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)

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

Costumes for teen girls too trashy? – Reporter/mother worries teen costumes are all the hooker version, hooker witch, hooker batgirl, etc.  She wants to know when this change happened and also quotes the movie Mean GIrls,”Halloween is the one night a year when girls can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.” (Atlanta Journal Constitution)

Teens in Detroit face dead ends – Profile of teenagers in Detroit who suffer the worst schools, highest unemployment rates and highest crime rates in the country.  The teens want to leave but say they do not have the money or the work skills to do so. “The first thing that anybody who’s young in this city has to face without a steady job is the threat of illegal, dangerous and life-threatening activities,” said the Rev. Horace Sheffield III, a longtime community activist. “If there’s no viable options available, no legitimate sources of revenue, that often causes people to resort to crime.” (MSNBC)

Mall rules to prohibit teens under 18 – A mall in Virginia enforced a new rule on Monday that prohibits teens under the age of 18 from being on the premises without an adult. “I wanted to get my iPod fixed, and that’s more important than their policy,” Nick said. “It’s a dumb rule, because kids around here do have jobs, and we do spend money.”

Hawaii reduces school week – At a time when Obama is pushing for more school days, his home state has eliminated most Fridays from the school week because of the recession. “The 16-year-old in me is pretty excited that I’ll be able to chill on those days,” said Mark Aoki, a junior at Roosevelt High in Honolulu. “But overall within me, what I truly believe is that we’ll regret this.” (USA Today)

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

Is Facebook protected under 1st Amendment? - Schools and students are suing students who make negative comments on their MySpace/Facebook pages, including one suspended girl who posted a message that said ‘Ms. Sarah Phelps is the worst teacher I ever had.’ “It is ironic that high school is where students first learn about First Amendment rights, including the right to free speech, yet it is Katy’s high school that unconstitutionally trampled those very rights,” ACLU cooperating attorney Matthew D. Bavaro, said in a press release announcing the suit last December. (MSNBC)

In violent Chicago, difficult to be a kid – More than 40 kids have been killed since Jan 1.”The violence is bad. You get jumped going to the store,” said Porch, 17, standing near the spot where a 16-year-old schoolmate was beaten to death last month. “It seems like all the good kids are dying first, and the bad ones keep doing what they’re doing. I’m a good kid, but I’m trying to be half good and half dumb so at least I have a 50-50 chance.”

Tyler Perry says he was molested – While promoting his newest movie about an abuse teen, Perry has opened up about getting beaten unconscious by his father and being molested by a neighbor. “He got the vacuum cleaner extension cord and trapped me in a room and beat me until the skin was coming off my back. To this day, I don’t know what would make a person do something like that to a child,” Perry wrote. (NewsOne)

Latino names drop in popularity – As immigrants become more assimilated, educated and familiar with English, parents begin to name their kids American names like William instead of ethnic names like Guillermo.“When [immigrant or later-generation] parents name their children, they are combining their own attachments and affinities with their hopes and aspirations for their children,” says Guillermina Jasso, a sociology professor at New York University and a second-generation Hispanic American. (Time)

(∆) Election could change Wake Co. schools – Voters elected candidates for school board who support neighborhood schools rather than the current practice of diverse, bused schools. “We’ll be focused on how to educate children, not moving them from place to place,” said Deborah Prickett, a state Department of Public Instruction employee who posted an overwhelming win in District 7, North Raleigh and Morrisville. “We’ll improve academics.” (N&O)

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

(∆) Wake Tech student offers seat on Craig’s List - A 17-year-old student offered to sell a spot in a fully-enrolled government class in which he was mistakingly enrolled twice.  ”Please let your offers be generous.”  Wake Tech made him remove the ad. (WRAL)

(∆) NC grad rate improves – 71% overall, up from 70% last year.  67% male, 76% female, 61% low-income, 56% students with disabilities. (Apex Herald)

Teen track star’s gender disputed – Unknown South African Caster Semenya exploded on track scene overnight, international governing body is testing whether she is really a female. (SI)

Low-income kids first sex experience: 12 – A new study found that among nearly 1,000 low-income families in three major cities, one in four children between the ages of 11 and 16 reported having sex, with their first sexual intercourse experience occurring at the average age of 12.77. (Science Daily)

Column: Teen curfews unconstitutional - Agrees with court ruling that overturned a city curfew in New York because it violated “youths’ rights to freedom of movement, expression, association and equal protection.” (Niagara Gazette)

Mother blames school for girl’s anorexia – The mother of a former Pittsburgh schools student claims administrators knew her daughter was being harassed over her weight, but their lack of action led the girl to develop anorexia, withdraw from school and seek mental health treatment. (USA Today)

Woman charged with cyber bullying – A Missouri woman is facing felony harassment charges after posting a teen girl’s image and information on the ‘Casual Encounters’ section of Craig’s List.  (LA Times)

Fla. school officials face jail time for prayer – Already received injunction against officially sanctioned prayer in the school, principal and A.D. prayed over a meal at a booster club meeting. (CNN)

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

(∆) Teen earns awards for science discoveries – For discoveries about how tiny particles of mercury clump together, 17-year-old Eileen Jang of the School of Science and Math has won science contests across the world, including a trip next month to Sweden to collect her prize in the Stockholm Junior Water Prize Competition. She will attend Yale this fall. (News & Observer) photo by TAKAAKI IWABU

Should teens have credit cards? – This editorial by the Wall Street Journal says yes. (WSJ)

(∆) Wilson teens on MTV tonight -Jamereo Artis and Gregory Cox are two hopefuls on P. Diddy’s “Making His Band” reality show. (News & Observer)

Teens girls in finals of demolition derby - Standing at barely five-foot, two inches tall, Abby’s pit crew had to put foam mats behind her back so she could reach the pedals. She doesn’t even have her driver’s license yet.”I figure we’ll get all the crashes out of the way first,” joked her father. (Daily Herald) photo by Scott Sanders

TN uses stimulus money to create teen jobs – Tennessee has used $25 million in stimulus money to create 12,000 teen jobs.  The workers say they are using their money to buy clothes or to pay household bills. (Tennessean) photo by Larry McCorrmack

Indian teens rap about tribal problems – More specifically, prescription pill and gambling addictions on the reservation. (Seattle PI) photo by Noah Friedman

Funny young adult novels – The movie I Love You Beth Cooper does not do the book justice, as recommended by the Kansas City Star.