New York Proposes Raising Minimum Age for Cigarette Purchases
Mina Dixon said: The age to legally buy cigarettes in New York City would rise to 21 from 18, but it would not prohibit those under 21 from possessing or even smoking cigarettes.
Parents Seek Polite Way to Broach Topic of Gun Ownership
Mina Dixon said: Most parents have one priority: keeping their children safe. For some families, that means owning a gun. For others, it means refusing to own one. Conversations between parents about owning a gun can be uncomfortable.
Young Adults With Autism Can Thrive In High-Tech Jobs
Mina Dixon said: The nonPareil Institute in Plano, Texas, a combination training program and software company, is making the transition into the workforce easier for young adults on the autism spectrum. The tech industry can be a natural landing place for people with autism.
USDA Shifts Comments on School Vending Machines, 'A La Carte' Items
Mina Dixon said: The U.S. Department of Agriculture is turning their attention to school vending-machine fare, a la carte lunch items and other foods sold at school aside from heavily regulated lunches and breakfasts.
Obamacare Rules Differ for Former Foster Kids
Mina Dixon said: Beginning in January 2014, former foster kids will be covered by an expansion of the Affordable Care Act. But there's a catch: states will only be required to keep former foster children on Medicaid if they continue to reside in the state where they were in foster care originally.
The Hell of American Day Care
Mina Dixon said: About 40 percent of children under five spend at least part of their week in the care of somebody other than a parent. The U.S. child care system is wildly uneven and barely monitored. At the lower end, it's Dickensian.
One Student's Path from Oyler to College
Mina Dixon said: Raven Gribbins will be the first in her family to finish high school. Just a few years ago her path to college would have seemed...unlikely.
Live Music Soothes Premature Babies, a New Study Finds (Video)
Mina Dixon said: Live music can calm premature babies and allow them to devote more energy to normal development, according to a recent study published in Pediatrics.
Baby Veronica and Native American Family Values (Opinion)
Mina Dixon said: The Executive Director of the National Congress of American Indian charges the mainstream media with misrepresenting the facts of Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl.
Adoption Case Brings Rare Family Law Dispute To High Court
Mina Dixon said: After a South Carolina couple adopted a baby girl, her biological father, a member of the Cherokee Nation, sought full custody. The Supreme Court does not typically hear such family law disputes, but the case is a test of the Indian Child Welfare Act.
