Of the more than 7,500 teen births in 2008, four out of five were to unmarried teens. Like Bowdler, many of those teen mothers had not yet even completed high school.

Bowdler was 16 and just beginning her senior year in high school when the positive sign popped up on her home pregnancy tests — twice. The results made her excited and nervous at the same time.

She visited the Hope Pregnancy Center South for a free pregnancy test, ultrasound and education on what she and her unborn child would experience in the weeks ahead. Her boyfriend was convinced before she even took the tests that she was pregnant and they knew her pregnancy would begin showing soon.

Hiding her pregnancy wasn't an option.

“I knew people were going to look at me differently but I thought, this is my choice. I have to deal with the good and the negative that comes with it,” Bowdler said.

Though it resembled a script out of the TV show “16 and Pregnant,” she chose her path carefully.

She went to live at a maternity home and also got into Children First, an Oklahoma City-County Health Department program in which a nurse works with first-time mothers, particularly teenage moms, their partners and family.

Programs such as the 280-client Children First provide not only emotional benefits, but also financial ones estimated to return $6 for every $1 invested in high-risk families, said program administrator Tanya Shamblin.

“When you're a teenager and you become pregnant, your life is out of control. Friends and family say, ‘You've ruined your life. Your life is over,'” Shamblin said. “But the nurse is there saying, ‘You're young but you can get through school. You're going to get through this and we're here to encourage you.'”

Teen moms may drop out of school and are less likely to go to college than their counterparts, increasing the risk of spending a significant portion of their lives in poverty, Shamblin said.

Bowdler said she is focused on keeping her 14-month-old baby, Kobe, protected, healthy and financially secure.

She calls her Children First nurse, Rhonda Traue, a lifesaver. From the time Bowdler was a few months pregnant, Traue began visiting every other week to check on their health and share information on babies. One time when Kobe was about 2 months old, his mother shared her concerns with others about how he seemed to be breathing too quickly. Though she was assured the child seemed normal, she anxiously told Traue of the issue. Traue checked the baby and said he needed to see a doctor, who diagnosed Kobe with pneumonia.

“We love our nurse. She's great,” said Bowdler, now 18.

She said she didn't go to her prom or parties or hang out with friends so that she could concentrate on the baby. But she did walk across the stage during high school graduation, with her 1-month-old baby among the relatives in the audience.

In hopes of helping young people avoid circumstances like Bowdler's, a new teen pregnancy prevention program funded by a roughly $615,000 federal grant begins this year, tentatively, at Millwood and Jefferson middle schools in Oklahoma City.

With parental approval, students in sixth, seventh and 10th grades will study a curriculum focusing on abstinence and contraception to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.

The classes will be optional. Condoms will not be handed out, said Cynthia McGough, program administrator for preventive health with the Oklahoma City-County Health Department.

Bowdler is now working and hanging onto her dreams, tweaking them a bit. Though she won college scholarships and planned to become an anesthesiologist, she's decided she will become a pediatric nurse.

She said Traue's influence was so vital and positive, she hopes to offer people the same, while making a good living.

“Being a nurse will provide a substantial amount of income so my son and I won't have to live in poverty. That's my plan, not to have welfare ... to be able to provide for myself instead of being dependent on others,” Bowdler said.

She's completed one semester at Rose State College, earning two Bs and an A. She had to drop out one semester to go to work, but is enrolled for the fall semester. She said it's all about doing her best for her son.

“I want to give him a better life than what I had. I love this little child more than I've ever loved anything and I never thought that was possible,” Bowdler said. “I want to give him things I never had.”

 The Port of Brookings Harbor interim executive director may soon have that job on a permanent basis.

Port commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to enter into contract negotiations with Ted Fitzgerald and, in a separate motion, voted to authorize his hiring.

No timetable was set, but commissioners Jim Relaford and Kathy Lindley will begin talks with Fitzgerald as soon as next week.

