CHICAGO -- The authorities charged a 35-year-old man Thursday with homicide in the death of a police chief's son who died after taking heroin spiked with the powerful painkiller Fentanyl. The homicide charge was the first to stem from an investigation into numerous deaths attributed in part to the drug. A conviction could bring a sentence of up to 30 years for the suspect, [name redacted], who was ordered held on $80,000 bond. [name redacted] was described as having a history of drug arrests. [continues 276 words]
Study: Possession Tops Sales As a Charge; Big Racial Disparity After two decades of steadily toughening laws, Illinois now puts more people in prison for drug crimes than any state except California, according to a study released Tuesday by Roosevelt University. The report also found that more people are being incarcerated for possessing narcotics than for selling them and that the state's prisons hold about five black inmates convicted of drug offenses for every white inmate--one of the largest racial disparities in the country. [continues 1219 words]
I applaud the Journal Star for running the series on "Silent Treatment, Addiction in America." The five articles strongly pointed out the need for effective addiction treatment. If I walked into most addiction treatment programs in the U.S. today, I would, unfortunately, find few changes in the treatment approaches used 30 years ago when I entered the field. In the 1970s, the addiction treatment industry fought against being dominated by physicians and a traditional medical approach. And we won, to the detriment of those in need. [continues 661 words]
FREEPORT - Crack cocaine, the scourge of urban ghettos, has made its presence felt in Stephenson County. Arrests are on the rise and multiple policing agencies are conducting stings regularly to stamp out what police call the most prevalent drug in Freeport. Cocaine arrests have steadily risen in Stephenson County since 2001, according to Freeport Assistant Chief of Police Robert Smith. Forty arrests were made in 2005, compared to 17 in 2002. And so far in 2006, there are already 30 arrests on the books. Many of those arrests are for the more inexpensive version of the drug - crack cocaine. [continues 985 words]
The mother of Peoria's seventh homicide victim this year - a tally now at 11 and counting - showed up at a City Council meeting recently, making an emotional and articulate plea for local leaders to do more about escalating crime. It's hard not to respond with compassion to a grieving mother, as Mayor Jim Ardis did to Juanita Powell, whose adult son, Travis, was murdered on July 4. Ardis wants to host a community roundtable to "look at this whole thing and see where we're deficient and what we can do better." [continues 628 words]
TUSCOLA - Police and political leaders are battling the rising tide of methamphetamine abuse, which has left some Central Illinois communities swamped by the wreckage of broken lives. Douglas County Sheriff Charlie McGrew said half of the county's criminal cases are related to methamphetamine. He has seen addicts in his jail, who have lost everything they had, including jobs, homes and businesses. "Every waking moment is devoted to obtaining meth to support their habits," McGrew said. "I have heard numerous addicts say that using one time or two times captures them and keeps them in the hold of drug." [continues 885 words]
Allen Long began his quest for fame in the 1960s as the lead singer of a garage band that once opened for the Byrds. Then, as young men will do, he radically changed course and tried his hand at documentary filmmaking. But when the money ran out for his movie on drug running, Long became a smuggler himself and earned a different sort of fame by introducing Americans to "Colombian gold," the Dom Perignon of marijuana. With the bohemian good looks of a young Jim Morrison and a drug habit to match, Long smuggled 972,000 pounds of his "gold" into the United States between 1972 and 1984, much of it in the bellies of C-130 cargo planes, according to biographer Robert Sabbag. He claims he never owned a gun or harmed anyone during his career selling dope. [continues 915 words]
Lifestyle, Grades Are No Guarantee Study says moms and dads are 'parental palookas' who have no idea about the extent of their teens' drug and alcohol use At first glance, Samantha Tish, 15, who lives in a small town near the Wisconsin border, would seem insulated from drug and alcohol use. She has good grades and a tight group of girlfriends whose weekend activities run to shopping and watching movies, rather than partying. But that doesn't mean that temptation isn't lurking everywhere. [continues 1062 words]
Teen's Mom Says Boy Sought Drug Test After Dad Gave Him Some Some kids try to avoid a school's random drug tests, but for a 14-year-old Lake Villa boy, it was the only way out. He watched for years as both of his parents, now divorced, went in and out of drug and alcohol rehab. Visits to his father's home included marijuana use with his father in an effort to win approval. In an essay written for a school health class last year, the boy wrote, "My mom is doing good in AA and my dad is doing OK as an alcoholic, but I do not like him drinking because he acts stupid and there is nothing I can do." [continues 408 words]
