Youth

Your recent editorial on the proposed expansion of the Silver Oak Academy juvenile resident treatment facility failed to address the immediate need for additional treatment beds for youthful offenders ("Backsliding at DJS," Jan. 7). Far from "backsliding," the Department of Juvenile Services is showing great foresight in seeking capacity to treat youth who would otherwise be in detention while waiting for a vacant treatment bed and not getting credit for their time in detention. The simple reality is that we do not have enough space in state-run facilities for youth awaiting treatment.

A Middle River woman was sentenced last week to six months in jail for defrauding the federal government through the Freestate ChalleNGe Academy at Aberdeen Proving Ground. Lynn Carol Williams, 56, sentenced May 6 by U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett, will also serve six months of home detention with electronic monitoring as part of three years of supervised release for wire fraud in connection with a scheme to misuse the Freestate Challenge Academy corporate purchasing card, causing losses of more than $107,493.  Freestate Challenge Academy is a Maryland National Guard program at Aberdeen Proving Ground.

Had you been sitting near me at the paragraph factory yesterday evening, you might have noticed a clenching of the jaw, a narrowing of the eyes, and a pursing of the lips as I came across the construction "7,000 youth. " A quick look this morning at the Corpus of Contemporary American English confirms my suspicion that I have identified another instance of bureaucratic language bleeding into general usage.* The CCAE shows multiple examples of youth in the sense of youths , individual young people, in professional medical and educational publications, fewer frequencies in general publications.

The good news is that, in seven years of umpiring amateur baseball games in the Baltimore area, Frank Handley has had to give the thumb to only five adults. The bad news is he had to do it again a couple of weeks ago. But we're going to turn a negative into a positive today. We're going to get the message out - a reminder, really - that parents need to keep the ugly under control and set a good example for children. And parents who see and hear another behaving badly need to speak up. The story comes to us from Nancy Turner, who was so upset at what she saw during a Baltimore County recreational baseball tournament that she wrote me a detailed email about it. The game, on a Sunday morning in May, was for 11- and 12-year-olds.

We no longer have children or kids or teenagers or young people. We used to have them, but now we just have youth .  Youth  used to be a singular, that thing that is wasted on the young, or the individual in the Sydney Smith screed about taxation: "The schoolboy whips his taxed top; the beardless youth manages his taxed horse with a taxed bridle on a taxed road; and the dying Englishman, pouring his medicine, which has paid seven...

City police have made an arrest in a double-shooting Wednesday that killed a 31-year-old man - charging a 19-year-old man who relatives say was part of a youth mentoring program the victim worked with.  Antomar Jones has been charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder for the shooting in the 5700 block of Nasco Place that killed Corey Jamal Alexander and injured a second 31-year-old man. Police say Jones was in the backseat of a...

A Baltimore County delegate said Wednesday that the governor should send in the Maryland State Police to control "roving mobs of black youths" at Baltimore's Inner Harbor, prompting a colleague to label the message "race-baiting. " Del. Patrick L. McDonough, a Republican whose district includes part of Harford County, distributed a news release with the headline: "Black Youth Mobs Terrorize Baltimore on Holidays. " In it, McDonough said he had sent a letter to Gov. Martin O'Malley urging him to use the state police to help prevent attacks and to declare the Inner Harbor area a "no-travel zone" until safety can be guaranteed.

Students at Youth's Benefit Elementary School in Fallston received a big surprise Thursday morning when they learned their school was the grand prize winner of $25,000 in the Scott Shared Values Box Tops for Education Sweepstakes. Scott Brand and General Mills, two companies that have made supporting education a key element of their businesses, announced the prize during a special assembly at the school. Youth's Benefit will be awarded 250,000 eBoxTops valued at $25,000 to be used toward educational needs.