On Friday, Fitzgerald said  he will consider a full-time offer.

“We’ve done a lot of work at the port, much of it ongoing, and I want to continue being a part of that,” he said.

He added, “It’s always something new every day. That’s what I love about this job.”

Fitzgerald was appointed to the interim post in September 2008, replacing Executive Director Rich Drehobl who resigned a month earlier. At the time, it was expected Fitzgerald would serve only a few months in the temporary post while a permanent replacement for Drehobl was found.

The port pays Fitzgerald on a monthly basis. The average monthly salary is approximately $5,000, according to Port Commissioner Jim Relaford. For the month of March, the port paid Fitzgerald nearly $10,000 as he worked significant overtime in the wake of the March 11 tsunami, Relaford said.

Fitzgerald said during Tuesday’s commission meeting that, if an acceptable offer was made, he could foresee keeping the job two to five years. He has strong support among commissioners.

Commission Vice Chairman Ted Freeman said the Port’s financial woes have improved since Fitzgerald came on board.

“We’re on our way to be able to pay our bills,” Freeman said. “He is working on maintenance and doing a lot of things that hadn’t been done before due to our financial situation.”

Fitzgerald has done a “great job” of monitoring Port revenues, Freeman added.

“Most of the state people who were involved with our problems earlier are very impressed,” he said.

Commissioner Jim Relaford also said he is pleased with the job Fitzgerald has done.

“He has responded to the emergencies we’ve had in an excellent way,” Relaford said. “I think he will make an excellent manager.”

The Port didn’t hire a fulltime director in 2008 because the agency’s finances were uncertain and commission members were unsure how much money was available, he said. Relaford said the port is in a much stronger financial position today.

Commissioner Kathy Lindley applauded Fitzgerald for having come up with a payment plan for loans the state of Oregon gave to the Port.

“He’s been able to give us the consistency we’ve needed,” she said.

Port merchants contacted by the Curry Coastal Pilot also expressed pleasure over the move. Jason Ramsey, part-owner of The Salty Dog coffee house, said he has always respected Fitzgerald.

“Every time I’ve needed something he’s been right there,” Ramsey said.

“I think he’s done a good job getting us through the effects of the tsunami,” said Jan Pearce, owner of Tidewind Sportfishing.

However, three other shop owners said they were hesitant to comment critically because they feared repercussions.

No timetable to hire Fitzgerald has been set, nor have details of a proposed contract been established.

Fitzgerald, an attorney, has lived in the Brookings area since he was 6. When hired on a temporary basis, he said his goal was to provide transparency in Port activities.

The executive director’s job is to manage the day-to-day operations of the Port and implement the policies set by the board of commissioners.

On Friday, Fitzgerald said he would have to modify his legal career in order to work at the port full time.

“The interests of the commercial and sports fishermen is still a top priority for me,” he said. “There are also many things I want to continue or pursue to make the port a more profit-oriented model. Once we’re out from under the tsunami stuff, there are a lot great things we can do at the port.”   

By TARA JEFFREY, The Observer

Updated 14 hours ago

Somewhere in between the school, homework, chores, and part-time job, 17-year-old Tamara Weese finds time to be a true cowgirl.

“I try to ride every day, or as much as I can,” said the LCCVI student and Ontario rodeo champ. “I really look forward to the weekends because that’s when I have the most fun.”

Weese has already racked up an impressive collection of titles, including her latest wins at the Ontario High School Rodeo Finals in the Breakaway and Team Roping events.

“My goal was to win the Breakaway, and I did, so that’s good,” she said of the event, which has mounted riders lasso a calf, then stop while the running calf breaks the string and the rope falls free from the saddle horn.

Weese, along with her eight-year-old horse, Bet, also took home the title of All-Around Cowgirl for the 2010-2011 season — a crown she won as a Junior in Grades 7 and 8 — which comes with a prestigious custom-made saddle and belt buckle, to add to her collection.

