NEW YORK – Looking for ways to keep your tween or young teen busy over the summer? Here are six ideas to pull them away from the computer, the television and the cell phone:

• Look into teen classes, said Carol Weston, advice columnist for Girls’ Life magazine. Summer school might not excite, but look for classes in areas kids may have an interest in, like writing, drama, art or lifeguarding. If transportation is a problem, coordinate with other parents.

• Help kids find work, such as baby-sitting, car washing, dog walking or lawn mowing, said Weston. Perhaps you know someone who could use some extra help in his office. Kids want to make extra money.

• Check churches, soup kitchens, senior centers, animal shelters and the like to see if they need volunteers.

• Investigate local summer programming. Try the YMCA, library, colleges, museums or even health clubs. For example, Lifestyle Family Fitness has free summer memberships for teens 12 to 17 in all 55 of its locations.

• Consider a kid swap, suggests Weston. One parent can take the kids on an outing one day, another can take them somewhere another day.

• Explore summer camp options. Many have counselor-in-training or other programs for teens. For pricier specialty or residential camps, ask about financial aid or a group rate if several kids enroll together. Find camps at acacamps.org.

YUMA – Many children dislike following school dress codes, but one Arizona student is doing something about it.

Fourteen-year-old Justin Wright says he’s standing up for his constitutional rights in his fight to repeal the dress code at Centennial Middle School in Yuma in favor of street clothes.

The district requires students of Wright’s age to wear solid navy, red or white shirts; pants, jeans, shorts, capris, skirts and skorts are allowed, as long as they’re khaki, navy or plain denim. Athletic shoes, sandals and heels of 1 inch or less are allowed, but students can’t wear flip flops or shoes with tiny wheels on the bottom for gliding.

He wrote a letter against the dress code to the Crane Elementary School District governing board and has collected 250 signatures from students who want the code repealed. He said he wants about 300 more to make a statement to the board.

Wright said not only does the policy violate students’ right to free speech, but it also costs families more money to buy special items than having students wear their regular clothes.

District spokesman Chris Weigel said students’ free speech rights aren’t being infringed upon by the dress code.

He said research revealed uniforms are less expensive than street clothes.

Scott Jones, Wright’s language arts teacher, said he wasn’t comfortable taking a position on the petition drive, but did say he was proud of the appropriate way Wright has conducted himself.

Although he is graduating middle school next month, Wright said his success may save other students from following a dress code. He hopes a successful petition drive could influence high schools to also abandon a code.

“Maybe I can get this started again next year (at high school) and I can get really serious and get the attention of the TV news,” he said. “That way I’ll get more support.”

The Microriver 1GB iSecure Biometric USB Flash Drive is one option for grads. It sells for about $34 online.

Family, friends and loved ones of soon-to-be high school and college graduates want to give them gifts that will aid them in the next chapter of their lives.

For some that chapter will include furthering their education. For others it will entail entering the job market. Regardless of the road ahead for these graduates, there are many affordable tech gifts to make that road a little smoother.

Whether on campus or in the corporate jungle, USB flash drives seem to be commonplace. A particular flavor of USB flash drives that don’t seem to be everywhere are biometric or fingerprint scanning USB flash drives.

These drives have been around for a few years, but haven’t really caught on in mass numbers. But the fact remains that these are among the best USB drives to own. Biometric USB flash drives allow access to the drive only after a user has been authenticated by running a fingerprint over a biometric scanner embedded on the drive.

The benefits of biometric USB drives are numerous, but among the top reasons for considering them as a gift for graduates is their security features. The information stored on them is not only secure, but the fact that the information cannot be accessed acts as a theft deterrent and may even serve to increase the odds of the drive being returned if it where lost. Biometric USB drives are more expensive than regular USB drives of equal storage capacity, but there are plenty of lower capacity biometric drives priced below $50.

If your graduate is heading into the work force, you may want to consider paying for a professional subscription as a gift. Careerstrides.com is one of many Web sites that offer a professional résumé service to people new to the job market. Popular employment Web sites such as Careerbuilder.com and Monster.com offer upgraded résumé posting, a feature that is supposed to give placement preference so employers will view them before the non-upgraded résumés. This, too, could help recent grads looking to test the job market. In the current employment environment, every advantage helps.

