The Third Floor :: The City Paper Blog

Baltimore Sun reporter denounced at police press conference

2006-05-16T15:53:00.000-04:00

The chief of Maryland’s airport police convened a press conference this afternoon to accuse a Baltimore Sun reporter of “unprofessional, unethical and intimidating tactics” in pursuit of a story.

Chief Gary W. McLhinney said Sun transportation reporter Michael Dresser attempted to persuade Officer Steve Benner to talk by mailing him an "intimidating" message on the back of a business card, according to Maryland Transportation Authority Police spokesperson Corporal Pamela Thorne.

Benner runs the airport’s “executive protection program,” which provides expedited escorts through security for dignitaries and other “high-profile” officials, said Thorne.

According to the spokesperson, the reporter's handwritten message was this: “We should talk. I know a lot of about what’s going on there. So does your possible next boss. The long-term prospects of the escort business looks [sic] grim. Let’s meet in a safe place.”

MdTA Police officers are prohibited from speaking to the press, according to Thorne.

Thorne said Benner received the business card at his airport office last Wednesday, and showed it to Chief McLhinney a day or two later. Thorne said McLhinney discussed the matter with Dresser’s editors at The Sun. “The editors said they didn’t see any problem with what Mr. Dresser did,” said Thorne.

Sun editor Tim Franklin issued this afternoon the following statement: "It is not The Sun's practice to intimidate any source into talking to us, and that was not the intention in this case, either. Our metro editor, Mike Leary, explained as much in a cordial phone with Mr. McLhinney yesterday. In light of that conversation, we were surprised that he chose to call a news conference today. Obviously, the police officer decided not to talk to us, and that's his prerogative."

Olesker replacement quits, returns to Memphis

2006-04-24T13:33:00.000-04:00

Recently hired Sun metro columnist Wendi C. Thomas has quit Baltimore, a day before her debut column was set to publish. She will return to Memphis and to her old paper, The Commercial Appeal, according to a statement published this morning on the Memphis daily’s web site.

"My heart is in Memphis," Thomas is quoted on commercialappeal.com. "The Sun is a wonderful paper, and Baltimore is a great city, but it's not home."

Thomas was hired last month after a lengthy search for a replacement for veteran columnist Michael Olesker, who resigned in January amid a plagiarism controversy.

Sun editor Tim Franklin says he was "surprised and disappointed" by Thomas’ decision to resign. "I got a call yesterday afternoon that she was contemplating it," Franklin says, and received Thomas’ resignation in person this morning. "She had quite obviously made up her mind by the time of the meeting," he says.

Franklin says Thomas did not appear unhappy during her several weeks in Baltimore, where she has been getting to know the city and fellow journalists. "She seemed happy," he says. "I know other members of the staff had made a point to greet her and tried to make her feel at home … I don’t think any of us had any inkling of this."

During their meeting this morning, Franklin says Thomas "made it clear that she was welcomed at The Sun and that she liked the paper, but she wanted to go home and this was entirely a personal decision for her."

Franklin expressed confidence that he would be able to find a suitable replacement soon. "We did a national search, we had a lot of candidates for the job and a lot of talented ones, so I’m confident that we’ll find a gifted writer for this columnist job."

Thomas’ twice-weekly column was set to debut tomorrow. In her first installment, a draft of which was obtained by City Paper, the writer confesses to mixed feelings about trading Memphis for Baltimore:

"Nearly a month ago, I left Memphis, the city in which I grew up, the city where my parents and boyfriend still live, to take this job. I left behind a city and a state that I know all too well, and a great gig as a columnist there, to opine about a city and a region I barely know at all. I left behind the easy eating of pulled pork barbecue to work for my dinner, hammering out the white goodness in steamed crabs. And sometimes, I wonder if I left my good sense somewhere between the River City and Charm City."

Despite her misgivings, Thomas also expresses excitement about her new job. "I want to know how Marylanders see themselves. How far have we come, and how far do we have yet to go? The BELIEVE signs hang conspicuously all over town, but what do … we really believe? To be sure, my learning curve will be steep, but I’m hopeful that readers will help me climb, or shove me up, that hill."

Thomas’ first column, which will not run tomorrow, ends with the words, "Let the conversation begin."

Truth in Advertising

2006-03-17T11:28:00.000-05:00

The Wall Street Journal this morning reported on the controversial increase in business sponsorship revenue, in exchange for on-air announcements, at “commercial free” National Public radio and its affiliate member stations. “Public radio executives are aware of the fine line they must tread,” writes Sarah McBride. “They don’t even call it advertising—to them it’s ‘sponsorship’ or ‘underwriting.’”

There’s no such tightrope walk at Baltimore’s WYPR-FM. In its 2004 tax return, the one most recently available, the public radio station describes its $1,755,911 underwriting revenue this way: “WYPR radio provides advertising for clients, in return for underwriting fees that enables WYPR to broadcast programs of intellectual integrity and cultural merit.”

See Word

2006-03-15T10:12:00.000-05:00

A cute thing happened on the way to court-martial Monday. Baltimore Sun photographer Amy Davis shot Sgt. Jennifer Scala, a witness in a military prosecution of alleged Abu Ghraib guard misconduct. The uniformed Scala was photographed leaving the military tribunal carrying a book by Inga Muscio, Cunt: A Declaration of Independence, whose title epithet was clearly visible in the photo, which ran on page A3 of the newspaper yesterday.

Muscio’s book, described by Publisher’s Weekly as a “self-indulgent exercise in feminist reclamation,” is a cultural-anthropological celebration of the c-word. Perhaps Scala was declaring her own girlish independence by carrying the book, or just looking for a way to amuse herself while waiting to testify. She has already demonstrated some penchant for unladylike (though not necessarily un-soldierlike) preoccupation; In reporter Stephen Kiehl’s accompanying story, he writes that Scala testified at trial that while working at Abu Ghraib she allowed guard dogs to “lick peanut butter off her breasts” as part of a bet with other military prison guards.

The publication of the photo apparently aroused the ire of some Sun readers yesterday. The paper ran this correction today: "A photograph published yesterday with an article about the court-martial of a guard at Abu Ghraib prison showed a book cover that contained an obscenity. The obscenity went unnoticed during editing and should not have been published. Publication of the photo violates The Sun's guidelines.
The Sun apologizes for the oversight."

In This Week's City Paper

2005-08-17T14:07:00.000-04:00

In the cover feature, photographer Frank Klein and writer Stephen Janis get watched, along with neighborhood residents, by the Baltimore Police Department’s ever-growing number of surveillance cameras. Andrew Byrne is monitoring the cameras at Manifestor.org. More anarchic action against the cameras can be found at the Independent Media Center. Andrew Buchanan, at The Christian Science Monitor, has a good article about similar cameras in Chicago. And city streets aren’t the only place in the Baltimore area these cameras are sprouting, though most others don’t come with flashing blue lights. The Towson Times’ Bryan P. Spears has an update on the effort to put surveillance cameras in Baltimore County shopping center parking lots; turns out, they cost a lot.

In Mobtown Beat, Edward Ericson Jr. finds plenty of Baltimoreans--more so than usual--who say they’ve been locked up overnight or longer for no good reason. Over at The Sun, columnist Gregory Kane has been covering this, too. For example, this one, from about a month ago. And, of course, there’s a politician hoping to investigate, in this case state Del. Jill P. Carter. She’s even got a petition.

And Christina Royster-Hemby does some reading at Karibu Books, soon to open at Security Square Mall in Woodlawn.

In A&E, Bret McCabe makes friends with the folks behind new local publishing imprint Creative Capitalism. Mikael Wood Q&As Baltimore native Jon Theodore (formerly of Golden), now playing drums for the Mars Volta. And J. Bowers puts the lens cap on the Baltimore Camera Club members’ show at Baltimore Gallery.

2005-08-16T17:15:00.000-04:00

As you've probably heard by now, thanks to the Sun's Jill Rosen, among others, the convention center HQ hotel is pretty much a done deal. Well, there goes our $305 million. To find out how it happened, dig deep in the Sun's "Hilton Proposal" mini-site , which includes good stories on the success and failure of taxpayer-funded hotels elsewhere, how this is a preview of the next citywide elections (anyone have Keiffer Mitchell for Mayor T-shirts printed up yet?), how this sets our O'Mayor straight with the unions, etc. And, of course, Gov. Bob has stuck his nose in this business, thanks to the city, according to this BBJ report by Heather Harlan, asking for state funds to help build the Hilton.

More from today's Sun: In better news, Jennifer Skalka reports that Johns Hopkins prof Avi Rubin just got a $7.5 million National Science Foundation grant to set up a center at Homeland to investigate the accuracy of electronic voting machines. Rubin, of course, is no stranger to readers of City Paper.

And, in case you missed it, Eddie is back in town, and John Woestendiek has a story on the new job for the former police commissioner, who's back in town doing community service: WHFS talk-show host.

Around the Horn: In a pretty puffy but informative piece, the BBJ's Robert J. Terry introduces us to F. Brooks Royster III, the Maryland Port Administration's new executive director. You may recall some hoo-ha about this earlier in the year.

In the Patuxent papers, the Towson Times' Bryan P. Sears catches up with former Republican state delegate from northern Baltimore County/two-time gubernatorial loser Ellen Sauerbrey. The Laurel Leader's Pete Pichaske reports on how local leaders plan to deal with job growth at Fort Meade and the National Security Agency. And the Northeast Booster's Virginia Terhune details developers' plans for East Baltimore's demolished Hollander Ridge housing project; nothing exciting--it's to be an office park.

Talk about burying the lead: As is to be expected Dundalk residents, according to this Dundalk Eagle story by Bill Gates, oppose some new condo development, ho-hum, but when you get a quote this good you put it in the lead, not the closing graph no one may get to: "I praise you," one man said at the meeting between residents and developers. "Dundalk is a slum, and that's how people from outside view it. I think [Sheltered Harbor] is what Dundalk needs. We need more life, class and money." Another member of the audience retorted: "We have that reputation so we can keep outside people from moving here."

Beyond the Beltway: In the LA Times, Suzanne Muchnic gets medieval on a pretty awesome new Hopkins web site that presents old manuscripts in digital form. And in the Wall Street Journal, Joi Preciphs watches as Republican governors, including our own, try to gut state employees unions.

In This Week's City Paper

2005-08-10T12:46:00.000-04:00

In the cover feature, Gadi Dechter goes long with the history of Galaxy tall tee.

No links there, really, but in Mobtown Beat, Ryan Grim goes fishing with various groups, both environmental and sporting, trying to save the Chesapeake Bay’s menhaden population, including but not limited to the Maryland Saltwater Sportsfishermen’s Association, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Environmental Defense, and the Coastal Conservation Association, many of which have formed the umbrella group Menhaden Matter. The biggest threat to menhaden? That would be Houston-based Omega Protein Corp., which fishes for menhaden in the Virginia portion of the bay. Who governs fishing in the bay? Among others, that would be the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ Fisheries Service. Elsewhere in MB, Edward Ericson Jr. gets temperatures rising with a story about how the state of Maryland declined to join a suit trying to get the Environmental Protection Agency to enforce power-plant mercury emissions laws. For more on that suit, and further links, click here.

In Arts & Entertainment, J. Bowers howls along with local singer/songwriter Jessie Hughes. I can’t find a web site for Hughes, but here’s her label, Boston-based Lifted and Gifted. And Wendy Ward just wants to be able to get a bagel at Red Emma’s without being glared at. Is that so much to ask?

2005-08-09T16:04:00.000-04:00

In The Sun, Jennifer Skalka does the wide reveal of an unexpected, though not surprising, political comeback: that of former state senator Larry Young (as hinted at earlier in these pages), who was kicked out of the state Senate in January 1998 for a bunch of ethical violations. Young's said to be considering a race for his old seat in the 44th District. "I believe in redemption," Senate President Mike Miller tells The Sun. "And I believe whatever price he had to pay, I think he paid it. And as far as I'm concerned, the slate's clear." Guess Miller doesn't much care for Verna Jones.

Speaking of Miller, Gov. Robert Ehrlich doesn’t seem to much like the way the Senate president and his colleagues’ investigations into the administration’s hiring and firing practices are going, instead suggesting a bipartisan study or something like that. Miller, always good for a quote: “It’s more governor crybaby,” he says. Andrew A. Green has the Sun’s report, and Matthew Mosk and John Wagner do the story for The Washington Post.

Also in The Sun, Chris Guy takes on the perennial problem of tasteless T-shirts in ”America’s Favorite Family Resort”, Ocean City.

Two interesting recent stories in the Post: Mosk and Wagner take a look at the historic ineptitude of Maryland lieutenant governors when it comes to running for higher office. This, of course, ties in to the Free State’s current No. 2, Michael Steele, and his as-yet-undeclared candidacy for the U.S. Senate. Also, Nancy Trejos details Montgomery County Exec (and as-yet-undeclared candidate for governor) Doug Duncan’s upcoming trip to El Salvador, where he plans not only to discuss the expected immigration and trade issues, but also, due to recent events, gang warfare.

In Sunday’s Hagerstown Herald-Mail, Gregory T. Simmons has a good story about Appalachian Trail safety.

Finally, David Ward, in the U.K.’s Guardian, writes about female conductors and the challenges they face, tying in to the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s recent handing of the baton to Marin Alsop.

In This Week's City Paper

2005-07-27T11:37:00.000-04:00

On the cover, contributing writer Ron Cassie rides with local bike messengers in the Cycle Messenger World Championships in New York. And also the Baltimore “alley cat” race dubbed the Courier GangBang. For more pictures of that July 9 race, go here and, for more Baltimore courier photos in general, here.

In Mobtown Beat, senior writer Van Smith mediates a dispute between members of the LLC that own Station North’s Cork Factory building (1601 Guilford Ave.) and a former tenant-owner. For more on the Penn Station “arts and entertainment district,” Brennen Jensen’s 2003 CP cover feature is a good start--and it’s a story begging for an update (are things working out? etc.).

Media Circus columnist Gadi Dechter also does some mediating, this time between The Sun and WBAL Radio. Seems the daily paper has banned (most of) its journalists from appearing on ‘BAL’s programming, which basically means Gregory Kane won’t be appearing on Ron Smith’s show anymore. The way ‘BAL’s dittoheads bash The Sun and its writers on an hourly--minutely?--basis, this is neither surprising nor angst-worthy. But still, fun stuff.

In A&E, John Barry talks with all the people who have ever seen a Baltimore Playwrights Festival, which coincidentally turns out to be all the playwrights who’ve ever been staged at the BPF. We kid because we love. Other links worth a click: the New York International Fringe Festival and Baltimore’s own Run of the Mill Theater Company, because we like that Jim Knipple guy. You say you want more theater stories by John Barry? Well, this week he also plays ball with Jeff Cohen, an off-Broadway veteran who’s written Men of Clay, about the Jewish players at the tennis courts at Druid Hill Park circa 1970, recently read at the Creative Alliance and headed to NYC.

Finally, in Art, Bret McCabe tags the first part of the Contemporary Museum’s Beautiful Losers “street art” exhibition. Links worth clicking: a Guardian review of a 2001 British Raymond Pettibon show; the Keith Haring Foundation; and the web site of NY artist Ryan McGinness.

2005-07-26T11:26:00.000-04:00

Thanks to the Third Floor’s recent nuptials, blogging has been less-than-sporadic around here the past few weeks. Please forgive; today we’re starting again in earnest.

Baton Pass: Marin Alsop’s appointment as the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s new music director (starting in ’07), and the surrounding brouhaha, may be old news, but it’s still worth taking a look at some of the out-of-town press. Well, first, check out the Sun’s BSO conductor search mini-page, which contains all the local daily’s reportage. Then visit New York Times music critic Anthony Tommasini’s smart piece on musician/conductor relationships. For a more standard take, it doesn’t get much more straightforward than Lev Grossman’s Time magazine story.

Left Coast: Former Sun editor in chief John Carroll’s recent departure from his post at the LA Times was mentioned only briefly locally. For a more thorough look at what’s going on, you couldn’t do better than LA Weekly columnist Nikki Finke’s Deadline Hollywood report.

Reason to Be Crabby: D.C. beats Baltimore with this great Washington City Paper shouldn’t-we-have-done-this-story about the origins of Phillips Foods’ crabs. Hint: It ain’t the bay.

