Horns Up: University tries to keep us informed about snow

Last week, the joy of the year’s second snow day was slightly hindered by the University’s apparent inability to let us know ahead of time that campus would be closed. A text message at 8:20am announcing a delay until noon is hardly helpful to students who have 8am classes, and a follow-up text at 11:26am announcing a closure for the day is just as bad for commuters already on the roads. So we appreciate the fact that the University sent us not one, but two emails this afternoon, in which she advised the entire UT community that there might be severe weather over the next two days — although a slim chance of light freezing drizzle is hardly what most of us would consider severe. Nevertheless, horns up to whomever makes these weather-related decisions. If a light dusting of snow or a sprinkle of freezing drizzle does indeed bring the entire city to a grinding halt once again, it’s nice to be prepared.

Horns Up: CVS to stop selling tobacco products in stores

On Wednesday, the nation’s second-largest pharmacy chain, CVS, announced that it will stop selling tobacco products in the next few months — a bold move considering tobacco sales are responsible for $2 billion of the company’s yearly revenue. According to numerous news outlets, CVS explicitly cited health reasons for its decision, claiming that removing tobacco products is an important step as the company increasingly commits to providing more healthcare services. A recent report from the U.S. Surgeon General estimates that the country still spends $132 billion to $175 billion annually on treatment for smoking-related diseases, and claims that tobacco is still the nation’s leading cause of preventable, premature death. Given the substantial toll that drugs take on our nation, it’s no surprise that health care groups and President Barack Obama alike have praised CVS for the decision. Needless to say, we agree wholeheartedly.