On Christmas Eve morning, Pastor Robert Mays sat alone in front of his church's piano and played a battle hymn. Although he didn't know it was a battle hymn at the time, he knew he was at war. "This church is in what I call a spiritual war zone," he said. "There are drugs, drug dealers and drug abusers all around me." Mays was ready to take another step in his plan to win back his community. [continues 673 words]
Thousands Of Troops To Set Marijuana, Opium Fields Afire In Latest Crackdown APATZINGAN, Mexico -- Thousands of troops rolled into a Mexican drug stronghold Tuesday to set fire to marijuana and opium fields and round up traffickers. The forces were sent by President Felipe Calderon to restore order in a region where smugglers have defied authorities with beheadings and large-scale drug production. Navy ships were patrolling the Lazaro Cardenas port, a hub for drugs arriving from Central America and Colombia on their way to the United States. Cornelio Casio, one of several generals overseeing the operation in the western state of Michoacan, said 6,500 soldiers and federal police were deployed. The campaign echoes crackdowns by previous Mexican presidents who repeatedly ordered mass firings of drug-corrupted police, revamped courts, sent troops to battle traffickers and accelerated drug seizures -- without making much of a dent in the quantity of narcotics crossing the U.S.-Mexican border. [continues 77 words]
An Indiana congressman who has led the U.S. House drug policy panel said the country needs to be prepared for a long-term fight against methamphetamine abuse even though the drug's spread seems to have slowed. One frustration Republican Rep. Mark Souder said he has had was that several states, including Indiana, had to pass laws restricting the sale of pseudoephedrine - a key ingredient used to cook meth - before Congress took action. The federal Combat Meth Act took effect this year. [continues 231 words]
Prisons And Crime - New Data Show That Locking Up More Criminals Doesn't Always Bring Down Crime Rates It seems to be so self-evident, so intuitively correct: The more criminals are locked up, and the longer they are held behind bars, the more crime will decrease. That is the reasoning behind "get tough on crime" laws in many states that are intended to keep offenders off the streets for many years. But there's one problem with this reasoning: It doesn't always pan out in the real world. [continues 376 words]
Number Of Cases In 06 Could Hit 700, Nearly Double Last Year's INDIANAPOLIS -- Authorities say heroin has become increasingly easier to find in Indianapolis and other parts of the state. The Indiana State Police estimate they will investigate nearly 700 heroin cases this year -- twice as many as last year and triple the number of cases in 2004. "I'm seeing a lot, lot more heroin," said Jamie Guilfoy, with the Indianapolis Police Department. Guilfoy and other IPD narcotics investigators have confiscated more than 2 pounds of heroin this year, more than 10 times what they seized in 2005. [continues 212 words]
INDIANAPOLIS -- Heroin has become increasingly easy to find in Indianapolis and other parts of the state, authorities say. The Indiana State Police estimate they will investigate nearly 700 heroin cases this year -- twice as many as last year and triple the number of cases in 2004. "I'm seeing a lot, lot more heroin," said Jamie Guilfoy of the Indianapolis Police Department. Guilfoy and other Indianapolis narcotics investigators have confiscated more than 2 pounds of heroin this year, more than 10 times what they seized last year. [continues 211 words]
INDIANAPOLIS -- Authorities say heroin has become increasingly easy to find in Indianapolis and other parts of the state. The Indiana State Police estimate they will investigate nearly 700 heroin cases this year -- twice as many as last year and triple the number of cases in 2004. "I'm seeing a lot, lot more heroin," said Jamie Guilfoy, with the Indianapolis Police Department. Guilfoy and other IPD narcotics investigators have confiscated more than 2 pounds of heroin this year, more than 10 times what they seized in 2005. [continues 213 words]
NEW YORK -- Shell-shocked conservatives should embrace the unfinished agenda of a 5-foot-tall free-market giant. Milton Friedman -- 1976's Nobel economics laureate, and both an elevated theorist and fathomable popularizer of capitalist ideas -- passed away Nov. 16 at 94. He leaves behind the PBS series "Free to Choose," some 25 books and hundreds of articles, much of this co-produced with Rose, his wife of 68 years. Thousands of think-tank scholars -- inspired by his faith in individual liberty, limited government and private enterprise -- advance his libertarian philosophy. [continues 643 words]
Policies were the hot topic at the Monday night Delphi Community School Corporation Board of Trustees meeting. A revised attendance policy for the middle school was adopted as well as changes and additions to the corporation-wide bylaws and policies manual. The new policy manual replaces the existing version. According to Shelly Wills, secretary to superintendent Ralph Walker, a majority of the manual did not change. Board member Mike Shoemaker made the motion to approve the document, with a second by Melinda Rossetter. The new corporation policy manual was unanimously approved. [continues 499 words]
