The fixes were in, then they weren't; now, let's hope, they're in for good

A COUPLE OF E-MAILS bring to mind 2002 and the last Thanksgiving for the $399 kitchen set Mrs. Warrior and I bought with our wedding money.

When the chairs splintered, I performed surgery with clamps and Elmer's Wood Glue.

The fix held - until two of the chairs collapsed, almost simultaneously, at the dinner table.

"It's not you, it's the chair," is a phrase that does little to soothe bruised buttocks (and egos).

In March 2007, The Warrior reported on two fixes: a too-long red light at Indian River High School and a dangerous parking issue at Norview High School.

The glue on both "chairs" held for about one year.

Scott Cohen wrote me in February 2007 about the sluggish stoplight on southbound Dunbarton Drive at Military Highway in Chesapeake. Every afternoon, he said, Indian River High traffic on Dunbarton choked at the signal.

He said the timing from about 3:30 to 4 p.m., a heavy traffic time, was the same as for the rest of the day.

A day later, Feb. 28, 2007, the city was on the scene, more than doubling the green time.

But Wednesday, Cohen wrote: "At the end of school today and yesterday... the line was backed up to the front of the school."

A day later, again, Chesapeake was on the scene, tweaking. Now, I'm told, things are back to normal - the Feb. 28, 2007, version of normal.

Norfolk's unglued chair...

Corinne Carmody and Norview High in Norfolk also occupied some of The Warrior's time last spring.

On weekdays, moms and dads were dropping off their babies at the curb in front of the school on Chesapeake Boulevard. They wanted to avoid the hassle of the parking lot.

The first problem is, it's against the law. The second problem: The right lane of southbound Chesapeake Boulevard also is the lane used by cars exiting Interstate 64 East.

"Every morning, cars coming off the off-ramp have to be cautious because of the stopped cars," Carmody, a student at Norview, said in March 2007.

A few weeks later, Norfolk police said 15 tickets were issued in about a week.

A week ago, reader Kenny Newton told The Warrior the problem persists.

"I observed this occurring at least six times in a matter of minutes yesterday," Newton wrote March 11.

Chris Amos, a spokesman for the Norfolk Police Department, said this week that Newton's remarks were forwarded to the head of traffic enforcement, to school resource officers and to the patrol division in which Norview is located.

I'll let you know what enforcement efforts yield this go-round. Gorilla Glue this time, maybe?

I've written about hundreds of fixes over the years, but they do come undone. If you're aware of any in your neck of the woods, let me know.

Watch out!

Midtown Tunnel: One lane will be closed, daily through Friday morning, from 9:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. for tunnel washing. Traffic will alternate in the remaining lane.

Contact Pilot Warrior

E-mail: warrior@pilotonline.com

Mail: Pilot Warrior,

The Virginian-Pilot, 150 W. Brambleton Ave., Norfolk, VA 23510

Call: (757) 446-2525

Describe the problem and where it's occurring, and leave your name (spelled out), city of residence and phone number. The volume of questions means I can't promise a response.