Two Nights

Here's a sampling of deals if you're heading south. For more ideas, check visitflor ida.com, the state's travel planning Web site. If you're traveling by car, keep in mind that the Florida Department of Transportation's free 511 and fl511.com travel information service can keep you posted on conditions, including traffic, accidents, severe weather and construction. The Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island has a two-day Cooking School package that allows guests to work side by side with the chef.

AS IN MANY neighborhoods, the people who volunteer their time year after year form the social fabric of our community. And while many of us are off at the beach, trying to squeeze one more week of summer pleasure out of August, a special few are busy planning activities for the coming months for the organizations they serve.Among the organizations:The Crofton Kiwanis Club, which will hold its annual charity golf tournament Sept. 13 at Walden Golf Club. The cost will be $95 -- but $5 less for players who register before September.

SALT LAKE CITY -- In the corner of the Washington Bullets' locker room, after getting blown out by the Utah Jazz, guard Rod Strickland sat with a look of disgust on his face, and laughed."

Today is the annual back-to-school night for Freedom Elementary School, the fall ritual in which the children stay home and parents come to school to meet the staff, hear an inspiring message from the principal and tour the building.Scratch that last option about a tour -- this year, crowding has forced Freedom to have back-to-school night a few miles down the road at Oklahoma Road Middle School.For one thing, Freedom can't fit all its parents into the cafeteria comfortably.But the truly impossible situation is the parking lot, which would be inadequate even if the school wasn't 200 students over capacity, said Ginger Halvorsen, PTA president.

For two nights, 56 uniformed police officers abandoned their cars and stood on street corners on Baltimore's east side. They didn't chase people. They didn't walk around the block. They didn't move.All they did was watch. When they saw someone dealing drugs or drinking alcohol, they radioed for other officers who swooped in and rounded up the lawbreakers as part of Operation Spider Web.By the end of the first night on Thursday, 47 people were behind bars. Emergency calls for loiterers -- calls that typically tie up an officer's time -- were nonexistent.

With two consecutive nights of lucrative fund-raising events, Howard County Executive Charles I. Ecker's gubernatorial campaign has begun.About 115 people attended a $100-a-plate event Wednesday in Westminster in his native Carroll County.Last night, in one of Ellicott City's exclusive neighborhoods, Ecker collected $250 checks as Howard's business elite ate shrimp scampi and drank white wine."There is no doubt I am running," Ecker, a Republican, said to applause from the crowd of more than 100.He went on to outline a campaign platform of fiscal responsibility and open, honest, responsive government.

SALT LAKE CITY -- As Washington Bullets forward Tracy Murray sat on the team's bench about an hour before game time, he reflected on the 30-point loss to the Los Angeles Lakers the previous night."

On the field: Jeffrey Hammonds' speed was a major asset to the Orioles in this series. Two nights ago, his hustle going to second base forced Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter into a costly throwing error. And last night, he stole third after catcher Joe Girardi threw to first trying to pick off B. J. Surhoff, and scored on Chris Hoiles' single to center.In the dugout: With the Yankees starting left-hander Andy Pettitte, manager Davey Johnson penciled Jeff Reboulet into the lineup at second base.

The year is 2006. It's July.You and your sweetie are thinking about getting away for the weekend. Nothing elaborate, just somewhere cool. Maine, maybe.Doing some rough calculations for the cost of two nights' lodging and meals for the two of you, you head for the cookie jar. You turn it upside down and out tumbles $100plus a few ones."Ah," you say to yourself, "plenty here for a three-day visit."Excuse me? A weekend in Maine for a hundred and change? In 2006?Can be done. Will be done, says Mel Robbins, owner and innkeeper extraordinaire of the Inns at Poland Spring in Poland Spring, Maine.

In 1993 at the Telluride Film Festival, "The Boys of St. Vincent" caused a sensation. Based on actual cases of child abuse by priests, this co-production of the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. and the National Film Board of Canada was widely praised. Many of the handful of critics who saw the film put it on their Top 10 lists.Despite its acclaim, very few people have seen it.Now cable viewers can see it on the Arts and Entertainment network over two nights -- tomorrow and Monday from 9 to 11 p.m.Unfortunately, they won't see all of it. A&E has excised approximately two minutes from the film, cutting a brief scene involving partial nudity and another considered too violent.

While pitching prospect Brian Matusz is expected to join the Orioles in Detroit and make his major league debut Tuesday, it appears that manager Dave Trembley will have another rotation spot to fill as rookie Jason Berken's struggles continued Sunday. Berken (1-9) allowed six earned runs in just 1 1/3 innings in the Orioles' 18-10 loss to the Boston Red Sox in the series finale Sunday at Camden Yards. His ERA stands at 6.93 after 13 starts, and he's now lost nine straight decisions after winning his major league debut.

