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I'm confused about choosing a color to paint my kitchen. I've heard that green is the color of the year. And then I hear about gray being the new neutral. What are the best colors to paint the kitchen? A kitchen should be an inviting gathering space, so warmer or brighter tones are ideal, such as deep ivories, rich coppers, luscious reds, golden yellows and yellow-greens. Be sure to take countertops, appliances and floors into consideration when selecting your color. You'll want something that complements these accents and flows naturally into the surrounding rooms of your home.

Corey Graham was the most effective Ravens cornerback after injuries to Lardarius Webb and Jimmy Smith pushed him into the starting lineup in 2012. In fact, Graham was actually one of the NFL's most effective, too. According to Football Outsiders, Graham allowed just 5.7 yards per pass attempt, which ranked fifth among NFL cornerbacks last season. Graham also ranked fifth in success rate, which is a statistic that Football Outsiders defines as “is the percentage of passes that don't manage to get at least 45 percent of needed yards on first down, 60 percent of needed yards on second down, or 100 percent of needed yards on third down.” Wednesday, I asked Ravens secondary Teryl Austin how Graham did such a good job of limiting the damage.

Inside Westminster Abbey, eight 20-foot-tall live trees lined the center aisle during the wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William. The trees transformed the space, doing what even the most elaborate floral arrangement could not — providing a natural, living sense of permanence and an air of drama. The move was unexpected, unpretentious and bold. A potted tree on your patio or deck can have the same effect. While not every tree is well-suited for a container, there are a surprising number of options, ranging from crape myrtles to hollies.

Affirmative action in higher education raises difficult questions of access and fairness. Opponents argue that it discriminates against whites and certain other groups, while proponents emphasize that it increases opportunities for underrepresented minorities. Though concerns about fairness properly limit the scope and frequency of affirmative action, minority underrepresentation in highly selective colleges and universities continues to validate its use. For almost 40 years, the Supreme Court has grappled with challenges to the scope and validity of race-based affirmative action programs.

Finally! Scientific research backs up my perennial gripe about the soul-killing, society-destroying effects of online comments. A study published last month on the website of the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication (which does not allow comments) shows that comments can actually sway the perceptions and opinions of otherwise objective readers. Researchers from George Mason University and the University of Wisconsin-Madison set up a fake blog with a news item on a new (and also fake)

The Harford County Department of Public Works has closed Wheel Road, between Patterson Mill Road and Laurel Bush Road for at least six months. The road closure, which took effect Wednesday, is for the latest work among a number of major improvements to Wheel Road. Motorists who normally travel this area of Wheel Road should make other arrangements during the period of the road closure. The county recently repaved part of Patterson Mill Road in anticipation of it being used as a detour route.

A severe thunderstorm watch is in effect Saturday for the Baltimore region until midnight, according to meteorologist Steve Zubrick. The watch covers the city and Baltimore, Harford, Carroll, Washington, Frederick, Cecil and Kent counties along with the northern tip of the Chesapeake Bay, said Zubrick, who is the science and operations officer at the National Weather Service's regional office in Sterling, Va. The storm system is caused by...

The National Weather Service is calling for Tuesday to be mostly cloudy in the Baltimore area, with occasional flurries before 1 p.m., a high near 33 and northwest winds of 13 to 18 miles per hour, gusting as high as 30 miles per hour. No snow accumulation is expected. Because of the cold temperatures, Baltimore has activated its Code Blue program , which offers additional services to the homeless. A gale warning is in effect Tuesday for the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay between Sandy Point and Smith Point, including all inlets.

A minor coastal flood advisory is in effect for the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay through Thursday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. The advisory continues through 2 p.m., according to the weather service's Sterling, Va., office, with water levels as much as a foot and a half higher, said meteorologist Bryan Jackson. High tides are expected to hit the Baltimore area after noon today, he said. "It's pretty common for the cooler seasons" to have coastal flood advisories, which can cause some problems for sensitive areas, he said.

Barely has Baltimore dried out from Hurricane Irene when the region was put on a flash flood watch through Tuesday evening. Motorists on the road Monday night were urged to drive cautiously, as a line of thunderstorms capable of producing heavy rains and flash flooding was expected to move through the area from Pikesville to about 11 miles southwest of Columbia. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning through 2:15 a.m. Tuesday for northwestern Baltimore City, central Baltimore County, Howard County and south-central Carroll County.

