Teen Herbicide
Mother Jones
Dietary supplements, such as vitamins and sports performance boosters, are marketed to youth as natural and safe. The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, which deregulated such herbal products, will make it harder to discern if such claims are true. June 2003. www.motherjones.com/news/outfront/2003/19/ma_378_01.html.
A West Side Story: From Crime King to Mentor
The New York Times
Willie Lloyd spent his early adulthood running the Vice Lords, one of Chicago’s most feared street gangs. Now, he has returned to those streets as a mentor and counselor. April 28. www.nytimes.com, go to archives and search for headline. Registration required.
Drop in Number of Troubled Kids Is a Mystery
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Seattle facilities for extremely troubled youths say they’re caring for fewer youngsters. Experts believe it is because such
group homes have fallen from favor in the wake of a state budget crisis. April 24. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/119007_cobb24.html.
Parents, Shopping for Discipline, Turn to Harsh Programs Abroad
The New York Times
Fleeing from legal issues and licensing challenges, the youth behavior modification industry has set up shop in countries like Mexico, where it flies dangerously below the radar of regulation. May 9. www.nytimes.com/2003/05/09/international/americas/09SCHO.html. Registration Required.
Special Report on the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Program National Evaluation
The Evaluation Exchange
The White House proposed to slash the 21st Century Community Learning Centers after-school program funding by 40 percent. Experts say that positive findings were ignored and preliminary negative findings should have been only a road map to improvement. Spring 2003. www.gse.harvard.edu/hfrp/eval/issue21/special.html.
Laws Tighten on Sex Offenders
USA Today
A growing number of states are moving to ban convicted sex offenders from living near or visiting playgrounds, schools and other areas where children gather. Opponents say the restrictions might discourage sex offenders from registering with authorities. May 11. http://www.usatoday.com.
‘I Knew I Wanted Something Better’
The Post-Standard
As Syracuse leaders launch a crusade to stem youth violence and save at-risk youngsters, The Post-Standard profiles Starsky Robinson, now 26, who moved to college from a life of crime. May 11. http://www.syracuse.com/search/index.ssf?/base/news9/1052642276258070.xml?syrneocit.
Compiled from news reports, the Casey Journalism Center for Children and Families, and Connect for Kids.
