In Brief

By Lisa McLaughlin

KIDDIE TRAVELERS Many hotels are now tempting business travelers with teddy bears and water slides--for their kids. Because business trips that include a child are often extended to a family weekend, kids in tow are a financial boon to hotels, and the competition for these tiny travelers is fierce. The Milwaukee, Wis., Hilton is adding a $40 million water theme park. Holiday Inns offer kid suites with bunk beds and Sony PlayStations, and the Brown Palace Hotel in Denver gives kids a taste of what their parents do with a "junior-executive" program.

WE'RE STAYING Rather than move to sunny states like Arizona and Florida, most of America's 78 million baby boomers will retire in the metropolitan areas where they spent their peak career years, according to a recent report released by the Milken Institute. Demographers also predict that greater wealth and fewer children will allow many retiring boomers to enjoy a post-professional lifestyle lusher than any previous generation's.

BEING SAFE Though 9 out of 10 teens say it's important to use contraception every time they have sex, surveys show that one-third don't. Teens polled by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy cite pressure from partners and drinking as the main reasons they do not protect themselves. The campaign urges parents to discuss contraception with their teens. It offers suggestions at its website, teenpregnancy.org

--By Lisa McLaughlin