2005-07-07T13:42:00.000-04:00

Change of Scenery: If not for the events in London, surely the changes at Central Booking would be getting more attention. But maybe not? How many changes-at-the-jail stories have there been over the past few years?

No Hope: Also interesting in today’s Sun, Grant Huang and Arthur Hirsch report that the Anti-Defamation League will ask Congress and the secretary of the Navy to put the kibosh on mandatory lunchtime prayers at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis. For more, see earlier reports on the ADL’s request at The Washington Post and The Jewish Week.

Invest Wisely: In Sunday’s Sun, Jamie Smith Hopkins took a look at the amount of investor activity in Baltimore’s real-estate scene. It’s not pretty; in the first four months of this year, according to the report, investors (aka non-owner/occupants) made up 67 percent of home sales in the city. Today, Smith Hopkins fields questions from readers, including CP’s own Ed Ericson.

Hate in the ‘Burbs: Good story in today’s Post, by Daniel de Vise, on disputed hate-crime statistics in Anne Arundel County.

Secular Send-Off: Going-away stories are frustrating. Often you’ve never heard of the person being given a send-off, but wish you had. Such is the case with Jewish Times’ profile of secular-humanist rabbi Judith Seid, who’s left Baltimore to move to San Francisco.

Silly Season: This has to be one of the goofiest political kerfuffles of recent days, and that’s saying something. Local Africa-American leaders and then (yawn) Michael Olesker criticize Gov. Robert Ehrlich for his recent $1,000/head fundraiser at the Elkridge Club, which has never had a black member in its 127-year history. Fair enough. However, they failed to note/didn’t know (and stupidly didn’t look it up) that not a few Democrats have held fundraisers at the city line country club over the years. Meaning Ehrlich can run to ‘BAL, do some verbal jujitsu, and rile up his, ahem, less-enlightened white Baltimore-area base. And not just say, “Oops, won’t say I’m sorry, but won’t happen again.”

Passage to India: At the BBJ, they send their reporters--in this case Julekha Dash--to India. (To check out the emerging tech scene, offshored jobs, etc.) Just, you know, pointing it out.

Hotel Halt: The NYT’s Gary Gately takes no sides in the simmering battle between neighborhood/religious activists and our City Council president over the proposed convention center HQ hotel.

In This Week's City Paper

2005-07-06T12:00:00.000-04:00

On the cover Washington City Paper?s Dave Jamieson gets government grants with question-mark-suit/free-money infomercial guy Matthew Lesko. Lesko, of course, has a blog, though it (ahem) hasn?t been updated in a while. For more on his troubles with the New York State Consumer Protection Board, MSNBC has a pretty good story.

In Mobtown Beat, the Nose goes west with Paloma?s owner River Biton Fogle, who says she?s reopening her erstwhile Mount Vernon/Dundalk club in Sowebo. For a taste of Paloma?s heyday (circa 2000-?01), check out this No Cover by Brennen Jensen and Best of Baltimore 2000 pick.

In A&E, Bret McCabe inaugurates CP?s On the Download column with Lil? Mo?s ?Dem Boyz.? You can find it, among other places, here. And J. Bowers does critical surgery on Laura Amussen and Scott Newcomb?s show at Gallery Imperato.

Beyond the Beltway

2005-06-23T12:00:00.000-04:00

Shameless: Now that DVD releases get as much attention as film premiers, it John Waters is doing the rounds for A Dirty Shame. Best piece I could find was this interview in the Chicago Tribune, in which Waters proclaims himself befuddled at the existence of an R-rated DVD version of his NC-17 film: "If you have the choice, I don't know who would ever pick that, except insane collectors and I guess people that don't know any better." More typical is The Orange County Register's talk with the director, which also acts as a preview of a show of Waters' photography coming to the Orange County Museum of Art later this year.

Health Care Hustle: On a more serious note, USA Today takes its patented disturbingly balanced look at so-called Wal-Mart bills across the country. You may recall Maryland's ongoing battle over same.

Press Release of the Day: De Beers, um, we mean De Beers establishes a Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health scholarship for African grad students.

Symphony Snark: Finally, Los Angeles Times music critic Mark Swed reviews a BSO performance at its new Strathmore home.

In This Week's City Paper

2005-06-22T12:00:00.000-04:00

In the cover feature, Van Smith scares up some dead Baltimoreans who have been ghost-voting since the late 1980s. To look at the Johns Hopkins computer-science students’ study that inspired Smith’s story, visit Professor Aviel Rubin’s web site. No direct link, so go to Rubin’s “Work Page,” then “Course #CS 600.443,” “Spring 2005,” finally “Assignment #2.” Other links worth clicking include the Baltimore City and Maryland boards of elections, and the May 18 New York Times story that got things slightly wrong. And, of course, this isn’t the first time Avi Rubin’s research has made news: Remember last year’s computer voting controversy?

In Mobtown Beat, Anna Ditkoff collects unemployment along with the thousands of kids turned away from the Baltimore City summer job program YouthWorks. And Christina Royster-Hemby racks up points with those behind Digital Harbor High School’s new Urban Video Game Academy. Who are they? Local tech guru Mario Armstrong, AAGamer co-founder Roderick Weldon Woodruff, and Entertainment Arts Research CEO Joseph Saulter.

W/R/T Joe MacLeod’s Q&A with Carlos Batts and pal, Mr. Chris X would be happy if we linked to his new Scapegoat Publishing imprint. And in A&E, Bret McCabe gets gully with David LaChapelle’s new documentary about krumping, Rize, which gives me an excuse to link to Ernest Hardy’s LA Weekly feature.

Price War

2005-06-21T12:00:00.000-04:00

“Patience is a virtue,” something your mother probably told you, is a lesson local landlord Daniel Jackson took to heart. According to a story in today’s Sun by Jill Rosen, the Pasadena man recently sold his Charles Village rowhouse, to make way for Struever Bros. Eccles and Rouse’s Village Commons development, to Struever for more than $1 million.

Tom McMillen's "Blank Check"

2005-06-21T11:30:00.000-04:00

If you've been wondering where former Maryland congressman/Rhodes scholar/pro and college basketball player Tom McMillen has been recently, Sun business columnist Bill Atkinson has tracked him down. Seems he's been basically a failed businessman over the past few years, but he is giving it another try, by being the leading power behind new Bethesda-based homeland security firm Fortress America Acquisition Corp., with help from some Beltway insiders. Atkinson does not sound impressed by this blank-check company, nor does the other media covering the new firm, including Slate, TheStreet.com, and the Post. Great stuff, take a look around.

In It for the Money

2005-06-21T11:00:00.000-04:00

Speaking of millions, two gubernatorial hopefuls raked them in yesterday. The take? According to David Nitkin’s Sun story, $2 million for Mayor Martin O’Malley, at an M&T Bank Stadium fundraiser, and $100,000 for current Gov. Robert Ehrlich, through a $1,000-a-head golf outing at the Elkridge Club. The Washington Post’s John Wagner also tallies the takings.

Grave Dance

2005-06-21T10:00:00.000-04:00

Not a must-read, but I like Stephanie Desmon’s Sun Today section feature about a Southern Maryland man, 300 years dead, who may be finally finding a peaceful resting spot. In the meantime, Christopher Rousby is spending some time at the Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum in Calvert County.

In This Week's City Paper

2005-06-15T12:10:00.000-04:00

It’s The Queer Issue, meaning it’s also Pride Time. Newly installed arts editor Bret McCabe gets catty with the members of the Charm City Kitty Club, Baltimore’s queer-gal cabaret. For more, check out individual Kitties’ web sites like Rahne Alexander and Kristen Anchor. In the same section, Gadi Dechter memorializes shuttered male strip club Atlantis, and Christina Royster-Hemby gets local religious leaders to talk about homosexuality. Oh, and paper dolls!

In Mobtown Beat CP intern Rodney Foxworth third-parties with former Ralph Nader press secretary/former NORML chief Kevin Zeese, who’s considering a run for Paul Sarbanes’ soon-to-be-vacant U.S. Senate seat next year, under the auspices of a “Unity Campaign,” made up of Maryland’s various smaller political parties. And in the resurrected Media Circus, Dechter digs into a Dan Rodricks Sun column, in which he asks drug dealers to stop killing each other, using some problematic vernacular in an open letter.

In A&E, Ned Oldham strings up South Baltimore luthier (aka guitar maker/tuner) Phil Jacoby, who’s talking at the Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans at McDaniel College in Westminster this weekend. For more info on the tuning machine mentioned in the article, check out Plek.com.

In This Week's City Paper

2005-06-08T11:48:00.000-04:00

In the cover feature, Terrie Snyder continues her chat with former Baltimore police commissioner Edward Norris. No specific links this time, but check out the Baltimore Crime blog for all your, well, Baltimore crime needs.

In Mobtown Beat, Stephen Janis goes on strike with local ACORN activists, who are protesting Baltimore rent court’s high rate of evictions. Links worth clicking: Baltimore Neighborhoods Inc.’s Rent Court and Evictions FAQ, and the Abell Foundation’s March 2003 report on evictions "A System in Collapse". In Quick and Dirty, Van Smith adds up Robert Rohrbaugh’s early going as the state’s new special prosecutor. For further details on Rohrbaugh’s litigation, check out this S.A. Miller Washington Times piece.

In Arts & Entertainment, Violet Glaze catches up with author/lawyer/former Baltimorean/former City Paper serialized novelist Michael Kun, who’s fashioned a new book, You Poor Monster, out of that 36-installment 1993 serial, then-titled Our Poor Napolean. For more on the author, now in Los Angeles, from the CP archives, see Michael Yockel’s story on Kun’s 2003 book The Locklear Letters.

Music City USA

2005-06-07T12:00:00.000-04:00

We Read It for the Articles: Ryan Kennedy, writing for artsy-fartsy porn site Nerve, gets dirty digging up Baltimore club music.

Juicy: After reading this Brownsville, Texas, Herald article by Kathleen Gwynn, we know one thing: Oranges Band (playing in Austin) frontman Roman Kuebler = big X-Files nerd.

In This Week's City Paper

2005-06-02T12:00:00.000-04:00

In the feature, Terrie Snyder talks, at length, with former Baltimore Police Commissioner Ed Norris. Linked to this St. Petersburg Times story --Norris now lives in the Tampa area--some days ago, but it’s worth another look.

Both Political Animal Brian Morton and longtime CP writer Tom Chalkley eulogize 98 Rock veteran newsman/commentator Bob Lopez, who died of lung cancer May 22 at the age of 52. For more on Lopez, check out Kevin Cowherd’s obit and Dan Rodricks’ column in The Sun. More appreciations can be found at 98 Rock and the DCRTV Mailbag.

Also in Mobtown Beat, The Nose stinks up the joint with a report on the fate of the gay-rights legislation passed in the General Assembly earlier this year: two vetoes from the governor, one signature. For more details, check out Andrew A. Green’s story in The Sun and . The daily follows up with Green’s report on the future of gay-rights legislation in Maryland (Gov. Bob Ehrlich claims he’s seeking a compromise on medical decisions), and this story, in which Del. Don Dwyer and other enlightened souls say they’ve abandoned their quest for a referendum to kill the aforementioned bills.

For reaction, the Washington Times’ editorial and Equality Maryland’s Dan Furmansky’s Sun op-ed provide some contrast. Oh, and Kevin Naff’s columnin Washington Blade--predictably calling for voters to get rid of Ehrlich next year--is nonetheless a good read.

Finally, in the A&E section, J. Bowers gender-bends with local shock-rock band the Dingleberry Dynasty.

The Pitts

2005-05-26T12:00:00.000-04:00

The Wall Street Journal weighs in on the local housing boom with a fairly puffy—no mention of the difficulties people without D.C. salaries are facing--but well-written long piece by James R. Hagerty and Kemba J. Dunham. WSJ doesn’t allow non-paying customers much access on its web site, so kudos to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for picking the story up.

Speaking of Pittsburgh, the Tribune-Review’s Michael Machosky previews the John Waters exhibit at the Andy Warhol Museum.

Manure

2005-05-23T23:00:00.000-04:00

This weekend’s Preakness Stakes--Afleet Alex won, by the way--brought with it a load of national attention to Maryland’s slots issue. The Sun dutifully covers the story here. For the Conventional Wisdom, and a national perspective, see USA Today. WYPR’s own Marc Steiner discusses slots, horse racing, etc., on Saturday’s All Things Considered.

The best take I could find came from Louisville Courier-Jornal sports columnist Rick Bozich, who’s OK with slots, and admits they’re a decent short-time solution, but says the horse-racing needs a lot more than that to thrive. The New York Post’s Ray Kerrison, on the other hand, happily carries water for track owners/politicians who are all about the slots.

Most nonslots Preakness coverage is pretty perfunctory (what do you expect after 130 years?), but for more color check out David Snyder’s homage to Pimlico’s longtime “Switchboard” operators for the Wash Post and Sun sports columnist John Eisenberg’s breakdown of a moment during the actual horse race.

Nyet!

2005-05-23T12:00:00.000-04:00

As expected, late last week Gov. Ehrlich traveled to the Eastern Shore to veto the so-called Wal-Mart bill. (AP story, Heritage Foundation fellow pleads state to leave poor little Wal-Mart alone via a Sun op-ed, Washington Times story, Salisbury Daily Times report on Somerset County W-M distribution center delay.

Not so expectedly, Ehrlich also vetoed the medical rights bill, which would have allowed gay couples hospital visitation rights and such (though he says he will sign the hate crime bill including sexual orientation): "[T]he mechanism it uses, the creation of a new term of life partner, will open the door to undermine the sanctity of traditional marriage," he said in a written statement. Oh well, better luck next year. Anyway, further coverage from the Washington Blade, The New York Times, The Washington Times, The Washington Post. (Speaking of next year, the Post reports that Gov. Bob plans to come up with his own, sure-to-be-swell gay rights bill next session.)

O'Rumors: Round 52

2005-05-19T12:00:00.000-04:00

Thanks much to the O’Mayor himself, the O’Rumors just aren’t going away. At a press conference yesterday, Mayor O’Malley blasted Gov. Ehrlich for continuing to spread the O’Rumors via his pals at WBAL Radio. “I’m calling upon the governor to end this cowardly abuse of power,” blah blah blah, O’Malley said. Ehrlich called him a “whiner,” thereby begetting a blovious Michael Olesker column.

To make some sense of this latest round—basically, each gubernatorial hopeful thinks he can make the O’Rumors work for him—read David Nitkin’s analysis.

Baltimore Blast

2005-05-19T11:00:00.000-04:00

For those who have been staying up nights wishing and hoping for a 3-D horror video game featuring the mean streets of Baltimore, you got it. Abigail Tucker gets bloody playing Surreal Software’s “The Suffering: Ties That Bind” for The Sun.

In other local vid-game news, Tucker and Rasheim Freeman, in yesterday’s Sun, check in with the Urban Video Game Academy, a Maryland effort to diversify the gaming industry through a program at Federal Hill’s Digital Harbor High School, and African American Gamer, a Columbia-based advocacy group behind that effort.

Quick Hits

2005-05-19T10:00:00.000-04:00

Benediction By refusing to attend Loyola College's commencement ceremony--the pro-abortion rights Rudy Giuliani is the speaker--Cardinal Keeler brings the culture war to Baltimore.

They Have the Internet in Salisbury? Ehrlich appointee gets caught making ethnic slurs on his right-wing blog. Via The Washington Times, the AP story.

Holler! Howard Dean tells Maryland Democrats to get their shit together.

No Health for You: Gov. Bob to veto "Wal-Mart bill", which would have compelled large private employers in the state to offer health insurance to more of their workers.

It’s a Mystery: Prominent local businessman Robert Lee Clay found dead; foul play is suspected.

In This Week's City Paper

2005-05-18T12:00:00.000-04:00

In the cover feature, David Axe dances with Kurds (and their U.S. National Guard occupiers). For more on Kurdistan (an area covering northern Iraq and parts of Turkey and Iran whose people would like to become independent), a quick Google search is overwhelming. This looks like a good place to start, though. And in the Q&A, Bret McCabe claps hands with Rock-n-Romp Baltimore organizer Tracey Gaughran-Perez, who, bless her heart, is hosting rock shows for kids and their parents in her backyard.

Over in Mobtown Beat, Edward Ericson Jr. pounds nails in Reservoir Hill, where shoddy and unfinished work by unlicensed contractors is causing consternation. Ed wrote about this same problem back in September. For more on licensing regulations in the state, visit the Maryland Home Improvement Commission and the Maryland Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing. And Gadi Dechter spreads more O’Rumors: Seems an anonymous letter campaign accuses WBAL-TV I-Team reporter David Collins of plagiarism. Collins’ alleged copying can be found here.

