Tuesday’s Teen News

Gang violence plagues Indian reservations - Indian youth are increasing joining reservation gangs, leading to an increase in violence, crime and fear on the reservations. Even as they seek to bolster policing, Pine Ridge leaders see their best long-term hope for fighting gangs in cultural revival.“We’re trying to give an identity back to our youth,” said Melvyn Young Bear, the tribe’s appointed cultural liaison. “They’re into the subculture of African-Americans and Latinos. But they are Lakota, and they have a lot to be proud of.” (NYT)

Taylor Lautner can’t save SNL – He was full of energy and ready for anything, but ‘the writing was terrible.’ I know it’s a decades-old tradition to bitch about the quality of SNL, but this season seems to be bad in the worst kind of way, and ultimately, it has been completely forgettable. Videos. (Jezebel)

New teen drug use survey released – Use of marijuana and hallucinogens are way down, but officials are worried about increasing numbers of teens who don’t disapprove of drug use.University of Michigan researcher Lloyd Johnston, who oversees the annual survey, said there was “serious softening” in the perceived risks of LSD, inhalants and the party drug Ecstasy — a sign that “a new generation of kids are interested . . . in rediscovering these drugs, because they don’t understand why they shouldn’t be using them.” (LA Times)

Queens teacher punched ‘Jersey Shore’s’ Snooki – In a clip constantly aired by MTV, main character Snooki is punched in the face at a bar by a man who turns out to be a NJ gym teacher.It’s not the first time the short-lived show endured controversy. Various Italian-American organizations have complained about the show’s portrayal of Italians and the use of the word “guido.” As a result, pizza chain Dominos has pulled their ads from the show. VIDEO(NJ.Com)

Friday’s teen news – local(∆) and national

Teen arrested for creating bullying website – Missouri police arrested a 9th grader for cyber bullying after she created a website that used the girl’s name in the address, posted photos of her, called her slut and said she would be better off dead. This article also lists a number of other cases prosecuted under Missouri’s new cyber bullying law. (Wired)

(∆) Durham b-ball league targets gang members – Free league run by volunteers has increased from 70 to 180 participants, with rival gang members playing on the same team. “Out of four years, even though we’ve had gangs from the same team playing together we’ve never had any fights. To me … there’s something bigger than the game, which is the team.” (My NC)

Lesbian banned from yearbook – A Mississippi high school senior was not included in her senior yearbook after she posed for her senior portrait in a tuxedo. “I feel like I’m not important, that the school is dismissing who I am as a gay student and that they don’t even care about me. All I want is to be able to be me, and to be included in the yearbook,” Sturgis said in a statement. (AP)

Govt. investigates h.s. diploma mills – Undercover investigations have been targeting for-profit high schools that offer diplomas for money or provide answers to college entrance exams for money.  As a result, colleges are reducing admissions for all alternative diploma high school students, whether legitimate or not. (US News)

Wednesday’s teen news – local(∆) and national

What happens when the final bell rings – Chicago columnist concludes that “dismissal time is perhaps the most dangerous part of the day for youth.” Sure enough, just as dismissal time approached, a large group of gang members emerged en masse from the park to move into position outside the school.It was explained to me that they were mainly there to protect their own members who attend the school, although you can well imagine how their mere presence could lead to conflicts. You can also better understand how students might find it in their own self-interests to affiliate at least loosely with a gang for protection. (Chicago Sun-Times)

(∆) “Schools? Who Cares?” – On the eve of a historic Wake County school board election that may completely change the make-up of Raleigh schools, candidates attended a forum where only 25 people showed-up, mostly family and media.  Columnist Ruth Sheehan is worried that “if history’s any teacher, a very small, motivated group of voters will decide what happens to my kids and yours.” (News and Observer)

Lynching cartoon causes campus fury – Black cartoonist draws black guy getting lynched asking “You’re doing this because I’m black?” and white mob answers, “See? There you go again! Pulling the race card!”  Students wore nooses in protest of cartoon. “We don’t care if it was a black, white, orange, purple, pink person who wrote this article,” Audrey Foreback, a sophomore, told local radio station WYTV. “They should not have been allowed to print it and publish it throughout the school. It’s just wrong.” (Gawker)

