Parents

Up to half of sexually active young people will get a sexually transmitted disease by the time they are 25, yet many don't seek testing because it may be difficult, costly or embarrassing. Public health officials nationally and in particularly affected cities like Baltimore, however, say they've found a method that seems to address the major hurdles — a website that supplies free in-home testing kits for three of the most commonly reported STDs. "The highest prevalence is in young adults, and we knew we had to reach these kids," said Charlotte A. Gaydos, a professor of infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

F.N.B. Corp. announced Friday it plans to acquire BCSB Bancorp, the parent of Baltimore County Savings Bank, in a stock swap valued at about $79 million. BCSB's share price jumped $4.82 after the announcement on Friday to close at $21.79. F.N.B.'s stock fell 34 cents to $11.09 per share. With this acquisition, F.N.B. will gain $640 million in assets and 16 banking offices across Baltimore, Harford and Howard counties. F.N.B., based in Hermitage, Pa., has $12.4 billion in assets and more than 250 branches in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia.

Matt Fortese came 75 miles from Hagerstown to meet Taylor Queen at Camden Yards. She drove more than three hours from Virginia. Their second date was going well, Queen said, until an hour of taunting from two fans boiled over into an altercation that left Fortese fighting for his life. Fortese, a lifelong Yankees fan who wore his team's cap to Wednesday's game, suffered severe head trauma and a skull fracture. He was listed in serious condition at Maryland Shock Trauma Center Saturday.

These groups meet regularly. Alzheimer's Caregiver Support Group - Third Wednesday, 5:30 p.m., at Lighthouse Senior Living at Ellicott City, 3100 N. Ridge Road, Ellicott City. 410-465-2288. Bereaved Parents, USA - Third Wednesday, 8 p.m. For parents and siblings who have lost a child or sibling of any age. First Presbyterian Church of Howard County, 9325 Presbyterian Circle, Columbia. 410-321-7053. Breast Cancer Support Group - Third Wednesday, 7-8:30 p.m. Claudia Mayer Cancer Resource Center, 10710 Charter Drive, Suite G050, Columbia.

Every family needs an Aunt Barbara.Barbara Willer took vacation time to baby-sit her nephews -- flying from Washington, D.C., to Michigan to do it -- so their parents could get away on vacation.The boys always have so much fun with Aunt Barbara they didn't mind Mom and Dad leaving them behind. And their parents left confident the kids couldn't have been in better hands. Not only is Ms. Willer a devoted aunt, but she's a child development expert with a doctorate in the field."Parents shouldn't feel guilty when they take a trip without their kids," says Ms. Willer, who works for the National Association for the Education of Young Children.

Some child support payments in Maryland could soon go up - a change that state Human Resources Secretary Brenda Donald called "long overdue." For the first time in two decades, lawmakers are poised to revise the guidelines that courts use to set child support when divorcing or unmarried parents cannot agree on an amount. Those guidelines are based on household expense data from the 1970s, and although they accommodate rising incomes, advocates say they don't account for the escalating costs of raising a child.

It's been almost 13 years since Brandi Care Hicks tried to end her life, and the spiraling depression that engulfed it, by jumping from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. As she told parents of Arundel High School students about her near-tragedy Tuesday night, the Severna Park resident visibly choked up once — when speaking about the joys she would have missed had she lost her life that day. Hicks, 29, spoke about her ordeal during "Mind, Body and Soul: A Mental Health Awareness Evening," which focused on identifying stressors in teens' lives.

Every weeknight, Cheryl Sibiski, a Rosedale widow who works nights as a Baltimore Post Office mail sorter, drops off her 8-year-old son, Joey, at Marshella Merritt's nearby house around 8:30.Joey plays Atari Jaguar in an upstairs bedroom, and then Merritt tucks him into bed. "I ask him if he wants a hug," she said, "and tell him Mom will be there for him in the morning." And then he's off to sleep.It's not a slumber party, but overnight child care -- a niche service about a dozen women in the Baltimore area provide for other people's children, giving them a place to sleep, bathe, play and snack while their parents work nights.

Last year in Maryland, 6,440 children under 18 years old were homeless. To help meet the needs of this growing problem, Sarah's House wasopened four years ago.Located in Fort Meade, Sarah's House consists of five World War II barracks renovated for emergency shelter andtransitional housing.Sarah's House is a joint venture between Anne Arundel County, theArmy and the Associated Catholic Charities. Although supported by local, state and federal money, private donations are greatly needed. Items such as infant and children's clothes, diapers, baby bottles, shampoo, deodorant, soap, towels, wash cloths and cleaning supplies, aswell as money, are being accepted.

Your editorial, "Invisible lives" (April 11), is a perfect example of the circular logic that further dooms the unfortunate children you want to help. The article describes the various abnormal, frightened and selfish behaviors of characters in the Lamont Davis trial and very properly identifies those as self-defeating, self-inflicted wounds. In my opinion you go off track when you express frustration that "most Americans refuse to take any responsibility for" the actions of this "frustrated and despairing underclass."

