Substance Abuse

Charles White of the Los Angeles Rams, the NFL's leading rusher last season, and a pair of Chicago Bears, star defensive end Richard Dent and running back Calvin Thomas, were suspended by the league for 30 days yesterday for violating its substance-abuse policy. All three must stay out of their teams' training facilities until Oct. 7, a league spokesman said. In all, 17 players have been suspended this year for violating the league's policy. Rams coach John Robinson said the substance found in White's test was alcohol.

The Pennsauken Board of Education has decided to begin a Student Assistance Program to provide counseling for students with drug- or alcohol-abuse problems. Starting in September, students will be able to seek help, on a confidential basis for the first time, from counselors at the schools. The high school will have a walk-in office set up specifically to deal with student problems. The board unanimously endorsed the program at a work session last night. Marsha Mark, a school social worker, will become coordinator of the program.

Prevention is the goal of the Rancocas Community Aligned for Substance Awareness (R-CASA) - a municipal alliance that will target various age groups during the coming year in a fight against alcohol and drug abuse, according to Anne Moore, chairwoman of the group. The townships of Mount Holly and Westampton have agreed to join forces and funding in the alliance to "make the group have a bigger impact on these efforts in the area," Moore said. The alliance is hoping to attract participation from other municipalities, Moore said.

The overhaul of New Jersey's child-welfare system includes far-reaching improvements in health care, according to a draft of the state's plan. Under part of the plan, obtained yesterday by The Inquirer, the number of families getting substance-abuse treatment would triple, the number of nurses on staff would more than double, and children living in adoptive and foster homes would be enrolled in HMOs. Funding for programs dealing with substance abuse - suspected to play a role in as many as four of every five Division of Youth and Family Services cases - would triple to almost $90 million a year.

The Cherry Hill Board of Education on Monday approved a staff program on drug and alchohol abuse. The five-hour seminar, to be held sometime in March, is designed to heighten district employees' awareness of substance abuse in the schools. Robert W. Ferris, assistant superintendent of schools, said the session was part of a program started in 1984. "In the summer of 1984 we developed a pilot project to assist with the development of substance-abuse services," Ferris said.

Taking the stance that any degree of substance abuse is unacceptable, the Upper Dublin Select Joint Committee on Teenage Alcohol Abuse has outlined a series of recommendations to combat the growing problem. The committee presented the results of its summer-long study of teen substance abuse in Upper Dublin to the township commissioners and school board Thursday night. About 30 members of the public attended. "There is a serious and growing problem, and it is not only teen alcohol abuse, but substance abuse," said Leonard Ross, chairman of the committee.

Incidents of violence, vandalism and substance abuse are down in Cherry Hill's public schools, according to a report released by the district yesterday. For the 2003-04 school year, there were 87 reported episodes, a 16 percent drop from the previous year's 104. "The report is somewhat encouraging," said Michael Nuzzo, the district's director of security. The drop in violence and vandalism comes despite a steadily growing student population. Cherry Hill has about 11,700 students this school year.

On Monday, Philadelphia public school students will have a day off while their teachers, principals and parents discuss one of the most disheartening and pervasive problems facing students and schools - substance abuse. The all-day program is the third annual "instructional review day," inaugurated in 1987 for teachers and administrators in each school to get together and brainstorm for a day on a crucial issue. This year, for the first time, parents have been invited as well.

After a three-month investigation, Haverford officials met behind closed doors Tuesday to discuss whether disciplinary action should be taken against Charles T. Held, director of the Department of Codes Enforcement, who has been accused of being drunk when he participated in a Planning Commission meeting in February. "A decision was made. That's my statement. Nothing more," township manager Thomas J. Banner said after the meeting of the Board of Commissioners. Neither Banner nor other officials would say what the decision was. Held could not be reached for comment.

People with schizophrenia, the mental illness that afflicted a woman who allegedly killed two Canadian tourists in Atlantic City on Monday, are generally not violent, experts say, but the risk that they will be rises when they stop taking medications and start taking illicit drugs. A history of violent behavior and exposure to violence as a child are also red flags. It is difficult to get people with any chronic mental illness to take their medicines properly, psychiatrists pointed out, but it can be especially challenging with people whose brains are so dysfunctional that they may not realize they are sick.