Women Wild About Wine What's the deal?: Fall is harvest time for wineries and festival time for oenophiles. You and a girlfriend can get two nights at the Tides Inn, on the Chesapeake Bay in Irvington, Va., in a suite for $335 per person per night. But that alone wouldn't be such a deal. The package also includes manicures and pedicures, breakfast, a picnic-basket lunch and tour (with tastings) of the Northern Neck Wine Trail, a bottle of wine from each of the six wineries on the tour and two "Women Wild About Wine" T-shirts.

UNICORN - "You did what?" asked an unbelieving Heather Knott, 21, one of the last people we met on our attempt to reach the Eastern Shore without going over the Bay Bridge. The circuitous trip took us north from Baltimore on Interstate 95, over to U.S. 40 and south down Route 213, through cornfields, quaint towns and one off-track betting site. "Ooh, that's pretty horrible. That's pretty crazy," said Knott, who works at the newly opened Unicorn Cafe. "Why don't you just go across the Bay Bridge?"

Yes, Europe can be expensive, and yes, the dollar is taking a battering against the euro. But, no, that doesn't mean there are not good deals on the Continent. Consider: *A 7-Day Classic Spain & Portugal package from Gate 1 Travel starts at $1,529, including round-trip airfare from select U.S. cities and four-star hotels. The escorted tour visits Madrid, Segovia, Avila and Salamanca in Spain, and Fatima and Lisbon in Portugal. Included are daily breakfasts and one dinner with wine, an air-conditioned coach, tour managers and local guides, two nights' lodging in Madrid, an overnight in Salamanca and two nights in Lisbon.

As the song says, forget your troubles, come on get happy. Summer and sunshine are here and, despite the price of gasoline and those annoying new airline fees, the urge to travel remains strong for most of us. Here is a potpourri of summery offers: *The Draycott Hotel in London and Cotswold House in Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, England, are part of a four-night, two-address Town & Country Package at fixed rate in U.S. dollars - 3,400 of them, to...

Mom had her day; now it's Dad's turn. During Father's Day weekend, the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa in New Mexico lets all fathers enjoy a round of golf and/or a horseback ride for free when accompanied by a paying adult. The resort also treats fathers to dinner Friday or Saturday evening, again when in the company of a paying adult. Father's Day weekend rates start at $295 per room per night. Prices are valid Friday-June 15, with tax and fees additional. Tamaya is between Albuquerque and Santa Fe on the Santa Ana Pueblo.

Just about everyone is talking about the price of gasoline, and no wonder: Gas for less than $3 a gallon is receding in memory, and at some stations in California and Hawaii, the price at the pump tops $4. That, of course, is why bedandbreakfast.com has launched its Tanks a Lot promotion for the fifth year, with inns across the nation putting their discounts directly into your gas tank. Some examples: Through Oct. 18, Pilgrim's Inn and Cottages, Deer Isle, Maine, (pilgrimsinn.com) will reward guests arriving in a hybrid vehicle up to $40 for a tank of gas. At the Ruby of Crested Butte, Crested Butte, Colo.

A Tuscany, Italy, tour June 14-21 pairs motorcycling rides with gourmet cuisine. Daily jaunts through the hills of Chianti are sandwiched between wine tastings and hands-on culinary sessions. Motorcycling Around Tuscany, Italy, is $5,300 per person, including lodging near San Gimignano, most meals, activities, airport transfers and use of one motorcycle for each twosome, with an extra $1,250 covering a second bike if desired. Round-trip air travel is additional. This tour is offered by Blue Strada Tours and Vagabond Gourmet.

As gasoline prices continue to climb, hotels are offering fuel cards, rebates and promos to entice travelers. Many offers are available, and we expect the deals to increase as the busy summer travel season approaches. It's the most popular time for road trips. Nine hotels in Costa Mesa, Calif., are offering Drive and Dine packages for travel through Sept. 30. Guests will receive a $25 dining certificate for each night of their stay and a $25 fuel or airfare reimbursement. Restrictions apply.

VILLIERS-LE-BEL, France -- They burned the library overnight during a riot in this gritty suburb outside of Paris. The blackened shelves and books were thrown around like garbage the next morning, and singed desks were piled on top of each other like old firewood. As they examined the wreckage yesterday - the senator, the sports coach and the teenagers with sticks and pipes still skulking around in the light of day - all had similar explanations as to why. Why the arson up and down the commercial streets?