Baltimore And Maryland

Middleton Evans will sign copies of his picture books, including "Baltimore" and "Maryland's Great Outdoors," from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at Eddie's of Roland Park North Charles Street Market, 6213 N. Charles St. In yesterday's Live section, an incorrect address was given.The Sun regrets the errors.Pub Date: 12/19/97

The ideal summer vacation for Jen Grottenthaler typically involves a beach and "drinks with little umbrellas in them. " Certainly more adventurous than her former college roommate, Sherry Insley has loved being around the water since the days she used to go sportfishing with her family off Ocean City . Neither had ever heard of handfishing, or as the locals call it, noodling. So how did two thirtysomethings with young children living in Baltimore wind up spending nearly a week this summer in an Oklahoma town so small it's not even on the map?

In light of recent articles I read in your paper regarding the ongoing soap opera of corrupt politician Sheila Dixon and the recent budget cuts proposed by new Mayor Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake, I am reminded why I moved to York, Pa. To think that a fired mayor who is a convicted felon can get an outrageous pension and, to top that off, a cushy job from one of her former crooked cronies, shows that Baltimore and Maryland will continue to rank in the...

What an event Baltimore put on this past weekend! I'm living in Wisconsin now, and let me tell you Baltimore shined in more ways then one with the Grand Prix. I was in a local watering hole watching the race and was amazed at the comments the people were making about Baltimore, all positive. It made me proud to say I am from Baltimore, and everyone in the bar knew that. The views from the TV standpoint were awesome. I'm hoping next year I will be there and try to make this an annual event to attend.

There were mixed economic signals from Baltimore and Maryland last week: good news in the city, bad in the state.The University of Baltimore's index of leading economic indicators showed a continued decline for Maryland, with a 0.30 percent drop from May to June. But the Baltimore metropolitan ** area's index rose 0.23 percent over the same period.Economists use leading indicators to predict economic activity six to eight months in the future. The Maryland index has declined in each of the last five months and six of the last seven.

Economic indicators for Baltimore and Maryland turned upward in July, the second of three months showing an improvement. It's an indication that the region may be headed for better economic times.But economists are reluctant to make forecasts until the numbers -- called the index of leading economic indicators -- rise for three consecutive months. Preliminary economic figures for August -- the first to come in after the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait -- already show some deterioration.Still, said Dr. Michael Conte, director of the University of Baltimore's Center for Business and Economic Studies, the July upturns are a healthy sign.

Both the leading economic indicators for Baltimore and Maryland -- and the region's labor markets -- provided strong signals in September that the area is heading toward a recession.The Index of Leading Economic Indicators, which predicts future economic activity, dropped sharply in both Baltimore and Maryland in September. The Maryland index fell 2.06 percent, and the Baltimore index suffered its second monthly decline with a drop of 1.65 percent.While the U.S. index had been flat or on the decline through the summer, the local indexes showed strength in most months from May to August.

WITH format change mourned as a loss2 I can only wonder whether Jesus would rejoice.Stanley L. RodbellColumbiaConrail acquisition will be good for city, stateTransportation has consistently been one of Maryland's greatest economic development strengths, playing a pivotal role our state's ability to attract and retain businesses and to nurture business growth.Site location and economic development experts widely acknowledge the overall high quality of Maryland's transportation infrastructure -- highway system, port, airport and public transportation -- and the state's commitment to maintaining it.These are all public resources over which Marylanders, through their state government, maintain a substantial degree of strategic control.

If Baltimoreans want more movies filmed in their city, they ought to consider joining the Producers Club. This is a new non-profit group whose aim is to actively market Baltimore and Maryland as a site for Hollywood productions. It aims to step in when government efforts to lure movie-makers here isn't enough.A recent premier of "Sleepless in Seattle" at the Senator Theatre marked the start of Producers Club events. Anyone who joins (annual fee: $500) gets to attend gala movie openings, dine with top cinema producers and stars, visit local on-site film productions and receive invitations to Hollywood events.

Two years ago, when the FBI announced the arrest of an accused drug dealer here with alleged organized-crime connections, Breckinridge L. Willcox, the U.S. attorney for Maryland, rejected the idea that the man was a mobster."

I was born and raised in Baltimore, and while I know you prefer to hear from locals, I thought you might be interested in hearing from someone who no longer lives there, but had been considering returning. After returning home from a six-year tour in the Navy, I went to the University of Maryland, graduated with a degree in nuclear engineering and, unable to find a job in Maryland, took a position in North Carolina. I have lived in many states, both East and West, during my naval and civilian life and therefore I have a broad basis from which to compare various attributes of an area.

