‘Crack baby’ scare overblown, teen research says
By Lindsay Tanner, Associated Press: CHICAGO — Research in teens adds fresh evidence that the 1980s “crack baby” scare was overblown, finding little proof of any major long-term ill effects in children whose mothers used cocaine during pregnancy. Some studies have linked pregnant women’s cocaine use with children’s behavior difficulties, attention problems, anxiety and worse school [...]
Report: Blacks Are Disproportionately Affected by Natural Disasters
BET.c0m – In the aftermath of the recent devastating tornado in Oklahoma, a good deal of national attention has been paid to disaster preparedness. It seems that African-American communities are especially disproportionately vulnerable to disasters. A report by the NAACP makes the point that African-Americans are far less well prepared for disasters and are more [...]
Help teens avoid the temptations of alcohol this graduation season and beyond
LiveFree! Coalition Offers Tips to Keep Teens Safe Special to the Florida Courier – Graduations are a time for celebration. They mark a step closer to adulthood and starting a new chapter. For teens, these celebrations can also be a time for great temptation as celebrations of all sizes can lead to underage drinking, while alcohol [...]
Actor Tyler Perry donates $100K to Ohio schools
Associated Press - Filmmaker and actor Tyler Perry has surprised middle school students in Ohio by showing up at a musical concert and donating $100,000 to help student athletes in the city’s South-Western schools. The Columbus Dispatch (http://bit.ly/13Qe0uR ) reports that Perry was drawn to Finland Middle School on Friday after seeing a TV report about [...]
Ohio kidnap hero, Charles Ramsey rejects offers of free burgers, endorsements
Associated Press: CLEVELAND — A man who put aside his Big Mac to help rescue three women held captive in a Cleveland house says he’s not endorsing a group of restaurants offering him free burgers for life. The restaurant where Charles Ramsey worked as a dishwasher initially created a burger named in his honor. Then [...]
Wanted: Florida foster parents
By Margie Menzel, The News Service of Florida: TALLAHASSEE - With new legislation reforming Florida foster care, good foster parents will be more in demand than ever. And current foster parents say new ones will have a better experience than the old image of foster care might have led them to expect. A so-called “normalcy” bill [...]
Two FBI agents killed in training accident in Va.
Associated Press: VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Two FBI special agents on the agency’s elite Hostage Rescue Team have been killed in a training accident in Virginia, officials said Sunday. The accident happened off the coast of Virginia Beach on Friday, the FBI’s national press office announced in a statement Sunday. No other details were given [...]
Report: Florida crime rate lowest in 42 years
Overall crime rate dropped 6.5% from 2011 to 2012 News4Jax.com – Florida’s crime rate dropped 6.5 percent in 2012 compared to 2011, according to the Annual Uniform Crime Report released Thursday by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The total number of crimes fell 5.7 percent from last year, which translates into 43,536 fewer crimes [...]
OJ’s ex-lawyer contradicts his testimony on guns
LAS VEGAS (AP) — O.J. Simpson’s former lawyer defended himself point-by-point Friday against allegations he botched the former football star’s armed-robbery trial, after giving damaging testimony that Simpson actually knew his buddies had guns when they went to a hotel room together to reclaim some sports memorabilia. Miami-based attorney Yale Galanter quickly found himself under [...]
Powerball jackpot closing in on another record
Associated Press: DES MOINES, Iowa — Less than 10 months after three tickets split a world-record lottery prize, the jackpot for Saturday’s Powerball drawing was nearing historic territory once again. Should nobody pick the correct six numbers, the prize money will roll over to next week’s drawing and almost certainly eclipse the $656 million doled [...]