While Saddened, Official Said Death Is Possibility With Heroin Addicts PORTAGE -- Officials with the county's new drug court said they were saddened by news that one of their clients was found dead this week of a possible drug overdose. The death of 25-year-old Jared Back is the first casualty for the nearly nine-month-old program, but is unfortunately the norm for drug courts and heroin addicts in general, Porter County Deputy Prosecutor Adam Burroughs said. The county program has had the unusual experience up until now of not having so much as a positive drug test among participants, he said. [continues 310 words]
Nurse Graphically Recounts Tragedies She Has Dealt With Fifth- and sixth-graders in Gary's Franklin Elementary School listened to a firsthand account of the dangers of drugs and alcohol. The students gathered in the gymnasium to hear Glenda Brooks, a registered nurse at The Methodist Hospitals in Gary, talk about the many tragedies she has seen due to drug use. She told them about various drugs and answered their questions about drug and alcohol use. Brooks used graphic details about the aftermath of accidents caused by people abusing drugs and alcohol. Her stories of mutilation and, often, brain damage seemed to strike a chord with her young audience. [continues 280 words]
Marijuana users beware. This product may cause hallucinations or psychotic behavior. Users may also experience periods where they believe they are a god. Researchers and scientists have been studying the effects of marijuana on the brain for years. Now they are asking themselves a new question. Can marijuana usage cause psychosis? Some say yes, some say no, but one Purdue researcher says maybe. "I'm not an expert in (the cannabis-psychosis link) at all," said Julia Chester, an assistant professor in psychological sciences. "It seems those who have used cannabis or marijuana tend to have more problems with psychosis." [continues 354 words]
Red Ribbon Week Inspires Poignant Words From Police Chief BUCHANAN -- A little over a year ago, a 22-year-old man entered Buchanan Police Chief Bill Marx's office, sat down across from him and admitted it. He was hooked. "For an addict to come into a police department and sit down and ask for help," Marx said, "that took a lot." Marx's poignant words hit close to home Friday morning for 10-year-old Jordan York, a Stark Elementary School fifth-grader who's had his share of dealing with a rehabilitating cousin, he said. [continues 675 words]
LAPORTE -- At Kesling Middle School Thursday, Red Ribbon Week's anti-drug message came through via the story of a father's loss of his only child to heroin. Mann Spitler of Valparaiso, who lost his 20-year-old daughter Manda in March 2002, spoke to Kesling students as the highlight of the school's anti-drugs week. As Spitler wove a tapestry of tragedy, describing his daughter's happy childhood through her devastating final hours, sixth- and eighth-grade students listened in silent awe. [continues 394 words]
Last year, Hebron Police Chief Steven Sibbrell decided that bringing the internationally renowned Drug Abuse Resistance Education to the fifth-graders of his town could only benefit the students. "I noticed a drug problem in Hebron and the surrounding area, and I wanted to get to the kids early and change their minds," he said. Founded in Los Angeles in 1983, DARE is a weekly course that helps students recognize and resist adolescent pressures that might tempt them to experiment with drugs, alcohol and tobacco. Role-playing situations provide an opportunity to practice decision-making. [continues 601 words]
OOLITIC - Dollens Elementary and Oolitic Middle School students got to imagine today. They imagined what it would be like to have 25 roommates with whom you share a breezy room, where dinner is hot cabbage and peas on a table boasting several views of toilets in use. It's a twisted visual, but one that speakers Scott Callahan and Reno Bates wanted to make sure students got in their head as a consequence to getting involved with drugs. Callahan, Lawrence County prosecutor, has been presenting an anti-drug message to students during Red Ribbon Week for the better part of the last 10 years. [continues 333 words]
NEW MARKET - Fourth-graders' induction into South Montgomery Just Say No clubs Friday morning was extra special. The ceremony was the first to be scheduled for the new Southmont High School auditorium. An estimated 125 fourth-graders participated in the annual ceremony. Ladoga fourth-grade teacher Naomi Mingus was happy the children could show their desire to say no to drugs, alcohol and tobacco, and enjoy the inauguration of the new facility. South Montgomery normally conducts the mass ceremony during Red Ribbon Week, which concluded Friday. [continues 250 words]
Young people pledge to remain drug-free in honor of Enrique Camarena, a fallen DEA agent. This week marks the 21st annual Red Ribbon Week for schools in Allen County and across the United States. Local schools are participating in all types of fun activities designed to promote saying "no" to drugs. The events range from basketball free-throw shooting contests and a special appearance by Ronald McDonald to a drug-free pledge that will be recited over intercoms after the Pledge of Allegiance. [continues 868 words]
