Friday, April 01, 2005
Feature Hole
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.
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.
Thursday, March 31, 2005
News Hole
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.
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
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.
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.
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
News Hole
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
News Hole
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.
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
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.
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.
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