Gov. Martin O'Malley's budget is coming out this week, and while there are many items various constituencies would like to see included, here's one that Maryland should do without: $181 million for a new women's jail in Baltimore. This recommendation is absolutely not based on a belief that the current pretrial facilities for women at the Baltimore jail are adequate; having toured the facility, I can say with certainty that I wouldn't want to spend a night there, let alone the months many women spend awaiting their day in court.

I can't help but wonder why Navy Week in Baltimore was treated to a remarkable round of indifference by both city officials and this newspaper. USS Whidbey Island (LSD-41) pulled into the Inner Harbor virtually unnoticed by municipal officialdom, a remarkable reaction to a warship more than 600 feet from stem to stern. On Monday evening, Aug. 30, there was a major reception on board the host of which was Admiral John C. Harvey Jr. who, as Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, is one of the highest ranking officers in the Armed Forces.

In light of recent articles I read in your paper regarding the ongoing soap opera of corrupt politician Sheila Dixon and the recent budget cuts proposed by new Mayor Stephanie C. Rawlings-Blake, I am reminded why I moved to York, Pa. To think that a fired mayor who is a convicted felon can get an outrageous pension and, to top that off, a cushy job from one of her former crooked cronies, shows that Baltimore and Maryland will continue to rank in the...

Sylvia Badger, a former Baltimore Sun columnist who followed the party and people circuit for two decades, died of cancer Monday at the Avow Hospice in Naples, Fla. She was 72 and had homes in Centreville and Florida. "She knew everybody," said Baltimore advertising executive Bob Leffler. "She also knew how to handle information and was never mean-spirited." Born Sylvia Hayes in Spartanburg, S.C., she attended local schools. She married a Baltimorean, A. Gordon Boone Jr., an attorney who became a Baltimore County judge, but was then serving in the Air Force at Fort Fisher.

G ood afternoon. I want to thank you all for coming today so I can provide to you and to the citizens of Baltimore an update regarding transition activities currently under way. Before I begin I would like to thank all of the many city officials, staff, citizens, community leaders and elected officials, not just in Baltimore and Maryland, but throughout the country who have expressed to me their sincere desire to support the city of Baltimore and...

The Baltimore-based American Center for International Leadership has announced plans to gather 500 young, emerging leaders from Eastern and Western Europe here this winter. This major conference underscores the growing importance of European connections for Maryland.The bulk of business at the Port of Baltimore is European trade. Overseas passenger and cargo operations are an increasing facet of Baltimore-Washington International Airport's activity. Every year, the number of foreign companies locating operations in Maryland grows.

Sheaves of cornstalks, piles of pumpkins, baskets of apples and pots of chrysanthemums decorated the State House lobby in Annapolis. Melodies from a string quartet greeted guests at the Maryland You Are Beautiful reception, as did a cocktail buffet -- all to honor the top volunteers from Baltimore and Maryland's 23 counties. They weren't hard to spot in the crowd of 180. Each of the "Maryland's Most Beautiful People" award winners wore a corsage or boutonniere featuring a small black-eyed Susan, the state flower.

He flew through the air like a modern-day Mary Poppins or a balloon in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Over Harborplace, over the Baltimore Visitor Center, a 7-foot-2-inch bronze statue of William Donald Schaefer was lifted by crane and touched down on the west shore of the Inner Harbor Thursday in preparation for its official unveiling on Monday, Schaefer's 88th birthday. Sculptor Rodney Carroll fashioned a harness that he used to carefully position the 1,100-pound statue onto a marble slab bearing dates noting Schaefer's years of service as City Council member, mayor of Baltimore, governor of Maryland and state comptroller - 52 years in all. The statue and surrounding garden, on city-owned property between the Light Street Pavilion of Harborplace and the visitors center, are a gift to the city from construction magnate Willard Hackerman.

Two recent travel guides highlight not only places we wish to visit, but the very places where we live: Baltimore and Maryland. Here's our take on the books: 'Moon Handbooks: Baltimore' Avalon, $17.95: Baltimore often is called an underrated city. As the former Colonial trading port continues to evolve, it has begun attracting more visitors. Local author Geoff Brown nicely describes it as a Southern city in character but a Northern city in geography. "It's a town of society teas and horse races," he writes, "raucous street festivals and experimental music, and oddball characters and living legends."