The National Weather Service, in Sterling, Va., has extended its small craft advisory until 8 p.m. Sunday for the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay and the tidal Potomac River. Thunderstorms, some with damaging wind gusts and large hail, are expected this afternoon and this evening. Local flash flooding could occur during heavy downpours. The forecast for thunderstorms includes the Baltimore region. The NWS forecast is calling for thunderstorm to move into the city as well as in surrounding counties including Carroll, Baltimore, Howard, Harford and Anne Arundel.

Maryland's death penalty will be wiped from the books in October now that efforts to reinstate capital punishment have fallen short. The petition drive to halt repeal of the death penalty ended Friday afternoon, when organizers said they could not collect enough signatures to go forward. Meanwhile, advocates who worked for nearly a decade to end capital punishment in Maryland celebrated the final landmark in their victory. The failure is the first for MdPetitions.com, which had successfully forced a statewide vote on three laws, including same-sex marriage, in 2012.

As the founder of KIPP Baltimore, which operates two high-performing public charter schools in the city, I am heartened and encouraged by our progress over the past six years under schools CEO Andrés Alonso. As I move to a new role as executive director of MarylandCAN - the Maryland Campaign for Achievement Now - I am hopeful that many of the policies and approaches that have driven this progress will be replicated in other Maryland school systems. But the work in Baltimore is far from over.

The Maryland Center for Veterans Education and Training's Baltimore complex is full of neatly made beds and shining-clean floors, a military-like environment for homeless former service members working to get their lives back on track. Its executive director, a retired Navy lieutenant, would love to expand the nonprofit so he can take in families — children as well as their veteran parent. But as David T. Clements works to pin down new funding for that effort, he's worried about the money he's already got. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development recently warned the center to expect a cut in grant funding of more than 3.5 percent, which Clements said would hit late next year.

On the face of it, City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young's local hiring bill sounds eminently reasonable. When Baltimore spends its residents' tax dollars, why shouldn't it do so in a way that supports hiring city residents, particularly considering the high rate of unemployment here? That common-sense appeal, perhaps, explains why the measure got preliminary approval on a unanimous vote Monday night. Indeed, it sounds like such a good idea that one might wonder: Why doesn't every city and county do the same thing?

Terrorism, whether practiced in the U.S. or overseas, can be defined as a deliberate act of violence to instill fear in a target audience. We fight terrorism when we stay calm but resolute; we abet terrorists when our response is to panic or try to foment panic in others. This past weekend, the CEO of the National Rifle Association stood up on a stage in Houston and chose to follow the latter route, linking the recent bombings in Boston with gun ownership - or a lack thereof. "How many Bostonians," the NRA's Wayne LaPierre asked, "wish they had a gun two weeks ago?"

The National Weather Service is calling for Thursday to be rainy in the Baltimore area, with a high near 47 and northwest winds of 9 to 14 miles per hour. The chance of precipitation is 100 percent. A small craft advisory is in effect Thursday and Thursday night for the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay, including all inlets, as well as the tidal Potomac River. Thursday night is expected to be mostly clear, with a low around 34 and west winds around 10 miles per hour.

The National Weather Service is calling for Monday to be mostly sunny in the Baltimore area, with a high near 99 and northwest winds 6 to 8 miles per hour. A heat advisory is in effect from noon to 8 p.m. Monday for Baltimore and surrounding suburbs, with heat index values expected to be around 105 degrees. Monday night is expected to be mostly clear, with a low around 79 and west winds around 6 miles per hour. Tuesday is expected to be sunny, with a high near 99 and west winds 5 to 8 miles per hour.

Comcast Corp. cable TV subscribers might have noticed a small new charge in their bills recently. After years of giving customers with "standard/expanded" basic cable service up to two digital TV adapters for free as part of the upgrade to all-digital broadcasting, the cable provider now is charging $1.99 a month per digital adapter. The new fees, being rolled out in each of Comcast's markets, took effect in March in the Baltimore area. The company, which declined to provide the number of subscribers affected, said it notified customers ahead of time of the decision and that pricing always has been subject to change.

On the third Saturday in May, generations of Baltimoreans marched onto the infield at Pimlico Race Course with their coolers in tow, an image that helped define the Preakness Stakes. No longer. The Maryland Jockey Club has unveiled enhanced security plans for the 138th Preakness Stakes in the wake of recent deadly bombings at the Boston Marathon. And coolers are among the casualties. Fans will be subject to electronic wand searches at all gates for the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes on May 17 and the Preakness on May 18. They will not be allowed to carry backpacks or duffel bags into the races and only smaller, see-through-plastic containers will be permitted.