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Linn County Juvenile Director Torri Lynn told the board of commissioners Tuesday morning, April 23, that the two-year school closures during the COVID-19 pandemic had detrimentally affected local youth.

He said that the county’s juvenile department has seen an increase in referrals – 59 in April, which seemed to be trending as normal this year – since schools returned to full session, with students exhibiting significant behavioral issues, ones he believed could be linked to isolation and a dearth of positive role models.

Board Chairman Randy Nyquist asked if the closures had been a b...