28,000 Students Will Participate In Porter County Alone The message for a rally opening Red Ribbon Week, Porter County's anti-drug school program, wasn't lost on Cynthia Harris. The fourth-grader from Aylesworth Elementary School, who came to the rally with classmates from her Portage school, already is against drug use. A relative recently died of an overdose. "That showed me a lot about drugs," Cynthia said. "That showed me that I would never use drugs in my life." [continues 289 words]
'Ice' Heats Up Amid War Against Indiana-Made Drug Greenwood police have seized $300,000 of methamphetamine -- a drug that police in Indiana have been fighting hard to eradicate -- in a bust involving a highly addictive and often-imported variety called "ice." Police say ice, often three times as pure and expensive as its Indiana-made counterpart, typically travels a route that begins in Mexico, crosses the border and then is distributed across the United States. "They jam our borders with up to a dozen semis at a time, and they know that every one of them can't be checked," said Matt Fillenwarth, investigations commander for Greenwood police. "If four trucks are found loaded with drugs, that means eight more got through." [continues 571 words]
MUNCIE -- This year the ribbon in Red Ribbon Week actually will be a bracelet imprinted with the phrase "Believe, Achieve, Succeed -- Drug Free" for students to wear. "We got a donation this year which enabled us to buy the bracelets," Delaware County Coordinating Council to Prevent Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Executive Director Pat Hart said on Thursday as she busily packed 20,000 bracelets along with activity brochures and contest prizes in boxes to deliver to local schools. Red Ribbon Week, which will be Monday through Oct. 28, encourages students in grades K-12 to avoid using drugs, alcohol and tobacco. Participating schools will have various activities during the week and local retail outlets will offer discounts or free goods to students wearing the red bracelets. [continues 356 words]
PRINCETON - A week of drug awareness, prevention and red ribbons kicked off Monday in Gibson County. Red Ribbon Week is a week that promotes drug prevention. Hill said he believed this is the 16th year for Red Ribbon Week in Gibson County. "It sends a positive message to kids that there are other things to do besides that," said Jeff Hill, a deputy with the sheriff's department and Drug Awareness Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) officer. Hill said the county's drug problem is probably the No. 1 topic of discussion in the county. [continues 226 words]
Homestead High School Junior Dylan Currie Was the Winner of the Golden Pen Award for September. Dylan Currie, 17, whose letter appeared Sept. 29, has been selected as last month's Golden Pen Award winner. In the judgment of the editors, he had the most effective letter to the editor during September. A junior at Homestead High School, he is involved in student publications, including the school newspaper, the Spartana, and Mirador, the school magazine. He's also involved in student government and has played football. He plans to play lacrosse in the spring. [continues 432 words]
Many studies and statistics show that the effects of alcohol are more harmful, both short- and long-term, than those of marijuana. Organizations like Safer Alternative For Enjoyable Recreation, or SAFER, are attempting to make marijuana laws comparable to alcohol laws. Short-term marijuana use is statistically proven to be less harmful to a person than short-term alcohol use. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, a person who uses marijuana will experience problems with memory and learning, distorted perception and a loss of coordination. Even though these effects are harmful, they are the same no matter how much marijuana a person uses in a given day. [continues 240 words]
I was very pleased to read Thursday's editorial regarding the adoption of a legal limit for marijuana ("State should adopt legal limit for pot," Oct. 5). Carter was right on the money in the late '70s when he said, "Penalties against drug use should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself." I believe a decriminalization of sorts at Purdue would definitely provide a safer alternative to the normal party festivities of the general Purdue population. More than 50,000 deaths per year are due to excess consumption of alcohol, while marijuana cannot cause death by overdose. [continues 126 words]
I agree with "State Should Adopt Legal Limit for Pot," (Oct. 7) legalizing cannabis (kaneh bosm / marijuana). This is a chance for citizens who use or don't use cannabis to help change an ignorant anti-Christian law. It is a chance for parents and mothers to help protect children from the laws of prohibition and its harms. A chance to guide police toward serving and protecting, rather than maintaining a misguided prohibition. It's a chance for true fiscal conservatives to stop government from unsuccessfully spending additional money to control what people put in their bodies. It is a chance for DARE graduate students who've been lied to to speak out. [continues 70 words]
