For the first time, official data show that more than half of children born in the United States are from racial and ethnic minorities.

The Census Bureau has released figures from 2011 showing that in the 12-month period to July, 50.4 percent of babies were either black, Hispanic, Asian or of mixed-race. Non-Hispanic whites accounted for 49.6 percent of all births.

The Washington Post reported that the proportion of white babies counted during the decennial census in April 2010 was almost a full percentage point higher, but Census demographers said the tipping point came three months later in July.

“This is a watershed moment,” Andrew Cherlin, a sociologist at Johns Hopkins University, told the Post. “It shows us how multicultural we’ve become.”

The newly released data also show that in 2011, 49.7 percent of all children under the age of 5 were either Hispanic, black, Asian or from another minority, as were more than half of the 4 million children under the age of 1.

On the fine line between "oh, that's cute" and "what were they thinking," an Oregon mom has attracted national attention for placing her zebra hoodie-wearing 13-month-old next to a lion exhibit at the Portland Zoo. And of course, the mom videotaped what happened next.

The video shows a lion scratching, clawing and lunging at young Jack Baltzor, but never leaving a mark on him, thanks only to some thick plexiglass.

"He [Jack] loves kitties, so he was waving and saying, 'Hi kitty, kitty.'" said mother Heather Baltzor. "We weren't scared at all."

According to a new study published in the latest edition of Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, about 6 percent of eighth graders polled in Oregon have participated in "the choking game" as a means to get high, and it might lead to more risky behavior.

The game occurs when a person uses some type of restriction, such as rope or a belt, to cut off blood and oxygen to the brain until they pass out. When oxygent rushes back, it causes a sense of euphoria.

The study polled 5,400 Oregon middle schoolers. Of those who played the game, 64 percent played ore than once and almost 27 percent did it more than five times. It found both girls and boys were equally likely to participate and both were more likely to report being sexually active or likely to abuse substances.

There have been several Idaho instances of the choking game reported recently, including an incident earlier this month when a 10-year-old boy from Dietrich died from self-choking. Law enforcement said the boy had apparently heard about the game from older students at his school.

Thousands of at-risk school kids from throughout Ada County will have a safe way of getting to an appropriate after-school location, thanks in large part to a grant announced today by the Boys and Girls Clubs.

“These kids usually come from families who have no mode of transportation other than the city bus system,” Richard Johnson, Boys and Girls Clubs development director, told Citydesk.

The $20,000 grant from the Julius C. Jaker Foundation will help provide free transportation from local schools to the Garden City and Meridian Boys and Girls Clubs. A total of 12 schools, 11 in Boise and one in Meridian, participate in the program, with children aged 6-18 riding the buses.

“Each school is familiar with the kids who are involved in the pick-up system, and they all have a designated area for pick up,” said Johnson.

The Ada County Boys and Girls Club locations serve nearly 4,000 lower-income, high-risk youth, focusing on academic support, character development and leadership.

For this Holiday season, the Boise Bicycle Project will celebrate their fifth-annual children’s bike giveaway. With more than 300 bikes to dole out, the event transforms the Lusk Street workshop into a kid-friendly day of joy. This year’s partnership with the Friends of Children and Families Head Start program will bring younger children, ages 4 to 6 years, to the shop, some for their very first bike.

“Last year, I think we ended up doing about 220 bikes or something like that,” said BBP executive director Jimmy Hallyburton. “This year our volunteer base is a little stronger,” he said.

Those volunteers have been working elf-like hours at the shop, with 30 to 50 people working every night for two straight months. To cater to this year's younger crowd, they’ve been busily installing more than 200 sets of training wheels to the little bikes, the gift of local donors.

The frames and materials were donated by the community over the course of the year. The recycled bicycles have been entirely re-fabbed and re-painted into like-new rides, perfect for a child in need.

“When we contact these kids, we try to get the kid’s name, height, age and favorite color,” said Hallyburton. From there, they create bikes that match the children. “Then we have a little spot for them to write a story and draw a picture of their bike.”

This year, the BBP and Head Start are bringing many Mexican children, necessitating a group of translators. Some of these English as a Second Language families will be traveling from Nampa, Caldwell and Meridian.

