TEENS NEWS

Library Book 80 Years Overdue

Books on elegant armchair, a cup of hot tea beside it and fireplace in background

What’s 10 cents a day multiplied by 29,200 days? Almost $3,000. That’s how much it’s going to cost to wipe the slate clean on the library account of a book overdue by 80 years. The book, The Young Lady at Home by T.S. Arthur, which is about good manners, was scheduled to be returned to Massachusetts’s Attleboro Public Library on Nov. 21, 1938 but was just recently found and returned by a frequent patron of the library. “From 1938 we have no records of whose book it was. We are not searching this person out,” librarian Amy Rhilinger told CBS Boston.

Teenagers Run for Governor of Kansas

So, you’re running for class president? Big deal. Tyler Ruzich, who identifies as a Republican, and Jack Bergeson, a Democrat, are two teenage boys who announced that they intend to run for governor of Kansas. If both teenagers win their party nominations, they will face off in the 2018 general election. Kansas is one of a few states that does not have a legal age limit to run for governor. Tyler, who feels that age is irrelevant in the run for office, feels like he has an added advantage: unlike his opponent, he will be old enough to cast a ballot come the November election. “I think a lot of people would roll their eyes or raise their eyebrows at it. But I’m here to win,” Tyler said, before starting his shift as a grocery store cashier. Both teens better not neglect their schoolwork, since it is unlikely that they will be taking office anytime soon; there are 16 other more qualified candidates vying for the position.

Fewer Teens on the Road

It seems teenagers would rather wrap their hands around a smartphone than a steering wheel. According to a new study published in the Journal of Child Development, teenagers today are disinterested in typical rites of passage such as learning to drive or getting a part-time job. The study found that the percentage of adolescents who have a driver’s license, from all races and geographic and socioeconomic backgrounds across the United States, has plummeted drastically since 1976. Jean Twenge, lead author of the study, says that American teens are less interested in adult activities like driving or working because in today’s society, they no longer need to be. “According to an evolutionary-psychology theory, a person’s life strategy slows down or speeds up depending on the person’s surroundings, exposure to a harsh and unpredictable environment leads to faster development, while a more resource-rich and secure environment has the opposite effect,” she explained.

The Late Bas Mitzvah Gift

Don’t feel bad that you didn’t get a bas mitzvah present from your distant relative. A 23-year-old woman living in Israel, just got her birthday gift and card from her American aunt and uncle, albeit 11 years late. It seems the gift was mailed to the wrong address. It reached a couple in Haifa who sought out the woman on Facebook, sending her a photo of the package. Ironically, the gift came with an attached card in which the aunt and uncle apologized for sending the present three months after her bas mitzvah party. The bas mitzvah girl was thrilled to open the box, containing acrylic paints and brushes which are still useable. It is unclear if it was the Israeli postal system or a private courier company decided to send the dusty package to its original destination.