Every New Year's Eve and July 4th, Bob Wold brews a tea containing a psychedelic drug from "magic mushrooms." Wold takes a small dose of the drug psilocybin -- just enough to make sounds more distinct and colors a bit brighter. "I get a couple giggles out of it," he said. "It's like having two or three beers." But Wold doesn't take "shrooms" for the four-hour high. Rather, he has found that psilocybin is the only drug that prevents one of the most painful conditions known to man, cluster headaches. [continues 562 words]
Students Could Avoid Expulsion Through Contract, Taking Drug Tests PEORIA - District 150 students who get caught with drugs or alcohol this school year will get a chance to avoid automatic expulsion. The district is rolling out a drug and alcohol abeyance program that allows students to stay in school if they agree to a contract that includes random drug testing and drug counselling and/or treatment. When kids are caught with drugs at school or during school events, expulsion is mandatory. And under a new policy the School Board is considering, expulsion also will be mandatory for possessing alcohol. Suspension was sometimes used for this offense in the past. [continues 478 words]
SPRINGFIELD - State law enforcement officials want to improve logbooks used to track cold medicine sales that could be connected to methamphetamine. While a new law appears to have made it more difficult for meth cooks to make the drug, as well as slowed the flow of addicts coming to Illinois from border states, Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office is looking to tweak the system. "We're making steady progress on a number of fronts," said Cara Smith, the attorney general's policy director. [continues 482 words]
SPRINGFIELD -- State law enforcement officials want to improve logbooks used to track cold medicine sales that could be connected to methamphetamine. While a new law appears to have made it more difficult for meth cooks to make the drug and slowed the flow of addicts coming to Illinois from border states, Attorney General Lisa Madigana€TMs office is looking to tweak the system. "Wea€TMre making steady progress on a number of fronts," said Cara Smith, the attorney generala€TMs policy director. [continues 482 words]
How do you put a price on a year of freedom? Illinois puts the value at $6,000. That's how much the state compensated Michael Evans for each of the 27 years he spent imprisoned for a crime DNA evidence showed he didn't commit. Evans left prison in 2003 and received little more than a hug from his family. No money. No training. No job placement. No therapy. No apology. It took two more years and a governor's pardon before the state coughed up $162,000 to compensate Evans for his lost life. Evans has distributed most of that sum to family members and others who helped win his release. [continues 416 words]
A photograph of President Bush waving a flag after the Sept. 11 attacks is juxtaposed against a black-and-white image of a black mother smoking crack cocaine in bed next to her baby. Larger-than-life portraits of Osama bin Laden and Pablo Escobar line the walls. The central message of a traveling Drug Enforcement Administration exhibit unveiled Friday at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry is that terrorism and drugs are inextricably linked. Advocates of legalization who are leafleting outside the exhibit say the DEA is leaving out an important part of the story. Critics agree that drug trafficking provides a potentially lucrative revenue stream for terrorist organizations. But they say the profit is fueled by the government's war on drugs, which creates a situation akin to prohibition of alcohol. [continues 367 words]
The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency has a new weapon in its arsenal: a museum exhibit on the production, distribution and dangers of illicit narcotics. The show - Target America: Opening Eyes to the Damage Drugs Cause - opens today at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. Experts said they hope it will serve as a warning to people who think the illegal drug trade does not touch their lives. "If you think drugs don't affect you, think again," DEA Administrator Karen P. Tandy said. [continues 267 words]
It's not often that the Chicago Housing Authority is criticized for being excessively concerned about the safety of public housing residents, but that's essentially what Mark Brown's July 16 column did ["When good isn't good enough, at least for CHA"]. Under our new housing choice voucher policy, we will not approve residents living in homes surrounded by open drug dealing, abandoned buildings and vacant lots. We do not subsidize irresponsible landlords with substandard apartments. Instead, we require landlords who receive federal dollars to be accountable to their tenants and their communities. [continues 323 words]
Advocates Of Legalization Say DEA Display Ignores Role War On Drugs Plays A photograph of President Bush waving a flag after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks is juxtaposed against a black-and-white image of a mother smoking crack cocaine in bed next to her baby. Larger-than-life portraits of Osama bin Laden and Pablo Escobar line the walls. The central message of a traveling Drug Enforcement Administration exhibit unveiled Friday at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry is that terrorism and drugs are inextricably linked. [continues 330 words]
