Deadline

No doubt you've been to the movies and, after two hours, said something like, "I could have done better." Here's a chance to back up that statement with some furious key-stroking under a severe deadline -- June 30. "Script Frenzy" is the latest brainchild of Chris Baty of Oakland, Calif. It's a competition -- although there are no writing judges -- to finish a 20,000-word script by the end of the month. "If you love movies, you should write a movie," Baty said. That's been the basic logic behind November's National Novel Writing Month, or Nanowrimo, which Baty has shepherded for eight years.

They are in classrooms, working along with teachers to help students achieve. But at least 75 classroom aides in Baltimore have been threatened with transfers because they have not met federal guidelines for qualifications. The proposed transfers have been handled in a manner that is clumsy at best and careless at worst. Having dragged its feet, the school system may get some relief; the State Department of Education will seek to extend the deadline another six months. School officials must make the most of that time and fix the problem.

The U.S. Olympic Committee has extended the deadline for the eight U.S. cities bidding on the 2012 Summer Games, giving them almost nine additional months to submit paperwork. The delay was prompted by recommendations stemming from the Salt Lake City bribery scandal.Under the timetable announced yesterday, Washington-Baltimore and its seven competitors will have until Dec. 15, 2000, to prepare bids. The original deadline was March 31, 2000."We needed to add some time to the schedule for several reasons," said Dick Schultz, the committee's executive director.

What significant people, institutions or events in Maryland's African-American history have been largely overlooked by the general public? The Sun will devote much of its Opinion*Commentary page on Feb. 18 to responses to this question.We are soliciting essays on this subject of about 700 words. Submissions will be edited. We will publish a selection of essays.The deadline for submissions is Feb. 12. they should include the name and address of the writer, along with day and evening telephone numbers.

Ruling against a developer trying to build 27 townhouses in Ellicott City's Historic District, a Howard Circuit Court judge said this week that a county commission acted in time to block the proposed project.Developer Michael Pfau was seeking to build the homes on Fels Lane and applied for a permit before the county's Historic District Commission last year. The commission voted against Pfau's plans Nov. 5, but it did not submit a written denial until Dec. 30 -- nine days after the 45-day deadline.

Growing impatient from a bruised right shoulder that won't allow him to throw, Orioles ace Mike Mussina said yesterday that he has considered shutting it down for the season.Mussina hasn't thrown off a mound since being struck by a line drive during an Aug. 22 game vs. Chicago at Camden Yards, and doesn't appear close to doing so because of persistent discomfort.Asked if he was done for the year, Mussina said, "I'd like to think not. I'm still trying to play. But I'll probably come up with some deadline, and if I can't get on the mound by a certain day, then I won't bother."

Maryland's power companies will have more time to cut back on harmful emissions at their fossil-fuel-burning generators, after a Baltimore judge's ruling that state regulations for reducing pollution are being implemented too quickly.Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. and Potomac Electric Power Co. filed suit against the Maryland Department of the Environment last summer, arguing that the state's May 1, 1999, deadline for reducing nitrogen oxide emissions by 65 percent was unrealistic. Baltimore Circuit Judge Joseph H. H. Kaplan agreed in a decision Tuesday, and ordered the state to set a new deadline.

A state task force that is reviewing lobbying practices in Maryland said yesterday that it will not meet its Dec. 31 deadline for recommendations to strengthen laws and regulations governing lobbyists.The failure to make the General Assembly's year-end deadline means lobby reforms will not be addressed in the legislative session that starts in January."In my opinion, we cannot conclude our work in a proper way by Dec. 31," Donald B. Robertson, the chairman and a former state legislator, told task force members at a meeting yesterday.

Is it that bad a job?So far, the Annapolis folks working so diligently to draft a candidate for Baltimore mayor are batting 0-for-2. First NAACP President Kweisi Mfume avoided the draft, and now former Police Commissioner Bishop L. Robinson has said thanks but no thanks, too.You've got to wonder what these people are doing wrong. To make things more attractive for a potential candidate, the powers behind the draft-a-mayor cause have done everything from loosening up residency requirements to easing those pesky income limits.

The Westminster Common Council agreed last night to extend the deadline for proposals for development of the old Farmers Supply Co., a key site for downtown revitalization.A draft of a new request for proposals was handed out by Karen K. Blandford, the city's housing and community development coordinator, who asked council members to make any suggestions quickly so that the package could be sent to potential development partners."It's changed quite a bit since you've last seen it," she said.

