine):

The drug products found near two University of Mississippi students who died on September 21 contained three kratom-related compounds, according to court documents reviewed by CNN and law enforcement. 

The substances aren’t natural kratom — as was suspected due to earlier law enforcement reports — which is an herb from the leaves of the tropical tree Mitragyna speciosa native to Southeast Asia. Having both stimulant and sedative effects, the herb carries a risk for addiction due to how it interacts with the brain, researchers told CNN in a previous story.

What’s in the packaged tablets that law enforcement discovered when investigating those deaths are mitragynine pseudoindoxyl, MGM-15 and 7-OH, which are semisynthetic, concentrated and potent derivatives of certain components of kratom.

In states that haven’t banned the substance, it’s sold at gas stations, smoke shops and convenience, grocery and health food stores in various forms, including powders, loose-leaf teas, capsules, tablets and concentrates.

These three derivatives are being called "gas station heroin."

Those first two derivatives - mitragynine pseudoindoxyl and MGM-15 - have been banned by the DOJ for the next two years.

Signs of poisoning by kratom or its derivatives can include high blood pressure, vomiting, heart attack, tremors, seizures, delusions, hallucinations, liver damage and an increased heart rate, known as tachycardia. That can cause heart palpitations, dizziness or lightheadedness, shortness of breath, fainting and chest pain.

To note, Washington state has NOT banned the sale of Kratom statewide but Spokane, Mount Vernon and Clem Elum have.

Also of concern, this via Washington Post:

Besides ketamine and fentanyl, the drugs spurring widespread concern on campuses this semester include kratom, an herbal product which can be purchased in stores in some states, cychlorphine, which is estimated to be about 10 times more potent than fentanyl, and xylazine, a veterinary tranquilizer. Cychlorphine and xylazine are sometimes added to other drugs unbeknownst to users, experts said.

Because cychlorphine can be far more potent that fentanyl, some of the warnings sent to students urged people to keep naloxone on them at all times, and carry at least two doses when possible — since one may not be enough to counter the drug.

Some of the newer drugs are very different from those of previous generations, said Mary Hoban, chief research officer of the American College Health Association: “They’ll kill you at a single use.”

Memorial Stadium Update

From Seattle Center.com:

Construction is currently under way for the Memorial Stadium redevelopment project, with completion planned for Fall 2027. For a peek at the project, visit the viewing windows on Harrison Street next to Artists at Play and on 3rd Avenue across from the International Fountain.

This exciting project – operated under a not-for-profit model managed through a partnership between Seattle Public Schools (SPS), City of Seattle (City), and One Roof Sports & Entertainment – will create a state-of-the-art multi-purpose stadium for student athletics, education, arts, culture, entertainment, and community events. It will be seamlessly integrated with the Seattle Center campus, and will continue to inspire students, the community, and the region for generations to come. View current project design renderings and flyover video .

Cellphones in Public Schools

From the Seattle Times, a story about what Governor Bob Ferguson is pushing in "his proposal to ban cellphone use in Washington Public Schools."

The draft legislation, which Ferguson plans to send to lawmakers when they convene in January, would apply to smartphones and smartwatches. If passed as law, schools would decide whether students would turn phones in, place them in pouches or use another storage system.

The proposal throws weight behind a statewide movement already taking place. Over half of Washington school districts have some sort of policy in place restricting cellphone usage, according to state schools superintendent Chris Reykdal, who will also be asking lawmakers to consider a ban. In 2024, Reykdal challenged school districts around the state to enact policies regulating the devices. Around 84 districts have adopted policies since then.

What Happens When School Music Programs Can't Afford Instruments?

This from the NY Times:

“I’ve actually had to buy instruments out of my own pocket,” Lipscomb said from his classroom at South Charleston High School on the first Monday of the school year. “I just kind of have to.”

Like many music teachers, Lipscomb has become attuned to tight budgets. Lately, though, the cost of instruments has ballooned beyond his ability to make do.

Pandemic-era supply chain snarls lifted prices for goods across the board. President Donald Trump’s global tariffs further swelled the cost of foreign-made instruments. Then in August, the Trump administration proposed additional 25% tariffs on trumpets, tubas and other brass instruments, citing “national security threats” under a provision it has used to impose duties on foreign metals.