The reporting of additional information concerning the alleged child-abuse death of a 6-year-old boy again raises questions about the protection of children in Philadelphia. Records indicate that although Khalil Wimes was not officially under the supervision of the city Department of Human Services when his death occurred on March 19, a DHS social worker did see Khalil several times when she monitored two older siblings during their supervised visits with the boy. If the social worker saw signs of abuse, which others now say were clearly visible, why weren't steps taken so DHS could intercede?

Kevin Durant scored 38 points and Russell Westbrook added 29 points and 10 rebounds as the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder erased a 14-point deficit to beat the Orlando Magic, 105-102, on Thursday night. The Magic had a chance to tie it in the final seconds, but Jason Richardson's long three-pointer bounced off the backboard at the buzzer. The Thunder's win was their seventh straight, matching a streak from earlier in the season. Dwight Howard scored 33 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead all five Magic starters in double figures, but the Magic struggled to shoot from the field down the stretch.

The Philadelphia Coalition for Drug/Violence-Free Communities will host the Teen Roundtable Cafe - Keeping It Real from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at the Masonic Temple. The teen cafe will allow youths to discuss topics such as substance abuse, bullying, and conflict resolution. The event will include lunch, door prizes and other activities. It is cosponsored by the Central North Equal Partners in Change Stakeholders. Teen Roundtable Cafe - Keeping It Real, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Masonic Temple, 4301 N. Broad St. Admission is free.

Dear Parents/Guardians: Earlier today, we learned about a company that posts YouTube videos of high school and college students engaged in apparent underage drinking and illegal drug use. One of the videos included footage of current and former LMSD high school students. Though the video is no longer online, we had an opportunity to view it and it was shared with local law enforcement. The activities depicted in the video are reprehensible and cause for great concern. They include binge drinking, marijuana use, substance-induced violence and several dangerous situations involving drugs and alcohol in vehicles.

Should flags fly at half-staff to mark the death of Whitney Houston? That question has become the center of the latest Internet-inspired storm cloud to hover over Gov. Christie. Christie announced Tuesday at a news conference that U.S. and New Jersey flags would be lowered for one day - Saturday, the day of Houston's funeral - to honor a New Jerseyan who was "an important part of the cultural fabric of this state. " As word spread via social media, response was fast and often furious.

Jamie Moyer may no longer be a Phillie, but he has left a part of himself with this city that will have a positive impact on its youth long after he steps away from baseball. Philadelphia is one of three cities the Moyer Foundation calls home. Created by Moyer and his wife, Karen, the foundation funds programs that help children handle stress, including the Camp Erin program for children mourning the death of a parent or close relative, and the Camp Mariposa program for children with substance abuse in the family.

FOX "GOOD DAY NEW YORK" anchor Greg Kelly was off the air yesterday morning. He's been accused of sexually assaulting a woman. This is not only a journalistic problem for New York's local Fox station; it's a police problem also. Greg's father is longtime NYC Police Commissioner Ray Kelly . The alleged victim said she had drinks with Greg on Oct. 8, then went back to her office, where he assaulted her, a source told the Associated Press. It's not clear why she waited until Tuesday to go to police, who quickly turned the case over to the Manhattan D.A.'s office because of the potential conflict of interest.

LOS ANGELES - Actress Demi Moore was receiving medical treatment yesterday after paramedics rushed to her home near Benedict Canyon in the Los Angeles area on Monday night. Details of her condition were not clear, but a source confirmed that Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics were called to the home and treated a patient there. Moore, 49, who recently starred in the movie "Margin Call," announced last fall that she was ending her six-year marriage to actor Ashton Kutcher, 33. "Because of the stresses in her life right now, Demi has chosen to seek professional assistance to treat her exhaustion and improve her overall health," her publicist, Carrie Gordon, said.

GEORGE FOREACRE is not a coldhearted guy. But he couldn't help but celebrate this week's death of notorious strip-club mogul Robert Laflar, who faced trial in October in the fatal beating of Foreacre's friend. "I know he [Laflar] has children, and they're innocents. That's the ones I feel bad for," said Foreacre, 37, who survived the 2009 attack outside Laflar's strip club that left him with four fractured vertebrae and his buddy Jimmy Koons dead. "But when you dance with the devil, you got to answer to the devil, and he answered to the devil today.