We're very, very motivated to make sure we continue to bargain in the best way that we can and to make sure the operations continue.

What they're trying to do is establish some training sites around the state. This will be wonderful for us because we'll be able to train on-site rather than having to go to some other facility.

The bottom line message is we're committed to continuing service.

When I wrote 'The Giver,' it contained no so-called 'bad words.' It was set, after all, in a mythical, futuristic, and Utopian society. Not only was there no poverty, divorce, racism, sexism, pollution, or violence in the world of 'The Giver'; there was also careful attention paid to language: to its fluency, precision, and power.

I don't digitally manipulate my images, because I am interested in the spontaneous act of creating images without forethought. I know many artists start with an idea in mind, and then they put it on paper. I don't work that way.

I believe without a single shadow of a doubt that it is necessary for young people to learn to make choices. Learning to make right choices is the only way they will survive in an increasingly frightening world.