Access

SAN FRANCISCO -- In the clearest indication yet of the Clinton administration's willingness to offer broader public access to government information, the National Science Foundation is financing a project that will make corporate filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission available free via a computer network.The decision to support the project, which will provide access to the SEC's on-line data base of financial data from America's public corporations, is a shift away from the federal information policies under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush.

The state's top judges agreed yesterday that a small group of them will try to unravel the complexities in a proposal to provide equal public access to paper and electronic court records, and will make suggestions to the full court. Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals Robert M. Bell named himself and Judges Lynne A. Battaglia and Alan M. Wilner to sort through the proposal to decide how to proceed. The decision was made at the end of an afternoon discussion about the recommendations from an 18-member, court-appointed panel.

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court yesterday upheld the government's authority to restrict access to experimental drugs, even if the drugs might help dying patients who have run out of other options. In a one-line decision, the court declined to hear the appeal of terminally ill patients who argued that they had a constitutional right to try unproven but promising treatments. "It's a tragedy," said Frank Burroughs, who has led the fight for expanded access since his 21-year-old daughter, Abigail, died while trying to get an experimental cancer treatment at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 2001.

So you want to be a (cable) star?Most public-access offices require would-be producers to take a short course on basic video production before they'll lend you equipment. Courses cover the basics of shooting and editing, including tips on equipment handling, lighting and sound. Public-access offices or the cable companies themselves run the courses, which can last anywhere from a few days to a few weeks in length. Most courses are free, but some jurisdictions do charge a nominal fee, usually $50 or less.

The cable television industry prevailed yesterday in a struggle for control of a key gateway to the Internet as two Maryland General Assembly committees rejected legislation that would have opened their high-speed lines to competitors. The House Commerce and Government Matters Committee voted overwhelmingly to kill the bill favored by Internet service providers and consumer groups. Instead, the panel voted to set up a commission to study the issue. But last night the Senate Finance Committee voted to kill a broader Internet-access bill, raising questions about whether even the commission bill has a chance before that panel.

Faced with vacant stores and declining sales at Mount Airy Shopping Center on Route 27, new owner Gary Rappaport is asking the State Highway Administration to reopen two-way access to the road.Dual access to the highway is the only way to revitalize the 22-year-old center, he said. Shoppers can enter from Route 27, but cannot leave by the same route. They must exit on Ridgeville Boulevard, which many have called a dangerous crossing.Rappaport has won the support of merchants and shoppers, and in less than a month has collected 1,200 signatures to prove his point.

As Access Carroll celebrates its second-year anniversary, the demand for services at the free, nonprofit medical clinic in Westminster has sharply grown. Uninsured patients and those who can't afford expensive premiums and co-pays came to the clinic for nearly 4,000 appointments last year, Access Carroll's executive director Tammy Black said. "We're actually worried about how we're going to keep up with it," Black said of the demand for services. prospective patients can earn up to twice the federal poverty guidelines, or $20,410 for one person in 2007.

Computer intruders broke into Microsoft Corp. and were able to view some of the company's source code, the basic program instructions, for a future software product, the company said yesterday. But the unknown culprits, who had access to some of the company's computers for an undetermined period, were not able to view or steal the company's crucial source code for its Windows or Office software, a Microsoft spokesman said. "The situation appears to be narrower than originally thought," said the spokesman, Mark Murray.

Statistics show that the theft of portable computers continues to be on the rise. And while that might not be so surprising, what might cock an eyebrow is learning that it's not the loss of the equipment itself that is of major concern. Oh sure, the computer has some value, and loss because of its theft is part of the problem. But the real value of these stolen computers lies within the data they contain. The costs associated with the theft of computer data are literally hundreds if not thousands of times more valuable.

Representatives of the media, businesses and private investigators sharply criticized last night a proposal by the Maryland judiciary to limit access to computerized criminal court records, saying it would hinder important background checks of public officials and prospective employees. Speaking at a public hearing in Annapolis that highlighted the issue of public access and privacy being faced by courts across the country, James Donahue, executive director of the Maryland-Delaware-D.C.