Dash

Except for the retired Gene Hackman and the still-going-strong Samuel L. Jackson, no other actor has sustained as busy and diverse a career as Michael Caine. Almost from the beginning, he pulled off the feat of being an identifiable star -- his name alone evokes a Cockney zest -- and a character actor capable of anything. Here's my pick of the best Caine performances from the score of them on view at the AFI-Silver's series, "Michael Caine: A Class Act," in order of their festival appearance.

The District of Columbia, which only last week seemed on the verge of finally achieving residents' long-cherished goal of a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, saw that dream deferred yet again when the compromise it had worked out with Congress collapsed Tuesday. House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer a Maryland Democrat who had supported the D.C. voting rights legislation, said the measure was being withdrawn because of a mischievous amendment tacked onto the bill that would have repealed most of the district's gun-control laws, a prospect that had sharply divided House Democrats and eroded support for the measure in the Senate.

When Barney Wilson was growing up in West Baltimore, one of seven children of a city police officer, there was no recreation center in his neighborhood and few entertainment options he or his siblings could afford. It was with that memory fresh in his mind that Wilson, now the principal of Baltimore's Polytechnic Institute, opened a roller skating rink in Woodlawn 16 months ago. One of four partners who sank $1 million into Skateworks, Wilson hoped to create a place where "multiple generations can hang out."

- Notre Dame wide receiver Golden Tate has turned some heads here, at least after Sunday's performance in the 40-yard dash. Tate ran a 4.36 and a 4.37 in his two attempts, which might persuade someone to take a chance on him in the first round. Even Tate predicted in his interview that he would probably run somewhere in the neighborhood of 4.5. He didn't do quite as well in the pass-catching drills - dropping several balls - but most teams seem comfortable with his hands. Percy Harvin , one of the players Tate thinks he compares favorably with, ran a 4.40 at the combine and a 4.32 at his pro day. Tate was a running back in high school but made the transition to wide receiver fairly quickly.

David Tyree of the Ravens, Willie Gault and Tim Dwight are scheduled to run the "Super 60," a 60-meter dash, at the Millrose Games on Jan. 29 in New York. Organizers plan to add other football players to the field. USA Track and Field CEO Doug Logan said the race isn't a publicity stunt. "This is a real distance. They're real athletes. We're not doing Bill Veeck putting a midget in front of a pitcher," Logan said of the St. Louis Browns owner's 1951 promotion.

Laurel Park's Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash was downgraded from Grade I to Grade II status, the American Graded Stakes Committee of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association announced. The De Francis Dash was one of just three Grade I races contested in Maryland, along with the Preakness and the Pimlico Special. The committee reviewed 723 unrestricted U.S. stakes races with purses of at least $75,000, and assigned graded status to 487 of them. A total of 15 graded races were upgraded, while 23 were downgraded, including the De Francis Dash and Pimlico Race Course's Miss Preakness Stakes, which went from a Grade III to ungraded.

Nowhere in sight coming around the turn for home, Vineyard Haven, the youngest horse in the Grade I, $300,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash, found space along the rail and charged for the wire under the urging of jockey Alan Garcia. Coming down the sloppy front straight, the 3-year-old passed Fleet Valid and then nosed ahead of Laurel Park-based Ravalo for a half-length victory. "Midway round that turn, I didn't think we had any horse left," said Vineyard Haven's assistant trainer, Rick Mettee, who was handling the Godolphin Racing-owned horse for trainer Saeed bin Suroor.

County partners with HHS on Web site Howard County Executive Ken Ulman says Howard government will be the first local jurisdiction to pilot a Web content syndication project with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. The content, "Quick Tips for Healthy Living" was developed by ODPHP for its Web site. Through the partnership, the content is now available on Howard County's Department of Health, Wellness Works Web site at howardcountymd.

Piercings stud her nose and lips. A spectacular tattoo spreads, bra-like, over much of her chest. She sauces up a sterile white chef's jacket with magenta stilettos. Jesse Sandlin might just be made for reality TV. The head chef at Abacrombie restaurant will represent Baltimore as she attempts to mix, chop and saute herself into the coveted title of "Top Chef." The Bravo cooking competition, this season set in Las Vegas, returns at 9 tonight. Sandlin is the second Baltimore chef to make the show in as many seasons.