Hits and misses

HIT Get it while it's hot

The number of ice cream joints in Ghent keeps growing. Already a serious threat to nutritious suppers - at least for us - the Norfolk neighborhood's offerings range from newfangled tart frozen yogurt, to Italian ice, to Doumar's oldest-school cones. If this keeps up, the neighborhood will almost certainly also need more bike shops and running stores to work off all those frozen calories.

MISS No hero

Sometimes, people let you down. In 2008, John T. Johnson, who owns a crab shack on Scott's Creek, rallied more than 100 protesters to oppose Portsmouth's attempts to take his property through eminent domain. Neighbors complained about the property and wanted it turned into a park. This week, Johnson pleaded guilty to 18 of 21 charges related to the sale of heroin and cocaine at the shack. And the city plans to seize the property.

MISS Get me outta here

American Airlines has found another way to separate you from your money. It will charge between $19 and $39 for seats near the exits. Given how demeaning and punishing airline travel has become, it's probably worth a couple of bucks to end the ordeal as quickly as possible.

HIT Family affair

Law enforcement on Thursday ended the manhunt for a couple who spooked the West. John McCluskey escaped from an Arizona prison July 30 with the help of his cousin and fiancee, Casslyn Welch. The duo, suspected in a double-killing in New Mexico, surrendered without firing a shot. McCluskey's mother and his ex-wife are already behind bars, charged with helping him escape.