In Arts & Entertainment, McCabe digs into the local underground hip-hop DVD scene. You know, Stop Snitchin’ and all that. Though these are more focused on actual music, parties, and other fun stuff. More blog-link friendly (underground, see?) is Dechter’s review/interview in relation to ground-zero Left Coast punk photographer Jim Jocoy’s show at G-Spot .

Showing Some Muscle

2005-05-17T12:00:00.000-04:00

Since Gov. Robert Ehrlich has turned out to be a less-than-terrific salesman for slots, Pimlico/Laurel Park owner Magna Entertainment Corp. is resorting to, basically, extortion to get slot-machine palaces at its horse-race tracks. Last Friday, as detailed in The Sun, in a private meeting Magna told Ehrlich and Senate President Mike Miller to get slots passed or the Preakness Stakes will be leaving Maryland, which is what various entities have been threatening since the mid-1990s, but the pro-slotters genuflected to their masters: "The bottom line is Magna is a business operation. It's a publicly held company, and it's got to answer to its shareholders," Ehrlich said at last Wednesday's Board of Public Works meeting. "Maryland's not making it, and to the extent Maryland's not making it, we have a problem. . . . It's not the governor threatening. It's a fact."

The Third Floor is pretty much OK with slots at racetracks but doesn't like corporate extortion, so props then to House Speaker Michael Busch, who's totally getting beaten up on this and could use some love, for not caving: "This is a big set-up," he tells The Sun. "Basically, this is Mike Miller and Bob Ehrlich trying to blame somebody else for the fact that they didn't take the House bill."

Slots talk means, of course, exasperation from Dan Rodricks ("[I]t's all so transparent and grotesque, without an ounce of political courage or morality. So, fine. Let's just go with the Magna flow.") and grandstanding from Michael Olesker ("[T]hat thin line is the same problem we face on slots: the difference between our false piety and what's now characterized as political and economic necessity."). And speaking of slots, mark Senate candidate Kweisi Mfume down as for.

Won’t Stop

2005-05-12T12:00:00.000-04:00

The Stop Snitching DVD story just won’t go away. Yesterday it caught up two city police officers mentioned by name in the DVD—William A. King and Antonio L. Murray—who were arrested by feds and charged with robbing drug dealers and selling confiscated drugs. No word, however, on why it took so long to arrest these guys, who were said to be “in the game” on the DVD.

Meanwhile, Gov. Robert Ehrlich takes advantage of SS’s reappearance on the scene and takes to the city streets to promote an anti-crime/drugs media campaign with NBA/DVD star/Baltimore native Carmelo Anthony. Needless to say, hizzoner was not invited. And in its coverage, The Sun made the upcoming Ehrlich/O’Malley gubernatorial battle the focus of this whole story (complete with spokesperson snippy back-and-forths), which might be the proper approach, since, really, is a media campaign gonna stop a decades-long entrenched culture? The Post, on the other hand, noted the mayor’s absence, but didn’t make a big deal out of it, while The Washington Times ignored that part of the story entirely.

Since ’Melo is involved, so is the Sun’s Sports department; columnist David Steele weighs in with his opinion: something about Anthony making it “right for himself” after screwing up by appearing in SS.

Follow-Ups, Closings, Christian Rightists

2005-05-09T12:00:00.000-04:00

More on the Paramours: After getting scooped by the Post on the problems at NAACP HQ in Baltimore when it was led by Senate candidate Kweisi Mfume, the Sun's Kelly Brewington, Ivan Penn, and Greg Barrett hit back yesterday with a longish, but kinda weak look at the "culture" inside the NAACP. While their story is certainly full of interesting tidbits--sexual harrassment, favoritism, etc.--it doesn't really move the larger story forward. Still, worth a read.

Speaking of the Senate race, David Nitkin reports in The Sun today that GOP bigwigs are pushing hard, and winning, on Lt. Gov. Michael Steele to get him to run as the Republican candidate. "Maryland is about to experience Republican politics as you've never seen," Scott W. Reed, a past executive director of the Republican National Committee, tells Nitkin.

And speaking of The Sun getting scooped--in this case, in the plummeting circulation department--ombudsman Paul Moore attempts, in his Sunday column, to explain the double-digit dip on weekdays. It's a nuanced explication, involving the elimination of "low-revenue-producing programs." Letter-writers, of course, enjoy some schadenfraude, because that's what letter-writers do: "Not to wish you ill, but I was certainly happy to learn The Sun's circulation in down," one wrote.

Horse Race: In the other big race shaping up for 2006--that is, for governor--the Washington Times' S.A. Miller gets assumed gubernatorial candidate Mayor Martin O'Malley's fellow Dems to ding him for his statement last week in strong favor of slots.

Closing Time: As the Broening Highway General Motors plant prepares to shut down later this week, the Sun' Stacey Hirsh checks in with workers, the company, and the U.S. automotive industry in general.

Maybe some of the laid-off GM workers can find a job at the new City Watch Center at the Atrium. Soon, the Surveillance Sector of the economy will employ dozens.

In brighter surveillance news, the Sun's Arthur Hirsch paddles with the Patuxent River's self-proclaimed "Riverkeeper," Fred Tutman.

Movement to Montgomery: After the semi-surprise court-ordered shut-down of Montgomery County's new sex-ed program, the Post' Lori Aratani and Daniel de Vise explain how it happened.

No Fun: City Rec and Parks chief Kimberle Flowers resigns to take a similar job in D.C.

Fo-Shizzle: Sun pop music critic Rashod D. Ollison on Sunday deconstructs Snoop Dogg's inexplicable everlasting success. Also in Sunday's A&E section, film critic Michael Sragow saves the galaxy with Mark Hamill.

All Bets Off: In last week's BBJ, Alan Zibel goes in-depth on the city's crack-down on illegal charity "casino" nights. And Julekha Dash reports that Steve de Castro's EurAsian Harbor at Pier V will become yet another Ruth's Chris Steak House.

Crabs, Horses, and Other Local Fauna

2005-05-06T12:00:00.000-04:00

Pickers on the Way: Earlier this week I linked to a Post story about Chesapeake Bay seafood processors awaiting federal legislation that would allow more Mexican workers in to pick crabs. Well, yesterday they got their wish; the legislation, slipped into a military spending bill, now goes to GWB's desk.

Good Bet: In a second major policy announcement in so many days, Mayor Martin O'Malley comes out strongly, during a Preakness-related press conference, in favor of slots, which in February he called "morally bankrupt," while staying in favor of some. The pro-slots administration tried to find a way to criticize O'Malley, while his likely Democartic gubernatorial primary rival, the anti-slots Montgomery Co Exec Doug Duncan, just plain blasted him, and Sun columnist Michael Olesker pooh-poohed slots, hores racing's future, the governor, etc. On the other hand, sports columnist Laura Vecsey says yes to slots to keep Preakness in Maryland. (Haven't we heard this tune before, repeatedly? And isn't the Preakness still in Baltimore. Just saying.)

Speaking of the mayor and politics, Joe Steffen (remember him?) is trying to find out, through the courts, who set him up.

Rouse w/o Co.: The former WQSR-FM's morning show host Steve Rouse tells the Sun's Carl Schoettler that he's sanguine about the oldies station's end. To wit, "I have no interest in bad-mouthing anybody. . . . It was an incredible run. One that you don't see ever in this kind of business. It was the best."

Chesapeake Desert: It's Friday, so that means a new piece from Sun On the Bay columnist Tom Horton, this time about disappearing pristine land.

Quickies: Judge rules that Pride of Baltimore nonprofit can start selling ice cream again at Inner Harbor. And city planning commission OKs convention center hotel public-financing plan.

Endless Battle: In the Jewish Times, Karen Buckelew gets between local Soviet World War II veterans, who are mostly Jewish, and Kackad, a local Russian-language paper that ran an article that "sought to distinguish between what the author considers the true heroes of the Second World War, the real veterans, and the pretenders."

Also in the JT, Barbara Pash reports on efforts to draft state Sen. Paula Hollinger (D-Baltimore County) to replace U.S. Rep. Ben Cardin, who's running for Senate.

Not Too Cheap Gas, Though: The Post's Justin Blum has a good story on a Maryland law that prevents gas stations from charging less than what they paid for the gas.

Also in the Post, John Wagner reports that those funds that were supposed to help malpractice-rattled docs haven't arrived yet.

And a federal judge halts Montgomery County's new sex education curriculum, because, the judge says, "[d]efendants open up the classroom to the subject of homosexuality and specifically, the moral rightness of the homosexual lifestyle." Bigots celebrate. And you know The Washington Times wants to, but it plays it cool.

News Hole

2005-05-05T12:00:00.000-04:00

Capitol Steps: Martin O'Malley revs up gubernatorial campaign by unveiling a 10-point plan to fix state's juvenile justice system. That sounds like a good idea, but promises to clean up DJJ have tripped up more than one politician in Maryland. Post story.

Hit the Road . . . In a change of format, and by sacking DJs/hosts (and all done in secrecy; classy moves, all), Baltimore's oldies station, WQSR (102.7 FM), becomes JACK-FM. For more dirt, visit DCRTV, and direct hate mail to corporate owner Infinity.

Hagerstown Devolves: The lovely folks of this Western Maryland city want nothing, no how, named after Willie Mays, and seem to be suceeding.

Churning Waters: From yesterday, Gov. Ehrlich names new director of Maryland Port Administration: F. Brooks Royster III, formerly of the Port of Miami. BBJ story, Washington Times story.

Exit Stage South: Everyman Theatre to move a few addresses south to the old Chesapeake Restaurant. No word on what's happening to ET's old space.

Promise-Breakers: The AP reports that Pimlico/Laurel Park owner Magna Entertainment Corp. says it won't improve tracks unless it gets slots, which isn't quite what Magna said would happen when it bought the trakcs a few years back.

Lost in the Supermarket: The Gazette papers cover the layoffs (500+) at Giant's Landover hq/manufacturing/distribution facilities, which were announced yesterday.

Attn: Chuck Shepherd: You gotta love a classic dumb criminal story, and the Sun's Ryan Davis has a good one today: Alleged carjacker reports car he stole, um, stolen.

How's the Weather? In other crime news, new Police Commissioner Leonard Hamm has a plan, but blames crime that might occur despite all his hard work on rising temperatures.

Radio Unfree College Park: Mentioning on air "Chevelle", playing at UMd's Art Attack, gets student DJs fired.

Cheap Gas! It's $1.99/gallon, but, well, you have to drive to Westminster.

Beyond the Beltway

2005-05-03T09:00:00.000-04:00

Fast Eddie: In Sunday's St. Petersburg Times, Kelley Benham knocks on doors, finds former Baltimore police chief and state police superintendent/current felon Ed Norris, and writes an excellent, long feature story about him.

Thread of Iris Chang: In the April 17 San Francisco Chronicle, Heidi Benson investigates the life and recent death of early-'90s Johns Hopkins Graduate Writing Seminar student/The Rape of Nanking author/historian Iris Chang.

Well, the First Part Was Good: In yesterday's New York Times, Anne Midgette reviews the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra's Friday performance at Carnegie Hall. She liked the first half.

Bloody Monday: There was little good news in any of the newspaper circulation numbers released yesterday, which cover October 2004 to March. But The Sun--11.3 percent drop in daily circulation and 8.5 percent Sunday--did especially poorly. Andrea K. Walker covers that drop in today's Sun. For further analysis, read on at The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.

Capitol Steps

2005-05-02T12:00:00.000-04:00

The Washington Post follows up its scoop on an internal NAACP memo that alleges the civil rights group's former president and Senate candidate Kweisi Mfume showed favoritism toward women he dated with a more in-depth report, by Matthew Mosk and Cheryl W. Thompson, on Saturday. While it's important to ask where these allegations are coming from and why they're being made now--to scare Mfume out of the Senate race, natch, before he even really starts running--the whole thing definitely doesn't do good for the former West Baltimore-area congressman's image.

It's also important to note that Mfume is strongly denying the allegations and shows no signs of backing down. In the Sun's Saturday follow-up, David Nitkin finds him acting like it's business as usual: "This is not hard," Mfume tells him. Others note that the Senate hopeful is fairly behind organization-wise. On the other hand--Deanicacs take note--Joe Trippi is on Mfume's side.

Sunday Sun Perspective columnist takes a look at the race post-Mfume memo, and it sounds like he's handicapping the race in favor of Baltimore-area U.S. Rep. Ben Cardin, saying that the nearly charisma-less congressman will surprise people on the campaign trail, and that his substance will overcome Mfume's style + story + substance.

In other Senate race news, Southern Maryland U.S. Rep./Minority Whip Steny Hoyer is endorsing Cardin today.

News Hole

2005-05-02T11:00:00.000-04:00

Giving a Shove: City Councilman Keiffer Mitchell Jr. to press schools CEO Bonnie Copeland and the slow-to-act city school board on charter schools at tonight's council meeting.

New North Avenue: Some city planners suggest turning BCPSSs's North Avenue headquarters into condos/retail. BCPSS says, "Yeah, right."

Long Shot: The Sun's Frank D. Roylance reported Saturday that a delay in space shuttle launches may give the Hubble Space Telescope another shot at survival. Discovery News reports on same.

Spending Money: The Sun's Doug Donovan took a look on Sunday at what the city might do with its $37.5 million surplus.

Getting Crabby: In a story by the Post's David A. Fahrenthold, Cheseapeake Bay crabbers closely follow federal crabbing labor legislation that would raise the number of immigrant workers allowed in to work seasonal jobs.

Also Crabby: The Post's John Wagner reports that Dems are angry about a heavily politically tinged memo--debunking legislative session "myths"--distributed to Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services employees.

Capitol Steps

2005-04-29T12:00:00.000-04:00

U.S. Rep. Ben Cardin's Senate announcement on Tuesday afternoon, which everyone knew was coming, was quickly overshadowed by the unexpected allegations, revealed in Thursday morning's Washington Post, that another Democratic candidate for Senate, Kweisi Mfume, favored women he was close to with raises and promotions during his former job as president of the NAACP. The allegations, which Mfume denies, are detailed in a confidential NAACP report obtained by the Post. Also, some at the NAACP are saying that Mfume was fired from the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization, despite reports that the split was amicable.

Re: Mfume: The Sun's follow-up to the Post's scoop can be read here. This, of course, will effect Mfume's standing in race to replace retiring Sen. Paul Sarbanes. How so? Not yet known, but Mfume has come out swinging, and says he's still in the race. Read about it in the Post and Sun.

The Baltimore daily's state political editor, David Nitkin, analyzes the initial fallout: Basically, it's damaging, but too early to tell how much so, and it certainly helps U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen's chances if he decides to run. The Gazette papers' Thomas Dennison does the same, but his analysis is much more critical, pretty much calling the not "well-organized" Mfume campaign dead.

Re: Cardin: His story's much more boring, so just some coverage of his announcement from the Post and Washington Times, much more in-depth coverage from the Jewish Times' James D. Besser, and a look at who could win his seat from The Sun's Andrew A. Green.

In other Senate race news, the Wash Times may be ignoring the Mfume/NAACP allegations story for now, but it published today a story, by S.A. Miller, about Republican Lt. Gov. Michael Steele "struggle" to decide whether to run again for his current seat or for Senate.

Finally, next year we get to pick a Democratic candidate for governor, too, but the only news there in the past few days, via the Post, is that Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan has hired Louisiana Democratic strategist Scott Arceneaux to run his gubernatorial campaign.

Oh, and that Steele's potential successor on the Ehrlich ticket, State Schools Superintendent Nancy Grasmick, got a building in Annapolis named after her. And that Gov. Bob got his property tax cut shot down by the state Board of Public Works, on which his ally Comptroller William Donald Schaefer sits. Hmmm. (Wash Times coverage here.)

Horny

2005-04-29T11:00:00.000-04:00

They're American bison, dammit!

In case you've been sleeping under a rock, you probably know that a small herd of, ahem, American bison raped and pillaged Pikesville earlier this week. Actually, they just kinda roamed around and (awesome!) jumped tennis nets, but it was a big deal, really. Got covered from Australia and China to, well, Owings Mills and Washington.

