Ride

Re "Emergency Ride Service Helping, Officials Say," March 5. This article describes the success of the Ventura County Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH) program for car-poolers and transit users and mentions that Connecticut is considering a similar program. In fact, in Connecticut we already have several types of GRH programs. In Fairfield County, employers pay into a fund that allows any of their employees to access GRH services. In Hartford County, van-poolers and holders of express bus passes can call a broker to arrange a ride at no cost to the employee or the employer.

at No. 4 Cincinnati 47, Connecticut 45: Zach Collaros kept the Bearcats (9-0, 5-0) unbeaten with the second-best passing effort in school history, one that will make it tough to send him back to the bench. Cincinnati's near-perfect replacement threw for 480 yards and a touchdown, ran for two more scores and led a clinching touchdown drive in the closing minutes to beat the Huskies (4-5, 1-4). In three games since taking over for injured Tony Pike, Collaros is 70 of 89 for 1,100 yards and eight touchdown passes.

Once again, we see a well-off star involved in a suspected DUI situation ("Star of 'Frasier' Leaves for Rehab," Sept. 26). Does the word "chauffeur" ring a bell? Or, "taxi, taxi!" Come on, $50 bucks maybe, for a ride. Can't he spare a little for a ride home and prevent taking someone's life? I say this character needs our help. Should not friends check out friends and seek to give them a ride or call a professional when one is buzzed? I am a professional driver and there are many of us out there who can help.

The review of Garth Brooks' "Ropin' the Wind" (Sept. 8) reaffirms my opinion that Robert Hilburn has no idea what country music fans want to hear. Perhaps Hilburn should walk a mile (or perhaps ride a bull) in a cowboy's boots before judging a cowboy's music. Maybe then he would realize that what Brooks delivers sums up a country music fan's feelings perfectly. GAYLE LAMASON El Monte

The centerpiece of the 1999 Civil War drama "Ride With the Devil" is neither a glorious victory nor a crushing defeat. In fact, the movie's climactic battle sequence is hardly a battle at all. The war had far bloodier days but few as purely wasteful as Aug. 21, 1863, when a loose federation of Confederate troops and the ad hoc militia known as Bushwhackers rode into Lawrence, Kan., and gunned down some 160 men and boys, most of them unarmed and some...

Friends and I recently visited Lompoc to ride the Ocean Avenue bike path mentioned by Maria La Ganga ("Full Flower Power," May 26). The 10-mile ride through the flower fields is fun, and you don't have to be in shape for the Tour de France to make it all the way to the beach. The road is flat, with a constant ocean breeze to keep you from getting overheated. The scenery is rustic and magnificent. Unfortunately, we were stopped four miles from our destination by a roadblock. The military was launching a Titan missile from Vandenberg Air Force Base.

While reading Shav Glick's last article, which outlined his incredible career, I recalled that in 1969 at Riverside, I had the honor of giving The Times' new motor racing reporter his first ride in a race car. Though his face was distorted from the 130-mph breeze -- we were in an open roadster with no wind protection on his side -- he forced a faint smile. For 36 years since, Shav has put smiles on racers' faces with his accurate, passionate and unbiased reporting. He will be sorely missed.

I liked riding the bus while on jury duty recently. The price was right, 85 cents. Even at $1.10 it was still a bargain. What can you buy for $1? Not much. During my 7-mile ride from Hollywood to downtown Los Angeles, I enjoyed reading Jack Smith and the sports section, starring Jim Murray. Hordes of cars and trucks crawled, snarled and screamed at each other. "Ho hum. I think I'll read about the Dodgers," I smiled to myself while turning a page. I was seated. It was heaven. The bus drivers were pros.

An occasional series on getting from here to there. -- When school was out in June, my 13-year-old son, Travis, and I drove to Sport Chalet for a new bike to replace his beater, which had finally lost its brakes. He chose a 12-speed, perfect for street riding, and I bought a little finger-triggered bell, the kind I had as a kid, for my own bike. My husband gave me the bike a couple of birthdays ago, a pearly-green, elegant cruiser with seven gears. I didn't ride it much, though -- too many SUVs and people on cellphones clogging the narrow streets of Corona del Mar, where I live.

Life is sweeter than ever these days in Sugarland. The country duo hailing from Atlanta has been steadily ascending Nashville's ladder of success, and this week, singer Jennifer Nettles and her bandmate and songwriting partner Kristian Bush find themselves at a new peak. The pair learned Wednesday that they landed six nominations for the 42nd annual Country Music Assn. Awards, including entertainer, duo, single, song, video and musical event of the year. Only veteran Kenny Chesney topped them, with seven nods.