Over the years, Weese has mastered everything from “Cutting” to “Pole Bending,” and even her least favourite rodeo event, “Goat Tying.”

But it all started with her favourite category, “Barrel Racing,” in which mounted riders must run three barrels in a cloverleaf pattern in the fastest time.

“My dad barrel-raced, and then my brothers got into it,” said Weese, who started doing club shows in Brigden around age 10. Her brother Rod is a champion steer wrestler, and Troy, an expert bull rider.

“A lot of kids just want to go out and party, or drink,” said Weese. “But this is what I love to do — travelling with my family, and being together.”

Next month, she heads to Gillette, Wyoming for the National High School Rodeo Finals, where she’ll compete against riders from the U.S., Canada and Australia.

“Of course, you go out there hoping that you’ll do your best,” said Weese. “But it’s more about just having fun and meeting new people.”

tjeffrey@theobserver.ca

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WALLOPS — Accomack County has hired Deborah Christie of Onancock as the new part-time director of Wallops Research Park, replacing Amy Bull, who resigned effective June 1 to take another job.

Christie’s pay will be equivalent to Bull’s, according to a prepared release. She will report to the Accomack County Department of Planning and Community Development.

Christie’s previous positions include serving as executive director of the Northampton County Chamber of Commerce.

“She brings a strong focus on uniting people to achieve common goals and the skills and focus to do that,” said Accomack County Administrator Steve Miner, adding, “She is a facilitator and a problem-solver. Many in the business community will remember her for helping to initiate several Shorewide economic development summits and for her involvement in getting the welcome center established at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Deborah possesses the skills and talents Wallops Research Park needs.”

Christie is a native Virginian and a graduate of the University of Virginia.

Her previous positions include serving as executive director of the Houston Community College Foundation and as vice president of a Texas-based Fortune 500 energy company, where she headed community and government relations.

The director of Wallops Research Park provides administrative support and works closely with the Wallops Research Park Leadership Council, a group created by the state which along with elected county officials has responsibility for the development and operation of the park.

The research park, located in northern Accomack County near NASA Wallops Flight Facility’s main gate, is a joint initiative between Accomack County, NASA and Marine Sciences Consortium.

“We are happy to have Deborah back working on Virginia’s Eastern Shore,” Miner said, adding, “She is excited about the opportunity to support the council and the county in their effort to make the park a success and we are looking forward to working with her.”

By Mark Melnychuk

Posted 11 hours ago

Although the office of mayor might be a part-time position for now, some councillors want to keep an open mind about the job of leading Meadow Lake.

No formal talks have taken place to discuss making the mayor’s job a full-time position. However, the notion has recently been thrown around.

It’s an idea Coun. Jeff Fechter believes should be considered as the city grows.

“They’d definitely be able to address more local concerns,” said Fechter, when explaining the benefits of having a mayor that spends their weekdays at city hall.

If the position was combined with the duties of an economic development officer, Fechter said the mayor could make time to promote the city as a site for business development.

The other argument for changing the position would be attracting more candidates. Previous Mayor Darwin Obrigewitsch was acclaimed to office for one of his two terms because no one ran against him. The same went for Gabe Fournier, who was acclaimed to office for two of his three terms.

“I think that’s the best for any kind of democracy is the more candidates you get the better qualities that you’re going to have,” said Fechter.

So far, the only candidate to throw their hat into the ring for the by-election for mayor this fall is Coun. Toby Esterby.

Esterby doesn’t think there’s currently enough work at city hall for a full-time mayor.

“I really don’t think we’re quite to the point where there’s that need to have someone sitting in the mayoral seat for eight hours a day,” said Esterby.

While there may not be many nominations, he pointed to volunteer groups in the city who help provide the community with leadership. Esterby said he would not run for the position if it were full-time because of his commitments as the owner of his business, Noteworthy Music Media.

