promoearn: The story of suicide is far too common. How some are fighting the stigma.

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

The story of suicide is far too common. How some are fighting the stigma.

Wednesday, November 28

Laura Trujillo of Cincinnati, Ohio, sits on the ledge of the Trailview Overlook in Grand Canyon National Park with her daughter Lucy Faherty. Trujillo's mother, Elizabeth Miller, committed suicide by jumping off the Trailview Overlook in April 2012.

Long day? Short List. In the news today: fighting suicide's stigma, safe romaine lettuce and Nancy Pelosi's bid for House Speaker.

The tragic deaths of celebrities like Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain pique our interest, but the truth is suicide is still shrouded in stigma even as rates increase. But the writers and people profiled in our Surviving Suicide project today want to break that stigma, and talk openly about this issue that touches so many families.

Here is today's Short List:

Fighting to understand suicide

When someone we love dies by suicide, we want to know why. And yet it's a question that's often impossible to answer. Laura Trujillo wanted desperately to understand her mother's suicide at the Grand Canyon. She wrote a powerful essay for USA TODAY on how she learned to live without her mom – and without answers.

Laura's mom was one of a growing number of Americans who die by suicide, the No. 10 killer in the U.S. Yet federal research funding for suicide lags behind that of all other leading causes of death – and even non-fatal issues like sleep or indoor air pollution. Some other major takeaways from the Surviving Suicide project:

Public perception is getting better, but people are still afraid to talk about it. That can make it difficult for people who are experiencing suicidal thoughts to reach out for help, or for people who've lost someone to suicide to get the support they need.

Hope is out there. Millions of people every year think about suicide, but never attempt. Nine out of 10 people who attempt will not go on to die by suicide later. There are ways to cope with suicidal thoughts or a suicidal crisis. Not every story we read about suicide has to end in tragedy ( National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255).

A step closer to Speaker Pelosi

Despite a few calls for new leadership, it's looking better that Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi will regain the post of House Speaker. A majority of House Democrats voted to back Pelosi during a Wednesday caucus meeting. Though her bid is uncontested, a number of Democrats who oppose her called for a change in the "status quo." The final hurdle is a full House vote on leadership in January, where Pelosi needs support from a majority of the full House.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., walks from Democratic Caucus leadership elections on Capitol Hill in Washington on Wednesday. Pelosi won support from a majority of Democrats to be House Speaker

Carolyn Kaster, AP

Some romaine reassurance

E. coli worries have you avoiding the crisp crunch of romaine lettuce? Well, the lettuce industry wants to alleviate your fears. Lettuce growers will begin tagging romaine lettuce with new consumer-protection labels to help reassure people that it is safe to eat after a recent nationwide E. coli outbreak. The temporary labels will specifically list where romaine lettuce was grown and when it was harvested. The Food and Drug Administration traced the outbreak to farms on California's central coast and said lettuce from other regions was uncontaminated. The labels will let consumers know what they're buying did not come from a contaminated region.

There's more

- A Texas ATM spit out $100 bills instead of $10 notes and the bank is letting the customers keep the cash. But that paper won't get you anything at these stores foregoing cash this holiday shopping season.

- Meanwhile, at the Los Angeles Auto Show, actor Armie Hammer and tennis star Maria Sharapova helped unveil Porsche's classic 911 sports car, which is loaded with more horsepower and technology.

- ICYMI: Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith defeated Democrat Mike Espy to become the first woman to represent Mississippi in Congress.

- Mueller? The Senate again blocked an expedited vote on legislation that would protect special counsel Robert Mueller from being fired.

- Will Smith, in an emotional Instagram post, explains how his son Trey felt "abandoned" after he divorced his mother.

- Reporter Darren Rovell is leaving ESPN and taking a bet on gambling startup The Action Network.

This compilation of stories from across the USA TODAY Network was brought to you by Sean Rossman, Alia E. Dastagir and David Carrig.