There's a very interesting and sad article in the New York Times this morning about runaway kids—especially those that have landed in Medford. Apparently there has been roughly a 40 percent increase in teen runaways over the past year.

“I can survive fine out here,” Betty said as she brandished a switchblade she pulled from her dirty sweatshirt pocket. At a nearby picnic table was part of the world she and the others were trying to avoid: a man with swastikas tattooed on his neck and an older homeless woman with rotted teeth, holding a pit bull named Diablo.... Federal statistics indicate that in more than three-quarters of runaway cases, parents or caretakers have not reported the child missing, often because they are angry about a fight or would simply prefer to see a problem child leave the house.

Reading through the article makes me appreciate being warm and dry inside today.