One of the best ways to make schools safer is to use threat assessments – a tool developed by law enforcement to protect public figures. In my opinion as one who has studied youth violence for 34 years – and as a forensic psychologist who has worked with many violent youth, including several who have committed shootings at school – I believe the time has come to use threat assessments to protect the nation’s schools. More...

On Wednesday in the US, thousands of students left their classrooms in a national day of action designed to force political change on gun crime. Following the recent shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, this walkout is part of an extraordinary national movement. Young people across the US are doing what countless others have tried and failed to do: using grassroots strategies to take on the powerful gun lobby. More...

By Matt Reed. The cheerleaders were gone on Monday, leaving a noticeable void in their wake. But the show must go on. More...

By Matt Reed. I’ve been struggling with saying something helpful about the program cuts at the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point. The university is eliminating majors in several key liberal arts fields, including English, history, and political science, while expanding or starting program in various vocational and/or STEM fields. More...

By Matt Reed. The Girl had her final Jersey Shore Debate League tournament on Saturday. (She has nationals in May, but this was the last in-league tournament.) She starts high school next year, so this was her swan song for a league devoted entirely to junior high school students. More...

By Oronte. Back on the frontage road for I-10, Maseratis wrapped like Faberge eggs were being offloaded from a clamshell transporter at the dealership. More...

By Oronte. Unmarked offshoots from Camp Bullis Road head into the hills north of the trailer park. We took one that twisted up through dry vegetation and reminded me of Napa. (In fact, Hill Country, the “Texas Napa,” begins just a few miles away.) I made turns at random, intent only on gaining elevation, and was surprised when we were suddenly running along another Dominion wall. More...

By Oronte. In a small stoneyard, at the entrance to the other trailer park abutting The Dominion, men were shaping wallstone for the exteriors of expensive homes, and cutting and polishing granite countertops for luxury kitchens. More...