Free Republic

The American Civil Liberties Union’s New Jersey affiliate did its historic mission proud last week — standing tall for free, if problematic, speech. The chapter last fall took up the case of Derek Fenton, a New Jersey Transit worker fired for burning pages of the Koran during a September protest against the proposed Ground Zero mosque. Fenton acted on his own time, with no suggestion whatsoever that he was connected with NJTransit. He was within his rights, in other words. The state completely caved on Friday: In a settlement, Fenton will get back his $86,110-a-year job, plus back pay and...

LOS ANGELES – Less than a month after retiring on his 100th birthday, longtime county transit employee Arthur Winston died in his sleep, his family said Friday. The man co-workers celebrated as Mr. Reliable had recently been admitted to a hospital for exhaustion and dehydration, but returned to his home April 6. He died Thursday evening. To his former colleagues at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Winston was more than a model employee known for his energy, punctuality and, of course, longevity. He was a legend. Winston missed one day of work in over 70 years, and that was to attend...