Best cities for young people to move – According to Wall Street Journal: 1. Washington D.C. 1. (tie) Seattle 3. NYC 4. Portland 5. Austin, Texas

Monday’s teen news – local(∆) and national

High schools attempt to ban freak dancing – Students left a homecoming dance last fall en masse after a Kansas school disallowed grinding.  With similar rules, a different Kansas school canceled a dance at 9 p.m. after only 6 kids showed up. “Everybody’s staying away,” Salina junior Tayshaw Long told the Salina Journal. “We can’t dance the way we dance.” (Kansascity.com)

Advice question – Is it fair to ask teen to contribute summer job money to family budget? (Washington Post)

(∆) Maya Angelou addresses Duke freshman – Tells story of FOX executive using a racial slur in her presence, encourages students to see all people as human beings. (Duke Chronicle)

Teens without papers face extra challenges – Raised by the LA welfare system, Jamal King does not have a single piece of identification. He can’t open a bank account, obtain a job, receive government benefits, enroll in higher education.”It’s like I don’t exist,” King said. (LA Times)

Teens abuse of ADD drugs soaring – Trips to the emergency room for abuse of ADD drugs is up 76% in last eight years.  Use of other people’s prescription pills, according to experts, can lead to life-threatening symptoms.  (Newsday)

Profiles of 5 extraordinary teens - Diverse listing of teens who have brought attention to important causes. (Charlotte Examiner)

(∆) Jury foreman speaks of Castillo verdict - Jurors wanted to do more for the mentally ill defendant who had suffered such a hard knock life, but the foreman said they were bound by law to convict him to a life in prison.  (N&O)

Average gamer not teen, but 35 and overweight – The average gamer, far from being a teen, is actually a 35-year-old man who is overweight, aggressive, introverted — and often depressed, according to a report  from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Wired)

Wednesday’s teen news – local(∆) and national

(∆) Raleigh native gets Broadway lead – John Arthur Greene has taken over the role of Riff, the leader of the Jets gang in the Tony-winning Broadway revival of “West Side Story.” “I grew up doing North Carolina Theatre,” he said. “I did every single one of their shows. They gave me a place to really develop this art and figure out how characters are formed, how to sing and dance, and how to put your heart and soul into a performance.” (News & Observer)

6 Alternative fuels cars built by teens – Five kids from West Philly’s high school auto shop class, ex-gang members and high school dropouts built this soybean-powered race car. The car gets 50+ mpg and goes from 0 to 60 in just 4 seconds. (Matter Network)

Texas public schools required to teach Bible – “The purpose of a course like this isn’t even really to get kids to believe it, per se, it is just to appreciate the profound impact that it has had on our history and on our government.” (KLTV.com)

Smashing Pumpkins hires teen drummer – After original drummer quit, Pumpkins screened 1,000 drummers in open auditions before choosing 19-year-old Mike Byrne. “I’m super excited to be playing with the band. Dream come true, man.”

Teens protest proposed tanning ban – Suffolk County in NY wants to ban teens under 18 from tanning salons. John Overstreet, the executive director of the Indoor Tanning Association, said it “defied common sense” that lawmakers would bar teens from tanning indoors while posing no restrictions on them at the county’s beaches. (Newsday)

Teen sees people’s auras – Part of a 20/20 series on children with psychic powers. Heather compares looking inside bodies to using an X-ray or microscope. Her vision, she says, changes “from one power to the next, and it just goes deeper and deeper, and you can see that. Sometimes, you don’t want to know that about everybody, so you don’t want to look and you’re just like, you’re afraid of what you’ll find.” (ABC)

The dangers of pitching as a youth – Dr. James Andrews deems the number of Tommy John surgeries needed for teen pitchers as an “epidemic.” In-depth article by the NY Times about how pitching can destroy arms. (NY Times)

Buried teen saved on NC beach – A 16-year-old from New Jersey was buried neck-deep while sitting cross-legged in wet sand at Bald Head Island when the tide came in over his head. A bystander gave him a snorkel to breath through until he was dug out.  (Philly.com)