After visiting the Museum of Science and Industry's famous coal mine and submarine, patrons might want to check out its new crack den and meth lab. The Hyde Park museum opens a new exhibit today that highlights the perils of drug abuse and the drug trade, including life-size re-creations of drug lairs and labs. "Target America: Opening Eyes to the Damage Drugs Cause" is a traveling exhibit created by the Drug Enforcement Administration Museum. It gives historical and modern-day look at drugs such as opium, cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine. [continues 599 words]
Aimed At Children, Displays Show Impact On Everyday People, Crime, Terrorism First there was "Just Say No." Then came the frying egg and a dire warning: "This is your brain on drugs." Now the anti-drug message is spread across 5,000 square feet at the Museum of Science and Industry, replete with depictions of a drug-addled brain, a mock methamphetamine lab and twisted wreckage from the World Trade Center. The traveling exhibit, sponsored by the Drug Enforcement Administration, is equal parts science, history and social commentary. Critics say it is propaganda that lacks balance, but thousands of schoolchildren in five cities have passed through its halls, including teen drug and alcohol offenders sentenced to see it by a Michigan judge. [continues 596 words]
DEA Defends Traveling Exhibit as Critics Draw Parallels to Prohibition Era A photograph of President Bush waving a flag after the Sept. 11 attacks is juxtaposed against a black-and-white image of an African American mother smoking crack cocaine in bed next to her baby. Larger-than-life portraits of Osama bin Laden and Pablo Escobar line the walls. The central message of a traveling Drug Enforcement Administration exhibit unveiled at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry yesterday is that terrorism and drugs are inextricably linked. [continues 763 words]
Chicago-area residents are asking the Museum of Science and Industry not to display a government exhibit linking drug use to terrorism. These citizens say that the Drug Enforcement Administration Museum exhibit, from August 11-December 3, 2006, hides the true link between drugs and terrorism: drug prohibition itself. According to Pete Guither, a drug policy reform researcher and editor of Drug WarRant: "This is a blatant publicity effort by the DEA aimed at tying its budget to the war on terror. It's also desperate and hypocritical. The DEA has received a failing grade from the White House Performance and Management Assessments for their taxpayer funded war -- a war that actually makes criminal drug trafficking obscenely profitable." [continues 431 words]
Editor's Note: Five inmates serving prison sentences for methamphetamine crimes agreed to talk to the NewsTribune about meth in the Illinois Valley. This is the last part in a four-part series. EAST ST. LOUIS — Who brought methamphetamine into the Illinois Valley? Brian Cain admitted he had a hand in the arrival of meth. Cain had moved to Fairfield, a town of 5,000 located 35 miles east of Mount Vernon, in 1998. Southern Illinois was — and is — awash with meth and within three days of his arrival Cain was smoking it from a makeshift container of tin foil. [continues 1667 words]
Opium, morphine, heroin. Coca, cocaine, crack. Speed, methamphetamine, and now, more potent forms of meth. As researcher and drug historian Bill White has been saying for years, the history of drug abuse in America is a history of ever-evolving drugs and an ever-quickening pace of drug ingestion. The drugs get stronger, the route to "high" gets faster. Sniff it, snort it, smoke it, shoot it. In that vein, the quest to use drugs has yielded far more innovations than the politics of protecting us from drug abuse - and drug abusers from themselves. The next new crack/meth scourge is already making its way from science labs to the streets (and athletic fields). [continues 498 words]
It's no secret that drugs are a problem throughout the whole Illinois Valley, but Spring Valley mayor Jim Narczewski proposed a new tool toward eradicating that problem during Monday night's council meeting: He asked the city council to consider attacking the problem on a regional level. The mayor proposed Spring Valley join together with La Salle, Peru and Oglesby to create "our own special task force that will work in conjunction with the state police task force." "Basically, we are one community," he said. "I think in light of recent events in all our communities that this would be another layer of law enforcement, which would be important," the mayor said. [continues 206 words]
Fieldcrest The Latest School To Develop Policy MINONK - Sports fans might cast doubting eyes toward home run hitters, cyclists, and Olympic sprinters whose performances are widely thought to be "enhanced." So some high schools want to make sure local athletes are clear of the suspicious cloud of athletic doping before it injects itself into central Illinois locker rooms. "It's really a sign of the times," said Marty Hickman, executive director of the Illinois High School Association. A growing number of schools have adopted random drug testing policies, some of which will be implemented this year. The latest is at Fieldcrest Community Unit School District 6 in Minonk. [continues 492 words]
