CHARLIE HALES, taking over as Portland mayor in a month, has been operating like something of a specter over the past few weeks—quietly, respectfully haunting city hall during the last days of his ...

I was thinking about hall monitors the other day. And crossing guards. And dinosaurs. Kidding about the dinosaurs but thinking about hall monitors and crossing guards makes me feel like a dinosaur.

At Shaker High School, the start of a new school year is always an exciting time, marked by the enthusiastic return of students who are greeted by a familiar face. Kay Smollen, known affectionately as ...