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Boys, birds & bees: Have that talk sooner, says study that found early puberty hits boys, too
• CHICAGO (AP) -- When it comes to the birds and the bees, some parents may want to have that talk with their boys a little sooner than they expected.
• Researchers have found signs of puberty in American boys up to two years earlier than previously reported -- age 9 on average for blacks, 10 for whites and Hispanics. Other studies have suggested that girls, too, are entering puberty younger.
• Why is this happening? Theories range from higher levels of obesity and inactivity to chemicals in food and water, all of which might interfere with normal hormone production. But those are just theories, and they remain unproven.
• Doctors say earlier puberty is not necessarily cause for concern. And some experts question whether the trend is even real.
• Dr. William Adelman, an adolescent medicine specialist in the Baltimore area, says the new research is the first to find early, strong physical evidence that boys are maturing earlier. But he added that the study still isn't proof and said it raises a lot of questions.
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Unions shift political muscle to state and local races to limit anti-labor measures
• WASHINGTON (AP) -- Unions are shifting more of their political resources to state and local races this year as they try to head off passage of laws that could undermine bargaining rights, make it harder to organize or reduce their political muscle.
• Labor leaders say their top goal remains re-electing President Barack Obama, but several unions are redirecting their focus from the presidential and congressional campaigns to state and local races in dozens of states where they feel threatened.
• In New Hampshire, unions want to keep the governor's seat in Democratic hands to prevent a right-to-work measure. In Maine and Minnesota, labor leaders hope to overturn Republican majorities in state legislatures. And in Michigan, unions are trying to enshrine collective bargaining rights in the state constitution.
• The shift comes as organized labor is still reeling from battles in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana and other states where governors have sought to limit union rights for public (Continued on page 37)
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