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David Borinsky, president of Maryland Charter School Network, appeals to the citizens of Maryland to increase funding for Maryland's charter schools ("Build on charters' success," Dec. 10). He claims "certain charter schools" in Baltimore generate higher test scores than "their suburban neighbors" and that the teachers, students and parents in the charter schools benefit greatly from "meaningful autonomy." The message the citizens of Maryland should take from Mr. Borinsky's plea is not that we should expand charter schools, further depleting our resources for public schools, but that we should release all schools from the clutches of mandated curriculum and high-stakes testing so that every citizen of Maryland can enjoy meaningful autonomy.

Offenbacher Aquatics Inc., a regional retailer of patio furniture, grills and fireplaces, has been acquired by a private equity buyout firm that plans to expand the chain and upgrade stores and the online presence. Antson Capital Partners LLC, based in Baltimore, said Wednesday it acquired the Lanham-based retailer's seven stores, in Maryland and Virginia. Financial terms were not disclosed. "Offenbacher's has strong name recognition and presents us with a substantial opportunity to increase market share in the region and expand our footprint," Andrew Cohen, an investor who was named chief executive officer of Offenbacher, said in the announcement.

It must be limited Peter Schmuck Baltimore Sun If ever there was a convenient argument for expanding baseball's limited instant replay system, the blown call by umpire Jim Joyce that prevented Armando Galarraga's perfect game is it. But you have to look beyond one gross miscarriage of umpiring justice to make a decision of such scope. Making video replay available regardless of the situation would slow down a sport that already is losing young fans because it moves too slowly.

Ravens veteran cornerback Lardarius Webb was pulled from the game by coach John Harbaugh after playing just four snaps against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. It marked his first game back from a lower back injury that prevented him from playing in the first two regular season games and the entire preseason. Webb finished with one tackle and had trouble staying with receivers in his season debut, but is hopeful that coach John Harbaugh will increase his playing time this week.

A biofuel startup with a Baltimore production plant is planning to expand and hire this year, as orders for its cleaner-burning fuel grow, according to the firm's chief executive officer. New Generation Biofuels, which processes vegetable and soybean oil into fuel for heating buildings, generating electricity and running ships, intends to triple production capacity at its southern Baltimore facility from 5 million gallons per year to 15 million gallons annually, said CEO Cary Claiborne.

Chesapeake Shipbuilding said Wednesday that it has signed a contract to acquire about three acres of property adjacent to the shipyard. The acquisition would allow the company to expand and create as many as 125 new jobs. The land, located on the Wicomico River, is now an empty lot with a "derelict" bulkhead, the company said in a press release. The company designs and builds commercial steel vessels and has been in Salisbury for more than 30 years. - Andrea K. Walker

Health-care firm Kaiser Permanente and the federal government both have major plans to expand in the Baltimore metro area, which could mean hundreds of new jobs as the region tries to dig itself out of a deep recession. Kaiser signed a lease for a 40,000-square-foot building in Howard County, the landlord said Tuesday. Kaiser, which intends to widen its footprint in Maryland, said it hasn't yet "finalized" how it will use the space. But St. John Properties, its landlord, said the plan is for a 300-job call center in the Maple Lawn space.

The governor's bid to expand a popular tax credit for rehabilitating old buildings faces resistance from key House leaders, who worry that a broader program would be too costly during tough fiscal times. Gov. Martin O'Malley wants to loosen restrictions on the current heritage tax credit - which may now be applied only to historic buildings - so it may be used to fund renovations of newer structures located in densely developed areas. He says the change would spur new projects and help prop up the state's faltering construction sector.

The city's spending board approved an office improvement loan yesterday that helped entice a Chicago-based insurance corporation to expand its Baltimore presence. The Board of Estimates voted unanimously to lend $900,000 to Aon Corp., which plans to expand next year into an office at 500 E. Pratt St. Aon has about 180 workers at its office at 111 Market Place. Aon will pay 1 percent interest on the 15-year loan and provide no collateral. City and real estate officials said the deal is a standard incentive.

A request to expand a Timonium day care center from eight children to 20 has been turned down by the county Board of Appeals.Neighbors had protested the expansion proposal for the center operated by Fatemeh Falahi and Mohammad Haerian in the first block of E. Timonium Road.The board issued an oral ruling last month, followed by the written opinion Dec. 15. The center closed several weeks ago, according to attorney J. Carroll Holzer, who represented the opponents.