Councillors Annette Klassen and Elaine Yaychuk agreed that a full-time mayor is not needed. There’s also the matter of adding another salary to the city’s already strained budget. With a large number of infrastructure upgrades on the go, Yaychuk said the city can’t afford it.

Coun. Curtis Paylor said the arguments are at a crossroads, but the possibility of changing the mayor’s job could eventually be a “viable” option for the city as it continues to develop.

Coun. Richard Reed could not be reached for comment.

In order to make the job full-time, council would have to pass a resolution stating that the mayor would become an employee of the city while they were in office.Council would also need to determine what kind of salary the mayor would receive.

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By Gin A. Ando and James Sprague,

Contributing writers

Updated 6:53 PM Thursday, June 23, 2011

FAIRFIELD TWP. — After graduating from Butler Technology and Career Development School’s police academy in 2002, it took Mike Kammer five months to land a job.

The Mt. Healthy Police Department was just one of at least 15 departments Kammer, 32, of Hamilton, applied to before he was hired to work part-time at 16 hours per week. He was last on the seniority list and wasn’t allotted the hours he needed to support his family, so he took another part-time job as a police officer in Fairfield Twp.

He was offered a full-time position at Fairfield, which he took — approximately two years after he entered the academy.

As budgets get cut and officers are being asked to uphold public safety with fewer resources, the region’s law enforcement departments are confronting a growing number of graduates with certification to join the force — but cannot offer them positions because of financial restrictions. Since 2006, the state’s number of patrol officers and deputies has hovered around 24,000, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics figures. Despite the bureau’s forecast of the market for law enforcement around the country growing approximately 10 percent within the next seven years, Ohio, which employed approximately 24,110 deputies and officers in 2010, is expected to create 50 new jobs — a zero percent change.

Enrollment policies in police academies have generated oversaturation in the law, Kammer said.

“One of the big problems is that the state allows open enrollment in police academies,” he said. “Most departments are small. Therefore, their turnover is going to be small. Most departments maybe hire for one position a year, sometimes more, and sometimes none at all. The problem occurs because police academies graduate 20 to 30 people twice a year.

“So, if you take the four academies in the region and you do the math, that’s roughly 240 people just in Southwest Ohio who become eligible to become a police officer every year and try to fill maybe 100 positions that come open,” Kammer said.

Mike Weinman, director of government affairs for Ohio’s Fraternal Order of Police, said he’s seeing similar problems across the state. The volatility of the economy being perhaps the largest contributor.

“The outlook for future employment is hard to tell. Depending on who you listen to, the economy is getting better … or it’s not,” he said. “I don’t want to discourage any graduates of technical schools, but the outlook isn’t rosy.”

Weinman said tax cuts, which prune the amount of dollars local governments receive from residents, and the overall tightening of local budgets, is going to have an impact in the long run.

Although cuts haven’t drastically reduced the number of officers in the Hamilton Police Department, Chief Neil Ferdelman said he has to keep his staff trim and do what is becoming the mantra of law enforcement groups across the country: do more with less.

“I talk to so many talented college graduates, but because of the economy, we can’t hire them,” Ferdelman said. “It’s devastating for younger people who study so hard and can’t get a job in criminal justice.”

The Hamilton Police Department has gradually cut from its officer roster during the past three years — from 126 to the current 114 — and aims to bring the number down to 105 by 2013. The department hasn’t hired for three years.

Cuts to a police force, however, is something that could affect citizens of a given area — any layoff means fewer officers protecting Ohio’s communities, Weinman said.

“Cleveland is an example where approximately 100 officers are going to be laid off due to (budget cuts),” he said. “Additionally, if (Ohio Senate Bill 5) were to become law, new cadets can see a significant reduction in benefits and wages from what current officers are receiving if they are fortunate enough to find a job.”

The tough market isn’t stopping some students from enrolling in Butler Tech’s public safety program, however.

Harvey Poff, director of the Public Safety Education Complex at Butler Tech, said that although the economy has brought down enrollment slightly, he still is seeing relatively stable enrollment and statistics that prove law enforcement groups are hiring.

