Traffic solutions: Don't build more highways Since letter-writer Nancy Costas Breckenridge asked, yes, there is a solution to congestion, and it's less expensive and more efficient than the constant road building we've pursued for decades ["How can we alleviate gridlock in our area?" May 9]. But it would be a radical shift from what we've grown used to....

Some historians whisper that we're more divided than on the eve of the Civil War, while certain high officers in the executive branch of the federal government are engaged in unabashed assault on our Constitution. You're feeling outnumbered? You're in good company. So were the Founders. Take heart, friends. Our Constitution was written precisely to protect the rights of a minority from the tyranny of the majority. They knew the chaos and failures of Greek models; they wisely selected their best features to form an imperfect--but exemplary--government....

Dan Jenkins, a sportswriter of rare wit, once gave us the Ten Stages of Drunkenness, which include these separate points on the road to inebriation: "Witty and Charming," ''Rich and Powerful," ''Clairvoyant," ''Patriotic," followed by "Crank Up the Enola Gay" and culminating in Stage 10, "Bulletproof."

Speaking at Ohio State just a few days before abuse of power and dishonesty scandals swept over his administration, President Obama sang one of his trademark odes to the benevolence of government:

The American Civil Liberties Union has earned a sterling reputation for its principled and nonpartisan defense of fundamental individual rights. But the group is now tarnishing that proud legacy.

History remembers America’s 30th president as Silent Cal. Calvin Coolidge is celebrated and denounced not only for his taciturn manner but also for his association with business interests. Many would

A proposal to legalize Internet sweepstakes cafes in North Carolina appears to be languishing in the legislature - deservedly so. But there should be plenty of life left in a probe of $235,000 worth of campaign contributions involving Chase Burns, a sweepstakes operator facing criminal charges that he ran a charity scam in Florida.

Nearly a year ago, state auditors warned of the risk of fraud at Norfolk State University because the school lacked enough personnel to keep up with the needs of its finance department. Yes, you're right, we'll fix it, NSU said then. "We know what it is that we need to do," said Gregory A. Davis, at that time the school's interim vice president for finance and administration.

Second Amendment support    

In my retirement, which comes May 31 — 11 days shy of my 70th birthday — I have a big “to-do” list. As a journalist, I have abundant writing projects and prospects. And one of the first is to write about a search for people, most from my time spent in Norfolk, who’ve made a big difference in my life at various points.