Anyway, The Sun was, of course, all over the stampede, with a story about Baltimore County Police Detective Ed "Buffalo Bill" Spragg, the cop that got knocked over, but not injured, by a charging bison; praise for the rest of the officers involved; an explation that, no, a bison jumping a tennis net is not that incredible (spoil sports); and some reminisces about past local tangles with exotic animals.

Stop the Presses

2005-04-28T12:00:00.000-04:00

It's been nearly a week since the text of Gov. Robert Ehrlich's complaints against The Sun, and a response from Sun ombudsman Paul Moore, was released on April 21. I was planning on writing something about it, but ran out of time. Suffice to say, Ehrlich's complaints are mostly wrong, and mostly petty when not (there are a few legit gripes), and the Sun's and Moore's responses are mostly evenhanded, and contrite when the paper was inaccurate.

This all, of course, stems from Ehrlich's ban on state employees talking to State House bureau chief David Nitkin and columnist Michael Olesker. Read all about that at this Sun minisite.

Editor and Publisher covers this most recent spat here. And Ehrlich's people respond to the Sun's responses here. He is--shock!!--not happy with them, though it's not clear what would bring satisfaction besides maybe Tim Franklin literally kissing the gov's ass and promising never to print a critical word again. Not likely, that.

Since then, Maryland's first lady, Kendel Ehrilch, called for the suspension of the First Amendment and the jailing of all newspaper reporters at a meeting of lower Eastern Shore Republicans. Well, not quite, but she does think that they "need to be punished." Read local coverage of the first lady's speech here.

Fun stuff.

In This Week's City Paper

2005-04-27T12:00:00.000-04:00

On the cover, Washington City Paper's Jason Cherkis joins a son's search for the killer of his father, a Randallstown door-to-door salesman who was killed on his route in D.C. No further links here, so on to . . .

Mobtown Beat, in which Stephen Janis waits and waits for the construction of the Enoch Pratt's Southeast Anchor Library in Highlandtown. And The Nose starts sniffing around the recent of suspension of Sam Daniels, chief inspector at the Baltimore City Board of Liquor License Commissioners, for doing his job, stemming from a March 9 City Paper story in which he escorted a reporter on a Texas hold 'em raid. The Sun's coverage of the story can be found here.

In Arts & Entertainment, John Barry poses with avant-garde playwright Erik Ehn, who's penning a suite of short plays, 13 Christs, for Hampden's Run of the Mill Theater. For more on Ehn, check out his CalArts School of Theater page and The RAT Conerence.

Know Your Rights

2005-04-26T11:00:00.000-04:00

In yesterday's Sun, Sumathi Reddy reports that several local anti-gay groups are working hard to get the four gay-friendly bills passed during this year's state legislative session vetoed, overturned by referendum, whatever. The Associated Press, via The Washington Times, covers the story here. And Baltimore GayLife goes over those bills in detail here.

To encourage the governor to ignore the bigots and to sign those bills, we recommend writing a thoughtful letter. If you're short on time, however, just click here.

On a brighter, sappier note, read Eartha Melzer's story in the Washington Blade about Del. Doyle Niemann (D-Prince George’s County) and his daughter Cassi, who he sort of outed while explaining to his colleagues why he was voting for the Medical Decision Making Act. Awwww.

Capitol Steps

2005-04-26T10:00:00.000-04:00

Cellular Division: It's a long way till next year's gubernatorial Democratic primary election, but Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan, realizing he's far behind in the polls, isn't letting that stop him from taking potshots at his main Democratic rival, Mayor Martin O'Malley. In today's Post, John Wagner reports that Dunan is blaming the mayor for the demise of the stem cell bill, saying hizzoner was silent on the subject till way-late in the legislative session; O'Malley's people pooh-pooh the allegations, of course.

Speaking of The Sun Poll, ombudsman Paul Moore defends its use, front-page play, etc., in his Sunday column. He gets it pretty much right, though former Poynter Institute president Jim Naughton's warning about the ever-increasing unreliability of polls, due to folks' reluctance to answer their phones, should have gotten better play. Minor complaint, however.

Back in Black: Not exactly a political story, but yesterday's announcement of overstuffed city ($37.5 million), state ($400 million), and county ($90 million) coffers, despite the ailing economy, should provide pols some pork to toss around.

On the Road: Not satisfied with the outcome of General Assembly 2005, Gov. Robert Ehrlich is hitting the road (Monday Post story), namely Republican-friendly employers, to promote his agenda. And here's today's Sun's version.

Two More: Finally, for the Maryland Jewish Alliance's perspective on the session just passed, check out the Jewish Times' legislative wrap-up. And Sun Perspective columnist C. Fraser Smith on the session's biggest winner, Fair Share Health Care lobbyist Vincent DeMarco.

News Hole

2005-04-26T09:00:00.000-04:00

Speedy Justice: Ryan Davis of The Sun reports that Circuit Court Judge John M. Glynn yesterday ordered that suspects "who do not receive a court hearing within 24 hours of their arrest must be released" from notoriously slow Central Booking. For more on problems at CB and the city jail, check out Erin Sullivan's "The Corrections" City Paper feature from last May.

Move 'Em Out: Underplayed by The Sun, but this seems worth highlighting: City plans to acquire about 130 occupied homes to make way for development in Sowebo's Poppleton neighborhood, just west of of the UMB BioPark and downtown's west side.

Where the Buffalo Roam: Apparently, Pikesville.

Sky's the Limit: In Sunday's Sun, Jill Rosen caught up with Mount Vernon residents protesting the city's plan to raise building-height limits in midtown.

It Ain't Easy . . . being an immigrant in Maryland. At least that's what it seems like from a pair of recent Washington Post stories: On Saturday, Krissah Williams reports on a bill, passed nearly unanimously by the General Assembly, that would crack down on "consultants" who, due to negligence or incompetence, end up getting their clients deported. And today, Williams takes a look at the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation's efforts to go after unlicensed money transmitters, small businesses that delivers immigrants' earnings back home.

What's That Smell? Apparently, "old food spills" (The Third Floor really should clean up our desk), now cleaned up. Sun columnist Dan Rodricks, however, opines that the olfactory sensitive judges and lawyers should have just cracked a window.

Boiling Point: As expected, and now reported by Alan Zibel in the BBJ, Morgan State University is calling foul on Towson University's newly approved MBA program.

In other biz news, Washington (racial slur) owner Daniel Snyder changes his mind about his ownership stake in Six Flags; he's keeping it. Earlier story.

Dog Star Years

2005-04-25T12:00:00.000-04:00

Though it's dying a slow death, that's no reason not to celebrate Homewood-based Hubble Space Telescope's 15th anniversary. Start with Frank D. Roylance's Sun story. Then check out Wired News, Space.com, National Geographic News, and Slashdot.

Feature Hole

2005-04-22T11:00:00.000-04:00

Zeitgeist Alert: In yesterday's Sun Rob Hiaasen listened in on local "celebrities"' iPod playlists, including City Paper editor Lee Gardner.

Also in yesterday's Sun, in a much more serious story, Ryan Davis crams into the way-overcrowded Central Booking and Intake Center, aka city jail. And Julie Bykowicz catches a whiff of something awful in the Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. Courthouse: rats. Or maybe not.

Where Eagles Dare: Earlier in the week, in Tuesday's Sun, Rona Kobell soars with bald eagles making their home at Aberdeen Proving Ground, a military testing area in Harford County.

And in Monday's Sun, Kelly Brewington fan-danced at the Greenmount Senior Center, midtown's oasis for the city's Korean seniors. On Tuesday, business columnist Bill Atkinson tried to look tough with the guys behind VIP Security Unlimited.

Caffeinated Commutes: Monday's Post had some stories worth checking out, too. Katherine Shaver gets wired with a researcher who says that commuters who stop for coffee every morning are making our commutes demonstrably longer. Amit R. Paley avoids the skyrocketing housing costs by visiting with those who sleep on boats. And Washington Investing columnist Jerry Knight analyzes Legg Mason Value Trust manager Bill Miller's, um, quest, to get Qwest Communications to buy MCI.

Boom! Speaking of rising housing costs, Baltimore magazine weighs in with a cover feature (yeah, it's been on the stands for a month but was only posted online a few days ago). For homeowners-to-be waiting for the bubble to burst, recall the last time B-Mag covered a boom.

Beyond the Beltway

2005-04-22T10:00:00.000-04:00

O'Boost: In case you've been living under a rock and hadn't heard, Time magazine declared our own Martin O'Malley one of the nation's top five big city mayors. That has to look good on the resume. Sun story.

Real Papal: I mostly avoid nonlocal stories, including the whole pope thing, but hey, when your cardinal/archbishop talks, in this case to NPR's All Things Considered, you listen.

Bad Boys: Remember the Clinton-era federal grant program known as COPS (Community Oriented Policing Services)? DOJ claims the money put 118,000 new police on the street, including 400-plus in Balmer. An audit, according to this USA Today story from last week, found it didn't--more like 90k, or maybe 80k. Baltimore increased its cop roster by only about 300 officers in the 10 years of the program.

Building Blocks: City Journal has devolved from a fairly interesting, well, city journal, with a conservative point of view, to a propaganda rag spouting the day's talking points. But this CJ article on federal community block grants, and--shock!!--how awful they are ("America’s Worst Urban Program" is the title) approaches being interesting, and harps on O'Malley's Sept. 11 comment flap, so . . .

Generally Assembled

2005-04-21T12:00:00.000-04:00

It's been more than a week since the state legislative session ended, so below lies a week's worth of catch-up on the aftermath.

Dry Well: The best stories, of course, are from those with very specific agendas or focuses. From the Diamondback, which knows what's important on campus, comes word of a bill that will force Prince George's County liquor stores to close at midnight.

On the more serious side, the Washington Blade had something to celebrate (if hesitantly, because there's still the governor to go through), thanks to the General Assembly passing three gay-friendly bills.

Wrap-Up: More boring are the wrap-up stories, which tell us what we already know, if we've been paying attention, but they are useful in tying everything together. Anyway, the Gazette papers' GA stories are always worth reading, and here's their wrap-up (plus a look at how business interests made out). Speaking of bizness, the BBJ's take is equally negative, while the Post says the governor "calls bills hostile to business. Then the Post harps on--yawn--"partisan discord". According to The Sun, Gov. Robert Ehrlich, after stumbling in the GA, plans to "take his message to the people".

Oh, and the Post's Winners and Losers.

Then there's all those bills that got the most attention. One at a time:

Slots: In The Sun Ehrlich whines about his inability to get a slots bill passed, said the Preakness' presence in Maryland is threatened. And there's a wolf stalking him, too, he swears. The best take comes from, as it often does, Sun Perspective columnist C. Fraser Smith, who notes that slots fever has peaked.

Then in today's paper comes stories on Pimlico's Opening Day (and what lack of slots means), from The Sun, The Washington Times, and Sun columnist Dan Rodricks.

Stem Cell Research Funding: Thanks to the threat of a fillibuster in the Senate, no stem-cell research funding this year. The Post looks at what happened. Sun business columnist Jay Hancock, instead of following his peers' lead and complaining incessantly about the so-called Wal-Mart bill, calls the defeat of stem-cell funding the "General Assembly's biggest anti-business goof this year."

Large Employer Health Care Bill: Speaking of which, the "Wal-Mart bill" probably received the most post-session attention, likely because it passed with something approaching a veto-proof majority. In this Sun story the Service Employees International Union claims its first victory against the giant retailer. Also claiming a win are the country's liberals, including the Nation's Katrina vanden Heuvel and Susan Bucher, a Democratic member of the Florida House of Representatives. The Post's Steven Pearlstein is a bit more realistic, calling the bill "a purely symbolic effort".

Oh, and despite all the hand-wringing, Wal-Mart, according to this Crisfield Times story, though not happy about the bill, still plans to build a huge distribution center in Somerset County.

News Hole

2005-04-21T11:00:00.000-04:00

O'Rumors: Well, maybe Joseph Steffen was set up (a WBAL-TV report). Though no one deserved it more. The Sun's short report on same.

Toxic Debate: In case that may have repurcussions in Baltimore a federal judge on Monday upheld D.C.'s hazmat rail ban. Sun story, and the Washington Times'.

Remain Silent: Also on Monday, the Supreme Court agreed to hear an Annapolis case--involving a teenager who was allegedly coerced into confessing to a slaying--that could water down our Miranda rights. Post story.

Capital Steps: Sources tell The Sun that U.S. Rep. Ben Cardin will announce his Senate candidacy Tuesday. Also in today's Sun, storyRNC Chairman Ken Mehlman tells GOPers how to gain more power in Maryland.

Cheap Drugs: City to start offering discount drug card.

News Hole

2005-04-18T12:00:00.000-04:00

Capitol Steps: This one would fit under both the gubernatorial and Senate race; likely candidate for governor Martin O'Malley and Senate candidate Kweisi Mfume go where few Democrats have gone before-- Western Maryland (in this AP-via-the Hagerstown Herald-Mail story)--to look for votes, funds, etc. And in this Jewish Times piece, ever-more-likely Senate candidate Lt. Gov. Michael Steele does the same in Northwest Baltimore's Jewish community.

In other Campaign 2006 news, Mayor O'Malley's likely Democratic primary opponent, Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan, took in $500,000 at a Bethesda fundraiser last Wednesday. Speaking of Duncan, this Post piece by Tim Craig from last Thursday raises some good points about how the former Rockville mayor's "cafeteria" Catholicism (and O'Malley's, too) will play in the upcoming race.

Then there's the latest Sun Poll--look for further updates all week, I'm guessing--but nothing surprising here. In the gubernatorial race, O'Malley beats everyone, Ehrlich beats Duncan. Things are close in the Senate Dem primary (with Mfume slightly ahead of Ben Cardin and both well ahead of Chris Van Hollen) , and Steele looks better than expected in the general.

Keiffer Madness: At tonight's City Council meeting, a set of bills to finance the long-promised convention headquarters hotel is expected to be introduced. However, don't expect Councilman Keiffer Mitchell Jr.--who's been asking too many questions--to get much say. According to Eric Siegel's Sunday Sun article, Council President Sheila Dixon plans to send the bills to the "Committee of the Whole" rather than the Taxation and Finance Committee, which Mitchell chairs. BBJ story.

Going in Circles: If you've been reading The Third Floor, the Towson Times, or The Towerlight, you already know that the state and county's effort to build Towson University student housing near Towson Circle is causing much--shock!!--consternation among the area's nonstudent residents (they don't want parties every weekend, etc.). Laura Barnhardt's Sunday Sun story catches everyone else up here.

Over the Limit: Could be wrong, but I didn't see this one anywhere else. According to S.A. Miller's Saturday Washington Times story, the Maryland Office of State Prosecutor has cited and fined a dozen-plus companies for making political donations of more than $10,000, the state's cap.

They're Watching You: Following the lead of Baltimore City and Baltimore County, Anne Arundel County considers requiring surveillance cameras in shopping-center parking lots.

Stay Outside: Finally, some news on the suburban "town center" beat: Columbia's Merriweather Post Pavilion gets a reprieve, but area around is still to be further developed with condos, offices, etc. And in Owings Mills, plans to turn the area around the Metro stop into a $220 million "town center" are--thanks to revived interest from a local builder--back on the table.

Happy Tax Day!

2005-04-15T12:00:00.000-04:00

While tax forms may feel like they're written in some language other than English, be thankful that you at least speak the lingo they're based upon. For the region's immigrants (from Vietnamese to Salvadorans), thanks to language barriers and numerous other impediments, they can be even more baffling. The Washington Post's Mary Beth Sheridan explores exactly how confusing.

Student Demonstration Time

2005-04-15T11:00:00.000-04:00

If you think Maryland and U.S. politics are as rancorous and/or just plain silly as it gets, you haven't been paying attention to the Old Line State's many current campus elections. For instance, in College Park, more people ran for the presidency (eight) than voted (19.6 percent). (Oh, and yesterday Next Party candidate Andrew Rose claimed victory.)

In Towson, on the other hand, one gal, the Dream Towson Party's Darcy Accardi, is running, and will assumedly take office May 1.

Finally, over at Johns Hopkins, they barely got an election off at all (and certainly not a proper one) thanks to fraud, hacking, candidates dropping out, apathy, etc. But anyway, junior Atin Agarwal was declared president of the Student Council two Tuesdays ago.

The future of our country, folks.

(Thanks to the Towerlight's Brian Stelter for the heads-up on this confluence of fuck-ups.)