For those who are leaving the high school campus for the larger and much greener college campus, the Digimemo may be ideal. The Digimemo is a digital tablet that allows users to write notes, draw or doodle and save it all to the device. Having a device that can save 999 individual pages of notes without the need for special paper that some other devices require will lighten the backpack of any college student. At a cost of $99, it won’t lighten the gift giver’s wallet too much, either.

Quincey Hobbs is a team member at the University of Arizona’s Center for Computing and Information Technology and an instructor at Pima Community College. Send questions to quinceyresponds @yahoo.com.

Bristol Palin poses with actress Hayden Panettiere on the red carpet during an event in New York City to promote National Teen Pregnancy Awareness Day. Now an unwed mother, Bristol Palin said abstinence is a realistic way for teens to avoid unwanted pregnancy - a view not shared by the father of her infant son.

Bristol Palin is back in the news. The Alaska governor’s daughter became the most famous unwed pregnant teenager in America last summer when her mother was nominated to be the GOP’s vice presidential candidate.

Since then, Bristol has given birth to a boy in December and her engagement to the baby’s father has ended.

This week, she took center stage again for promoting abstinence among teenagers as part of Teen Pregnancy Awareness Day. But she’s been greeted with howls of derision from pundits and others who think her actions are hypocritical.

However, before critics jump on Bristol, maybe they should consider the facts.

The majority of teenagers who have had sex regret their decision – and that’s not just those who get pregnant.

We need to worry about increasing rates of teen pregnancy, which fell steadily between 1991 and 2005, but started moving up again in 2006 and are higher in the U.S. than in all other countries in the industrialized world.

But pregnancy isn’t the only issue that should concern us when teenagers are sexually active, especially young teens, even if they use contraception. Most young teens are not emotionally ready to have sex, even if their hormones are telling them differently.

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy has been the leader in providing hard, empirical data on what works to prevent teenage pregnancy and in studying attitudes among young people on the issue. (I currently serve on the board of the National Campaign, which includes a broad range of public figures, health specialists and academics whose views cut across a wide political spectrum.)

In 2007, the National Campaign published a comprehensive survey on attitudes toward sexual activity, teen pregnancy, and who and what most affected teens’ likelihood of engaging in sex. “With One Voice: America’s Teens and Adults Sound Off about Teen Pregnancy” includes some surprising findings.

Among teenagers who have already had sex, 60 percent wished they had waited. And 90 percent of teens say they believe that providing young people with a strong abstinence message is important – a figure not much different from the 93 percent of adults who favor a pro-abstinence message.

Teens also credit parents with being the most important influence in their lives on their decisions to have sex or to delay sexual activity.

Nearly half (47 percent) credit their parents with influencing their decisions, more than friends (18 percent), religious leaders (7 percent), siblings (5 percent), teachers or sex educators (4 percent) or the media (3 percent).

These figures have remained consistent in all the National Campaign’s surveys.

According to the findings in this survey, which included a representative sample of more than 2,000 teens and adults interviewed by phone, both believe it is important to discourage teenagers from sexual activity at least until kids are out of high school.

Eight out of 10 adults said such messages were very important, as did two-thirds of teenagers.

But a majority of adults and teens also want information about contraception given to teenagers. However, nearly half of teens (46 percent) surveyed acknowledged that telling teens “don’t have sex but if you do, you should use birth control or protection” actually encourages teens to have sex.

Given these findings, Bristol Palin’s advocacy for teen abstinence is a good thing. She’s a high-profile example of why all the best-laid plans sometimes go awry.

Bristol got pregnant even though she and her former boyfriend admitted they usually used contraception. She may have thought she would marry the father of her baby, but they ended up breaking up after the baby was born.

And now, instead of being a college freshman enjoying an active social life, she’s home taking care of her infant son.

At least Bristol has a support network to help her raise her child – many unwed teen moms don’t. If she can discourage even a few young girls from following in her footsteps, I think she deserves our praise, not the snickers she’s been getting from some quarters.

