The Ranger

UJW may be shuttered by budget cuts

UPDATE: Dr. Robert Zeigler saved the workshop insofar as this college is concerned.

After 26 years of changing lives and opening doors for high school students, the Urban Journalism Workshop at San Antonio College, sponsored by the San Antonio Express-News and the Dow Jones News Fund, is closing its own door this year. The workshop has fallen victim to budget cuts in higher education, but the president of San Antonio College, where the workshop is conducted, would like to see the program continued. Full story

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It's a summer of joy

Teens getting involved with charities, agencies

When Gabriela Tello sits down with her daughter to watch the Disney Channel, public service announcements frequently pop up with young adults describing their volunteering experiences. Add to that the growing focus on service hours by some schools and this increased attention may explain why many organizations are seeing an increase in teens volunteering.

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Students will see big cuts when area schools open in fall

Districts scramble to protect essential classroom services

As the state Legislature struggles to approve education funding, most school districts in the San Antonio area remain uncertain what effects students will see in the fall, predicting increased class sizes, fewer support staff and fewer resources. Full story

Rite on

Teachers, businesses battle poor writing skills of tech-savvy students and graduates who know button

Social media like MySpace, Facebook and Twitter and almost real-time tools like texting have helped create a gadget-savvy generation of teens who seldom read long-form writing. Driven by a unique form of shorthand, these evolving communication platforms have prompted concern by some educators that the emphasis on informal writing will make it difficult or impossible for teens to complete college or to earn and maintain a corporate job. Full story

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When coming home is harder than staying

Veterans return to routines just as tough as war zones

Asle Farah joined the Marine Corps in 2002 after graduating from high school, intrigued by a recruiter's message of intense physical challenges and teamwork. Her father thought the military would be too difficult for her. She joined to prove him wrong. Full story

Texas soldier pledges to honor his brother with his service

Juan Ramon "Jay" Gonzalez Jr. joined the Texas Army National Guard as an 18-year-old after graduating from Southwest High School, and soon after, completed basic training. This month, he begins five months of training, with airborne school in Fort Benning, Ga., and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. Full story

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An ugly war on Facebook

Northside schools engage in vile name-calling, bullying and vandalism

Ribbons of toilet paper still hang from trees in front of Warren High School. The graffiti is gone. The four chickens were captured. The only other remnants of a vicious cyber-bullying attack that presumably spawned a rash of vandalism are the emotional scars. Victims of the online assaults may carry those a long time. Full story

New Texas law will make getting an abortion more difficult than ever

But lawsuit is challenging provisions.

On Sept. 1, the already complex road to abortion is going to get longer and more onerous. That's the date the state's new sonogram law takes effect if it survives a court challenge by the Center for Reproductive Rights. Full story

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Breaking the binge

Vulnerable teens must face extreme peer pressures

11 p.m. Halloween 2008. He didn't bother changing the clothes he wore earlier. He locked his apartment door and went straight to his room. He crumbled to his knees in prayer; his shoulders were heavy with demons that had been riding him for years. Everything was coming back to destroy him. Full story

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Katrina evacuees struggle with staying here or going home

Derranisha Braud's memories of Hurricane Katrina are far more vivid than the peeling, dull green and white paint on the Outspan apartments in San Antonio. The brown grass is dying beneath the searing rays of the Texas sun.

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