Once again, a school is considering the disgusting and reprehensible practice of making children pee in a cup while their teacher listens ("Drug testing now policy in district," July 31, page A5). It's only for those who want to be in music or some other competitive activity, but that doesn't make it better. It makes it incomprehensible. First, drug testing in schools doesn't work. The largest study ever conducted on the topic -- funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse -- found that schools that engage in drug testing have identical rates of drug use to schools that don't test their students. [continues 212 words]
As a longtime crack addict from Lexington, Ky., George Moorman was one more black male being churned through America's criminal justice system until one day in 1997, when he came before a drug court judge for stealing a camcorder. "He decided to put me in the drug court program - he told me I was too intelligent to go to the penitentiary," recalls Moorman, who, at 54, just earned a doctorate in educational psychology from the University of Kentucky. "I'd already made the decision to change. But saying you're going to make a change doesn't mean you're going to do it. You have to have the support." [continues 1224 words]
(EDITOR'S NOTE: The subject of this story was referred to the reporter by Fayette County, Ky., Drug Court caseworker Danielle Sanders-Jackson, but requested anonymity. The following two grafs can be published as an explanation for readers.) At 28, Holly is a cute blond who most people would never guess was once a serious drug addict. But until last year, when it came to drugs and alcohol, Holly was an omnivore. She did everything that came her way; as a result of her drug use, she has hepatitis C. [continues 1127 words]
The following agencies and providers offer women-specific programs for addiction treatment and recovery: - - Gateway Foundation, 55 East Jackson Blvd., Chicago, Il 60604, (312) 663-1130: A treatment program with specific programs for women, with facilities in Texas, Illinois and Delaware. - - The Next Step, 276 Sherman St., Albany, NY 12206, (518) 465-5249: Provides residential treatment for women recovering from alcoholism and drug abuse. - - Prototypes, 5601 W. Slauson Ave., Suite 200, Culver City, CA 90230; (310) 641-7795: Serves women and their children who are homeless, battered, addicted to drugs or alcohol and those living with or at-risk for contracting HIV/AIDS at its facilities in southern California. [continues 163 words]
The following is only a small sampling of the agencies and providers offering substance abuse services to those navigating the criminal justice system. For a comprehensive list of resources throughout the country, visit www.silenttreatment.info. - - The Bridge, 8400 Pine Road, Philadelphia, PA 19111, (215) 342-5000;: Offers long- and short-term residential drug and alcohol abuse programs primarily for African-American youth ages 14 to 18, with individual, group, and family therapy, life skills activities and high school education. - - Center for Community Alternatives: Syracuse Recovery Community Support Project, 115 East Jefferson St., Suite 300, Syracuse, NY 13202, (315) 422-5638, ext. 222: Organizes recovering individuals to improve the delivery of treatment to offenders and ex-offenders and to help reduce the dual stigmatization of ex-offenders in recovery. [continues 267 words]
In San Francisco County Jail No. 8, the 21 orange-suited women in the SISTER program are getting a lesson in self-esteem from Jackie Gordon, a onetime heroin and crack addict who did 18 months in California State Prison and has been clean and sober for six years. "What limits you?" she asks. "You go so far, and then you go back to what is familiar." A light-skinned Hispanic woman named Carolyn raises her hand. "I don't know if you guys know it, but I'm on my way out of here. It's my fourth time going into a program, and I always relapse." [continues 1785 words]
Abuse, Social Messaging Make Women Harder To Treat When a man and a woman drink too much alcohol - by far the most widely abused substance in the country - they not only do it for different reasons, they also get different results. Where men may use alcohol to feel "powerful," women usually drink to fight feelings of hopelessness and anger. Though women generally drink less than men, the risk of alcoholism kicks in a lot faster: Seven or more glasses a week is considered risky for a woman, compared to 14 or more for a man. [continues 972 words]
Generational Struggle Provides A Look At American Epidemic EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the first of a five-part series by Public Access Journalism examining addiction in America. Additional photos, graphics and information are available here: ( http://www.mctdirect.com/treatment/ ) I am, at the least, a fourth-generation alcoholic. So is my wife, Deirdre. Our 22-year-old daughter, Carrick, is a recovering heroin addict. Most members of our family have been successful professionally - Deirdre's father was an attorney and judge; my side brims with journalists who kept the proverbial pint flask in their desk drawers. [continues 1934 words]