ALBION -- A drug addiction rehabilitation program, know as a drug court, could be part of the Noble County court system by January. Noble County officials applied to establish a drug court in the spring and are waiting for certification by the Indiana Judicial Center. A drug court allows court officials to refer people to the multi-step program where accountability to stop using drugs is key. At the beginning of the program, participants meet with a probation officer several times a week and typically appear before a judge once a week to track their progress. [continues 350 words]
The 12-year old sitting next to your son may be the 1 of 10 middle schoolers who already has tried alcohol. By 10th grade, half of 15-year-olds have experimented with alcohol and may be encouraging your child to use it, too. Our roads are unsafe, with an estimated 3 million youths aged 12 to 20 driving under the influence of alcohol each year. Drugs are another problem. Of the adults who used marijuana for several years, a few said they started before turning 12, and more than half report using marijuana for the first time between the ages of 12 to 17, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the lead Federal agency for improving the quality and availability of substance abuse prevention, addiction treatment, and mental health services in the Unites States. [continues 391 words]
TERRE HAUTE -- On Friday, some fourth-graders at Deming Elementary glued together a paper "strategy cube" that gave them six ways to say no to tobacco, alcohol and drugs. If a so-called friend tried to pressure them, they could just say no or simply walk away. They could use the broken record approach and say, no, no, no, again and again. They could ignore the person who wants them to do something they shouldn't; they could come up with a better idea or they could make an excuse. [continues 505 words]
A circuit court judge in Mississippi has ordered a new sentencing trial for Cory Maye, a man sentenced to death for shooting a police officer who had broken into his home in a no-knock drug raid in 2001. Judge Michael Eubanks ruled recently that Maye's legal counsel during the sentencing phase was unconstitutionally inadequate, and he is expected to rule later on requests for a "not guilty" verdict or a new trial. Maye's plight is a case study in the problems with drug policing in America, from questionable confidential informants to invasive paramilitary tactics, overworked and underfunded defense attorneys, and how all of the above seem to disproportionately affect low-income people, particularly African-Americans. [continues 843 words]
Most people are quick to attribute the drop in cigarette, alcohol and drug use among Southwest Allen County Schools students to the random drug testing program that has been placed in the school system's two middle schools and one high school. However, common sense from a student taking those very drug surveys that led to drug testing can prove otherwise. In middle and high school, the anonymous drug surveys given to students are seen as a joke. Not only do kids say they have done drugs that they have not heard of, they fill in the corresponding bubble saying they used cocaine more than 50 times a week as a sixth-grader. Until now, these drug surveys have shown ridiculous numbers of drug users in the district resulting from the anonymity of the test. [continues 189 words]
MUNCIE -- An investigation into the death of a young man in an apparent overdose this week led to the arrest of his drug dealer, according to authorities. Thomas Lee Saunders Jr., 20, was discovered lifeless Monday morning at a friend's house in the 200 block of North Pershing Street with a fentanyl patch on his left shoulder, according to police reports. Later that day police arrested Joshua Corwin, 18, 610 S. Council St., on preliminary charges of dealing in a schedule II controlled substance, a class B felony carrying a standard 10-year prison term, and possession of marijuana, a misdemeanor. [continues 340 words]
ISU's New Town And Gown Lecture Series To Address Meth Use In Wabash Valley Today Indiana State University is bringing speakers from the Terre Haute community together to present their views on the methamphetamine problem in Terre Haute and the United States. As part of the Cunningham Memorial Library's new Town and Gown lecture series, "Meth Valley: Why here? Why now?" will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Cunningham Memorial Library in the first floor Browsing Area, said Steve Hardin, chair of the lecture and ISU reference and instructional librarian. [continues 244 words]
Porter County Politics: Drug Enforcement Pledge Just A Distraction, They Say VALPARAISO - It's not the drugs -- it's the developers, county Democrats say. It's also election season, and voters and Porter County politicians already are sparring to set the agenda for November's contests. County Republicans are off-message and uninformed about who pulls the Porter County purse springs, Democratic commission President Bob Harper said in response to a Republican pledge to make funding drug treatment and enforcement a priority. [continues 427 words]
