Reading Time: < 1 minute Confusion about thoughts and feelings regarding mental illness is natural, but National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is here to help. Last week was mental health awareness week, during which the NAMI club continued to work on breaking the stigma of mental illness.

Reading Time: 2 minutes California gay marriages surpass Massachusetts – During the first three months since legalization of gay marriages in California, a study found that nearly 11,000 couples have wed, compared to 10,385 in Massachusetts. The research was released Oct. 6 by the Williams Institute at UCLA.

Reading Time: < 1 minute Oct. 1 – DRUG OVERDOSE – UVU police and Orem Paramedics responded to the Digital Learning Center due to a male who had passed out. The male had overdosed on prescription painkillers and was taken to a local hospital for further treatment. Oct. 6 ñ MEDICAL – A 55-year-old male suffered a possible heart attack in the Gunther Trades building.

Reading Time: 2 minutes In 1920, women in the United States took their first step into politics when the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment granted them the right to vote. Since this Amendment, women have developed the strength and expertise required to do much more than just vote — they are running for office and winning.

Reading Time: 2 minutes Utah Valley University professor of political science Jay A. DeSart was recently quoted in the Wall Street Journal blog for an election forecast model determining a presidential victory for Obama in November. It was a model that DeSart and co-author Dr. Thomas Holbrook from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee created nearly 10 years ago.

Reading Time: < 1 minute FINLAND- Finland’s ex-president Martti Ahtisaari won the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to build a lasting peace from Africa and Asia to Europe and the Middle East. The Norwegian Nobel Committee said it honored Ahtisaari for his efforts taking place for more than three decades to resolve international conflicts.

Reading Time: < 1 minute Winning money for speaking does not happen every day, although some politicians may have you think otherwise. Fortunately for the Utah Valley University student body, the Maria Clegg Jones Speech competition, sponsored by the Communications Department, comes for the second time to campus.

Reading Time: 2 minutes Mark Zupan, a Paralympian who has recently won a gold medal in Beijing, has starred in “Murderball” and has written a book titled “Gimp,” spoke on Thursday in honor of disability week. “Fifteen years ago when I first got hurt, I thought my life was over,” Zupan said.

Reading Time: 2 minutes It’s a common local misconception, according to community health education major and Voices for Planned Parenthood intern Pam Hatch, that Utah women have no need for cervical cancer screenings and vaccinations, emergency contraception or contraception in general.

Reading Time: 2 minutes UVU hosted the 4th Annual Symposium on Restorative Justice, Punishment, and the Death Penalty on Thursday. The final speaker in the symposium, Prof. William A. Schabas, spoke on the impact of the death penalty and its abolition on the international community.