COLLINSVILLE school board members need to educate themselves on the downside of drug testing. Student involvement in after-school activities has been shown to reduce drug use. They keep kids busy during the hours they are most likely to get into trouble. Forcing students to undergo degrading urine tests as a prerequisite will only discourage participation. Drug testing may also compel marijuana users to switch to harder drugs to avoid testing positive. Despite a short-lived high, marijuana is the only illegal drug that stays in the human body long enough to make urinalysis a deterrent. Marijuana's organic metabolites are fat-soluble and can linger for days. More dangerous synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine are water-soluble and exit the body quickly. If you think drug users don't know this, think again. Anyone capable of running an Internet search can find out how to thwart a drug test. [continues 83 words]
When Collinsville High School students return to campus this month, some of them will be asked to sign forms saying they agree to be tested, at random, for drug use. The mandatory policy, approved last month by the district's School Board, will make Collinsville the first Metro East high school to first area district to approve mandatory drug testing. The program, which encompasses all students involved in extracurricular activities, also begins this fall. Fort Zumwalt began a voluntary drug-testing program for athletes last year. [continues 512 words]
Should local school districts attempt to ensure that students who participate in extracurricular activities do not use drugs? And if they do, is it right to single out athletes? Or to randomly select students for drug testing? Those are among the questions local educators are facing this month as they prepare for the start of another school year. The questions come in the aftermath of a decision last month by the Collinsville School District to approve random drug testing for student athletes. [continues 1087 words]
Blogging has opened the flood gates for students to communicate with one another in whole new ways. But it has also put many students and school districts in uncharted waters where freedom of speech are concerned. Jim Spedit, professor of law at Northwestern University with a specialty in Internet law, said a number of issues have arisen across the country between schools and students in the area of blogging. Community High School District 128 in May approved changes to its Code of Conduct to include information discovered on Web postings and student blogging. [continues 522 words]
PONTIAC -- Russell Farley turned 18 years old in La Salle County Jail, sleeping off a long methamphetamine bender that kept him up for days without sleep. "I thought I was going to die," Farley said, recalling his torturous days in lockup. "I'd wake up and was mad and want to fight somebody because I didn't have my meth. "I didn't want to eat," he said. "I just wanted to get high." Farley has come a long way since the drug task force raided the Farley homestead in rural Earlville, where police discovered a meth lab in a barn. Farley's life had been in a downward spiral since the 11th grade, when he dropped out of high school following an assault on a principal and then started using cocaine. Six months after he was out of school and on the streets, the people he hung around with offered him methamphetamine. [continues 314 words]
If you think there's a meth lab near your home, don't touch it: moving any of the components in a meth lab could activate toxic gases that can maim or kill. Instead, call police and be prepared to describe any telltale sights or smells to help them respond safely. "Meth labs are very, very dangerous," said La Salle County Sheriff Tom Templeton. "They generate fumes that can be explosive in nature. Even the slightest ignition can cause a house to explode, and we've seen that happen in this county." [continues 236 words]
Editor's Note: Five inmates serving prison sentences for methamphetamine crimes agreed to talk to the NewsTribune about meth in the Illinois Valley. This is the third part in a four-part series. VANDALIA -- Many nights Carl Schinkey sat in the dark woods watching people "cook" methamphetamine. The illegal stimulant, he saw, wasn't difficult to produce. As his addiction worsened, he was compelled to make his own meth but also knew better than to attempt it without additional research. One bad batch can produce toxic fumes or a fiery chemical explosion. [continues 1205 words]
Editor's Note: Five inmates serving prison sentences for methamphetamine crimes agreed to talk to the NewsTribune about meth in the Illinois Valley. This is the second part in a four-part series. VIENNA, Ill. -- As soon as the toolboxes were put away for the night, Jim Springs would see his fellow laborers pass drugs around -- a lot of drugs. The 20-year handyman always declined offers to try them, mindful of how his brother, Tony, became addicted to crack cocaine. But while fixing hail-damaged roofs in La Salle-Peru, Springs' curiosity got the better of him. [continues 1689 words]
