Youth

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.

Maryland City 3-4 coed : Orange Cheetahs vs. Blue Team. Cameron Smith shined in goal for two quarters. Taylor Harley and Kyle Sargent excelled on offense. 5-6 coed: Black Fire vs. Green Cheetahs. Ronoldo Miranda and Zion Hameed led the Black Fire offense and Faizaan Pettitt the defense. The Cheetahs' Joseph Hummer played excellent in goal and Jordin Rollins and Jaden led the defense. Greater United Laurel Soccer Club U6 co-ed: Newkirk's Kickers 6 (Fred Agyeman, Jabril DeVaughn)

The Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services has suspended its diversion programs for troubled youths, a decision that officials said is not related to a recent portrayal on the A&E network show "Beyond Scared Straight. " The programs, which typically send youths into prisons with hopes of deterring them from a life of crime by having them interact with inmates, were stopped last week, said Rick Binetti, the department's director of communications. In a Jan. 20 episode of the A&E show, set at the state's Jessup facility, an inmate threw a teenager into a bathroom to show what happens behind bars.

Frances M. Finney, who overcame poverty, earned a college degree and became a city school teacher, died April 19 from heart failure at Gilchrist Hospice Care in Towson. The Guilford resident was 82. Frances Mae Hopkins was born in Baltimore and was raised in her maternal grandmother's Etting Street rowhouse. "Like many African-American families in the 1930s and 1940s, she grew up poor and remembered being taunted by others because of the neighborhood where she lived," said a daughter, Joyce E. Stewart, who is director of implementation and compliance for the Housing Authority of Baltimore City.

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.

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...

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 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.

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

In an emotionally charged vote Thursday, the Boy Scouts of America lifted its ban on gay youth starting in January, the latest sign of a shift in American attitudes toward gays and lesbians. After months of debate in local districts, more than 61 percent of the Boy Scouts national council approved a resolution at its annual meeting, overturning the long-standing prohibition on openly gay youth, while retaining a ban on gay adult leaders. Of 1,232 votes, 757 were in favor. Gay advocates called the vote a step in the right direction for the 103-year-old group, among the nation's largest youth organizations, with more than 2.6 million youth members.

A Baltimore jury convicted a man of robbing, then killing his mentor in a youth program and shooting another man who survived, the State's Attorney's Office said. Antomar Jones, 21, was riding home with his mentor Corey Alexander, 31, and Anthony Taylor, 31, when he pulled out a handgun and robbed both men, according to prosecutors. He made them stop the car in the 5700 block of Nasco Place in the city's Loch Raven neighborhood, and Taylor attempted to flee. Jones shot at Taylor, hitting him in the cheek, but the older man carried on running - hearing a second gunshot as he did so - and made it to Good Samaritan Hospital to get help.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.