Clearance

An administrative judge has ruled that Westinghouse Electric Co. did not violate an agreement to lay off workers by seniority when it let go some senior employees and retained younger ones in similar jobs.The younger workers, the company said, had different qualifications because they had special security clearences -- to work on what company insiders call "dark world" jobs. But a union representing salaried workers claimed a clearence was not enough of a reason to keep a younger worker over a more-senior one.The decision, by Judge James L. Rose, was released Wednesday.

WRITING in the July issue of the Atlantic Monthly, Adam Walinsky debunks official reassurances that murders committed by strangers are relatively rare:"Our greatest fear is of violence from a nameless, faceless stranger. Officials have always reassured citizens by stating that the great majority of murders, at any rate, are committed by a relative or an acquaintance of the victim's; a 1993 Department of Justice report said the figure for 1988 was eight out of ten."Unfortunately, that report described only murders in which the killer was known to prosecutors and an arrest was made.

Devil Rays: First baseman Fred McGriff took batting practice after receiving medical clearance to resume playing. McGriff has a contusion near his right eye, which occurred during a play at the plate Wednesday. The team will wait until after Bobby Witt's next side session before deciding whether to push back his next start. Witt reported a twinge in his shoulder during Friday night's game.

The State Highway Administration has announced restrictions on marine and highway traffic at the Stoney Creek drawbridge near Riviera Beach while work crews complete a $352,000 maintenance project.Today through Monday, the drawbridge passage will be closed to boats requiring more than 17.5 feet of clearance. Smaller boats will be able to pass, in accordance with normal bridge operating hours.The bridge, built in 1947, has a dual-span opening. At least one span will be in operation throughout the maintenance project -- providing a clearance of 17.5 feet.

The Ann Arrundell County Historical Society Inc. and the Anne Arundel Genealogical Society are having a used book clearance Thursdays through Saturdays to make way for new donations.Plastic grab-bags of books will be placed in front of the societies' research center in the Kuethe Library at 3 Crain Highway S.E. adjacent to the carnival grounds in Glen Burnie.Bags are 50 cents each or three for $1.The next book sale is planned for May 7. Information: 760-9679.

Digene Corp. said yesterday that it received marketing clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its DNA test to detect cytomegalovirus, which can cause infections of the eye, gastrointestinal tract and other areas.The Beltsville company said the test will be marketed to doctors to diagnose CMV infection in patients who have had organ and bone-marrow transplants and in people with HIV or AIDS. CMV commonly infects people whose immune system has been compromised.Evan Jones, Digene's president and chief executive officer, said the test is the first product in Digene's blood virus testing business to get marketing clearance in the United States.

USBiomaterials Inc., which is based in White Marsh, has received clearance from the Food and Drug Administration to market its PerioGlas product for wider uses in dentistry.Specifically, the FDA said that PerioGlas, which is made from calcium and sodium salts, phosphorus and silicon, could be marketed for use in ridge augmentation procedures and repairing and filling sockets after teeth are extracted.Until the broader use clearance from the FDA was issued Wednesday, the company could market the product to the dentistry profession only for use in repairing bone defects caused by periodontal disease.

As City Council members prepare to question police homicide commanders today about the declining rate of solved slayings, a homicide squad sergeant is urging regular reviews of cases to improve the unit's accountability.Detective Sgt. Mark Tomlin made the suggestion last month in a memo to Maj. Kathleen Patek, who heads the unit, as a way to improve the clearance rate. A clearance occurs when a slaying is solved, usually by an arrest."In a random sampling of open cases from 1997, it is clear that a breakdown of accountability between supervisors and detectives has caused many cases to be left unattended, or simply pushed to the side," wrote Tomlin, a 19-year veteran of the department who has been a homicide unit supervisor for the past three years.

SO SANTA GOT your letter, and there, by the tree, sits your heart's desire: A bright, shiny, new wood stove.Now it's time to give Santa something in return: A bright, shiny, new chimney.Chimneys come in two types:Double- or triple-walled "Class A" metal.Masonry.For a wood stove, you should seriously consider a metal chimney. They're fairly easy to install and relatively inexpensive. Masonry chimneys are beautiful, but they're expensive, and building one is far outside the skill level of the average homeowner.

A salt truck was damaged yesterday morning when its bed hit the bottom of a bridge over the ramp connecting westbound Route 175 to southbound Interstate 95, causing minor damage to the bridge, state officials said.The driver of the truck, operated by Cherry Hill Construction in Jessup, had raised the bed to shift salt to the salt spreader when the truck hit the bridge about 5:30 a.m., said Earl Freedman, deputy chief engineer for Maryland's bridge development office.State inspectors who examined the bridge concluded that there was no structural damage and the bridge "just might need a little touch-up," Mr. Freedman said.