“The research is pretty clear that youth who are in positive, long-lasting, intensive relationships do better over time in all of those areas we talked about: academic, behavioral and psychological,” according to Professor Jean Rhodes of the University of Massachusetts, Boston.

Y-Press recently visited Incredible Pizza Company (IPC), a family entertainment center and restaurant located in Greenwood, one of two locations in Indiana. Based in Missouri, the company has now 14 locations in the Midwest and Mexico.

Computers and mobile phones allow adults and children to communicate and send information. However, these venues can be used to commit crimes, knowingly and unknowingly.

It’s a scene often found in fiction: A desperate woman, alone and usually dressed in dingy clothes, places an infant, swathed in a blanket, on the stoop of a building.

Almost every hour of the day, people can be seen in tanning salons. And every hour of the day, one American dies from melanoma.

With the increasing diversity of the United States, anyone with religious convictions is bound to be asked at some point: “Why do you believe in that?”

Because of the recession, adults have become less concerned about the environment, according to nationwide polls by Gallup and the Pew Research Center earlier this year. Thankfully, kids across the country are taking up the slack.

In 1975, “Tuck Everlasting,” by Natalie Babbitt, hit store shelves. Through the years, the book gained popularity, inspiring children everywhere to fantasize about immortality and dream about what might happen if they ever stumbled upon a magic spring. Today’s children may be able to do more than fantasize about finding a fountain of youth. Dr. Aubrey de Grey leads a team of scientists who are finding ways to radically extend human life. As a biomedical gerontologist – a doctor who studies aging – de Grey isn’t just studying how people age but attempting to slow down the process.

Instead of awakening to Spot barking or Frisky purring, Lauren Van Atter listens to Fiyero sing a solo at 6 a.m. Fiyero, named for a character in the musical "Wicked" is Lauren's cockatiel. Most kids have pet dogs and cats, but according to Dr. Angela Lennox, more young people are choosing to own exotic pets than ever before.

As the political gambits of the 2008 campaigns kick into high gear, involvement by youth is higher than in any election. According to the Pew Research Center, overall youth turnout - voters ages 17 to 200 for the primaries has increased five percent from the 2004 election.