Adrianne Parham is living large and loving it. And she has the crown to prove it. ...more

November 6, 2009

Teen motherhood has gained a bit of celebrity allure with the pregnancies of Jamie Lynn Spears and Bristol Palin, but front-line professionals see a starkly different reality involving poverty, lost opportunities and a cost to taxpayers in the billions of dollars annually. ...more

October 24, 2008

American Stage Theatre Company is trying something new that might go easier on the pocketbooks of theater buffs, as well as raise extra money for the company. ...more

September 21, 2008

School staff members and families of students the principal said made a pact to get pregnant and have babies together have no information to back the claim, the mayor of Gloucester said Sunday. ...more

June 23, 2008

Forget Debate Club, or possibly Girl Scouts or even student government, apparently a group of sophomore girls in Gloucester, Mass., decided to get pregnant for the fun of it. These are girls with too much free time, or families who taught them all the wrong things. We believe the latter. The 17 girls, according to an Associate Press story, frequented the school health clinic. They took pregnancy tests and passed out high-fives when they came back positive. They appeared gloomy when the tests were negative. ...more

June 22, 2008

SEBRING — Of Highlands County's nine baby deaths in 2007, three are a result of mothers sleeping with their babies. It's called co-sleeping, and officials say it's a big problem in Highlands County. Deborah Hadley, program manager of Healthy Families for Highlands County, said family support workers with Healthy Families, who visit mothers in the home, are reporting many teen mothers sleeping with babies in their bed. "We have a huge problem with co-sleeping," Hadley said. "Some of our parents use drugs or alcohol, and it concerns us greatly that that have babies in the bed with them." Hadley said some mothers say co-sleeping is a cultural habit they don't want to change and others say they cannot afford cribs for their babies. ...more

June 2, 2008

SEBRING — Healthy Families Florida in Highlands County already has about 25 referrals and is welcoming more. "We are so enthused that the program has been so well received by the community," said Deborah Hadley, program manager for Highlands County. "We have a lot of parents calling asking about it and very excited to start the services." Healthy Families Florida is a nonprofit organization designed to prevent child abuse and neglect before it starts. The program provides voluntary, community-based home visitation services focused on promoting child health and development and positive parent-child interaction. THE PROGRAM EXPANDED INTO HIGHLANDS COUNTY IN FALL 2007 AFTER THE STATE LEGISLATURE ALLOCATED $2.2 MILLION TO THE EXPANSION STATEWIDE. HIGHLANDS COUNTY RECEIVED $296,000 TO IMPLEMENT THE PROGRAM LOCALLY. ...more

January 26, 2008

The number of Hillsborough County children sheltered by the state has dropped drastically this year because of a new program that puts help into the home so children can stay put. ...more

December 27, 2007