Archives: June 2004

Black Hole

In the winter of 2002, with the federal budget stretched thin, President George W. Bush asked Congress to give back money that lawmakers had earmarked for local projects so it could be used instead to fund the Pell grant program, which helps needy students pay for college. One of the local projects that had drawn particularly harsh scrutiny was a…

The Girl in the Bathroom

The boys found Brianna huddled behind a partition in the back of their bathroom, her violin case and schoolbooks on the floor next to her. She’d been there for a while. They snickered as a teacher came and went without seeing her. Brianna wouldn’t move. She wouldn’t ask for help. Finally someone alerted the orchestra teacher, who coaxed her off…