Baltimore And Maryland

WILL THE murder last Tuesday night of Tifford Fields shock law enforcement into a renewed response to the plague of shooters on Baltimore streets? Will U.S. Attorney Thomas M. DiBiagio become a full partner in the effort to prevent wanton, mindless killings? We pray he will not persist in his determination to operate as if the criminal justice system in Maryland, as now constituted, can protect family men like Mr. Fields. The system doesn't work. But so far Mr. DiBiagio withholds important elements of federal enforcement power.

Rep. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr., a Republican who represents Maryland's 2nd District, spoke recently at The Sun with Richard C. Gross, editor of the Opinion*Commentary page, about political and financial issues affecting Maryland. What can the Bush administration do for Maryland, which went for Al Gore? My true hope is that the Bush administration ignores results of the general election in 2000. That's all part of changing the tone in Washington. So the air of retribution may be alive and well in Annapolis, but hopefully it's dead in Washington.

WHEN THE MARYLAND Terrapins reached the men's Final Four for the first time in March, a reporter from Kentucky said to me: "Looks like it's the year for a Maryland-bred to win the Kentucky Derby." Meaning, of course, that Baltimore and Maryland were on quite a roll with the Ravens winning the Super Bowl and the Terps reaching the Final Four, and with the Triple Crown season looming, the karma for adding to the parade of local champions was strong. Then Abingdon's Hasim Rahman fell out of the sky as the heavyweight champion of the world in April, adding to the perception that the roads to all glories suddenly were passing through here.

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.

William H. Ross III, a retired stockbroker, died Tuesday of heart failure at Bon Secours Hospital in Baltimore. He was 75. Mr. Ross was born and raised in Baltimore. He graduated from Frederick Douglass High School in 1942 and cum laude in 1953 from what now is Morgan State University. From 1942 to 1945, he served in the Coast Guard as a fireman first class, stationed in the Pacific theater. After college, Mr. Ross pursued graduate studies at American University in Washington and the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore while teaching history and English in Montgomery County public schools.

WHEN two Maryland colleges refused to admit Lillie Carroll Jackson's two oldest daughters because of their race, she packed them off to schools in New York and Pennsylvania.For her it was just another in a series of slights and insults she had to endure as an African-American living under Jim Crow segregation rules. But she didn't take her plight sitting down: Instead, the former school teacher organized black Baltimoreans to protest everything from Eastern Shore lynchings to the discriminatory practices of local retailers.

Black history museum would enhance BaltimoreI want to add my voice to the growing list of Marylanders who are thrilled that our state and city are going forward with plans to open another cornerstone museum of local and American history, the proposed Maryland African-American history museum. To be located on "museum row" at Pratt and President streets -- perhaps adjacent to a revitalized City Life Museums complex -- this museum would help anchor a heritage district that could better acquaint us with our divergent but intertwined American histories.

When Baltimore plays host to the world's most powerful real estate executives this week, the goal will be to translate that visit into 20 deals, 2,000 new jobs and $150 million in capital investment within three years for the state of Maryland.The idea is that while showing a good time to 1,700 members of the International Development Research Council -- a professional association of corporate real estate executives -- the message that Baltimore and Maryland are good places to do business will stick.

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 TURNAROUND David Cordish has produced at the Power Plant is quite astonishing. Less than a year after he was given control of the failed Inner Harbor amusement complex, Mr. Cordish has it fully leased with entertainment uses never before seen in this town.The latest tenant signed is the ESPN Grill, a prototype sports eatery the cable operator and Walt Disney Co. will unveil next spring and hope to duplicate throughout the nation.It may not be evident yet, but the whole character of the Inner Harbor tourism district is changing.