THE NEWS-REVIEW (Roseburg, Ore.)
Leading with the story of 14-year-old Jordan Baker – who was found passed out on a raft on a local river one night after drinking with two men she’d met that day – the News-Review explores the rise in the number of younger, underage teens issued “minor in possession of alcohol” (MIP) citations by police. In 2007, nearly 500 youth in Douglas County, Ore., were issued MIPs, and officials estimate that five teens eluded detection for every youth caught.
According to the 2006 Oregon Healthy Teens Survey of 8th- and 11th-graders, half of Douglas County 11th-graders and more than one-third of 8th-graders drank alcohol within 30 days prior to the survey. Police say that, despite being unable to purchase alcohol legally, young teenagers are having little trouble getting their hands on it – a fact that most parents refuse to believe about their own children. Oct. 5, http://www.nrtoday.com.
