Expansion

Massive girders and freshly poured concrete form a bump in the middle of the low-slung terminal, almost as if BWI Marshall Airport is expecting. In a way, it is. Before next summer, a glassed-in walkway, new shops and a modern security checkpoint will spring from the framework. Passengers will be able to get from the concourses used by Southwest and AirTran to the one used by American and Spirit without leaving security. By the time summer is out, the oldest part of BWI will be modernized and directly connected to the busiest part.

The Division II postseason landscape is expanding for 2013, easing the win-or-die nature of the regular season and encouraging more of the rapid growth that D-II has seen in recent years. In 2013, eight teams will make the postseason, up from four. The selection will be split into two regions - North and South - with four teams from each region making the playoffs. North and South will be split into separate brackets and seeded within their region. The winner of each bracket will face each other in the national championship game, meaning it will always be a North vs. South championship.

Sister Louis Mary Battle, a medical administrator who was called the vision behind the expansion of care for the elderly, dementia patients and the dying at Stella Maris in Timonium, died Friday of complications from autoimmune disease and osteoarthritis at the institution where she worked for many years. She was 79. "Sister Louis Mary was an intelligent, good-humored, strong leader, and there was never a doubt about what she was thinking," said Sister M. Karen McNally, the chief administrative officer of Stella Maris, who is a fellow member of the Sisters of Mercy.

The plans for the expansion of the Catonsville Y and a new 140-unit Brightview Senior Living residence passed the final public hearing with only one minor hitch. Members of the Y of Central Maryland's community advisory board, as well as a resident of the adjacent Foxhall Farms community off South Rolling Road and staff representing the county's departments of planning and zoning all recommended that the project proceed. Administrative Law Judge John Beverungen heard testimony in Towson Nov. 8. Representatives for the Y and the Shelter Group, which will build the new Brightview residence, went over the details of the construction plans, noting all the changes made since the previous hearing in July.

Regarding Dan Rodricks ' recent column on Catholics' view of same-sex marriage, what I don't get is equating subordination of discipleship to the teachings of the Catholic Church ("A priest speaks up for same-sex marriage," Nov. 4). The people of God responding to the Rev. Richard T. Lawrence's preaching the word of God confirm the "radicality" of God's love in the flesh and the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. As disciples, our lives are not based on personal views. Rather, we are all slowly shaped and recreated out of God's unconditional love for us, including those joined in same-sex unions.

When I hear someone as credible as Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot speak, I listen. He urged Marylanders to vote against Question 7. It seems as if no one can prove that some of the casino profits will be used for bettering our schools. This proposal should have been shot down by voters in a very lopsided fashion. Patrick R. Lynch, Nottingham

After the most expensive political campaign in Maryland's history, proponents of a plan to expand the reach and variety of casino gambling in Maryland won a narrow victory. The measure would allow Maryland casinos to offer table games such as blackjack and roulette, and allow a casino to be built in Prince George's County. Shortly before midnight - even as the final votes were being counted - supporters of the ballot question claimed victory and set off fireworks over National Harbor, the most likely site of that casino.

This afternoon, I received a call from someone asking if I would participate in a quick survey on an issue. I agreed, and she posed a question on the amount of revenue the gambling would generate, furnishing multiple choice responses. I replied that I had no idea. Whereupon, she gave me the "right" answer, and launched into a lecture on it. I stopped her to point out that she said this was a survey, in which she takes and tabulates my answers. She replied, "I was just giving you the right one. " When I asked what made it right, she hung up. I had not really cared one way or another on this issue, as I generally regard gambling as a tax on stupidity (State Lotto?

We support Maryland's slot machine gambling program, and we think it would be wise to eventually expand it to include table games, which would attract additional economic development and create more jobs. It might even be a good idea one day to allow a sixth casino in Prince George's County to take better advantage of the tourist and convention trade in nearby Washington, D.C. But we oppose Question 7, the gambling expansion measure on November's ballot, because it's a bad deal for Maryland's taxpayers.

With each passing week, the Port of Baltimore, the region and the entire state of Maryland edge closer to an opportunity that will give our market a major advantage in the competition for jobs and economic development. The expansion of the Panama Canal, scheduled to be completed sometime in late 2014 or early 2015, will enable massive new cargo container ships to connect Asian markets to the East Coast of the United States. The Port of Baltimore is poised to be one of only two ports on the East Coast prepared to accommodate these new ships when the expanded canal opens.