Feature Hole

2005-04-15T09:00:00.000-04:00

Some catch-up to do here ...

End of an Era: It's news to me, but it sounds like the Bel Air Drive-In Theatre's closing (story by the Sun's Josh Mitchell) has been in the works for a while. The adjoining Big M burger-fries-milk shake restaurant closed last fall. Going to the Churchville complex--which also includes a mini-golf course and a soft-serv ice cream place--was like taking a trip to the 1950s. No more. Well, of course there's still Maryland's last drive-in theater, Middle River's Benjies, but no mini-golf there.

Also in today's Sun, Jason Song and Ryan Davis do the de rigueur profile on Johns Hopkins student Linda Trinh's suspected murderer, Donta Maurice Allen.

In yesterday's Sun, Annie Linskey dances around the fact that Baltimore may have too many biggish live-music clubs now in her otherwise solid story about Sonar's transition from an electronic music club into a live venue.

And in Tuesday's Sun, Lynn Anderson camps out with advocates making sure the city's homeless still have a place at War Memorial Plaza following its $1.5 million renovation.

Crunches for Christ: Bill Gates, in this week's Dundalk Eagle, breaks shit with the Power Team, a Dallas-based group of Christian men who "shatter walls of concrete blocks, snap baseball bats and bend steel bars in their bare hands, rip telephone books in half and inflate hot water bottles using only the power of their lungs." And who are coming to Dundalk April 20-24. Be there!

Lawyers Against/For Christ: I hate to make anyone read a three-part series in The Washington Times titled "Faithless: God Under Fire in the Public Square" (complete with fancy logo), well, sometimes we have to do things we don't like. That's Part 1, from Wednesday: "[American Atheists are] part of a network of organizations that shares logistics, troops, board members and funding sources and includes radical feminists, humanists, atheists and liberal Jewish and Christian groups. Four organizations furnish most of the leadership." You get the idea.

And You Studied Accounting ... Finally, in yesterday's Post, Susan Kinzie shoots the rapids with adventure sports students at Western Maryland's Garrett College.

Beyond the Beltway

2005-04-15T07:00:00.000-04:00

Ouch: According to an April 12 story in Broadcasting and Cable, Jon Leiberman, the former Washington bureau chief for Cockeysville-based Sinclair Broadcast Group who cut his teeth at SBG's Fox 45, was denied unemployment benefits by the Maryland Department of Labor. Leiberman, you might recall, was fired after he slammed his employer for airing the anti-John Kerry Stolen Honor "news" special shortly before last November's election.

LAN Party Tonight! From the April 12 USA Today, Playdium.net, the nation's first franchisor of local area network (LAN) computer gaming arcades, opens its first location in College Park.

Space Cadet: There's not enough hours in the day to spend time reading U.S. Senate conirmation hearing transcripts, but NASA administrator nominee Michael Griffin's (via SpaceRef.com) has so many local connections, the Third Floor would be remiss if we didn't link it. First Maryland senators Mikulski and Sarbanes do most of the ass-kissing, um, we mean talking. The reason being, Griffin is a native son, educated at our finest institutions, and heads up the space department at the JHU Applied Physics Laboratory in Howard County. And, Griffin will be the one making decisions on Homewood's endangered Hubble Space Telescope.

Cheap Labor: Did you know that many Maryland elder-care providers make less than minimum wage? Well, thanks to this April 11 story on Morning Edition by Eric Niller, now you do.

Also on NPR in the past week or so, All Things Considered's Susan Stone sat through the Baltimore Museum of Art's SlideShow last Saturday. And on Tuesday, ME talked with Dr. Ben Carson, director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins.

News Hole

2005-04-14T12:00:00.000-04:00

Condo Hill Park: Not sure why this is making the news now, since it was approved back in February, but local developer CIMG plans to build 170 condos on vacant Reservoir Hill lots overlooking Druid Hill Park. Vistas on the Lake, the $40 million project is called.

But What About the Children? Thanks to booming real estate prices, Baltimore City officials claim a budget surplus of $37.5 million, say they're giving it to the kids. Awww.

Tools: Towson-based Black and Decker is closing its Fayetteville, N.C., manufacturing plant, putting 675 people out of work.

Dirty Water: Bowing to critics, Ehrlich administration says it's not revising state's water quality standards. Its previous plans would have classified some bodies of water as "limited use," aka too polluted to be cleaned up.

Sarbanes Switch: Congressman and former Baltimore County executive Dutch Ruppersberger says he's not going to run for Senate, clearing the way for U.S. Rep. Ben Cardin. Post story.

Gross: If plans work out, Lehigh Cement Co. plant in Union Bridge, Carroll County, would be first in nation to use human waste (Baltimore City's, to be specific) as an energy source.

Stung: An Iranian man, caught in a Maryland-based U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement sting, admitted in Baltimore's federal court that he tried to illegally buy military hardware to sell to Iranian military. Sun story.

Love Nest: From The Capital, ospreys nesting on top of crane could delay Annapolis' Weems Creek bridge project.

Mover Over: From the Patuxent papers, departing Community College of Baltimore County Chancellor Irving McPhail criticized by county council members for using CCBC employees and vehicles to help him move stuff from office to home.

Only in Salisbury: Homeowners finding ways to hide chicken noise and smells.

News Hole

2005-04-12T12:00:00.000-04:00

Stay for 'Scope? From today's Post, NASA engineers present -- challenging President Bush's insistence on abandoning the program -- a "preliminary design review" that shows the Hubble Space Telescope could be serviced using only robots. Today's Morning Edition on NPR on same.

Disembark: Banker/developer/transportation mogul Ed Hale tells WBAL that he's not going to build a cruise ship terminal at his Canton Crossing development, blaming the Maryland Department of Transportation: "Other cities embrace it. For some reason, it has not been embraced here," Hale told 'BAL. "There was no meeting of the minds at all with the Department of Transportation." Hale going after the MDOT is sort of interesting, because he was one the few local businesspeople to talk negatively about former Port of Baltimore director Jim White, who was at least semi-pushed out by MDOT administrators.

Shucks, Y'all: At the Hippodrome last night, Miss North Carolina Chelsea Cooley crowned Miss USA.

City Sprawl: Sources tell the BBJ that Philly's ARC Wheeler LLC is thinking about building condos/hotel/retail on the old McCormick spice plant site at Light and Conway streets, now a surface parking lot.

Suburban Sprawl: In other real estate news, Bethesda's Somerset Construction Co. and three other developers to start building a lot of homes, office, retail on 270-acre site in Hanover near Arundel Mills very soon. To be fair, BBJ had this first, in February.

Blab Away: Via The Washington Times, here's the AP story on Baltimore Police Commissioner Leonard Hamm's plan to go after drug dealers with a pro-snitching DVD.

Terminal: From The Jeffersonian, future of Essex Skypark, the county's last private airport, depends on six-month environmental impact study.

Generally Assembled

2005-04-12T11:00:00.000-04:00

Nobody's Happy: Generally Assembly 2005 has finally ended -- until a special session on slots or whatever is called -- so hurray for that. The major dailies, of course, have all the details, with The Sun leading with the stem-cell research funding bill dying thanks to Senate President Mike Miller wanting to avoid a fillibuster. The Washington Post's session-ending story leads with Democrats "muscl[ing] through a liberal agenda": namely gay rights, increase minimum wage, the Wal-Mart health-care tax bill, etc. The Washington Times? Why it's nasty Dem legislators overriding Gov. Ehrlich's veto of an international trade bill that requires the governor to get approval from the legislature before joining international trade agreements. And The Diamondback on the fate of higher education bills.

And, of course, everyone's cranky, blaming everyone but themselves for whatever bills they liked/didn't like not passing/passing. Yawn.

Anyway, the lack of a slots bill garnered the most finger-pointing. Here's the wrap-up on that from The Sun and the Post.

End of session means report cards and such, so here's Session Highlights and Winners and Losers from The Sun, and a Legislation Status Report from the Post. While I pretty much agree with the Sun's take on Winners and Losers, I don't think Robert Ehrlich is as big a loser as they do (he's smarter than he seems, though not enough to get re-elected), nor is House Speaker Michael Busch such a big winner (he may be politically wily -- more so than even the always sly Miller this session -- but since he represents a relatively conservative district, he may be the second speaker to lose his House seat this decade).

Finally, the first cityside columnist to weigh in on this year's GA session is the Sun's Michael Olesker, who blames Ehrlich for everything up to and including the tsunami.

News Hole

2005-04-11T12:00:00.000-04:00

Block Buster: From Saturday's Sun, Sam Daniels, the city's chief liquor inspector, who was suspended from his job last month, has accused four of his bosses, in a complaint filed with the Baltimore City Circuit Court, of protecting some bar owners on The Block from being investigated. "I cannot abide by anyone hoodwinking the citizens of Baltimore," Daniels told The Sun. "I won't let anyone hijack the law and the good name my father left to me." Stay tuned; this should get interesting.

New School: Yes, University of Baltimore is becoming a four-year institution, according to this Saturday Sun story, and it is a pretty big deal. Congrats to BBJ for getting it first.

Police State: BPD now using "psychological warfare" -- "By any legal means necessary" cards, DVDs, etc. -- to go after drug dealers. I give new Police Commissioner Leonard Hamm six months.

De-Parked: City-owned Fort Smallwood Park one step closer to being run by Anne Arundel County.

Gothic Revival: Philadelphia-based developer buys Westside's A.S. Abell Building (2002's Best Old Building; plans to turn it into -- shock!! -- retail-condos-apartments.

Sarbanes Switch: Your daily Senate race update today comes from the AP, which checks in with the three Maryland congressmen strongly considering the race, calling Ben Cardin the front-runner.

Generally Assembled

2005-04-11T11:00:00.000-04:00

School's Out! Last day of the legislative session means last-day stories from The Sun, the Post (and a chart), and the AP (love the Washington Times copy desk's "Moral issues" headline).

Some more end-of-session wrap-ups from The Sun, from over the weekend: David Nitkin on controversial legislation's long gestation period, and the whole statehouse staff on what's headed for a veto and other last-minute stuff.

Budget: Somehow or another, the Generally Assembly managed to pass Gov. Ehrlich's state budget without the help of money from slots, which seem dead for the third year in a row.

Feature Hole

2005-04-11T09:00:00.000-04:00

Pulitzer Bait: A little harsh, but that's what the Sun's group home series is. But at least it's an important local issue--the awfulness of the state's foster care system--rather than some foreign adventure. Start here; there's plenty more to come.

Best in Show: I've been sadly neglectful of the Sun's terrifically wry coverage of the Miss USA pageant (tonight, at the Hippodrome)--the joke's usually buried in the third or fourth paragraph--since there's just so much of it. But anyway, today's Post pageant story, by Lonnae O'Neal Parker, is good, too.

Observing the Oblates: In today's Sun, in the wake of Camille Cosby's $2 million donation, Liz Bowie takes a look at life at East Baltimore's St. Frances Academy.

Also in today's Sun, Frank D. Roylance plays with kids rediscovering Ellicott City's Enchanted Forest, whose characters were recently relocated to a nearby farm.

Absent Minded: In Saturday's Post, Eric Rich, along with BPD detectives, rounds up Baltimore's no-show witnesses.

HS BS: In Sunday's Post, Steven Ginsberg listens aghast as highway-promoters try to convince him that various unbuilt projects, including Maryland's Intercounty Connector, are neccessary for homeland security, as evacuation routes.

Beyond the Beltway

2005-04-11T08:00:00.000-04:00

Bear Attack: According to Rotten Tomatoes, Chip Silverman and Miles Harrison Jr.'s 2001 book Ten Bears--which tells the tale of Morgan State University's circa-1970 lacrosse team, the first all-black lax squad--is officially under development at Warner Bros., with screenwriter Josh Shelov attached. Here's an earlier column, by the Sun's John Eisenberg, on Ten Bears' cinematic potential.

Talking Taxes: The Sun's David Nitkin talked last Wednesday about the General Assembly's mandatory health-care spending bill on NPR's Talk of the Nation.

Speaking of the Wal-Mart bill, the Motley Fool's Seth Jayson argues against it. Whether you're for or against the bill, Jayson's column is the best, most fair analysis of the bill I've seen.

Comics in the Classroom: Also on NPR, on Friday Morning Edition's Sarah Hughes drew a picture of the Maryland State Department of Education's new Comic Book Initiative.

Three Rivers Deal: The city of Pittsburgh and Continental Real Estate Cos. recruiting Baltimore's Cordish Co. to help develop Continental's North Shore project between the city's two major sports stadiums.

Back to the Courts: Nothing new, but here's the AP story, via Newsday, on the ACLU's 10-year-old, $400 million class-action discrimination lawsuit against the city and HUD on behalf of tenants in city projects heading back to the courts.

News Hole

2005-04-08T12:00:00.000-04:00

Shore Shots: Six shot, two dead in yesterday's Eastern Shore shooting spree (Salisbury Daily Times story). Here's the Daily Times' sidebar about reaction in the neighborhood where much of the violence took place.

The Sun's coverage is also thorough: main story, sidebar on local reaction in Laurel, Del. Here is the Post story, and The Washington Times'.

In Need of Funds: Maryland Department of Juvenile Services Secretary Kenneth Montague predicts a budget shortfall for his under-fire department, gets criticized by legislators and advocates.

Case Dismissed: The Afro's Sean Yoes reports on former police commissioner Kevin Clark's suit against the city being dismissed.

You're Fired: From the Gazette papers, legislature's investigation into Ehrlich administration's hiring/firing practices shaping up.

Gun Play: National Park Service may thin Bushes, um, I mean thin the white-tailed deer herds at Camp David.

Skyrocketing Salaries: From The Jeffersonian, Baltimore County auditor says combined salaries for top administrators at Community College of Baltimore County up 86 percent over the past seven years.

Where the Boys Aren't: From The Towerlight, TU provost has plan to attract more men by emphasizing SAT scores over GPAs (in other words, even smart boys don't study or work hard in high school).

Senate Race Update: The Jewish Times' Barbara Pash goes over the possible political scenarios in the Pikesville/NW Balto area created by the retirement of Sen. Paul Sarbanes with the help of--not kidding--"Deep Throat Too."

Quarry the Zero: Also in the Jewish Times, Obrecht Properties changes its plans for commercial portion of its development of Pikesville's Greenspring Quarry, a, ugh, "White Marsh Main Street feel."

Failing Grade: From North East Reporter, Carney Improvement Association members give intersection of Joppa and Harford roads an F.

Open Books: State's librarians unveil new MPower cards, which will allow users to borrow from any library in the state.

Eyes on You: Speaking of unveiling, yesterday JHU Homewood showed off its new "smart" camera surveillance system.

Generally Assembled

2005-04-08T11:00:00.000-04:00

Gay Rights Bill: Following the Senate's passage a few days ago, House passes (Sun story) a domestic partners-rights bill (hospital visitation rights and such) with a just shy of veto-proof margin. Bills now need to be reconciled before going to gov's desk. Washington Times story, Post story, 365 Gay story.

Witness Intimidation: Not sure why she's grandstanding now, but despite House and governor coming to compromise on witness intimidation bill, city State's Attorney Patricia Jessamy is calling it "a toothless tiger."

Wind-Down: Couple of decent session-ending-Ehrlich-not-getting-much stories from the Gazette papers: lowered expectations and charm offensive.

Feature Hole

2005-04-08T10:00:00.000-04:00

Won't Back Down: Bay Weekly's Margaret Tearman stays strong with former U.S. Park Police chief Teresa Chambers, a former PG County cop, who was demoted for remarks--?There are not enough of us to go around to protect those spaces anymore,? she told the Post--made in the wake of Sept. 11.

Youth Movement: The Sun's Kelly Brewington goes after buppies with the NAACP.

Also in The Sun, Tom Horton reminisces about Maryland's oyster industry through the long-out-of-print 1968 The Oystermen of the Chesapeake by Robert de Gast.

Horse Cents: The Post's Fredrick Kunkle rides with the increasing numbers of horse breeders in Pennsylvania, now competitive with Maryland's.

Also in the Post, Susan Kinzie walks the picket line with college students, whose clout is working to better their universities' (including Maryland's) unions. And, from last Sunday's paper, Joshua Partlow scares up some Southern Maryland ghost hunters.

Air on a Wire: The Afro-American's Sean Yoes walks the beat trying to explain the shoes over-the-wire phenomenon.