Two years ago as a freshman -- bright eyed, bushy tailed and ready to begin my wholesome education -- I strolled into my philosophy discussion with an open mind, ready to learn from my "more than capable" and "morally sound" assistant instructor. To begin the course, our humble teacher decided to get to know us better. So he inquired about what we kids were doing for fun those days. We bombarded him with talk of bars, bowling and other bull, and finally someone returned the question: What do you do for fun? His response: [continues 431 words]
Natalie Avon's column about SAFER ("Herb or Hops?" Sept. 13) demonstrates her naivete when it comes to the culture of partying on college campuses. She suggests college students stay home on weekends and have a bowl of ice cream instead of partaking in alcohol or marijuana use. First, she should consider that high-fat diets consisting of ice cream cause even more deaths each year than alcohol and marijuana combined. But more importantly, her proposal is a public policy disaster on par with preaching abstinence over educating people about practicing safe sex. [continues 121 words]
As many as 74 percent of Americans say that addiction to alcohol has had some impact on them at some point in their lives, whether it was their own personal addiction, that of a friend or family member, or any other experience with addiction. This is an increase from a similar study in 2004, in which a 63 percent majority held that view. Yet many people in treatment and recovery face stigma and discrimination, which can be a barrier to receiving treatment. According to a 2004 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 21.6 percent of the 1.2 million people who felt they needed treatment but did not receive it indicated it was because of reasons related to stigma. [continues 120 words]
What do the following public figures have in common? William Jefferson Clinton, George W. Bush, Joe Kernan, Mitch Daniels, Al Gore, Rush Limbaugh. Answer: They have all used illicit drugs or been addicted to licit drugs. In a recent debate here in Indiana, Governor Kernan mentioned his youthful use. Mitch Daniels has been dodging issues related to a drug law arrest many years ago. The only other candidate for governor in Indiana, Kenn Gividen, has never use alcohol or illicit drugs. Kernan and Daniels' use was passed off to youthful indiscretions, of no current importance. [continues 544 words]
Response to "Herb or Hops" Opinion front, Sept. 13. Let us not forget that it is illegal to possess cannabis, therefore people shouldn't have any amount of THC in their body from cannabis. Maybe a better solution to the issue would be to increase the penalties related to alcohol. Less alcohol related injuries and fatalities, while still cracking down on cannabis. The government just cares about the money so this would be a big plus. Lowering the penalties related to cannabis isn't the answer. Chris Martin IU Student [end]
Response to "Herb or Hops" Opinion front, Sept. 13. I can see it now -- All the conservative writers around Ernie Pyle Hall running their eyes over this letter. "Oh, great. Another pothead doing the whole mindless 'Legalize it!' rant..." Think what you will, but all I'm asking for are some facts. The recent Opinion piece, "Herb or Hops?" while a great idea, was not nearly as publicized as it should have been. Marijuana use on college campuses may be an extremely taboo subject -- another one of those 'unspoken topics' that go along with religion and politics - but regardless, people care about it. I hope you hear more concerning continuing the coverage of this topic, because smoker or not, everyone is interested. [continues 224 words]
As Major Universities Face Referenda to Treat Both Recreational Substances the Same, IDS Columnists Wonder, Are They Really? CONSEQUENCES UNBALANCED? Considering IU's reputation as a party school and several IU students' recent alcohol-related hospitalizations, adopting a proposal similar to those at other major universities regarding marijuana use would be an improvement to current policy. Studies have shown that 50 percent of car-accident fatalities are caused by drivers with alcohol in their blood stream, while only 7 percent to 20 percent are caused by drivers with THC, the mind-altering substance found in Cannabis plants, in their systems. And 70 percent to 90 percent of those with THC in their blood stream also have alcohol in their blood stream. According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Task Force on College Drinking, alcohol plays a part in 1,400 deaths, 500,000 injuries and 70,000 sexual assaults each year. [continues 135 words]
As Major Universities Face Referenda to Treat Both Recreational Substances the Same, IDS Columnists Wonder, Are They Really? My ceramics class last year took a turn for the worst when I realized that everybody at my table was forming pieces with their creative spirits and artistic fingers. I am not talking about bowls or flowerpots. I'm talking about pipe pieces. Knowing what smoking pot can do to people, I naturally got very upset when I heard about campus proposals by a group in Colorado called SAFER. [continues 171 words]
