Decline

The Chesapeake Bay's underwater grasses decreased 7 percent in 2010, according to a report released Thursday by the Chesapeake Bay Program. The aerial survey by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science found grasses covered 79,675 acres of the bay and tidal rivers, down from 85,914 acres in 2009. Despite the decline, scientists said, it is the third-highest baywide acreage estimate since 1984. The grasses are a measure of bay health because the plants serve as food and habitat, absorb excess nutrients and reduce shoreline erosion, the program said.

Del. Jon Cardin's recent comment on bullying suggesting that "kids were hurting kids" while "parents and teachers hadn't a clue" was remarkable ("Journey in grief leads to new curbs on bullying," May 2). Where has Mr. Cardin been? As a mother of three since 1980, my children and I can attest to the escalation and prevalence of bullying over the past 30 years. Teacher training on bullying in all its forms, including cyber-bullying, is provided at the start of every school year. Anti-bullying assemblies are held annually.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, has seen sales at its U.S. Walmart stores fall for the first time, as price-cutting competitors lure away bargain-hunters. The 0.5 percent sales decline reported Thursday covered the three months ending Jan. 31. It was the first year-over-year quarterly decline since Wal-Mart went public in 1969. And it was a remarkable stumble for an institution revered and reviled for its relentless expansion and economic power. Overall, Wal-Mart's overseas growth and a concerted cost-cutting campaign pushed profit up 22 percent in the fourth quarter.

Authorities from Baltimore and Howard counties entered a Reisterstown home using a "no-knock" warrant before a resident attacked an officer with a sword last year, according to newly released police records. An officer fought back, fatally shooting the man. Police say such warrants, which allow officers to enter a home without announcing their presence, are necessary when dealing with high-risk subjects. But critics argued at the time that such cases illustrate the danger of taking residents by surprise.

Kudos to reporter Sandra McKee and The Sun's editors for several fine articles on thehorses and humans associated with last weekend's Maryland Million Day ("Eighttofasttocatch the champ," Oct. 2). It's worth pointing out, however, that The Sun generally pays scant attention to thoroughbred horse racing outside of Preakness Week. Our state's great racing tradition predates that of most others - including Kentucky's - and I'm old enough to remember when The Sun ran morning lines and race results on a daily basis.

After reading the casino story ("Bright and shiny slot machines being plugged in," Aug. 7), I still can't understand why the two existing horse-race tracks are not getting any slots. Wasn't that the first intention years ago? It would have been great to bet a few races, play a little slots, bet a few races, have a nice dinner; play a little slots, bet the triple and go home with some winnings. For those that don't know, it's pretty exciting having bet a horse and seeing it come down the stretch with a chance to win. It's a shame that Maryland horse racing has declined the way it has. Duane McKeever, Parkville

Your recent stories last week about the closing of Sparrows Point and the Maryland Port Authority's purchase of new cranes from China were sad in many ways ("Gloom hangs over Sparrows Point mill," June 5). This state does not care about manufacturing, even though it could be the foundation of the region's economy. Maryland does little to encourage an industry that at one time helped this country lead the world. Instead, the state purchases $40 million worth of equipment from China, a country that really should give us the cranes, since they will be used primarily to unload cheap Chinese consumer goods and to load raw materials we are exporting to China.

Payments that help low-income Marylanders cover their electric bills will decrease next year, according to the operating plan for the state's Electric Universal Service program. The cuts are the result of declining revenues and increased demand for help, according to the plan proposed by state officials. The total funding for the program in fiscal year 2012 is about $56 million, down 30 percent from the previous year's budget of more than $81 million. The Maryland Public Service Commission was scheduled to review the plan at a hearing Wednesday afternoon.

Catholic school enrollment continued to decline this year, although at a slower pace than in recent years, according to the Archdiocese of Baltimore. The archdiocese said the number of its students declined 4.3 percent this year. However, the latest statistics, as of Sept. 30, reflect the lowest rate of decline in the past four years. After the archdiocese decided to close 13 schools at the end of the 2009-2010 school year, the schools' enrollment declined 9 percent, according to Sean Caine, a spokesman for the archdiocese.

Cheer up. Not everything went down over the last two weeks. Granted, most things did. The stock market tanked, government's approval numbers fell, America's credit rating slipped as if on a cosmic banana peel. All of which is predictable any time the world's largest economy is driven to the rim of ruin while "leaders" bicker like kids in the back seat of the family car on a road trip across Texas. In August. With a busted air conditioner. But in the midst of that bleak litany of decline, there was a bright spot.