In the spring of 1981, when Marion Rodgers was a senior at Goucher College, she nearly fell on top of a box of old papers that would change her life. Rodgers was preparing an article for the student newspaper paper on a former author and Goucher professor named Sara Haardt - who later married the iconoclastic journalist H.L. Mencken. "I was putting away one of her scrapbooks in the vault of the library's rare book room when I literally stumbled over a box that was lying on the floor next to a shelf," said Rodgers, now a resident of Washington, D.C. "Taped on the top of the box was a message that basically said, 'Do not open until 1981.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake plans to unveil dozens of recommendations Wednesday intended to lure immigrant families to Baltimore and retain them. The proposals, from increasing the availability of translators at city agencies to making it easier for the undocumented to buy homes, offer insight into the mayor's pledge to attract 10,000 new families over the next decade - an effort that is focused in part on the city's burgeoning immigrant neighborhoods. "I want to make sure that Baltimore isn't behind the curve on this trend," said Rawlings-Blake, who will formally announce the recommendations today.

The Orioles didn't initially expect to add one of their top position player prospects, first baseman Christian Walker, to their expanded roster this month. But with American League East wrapped up -- and 11 games remaining in the regular season -- the Orioles are expected to purchase Walker's contract from Triple-A Norfolk, according to a club source. Walker has been working out in Sarasota, Fla., as part of a taxi squad the Orioles could pluck from in case they needed an extra player.

In what on the surface seems like a remarkable turnaround, a number of conservative Republican Senate candidates this year are supporting a proposal to expand access to birth control by making it available without a prescription as an over-the-counter medication. Wider access to birth control traditionally has been a Democratic issue, so Republicans' sudden embrace of it seems almost too good to be true. Unfortunately, it is. This year four GOP Senate candidates in close races against Democratic incumbents have announced their support for over-the-counter access to birth control: Cory Gardener of Colorado; Thom Tillis of North Carolina; Ed Gillespie of Virgina and Mike McFadden of Minnesota.

The University System of Maryland could expand its tuition remission program for the dependent children and spouses of employees. Under the current program, spouses and dependent children can attend the employee's college without paying any tuition. The spouse or dependent child can also get a 50 percent discount on college tuition at another college in the state system if the student is in an academic program not offered at the employee's institution. The proposed revision to the policy would eliminate the unique academic program requirement and allow the student to get 50 percent tuition remission at any university system college where they have been accepted.

Perhaps Buck Showalter protests too much, and for once we're not talking about video replay here. Showalter looked at the big crowd of Cincinnati Reds stretching in front of the visitors dugout at Camden Yards on Wednesday and - for the umpteenth time - made his case against the unrestricted 40-man roster limit in September. "It's just a different dynamic," he said. "It's like we're playing a whole different game now. " Of course, for those who have watched for the past three years as the Orioles found creative ways to stretch their 25-man roster to the point where it sometimes looked like it contained 40 players, this might seem like a strange complaint.

Gomez Gallery inaugurates its new, expanded gallery space next month with a multimedia, three-person show. The gallery will present paintings by Deborah Donelson, sculptures by Ted Aub and photographs by Susan Page. The show opens Sept. 4 and runs through Oct. 17. The Gomez Gallery is at 3600 Clipper Mill Road. Hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. For information, call 410-662-9510.

The Orioles added a pair of relievers Monday, the first day of expanded rosters, as they recalled right-hander Evan Meek from Triple-A Norfolk and purchased the contract of left-hander Joe Saunders from the Tides. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said the club initially planned to just add Saunders on Monday, but he decided to add Meek as well after the team was forced to use five relievers in the 12-8 win over the Minnesota Twins on Sunday. The team is also expected to add right-hander Ryan Webb on Tuesday as long as he is OK after his outing at Norfolk on Monday.

The Orioles will make a number of moves when rosters expand Monday, including recalling at least two pitchers from Triple-A Norfolk. The club is expected to add right-hander Ryan Webb and left-hander Joe Saunders from the Tides to give the team additional bullpen depth. Despite being a key part of the Orioles bullpen all season, Webb was optioned to Norfolk on Aug. 1. He was 0-2 with a 4.76 ERA in 11 games (11 1/3 innings) at Norfolk. In 42 2/3 innings with the Orioles this year, Webb has a 3-2 record and a 3.80 ERA. Saunders, a former Orioles starter who was signed to a minor league deal Aug. 5, had a 1.50 ERA in 12 innings for Norfolk while working as a multiple-inning reliever.