Mary Pieper

Arizona resident Jose Ramos (not his real name) came to the United States from Mexico with his family when he was 8 years old. In 2013, when he was 18, he obtained deportation protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. He was in his first semester of community college. In his DACA application, Ramos gave his address and other personal information to U.S. Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Critics of sharing information about those who are COVID-positive with police and other first responders say it’s a privacy breach that disproportionally affects African Americans and other people of color. “It’s a perfect storm,” Craig Klugman, professor of bioethics and health humanities at DePaul University in Chicago, told Digital Privacy News. “There’s a lot of distrust out there.”

Forest City High School senior Maddi Thompson sits by the floral section at Bill's Family Foods and keeps her eyes on the front door. Whenever someone comes through the door and walks toward her, she smiles and presses a large red button to active a recorded voice greeting: "Welcome to Bill's Family Foods." Maddi, who has cerebral palsy, is in the work-study program at FCHS.

Mario Pena was 5 when his family came to the U.S. from Mexico. In 2012 a new federal policy called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) opened doors that had been shut for him and other undocumented young people who had been brought to America by their families as children.

Osage High School graduate Emma Williams was in second grade when her father was diagnosed with ALS. At her mother’s request, she was partnered with an adult mentor, Kris Lewis, through the Bridges Mentoring program. Williams, now a third-year student at Wartburg College in Waverly studying graphic design and studio art, aged out of formal participation in the mentoring program when she turned 18. However, she still goes to see Lewis every time she goes home.

Kyle Fitzpatrick, of Mason City, first came to Prairie Ridge for substance abuse treatment when he was 14. Today, the 29-year-old works in customer service for the Mason City-based agency, which provides substance abuse and mental health treatment along with prevention services.

A young man who has a passion for the environment is leading an initiative to clean up East Park. Jacob Anderson, 24, who lives north of the Mason City park and likes to spend time there, noticed how much trash others leave behind. He started picking it up himself, and now he wants to get other residents involved.

Darlene Love, one of the background singers featured in "20 Feet from Stardom" which won this year's Oscar for best documentary, said the film has changed her life. "It's given me a grander playground," she said during a telephone interview with the Globe Gazette.