On Dec. 17, the kids will file in to pick up their new steeds. While the children love the bikes, the volunteers get something out of it, too.

“The actual day of the giveaway, these volunteers get to see their hard work come to fruition,” he said.

A Boise-based stroller manufacturer has initiated a nationwide recall.

B.O.B. single and double strollers, made by B.O.B. Trailers, were recalled Tuesday for possible choking hazards. The recall was issued after it was discovered that the stroller canopy's embroidered logo patch could detach, causing a possible choking hazard. Six instances of children ingesting the detached patch have been reported; two of the reports involved gagging and choking, according to JusticeNewsFlash.com.

The recall involves all B.O.B. strollers manufactured between November 1998 and November 2010.

The Associated Press reports that Idaho will soon become the only state in the nation without a formal, regular panel to review child and infant deaths.

The state of Arkansas last week formed its first regular panel to examine infant deaths. Volunteers from social service agencies, law enforcement and health care will serve on teams to evaluate the fatalities.

Arkansas becomes the 49th state to develop the permanent program, according to the AP, with only Idaho now lagging.

The Idaho Department of Health and Welfare announced in late 2010 that it would launch a formal investigation into the case of Robert Manwill, whose 2009 abuse and murder led to a Treasure Valley-wide call to action. In December 2010, Health and Welfare Director Richard Armstrong told BW that the panel needed to wait until the trial that convicted Manwill's mother and her boyfriend was completed.

"Because this is a criminal trial, there will be other facts coming out, so we're going to wait until then for the outside review," said Armstrong. "Because there's no other way for us to get access to some of those criminal files. We have no choice. For us to convene a panel prior to the trial could jeopardize the legal proceedings."

Indeed an investigative panel has met four times since Aug. 3 and is expected to make recommendations to Idaho's child welfare system.

CNN is reporting that the man who penned a controversial self-published "how-to" guide for pedophiles, has been arrested in Colorado to face obscenity charges stemming from his book in Florida.

From the CNN article...

"You cannot engage or depict children in a harmful relationship," said Polk County, Florida Sheriff Grady Judd as he described the Florida obscenity statute officials used to charge Philip Greaves with distribution of obscene material depicting minors engaged in conduct harmful to a minors.

The self-published author was arrested in Pueblo, Colorado on a Florida felony warrant after undercover detectives in Polk County purchased and received a copy of the book through the mail. He will have to be extradited to Florida to face charges.

"There may be nothing that the other 49 states can do, but there is something that the state of Florida can do," Judd said, "that's to make sure we prosecute Philip Greaves for his manifesto."

The book, which was self-published through Amazon's Createspace platform, was originally defended by Amazon as an article of free speech, but was eventually pulled after public outrage and threats of a boycott. Ironically, the level of attention the book received pushed it to #65 on Amazon's best-selling e-books for the Kindle. It had previously sold only one copy.

National and statewide Kids Count data released today (Tuesday) reveals some sobering facts about childhood poverty in Idaho. Released annually by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, Kids Count 2010 ranks Idaho as 21st in the nation for childhood well-being based on ten factors including percentage of children in single-parent households and those living below the poverty line.

Statistics show the number of children on food stamps in Idaho is up, from 91,916 in 2008 to 110,140 in 2009. The percentage of immunized children has also seen a steady decline in five years, decreasing from 80.6% in 2004 to 65.9% in 2008. The percentage of children in homeless shelters has been hovering between 23% and 26% for the last four years.

In Ada County, the percentage of mothers without a high school diploma was 11% in 2007, up from 10% in 2000. In Canyon County, the percentage of mothers without a high school diploma was 25% in 2007, and has hovered around that number for the past eight years. Clark County ranked the highest, where 45% of mothers do not hold a high school diploma.

The percentages of all food stamp participants that are children in both Ada and Canyon Counties have seen a slight decrease in five years. Children make up 19% and 22% of the total number of food stamp recipients in Ada and Canyon County, respectively. Madison County ranked the highest in the state at 34%.

Some positive news coming out of the report shows the statewide graduation completion rate has seen an increase between 2004 and 2008, from 84% to 89%, respectively. The state also had the second-to-lowest rate of children in single-parent households, at 23%.

To see the full report on Idaho statistics, visit the Annie E. Casey Foundation website.