An elementary school music teacher in Beaverton, Oregon, has considered 3D printing ukuleles because she cannot afford them. In Passaic, New Jersey, an arts administrator is doubling down on encouraging students to clean and care for their instruments so they last longer. The superintendent of a small district in Washington County, Pennsylvania, has taken to scouring eBay and Facebook Marketplace for used instruments.

But most elementary, middle and high schools rely on less expensive beginner instruments that are largely made in China. Many school districts own or rent instruments they lend to students at no or little cost.

Band and orchestral instruments have been hit the hardest, he said. In the second quarter of this year, imports of instruments were down nearly 20% from the same period in 2024. Imports of orchestral string instruments, including violins, violas and cellos, dropped 50%. Brass instruments fell 43%.

Regional High School Cancels Varsity Football Season

From the Seattle Times:

The Federal Way School District announced Thursday the remainder of Beamer’s varsity football schedule was canceled. McCurry said the decision was due to a combination of low turnout, inexperience and accumulating injuries.

“We have three broken elbows, I’ve never heard of that in my life. Like an elbow literally broke,” McCurry said of the 10 injuries on his 35-player roster. 

 

“At first (the season cancellation) was a shock for me and my staff. You definitely don’t want that, but you start to look at what is the health and safety of our kids right now and where we’re at as a program. Our leadership made the decision that needed to happen.”

There are, of course, ripple effects for high schools in that area but this is also happening in other states.

Nationwide, schools in California, Texas, North Carolina and Pennsylvania have also cited “safety concerns” in canceling high school football seasons, according to multiple reports. Safety also encompasses playing on the right level.

Vaccination News

Via The Washington Post on getting a flu shot early.

Flu is hitting unusually early in parts of the West, catching doctors by surprise as some hospitals see levels of illness more typical of early winter, when the respiratory virus season normally gets underway.

Across Seattle Children’s hospital system, about 150 children have tested positive for influenza in the past two weeks, a level the system typically does not see until early December. By comparison, for the same time period last fall, the health system had about 10 flu cases.

In addition to Washington state, Alaska, California and Hawaii are also reporting sharp increases in the percentage of laboratory tests coming back positive for influenza.

Flu vaccines for the 2026-27 season are already widely available. Influenza vaccines are less effective in preventing infections than other vaccines such as the one for measles, mumps and rubella, which the CDC says prevents measles in about 97 percent of cases when patients have received two doses. But multiple studies have shown the flu vaccine reduces the disease’s severity and averts hospitalizations and deaths.

Unlike in previous years, the CDC has not launched a broad public campaign this fall urging Americans to get their flu shots, even as unusually early activity is emerging in parts of the West. The vaccine takes about two weeks to build protection.

From the AI Department of Bullshit News, this story from ABC7 Chicago:

Alpha opened the first school in Chicago that uses artificial intelligence and has no teachers on Tuesday. Chicago's school features the "two-hour learning model," created by Mackenzie Price.

Rather than having teachers lecture students, they have "guides" that support students throughout the day.

The learning model condenses core subjects into two hours of AI-powered learning. Students then focus the rest of the day on financial literacy, tech literacy, public speaking, entrepreneurship, and more.

Tuition for the private school costs $55,000.

From their FAQs:

Alpha tuition is inclusive of ALL student activities (like a trip to Formula 1 or Poland); Alpha will never EVER ask parents for additional fundraising. With this in mind, Alpha tuition remains on par with the nation’s best private schools.

And FYI on riding the school bus - this from the Bonny Eagle Transportation Department:

Parents, please understand this: when a bus driver keeps correcting your child about how they’re sitting, it’s not because we’re “singling them out.”

There’s a reason we tell students over and over:

Sit ALL the way down.
Face forward.
Stay in your seat.
Not sideways.
Not backwards.
Not on your knees.
Not hanging into the aisle.
Not half-standing talking to the seat behind you.

We aren’t saying it because we enjoy repeating ourselves 47 times before 8 a.m. We say it because we are responsible for getting your child to and from school safely.

A school bus can stop suddenly. Another driver can pull out in front of us. Something unexpected can happen in seconds. How your child is sitting matters.

So when your child comes home and says, “My bus driver is always getting onto ME,” please remember—you may only be hearing one side of the story.

Sometimes that bus driver has already said “Sit down and face forward” ten times.
We’re not picking on your child.

We’re trying to protect them.

Please help us by reminding your kids that bus safety rules aren’t suggestions—and correcting unsafe behavior isn’t “singling someone out.” It’s part of our job.