Boy, 7, A Rapist? + Drug War’s Cost + Crab Orgy + Batman’s Rescue

ACROSS AMERICA — A 7-year-old who experts say can’t possibly understand what he’s accused of has been charged with rape, setting off a debate among juvenile justice experts about what being branded a criminal at such a young age portends for youths later on in their lives.

How young is too young? The experts weigh in, via Across America Patch.

Drug War's True Cost

New Jersey could have paid the average monthly mortgage for 8 million homeowners, or bought a month's worth of groceries for nearly 20 million families of four. Instead, the state spent $11.6 billion to bust people for drugs, via Montclair Patch.

The Brood X Files

• A Kitty Side-Eyes A Cicada, via Arlington Patch
• Readers Share Brood X Cicada Photos, via Silver Spring Patch

Fun Reads

Batman To The Rescue: Who better than a soft-hearted, Batman-loving crusader to rescue homeless pets, via Tampa Patch.

Crab Orgy: Why let cicadas have all the attention? The Delaware Bay is home to the largest horseshoe crab spawning area in the world. There’s a lot going on there right now, via Ocean City Patch.

Head In The Clouds: Check out these photos from NASA photographer Bill Ingalls, who has taken Americans to space through the lens of his camera. The Space Foundation is honoring him, via Across America Patch.

Mark Konkol’s Road Trip: Patch columnist Mark Konkol, who happens to be a Pulitzer Prize winner, is on the road to see post-pandemic America. It’s a cryin’ shame Chicago isn’t the sweet home of blues, via Chicago Patch.

House Porn: Live in a former monastery with a deep seafood history | Comeback quarterback Alex Smith slept here | Marshall Field heir’s home sells | Want to live in a lighthouse?

Chances You'll Be Bitten By A Shark: Don’t go all “Jaws” over this. Shark bites are so rare, they’re almost not a thing at all, via Across America Patch.

Settle It: Do you call them fireflies or lightning bugs? via Across America Patch.

Karen-Be-Gone: Go figure. Almost no one is naming baby girls Karen anymore, via Across America Patch.

"These are all volunteer people that donate their time to fight fires. It ain't like they get paid. And you're going to steal from them?"

— Investigator Terry Phillips on the theft of firefighters’ smoker and grill, via Sarasota Patch

Trending Across Patch

• Monuments of Tubman, Floyd Replace Columbus, via Newark Patch
• Multiple Shootings In Phoenix’s West Valley, via Phoenix Patch
• Porch Collapse Injures 4 Adults, 2 Kids, via West Side Patch
• Who’s Affected In Wegmans Security Breach, via Larchmont-Mamaroneck Patch
• Why Tiger Woods Turned Down U.S. Open Role, via Palos Verdes Patch
• $10K Reward Offered In Slaying Of NJ Teen, via Maplewood Patch
• Racist, Antisemitic KKK Flyers Denounced, via Centreville Patch

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