Weekend catch-up: Teen moms’ struggles, and more stories you may have missed

For struggling teen moms, daunting statistics

Audio: CPR’s Megan Verlee reports on teen moms in Colorado
Photo: Teen moms, Krista Hernandez
Krista Hernandez, a senior at Denver's West Career Academy, browses through her social worker's 'baby boutique' while holding her 4-month-old son, Ezra.

Krista Hernandez is only four months into her new life as a mother, and so far it’s been a pretty tough road. The high school senior gave birth a month and a half early and her son Ezra then spent the next four weeks in the hospital. She's determined to finish high school, but the statistics don't run in her favor.

Dominic Ellerbee's remarkable musical

Audio: South High senior Dominic Ellerbee speaks with Chloe Veltman
Photo: Dom Ellerbee
South High School senior Dominic Ellerbee strums his guitar in a CPR recording studio.

Photo: Dom EllerbeeBefore he goes off to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, 18-year-old Dominic Ellerbee debuted his musical at South High School. Even more remarkable, some of the songs in "So Many Fish in the Sea" were written while his family was homeless. More here.

To lessen prescription abuse, sign docs up to check for it

Photo: Colorado PDMP registrations

Photo: Colorado PDMP registrationsOne way to stop prescription drug abuse is to get more health care professionals to use their drug monitoring program. In Colorado, just requiring them to get an account has lead to more people using the system. But not all doctors use the system in the same way. More here.

Longmont's newest journalist is 11 years old

Audio: Isabelle and Amy Saunders speak with Ryan Warner
Clone of Photo: Isabelle Saunders -- wide
Isabelle Saunders and her reporter's notebook.

Clone of Photo: Isabelle Saunders -- wideIsabelle Saunders has already covered a City Council meeting, a city open house, and a forum on the future of the news business. Dipping her toe into the pundit game, she told Colorado Matters that newspapers make the switch to digital-only in one to five years. More here.

Common Core math with band saws and plasma cutters

Audio: CPR’s Jenny Brundin reports on Common Core math
Photo: Common core math agriculture feature student welding
Student Kendall Hood works the plasma cutter.

Photo: Common core math agriculture feature student weldingAgriculture teacher Jay Whaley wanted his students to build an octagonal round hay bale feeder. When he teamed up with math teacher Maggie Bruski, it became an opportunity to teach Common Core math. More here on how a bunch of high school freshman started learning higher level math.

Colorado's prison chief 'can't dfend' parole shortcomings

Colorado prisons chief Rick Raemisch speaks with Ryan Warner
Photo: The Huerfano County Correctional Center
The Huerfano County Correctional Center in Walsenburg, Colorado is one of several private prisons in the state that have closed in recent years.

Photo: The Huerfano County Correctional CenterWhen Kevin Monteiro got out of prison, he faced a lot of obstacles you might not expect. One of the biggest was navigating the parole system. Rick Raemisch, executive director of the Colorado Department of Corrections, told Colorado Matters that he doesn't defend some of the treatment Monteiro received after he served his time. More here.

Silverthorne ponies up $4M for $6M arts complex

Photo: Silverthorne art complex mock up
City of Silverthorne plan showing the what the new complex could look like.

Photo: Silverthorne art complex mock upSilverthorne plans to move its 21-year-old performing arts organization from its long-standing location of Lake Dillon a few miles down the road to Silverthorne. The new facility will cost $6 million, and the city will use $4 million of its $10 million budget to make it happen. More here.

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In Intense Desert Training, Marine Women Fight For Place On Front Lines

The stakes are very high for women who are seeking to enter infantry units: Only a dozen or so women remain enrolled in the training for ground combat. Many more have dropped out, often because of injuries like hip and leg fractures.

Would Automatic Voter Registration Increase Turnout?

Some Republicans are worried that automatic voter registration could increase voter fraud. Others say automatic voter registration might not even make that big of a difference.

Why is insulin so expensive in the U.S.?

Did you know there's no such thing as generic insulin in the United States? The drug can cost up to $400 a month, making diabetes unaffordable for many of the estimated 29 million people who live with it.