“Hiring is very slow, but we have people getting successful,” Poff said. “The students know (about the market). We tell them when they come in.”

Despite the low figures of employment, frustration and media reports regarding layoffs, Ferdelman said he sees some light at the end of the tunnel.

“In the 35 years I’ve been in law enforcement, I’ve seen ups and downs,” he said. “All things get bad, but it gets better. There are opportunities.”

Contact these writers at gando@coxohio.com and jsprague@coxohio.com.

In addition to making about 60 teacher’s aides part-time employees, proposed Sullivan County school budget cuts include leaving open the following 12 vacant teaching positions:

• An unspecified position at Blountville Elementary School;
• One of four fifth-grade positions at Indian Springs Elementary School in Kingsport;
• Two unspecified positions at Miller Perry Elementary School in Kingsport;
• One unspecified teaching position at Mary Hughes Elementary School in Piney Flats;
• One unspecified position at Mary Hughes Middle School in Piney Flats;
• One computer technology position at Bluff City Middle School;
• One ROTC teacher at Sullivan East High School in Bluff City;
• One librarian at Sullivan South High in Kingsport;
• One health occupations position at Sullivan South;
• One physical education job at Sullivan North High School in Kingsport;
• One drivers education position that serves the entire school system;
• One social studies job at Sullivan Central High School in Blountville.

More than 60 Sullivan County teacher’s aides could be switched from full-time to part-time employees as part of a series of proposed spending cuts that would help the county school system absorb a projected $3.3 million deficit in the coming fiscal year’s budget.

School officials considered the proposal, which would drastically cut the affected aides’ hours and benefits, during a Thursday afternoon meeting that also focused on changing health insurance benefits for certain employees and leaving 12 currently vacant positions unfilled at the start of the next school year.

“Unfortunately, we’re looking at some declining revenues,” Director of Schools Jubal Yennie said as he explained the proposed cuts during Thursday’s meeting. “It’s time for us to start taking some measures that will get us to where we need to go.”

Faced with declining enrollment figures, the school system is expected to collect only $86.8 million in revenue this coming fiscal year – a figure that’s about $200,000 less than what it predicted. Its expenses are projected to come in around the $90.1 million mark, Yennie said.

He added that the school system could make up some of the difference with money from its surplus accounts, which currently total $5.6 million. The school system can use as much as $2 million of this money and still comply with state regulations that it keep 3 percent of its total budget in reserve.

But Yennie cautioned against using the entire available surplus because he expects the system’s revenues to continue to decline next year, while expenses will continue to increase as it struggles with the rising costs of maintaining its buildings.

That’s why he’s proposing more than $2.2 million worth of budget cuts and taking only $1.1 million from the school system’s reserve accounts to balance the budget for the coming year, which starts July 1.

Among the proposed cuts are:

w         Making teacher’s aides who work with kindergarten and Title I classes part-time employees, which would save $825,000 next year;

w         Not filling 12 vacant teaching positions, which would save $660,000 next year;

w         Canceling a long-standing policy in which the school system pays the entire health insurance costs of couples when both are school system employees, at a savings of $250,000;

w         Making other cuts that do not involve personnel that would save $539,000.

“We don’t have to make a decision on this information today,” Yennie said, recognizing that board members may need some time to think about the cuts before they vote.

Despite the severity of the cuts, Yennie gave the board some good news when he assured them that every school system employee who has a job this year will have one next year, although some might see their hours and benefits cut.

That might not be the case when it’s time to write the system’s budget for 2012, Yennie cautioned, because unless the system can bring the cost of maintaining its buildings under control its expenses will continue to rise while revenues and enrollments decrease.

“What’s troubling me is the things to come,” board member Jack Bales told Yennie after Thursday’s meeting. “You’re setting the stage for next year. We’re not impacting the classroom [with our budget cuts] this year, but next year we will be.”

