Bge

The Baltimore area is getting back to normal after Sandy - government offices are open, trains are running again and the lights are on at 95 percent of the homes and businesses that lost power. But Sandy's dangers linger. A man clearing storm-damaged trees in Annapolis was killed Wednesday by a falling tree, the third Maryland death related to the post-tropical cyclone that had been Hurricane Sandy. Across the state, many residents took stock of damage and mopped up Wednesday.

WEATHER: Mostly cloudy, high near 55 and a 20 percent chance of precipitation. A coastal flood advisory is in effect until noon. TRAFFIC: Check our traffic updates for this morning's issues. SCHOOL CLOSINGS : Baltimore City and Harford schools are closed today. Anne Arundel , Baltimore County and Howard schools are open except for those without power . SANDY'S AFTERMATH Maryland 'dodged a bullet' with powerful storm : Sandy 's howling winds and torrential rains walloped Maryland, cutting electricity to more than 300,000 utility customers and disrupting life for millions.

As Hurricane Sandy bears down upon us and we know that there will be power outages, we will be tempted to bash Baltimore Gas and Electric when our service goes out, especially if for a longer period. We will accuse them once again of being non-responsive, as we always do, and while such power outages are not welcome events, they are caused by powers beyond our control and not by BGE's unresponsiveness and we should try to remember that. I drove back to Harford County from Raleigh, N.C. on the morning of Oct. 28, and I passed at least 15 to 20 caravans of utility support trucks of 8 to 14 vehicles each, counting well over 100 trucks, on their way to help BGE and other nearby utilities repair the storm damage that we expect.

Dale Lucas' horse farm in Baltimore County lost power during Hurricane Irene last year. It lost power for six days when the derecho blew through in June. And it lost power again Monday night. Losing electricity has become such a problem for the 22-horse boarding facility that Lucas went out at first light Tuesday to try to resolve the issue himself. He found crossed power lines and a blown breaker - problems he couldn't fix himself but could at least point out to the power company.

Power outages hit a plateau early Tuesday morning and began creeping downward, with about 186,000 Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. customers without electricity at noon, according to the company. The company said it has restored power to about 114,000 customers since storm operations began at 10 a.m. Sunday. BGE will assess the damage Tuesday and Wednesday as restoration efforts continue, said spokesman Rob Gould. He said the utility probably wouldn't be able to give an estimate until late Wednesday or Thursday about when all customers would see power restored.

Officials for Carroll County Emergency Operations said Thursday they are monitoring the projected path of Hurricane Sandy, and that weather models from the National Weather Service indicate the hurricane will strike land somewhere between New York and Maryland - impacting the area Sunday evening, and perhaps lasting through as Tuesday. Officials said high winds and rain are expected and may cause some flooding and power outages. During the storm, the county will post weather related information on various county websites and social media outlets, and will also communicate with the media.

"Synergy" is a term often over-used today in business and marketing-speak. Yet, in planning for cash-strapped cities, it is a concept that must always be kept in mind. We are frustrated when we cannot afford the amenities we wish we had to make cities like Baltimore as truly lively and engaging as we wish them to be. Yet, by spending money on things that create no synergy - no positive spillover or greater-than-the-sum-of-the-parts effect - we are wasting precious resources and overlooking opportunities to make magical things happen.

The giant gray cylinder has loomed over the North Baltimore landscape for decades, providing heating gas for city homes and a familiar landmark for drivers on the Jones Falls Expressway. Soon it will disappear from the skyline, and with it will go an important link to the city's industrial past. But it will not go quietly. It will literally go out with a bang. The Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. plans to implode the Melvale Gas Holder - about 25 stories tall - near Cold Spring Lane and the JFX, the last of more than a dozen gas storage facilities that once served Central Maryland, and one of the last in the country.

Nixon's Farm in West Friendship has for 50 years been a fine place for country weddings in the converted 19th-century barn amid the grassy hills - "centrally isolated," the website calls the spot. Soon, though, a portion of the grounds off Route 32 could become the county's largest solar electricity generator, and the first built strictly to sell power to a utility. A Baltimore-based energy engineering and consulting company has Howard County's permission to build an array of 10,400 solar panels designed to generate up to 2 megawatts, enough power for hundreds of houses.