Grave Issue: Brian Stelter of The Towerlight digs into a 140-year-old Shealey Cemetery near Towson Circle student housing development.

Generally Assembled

2005-04-07T12:00:00.000-04:00

With the General Assembly session winding down--for real this time, just five or so days left--there are more than enough stories to rate their own heading for the next few days.

Large Employer Tax: Following the lead of its big brother, although succeeding, the state Senate passes a bill that would affect one entity. Except in this case it makes sense. The health-care tax, which already passed the House, would ding large employers--hint, hint: Wal-Mart--that fail to meet a specified level of health benefits for employees, and which the governor promises to veto. Lots of coverage on this one, as it's the first of its type to be passed by a state legislature, and, well, you know, Wal-Mart.

The Sun's Andrea K. Walker had a follow-up story in today's Business section, rounding up a great deal of the recent criticism aimed at the Bentonville, Ark., behemoth and the company's response. The Post's Business section sent a reporter, Michael Barbaro, to Arkansas to get Wal-Mart's reaction (hint: not positive).

Here is the Post's original story, and the Washington Times'.

Minimum Wage: Another bill sure to be vetoed is the minimum wage bill (AP story), which would raise it a dollar to $6.15, that just passed the Senate and now goes to Bob Ehrlich. Post story, Sun story.

Airport Renaming: On the other hand, a bill that really helps no one, the renaming of BWI Airport for Thurgood Marshall, is gaining more traction every day. This Sun story finds such a bill on its way to the Senate. The Washington Times seems to find it interesting that U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-7th) has come out in support of the bill. I find it interesting that he hadn't sooner, but to each his own. And The Capital takes a look at the cost of renaming: depending on who you ask, $250,000 or $2 million.

Some Other Stuff: Stem-cell research funding (Sun: doesn't look good in Senate); witness intimidation (Sun: Ehrlich's bill could make it to House floor before end of session); speaking of which, the Sun's Jennifer McMenamin takes a look at witness intimidation in the suburbs; slots (Post: Gov. Bob travels to Calvert County's Rod 'N' Reel to push his case); slots (Washington Times on same); slots (Sun's Dan Rodricks takes his shot at Bobby Slots, and really all you have to read on this whole ordeal).

News Hole

2005-04-07T11:00:00.000-04:00

Back to the Courtroom: ACLU's 10-year-old, $400 million class-action discrimination lawsuit against the city and HUD on behalf of tenants in city projects, after settlement talks break down, headed back to the courts.

In the Dark: Minority-owned B&B Lighting Supply says it wants out of city contract. It's complicated, and a pretty interesting story.

Beyond the Beltway

2005-04-07T08:00:00.000-04:00

Defending Your Marriage: Remember those Pennsylvania kissin' cousins who took advantage of our state's lenient marriage laws and got hitched in Maryland a few weeks back? Well, they're back, defending their forbidden love to the media. Namely the AP, in an interview a few days ago. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Bill Toland then went on to analyze their defense.

Poll Vault

2005-04-07T07:00:00.000-04:00

A Dispatch from the Third Floor's old friend Er Uh Cliffie

City Paper got about a dozen of these on Tuesday and Wednesday--e-mails from helpful citizens pointing out BIAS (the MSM's, ours, everyone's but the writers') in the polls about and coverage of the Terri Schiavo case:

"Dear Baltimore City Paper:

It's now been shown that the polls that were widely reported in the mainstream media leading up to Terri Schiavo's death were BIASED polls with "leading" questions. Why aren't we hearing about that?

The latest UNBIASED polling from Zogby show the nation clearly supporting Terri and her parents and wanting to protect the lives of other disabled patients. By a whopping 79%-9%, Americans responding to the poll said that disabled patients like Terri Schiavo should not have food and water taken away.

In addition, the new polling also shows support to members of Congress who passed legislation seeking to prevent Terri's starvation to death and help her parents take their lawsuit to federal courts. By a 42%-18% margin, respondents believe that elected officials should order that a feeding tube remain in place in cases like Terri's.

It's the media's job to report the news in an UNBIASED way. Please, do your job, and report the facts--most Americans supported SAVING Terri Schiavo's life, and they supported Congress taking action to help save her.

Sincerely, ... "

And the flood continues. . . .

We here on the Third Floor don't take charges of BIAS lightly, so we checked out the Zogby poll in question. And another, with a grid of the full poll questions and responses.

And here's the "unbiased" question about which the hubbub:

"True or False: A disabled person who is not terminally ill or in a coma,and not being kept alive by life support should not, in the absence of a written directive to the contrary, be denied food and water."

We love this wording. Reminds us of an old Monty Python sketch called "The Day Nothing Happened": "For Ralph Mellish this was not to be the start of any trail of events which would not, in no time at all, involve him in neither a tangled knot of suspicion nor any web of lies, which would--had he been not uninvolved--surely have led him to no other place than the Central Criminal Court of the Old Bailey. But it was not to be!"

OK, so this "unbiased" question was sponsored by an organization, Life News, supporting Schiavo's parents. It wasn't worded by the polling professionals at Zogby.

That, on its face, makes the question biased. But we were intrigued, so we surfed over to FreeRepublic.com, the reliable lunatic fringe of the "religious" and "libertarian" patriots dwelling uneasily among the otherwise sheeplike (if not idiotically liberal) American populous.

Here's the thread (one of many). Many Freepers raised the rhetorical eyebrow that Zogby--who had John Kerry beating Bush last November--finally did a "good" poll. Then someone with the handle "AnOutragedCitizen" made a prescient observation:

"Oh my gosh, this is really scary!! If that is the ENTIRE question ("If a disabled person is not terminally ill, not in a coma, and not being kept alive on life support, and they have no written directive, should or should they not be denied food and water,"), it could apply to ANY disabled person.

"9% of respondents think they should be denied food and water????"

Heh-heh. Right! Nine percent of Americans want to kill all the disabled folks--AS LONG AS YOU ASK THE QUESTION IN AN UNBIASED WAY.

In This Week's City Paper

2005-04-06T12:00:00.000-04:00

On the cover, senior writer Van Smith examines the case of Jacqueline Folio, a BPD officer stung by an Internal Affairs Division "integrity test." For more on the mayor's plan to reduce crime--by going after cops--check out this position paper (or something like that) from 2001.

In Mobtown Beat, Charles Cohen talks with families that are trying to change a law that's keeping their loved ones' in prison longer than the families think they should be. The law, which made daytime burglary a violent crime between 1992 and 1994, has been rescinded by the General Assembly and currently sits on Gov. Robert Ehrlich's desk. And Ruth Reader keeps an eye on the city's new surveillance cameras, coming soon to Greenmount Avenue, Park Heights Avenue, and East Monument Street. Links worth clicking, both pro, Downtown Partnership, and anti, ACLU of Maryland/Electronic Privacy Information Center.

The Nose sniffs out whether a $30,000 settlement/"contribution" between Baltimore Neighborhoods Inc. and Ellicott City apartment complex Charleston Manor passes the smell test.

Over in Arts & Entertainment, Violet Carberry experiments with the organizers of Transmodern Age 2005, an avant-garde art festival, starting April 8, with the theme "What is human?" To check out Bret McCabe's story on Transmodern Age 2003, click here.

Speaking of McCabe, CP's music editor gets nasty with the late British author Kyril Bonfiglioli and his most famous creations, three books starring unethical art dealer Charlie Mortdecai (said to be under development with Sacha Baron Cohen as the lead) . Check out Fantastic Fiction's Bonfiglioli site and go from there.

News Hole

2005-04-05T12:00:00.000-04:00

Bar Clark: No one looked good in this one--what with expletive-laden instant-messages, a police chief never really leaving his hometown, domestic-abuse investigations, etc., etc.--but Ex-Baltimore Police Chief Kevin Clark always seemed to look worst. So it comes as no surprise that he has lost his lawsuit against the mayor, which claimed O'Mayor illegally fired him and sought his job back and $120 million. City Circuit Court Judge Joseph Kaplan put it best in a previous ruling, comparing the whole ordeal to a "dime novel."

Missed It: For those in the media, asking a legislator to introduce a bill is considered verboten. TV reporter David Collins of WBAL--who asked Sen. John A. Giannetti Jr. (D-Laurel) to introduce a bill that would allow TV cameras in criminal courtrooms--is, according to this Friday Gazette papers story by Catherine Dolinski, learning that the hard way. To be fair, Collins' mistake seems innocent enough, and the bill's not a bad idea; he just should have gotten his union or trade association to do the asking.

Speaking of media faux pas, according to this recent but undated Sentinel papers story by Kelli Gavant, apparently Lt. Gov. Michael Steele kept the press out of a public meeting at Bethesda's Seven Locks Elementary School. Blogged about here.

Cop Shoot Cop: Sixth item down.

Barclay Bounce: The Sun's Eric Siegel reports that the city is taking another shot at rejuvenating Greater Charles Village's Barclay neighborhood through the purchase/renovation of dozens of rowhouses.

Fosterity: The Post's David Snyder reports on a new Office of Legislative Audits report which says that the state's foster-care system has a lot of problems, including kids not going to school and not meeting with caseworkers. AP story.

Generally Assembled: The Sun's David Nitkin and Andrew A. Green on Democrats seeking an earlier primary in 2006, which would give them time to raise more money for the general election. Also by Nitkin, some legislators saying budget stalemate in Senate over House's plan to cut the state property tax may be ploy to introduce slots as a solution. (Washington Times budget-impasse story.) It's a theory . . .

Post's Amit R. Paley on legislation that would tighten nutrition standards on state's public-school food. If I read this right, Sun's Andrea F. Siegel on a bill that would erase the state law that requires dismissal of charges when prosecutors lose a pretrial appeal, now in the governor's hands. Diamondback's Scott Dance on lack of movement on tuition-cap bills.

Hey Hey Hey: Camille Cosby, wife of Bill, donates $2 million to East Baltimore's St. Frances Academy.

Oella Oella Oella: Sun catches up on David Hillman's plan to convert Oella Mill, across the river from Ellicott City in Baltimore County, into condos.

Missed 'Em: The Afro American's Sean Yoes on the nonrenaming of BWI Airport (oh, and the Baltimore Times' Janine Guerrier-Smith on same) and the abolution of the City Council.

Feature Hole

2005-04-05T11:00:00.000-04:00

Deja Vu: Gerry from Pikesville won't stop talking to the Sun's Stephen Kiehl.

Music critic Tim Smith sings the praises of recently departed La Scala principal conductorRiccardo Muti.

Oh yeah, Opening Day!

Old Line Lies: The Capital's Eric Hartley helps debunk some Maryland Day (that was March 25, for those who missed it) myths.

Chicken Out

2005-04-04T12:00:00.000-04:00

Correction: Frederick N. Rasmussen's Perdue obituary also went over Frank's, um, creative driving.

Frank Perdue picked the wrong weekend to die if he wanted to go out with all eyes on him. Not many chances for in-depth coverage when you're competing with a pontiff and a political football. But I managed to round up a few obits and such worth reading.

First off, while Perdue did a lot of good in the Lower Shore, he also did a lot of harm: to the environment, to unions, to billions of chickens, to our health, to speed limits (and one dead Pennsylvania motorist). So before checking out the white-washes, read GoVeg.com/PETA's anti-obit, which notes that Perdue "was responsible for developing many of the notoriously cruel techniques used in modern chicken factory farming," and that he "confessed before the President?s Committee on Organized Crime that he had called upon New York mobsters to break up strike efforts by unionized employees." Not exactly the wholesome image you get from the old commercials, eh?

The only obit I could find that mentioned Perdue's involvement in a 1974 fatal traffic accident in Pennslyvania, and general proclivity for moving violations, was The Washington Post's. Some other national stories include The New York Times' and NPR's.

The Sun, somewhat surprisingly, didn't do much. Besides for Frederick N. Rasmussen's obit, all I could find was Meredith Cohn's story on Perdue's TV commercials and business practices and a completely softball editorial.

The Salisbury Daily Times, on the other hand, was all over the story. Although nary a critical word was heard, this suite of stories do demonstrate how important Perdue was in Salisbury and the Lower Shore.

News Hole

2005-04-04T11:00:00.000-04:00

UB Undergrads? I'm not sure if this is a big story--I haven't seen it picked up elsewhere, the BBJ didn't put it on the front page--but I think it might be. According to Alan Zibel's story, University of Baltimore, which has served only upperclassmen and grads since becoming public in 1976, is likely to become a four-year institution next year. This is especially interesting, since UB President Robert Bogomolny told the Sun's Mike Bowler just a year ago that the midtown college had no such plans, though "[n]othing is off the table."

Burnout: Sounds like the company's just fishing for some good ol' corporate welfare, but according to this BBJ story by Alan Zibel, longtime Brewers Hill-based horseradish maker Tulkoff Food Products may leave town if it's not able to find a new location (it's being forced out by condos/retail/ad nauseam).

Extreme Makeover: Public/private partnership to rehabilitate Highlandtown firehouse to the tune of $250,000.

In other city real estate news, Sun architecture writer Edward Gunts reports that a number of local cultural groups are working to turn the vacant Peale Museum into the Baltimore City History Center.

Inner Hollywood East: Bad news for The Charles Theatre, possibly good news for cineastes. The BBJ's Julekha Dash reports that Inner Harbor East developers are negotiating a deal for a seven-screen art house.

Greater Annapolis: There are a number of deals percolating that would expand the state capital's borders. The Sun's Jamie Stiehm takes a gander. The Capital has also been covering this story: The two parcels are both on the Annapolis Neck Peninsula, one off Masque Farm Road and the other between Quiet Waters Park and the Annapolis Overlook neighborhood.

Generally Assembled: If it seems to you like it takes forever for the legislative session to wind down, you're right. This is at least the third round of end-of-session stories that I can count. The Sun's Andrew A. Green notes in today's paper that few of Gov. Ehrlich's major proposals--i.e., slots, witness intimidation, lead-paint enforcement, etc.--have made it to the floor. In today's Post, Matthew Mosk and John Wagner tip the scales of power between the legislature and the governor. In Sunday's Annapolis Capital, David Abrams also notes the large amount of unresolved legislation. And the AP's Gretchen Parker keeps out of closed committee hearings in which bills are voted on.

Also in today's Sun, Sumathi Reddy checks out stem cell research funding/banning in other states, and Ivan Penn reports that the city plans to make up for the $375,000 cut from the state's lead-enforcement budget in its own budget.

Feature Hole

2005-04-04T10:00:00.000-04:00

Stretching the Law: Those interested in campaign finance laws could do a lot worse than read Michael Dresser and Alec MacGillis' Sunday Sun story Catonsville-based developer Edward A. St. John's (and other business owners') ability to skirt the law and make many donations through multitudes of entities. This sidebar takes a look at what the legislatures, in Maryland and around the U.S., are doing to curtail such activities.

Also in Sunday's Sun Tim Smith makes beautiful music with Chinese pianists Lang Lang and Yundi Li. And Chris Kaltenbach makes bloody comic books with cartoonist/Sin City co-director Frank Miller.

New Montgomery: The Post's Cameron W. Barr diversifies with Montgomery County Council President Tom Perez, the highest-ranking Latino elected official in Maryland.

Blue Birthday: In today's Sun Rashod D. Ollison wishes Billie Holiday a happy 90th birthday, with reviews of new CDs and DVD.

Beyond the Beltway

2005-04-04T09:00:00.000-04:00

New Montgomery: The Boston Globe's Joshua Glenn decamps with Johns Hopkins political economist Francis Fukuyama, who with his realpolitik colleagues are leaving the ever-more-neocon National Interest to form rival journal The American Interest. This has been heavily blogged, so look around if you're interested.

News Hole

2005-04-01T12:00:00.002-05:00

Post Lost: Not sure what happened, but it was a really good post . . . seriously.

Feature Hole

2005-04-01T11:00:00.000-05:00

Ghost Town: The Diamondback's Matt Santoni takes a very short pub crawl in College Park, discovering it's not so easy to create a college-town atmosphere there, thanks to limited liquor licenses and such.

Also in the Diamondback, Emily Yahr goes on location with others hoping to renew UM's film-major program.

Evolutionary War: The Jewish Times' Ira Rifkin devolves while looking into the battle over "intelligent design".

I Can't Hear You: And in The Sun, Andrew A. Green avoids questions with Gov. Robert Ehrlich, who's been pretty good at avoiding newspaper reporters' pesky questions, instead spreading his message via TV and talk radio.

