Florida: Ros-Lehtinen retiring. US Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R), elected to Congress in 1989, told the Miami Herald that she won’t seek reelection next year. The dean of theFlorida delegation and the first woman to chair the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Ros-Lehtinen was usually reelected with ease. Last year, however, she won by her smallest percentage yet, 54.9% ……. North Carolina: Judges side with governor. Two of three state judges ruled against a law passed by the Republican legislature that restricted Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper’s authority over the state elections board and ethics commission. The block on the law will be in place until May 10, reports the News & Observer ……. Alabama. Segregation controversy flares. Federal Judge Madeline Haikala ruled last week that the city of Gardendale, a suburb of Birmingham, could separate from the Jefferson County school district. Although she acknowledged that race played a part in the district’s decision, she ruled that the main motive was a desire on the part of parents to exert control over their children’s schools …….