Abell Foundation

Offshore wind energy can furnish Marylanders with as much as two-thirds of the electricity they currently use, and if aggressively developed, could turn the state into a net exporter of power, a new report by the Abell Foundation says. About 2,900 wind turbines could be placed using current technology in relatively shallow Atlantic waters 28 miles to 43 miles off the Maryland coast, according to the report, which was written by researchers at the University of Delaware's Center for Carbon-free Power Integration.

In response to the story "Smart Growth incentives fail to rein in suburban sprawl" (Nov. 3) there's no denying that sprawl continues to be a problem and that we need to work together to solve it. But the limitations of the Priority Funding Areas charted during Gov. Parris N. Glendenning's administration were known long ago. In fact, they were pointed out 11 years ago, not long after the law passed, in a report by the nonprofit Abell Foundation. In addition, most of the research analysis cited in the article came from our own data.

John R. "Jack" Yates of Charles Village was killed Aug. 4, when his bicycle hit a truck near downtown. Charles G. "Boots" Pratt of Randallstown was killed Aug. 9, when a gunman shot him in a parking lot in Cherry Hill. Yates was 67, had been busy working on his third master's degree, and had two children and six grandchildren. Pratt was 18, had been busy working with the Hillside street gang, according to police, and had just escaped an attempted-murder charge because a witness recanted.

Three years ago, the city of Kalamazoo, Mich., was beset by shrinking public school enrollments, high dropout rates and a loss of manufacturing jobs that crippled efforts at economic development. The city's response: Rally local businesses and foundations to create a new kind of scholarship program that guarantees free college tuition to every public school student in the city, regardless of race or income. The program, known as Promise, aimed to attract middle-class families and jobs back to the city, keep the best students in state schools and encourage academic achievement at both the secondary and college levels.

City jurors are right to show skepticism Yet again on Sunday, The Baltimore Sun covered the Abell Foundation's study on disparities in rulings between Baltimore juries and their counterparts in surrounding counties ("Study finding local jury disparity is released," Sept. 7). The study not only identified differences in verdicts but went on to the make the shocking proposal that we should consider a regional jury pool. But differences don't necessarily indicate problems; distinct approaches more often than not lead to the right answer.

Witness intimidation in Baltimore had become such a threat to prosecuting criminals that State's Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy led a campaign to better protect witnesses. She has personally delivered copies of the bootleg video Stop Snitchin' to state lawmakers to emphasize the seriousness of the problem. Mrs. Jessamy has had to rely on federal prosecutors to go after some accused murderers and accomplices whom city juries just won't convict. Increasingly, her prosecutors have faced tough odds in trying to convict criminals.

Jury study targets very real problem According to reporter Julie Bykowicz's disturbing article on the findings of the Abell Foundation's jury study, Baltimore State's Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy attacked the study as "divisive" and demanded that its recommendations be changed ("Jury study raises hackles in city," Aug. 18). The Abell Foundation report found that in the three Maryland counties it studied, 45 percent of defendants in jury trials were convicted and 27 percent were acquitted.

Having gratefully escaped being seated on a Baltimore City jury despite multiple summonses for duty, I would have to agree with what Groucho Marx said in a different context: He wouldn't want to belong to any club that would have him as a member. City juries have a less than enviable reputation. You've heard the complaints no doubt, or grumbled a few yourself: Oh, they won't convict anyone. They're made up largely of blacks, and they don't want to send another brother to prison. It's jury nullification, doncha know?

The Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The Freedom Tower at Ground Zero. The World War II Memorial on the Mall in Washington. Some of the highest-profile construction projects in the country have resulted from international design competitions such as the one the University of Baltimore plans to hold for its new law center. University officials are scheduled to announce today that they are working with the Abell Foundation to hold a $150,000 competition to select the architect, landscape architect and other design consultants for a $107 million law center.

With help from the Abell Foundation, the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore has received a $1.2 million bank credit it needs to get through the next two months without firing employees and stiffing vendors, officials said. Zoo officials do not expect to spend the entire line of credit from PNC Bank because revenues have improved since the March birth of an elephant -- whose name will be unveiled at his public debut Saturday. And officials are optimistic that a baby camel's visit in May will continue to boost attendance.