Linda Chavez is chair of the Center for Equal Opportunity and author of “An Unlikely Conservative: The Transformation of an Ex-Liberal.” E-mail: lchavez@ceousa.org

Applications must be in by 5 p.m. Friday

Recreation aide Vanessa Piña helps Juan Quevedo (left), 15, as he works on his résumé at the John A. Valenzuela Youth Center Thursday afternoon as part of his summer job search. At right is Robert Garcia, 15.

Federal stimulus money will fund an estimated 2,000 local youth jobs during what experts say is the worst summer in many years to be seeking employment.

Pima County will receive between $1.5 million and $2 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to pay for the jobs, said Dana Katbah, program manager with the county’s Summer Youth Program.

Job applications must be in by Friday at 5 p.m., she said. Applicants must also call 798-0533 to schedule an assessment to find jobs that best suit them, she said.

Teens know what’s in store for them when it comes to finding a job this summer.

“The economy is pretty bad,” Robert Garcia, 15, said. “Right now I am looking for a job – whatever is good.”

The Pima County program includes jobs in the public sector, such as in libraries and the Department of Transportation, Katbah said.

It will also cover salaries for youth working in the private sector at participating local businesses, she said.

“All the money is going for youth salaries, and we figure we can do about 2,000 jobs,” she said.

Jobs will run four to seven weeks for 30 to 40 hours per week at $7.25 per hour, she said.

More than 3,000 have already applied, she said.

“There are applicants who won’t get selected, but we are doing the best with what we have,” she said. “We can make a little dent in it.”

The federal youth job funding has been a godsend, she said.

“If we did not have the stimulus package, we would have had only 250 to 500 (youth) jobs,” she said. “It really saved us.”

Even with the stimulus package jobs, teens face a tough row to hoe this summer.

“I would think this is the toughest labor market for summer jobs we have seen for a very long time,” said Marshall J. Vest, director of the Economic and Business Research Center at the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management.

“The unemployment rate continues to march upward, and business leaders indicate they are very cautious with regard to hiring people,” Vest said.

Katbah said it will be more difficult for teens to find a job this year than last.

“This is probably the worst year for youth jobs since I’ve been involved in work force development, but that doesn’t mean it is hopeless,” she said.

In Tucson, of 1,300 applicants and 600 people who were interviewed, 200 will secure summer jobs with the city Parks & Recreation Department, said Margaret Loquasto-Jaquay, youth program supervisor.

The jobs, paying from $7.81 to $8.71 per hour, include working at city KIDCO recreation, therapeutic recreation and sports programs, Loquasto-Jaquay said.

The city youth jobs program had far more applicants than last year, she said.

Teens face an additional challenge this summer as adults with work experience apply for jobs normally filled by youngsters, she said.

“With the economy, people are trying to find anything they can to hold them over until they find what they consider a real job,” Loquasto-Jaquay said.

Eegee’s is seeing some adults trying for entry-level openings that pay $8.20 per hour, said Rick Maes, training and development supervisor.

A couple of years ago, eegee’s moved away from hiring 50 to 100 teen summer workers and toward hiring employees who would work year-round, Maes said.

“The opportunities are there, but not so much if they just want a summer job,” he said.

The firm sees a 20 to 25 percent increase in head count when business spikes in June and July as the thermometer tops 100 degrees, Maes said.

The tough job market also means people are more likely to hang on to their jobs, Maes said.

Area teens at the John Valenzuela Youth Center, 1550 S. Sixth Ave. are receiving assistance finding summer jobs.

Center staffers assist youngsters with résumés, job searches and other things that can help them find work, center director Gloria Hamelitz said.

Garcia, Alejandro Gallego, 14, and Juan Quevedo, 15, gathered there Thursday afternoon to sharpen their job-hunting skills.

“It’s really difficult,” Gallego said. “A lot of people are looking for jobs.”

Quevedo said his age prevents him from getting a job in fast food or at an auto supply store.

He is hopeful, but realistic, about his chances.

“I’m not really sure,” he said. “It is difficult. There are a lot of teenagers who want a job. But because of the economy I wonder if I get to have a summer job.”

Despite the challenges, teens can still find summer jobs, said Sean Lopez, Pledge-A-Job coordinator for the Pima County Community Services Department.

“If you have a young person in high school who is motivated and understands they need to sell themselves properly, they can still get a job,” Lopez said.

