SUFFOLK Horace Balmer said he's received more than 900 e-mails over the past two months from people wondering the same thing: "Are you opening back up?" The answer is no.

By John Rogers LONG BEFORE he went on stage and began to say "The Seven Words You Can Never Say On TV," got arrested for doing just that in Milwaukee and saw the battle over freedom of expression that it ignited rage all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, George Carlin had a different dream.

ON FRIDAY AND Saturday, monster trucks will roar inside Hampton Coliseum - racing, jumping and crushing to the crowds' delight. Exhaust fumes and noise will fill the air, along with one other key ingredient - dirt. Those big trucks need a big pile of dirt to play in, but how do you turn an indoor coliseum into a dirt track?

VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON Virginia Aquarium educator Robert Eggleston was sure that participants on the aquarium's whale-watching trip last Saturday would see the humpbacks that feed off Virginia Beach in winter.

NORFOLK After Dave Chappelle performed at Chrysler Hall in the summer of 2006, staff from the venue presented the comedian with a token - a skateboard personalized by the Sole Brother skate shop in Norfolk. It read, "Dave Chappelle - Sold Out." Chappelle, a bit of a hermit offstage, was thrilled.

MONTAGUE GAMMON III

With the warm, bright look of a store window Christmas display come to life and a sentimental script, the Christmas musical "The Gift of the Magi" seasonal dinner theater production is under way at The Founders Inn and Spa in Virginia Beach

By Laine M. RutherfordCorrespondent
Virginia Beach definitions of the aural emissions made by the Navy's F/A-18 Hornets as evidenced in lawsuits and on bumper stickers: 1. (n.) Noise pollution. 2. (n.) The sound of freedom.An additional definition, 3. (n.) It's Art, has entered the equation since Stephen Vitiello's installation, "Slow Planes, Fast Trees (sound words and documents), " opened at the Contemporary Art Center of Virginia.Considered internationally as one of the premier practitioners in the field of sound art, Richmond-based . . .

By Paul WhiteThe Virginian-Pilot
The game was still more than an hour away, but already Jenna Abernathy and Heather Keel had settled into their rinkside seats at Scope, poised to greet the Admirals as the players hit the ice for their pre-game skate. Once the first puck dropped, Jenna and Heather shifted into game mode, screaming cheers, blasting refs and, if necessary, pulling out their lucky rubber wishbone. Some 30 minutes after Norfolk’s 2-1 win, as the Admirals filed out of Scope, there were Jenna and Heather, offering . . .