This year's Baltimore Pride is the first since marriage equality was passed in the state, but far from the first for Marylanders who grew up with gay parents. A recent study released by the Williams Institute, a think tank at the UCLA School of Law, found that 20 percent of same-sex couples in the Baltimore region are raising children. Just five other regions in the country had higher percentages. Based on data from the 2010 U.S. Census, Maryland now ranks 12th for the highest percentage of same-sex couples raising children.

Dear Maryland taxpayer, My eldest child graduated from her public high school recently, and there was much celebration and excitement. When the 425 proud students of the Class of 2013 marched into the new Tiger Arena at Towson University in their caps and gowns, there was hardly a dry eye in the house. The customary "Pomp and Circumstance" echoed across the gym. Speeches were made. Award-winners were recognized. Diplomas were awarded and hands were shaken. And from the school principal to the valedictorians, there were heartfelt thanks given - to classmates, to teachers, to school administrators and yes, even to parents.

Parents walking their children to class Thursday morning in the Coldstream Homestead Montebello neighborhood were met by a grim sight: Crime scene tape roping off a field many cut through to get to Coldstream Elementary School. Baltimore police said a man was found shot to death in the field, adjacent to the Waverly Post Office at the corner of Montpelier Street and Homewood Avenue. On the other side of the field sits the elementary school playground. As suit-wearing Baltimore homicide detectives jotted down notes and uniformed police officers used green metal detectors and shovels to search for shells, parents and children walked past the scene on their way to school.

This letter is in response to Stephen Musselman's opinion letter about the HCPSS Wellness Policy revisions. In his letter, Mussleman claims that the HOCO PTA's are taking a "hard lined stance against student health… . " The PTA's oppose the proposed revision to the Wellness Policy that mandates any food/beverages given or sold to students on school system property after school would have to comply with yet to be written HCPSS Nutritional Guidelines....

Lisa and Eric Grevin's southern Anne Arundel County home bustles with activity, with six children playing, doing homework and getting ready for dinner. With three adopted children and three foster children, it's not exactly what the Grevins pictured when they decided to start a family — but now they say they couldn't imagine life any other way. "It changed our lives," said Eric Grevin, 41, of the couple's decision to serve as foster parents. "It made our lives richer and fuller, and I'm so glad we did it. " The Grevins recently were named Foster Parents of the Year for Anne Arundel County and will be honored at a reception with Maryland first lady Katie O'Malley at Government House in Annapolis in June.

The world recently learned of the astounding story   of the three women who were found alive in a house in Cleveland after being kidnapped on the streets about 10 years ago. Two of the women were teenagers when they disappeared.   I've never been one to let sensational news guide by parenting. I send the kids off to school each day without thinking of the terrible Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. I try not to think of all the people who die in car accidents when I hand the car keys to my 16-year-old son.   But every now and then I stop and wonder if I'm making the right decisions in the freedom I give my kids.

Andrés Alonso doesn't get it - as evidenced by his decision to demote principals because their students had poor test scores ("Principals union head protests demotions," Aug. 24). Well, here was his chance to reach out to parents and ask for help. Why not? As a leader, Mr. Alonso lacks the foresight and intestinal fortitude to bring into the equation the parents of underperforming students. Here was his teaching moment. Isn't he considered the lead teacher of our school system? Can't he and his staff think this through and try another tactic?

While I don't pretend to be an expert on the subject of education, the commentary by Larry Schmidt and Dallas Dance ("What kids need to compete," March 2) is yet another in the series of opinion pieces by "experts" appearing in The Sun overlooking the essential ingredient to any plan hoping to build a better education for our children. That essential ingredient is the parents. Boring perhaps, but as with most things, start with the fundamentals first. Get parents on board, improve those that are already on board, and you'll probably get to skip past half of the hurdles you currently have in the classroom and finally enjoy the pie in the sky which makes up the bulk of these expert opinion pieces.

A Baltimore County parent who stepped in to bring warmth and cheer back to the high school that had a chilling cafeteria shooting was recognized Friday during the state's annual Parent Involvement Matters awards. The Maryland State Department of Education awarded Mary Kavanagh with the JoAnne L. Carter Memorial Award, in recognition of her special work with Perry Hall High School, according to a news release from the department. Kavanagh received the award, named in honor of Carter, a former deputy state superintendent who lost her battle with cancer in 2009, for a mural project she launched after a student opened fire at Perry Hall on the first day of school.

We share the editorial view that outgoing Baltimore City Schools CEO Andrés Alonso created a strong platform to sustain ongoing improvement in our schools ("School reform 2.0," May 12). But the editorial's call for more standardization around the system is off the mark. Instead, we urge the system to use this moment to engage parents, school leaders and others in a discussion about how we define a high-quality school. What does a good school look like and how do we measure it? In some ways, we know a good school when we see it: children are loved for who they are and challenged to be their very best.