The board will vote on Yennie’s proposed budget during a called meeting set for 2 p.m. Wednesday in the school system’s main office building. School officials will then present their proposed budget to the Sullivan County Commission’s budget committee Thursday afternoon.

gmclean@bristolnews.com
(276) 645-2518

Brian Jones/Las Vegas News Bureau

Mayor Pro Tem Gary Reese and Mayor Oscar Goodman make a final toast to their terms at Fremont Street Experience on June 15, 2011.

Aida Ahmed, Sun staff writer

Thursday, June 23, 2011 | 1:46 p.m.

Honoring Goodman and Reese

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After serving 12 years as the mayor of Las Vegas, Oscar Goodman gave his last news conference Thursday before he swears in the new mayor, his wife, Carolyn Goodman, in two weeks.

The colorful mayor, who started off as a Mob lawyer and went on to serve the city for three four-year terms, says his staff is sad about moving out of the office, but he’s ready for his upcoming job, working for the Las Vegas Visitors and Convention Authority.

“I’m looking forward to my next life,” Goodman told reporters gathered at City Hall. “I’ll be doing a part-time job as the brand of Las Vegas of behalf of the convention authority with the showgirls and the booze, promoting tourism.”

But that’s not all the former mayor will be doing. His extensive list of things to do includes writing a book, appearing in a cameo in a “CSI: Las Vegas” episode next season and starring in a documentary film about his life that may turn into a reality show. He says the shooting on that project will start at his wife’s inauguration.

As he prepares to leave office on July 6, Goodman says he’s proud of several projects he has helped see through, including the acquisition of 61 acres of former Union Pacific railway land now known as Symphony Park — which he calls the “jewel of the desert ” — without resorting to eminent domain.

What he hopes to see in the future is his wife, as the new mayor, bringing real medical tourism and a wellness center to the city, making Las Vegas a leading destination for medical care.

Also, the outgoing mayor hasn’t yet given up on the sports arena he has tried for so hard to bring to the city.

“I hope that the shovel will turn and the NBA will have Carolyn Goodman next to them when they announce an NBA franchise here,” Goodman said.

Regardless, the soon-to-be former mayor says he can look back fondly of his 12 years at the city’s helm.

“Every day has been wonderful,” Goodman said. “I don’t have one regret. I’ve done everything the way I wanted to do it.

Job seekers often fall victim to the misconception that companies don’t hire during the dog days. There are several reasons to turn up the heat on your job search.

By Anne Fisher, contributor

FORTUNE — Dear Annie: Please settle an argument. A close friend of mine who has been job hunting for the past six months or so is talking about taking July and August “off,” on the theory that employers don’t hire anyone in the summer anyway. I got my job in mid-August last year, so I know firsthand this isn’t always true, but was I just an exception, or is summer generally a good time to keep job hunting? We have a lobster dinner riding on your answer. — Cape Cod

Dear C.C.: “The idea that companies cut back on hiring in the summer is a myth,” says Patty Coffey, a partner at staffing firm Winter Wyman. “In fact, most employers fill job openings at the same pace, or even an increased pace, during the hottest months of the year.”

The trickiest part of a summer job hunt is, as you might imagine, scheduling interviews around people’s vacations. “An interview process that would normally take three weeks may stretch out to five weeks or even longer,” Coffey notes. “So candidates may have to be a little more patient than usual.”

Even so, Coffey says that there are seven reasons you should persevere:

1. Interviewers are less pressed for time. “It’s a slow season in many industries. Accounting firms, for example, are busiest in the winter and early spring, so summer is a great time for them to build and train their staff,” Coffey says.

2. The jobs are there. Since her specialty is IT recruiting, Coffey is keenly aware of the number of jobs currently going unfilled due to a scarcity of skilled candidates, particularly in the East and the Midwest. A recent Dice.com poll of 900 managers who hire techies says that 65% hope to add staff in the second half of 2011 –that is, starting in July. Read more

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