January 2018

Page A2 JANUARY 2018 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS S ec t i on A Published Monthly by: Nomis Publications, Inc. PO Box 5159, Youngstown, OH 44514 1-800-321-7479 FAX 1-800-321-9040 www.nomispublications.com info@nomispublications.com Subscription: United States $25.00 - Canada/Mexico $50.00 Circulation 21,000 per issue. Overseas rates available. Deadline for Press Releases: 5th of the Previous month. Advertising: Display Ad rates sent upon request. Classified and Shipping Directory rates published in each issue. All advertising must be received by the 5th of the previous month. Due to the vast amount of sources, the publisher is not responsible for the content of any news articles or advertisements. Nor is the publisher responsible for any loss of revenue by failure to insert an advertisement. The contents of any advertisement submitted for publication are only the publisher’s responsibility if the error is made by the publisher’s typesetting department, and then only to the ex- tent of the typesetting charges. Advertisers are responsible for adhering to individual state regulations regarding advertising. The contents of any news article submitted for publication is subject to editing and is published at the sole discretion of the publisher. The publisher reserves the right to refuse any news article or advertisement. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced, in whole or part, without the exclusive consent of Nomis Publications, Inc. Editor: Margaret (Peggy) Rouzzo Owner: Lucy A. McGuire © 2017 by Nomis Publications, Inc. ISSN 1944-1126 Funeral Home & Cemetery News Online at www.nomispublications.com MONTHLY FEATURES Classified Ads ............................................................................................. ..B19 Shipping Directory ...................................................................................... ..B16 Calendar of Events ...................................................................................... ...B2 Association News ....................................................................................... ..A30 Deaths ........................................................................................................ ..A42 Educational News........................................................................................ .A28 Suppliers News............................................................................................ ...B1 COLUMNS: A Proactive Approach to Advance Funeral Planning by Chris Kuhnen........ ...A6 Designing Woman by MaryAnne Scheuble ................................................. .A20 Embalming by Matt Black ........................................................................... ..A24 HearseHub by Mike Jamar ........................................................................... ..B6 Keys to Service by Todd Van Beck ............................................................. ..A22 Let’s Chat by Kristan Dean .......................................................................... ...A8 Memoires des choix des Jacque by Kate Frediani-Gorman....................... ..A40 Museum Corner.......................................................................................... ..A36 Observations by Steven Palmer ................................................................. ..A12 OSHA Compliance by Gary Finch .............................................................. ..A14 Protecting Your Families and Your Business by Jim Starks........................ ..A18 Random Musings by Nancy Weil................................................................ ....A4 NOTICE The FUNERAL HOME AND CEMETERY NEWS is now sent in two parts. Section A, which includes pages A1-A44 and Section B, which contains the Classified Advertising and consists of pages B1-B28. If you do not receive both sections please call 1-800-321-7479 or email info@nomispublications.com . FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS ONLINE DIRECTORIES US & International Funeral Homes • Supply Companies Cemeteries • Pet Memorialization Companies Trade Associations • Plus Much More... www.nomispublications.com Like Us On HAVE YOU SEEN THESE CHILDREN? The photographs below have been provided by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Please help locate these children by posting in your lobby, office, on your bulletin board, etc. Anyone with information should immediately contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 or (703)235-3900 MARIA MEJIA HERNANDEZ Circumstances: Maria was last seen on September 2, 2017. Missing Since: 9/2/2017 Missing From: Grand Rapids, Michigan Date of Birth: 11/22/2000 Age Now: 17 Yrs Sex: Female Race: Hispanic Hair: Black Eyes: Brown Height: 5’0” Weight: 145 lbs SHYANNE MCCAY Circumstances: Both photos shown are of Shyanne. She has a tattoo on her wrist. Missing Since: 3/4/2017 Missing From: Bridgewater, New Jersey Date of Birth: 2/20/2002 Age Now: 15 Yrs Sex: Female Race: White Hair: Blonde Eyes: Green Height: 5’2” Weight: 152 lbs SIERRA BUDREAU MENDOZA Circumstances: Sierrawas last seen on March 7, 2017. Missing Since: 3/7/2017 Missing From: Pasadena, California Date of Birth: 9/24/1999 Age Now: 18 Yrs Sex: Female Race: Hispanic Hair: Brown Eyes: Brown Height: 5’6” Weight: 174 lbs Submit your photograph or line drawing and Include: • your firm’s name, address, phone number(s) • name of contact person • a short description of your facility SEND TO FRONT COVER c/o Nomis Publications, Inc PO Box 5159 • Youngstown, Ohio 44514 For more information, call Kim 800-321-7479 kim@nomispublications.com www.nomispublications.com FEATURING HERE Lawsuit against The Conference New York Judge Dismisses Test-Taker FAYETTEVILLE,AR— A New York state court judge has dismissed another law- suit filed against the International Conference of Funeral Service Ex- amining Boards (The Conference) by a graduate of the American Acad- emy McAllister Institute of Funeral Service, Inc. (AAMI) challenging The Conference’s invalidation of her scores on the National Board Examination (NBE). The case is Lovece vs. The In- ternational Conference of Funeral Ser- vice Examining Boards, et al., Index No. 9288/2015, State of New York Su- preme Court, Columbia County. In 2015, the plaintiff filed suit against The Conference, ten members of its previous and current board of direc- tors, and its executive director, after the Conference invalidated the plaintiff ’s NBE scores following discovery of her involvement in the examination secu- rity breach at AAMI. The plaintiff al- leged that the invalidation of her NBE scores violated her constitutional rights and breached her test-taker agree- ment, among other claims. The plain- tiff subsequently voluntarily dismissed her claims against nine of The Confer- ence directors and its executive director. On October 25, 2017, Judge Richard M. Koweek of the New York Supreme Court in Columbia County granted the Conference’s motion to dismiss all of the plaintiff test taker’s claims. Judge Koweek’s order dismissed the lawsuit in its entirety. Among other things, the judge ruled that the Confer- ence is not a government actor subject to constitutional claims by disgruntled test takers, and rejected the plaintiff ’s argument that the Conference’s deci- sion to temporarily bar her from re- taking the NBE was illegal. The court also held that the plaintiff had failed to sufficiently allege how the Conference’s actions hindered any business relation- ship, or that The Conference acted with malice with the intent to inflict harm upon her. As a result of this ruling, only one of the seventeen lawsuits filed by AAMI graduates whose NBE scores were invalidated is pending against The Conference. The remainder of the law- suits have been dismissed or settled. The Conference continues to pursue ef- forts to amicably resolve the remaining lawsuit. As always, individuals with informa- tion regarding any previous or poten- tial NBE security breach are encour- aged to contact The Conference at exams@theconferenceonline.org or https://theconferenceonline.org/re- port-concern. By working together, members of the funeral service profes- sion and The Conference can ensure the security and integrity of the NBE, as well as the continued value the NBE offers as a component of the licensure process and public protection. The International Conference of Fu- neral Service Examining Boards is a not-for-profit 50(c)(3) corporation providing examination services, infor- mation, and regulatory support to fu- neral service licensing boards and edu- cators, governmental bodies and other regulatory agencies. The Conference develops, admin- isters, scores and maintains the Na- tional Board Examination (NBE) pro- gram and other state examinations designed to assess entry-level compe- tence of applicants seeking licensure in the funeral services profession. Visit www.theconferenceonline.org for addi- tional information.