The Chesapeake Bay and its rivers have lost 44 percent of their underwater grasses over the past three years, scientists reported Thursday, reducing vital habitat for crabs and fish to a level not seen in nearly three decades. Scientists blamed weather and storms for much of the decline seen last year, but they said an as-yet unexplained long-term decline in the bay's water clarity has played havoc with this key indicator of the Chesapeake's health. An aerial survey flown from late spring to early fall last year found 48,191 acres of submerged vegetation, down 21 percent from the extent of grasses seen in 2011, according to scientists from Maryland and Virginia.

As many of you know, I was born and raised in solidly working class Arbutus. My family's Protestantism qualified us as an anomaly; the majority of the neighborhood kids were Catholic. Most attended local Catholic schools such as Ascension, Our Lady of Victory, and St. Mark's. A majority of them went on to graduate high school at Cardinal Gibbons, Mount St. Joe, or Seton. This school experience provided parents an attractive "three-fer": religious instruction, challenging academics and excellent athletics - at a reasonable price, to boot.

Orioles fans stood and applauded Friday as an image of Joe Flacco hoisting the Lombardi Trophy flashed on the video board at Camden Yards, part of an Opening Day tribute to the Super Bowl champion Ravens. But the friendly public moment belied a bit of unseen intrigue as several members of the Ravens organization, citing scheduling conflicts, declined to be on hand for the pregame ceremonies. The absence of a Ravens representative followed a recent standoff between NFL and Major League Baseball officials over scheduling of the Ravens' opener, which became a road game because of conflicts with an Orioles home date.

The Census report this week showing that Baltimore's population grew last year for the first time in decades is an encouraging sign that the long-term hemorrhaging of city residents to the suburbs may finally be turning around. Though the absolute numbers estimated in the survey were small - the bureau found a net increase of just 1,100 residents during the 12 months that ended July 1, bringing the total to 621,342 - even that modest rise after 60 years of continuous losses offers hope that the city need not resign itself to a future of perpetual decline.

Since the Motown sound went silent -- except on oldies stations -- and General Motors and Chrysler (but not Ford) required life support from Washington, there has been little to recommend Detroit, Mich., to visitors, much less its residents. The recent conviction of Kwame Kilpatrick, the former mayor of Detroit, on multiple charges, including racketeering, fraud and extortion, adds another insult to the city's injury, increasing its misery. During the mid-20th century, Detroit was a vibrant city with a population of almost 2 million.

Now that quarterback Joe Flacco is poised to become the highest paid player in the NFL by virtue of a $120.6 million contract, the Ravens aren't expected to use the franchise tag on any of their other unrestricted free agents. Although Monday afternoon marks the league deadline to use the designation, general manager Ozzie Newsome has already stated that Flacco was the Ravens' lone candidate to be named a franchise player. The Flacco contract, which includes a record $62 million payout during the first three years, won't become official until the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player takes and passes a physical and signs his contract Monday.

After more than a decade of rising death tolls, the number of motorcycle fatalities on U.S. roads fell sharply last year in most states, including Maryland, which is expected to post one of the steepest declines, according to a report released today. When final figures are reported by the Governors Highway Safety Association, the drop in motorcycle deaths in Maryland is forecast to be more than 20 percent. The association said preliminary numbers show declines in motorcycle deaths in three-quarters of the states.

Fifty-six fewer people died in motor vehicle accidents in Maryland last year than in 2009, a decline of 10 percent, according to figures released Thursday by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. Nationally, highway deaths dropped to 32,885 for the year, a 2.9 percent decrease and the lowest level since 1949. Maryland has seen a decline in each of the last four years. Last year's total of 493 deaths marks the first time in decades that the number has dropped below 500. More air bags, better anti-rollover technology, improved road signage and safe driving campaigns have combined to make highways safer, said Christine Delise, spokeswoman for Towson-based AAA Mid-Atlantic.

The rate of youth confinement in Maryland declined by nearly half over a 13-year period, outpacing the national average amid a "sea change" in the approach toward dealing with young people who break the law, according to a report released by a national youth advocacy group. From 1997 to 2010, the rate of youth incarceration dropped 37 percent, according to the Baltimore-based Annie E. Casey Foundation. The group noted that the United States leads the industrialized world in locking up young people, and said that the majority of incarcerated youths are held for nonviolent offenses such as truancy and low-level property crime.

February can be the cruelest month. In the midst of the cold, gray winter bleakness, it's tempting to daydream of a simpler life without hard work, heavy lifting or personal sacrifice, where nobody ever has to pay more in taxes yet all necessities of modern transportation — from airport runways and port dredging to eight-lane highways and bus lines — are magically provided. In other words, how easy it would be right now to be a Maryland state senator or delegate opposed to raising the state's gas tax from 1992 levels.