VALPARAISO -- County government leaders will discuss contributing to a fund to bring an adolescent drug treatment center to Porter County. The Community Action Drug Coalition voted last month to partner with Pathway Family Center to bring a center to Porter County to help addicted teens ages 14 to 19. Bob Taylor, with the Porter County Drug Task Force, told the Porter County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday the CADC needs another $200,000 to help get the center up and running. The CADC has already committed $100,000. [continues 184 words]
The Linton Police Department and Linton-Stockton Elementary School are collaborating to bring the nationwide DARE program to the school's fifth-graders. Standing for Drug Abuse Resistance Education, DARE educates kids about the pitfalls of drug abuse and ways of combating it, according to LPD Chief Troy Jerrell, the impetus for the program. He said Patrol Officer Debbie McDonald will teach a class at least once a week that will focus on different aspects of drug abuse and ways to resist it. [continues 806 words]
Indianapolis: Those With Convictions Linked To Drug Would Be Tracked Online INDIANAPOLIS -- A Northwest Indiana legislator wants officials to consider creating an Internet registry to track those convicted of dealing or manufacturing methamphetamine, an addictive stimulant that's become a scourge of many rural communities. All 50 states and the federal government employ similar online databases to monitor the movement of paroled sex offenders. State Rep. Ralph Ayres, R-Chesterton, on Monday announced the legislative study committee he chairs will explore whether Indiana should join Illinois and three other states that do the same for meth convicts. "The drug's obviously deadly, and it's cheap," Ayres said. [continues 156 words]
Role Of New Testing Procedures VALPARAISO -- The number of probationers testing positive for cocaine use fell by one-half over previous months since the county began implementing a new oral procedure aimed at eliminating the potential of false results. Fourteen percent of the oral tests taken in August came back positive, as compared to 30 percent in June, 33 percent in May, 11 percent in April and 31 percent in March, Porter County Adult Probation Chief Neil Hannon said. Few oral tests were taken in July because of the reliability concerns raised by defense attorneys. [continues 234 words]
The Issue: Drug Abuse Our Opinion: The Meth Registry Rep. Ralph Ayres Proposes Is Unlike The Sex Registry. The Purpose Of The Sex Registry Is To Protect People From Sex Crimes Because Of The High Recidivism Should drug dealers be treated the same as sex offenders? A proposal by state Rep. Ralph Ayres, R-Chesterton, begs that question. Ayres said last week the legislative study committee he is leading will look at whether Indiana should create a meth registry to track people convicted of dealing or manufacturing methamphetamine. Illinois and three other states have meth registries similar to that used for sex offenders. [continues 196 words]
Pot Growing Wild In Illinois Forest Preserve Near Dyer Cook County Forest Preserve police discovered about 4,000 marijuana plants growing wild in unincorporated Illinois after receiving a tip from Dyer police. Cook County Forest Preserve Police Chief Rich Waszak said police removed the marijuana plants Saturday from the Plum Creek Forest Preserve, near Burnham Avenue between Lynwood and Sauk Village across the state line from Dyer. He said the street value of the plants was between $2 million and $3 million and the plants were between 12 and 13 feet tall. [continues 224 words]
Roundtable Discussion Presented Here. SOUTH BEND -- National Drug Control Policy Director John P. Walters credited state laws restricting access to methamphetamine ingredients with helping to reduce drug use by teenagers, but said at a Thursday news conference that much work remains to be done. Walters was invited here by U.S. Rep. Chris Chocola, R-2nd, and participated in a roundtable discussion on drug policies, the role of the courts and methamphetamine use in Indiana. Superior Court Judge Roland Chamblee, who oversees the county's drug court program, and local police and prosecutors also participated in the roundtable discussion, which was held at the County-City Building. [continues 115 words]
After A Welcome Decline, Cities Such As Philadelphia, Above, Are Seeing A Resurgence Of Violent Crime. NEW YORK The United States is losing the war in Iraq; more specifically, Philadelphia is. This war is at home, in the city's 12th Police District, where shootings have almost doubled over the past year, and residents have spray-painted "IRAQ" in huge letters on abandoned buildings to mark the devastation. It is a story being repeated up and down the East Coast and across the nation. In Boston, where the homicide rate is soaring, Analicia Perry, a 20-year-old mother, was shot and killed several weeks ago while visiting the street shrine marking the site of her brother's death on the same date four years earlier. Recently, Orlando's homicide count for this year reached 37, surpassing the city's previous annual high of 36 in 1982. And in Washington, D.C., where 14 people were killed in the first 12 days of July, Police Chief Charles Ramsey declared a state of emergency. [continues 1965 words]
Inside Indiana
