Kids news

Although 8-year-old Jacob Berman of Reading (inset) has always been interested in history and current events, his parents thought his desire to produce his own newspaper would be a passing interest. Initially, he wrote just a few lines about local police officers pulling over speeders and responding to loud house parties. After searching in vain for publications of interest to kids, however, he decided to write one himself.

Jacob has published more than 20 issues of Kids News, which he writes with occasional submissions from friends who serve as his Andover and Canadian correspondents. He takes or downloads photographs and does his own layout, searching the Internet for just the right graphics and fonts.

Recent issues of Kids News have chronicled school parties and field trips, the open house at the local fire station, and the food drive conducted by Jacob's Cub Scout pack.

In addition to an e-mail list of 50 family members and friends as far away as Germany, he also distributes issues to his third-grade class and patrons of the Hot Spot Café & Baker's Pantry in Reading every Saturday morning.

Jacob gets his ideas from the four newspapers he reads each week, plus magazines, television news, and information from around town, such as the time a waitress told him about baby skunks causing a commotion outside a business on Main Street. His last editorial listed activities children can enjoy in the fall, and a recent letter to the editor complimented Jacob for educating readers about the importance of voting.

Jacob, who previously wanted to be a state trooper, demonstrated his interest in reporting by wearing a shirt, tie, and hat and carrying a notebook for Halloween - though some people mistook him for a hobo.

"I write Kids News for kids, but adults can read it, too," said Jacob. "They might find it interesting to learn about things from kids' point of view."

COMMUNITY THEATER: Nancy Curran Willis of Burlington (inset) said she was raised on community theater. While her parents were rehearsing with the Quannapowitt Players in Reading, she played with the other actors' children. She has now been a member of the organization for the last 35 years, sometimes sharing the spotlight with her own daughter.

Willis made a move to professional theater about eight years ago, directing the Gloucester Stage Company and Boston Theatre Works. In fact, she shared two Elliot Norton Awards for outstanding direction with Jason Sutherland in the Boston Theatre Works' productions of "The Laramie Project" and "Angels in America: Part I and II."

All along, however, Willis missed community theater and the bonds it forges among cast and crew. For the last three years, she said she has enjoyed the "best of both worlds" by working in community and professional theater.

She also directs one performance each year at Newton South High School.

This week, Willis will be wearing her community theater hat in directing "Bat Boy: the Musical" for AFD Theatre in Arlington. The production takes its name from a story that appeared in a tabloid claiming a half-bat, half-boy was found in a West Virginia cave.

According to Willis, the show is a satirical tale about acceptance and the need to fit in. It isn't recommended for young children, however, due to its risqué nature. "It makes fun of the genre of tabloid news, as well as the genre of musical theater," Willis said. "It's a crazy, silly show with a wide range of music, which makes it a lot of fun."

"Bat Boy: The Musical" will run through Dec. 14. For ticket information, visit afdtheatre.org.

RUNNING FOR A CURE: Brian Callahan of Medford has vivid memories of his diabetic mother, Regina, struggling to keep her illness in check while raising five children and working full-time.

She never complained, according to Callahan, and died "far too young" from diabetes complications at age 67 in 1995.

Knowing what she went through, he said, made it even more devastating when his daughter was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes.

Since learning of her disease four years ago, 11-year-old Gracie Callahan has become accustomed to wearing an insulin pump and monitoring her glucose level through finger pricks 10 times a day. To raise money toward a cure for Gracie and all diabetic children, Brian and other family members recently traveled to Ireland, where they ran in the Dublin Marathon.

The Callahans - Brian; his wife, Ann Marie; their 17-year-old daughter, Brenna; and Brian's brother, Dennis - donated the $12,000 they raised to the research efforts of Dr. Denise Faustman at Massachusetts General Hospital.

The family members paid their own travel expenses, as they did when Brian, Dennis, and friend Ray Derosas of Medford raised $20,000 for juvenile diabetes research by running the New York City Marathon in 2005.

The Dublin Marathon "was such a great experience. People were really receptive to us, yelling 'Go Boston' the whole way," said Brian, noting that his family wore T-shirts with the legend "Boston to Dublin Marathon for Diabetes" and the names of six Boston-area diabetic children.

"My hope is a cure, but I also want to encourage others to be proactive in fighting any disease that affects their family," he added. "You're overwhelmed at first when your child is sick, but if you step up, you might help make a change."

People items may be submitted to Cindy Cantrell at cantrell@globe.com.