Amass

Howard County's surplus for the fiscal year that ended June 30 is a record $38 million, county officials announced yesterday, swelled by higher-than-expected income, property and real estate tax collections. County Executive James N. Robey said that the bulk of the surplus -- $30 million -- should go to begin paying a $477 million debt on future retiree health benefits under a change in federal accounting standards that is affecting every state and local government in the United States.

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Navy made enough mistakes against Connecticut yesterday to enrage its head coach at times. The Midshipmen committed more penalties than they ever had in a game under Paul Johnson. They forced a first-quarter turnover in Huskies territory but failed to convert that into points. Their defensive backs dropped two easy interceptions, one of which could have resulted in a score. And none of that messiness kept the Mids from dominating the Huskies and repaying UConn for the embarrassment it heaped upon Navy in Annapolis nearly four years ago. Navy@Air Force Saturday, 2 p.m., 1090 AM, 1430 AM, 1500 AM Line: Off the board

Democrat Ken Ulman raised nearly double the campaign cash collected by Republican Christopher J. Merdon this year, as both battle to become Howard County's next executive. In campaign finance reports prepared for filing yesterday, both County Council members reported totals that far exceeded what was raised by outgoing County Executive James N. Robey in his last two campaigns. Ulman already has accumulated more money than Robey spent in both of those efforts combined. Ulman reported raising $364,427 to Merdon's $186,181 from Jan. 13 through Aug. 8. That gives Ulman a total of $575,000 raised so far, compared with Merdon's $449,445.

On Saturday, July 15, 2006, MIRIAM SETZER (nee Amass) beloved wife of the late Samuel Julius Setzer, loving mother of Minna Kapinos of Ormond Beach, FL, and Eileen Barber of Baltimore, MD, dear mother-in-law of Anthony Kapinos and Stephen Barber, devoted sister of Thomas Amass of Gooseneck, SC, and Walter Amass of Catonsville, MD. Also survived by 10 loving grandchildren, 13 loving great-grandchildren and three loving great-great-grandchildren Services and...

WASHINGTON -- The stakes couldn't be higher for captains of the oil industry today when they appear before a joint hearing of two Senate committees to answer questions about the highest corporate profits ever. One question sure to get their attention is why Congress shouldn't impose a windfall profits tax on them. Beyond the expected theatrics at the joint hearing of the Senate's energy and commerce committees, there's a growing chance that Congress might target oil industry profits. That's because on Oct. 27, Exxon Mobil Corp.

The world's biggest oil companies are piling up cash faster than they can spend it, sparking a backlash amid sky-high gasoline and heating-fuel prices. Yesterday, Chevron Corp. became the last of the Big Five to join the industry's third-quarter earnings boom, reporting a profit of $3.6 billion. The Big Five's total take for the three-month period was $33 billion. The oil industry's profit gusher is angering motorists and homeowners who believe they're being gouged, prompting some critics in Congress to propose seizing the windfall altogether.

WASHINGTON - Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin has raised more than $1 million since entering the race to replace retiring Sen. Paul S. Sarbanes, his campaign announced yesterday - more than anyone else running or considering joining the campaign. Cardin, a Democrat from the Baltimore area, had a fund-raiser scheduled for last night in Chevy Chase, so his totals for the second quarter of this year, which closed yesterday, were not final. But he pronounced himself humbled by the "incredible effort" made by people working on behalf of his campaign.

ROCK HALL - The tide is low, the sun is setting, and Richard LaMotte is ready for the hunt. He pulls his Toyota Land Cruiser up to the secluded beach, laces up his boots and takes out two large plastic bags. One is for his wife, Nancy - she will want the ruby reds, the rare cobalt blues, the extinct purples. The other is for his own collection of treasures tossed into the sea long ago. LaMotte is a sea glass hunter - one of several hundred Maryland collectors who comb the sands for castoffs that tides and time have shaped into coveted, frosted shards.

MOSCOW - Two things are striking at Vladimir Ryzhkov's legislative offices at Russia's parliament, the Duma. One is the sweeping view of the Kremlin, the Moscow River and the wedding-cake towers built by Josef Stalin. The other is Ryzhkov's framed photograph of a beleaguered lighthouse battered by a towering wave. As metaphor, Ryzhkov's commanding view is misleading. It's the photo's message of a sentry under siege by overwhelming force that rings true. Ryzhkov is one of a handful of deputies in the 450-member Duma willing to criticize President Vladimir V. Putin's drive to concentrate power, and after last year's electoral rout of liberals and independents, he is perhaps the senior member of Russia's democratic opposition.

WASHINGTON - A federal initiative to repay investors who lost money because of corporate wrongdoing and other misdeeds has amassed $2.6 billion in just two years and has played a role in almost 100 cases settled by federal regulators. Little of the cash has been returned to shareholders, but officials with the Securities and Exchange Commission maintain that the little-noticed effort is on track and will pay off big for investors who get hurt when fraud torpedoes a company's stock. "Knowing at the end of the line that victims are going to receive tangible compensation - it's meaningful to us, and it's certainly meaningful for people who are finally getting something back that they've lost," said Amy J. Greer, an SEC senior trial counsel who recently administered a $2 million payback for investors of Nevis Capital Management.