Piña helps Alejandro Gallego (left), 14, as he works on his résumé, while Robert Garcia, 15 also takes advantage of the center's support while looking for a job.

———

JOB HUNTING TIPS

Here are some tips for teens seeking employment:

• Have a positive attitude and be self-confident

• Wear appropriate clothing that is clean, with no holes

• Have neat, clean hair.

• Hide tattoos and have no visible facial piercings when meeting with potential employers

• Get to know the company before you go

• Use eye contact and a firm handshake

• Relax even in a stressful situation

Source: Sean Lopez, Pima County Pledge-A-Job coordinator

———

Pima County Summer Youth Job Program

• Application deadline is 5 p.m. Friday.

• Online applications can be found at https://secure.pima.gov/summeryouth.

• Applicants must also call 798-0533 to schedule an assessment

• Employers interested in participating may contact dana.katbah@pima.gov

Area youths seeking summer employment have until Friday to sign up for the Pima County Summer Youth Program.

About 2,000 jobs are available, paying $7.25 an hour, program manager Dana Katbah said.

The jobs typically last four to seven weeks and range from 30 to 40 hours a week.

Apply online at https://secure.pima.gov/summeryouth.

Applicants who sign up online must call 798-0533 to schedule an assessment to find jobs that best suit them.

“We can’t help everybody,” Katbah said. “There are going to be applicants who don’t get selected, but we are doing the best we can.”

Making young teens register as sex offenders is foolish, but decriminalization is not the solution – especially for those who pass along sexual images without consent.

Let’s not ignore the most relevant question: Is this new and exploding behavioral trend good, bad or neutral for those involved and for the public at large?

Many must believe it is “neutral” or even trivial, if they prefer no systematic consequences.

But it is flat-out wrong and dangerous, often with life-impacting consequences for those involved.

Especially for the female subjects who are left with their reputations in tatters and futures in doubt, while the teen male traffickers get off scot-free.

As Vicki Courtney, author of “Five Conversations You Must Have With Your Daughter,” wrote in an e-mail to me:

“Girls are often convinced to do this for the guys to get their attention. Then in a breakup situation, the guys often use it against them later. If you legalize sexting, the guys come out as the clear winners. The girls pay.”

One of the main reasons teens do this is that they don’t think it’s a big deal. And how will they ever recognize that it is without systemic consequences?

Most of these same kids would never steal a DVD from a store. They may be tempted to, but they know it is wrong and that they’ll be caught and punished.

Being 15 years old and stupid is no excuse.

Passing along someone else’s sexual image is far worse than stealing, yet Andrea wants to make being “young” and “impulsive” a legal free pass.

By contrast, Kari Glemaker, national director for iCare, an initiative of the National Coalition for the Protection of Children and Families, pointed out in a recent interview:

“If you shoplift as a minor, there is still a consequence, just not as big as for an adult. Similarly, my county is looking to define sexting as a misdemeanor, without jail time if there is no other criminal background, possibly with a fine or community service, as well as awareness classes.

“To say there should be no legal consequence until age 18 is ludicrous.”

Andrea and those other parents agree that sexting is a big deal, but that we shouldn’t treat it as such. I say if we don’t treat it as such, then teenagers will never realize it is a big deal.

Shaunti Feldhahn (scfeldhahn@yahoo.com) is a conservative Christian author and speaker, and married mother of two.

Good news! Our courts are going after child pornographers with a vengeance, using technology like cell phones and social networking sites to locate and trap these heinous criminals and throw the book at them.

The only glitch in this fight for justice? The “scum” appear to be our own kids.

Youthful hormones and high-tech communication have dovetailed as of late, and “sexting” is the result – racy pictures that teens send each other via cell phone.

Think this dangerous and vile behavior is part of an edgy subculture? A recent survey by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy claims that 20 percent of our teens are involved in sexting activities.

“It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity,” Einstein said, making me wonder if he saw this one coming.

I’m shocked by how widespread this activity has become and grateful to live in a community filled with adults who are “on it” in a big way, from academic and home life consequences to strict monitoring of teen behavior.

Still, I’m more shocked by the way the law has swooped in to label young, impulsive teenagers as child pornographers.

Really? That’s how we fix this? A boy in Texas is arrested on child pornography charges for simply having a racy photo on his phone.