MINONK - The Fieldcrest School District has adopted a random drug-testing policy, but may not use it until there is a way to pay for the tests. "But there have been some parent groups and private groups who have voiced an interest in potentially funding getting this going," said Superintendent Randy Vincent, who will see what money is available and build testing around that. The tests would be used to determine which students can try out for and participate in competitive extracurricular activities. [continues 236 words]
Editor's Note: Five inmates serving prison sentences for methamphetamine crimes agreed to talk to the NewsTribune about the arrival of meth in the Illinois Valley. Meth Addict Says Learning To 'Cook' The Start Of Self-Destruction MOUNT STERLING -- It wasn't in farm country where Buddy Hoblit discovered methamphetamine, but in Las Vegas. The Oklahoma native, now 40 years old, was living in Sin City in the mid-1990s and partying hard. He tried every kind of drug but grew particularly fond of an illegal stimulant made from red phosphorous, available in chemical-grade form on the black market or simply extracted from boxes of matches. [continues 1486 words]
An obscure Colombian judge has delivered a stunning decision that will threaten U.S. relations with its best ally in South America unless reversed. On July 19 in Cali, Judge Oscar Hurtado turned over to the military courts an army colonel and 14 officers and men under his command accused of slaughtering 10 anti-narcotics policemen earlier this year. That points to acquittal by the Colombian band of brothers. Hurtado's ruling shatters President Alvaro Uribe's intent, expressed to U.S. officials during his visit to Washington last month, to bring to justice through civilian courts Col. Bayron Carvajal, leader of the troops who killed the police officers. When I reported from Colombia late last month, Attorney General Mario Iguaran assured me he would prosecute the accused military in civilian courts as doing the bidding of narcotics interests. [continues 581 words]
What happened?: A six-person jury - three men and three women - agreed with coroner Mark Thomas' findings in the deaths of three people. - - The death of Karen Ramos, 52, 414 W. Dayton St., was ruled accidental due to multiple drugs in her system. She died on May 22 in her home. - - The death of Jerry Nelson, 25, Aledo, was ruled accidental due to severe head and chest injuries suffered in a one-car traffic accident on 2700 North Road, west of Rio. He was pronounced dead at 10:13 p.m. Feb. 13. [continues 267 words]
Police Torture Report The truth about acts of torture in the Chicago Police Department, laid out over 290 pages, was there for all to see--those who wanted the facts, and perhaps more important, those who didn't. It took special prosecutor Edward Egan and Robert Boyle, the chief deputy special prosecutor, four years and more than $6 million in taxpayer money to investigate the atrocities that went down behind the doors of police interrogation rooms on the South Side in the 1970s and '80s. [continues 790 words]
In an effort to be proactive about helping Christ Our Rock Lutheran High School (CORLHS) students stay drug free, the Association Board of Directors recently approved a random drug testing policy that will be implemented for the 2006-2007 school year. The policy states, "Staying free of the use of illegal drugs or alcohol is crucial to a student's success in school and life, and is appropriate in our efforts to glorify God in all that we do." Principal Curtis Wudtke said that the purpose of the program is to provide for the health and safety of all students and to undermine the effects of peer pressure by providing a legitimate reason for students to refuse to use illegal drugs or alcohol. [continues 483 words]
CAIRO, Ill. -- Cairo High School students who participate in sports or other extracurricular activities face random drug testing this coming school year and will be barred from participating in those activities until subsequent tests show they're clean. The Cairo school board unanimously approved the drug-testing policy late last week, along with a code of conduct for students who participate in extracurricular activities. The code of conduct extends year-round and applies whether or not school is in session. The code of conduct prohibits drinking alcoholic beverages except for religious purposes, use of tobacco in any form, and possession or dealing of drugs and weapons. The prohibition doesn't apply to such activities as target shooting or hunting. [continues 652 words]
SHELBYVILLE - Some seventh-through 12th-grade students in Shelbyville schools will be subject to random drug tests in the 2006-07 school year under a plan approved Thursday night by the Shelbyville school board. The board approved the resolution 4-2, asking school attorneys to finalize a drug-testing program. One board member was absent. The recommendation comes after a committee of parents, teachers and administrators outlined a plan for random drug testing. Under the plan, students who participate in "competitive" extracurricular activities or obtain student parking permits will be placed in a drug testing pool. A computer program will generate identification numbers for random drug urine tests. The students will be taken to an off-campus location for testing. [continues 291 words]
Inside Illinois