Alternatives

2005-04-01T10:00:00.000-05:00

The Amazing Race: I want a T-shirt, or maybe a poster.

News Hole

2005-03-31T12:00:00.000-05:00

In the Black: City sees rising revenues.

Sci-Biz Merger: Maryland Science Center to name former Beth Steel exec Van Reiner (the MSC's interim director since September was president of the Sparrows Point mill) CEO today. I'm not sure if I have any real thoughts on this trend of hiring businesspeople to run cultural institutions, except that I'm less likely to go to museums/sci centers/etc. when they fill their halls with heavily commercialized exhibits like the MSC's Titanic one. But I'm one of those too-educated-for-my-own good bookish type, so what do I know about getting people to visit museums.

Generally Assembled: Most legislative stories are snoozers for readers (kinda like fillibusters are for legislators), but in this good story by the Sun's Sumathi Reddy, Senate President Mike Miller's efforts to do what he can to avoid fillibuster on stem cell research funding bill sound downright heroic. Post story. Diamondback story about how such funding might boost research at the University of Maryland.

Baltimore State's Attorney Patricia Jessamy calls on House to pass witness intimidation bill. And, back from the hospital, Comptroller Willie Don Schaefer calls on GA leaders to pass a slots bill.

Finally, a good profile of state Sen. John Giannetti Jr. (D-Laurel), from the Gazette papers' Guy Leonard.

Why Not? Canton residents/city officials flabbergasted at developer's propsal to build seven-story condos on Canton parkland. Why? Has anyone driving down Boston Street (or Key Higway, for that matter) even seen water in the past three years.

But What About the Children? Seeing an advantage, O'Malley/Duncan aim guns at Gov. Bob Ehrlich, blaming him for troubles at state's juvenile justice facilities. Fair enough, politically, but weren't there problems at DJS long before Ehrlich showed up? Is there an urban juvenile justice system anywhere in this country that's not totally fucked up?

Cops and Lawsuits: Albert Mosley, who says he was seriously injured by police officer while in a holding cell two years ago, suing officer for $40 million.

The Loneliness of the Long Distance Commuter: For those of you who drive daily from, say, Govans to Laurel for work, today's U.S. Census report that Baltimoreans' and Marylanders' commutes are really long comes as no surprise. But I wonder about these surveys/reports, as they seem to show different things depending on whose asking; sometimes LA and Houston are the worst, other times it's Balto/DC and NY/NJ/Conn. that are most awful. Just wondering out loud.

Another Study: According to the Maryland Higher Education Commission, women enrolling in state colleges at twice the rate as men.

Coeds Not Welcome: From the Towson Times, more on the Greater Towson Council of Community Associations' opposition to student housing on Towson Circle.

College Kids Drink?! From The Towerlight, administrators think way too hard about what to do about undergrads' tendency to booze it up at sports events.

Dundalk Renaissance: From the Dundalk Eagle, County Councilman John Olszewski Sr. (D-7th) proposes three eastern Baltimore County stretches as renaissance opportunity areas.

Hungry in North Baltimore: From The Messenger, following the closing of Tuscany-Canterbury's Jeannier's coupla months back, Mount Washington's McCafferty's has closed its doors, too. Also in The Messenger, a nice story on vacancies at the Rotunda.

Growths: From yesterday's Capital, freakish catfish caught in Annapolis' South River.

Rising Rates: From yesterday's Diamondback, as the state budget session comes to a close, state university employees concerned about rising health-care costs.

Feature Hole

2005-03-31T11:00:00.000-05:00

Name Games: Finally, besides for just various legislators and business leaders spouting off half-baked opinions about it, a serious look, from the Sun's Meredith Cohn, about how a name-change might affect business at BWI Airport. The answer: probably not much, but who knows?

Why anyone would want to be named after an airport, I don't know (haven't any of them ever been to an airport?), but here's the Post's story on Thurgood Marshall's family asking for just that.

Oh, and whose fault is it that this proposal is stalling in the state Senate? The Liberals, of course, according to Gregory Kane's latest BlackAmericaWeb.com column. While Kane's got a point, I only count one not-so-liberal standing in the way.

Bird Calls: The Sun's Candus Thomson travels with Maryland Department of Natural Resources workers as they use decoys to attract snowy egrets back to snowy egrets the Eastern Shore's Poplar Island.

There Go the Neighborhoods: The Dundalk Eagle's Bill Gates goes door-to-door with civic-minded neighbors trying to get residents active again in neighborhood associations.

I Can't Tell You Why . . . but in the Sun's LiVE! section, Rashod D. Ollison flies with--shudder--the Eagles. In less vomit-inducing news, Annie Linskey gets small with Rick Shelley's Theatre Serenissima, which starts tomorrow at AVAM.

News Hole

2005-03-30T12:00:00.000-05:00

Again: More trouble for Maryland's Dept. of Juvenile Services, this time a guard punching naked kids in the groin at the Alfred D. Noyes Children's Center in Rockville as part of an initiation ritual.

Metoric Meters: If cabbies get their way (ever-increasing gas prices are to blame), prices of taxi rides likely to rise 30 percent to nearly $10/five miles.

Building Bidding: According to this story from the Sun's Lorraine Mirabella, five national builders, including original choice Whiting-Turner Contracting Co., are bidding construct $290 million convention headquarters hotel.

Generally Assembled: State Senate unanimously passes $26 billion budget, rejecting House property-tax cut; now goes to committee (Washington Times story). Gov. Bob Ehrlich says that House Judiciary Committee Chairman Del. Joseph Vallario Jr. (D-P.G. and Calvert Cos.) is holding up the gov's witness-protection initiatives. Del. Dan K. Morhaim (D-Balto Co.) reprimanded, gets one year probation for mishandling living wills. And a good story from the Gazette papers on everything left undone as the session ends.

The Quiet Man: Good story from the Post's John Wagner and Matthew Mosk on Gov. Ehrich's tendency to say nothing to very little on anything that's even semicontroversial: renaming BWI, raising the minium wage, "life partner" rights, etc., etc. The Washington Times' S.A. Miller has a similarly themed story focusing on the governor's nonstance on stem-cell reasearch funding.

Carney-val: From The Jeffersonian, Carney residents rail against development along Belair and Northwind roads, and also Baltimore County government in general.

Also from The Jeffersonian, David Hillman's Southern Management buying Oella Mill, between Catonsville and Ellicott City, to turn it into apts. or condos.

Wake-up Call: From The Capital, second Anne Arundel Co. 911 operator caught sleeping on job.

Feature Hole

2005-03-30T11:00:00.000-05:00

Shades of Schiavo: The Post's Eric Rich combs the files and finds a 1991 case that led to Maryland's landmark living will law.

Missed it: A similarly themed story from the Sunday Sun by Michael Hill.

Jackpot: The Sun's Lorraine Mirabella cashes in at the Baltimore-based Cordish Co.'s successful retail development The Walk in Atlantic City, N.J.

Beyond the Beltway

2005-03-30T10:00:00.000-05:00

Fallingwaters: From artdaily.com, John Waters gets hung May 20-Sept. 24 at Pittsburgh's Andy Warhol Museum.

Lil' Pat: The Sun's bizarro-conservative cityside columnist, Gregory Kane, also has a column at BlackAmericaWeb.com, where he serves as the site's token conservative, and occassionally ties local goings-on into the national issues he opinionizes upon. In last week's column, Kane, in connection to the Lil' Kim case, rules against local prosecutors (although he doesn't name her, that would be Patricia Jessamy) kicking cases up to federal courts, and also gets in a kick at Armstrong Williams.

Kissin' Cousins: If this real-life Jerry Springer Show episode made it in the local press, I missed it. After being rejected by their home state, Pennsylvania first cousins get married in Maryland.

News Hole

2005-03-29T12:00:00.000-05:00

The Third Floor is back from Easter vacation, but still way behind, so just fast-and-furious catch-up today. Back to normal tomorrow, hopefully.

Patronage Abuse: From today's Sun, DOT Secretary Bob Flanagan hires another incompetent, this time Anne Arundel County pol/perennial Ehrilich administration employee Phillip Bissett, to head the state's MARC train system, for more than $92,000 a year.

Quota Quarrel: From a rather badly written story in today's Sun (does anyone understand the lead?), police union and City Councilman Kenneth Harris criticize department's relatively new "point" system, which is supposed to evaluate officers' performance through their number of arrests and such.

Staying Alive: From yesterday's Sun, according to city officials, fatal drug overdoses fell by 12 percent last year, to 261, the lowest number in five years.

Howdy, Pardner: Looks like gay couples will finally get some more rights, though of course not marriage, this year, as the "life partners"-rights bill--which would give unmarried longtime couples the power to make health and funeral decisions and such--passes through the Senate and looks golden in the House. UPI/Washington Times story, and a pretty good Sun preview story.

Generally Assembled: House votes 81-53 to fund stem-cell research in Maryland at $23 million a year; now goes to Senate, where a fillibuster or at least a long fight is expected. Pending House bill would allow public-school students to use sunscreen with impunity. Taxpayer-funded state elections bill looks dead.

O'Rumors: This story blew up on Friday and stayed newsy over the weekend. First, Gov. Ehrlich accuses former state employee/Ehrilch volunteer of blackmail, in connection with the whole Joseph-Steffen-spreading-O'Malley-rumors thing, saying that Dems set Steffen up in a sting-type operation (or something like that), and that the ex-worker, Michelle Lane, is trying to blackmail him so that she doesn't get investigated (or something like that); it's complicated. (Post story.) Then, in The Sun, even more confusing follow-ups on Saturday and Sunday.

Lane's involvement in this mess also somehow points to flaws in the state's foster-care system (or something like that). Stories in the Post and The Towerlight. The Third Floor will read all this more carefully and get back to you, maybe even with a clear explanation and well-thought-out analysis, but don't count on it.

Going in Circles: Also from The Towerlight, Greater Towson Council of Community Associations strongly opposes student housing on Towson Circle.

Slots Updates: From yesterday's Sun, officials in Frederick County, slated for 2,500 machines under the House of Delegates slots plan, are drafting legislation to keep them out; expect other jurisdictions to follow suit, in both directions. From today's Sun, Gov. Bob Ehrlich visits Laurel Park to meet with Maryland Jockey Club CEO Joe De Francis and to push Generally Assembly to pass slots legislation.

TMBWI Airport: The effort to rename Baltimore's airport is gaining more traction. From yesterday's Sun, Thurgood Marshall's family now publicly urging lawmakers to rename BWI Airport for the former Supreme Court justice, civil-rights pioneer, and Baltimore native. Washington Times story.

Senate Race Update: Nothing really new, but a good update about what's going on from yesterday's Post.

Feature Hole

2005-03-29T11:00:00.000-05:00

Free Lunch: In yesterday's Post David Snyder gets a leg up thanks to the General Assembly's very generous and, um, nepotistic scholarship program.

Volkoff's Victory: Did you know that Nikolai Volkoff (think, and Iron Sheik), aka Josip Peruzovic, is a Baltimore County code enforcement officer? Well, he is, and in the next few days he's being honored by the county and getting inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.

Mayor Joins Klezmatics: No, not really, it's just the Jewish Times' annual Purim spoof.

After Leaving March, Mayor Joins Klezmatics: Good wrap-up--getting sold or not, getting torn down or not, to be home of a "performing arts village" or not, etc.--about what's going on at Columbia's nearly historic Merriweather Post Pavilion, from the Post's Miranda S. Spivack.

Donation Divide: Unfortunately, it's not that surprising, but according to this Friday Sun feature by Mark Kenneth Matthews, African-Americans have to wait longer for organ transplants than whites.

Interiors: In Sunday's Sun Stephen G. Henderson decorates with House and Garden magazine design editor and former Baltimorean Mayer Rus.

News Hole

2005-03-24T12:00:00.000-05:00

Sorry 'bout no blog yesterday. The Third Floor needed a day off. Friday, too, so Monday will be the next update.

That's What You Get When You Fire Louis Rukeyser: After 35 years on the air Maryland Public Television cancels landmark PBS show Wall $treet Week.

Ah-choo! UM School of Medicine to help test avian flu vaccine.

Park Life: In an attempt to hold on to swing voters next year, Gov. Bob Ehrlich and GOP legislators change minds, back ballot amendment that, if voters pass it, would curtail governor's ability to sell off state-owned parkland. (Post story.)

Generally Assembled: From yesterday's Post, John Wagner and David Snyder catch up on outstanding bills and such as the legislative session goes into crunch time. As I'm neither a teen nor the parent of one, I've not been following these bills closely, but a lot of people seem to care massively about them: Anyway, teen driving restriction bills inch closer to passage. Sort of changing her position, Helen Delich Bentley tells legislators not to make Maryland Port Administration a cabinet-level agency--at least not yet. And a good story on the stem-cell research money debate in the legislature from the Gazette papers.

Hopkins Murder Bust: In case you've been under a rock for the past 24 hours or so police arrest suspect in killing of Hopkins student Linda Trinh. Sidebar on student reaction, News-Letter story, Post story, Washington Times story.

Self-Defense: From the Dundalk Eagle, Baltimore County Department of Social Services defends its role in death of 3-year-old Roy Lechner Jr.

Bus Battle: From The Messenger, business owners at York and Belvedere don't like bus stops, or riders. Also from The Messenger, Ehrlich budget reinstates state funding for Village Learning Place.

Bear Hunt: From the Cumberland Times-News, Maryland Department of Natural Resources to allow 40-55 bears to be hunted in far Western Maryland this year.

Try, Try Again: City still looking for a way to make Pier Six Concert Pavilion successful.

Eh, Wot!? From the Carroll County Times, longtime British Hampstead man imprisoned, faces deportation under Patriot Act due to piddly drug charges.

Carry-out Carnage: Catonsville's Mr. G's Fast Lane perhaps mortally damaged in fire.

Spice It Up: McCormick and Co. reports good news at its stockholder meeting.

Feature Hole

2005-03-24T11:00:00.000-05:00

False Profits: I doubt they planned this, but today's Sun houses two features on somewhat odd, ethically questionable ways to make prophets: Tom Pelton innoculates the Curtis Bay medical-waste incinerator, now under new ownership; and Stephanie Desmon butchers Hagerstown prison's meat-processing plant/state moneymaker.

Headlights: In the Towson Times, Bob Allen dodges traffic along with nighttime Beltway construction workers.

Just Pointing This Out: The Dundalk Eagle's Marge Neal swells with pride along with alumni of tiny but spirited Sparrows Point High School. Also in the Eagle, Joseph M. Giordano has one last dance with polka radio show hosts Milton and Connie Brzozowski.

News Hole

2005-03-22T12:00:00.000-05:00

Haven't I Read This Story Before, Like 100 Times: You could of fooled me, but apparently, at least according to this Sun featurey newsy story by Andrew A. Green, but this year's General Assembly session is "rougher than usual". All sarcasm aside, pretty good story. A much shorter but similarly themed story--focusing on the legislative hold-ups on Gov. Ehrlich's executive appointments--from the Post's Matthew Mosk and John Wagner.

Generally Assembled: In other Statehouse news, House rejects abortion-limiting budget amendments (good for them). According to the Post, stem-cell research funding bill has a good chance; nuh-uh, says The Sun (see Political Game link below).

In the Sun's Political Game column, Green and David Nitkin report that lobbyists are trying to concoct a last-minute slots package. Mayor O'Malley gets slammed, rightfully, every time he compares Bush's budget cuts to 9/11, so how about Ehrlich's appointments secretary, Larry Hogan, getting some heat for comparing the Senate's holding up appointments to the Iranian hostage crisis (see Pol. Game link)? Just a thought.

Peace March: From the Independent Media Center, about 300 people marched against war in West Baltimore on Saturday. Pictures.

Mall With a Surveillance Camera: Despite heat from Chamber of Commerce, Baltimore County Council approves shopping-center video cameras. I feel safer already.

Foreign Occupation: According to Pew Hispanic Center study, number of illegal immigrants in Maryland double since 2000.

Double Trouble: Speaking of doubling, Mayor O'Malley says number of city contracts to minorities and women nearly doubled in last four years.

Go Bob! In today's Senate race update, A. Robert Kaufman, a Baltimore activist and perennial candidate, tosses his hat in the ring. There aren't many more Democrats' asses left for Michael Olesker to kiss, are there? I hope not. Today, U.S. Rep. Ben Cardin (3rd) gets smooched. And, in a never-ending series of premature analyses of the race shaping up, here's one from Government Executive.