A 14-year-old New Jersey girl posts explicit pictures of herself on MySpace and could be forced to register as a sex offender under Megan’s Law.

Even Maureen Kanka, Megan’s mother, is appalled. “This shouldn’t fall under Megan’s Law in any way, shape or form,” the mother of raped and murdered Megan Kanka declared, understanding that the MySpace exhibitionist needs help, not an avalanche of legal restrictions that will ruin her life forever.

Legislators in Vermont are trying to stop the madness, creating a bill that would remove the most serious legal consequences for sexting kids, such as a lifetime on the state’s Internet sex offender registry.

Unfortunately, Vermont’s governor is disinclined to support such a bill, feeling that decisions about these charges should be left up to prosecutors.

Either Gov. Jim Douglas hasn’t been reading the same stories I have, or he thinks the best way to deal with impulsive teens is to brand them child pornographers and sex offenders.

Makes me kind of wonder if it’s our legal system that has exceeded our humanity …

Andrea Sarvady (w2wcolumn@gmail.com) is a writer and educator specializing in counseling and a married mother of three.

Should “sexting” by teens be decriminalized?

Andrea Sarvady: Don’t label frisky teens perverts

Shaunti Feldhahn: ‘Sexting’ demands punishment

Andrea Sarvady (ASarvad@gmail.com) is a writer and educator specializing in counseling and a married mother of three. Shaunti Feldhahn (scfeldhahn@yahoo.com) is a conservative Christian author and speaker, and married mother of two.

$800,000 skate park opens Saturday

Kevin Kirkley (left), 20, and Rudy Carrera, 20, enjoy the new skate park at Santa Rita Park, 22nd Street and South Third Avenue.

Skateboarding may not be Rudy Carrera’s life, but it’s darn close.

The 20-year-old works at a local skateboard shop, has taught skateboarding lessons and has been waiting nearly a decade for the new skate park to open near his home.

His wait is over.

The new skate park at Santa Rita Park, at East 22nd Street and South Third Avenue, is celebrating its official grand opening from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

The event promises skateboard demonstrations, vendors, giveaways and music from four local bands: The Tics, Great American Tragedy, Subtle and Limbless Torso.

“I’ve been around skating my whole life,” said Carrera, who started skating when he was 11. “I hope I’m still doing it 10 years from now.”

Carrera has been using the skate park daily since it opened late last week. He was on hand Tuesday afternoon with a small group of skaters.

Not even the searing sun or 97-degree heat could stop them from taking advantage of the skate park’s 16,000 square feet of new concrete.

Three skating bowls are included in the $800,0000 park, as are a ramada, benches and nighttime lights.

Money for the park came from Ward 5, Ward 3, the Mayor’s Office Back to Basics, city of Tucson Community Development Block Grant, Pima County Neighborhood Reinvestment and Pima County bonds.

Skate parks run by Tucson Parks & Recreation are protected from liability by the state’s recreation immunity statute. It states that people use a facility at their risk and can make no claims as long as it is in good repair.

A dirt patch adjacent to the park waits for the second phase of the park, which will be built after more funds are secured.

“This park is good enough to bring a good name to Tucson,” said Kevin Kirkley, 20. He previously lamented Tucson’s poor reputation among skateboard aficionados.

But he’s already seen that changing.

“There were some people from Chicago here,” he said, “and Oregon.”

Kirkley added he doubted the people came thousands of miles for the sole purpose of visiting the new skate park, but they were impressed when they found it.

Carrera said skateboarding forges instant friendships: “Even if you go to a different country, a different state, there’s already a bond between you and other people there and you haven’t even spoken a word.”

Tucson city codes prohibit skateboarding on roadways, central business district areas, all public library property and in a downtown zone surrounding and including El Presidio Park.

The most common calls regarding skateboarders come from business owners, said Tucson police spokesman Officer Charles Rydzak.

Businesses’ large loading docks and curbs are especially alluring.

“The park gives (skateboarders) a place to go where they won’t be bothered and they won’t be asked to leave,” Rydzak said.

Skating options include four other area skate parks: Randolph Center at 200 S. Alvernon Way, Purple Heart at 10500 E. Rita Road, Ott Family YMCA at 401 S. Prudence Road and Continental Ranch in Marana.

