WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (May 8, 2017) — Today, Hy-Vee, Inc. announced it has successfully transitioned 100 percent of its sushi to responsible sources. The supermarket chain guarantees that all sushi prepared and sold in its 245 Midwestern stores, including Hy-Vee Market Grille restaurants, will now contain seafood that is caught in an environmentally and socially responsible manner.

According to its recently updated Seafood Procurement Policy, Hy-Vee is committed to sourcing seafood in its fresh-made Nori Sushi bars and Hy-Vee Market Grille restaurants that is rated “green” or “yellow” by the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program, certified to an environmental standard equivalent to these ratings, or in a time-bound improvement process.

“We work hard to provide the highest quality options for our customers,” said Brett Bremser, executive vice president of perishables at Hy-Vee. “We enjoy offering Hy-Vee customers the option of Japanese cuisine with fresh seafood, but we must also safeguard the health of our oceans. We have made it a priority to integrate the concept of sustainable dining into our menu options and Nori Sushi brand.”

Hy-Vee’s goal is to offer the art of sushi to its customers while maintaining a solid commitment to responsible menu choices. Hy-Vee’s sushi options include a variety of the freshest seafood selections, all of which are responsibly sourced.

The ahi tuna used in Hy-Vee’s Nori Sushi is made with Seafood Watch green-rated, Fair Trade-certified yellowfin tuna. The tempura and ebi shrimp are from BAP 3 Star- and BAP 4 Star-certified sources. The salmon is Seafood Watch yellow-rated Verlasso salmon from Chile. Hy-Vee’s surimi is from the Marine Stewardship Council-certified U.S. Alaska pollock fishery.

Hy-Vee’s updated Seafood Procurement Policy now also includes sustainable shelf-stable tuna. The policy was developed in partnership with FishWise, a nonprofit sustainable seafood consultancy that promotes the health and recovery of ecosystems through environmentally and socially responsible business practices.

“This announcement marks the achievement of another major milestone in Hy-Vee’s Responsible Choice seafood program,” said Kathleen Mullen-Ley, project director at FishWise. “FishWise applauds Hy-Vee’s continued leadership in improving the sustainability and social responsibility of its seafood offerings. We are proud to be partnered with Hy-Vee and look forward to more exciting announcements in the future.”

MANHATTAN — Military spouses may not wear uniforms or enter combat, but they deserve appreciation for their sacrifices, according to a Kansas State University expert on military families.

Briana Nelson Goff, professor of family studies and human services and director of the Institute for the Health and Security of Military Families in the College of Human Ecology, said most military spouses experience a lifestyle of constant adjustment.

“It’s important to realize that the military service member may be deployed, but everyone in the family is serving,” Goff said. “The spouse and kids may not be deployed, but they are serving their country as well, so we need to honor that.”

After finding out their partner is deploying, Goff said military spouses can go through several phases:

• The preparation phase, when they learn more about where their spouse is going and for how long.

• The deployment, which may include months of single parenting.

• Their spouse’s return, which may not include much notice.

• Leave after deployment, which may include family vacations or just time together at home.

• Their spouse returning to his or her regular work schedule, when the family attempts to return to normal or find a “new normal,” Goff said.

For some spouses, the start of a deployment is the most stressful portion of the cycle, especially when they have short notice about it. Others find the preparation phase more intense than the deployment itself.

“Each family is a little different, but it’s not easy for anyone,” Goff said.

Along with time-related adjustments in the phases of military life, spouses experience geographical adjustments, with many military families moving every two to three years.

“They may come to one place that has a really good network with a supportive community, and then move to another place that doesn’t have those features,” Goff said. “It’s understandable to expect the next place to be the same, and when it isn’t, the transition can be difficult.”

In addition to the rollercoaster of emotions many spouses face through their various adjustments, some spouses must adapt to their partner coming home with post-traumatic stress disorder, which affects the entire family. Many people assume if a military member has PTSD, the disorder will show up immediately upon return, but Goff said PTSD can sometimes be triggered by other changes, such as a transition out of the military or a cross-country move.

“It’s hard to predict who will experience PTSD, why they might get it and when it might hit,” Goff said. “Regardless, it’s often difficult for spouses to understand.”

Goff said about 15-20 percent of military spouses are diagnosed with general anxiety disorder or major depression. People can help military spouses relieve stress and find joy in many ways, such as offering to babysit while their partner is deployed; inviting them over for dinner or taking dinner to their family; becoming their workout buddy; and sitting down for coffee to listen to their stories.

“The more we can help bring a sense of consistency and support to military spouses, the more they can provide stability and a sense of normalcy for the whole family,” Goff said. “It’s difficult because everyone is busy, but when we spend a bit of time to support a military spouse, we can help their family thrive.”

Friday, May 12, is Military Appreciation Day in the U.S. The event is observed each year on the Friday before Mother’s Day.

A noose was found hanging from a tree near Mid-Campus drive on the K-State Manhattan campus last Friday.

On the K-State Today website the University President Richard Myers stated while the intent of the person who placed the noose is unknown the effect on the K-State campus was immediate. The noose was quickly removed, but not before it was seen by many on campus, including families visiting for Junior Day. Myers stated, ” It is a poor reflection on our campus community when a well-known symbol for hatred shows up in such a public way.”

Myers said there may be some who don’t understand the emotional impact of a knotted cord in the shape of a hangman’s noose. According to the Anti-Defamation League: ” The hangman’s noose has come to be one of the most powerful visual symbols directed against African-Americans, comparable in the emotions that it evokes to that of the swastika for Jews.”

Myers noted if there are those in the K-State family unaware of the power of those negative symbols, it falls on all of us to teach each other. He said if you don’t understand reach out to one of K-State’s African-American students, faculty or staff to ask why this act is intolerable.

The University President stated, “Once again, we cannot let the acts of a few define all of us. The K-State family needs to unite in our voice against all forms of discrimination. Hopefully as we contemplate these disgusting acts and the impact they have on our family, we’ll grow stronger in our commitment to treating all the K-State family with dignity and respect.

On April 24, Holocaust Remembrance Day, a poster with an anti-Semitic message was found taped to a utility pole near Ahearn Fieldhouse. At that time Myers noted that type of message is unwelcome at Kansas State University. At that time it was also reported that there had been a series of random messages found on campus in recent weeks, small in number, but each targeting a specific group of the K-State family. The University’s LGBTQ community was disparaged in one single-page flyer and African-American family members targeted in another.