Once political outcasts, Native Americans are now big players in state campaigns.

The November elections were very good to New York City's Gifford Miller, who has come a long way in a short time.

If you don't live in a city where they have duck tours, this may be a little hard to grasp, but duck tours are a big hit with tourists.

1It's a cliche that there are no great Washington novels. I don't know if it's true or not. It may be. The book most often cited as a candidate, "Democracy," by Henry Adams, was written 120 years ago; in recent times, more critics probably have praised it than have read it.

Localities are learning to capitalize on nature's own plumbing system.