Walks Getting Canceled

Susan G. Komen for the Cure replaces Nancy Brinker with new CEO

Nancy Brinker founded Susan G. Komen for the Cure in honor of her sister, whodied of breast cancer in 1980.
Paula Froelich/Tumblr
Under Brinker's leadership, running events have become a fixture of the cancerfundraising empire.
Photo courtesy of Komen Houston Race for the Cure
Judith A. Salerno is the new CEO of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
Photo courtesy of University of Southern California

Nearly a year after promised, Dallas-based breast cancer foundation Susan G. Komen for the Cure has replaced Nancy Brinker as CEO. Stepping into the pink shoes is Judith Salerno, executive director of the Institute of Medicine.

Brinker isn't going anywhere. She'll remain with the organization, under a new title: starship commander — I mean, chair of global strategy.

Brinker's depose comes after a controversy-filled 2012, following Komen's 2011 decision to stop giving grants to Planned Parenthood. The decision caused an uproar, and the organization quickly changed its mind. But the ensuing deluge of criticism forced the resignation of its politically conservative vice president Karen Handel, and then Komen got hammered for one bad PR move after another.

Brinker claimed she would resign last August, but it seems to have taken another round of bad press to finally get her to do it. In May, the Dallas Morning Newsreported that she'd received a 64 percent raise, from $417,000 to $684,717. Salon wondered how Komen got away with it, and, on June 6, the Washington Postquestioned why she was still the CEO.

Meanwhile, the sinking Komen ship announced that it would be dropping seven of its annual fundraising events/walks in Arizona, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Tampa Bay, San Francisco and Washington, D.C.:

This was a really tough decision, but we had to look at historical performance of each market, which included total number of participants and amount of money raised since 2009. The markets that did not meet these financial goals over that period were removed from the 2014 schedule.

Participation in the races has declined since 2011. The Dallas race at NorthPark Center is still on for October 19.

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E-Cigarette News

Dallas City Council places restrictions on vaping in public

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Man vaping

Vaping will now be banned exactly like smoking, thanks to a new ordinance from the Dallas City Council.

At their December 11 meeting, the council passed an ordinance to ban vaping in all the same areas where smoking is not allowed. It'll go into effect on December 11, 2025 — giving everyone a year to get into compliance.

Proposed by City of Dallas Environmental Commission (EVC) and the Office of Environmental Quality and Sustainability (OEQS), the ordinance amends the definition of “smoking” in the Dallas City Code to include the use of vaping devices.

The ordinance does not ban vaping — it only bans where you can vape: no vaping in all indoor and enclosed spaces; within 15 feet of building entrances; and on park property. The ordinance also bans marijuana smoking in those same places.

In addition, the amendment requires restaurants, hotels, fitness centers and other businesses to update their signage to clearly state that both smoking and electronic smoking devices are prohibited.

The ordinance already earned widespread support from health organizations such as the Dallas County Health and Human Services, the American Lung Association, and the American Heart Association. These organizations, along with the World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the U.S. Surgeon General, have all raised concerns about the health risks of direct and second-hand exposure to vaping aerosols, particularly for vulnerable populations such as children and older adults.

Dallas is not the first city to impose such a ban: San Antonio enacted a similar ban in October. Theirs goes into effect on January 1, 2025.

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