Free Republic

Parents across the metro area, in different school districts, have similar stories to tell when it comes to the way their children were treated after reporting they were bullied. “The other kid jumped in and had the boxcutter up and threatened to stab her over and over again,” Tina Williams said. “And he said, ‘I wouldn't stab a girl, but I'd stab a b**** and I'm looking at one right now,’ when he looked at my daughter.” “At lunch I am kind of afraid that they are going to threaten me again,” said Williams' daughter, Kayla. “She's heard jackass, b****,...

An 8-year-old boy accused of sexually assaulting a second-grade classmate last week at a St. Paul elementary school now faces expulsion. The incident happened on the playground at Four Seasons A+ Elementary, which holds classes year round, as students waited for buses just before the end of the day July 24. The boy is believed to have approached an 8-year-old girl on a slide, forced her to kiss his private parts and then simulated sex on her, according to school district officials and members of the girl's family. The slide was enclosed by a tube, making it impossible for the...

The quaint bedtime saying "sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite" has become a grim mission statement for even the finest hotels in the United States amid a resurgence of the tiny bloodsucking pests. Rising complaints about these unwelcome guests that bite in the night are leading to red faces at reception desks and an increase in the number of help calls, according to pest control firms and entomologists. Hotels battling infestations typically request discreet and immediate service, and for good reason. Even though they don't pose a health threat, bed bugs, which live off human blood, can take...