Columns

Another day in America, another gun crime.
Last month, barely a week before Christmas, the nation was shocked and horrified when a young man armed to the teeth with semi-automatic weapons blasted his way into an elementary school in Newtown, Conn., then proceeded to shoot and kill 20 children and seven teachers.  
The killing spree ended when the police showed up and the gunman took his own life.
In the weeks that followed, we were treated to almost daily reports of gun-related crimes and violence from around the nation.  
This should come as no surprise; in 2009 the United States ranked among the top ten nations with the most firearm-related deaths, with 10.2 per 100,000 people.
 

Less than halfway into 2012, and school reform has proven to be a tough sell to lawmakers.  Measures designed to improve teacher and administrator accountability in both Virginia and California have failed. This may come as a surprise to many, considering education consistently ranks among the highest concerns of voters.

Joel Northrup trained long and hard for the Iowa state championship in Des Moines. His record was 35-4 and his opponent was a freshman girl, Cassy Herkelman. The homeschooled Northrup decided to forfeit, stating it was inappropriate to wrestle a woman.

A few months ago, when commercials for MTV's new show "Skins" started airing, no one really paid any attention.