Tuesday’s skaters agreed Santa Rita was superior because of its location, its facilities and its cost – it’s free.

Freedom is definitely key when it comes to skateboarding.

“You get to do whatever you want,” Carrera said. “If you think about it and put your mind to it, you can do it.”

Kirkley agreed: “It’s freedom of expression. You do what you want. You’re not held back by anything but yourself.”

Jessica Lehman, 13, of the Red Hot Chili Peppers team, works on her food creation.

Beginner’s luck?

Maybe, but it’s just as likely that Amber Otero has a natural talent for making smoothies, and that Jessica Hernandez has a natural talent for organizing events.

Amber’s fruit smoothies and her teammates’ two sandwiches and a wrap took the top prize at the Teen Iron Chef competition held Saturday at the John Valenzuela Youth Center, 1550 S. Sixth Ave.

What started just two months ago as a brainstorm to steer kids toward more healthful eating culminated in an event in which teens showed their culinary skills. Sixteen tweens and teens working in five teams crafted sandwiches, wraps and smoothies from food donated from several grocery stores.

Also donated were prizes awarded the winners by a panel of five judges.

Hernandez, a graduate student in the University of Arizona’s School of Information Resources and Library Science, even managed to get donations for decorations and secure the pièce de résistance – a full-sized gong a la the “Iron Chef” television series.

“We were really pleased at how people responded with donations, and I think the judges were really impressed at how creative the teams were,” Hernandez said.

By design, common grocery items – none costing more than $3 – were used in the competition, Hernandez said, adding the mystery ingredient was cream cheese.

Getting kids to realize that they can make healthy lifestyle choices with foods around the house and come up with easy, tasty combinations was the goal, she said.

creations in T”I never ever made a smoothie before, so I was kind of nervous,” said 11-year-old Amber of the South Tucson Kids team. “It came out good. I would drink it.”

A team of three Tucson High School students showed the most flair in presentation skills, serving their wrap as a multisectioned insect that sported tiny dabs of sour cream and black beans for eyes.

In the end, the South Tucson Kids’ organizational skills and well-crafted fare won the day, said Mardi Burden, one of five judges.

“They had the biggest team, and we were really impressed at how they had every person on the team working in a really productive manner,” said Burden, a chef and owner of Cuisine Classique cooking school.

Nine-year-old Wesley Bell wanted to enter the competition, but was too young. Hernandez found a way to get him involved, making him one of the five judges.

“All the food was pretty good. It was pretty hard to pick,” Wesley said. “I liked the smoothie from the Red Hot Chili Peppers team.

“And that wrap that looked like a bug, that was really good,” Wesley added.

Joining Burden and Wesley on the judges panels were Tucson Unified School District board member Adelita Grijalva, Miss Native American UA Candace Begody and South Tucson Police Sgt. E.W. Cajas.

Smoothies, like the one made by the winning team, can be as simple as throwing some ingredients in a blender and seeing what comes out. But if you’re not quite that adventurous, here are a couple recipes to use as starting points.

Strawberry-banana smoothie

1 1/2 cups unsweetened frozen strawberries

2 small bananas, broken into chunks

1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch salt

In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.

Start to finish: 5 minutes

Servings: 2

Blueberry-pomegranate smoothie

1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries

1 cup pomegranate juice

1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch salt

In a blender, combine all ingredients and blend until smooth.

Start to finish: 5 minutes

Servings: 2

South Tucson Kids team members (from left), Amber Otero, 11, George Smith, 15, Angel Crowell, 15, Alex Otero, 13, and Lizette Varela, 17, work on their winning snacks for the Teen Iron Chef contest.

WASHINGTON – The Food and Drug Administration, reversing field, will allow 17-year-olds get the ‘morning-after’ birth control pill without a doctor’s prescription, a government health official said Wednesday.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the agency will comply with a federal judge’s order overturning a Bush administration policy that restricted access. The official was not authorized to speak publicly before the FDA announcement, expected later Wednesday.

Last month, U.S. District Judge Edward Korman ruled in a New York lawsuit that Bush administration appointees let politics, not science, drive their decision to allow over-the-counter access to the pills only for women 18 and older. Korman ordered the agency to let 17-year-olds get the medication, and separately to evaluate whether all age restrictions should be lifted.

