Backups

Maryland Live Casino's opening night drew such a crowd that thousands didn't make it inside before the doors closed early Thursday morning, and traffic slowed to a crawl for miles on nearby highways. State officials warned motorists to brace for delays in the coming days, both on site at the Arundel Mills complex in Hanover and on nearby roads, particularly Routes 100 and 295. But the State Highway Administration said the short window that the casino opened to the public Wednesday into Thursday — 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. — intensified the gridlock.

A 25-year-old motorcyclist was killed Wednesday night after colliding with a car in Howard County. Police identified the motorcyclist as Devan Cheatham Jones of the 3800 block of Thoroughbred Lane in Owings Mills. According to police, Jones was driving a 2010 Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle on the westbound ramp from Route 100 to northbound Route 29 around 9:49 p.m. Wednesday when his motorcycle hit the rear of a 2011 Toyota Camry that was slowing because of a traffic backup. Jones was pronounced dead at the scene.

State transportation officials hope you'll do a lot of sightseeing this Memorial Day weekend. Just not on the Bay Bridge. Travelers headed to the Eastern Shore for the first time since last summer might be surprised. For one thing, the toll has risen to $4 from $2.50. For another, the westbound span is being painted for the first time since it opened in 1973, and scaffolding is likely to be a distraction — and potential hot spot for fender-benders. "You're sightseeing. They're sightseeing.

Sewage backed up into multiple homes Wednesday night in Brooklyn, bringing city crews out to find the cause, according to Public Works spokesman Kurt Kocher. The problem is affecting four or five homes in the 3700 block of Brooklyn Ave., which likely means there is a problem on a city line, Kocher said. Kocher said the city responded within two hours of hearing of the problem, and that crews were still assessing the issue and trying to determine the cause late Wednesday. "We're looking at it to see if there's any kind of engineering issue," he said.

Backup goaltender Mike Gabel put forth one of the finest performances of his seven-year professional career to anchor a strong defensive effort as the Rochester Rattlers knocked the Chesapeake Bayhawks from the unbeaten ranks with a 12-8 victory in front of an announced 7,853 on Saturday night at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Gabel, a backup appearing in just his fourth game for Rochester, recorded 27 saves to stymie a Chesapeake offense that scored 23 goals against the Ohio Machine the previous Saturday night.

Drivers were amply warned about lane closures on the Jones Falls Expressway and the resulting traffic jams ("Drivers find delays on JFX," April 17). Even still, I noticed that all the 20 cars in the photograph accompanying The Sun's article on the subject appeared to have just one occupant, a driver. In addition to alternate routes, people should consider another alternative - carpooling! Terry Callanan

A Monday morning accident near 28th Street on the southbound Jones Falls Expressway and a stalled vehicle near the Northern Parkway exit meant traffic was narrowed to a single lane for one lengthy stretch of the popular route to downtown. The two incidents worsened a commute city transportation officials had already warned would be difficult because of planned lane closures. Emergency crews cleared the accident within an hour and a tow truck quickly removed the car, city transportation spokeswoman Adrienne Barnes said.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has charged Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant with a safety violation after an employee "deliberately became inattentive" — meaning he was caught napping — last year in the room housing diesel generators for use in an emergency. Kory Raftery, spokesman for Constellation Energy Nuclear Group, said Tuesday the employee was promptly dismissed after a supervisor discovered him, and the company does not intend to challenge the NRC's findings. The federal agency said it appeared to be an isolated incident and classified the infraction as of very low safety significance.

With a far more contentious hearing than expected before the Supreme Court, President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act (ACA) could be struck down by a sharply divided court when it rules in June. If that happens, insurance will continue to be priced beyond the means of many. It is therefore prudent to look at possible alternatives for these Americans. Fortunately, a proven model exists today in Howard County: the Healthy Howard Health Plan. With some changes to its financing structure, it could emerge as a viable option for Americans who will not be able to afford to buy insurance should the ACA be struck down.

Traffic on Interstate 95 in Baltimore was snarled for more than two hours Thursday morning after a truck spilled wet concrete across three northbound lanes and the Russell Street exit ramp, police said. Sgt. Kirk Perez, spokesman for the Maryland Transportation Authority Police, said the spill near exit 52 occurred shortly before 10 a.m., when a mixing truck from Hamilton Trucking in Columbia began leaking. Maintenance crews from MdTA with shovels and a street sweeper scrambled to remove the wet, gray slick before it hardened, as traffic backed up about 3 miles.