SAN NARCISO, Calif. (Bennington Vale Evening Transcript) -- A new study of suicide among children under 12 has produced some alarming results. Researchers examined records from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which tracks mortality and suicide rates, between the years of 1993 and 2012, targeting kids between five and 11 years old. They found that a total of 657 children took their own lives during that time -- an average of 33 per year. Even more distressing, incidents of suicide among black youths have doubled. The study’s lead author attributed the problem to several factors: increased exposure to violence and traumatic stress, early onset of puberty and depression. “Basically,” he explained, “the closer black youngsters get to reaching their teenage years, the more likely they are to perish at the hands -- and gun barrels -- of white police officers. So, that could account for the increased exposure to violence, depression and so forth.”

SAN NARCISO, Calif. (Bennington Vale Evening Transcript) -- George Zimmerman, in a frightening change of circumstance, found himself on the business end of a pistol Monday. The incident occurred during a near-deadly bout of road rage, sparked when the former neighborhood watch volunteer waved a firearm at a man in another vehicle. The shooter, identified as Matthew Apperson, had previously had a run-in with Zimmerman back in September 2014. During that confrontation, Apperson suffered an unprovoked assault by Zimmerman, who accused him of shaking a finger at his truck. Perceiving the digit-wagging as a grave threat to his life -- one perhaps more perilous than an unarmed black teenager brandishing Skittles and iced tea -- Zimmerman cautioned the would-be assailant that he would “f***ing kill” him. This event, one in a growing string of encounters with police, reveals a more complex view of Florida’s Stand Your Ground law than the media portrayed during the Trayvon Martin hearings: mainly that someone as paranoid and terrified of everything as George Zimmerman needs “shoot-first” type protections.

SAN NARCISO, Calif. (Bennington Vale Evening Transcript) -- A high school in Crane, Texas, has found itself battling an epic chlamydia outbreak, according to health officials looking into a rash of recently reported problems. Currently, 300 students at Crane High have been diagnosed with the irritating but highly treatable condition. Members of the Texas educational system seemed confused by the Department of Health’s pronouncement, claiming that the presence of a sexually transmitted disease at the campus is virtually impossible, especially since Madonna has refused to play the senior prom for decades. The school does not offer sexual education -- Crane High instead relies on a faith-based abstinence-only program. “Our kids aren’t having sexual relations,” one administrator said. “It’s a sin, and they know it. The only explanation for this plague is that God has cursed us with the boils of Egypt.”

SAN NARCISO, Calif. (Bennington Vale Evening Transcript) -- Carly Fiorina, the embattled former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, has declared her second candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination, pitting her against Democratic favorite Hillary Clinton. For one of the first times in U.S. history, voters will encounter a fresh dynamic in the battle for the White House between two viable women of stature and influence. Although misunderstood and much maligned for her countless business, social and political failures, Fiorina could emerge as one of the best chief executives for America today. In fact, she seems to understand the mindset, motivations and pulse of the public in a way that Clinton never will. Here are Fiorina’s positions on the issues and all the ways she could surpass Ronald Reagan as the country’s most beloved and effective Republican president.