The FDA’s latest action does not mean that the pill will be immediately available to 17-year-olds. The manufacturer must first submit a request, but the agency is indicating that it will approve the change.

Plan B is emergency contraception that contains a high dose of birth control drugs and will not interfere with an established pregnancy. Religious conservatives say it’s the equivalent of an abortion pill because it can prevent a fertilized egg from attaching to the uterus.

The battle over access to Plan B has dragged on for the better part of a decade, through the tenure of three FDA commissioners. Among many in the medical community, it came to symbolize the decline of science at the agency. Top FDA managers refused to go along with the recommendations of scientific staff and outside advisers that the drug be made available over-the-counter with no age restrictions.

“The FDA got caught up in a saga, it got caught up in a drama,” said Susan Wood, who served as the agency’s top women’s health official and resigned in 2005 over delays in issuing a decision. “This issue served as a clear example of the agency being taken off track, and it highlighted the problems FDA was facing in many other areas.”

Conservatives said the FDA should have appealed the judge’s ruling.

“This decision is driven by politics, not what is good for patients or minors,” said Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, a public policy group representing religious conservatives. “Parents should be furious at the FDA’s complete disregard of parental rights and the safety of minors.”

If taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, Plan B can reduce a woman’s chances of pregnancy by as much as 89 percent.

It contains a high dose of birth control drugs and works by preventing ovulation or fertilization. It also may prevent a fertilized egg from implanting into the uterus, but recent research suggests that’s not likely. In medical terms, pregnancy begins when a fertilized egg attaches itself to the wall of the uterus.

The treatment consists of two pills and sells for about $35 to $60. Women must ask for Plan B at the pharmacy counter, and show identification with their date of birth. The drug is made by a subsidiary of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, an Israeli company. It does not prevent sexually transmitted infections, such as HIV/AIDS.

Supporters of broader access argued that Plan B was safe and effective in preventing unwanted pregnancy, and could also help reduce the number of abortions.

Opponents, including prominent conservatives, countered that it would encourage promiscuity, and might even become a tool for criminals running prostitution rings, as well as for sexual predators.

Early in the Bush administration, more than 60 organizations petitioned the FDA to allow sales without a prescription. But according to court documents, the issue quickly became politicized.

In 2003, a panel of outside advisers voted 23 to 4 to recommend over-the-counter sales without age restrictions. But top FDA officials told their subordinates that no approval could be issued at the time, and the decision would be made at a higher level. That’s considered highly unusual, since the FDA usually has the last word on drug decisions.

In his ruling, Judge Korman said that FDA staffers were told the White House had been involved in the decision on Plan B. The government said in court papers that politics played no role.

In 2005, the Center for Reproductive Rights and other organizations sued in federal court to force an FDA decision.

The following year, the FDA allowed Plan B to be sold without a prescription to adults. But the controversy raged on over access for teens.

WASHINGTON — Calling on Americans to volunteer, President Barack Obama signed a $5.7 billion national service bill Tuesday that triples the size of the AmeriCorps service program over the next eight years and expands ways for students to earn money for college.

“What this legislation does, then, is to help harness this patriotism and connect deeds to needs,” said Obama, a former community organizer in Chicago.

“It creates opportunities to serve for students, seniors and everyone in between,” he said. “And it is just the beginning of a sustained, collaborative and focused effort to involve our greatest resource — our citizens — in the work of remaking this nation.”

Joining Obama was Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, who has been battling brain cancer. Kennedy championed the legislation with Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and the bill was named in honor of the Massachusetts Democrat.

Kennedy told the audience that included former President Bill Clinton, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former first lady Rosalyn Carter that Obama’s efforts echoed those of his late brother, President John F. Kennedy.

“Today, another young president has challenged another generation to give back to their nation,” Kennedy said, citing his brother’s advocacy for the Peace Corps.

The service law expands ways for students and seniors to earn money for college through their volunteer work. It aims to foster and fulfill people’s desire to make a difference, such as by mentoring children, cleaning up parks or buildings and weatherizing homes for the poor.

