Fourteen good reasons why little kids don't need cell phones

This from Hillary Russ in the Cape Cod Times: "A local schoolgirl took prank calling to a new low yesterday when she dialed 911 with disturbing fake calls more than a dozen times." While riding home on the school bus, she repeatedly told the state police that "someone was going to die."

It must have been a rough day in school.

It turns out that more than 30% of 911 calls in Massachusetts are non-emergencies and about 5% are "threatening, aggravating, abusive or harassing to the police." Laws on "aggravated 911 nonemergency calls" vary from state to state. Fortunately, the parents were upset and apologetic and this happened in the Bay State. The police chief had the sense to conclude that it was "probably more important to re-educate the kids on the importance of not crying wolf" than it was to press charges.