Homebuyers - many staring down a deadline to get the $8,000 tax credit for first-time purchasers - signed about 30 percent more contracts in the Baltimore metro area last month than they did a year ago. That's by far the biggest increase all year, according to numbers released Friday by Metropolitan Regional Information Systems Inc., a Rockville company that runs the region's multiple-listing service. It's also the most contracts signed in the month of September - 2,662 - since 2006. These pending deals don't count as home sales until they close.

It was a confrontation between a Baltimore cop and a 14-year-old boy that millions watched on YouTube. Somebody should tell the lawyers to watch as well, because their attempts to spin this story to fit their clients' self-serving agenda of what happened back in the summer of 2007 don't quite match what's on the video. In Officer Salvatore Rivieri's version, he simply asked several teenagers to stop skateboarding at the Inner Harbor. The 14-year-old protested, held his board "in a threatening manner," pulled it to his chest and resisted.

Habitat workshop Adkins Arboretum will host a "Grounds for Teaching" workshop from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday at 12610 Eveland Road in Ridgely. Educators will learn to identify, select and use plants for creating habitats in their schoolyards. Participants will also classify soil types, observe watershed systems and identify elements of ecosystem health. Workshops are open to any teacher, volunteer or interested person who wants to learn more about schoolyard habitats. For more information, call 410-634-2847, ext. 0 or go to adkinsarboretum.

Maryland energy regulators said Thursday that more time is required to review Constellation Energy Group's $4.5 billion deal with a French utility, forcing the company to miss its deadline to close the transaction. Constellation said it was disappointed and warned that "any delay in a transaction of this magnitude adds to the risk of it not closing, which would be a real loss for Maryland." The Public Service Commission had expected to issue a decision by Sept. 17 on whether the company's agreement to sell half its nuclear power business to Electricite de France is in the public's interest.

Deadline for juried show submissions extended Deadline for photograph submissions for the show Local Lens: Images of South County and the Bay at the Capt. Salem Avery Museum, 1418 E. West Shady Side Road, has been extended to Sept. 13. Photographs should focus on South County or the Chesapeake Bay, be at least 8 inches in one dimension, been taken this summer, and be framed or matted. Adults, children and professional photographers can submit up to three pictures. No fee. For details and entry forms, call 410-867-4486.

HP to cut 6,400 more jobs in next year SAN FRANCISCO: Hewlett-Packard Co. said Tuesday it plans to cut 6,400 more workers - or 2 percent of the company's total work force. The cuts are on top of the 24,600 layoffs HP is doing as part of its huge acquisition of technology services provider Electronic Data Systems, and will come from its product businesses. Palo Alto-based HP, whose products include PCs, printers, computer servers and toner cartridges, announced the additional cuts Tuesday in a conference call with analysts to discuss the company's fiscal second-quarter results.

Todd Bozeman, who delivered Morgan State's first NCAA Division I basketball tournament berth this season, met a Thursday deadline by signing a five-year contract to remain as Bears coach. Attorneys for both sides negotiated most of the day into the early evening before Bozeman, 45, signed a deal that gives him the second-highest annual salary in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. His base salary is $182,000, ranking behind only Delaware State's Greg Jackson at $225,000 in the MEAC. "I'm grateful for the opportunity to be a college basketball coach," Bozeman said.

Baltimore County Councilman Kenneth N. Oliver, who already faces charges of violating campaign finance laws, has missed a deadline to file his annual campaign finance report. The second-term Democrat, who represents the Randallstown and Woodlawn areas, has been fined $10 a day since the Jan. 21 filing deadline, a state elections official said. Oliver said yesterday that he attempted to file the annual report electronically several times Monday but did not succeed. "Every time I tried to file, the computer kicked it back," he said.

Maryland junior receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey has a deadline looming: Jan. 15. That's the early entry deadline for underclassmen to declare for the NFL draft. Heyward-Bey might not have had huge numbers this season - he finished only honorable mention All-Atlantic Coast Conference - but he's the real deal. He's speedy, he's tall enough (6 feet 2), and he has shown a Santana Moss-like ability to go up and pull deep balls away from defenders. And he has an outsized, NFL-style personality.

CLEVELAND - First-round draft pick Brian Matusz spent yesterday in Baltimore taking a physical, as the Orioles and his agent continued to work toward a deal before tonight's deadline. The Orioles, who took the left-handed pitcher from the University of San Diego with the fourth overall pick in the June draft, have until midnight to reach an agreement. If they can't, they will forfeit the rights to Matusz and get a similar compensatory pick in next year's draft. However, it appears things won't get to that point.