Thanks for the excellent commentary on the problems facing Baltimore's downtown waterfront ("City or oasis on the water?" June 12). It would be great if our Baltimore County politicos such as Del. Patrick McDonough and Sen. James Brochin began looking for solutions and assisting the city. Sadly the majority of Baltimore citizens live in severe poverty. We must invest in our youth through good education and meaningful jobs. Lissa Abrams, Baltimore

Ask Michael Cera, the star of "Youth in Revolt," if he has lost his virginity, and he answers "Yes" before adding that good, if dusty, chestnut: "Now, I'm trying to get it back." Recycled jokes about lost virginity are a lot like movies that mine the humor of the same subject: Depending on the execution, they veer wildly between trite and funny. In the case of Cera's quip - spoken with his halting, thoughtful, almost squeaky voice - it falls solidly on the humorous side. With "Youth in Revolt," in theaters today, director Miguel Arteta ("The Good Girl")

Send recreation results to tworgo@tribune.com . Include teams, scores, highlights and players first and last names. . Greater Laurel United Soccer Club U-6 co-ed: Newkirk's Kickers 3 (Zachary Akyeampong, Reuben Guerrero) Lynch's Ladies 3 (Malina Simmons, Anya Lynch) Gans Gougers 1 (Jordan Dean, Ayden Robertson) Scott's Tots 1 (Dylan Cowdery, Dalton Dwyer) U-8 girls: Wild Lightning 6 (Hana Majid, Kaitlyn Gebhardt) Orange Tigers 1 (Nevea Jones, Danielle Harris)

Gun control doesn't stop bombings, and it doesn't prevent violent people from buying nails, BBs or pressure cookers. While I am supportive of gun control - and applaud Maryland for being one of the few states taking a strong stance on gun possession - tighter regulations will not prevent all violent attacks from occurring. In order to reach a real solution, the national discussion must go beyond gun control. For instance, how can we better predict who is likely to become a violent perpetrator?

LaVar Arrington was one of the nation's highest-rated linebackers in the nation during his high school and college career. He was named Parade National Player of the Year after his senior year at North Hills Senior High School in Pittsburgh, and he was drafted No. 2 overall in the 2000 NFL Draft after his junior season at Penn State. But the former Washington Redskins star said he never would have reached those heights if he didn't know the fundamentals. That's why he's teamed up with Heads Up Football to help teach youth football players the proper way to play the game.

Running Charm City Run to honor victims of marathon bombing Charm City Run will join independent running stores across America in hosting a "Runners For Boston" fun run Monday at 6:30 p.m. Runners are encouraged to meet at the Annapolis, Baltimore, Bel Air or Clarksville store locations and wear past or present Boston Marathon gear or other Boston-related clothing. For more information, contact info@charmcityrunonline.com . Salisbury Shark Run: The Salisbury rugby team will host the Miles For Mom Shark Run on Sunday.

Video from the Orioles holding a baseball clinic at Camden Yards on Thursday.

As the legislative session closed last week, I was happy to see that we made great progress on behalf of Maryland's children. We made strides in health, child welfare and education. However, one of the standout accomplishments was in juvenile justice. Before the General Assembly session began, juvenile justice public policy advocates came together to hammer out a five-piece legislative package aimed at right-sizing the Department of Juvenile Services and stopping the transfer of youths to the adult system.

IT'S NOT EASY convincing 18-year-olds that their vote matters. They feel ignored by politicians. And it's just as hard to get politicians to spend scarce time and money on an electorate that refuses to cast a ballot. In the 2000 presidential election, only 32 percent of eligible 18-to-25-year-old voters cast ballots, compared with 58 percent of voters over 25. An increase of only 20 percent among the 25 million 18-to-25-year-old voters would be enough to dramatically change the outcome of an election.

I was gratified to read your article on the strides Maryland has made toward reducing the number of children in foster care ("Nothing matters more … than a place to call home," Dec. 26). Every child deserves a lifelong family, no matter their background or needs. Therapeutic foster care has been part of Maryland's child welfare system since 1986, and it serves some of the state's neediest and most disabled youth. We are able to do so at a fraction of the cost of group care, and when we achieve permanency for youth who historically have been less likely to be adopted or reunified with their birth families, we save the state tens of thousands of dollars a year while giving children with special needs "forever families.

See video of Adam Jones hosting local baseball players at a screening of the new Jackie Robinson movie "42" Monday in Harbor East.

A 16-year-old boy was shot in the face and hip in Baltimore's Rosemont neighborhood Sunday afternoon, police said. The boy was in critical but stable condition at a hospital after the shooting, which happened about 3:30 p.m. in the 1600 block of N. Ellamont St., police said. Police were working to determine a suspect and a motive. Near the scene of the shooting, which witnesses said happened on the street outside the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses building, young children played outside and neighbors returned home with groceries.