Folks of a mature age know the term "bad penny." For the uninitiated, it means something negative that recurs way too often. Just when you think you've buried a bad penny, it pops up again. The saga of a church in downtown Portsmouth fits the moniker aptly.

It seems so innocuous, at first blush, to require voters to show a photo ID when they head to the polls. People need identification to drive a car, see a doctor or buy beer. Many times, folks need pictures of themselves just to cash checks or enter government buildings. So what's the big deal? If you dig deeper, you find out - surprise! - the issue is mostly political.

Gov. Bob McDonnell has a right to be proud. He’s put a sizable number of released felons back on the voter rolls. His Republican administration has simplified the restoration process even further than earlier governors did. McDonnell and his staff have been ruling on applications within 60 days; previous governors had a timetable of six months to a year.

Thoughts from Mister Roger's neighborhood... We should be grateful for school officials like Brian Porter. His determination to get involved ended a sexually charged relationship between a teacher and student at Grassfield High School, led to the teacher's eventual criminal conviction, and may have saved the Chesapeake division from trouble in court.

It's gotta be a political stunt. That's the charitable view of one the cruelest, most cynical pieces of legislation flowing from the primordial minds holed up at the state Capitol.

Some local college students have perfected a new dance craze. I call it "The Brambleton 27-Step." Here's how it goes: Depart the light-rail station at Norfolk State University. Approach the curb at Brambleton Avenue. Look both ways, paying real close attention to the cars and trucks exiting Interstate 264. Sprint! Pray you don't get hit.

People want to know what's happening in their own neighborhoods. Is crime a problem? Are housing values plummeting? What stores are in walking distance? Sure, residents care about the rest of the city. But a lot of their daily comfort - or complaint - centers on the place where they watch TV, mow the grass and drift off to sleep.

Pioneering educator Geoffrey Canada brought his message of drastically overhauling America's schools to Norfolk this week, a clarion call that will anger many teachers, administrators and parents.

Residents in these parts usually are an affable, low-key lot. Maybe it's all the Southern hospitality. They'll arm themselves with pitchforks and torches, however, if city officials won't come clean about development deals - especially the ones involving boatloads of taxpayer cash. You'd think city councils, state officials and staffers would get that by now. And you'd be wrong.

Be in shape if you want to walk with Gregory Young. After all, he's had nearly four decades of practice. That's how long Young's been toting the mail, first in his native New Jersey, and since 1985 in and around Norfolk.