Hat's Off: Frederick must be pretty damn boring. From the AP, Frederick County commissioner cuts parks department's budget by $35K 'cause an employee wouldn't take his hat off, now apologizing.

Feature Hole

2005-03-22T11:00:00.000-05:00

Good News, Bad News: Jamie Smith Hopkins finishes up her three-part Sun series on the local housing market with a look specifically at Baltimore City, where hot neighborhoods, she says, are hiding getting-even-worse ones.

Parish Rwanda: The Sun's Joe Burris oureaches to local Rwandan immigrants with Northeast Baltimore's St. Matthew Roman Catholic Church.

Perfection: In Johns Hopkins Magazine, Brian Simpson tinkers with Team Flaubert leader, and Hopkins visiting professor, Jacques Neefs.

Dream Matchup

2005-03-21T12:00:00.000-05:00

When it comes to next year's fight for U.S. Sen. Paul Sarbanes' seat, political junkies are rooting for Mfume vs. Steele. According to this Sunday Sun story, Lt. Gov. Michael Steele said on Saturday morning, on WBAL Radio, that he's seriously considering running; former congressman/NAACP chief Kweisi Mfume, of course, is already in.

As a Sunday Sun Perspective piece by David Lublin and Thomas F. Schaller points out, however, an Mfume-Steele matchup could be bad news for Democrats, as swing white, moderate voters in the Baltimore suburbs are more likely to vote for a conservative African-American than a liberal one. So look for a big push from pragmatic D's who want to win for one of the Baltimore area's moderate white congressmen, Dutch Ruppersberger or Ben Cardin. Many Dems, however, will insist on an African-American candidate, no matter how it affects their chances in the General Election. Should be interesting

One more Senate race story, then we move on. On Friday, the Washington Blade had a good story on potential Senate candidates' records on pro-gay issues.

News Hole

2005-03-21T11:00:00.000-05:00

Up in Smoke: City Councilman Robert Curran to propose smoking ban in city restaurants/bars bill tonight.

O'Rumors: For whatever reason, we've been warned continually in the past week or so to be careful of what we e-mail at work. Joseph Steffen and the Ehrlich administration, of course, are finding out the hard way. In this Post story by Matthew Mosk and John Wagner, they take a look at what the recently released Steffen e-mails reveal about hiring/firing at the Maryland Insurance Administration, Steffen's most recent place of employment. The Post has really been killing The Sun on these e-mails. Today, David Montgomery pieces together a really good, really long, must-read profile of Steffen.

Tax Season: Mayor O'Malley proposes a tax cut; Republicans accuse him of playing politics. Probably true, but we'll take it.

Budget Season: State Senate and House start budget process. Washington Times story. No Post budget preview--odd.

De-Probed: Nothing new, but here's the AP story on the conclusion of the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office investigation into City Council ethics lapses. And a decent follow-up story on why white collar/political corruption-type investigations often fall apart, by Matthew Dolan, from Sunday's Sun.

Dismantling: Local preservationists tell Sun architecture critic Edward Gunts that they're concerned about City Council bill that would weaken Baltimore's Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation.

New Villagers: From The Dundalk Eagle, town welcomes new Dundalk Village Shopping Center redevelopers.

They Shoot Horses, Don't They? Assateague officials considering thinning island's herd because of damage they're causing. The horses won't be killed, though, they say, but sold or donated to new homes. AP story.

Play Time: From The Messenger, organizers of Waverly community playground on Memorial Stadium site put the call out for 4,000+ volunteers, donations. Sun story.

Future Farmers: From Howard County Times, county strives to save farmland, while state considers cutting tax revenues for doing just that.

Booze Battle: From The Capital, Anne Arundel County old- and new-timers fight over liquor licenses and economic development.

Feature Hole

2005-03-21T10:00:00.000-05:00

Who's Up for Dundalk? This thoroughly depressing Sun series, by Jamie Smith Hopkins (minisite), on skyrocketing home costs in the Baltimore area makes the The Third Floor wonder if he'll ever be able to afford the house, or at least consider getting a job in PR or something more lucrative.

O'Malley's Last March: The mayor's dissolution of his band produced a few stories over the weekend. The Sun's Eric Siegel checked out a show/fund raiser at Rams Head Live, and produced a rather terrible story. And the Post's David Snyder did a much better job for the the March's St. Patrick's Day show at Recher Theatre.

Unchartered Territory: Daniel de Vise, of the Post, gets edumacated by charter-school starters in Maryland, including Northeast Baltimore's own Bobbi Macdonald, of City Neighbors Charter School.

Just Can't Wait: In Sunday's Sun, Rob Hiaasen doesn't get to see Jack Kerouac's On the Road scroll in Baltimore; it's owned by Public Enemy No. 1's son Jim Irsay.

No-Mart: In Sunday's Sun, they printed an AP story about residents of the Southern Maryland town of Dunkirk's fight against Wal-Mart. They lost, and are getting two of the superstores.

Meat Men: In today's Sun Jill Rosen gets ready for Easter along with the folks at Ostrowski's Famous Polish Sausage.

Exposure: Post art critic Blake Gopnik previews the 48th Corcoran Biennial, focusing on little-known Baltimore artist John Lehr, whose work decorates the exhibition catalog's cover.

Down to The Wire

2005-03-18T10:35:00.000-05:00

While the wait was excrutiating, all praise to HBO for renewing David Simon's masterpiece of a TV show, The Wire, with the fourth season set to focus on Baltimore's school system. For more info, start off with the official press release, move on to Sun TV critic David Zurawik's too-insidery story, the Reuters/Hollywood Reporter story, and the best story so far, that I can find, from, of all places, the Newark, N.J., Star-Ledger's Matt Zoller Seitz.

Now, not to be immodest, but we here at City Paper like to think we had a little something to do with The Wire's renewal. And here's some more on The Wire and David Simon from CP's archives.

News Hole

2005-03-18T10:00:00.000-05:00

Breaking News: Maryland's U.S. Attorney calls off federal investigation into City Council ethics lapses. Sounds like the right call here. Former U.S. Attorney Thomas DiBiagio and his fishing trips had been completely discredited as purely political attempts to hurt state Dems, while his bosses wanted him to go after terrorists or something like that. Perhaps DiBiagio was on to something bigger, but all that ever became public was council members' relatives on the payroll, free sports/concert tickets and parking, and other such small potatoes. Stay tuned.

Game On: For second day in a row, Gov. Bob Ehrlich and his compatriots goes on offensive, re: Democrats' criticisms of/investigations into his administration's hiring/firing practices. Now, I'm of two minds on this. For sure, a lot of this is just pure politics, sniping back and forth, tussling for potential votes, etc. However, many of Ehrlich's hirings/firings are awfully fishy, like firing longtime career bureaucrats (not political appointees), with their mortgages and family, with little, if any, cause. Also, the Post's Lena H. Sun and Matthew Mosk have a very good story on what look like highly political firings, and a mass exodus, at a little-known state agency. And a weekly round-up on all this from the Gazette papers.

In other General Assembly news, Senate passes bill that would slow introduction of Asian oysters into the bay (now goes to the House). AP story. Groups face off over anti-immigration and pro-official English language bills. House passes teen driving limits bills (now goes to committee for refinement and final passage). Finally, black lawmakers tell The Washington Times, that Senate President Mike Miller's resistance to naming BWI after Thurgood Marshall could hurt Dems at polls.

Going National: Failed January Harwood firebombing of community activist's house leads police to gang activity in city, namely the Bloods.

Hostile Takeover: From The Afro American, Morgan State University not happy about new TU-UB MBA program.

Gun Control: Thanks to Baltimore County Police officer's Essex gun shop supplying both last month's Towson Town Center murder and Joseph Palczynski's 2000 crime spree, department bars its officers from selling firearms anymore; union likely to challenge the new rule.

Newtown: City picks developers for Oldtown revitalization, with a $13 million shopping center/supermarket.

Charles in Charge: The Messenger takes a look at city's plan to turn Charles Theatre block into "gateway" to North Baltimore.

Foreign Exchange: From the Diamondback, UM President Dan Mote testifies before Congress, calling for improved access for international grad students.

Senate Race Update: Sun columnist Michael Olesker laments how much time pols, specifically potential Senate candidate U.S. Rep. Dutch Ruppersberger, have to spend raising money. He makes a good point, but still, boo-fucking-hoo. And in Jewish Times, James D. Besser catches up with another potential candidate for Paul Sarbane's soon-to-be-vacated seat, U.S. Rep. Ben Cardin. "An analysis" on Sarbanes' time in the Senate from The Messenger's Lou Panos. Finally, two must-reads from the Gazette papers, lining up political races caused by those running for Senate.

SNAP to It: Also from Jewish Times, City Planning Commission approves multimillion-dollar Upper Park Heights revitalization plan.

Gays 2, Neanderthals 0: GayLife celebrates as two anti-gay bills go down in Annapolis. Also from GL Chase Brexton Health Services and the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health join forces to fight club drugs.

Dazed and Confused: From the Salisbury Daily Times, many on Eastern Shore are confused about exactly what Navy has planned for
Bloodsworth Island.

Beyond the Beltway

2005-03-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

KKT Lives: From the Scranton Times, Kathleen Kennedy Towsend makes an appearance at the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick dinner in Scranton, Pa.

Green Thumb's Up: Mayor Martin O'Malley charms The Irish Echo for this puffy profile. And Scotsman.com covers O'Malley's meeting with Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern on Wednesday.

Ban This: Editor and Publisher covers Sun's appeal in its lawsuit with Gov. Bob Ehrlich.

Battle Royale

2005-03-17T12:00:00.000-05:00

The battle between General Assembly Democrats and Ehrlich administration Republicans suddenly become more interesting and/or tedious yesterday, depending on your ability to stomach grandstanding, blame-casting, and general politicking. While Senate D's tried to pass a proposal giving lawmakers more say in picking the state elections chief--in the aftermath of Gov. Ehrlich's failed attempts to get rid of Linda Lamone--top state R's went after Dem legislators' attempts to slash R-held jobs through budget cuts, block nominations, kill legislation, etc., etc. Everybody sounds whiny--"It is part of an organized campaign to attack people who have come into government to help Governor Ehrlich reform and improve state government," DOT Secretary Robert Flanagan says. "The only thing that's going to stop this infantile behavior is outrage from the public." The governor "brings these hardball, conservative, right-wing little nincompoops that hang around up there on the second floor, and apparently people listen to what they say," Senate President Mike Miller counters. "They don't make government work. They want to cause government not to work."--but it's kinda fun to watch. I mean, c'mon, he said "nincompoops."

News Hole

2005-03-17T11:00:00.000-05:00

Never Mind: Navy says it never planned to resume weapons testing on Dorchester County's Bloodsworth Island. But it's pretty obvious it backed off after citizen complaints and pressure from U.S. senators and such. Easton Star-Democrat story.

Lack of Evidence: Baltimore County social workers say they found no evidence of danger at Dundalk home of 3-year-old Roy Lechner Jr., who police suspect died of abuse.

Leaving the Free State: Lanham-based Radio One, the nation's largest owner of black-oriented radio stations, to move back to D.C.

In other business news Linthicum-based Dialysis Corp. of America to buy its parent company, Miami-based Medicore Inc.

Safe for Now: NASA director says no job cuts planned at Goddard Space Flight Center.

Story of the Day: From the Diamondback, University of Maryland art classes need more nude models.

Orwellian Update: City Board of Estimates approves purchase of surveillance cameras for Park Heights, Greenmount, and East Monument.

Circle Purchase: Baltimore County makes another attempt to buy former gas station on Towson Circle, possibly for university dorms.

Senate Race Update: I'm afraid we're gonna have these every day until next November. Gov. Bob Ehrlich says he and wife Kendel are not running, but that Lt. Gov. Michael Steele might. And in this Sun story by Andrew A. Green, finally, a trenchant comment about the race shaping up: "If I were [Steele], I wouldn't announce I wasn't going to run, but I wouldn't run," Richard Vatz, a conservative professor of political rhetoric at Towson University, told Green. "It's not impossible, but I'd hate to put my job on the line for that." And in the Post, Hamil R. Harris and Tracey A. Reeves report that Senate candidate Kweisi Mfume has many friends in Prince George's County, where U.S. Rep. Al Wynn has already stepped out of his way.

Road Warriors: Legislative Dems don't like Intercounty Connector financing plan. Post columnist Marc Fisher doesn't like the highway's price, environmental affects, or anything about it really: "For the price of the ICC, you could … build one stretch of highway and still sit in traffic. You needn't be a trout-lover or tree-hugger to realize the ICC is an obscenely expensive racket."

Don't Make Him Angry: From The Capital, Annapolis comic-book collector/theft victim not quite a harasser.

Sticks and Stones: From The Herald-Mail, former Hagerstown mayor mocks mayoral candidate's stutter.

Bright Light: We learned about them in J-school, but you don't often see true "brights" in major dailies anymore. The Sun's got one today, above the fold on Page One and everything. Eileen Ambrose writes about a Baltimore County lawyer who won $1 thanks to a Sears repairman who didn't show up on time.

Feature Hole

2005-03-17T10:00:00.000-05:00

Sun Sets: Jeopardy! contestants fail to answer Sun question: "This paper rises each morning from its headquarters at Calvert & Centre Sts."

Getting Out: The Sun's Kelly Brewington de-initiates local Latino gang members.

News Hole

2005-03-16T11:00:00.000-05:00

Corporate Merger: I'm not sure exaclty why the news of a joint Towson-UB MBA program seems to be such a big deal--although beaucoup dollars has something to do with it--but everyone's writing about it, and Towson seems especially happy. Towerlight story, Baltimore Business Journal story.

They're Watching You: City to purchase $2.9 million in surveillance cameras. Greenmount Avenue, Park Heights Avenue, and East Monument Streets are targeted areas.

The Torch Passes: By seeking to block governor's appointments in the state Senate, that body's president, Mike Miller, is sure to be painted as an obstructionist by Republicans and their house organs, taking some pressure off House Speaker Michael Busch. Post story from yesterday.

In other General Assembly news, new teen driving limits advance in House. Post story.

The Boy Out of Band: The Third Floor had it first Monday night, thanks to a co-worker somehow catching it on the band's web site (looking at biceps photos, maybe?), but here's the full story on the end of O'Malley in the March.

Love This Headline: From the Diamondback, "Officials to try and steer riots to Frat Row". More on same meeting.

Free Sand Dollar: From the Worcester County Times, Coast Guard returns injured seal waters off Ocean City. Washington Post story.

Military Intelligence: From the Easton Star-Democrat, more information on Bloodsworth Island military testing.

Zero Tolerance: From The Capital, crime down, arrests up in Annapolis.

Metro Development: From The Jeffersonian, developers submit proposal for Owings Mills Metro stop.

In This Week's City Paper

2005-03-16T00:00:00.000-05:00

On the cover, Gadi Dechter kicks to the curb local foreclosure field contractors, aka the guys who evict people and their belongings when they become delinquent on their mortgage payments (think of those piles of everything someone owns you often see on curbs). For more on foreclosure rates and such, your best bet is the Baltimore Neighborhood Indicators Alliance, which tracks such statistics locally, the Mortgage Bankers Association, which does so nationally, and, of course, ACORN, which fights against the predatory lending that sometimes leads to evictions. On the lighter side of evictions (?!), there's the Slumlords, a local punk/hardcore band whose members work on eviction crews. City Paper did a story on them last November, and they open up for Murphy's Law on Saturday at the Royal in Federal Hill.

In Mobtown Beat, Charles Cohen chokes on dust with residents of East Baltimore's Middle East neighborhood, home to the new East Baltimore Biotechnology Park. Links worth clicking: East Baltimore Development Inc., League of Women Voters, Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning, and Institute for Urban Research at Morgan State University.

The Nose bids farewell to longtime Charles Village resident/Charles Village Community Benefits District Gren Whitman, who's moving to Rock Hall on the Eastern Shore.

In A&E, Bret McCabe gets Labtekwon to fess up about what he really thinks about Baltimore hip-hop. Here's CP' own Lab site, a record label link, and another interview.

Also, online only, three (Chevelle and Helmet) Feedback (John Berndt, Audrey Chen, and Michael Zerang) reviews (Peabody Institute?s 24hc).