“I’m asking you to help change history’s course, put your shoulder up against the wheel,” Obama said. “And if you do, I promise you your life will be richer, our country will be stronger, and someday, years from now, you may remember it as the moment when your own story and the American story converged, when they came together, and we met the challenges of our new century.”

Bolstering voluntary public service programs has been a priority of Obama, who credits his work as a community organizer in his early 20s for giving him direction in life. The president cited his work in Chicago as an example of how one person can make a difference.

“All that’s required on your part is a willingness to make a difference,” Obama said. “And that is, after all, the beauty of service: Anybody can do it.”

Obama visited the SEED School of Washington, a public boarding school that serves inner-city students facing problems in both the classroom and at home, for the signing ceremony.

Afterward, Obama and first lady Michelle Obama joined Clinton to plant trees at a national park site along the Anacostia River in northeast Washington. At the Kenilworth Park and Aquatic Gardens, Obama rolled up his sleeves with volunteers from the Student Conservation Association and local public high schools.

“Somebody forgot my boots,” Obama joked to the students.

Obama on Tuesday also nominated Nike Inc. vice president Maria Eitel to lead the federal agency that oversees the country’s national service programs.

Eitel, who’s also president of the Nike Foundation, would have to be confirmed by the Senate to become CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Congress passed the bill last month with largely bipartisan support and Obama is seeking $1.1 billion to fund it next year. Some Republicans complain it is too costly and is an unnecessary intrusion by government into something Americans already do eagerly and in great numbers — helping their neighbors and communities.

The legislation provides for gradually increasing the size of the Clinton-era AmeriCorps to 250,000 enrollees from its current 75,000. It outlines five broad categories where people can direct their service: helping the poor, improving education, encouraging energy efficiency, strengthening access to health care and assisting veterans.

AmeriCorps offers a range of volunteer opportunities including housing construction, youth outreach, disaster response and caring for the elderly. Most receive an annual stipend of slightly less than $12,000 for working 10 months to a year.

AmeriCorps has seen a recent surge in applications, according to the Corporation for National and Community Service, which oversees the program.

In March, the organization received 17,038 online AmeriCorps applications, nearly double those received in the previous month and nearly triple the 6,770 received last March.

Alan Solomont, who chairs AmeriCorps’ board, said former President John F. Kennedy’s call to service inspired more people to help others than just those who joined the Peace Corps. He said this national service legislation could produce the same effect.

“It is not unlike the moment in 1960 when President Kennedy asked Americans, you know, to serve, but it is certainly going to engage millions more today,” Solomont said in a conference call arranged by the White House.

The bill also ties volunteer work to money for college.

People 55 and older could earn $1,000 education awards by getting involved in public service. Those awards can be transferred to a child, grandchild or even someone they mentored.

Students from sixth grade through senior year of high school could earn a $500 education award for helping in their neighborhoods during a new summer program.

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On the Web

AmeriCorps: www.americorps.gov

Corporation for National and Community Service: www.nationalservice.gov

Are you a kid who likes to create edible concoctions?

Show off your skills at the Healthy Kids Day Teen Iron Chef competition Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. at the John Valenzuela Youth Center, 1550 S. Sixth Ave.

Teams of six teens will battle one another in creating a healthy snack within an allotted amount of time.

The winning snack will be chosen from a panel of celebrity judges, and prizes will be awarded.

The competition is organized by University of Arizona library science students, said Sol Gomez, librarian at the Sam Lena-South Tucson Branch Library, who is helping with the event.

Participants won’t know until competition starts what ingredients are available to them.

“They will come up with healthy snacks, something they could put together when they come home from school, that taste great,” Gomez said.

To register for the competition, call 594-5265.

CHEYENNE, Wyo. – A cell phone used by a Wyoming 13-year-old to run up a nearly $5,000 phone bill will text no more thanks to her angry father and his hammer.

Dena Christoffersen of Cheyenne sent or received about 20,000 text messages over about a month, and her parents’ phone plan didn’t cover texting.

Gregg Christoffersen told KUSA-TV of Denver this week that he thought texting had been disabled on her daughter’s phone, which he smashed hours after getting a phone bill for more than $4,750.

The family says Verizon has been willing to knock the bill down to a reasonable level.

Dena has been grounded until the end of school. She says she feels bad and has learned her lesson.