Capitals

Ever wonder what life in the United States would be like without a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency? The people of China have gotten a whiff of what happens when there are minimal pollution controls, and they are choking on it. That the air in Beijing is badly polluted is not exactly a new development, but this is: Now, it's gotten so bad that the complaints are showing up in state-run media where the crisis is not only recognized but the...

Gov. Martin O'Malley has allocated $25 million for affordable housing in the fiscal 2014 capital budget that will allow the state to " leverage an additional $180 million in private sector and other public funding ," the state housing department said. The money will go toward an initiative the governor started last year, called Rental Housing Works, and is expected to fund the construction or renovation of 1,100 affordable rental units. T he allocation will also support 1,900 jobs and generate $39 million in taxes over 15 years, according to O'Malley's office the Department of Housing and Community Development.

Capitals Backstrom seeing specialist for neck injury Nicklas Backstrom is visiting a specialist in Michigan after suffering a neck injury while playing in the Kontinental Hockey League during the lockout, a Washington Capitals spokesman confirmed. Backstrom has not played since suffering the injury Dec.26 in a game with Dynamo Moscow. The Swedish center returned to North America on Sunday and was at the Capitals' training facility in Arlington, Va., on Monday, but has since traveled to Michigan.

That was no small development heard the other day from the longtime president of the Maryland Senate, Thomas V. Mike Miller. The white-haired gatekeeper of the General Assembly said he would allow a vote to repeal the death penalty on the Senate floor, presumably bypassing the committee that usually blocks the legislation from getting there. This from the politician who once declared: "If there's a gallows, I'll pull the lever. If there's a gas chamber, I'll turn the valve. If it's lethal injection, I'll insert the needle.

Legg Mason Capital Management's chief investment strategist, Michael J. Mauboussin, resigned as of Jan. 2, said Mary Athridge, Legg Mason Inc.'s spokeswoman. Mauboussin's resignation is not a surprise, and he's expected to announce his plans in the next couple of weeks, she said. Right now, Athridge said, he is focused on promoting his newest book, "The Success Equation: Untangling Skill and Luck in Business, Sports, and Investing. " Before joining the Capital Management subsidiary of Baltimore-based Legg Mason in 2004, Mauboussin was the managing director and chief U.S. investment strategist at Credit Suisse.

When push came to shove, Republicans and Democrats came together for a last-minute bi-partisan compromise on the so-called fiscal cliff, a combination of automatic spending cuts and tax increases that would have plunged the nation back into recession. The deal passed the Senate overwhelmingly after marathon negotiations between Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Vice President Joe Biden. Just eight senators voted against it, and although it technically came after the midnight deadline, the New Year's holiday afforded Congress the chance to finalize the deal before the markets - or the general public - had time to react.

McCormick & Schmick's emerged in the 1970s as a reliable seafood restaurant for business travelers. Acquired this year by Landry's, the giant Houston-based "diversified restaurant, hospitality and entertainment company," the restaurant is undergoing a midlife makeover. McCormick & Schmick's has restyled its menu, its mission and even its name. The restaurant's full name, printed on the menu, is now McCormick & Schmick's Seafood & Steaks. Fish still gets top billing, but there are competing players.

Et cetera Drexel's Lee is CAA Player of the Week Drexel guard Damion Lee (Calvert Hall) was named Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week in men's basketball after recording his first double double of the season with a team-best 26 points and a season-high 11 rebounds in a 69-58 victory over Davidson on Saturday. The 6-foot-6 sophomore shot 8-for-17 from the field and was 8-for-8 on free throws. He also had four assists. Lee has 15 or more points in his past eight games.

Former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s column on French economic policy is unfairly critical of a great nation that perhaps has contributed more to the world's culture - in literature, music, philosophy and art - than any other country on earth ("France's discomfort with capitalism," Dec. 2). Lets look at the facts: The French live longer than we do in the U.S.; they're also healthier, better educated and happier than us. At the same time they have much lower crime rates than we do, and they're tied with us for having the highest worker productivity in the world.

Having successfully pushed for historic changes in Maryland laws regarding expanded casino gambling, in-state college tuition rates for some undocumented-immigrant students, and the right of gay people to marry, Gov. Martin O'Malley is now in a position to address one of the last great pieces of unfinished business of his time in Annapolis: abolishing the state's death penalty. Mr. O'Malley, who opposes capital punishment on religious and practical grounds, reportedly is considering whether to ask the legislature to take up the matter again when it meets in January.