It seems like half of my columns are about staffers going or coming from the North Raleigh News section. Unfortunately (or fortunately), change is a constant of life.

I have another departure to report: Danny Hooley, who has covered growth and neighborhoods for us for approximately two years, is leaving. He will move over to The N&O's features section, where he will cover TV and radio.

So he'll still be within The N&O family (which I have mixed feelings about -- a lot of readers can't tell us apart). But no longer will Danny write for the North Raleigh News, where he had a knack for finding a good story.

There was no secret to his success, though. Danny simply was always willing to go meet with residents who wanted him to write about some problem in their neighborhood -- from flooding caused by development to unruly soccer players to loud nightclub patrons. Danny was a scribe for those who wanted the ear of the powers-that-be.

While being one of our most productive reporters, Danny also managed to find time to write a steady stream of music reviews for the Arts & Entertainment section. It's no wonder features stole him.

This was Danny's last full week. Efforts to find a replacement are already underway.

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This has nothing to do with North Raleigh, but I'll bet it's what a lot of people in North Raleigh are talking about these days: What do you think about the brawl between fans and players in Detroit? My feeling is that authorities should not file criminal charges, nor should there be lawsuits. There was enough lunacy going around that both sides should be laughed out of any court, civil or criminal, in which they dared to show up.

The brawling fans should be banished for the rest of the season from the Palace at Auburn Hills (where the Pistons play). Punishment already has been meted out for Pacer player Ron Artest, who led the way into the stands -- suspension for the rest of the season.

Now some might argue that Artest's punishment, which amounts to about $5 million in lost salary, is way out of proportion to what I'm suggesting for the fans, which would amount, at most, to a few thousand dollars per fan if he's a season ticket holder. I would respond that Artest's salary is way out of proportion to the salary of the fans he fought with.

Life's unfairness cuts both ways.