Medical marijuana divides Boyle Heights and California

The California Supreme Court is expected to rule in May on whether cities can ban marijuana dispensaries. At the same time, Los Angeles voters will weigh in on three competing medical marijuana ballot measures. The debate centers on whether or not “pot shops” remain operational, and to what extent they are regulated and taxed.  Read about it, and Boyle Heights’ own pot dispensary, 4THC, on Boyle Heights Beat.

Youth Radio podcast: Early onset puberty

Kids all over the United States, especially girls, are entering puberty earlier than in the past. Youth Radio reporters share notes from a story in progress about early onset puberty and how it’s affecting education in schools, on the Youth Radio podcast.

School health centers, where students can let out worries

Young people in Richmond, a city with high levels of poverty and crime, face a lot on a day-to-day basis.  A De Anza High School student describes the health center there as a place where she can talk about what’s on her mind; and talking helps her to cope and preserve mental health.  Read about the school-based health care movement in California, on Richmond Pulse.

Leap of faith pays off for Olive Crest graduate

Youth reporter Fatima Ramirez is part of Olive Crest Academy’s first graduating class.  She says she took a leap of faith to leave her old school and start at a new charter school.  There, she took college level classes and learned life lessons from the school’s ‘family program,’ where she met daily with teachers and other students and formed long-term bonds.  She reports her experience on Coachella Unincorporated.

‘It would be a good idea…if kids work for their lunches’

The Feed to Achieve Act (Senate Bill 663) would fund free breakfast and lunch at schools, by adding private donations to public funds. After state delegate Ray Canterbury’s (R-West Virginia) response to the bill, “It would be a good idea…if kids work for their lunches,” The Know asked young people what they thought.  Read reactions from teens, on The Know.

Adjusting to life with diabetes

When someone in your family is diagnosed, diabetes doesn’t just require a few lifestyle “changes” — it calls for a whole new lifestyle.  Blood sugar monitoring and an eating schedule are essential, writes a youth reporter for Neighborhood News, on Access Sacramento.

Cheating in the digital age

Today’s youth don’t have to find an encyclopedia to look up information the way their parents did.  With the Internet and smartphones, educational technology makes it a lot easier to learn, and a lot easier to cut corners.  And schools are fighting back.  Some require students to submit their work through the anti-plagiarism site Turnitin.com, which sifts through writing on the web and compares it to students’ work.  What’s wrong with this picture?  A youth reporter gives her take, on Youth Radio.