Government Buildings

The number of false alarms from security systems in the county has decreased significantly since police mounted a reduction effort - except at schools and other government-run buildings. A recent audit of the Police Department's False Alarm Reduction Program showed that more than 50 alarm sites accounted for more than 25 percent of all false alarms - and half of those are government buildings. The "top offending" sites, in fact, are operated by county government agencies or the school system, according to the audit.

Reading about the rain water tax, I see that government buildings do not have to pay this tax. The government evidently knows how to keep their runoff from causing pollution in the Chesapeake Bay. Why not tell the rest of us their secret so we can keep our rain water from being contaminated and the Bay will quickly become pristine clean? Believe that and I'll tell you another one. Mary Chesney Schwind Cockeysville

An employee at Aberdeen Proving Ground pleaded guilty Tuesday to stealing tons of copper wire from government buildings and other locations in Harford County while on the job, according to the U.S. attorney's office in Baltimore. Timothy J. Bittner, 52, of Bel Air, used work vehicles and his experience as an electrician in the APG Department of Public Works to conspire with others to steal thousands of dollars worth of the metal from inside government buildings in Edgewood and from underground locations in Eagle Point between March and November of 2011, prosecutors said.

In case you somehow missed it, though we don't know you possibly could have, Harford County turned purple during the last month, Baltimore Ravens Purple. Schools, storefronts, homes, government buildings, every conceivable business, piece of public art, baked goods and thousands of cars and trucks, all have all been adorned with the colors of the Super Bowl XLVII Champions. And, who among us in Harford hasn't donned the purple and black, as we cheered our team to the victory, many of us also outfitting our dogs, cats and other pets in similar attire.

The city of Westminster has the honor of being the seat of the Carroll County government.Some honor. Mayor W. Benjamin Brown calls it a "burden" because it costs his city an estimated $133,000 in real estate taxes that could be collected if county government buildings were taxable.At a recent meeting with the three county commissioners, Mr. Brown claimed 21 county-owned properties in Westminster could generate almost $86,000 in property taxes. In addition, six county Board of Education buildings in the city could be taxed for nearly $47,000.

MOSCOW -- The Soviet Union nearly ground to a halt yesterday when millions of people swarmed banks, government buildings and workplaces.The hysteria was sparked when Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev announced this week that 50- and 100-ruble notes were being immediately withdrawn from circulation to help cut inflation.Working people and pensioners -- many of whom stuff mattresses and socks with thousands of rubles in those denominations -- say the order may hit them the hardest. Citizens have until tomorrow to trade in about 250 rubles of the larger notes.

Reading about the rain water tax, I see that government buildings do not have to pay this tax. The government evidently knows how to keep their runoff from causing pollution in the Chesapeake Bay. Why not tell the rest of us their secret so we can keep our rain water from being contaminated and the Bay will quickly become pristine clean? Believe that and I'll tell you another one. Mary Chesney Schwind Cockeysville

PARIS -- In one of the largest restitutions ever of art seized by the Nazis, the Dutch government announced yesterday that it would return more than 200 old-master paintings to the heir of Jacques Goudstikker, a wealthy Dutch Jewish dealer and collector who fled Amsterdam ahead of advancing German troops in May 1940. The works include oils by Jan Steen, Filippo Lippi, Anthony van Dyck, Salomon van Ruysdael, Jan Mostaert and Jan van Goyen that have been hanging in 17 Dutch museums and other government buildings since the 1950s.

In case you somehow missed it, though we don't know you possibly could have, Harford County turned purple during the last month, Baltimore Ravens Purple. Schools, storefronts, homes, government buildings, every conceivable business, piece of public art, baked goods and thousands of cars and trucks, all have all been adorned with the colors of the Super Bowl XLVII Champions. And, who among us in Harford hasn't donned the purple and black, as we cheered our team to the victory, many of us also outfitting our dogs, cats and other pets in similar attire.

PHOENIX -- The government's case against the Viper militia of Arizona threatens to backfire on federal agencies that heralded it as a breakthrough in the war against domestic terrorists.Federal authorities said this month that the arrests of 10 men and two women here -- the largest apprehension of militia members in U.S. history -- thwarted a plot to launch a terrorist campaign to attack government buildings with ammonium nitrate bombs.Standing on the White House lawn, President Clinton said: "I'd like to begin today by saluting the enforcement officers who made arrests in Arizona yesterday to avert a terrible terrorist attack.

Former Utah governor Jon Huntsman, a Republican, spoke at Johns Hopkins University last week. He mostly avoided partisan politics, instead focusing on the roles of China and technology in determining America's future. However, he did address his failed presidential campaign, noting that his serving as ambassador to China under President Barack Obama hurt his standing with conservatives. To thunderous applause, Mr. Huntsman said (and I paraphrase), "No matter your party, when your president calls on you to serve, you do it. " This sentiment is anathema to many of our government officials today.

An employee at Aberdeen Proving Ground pleaded guilty Tuesday to stealing tons of copper wire from government buildings and other locations in Harford County while on the job, according to the U.S. attorney's office in Baltimore. Timothy J. Bittner, 52, of Bel Air, used work vehicles and his experience as an electrician in the APG Department of Public Works to conspire with others to steal thousands of dollars worth of the metal from inside government buildings in Edgewood and from underground locations in Eagle Point between March and November of 2011, prosecutors said.

Most of the power outages that had shuttered businesses and affected Harford County government buildings along much of Main Street in Bel Air, as well as some surrounding residential neighborhoods, had been eliminated by Tuesday morning. Though Main Street in the central business area resembled a "ghost town," in the words of one man who was walking to his job cleaning offices in a building that did have power Monday evening, the area around Main Street and Broadway finally had its power restored around 9 p.m. The same happened along the east side of South Main, where power was also restored Monday evening, according to one business owner.

An underground explosion beneath a street housing government agencies in Baltimore injured two workers Monday afternoon at the 200 block of W. Preston Street. The workers suffered first- and second-degree burns to their faces, arms and hands in connection with the incident, which fire officials believe involved an electrical wire underground, said Chief Kevin Cartwright, a Fire Department spokesman. Workers were underground in the 200 block of W. Preston St. performing unspecified repairs when a "large explosion" occurred, followed by heavy smoke and fire from a manhole, according to Cartwright.

Two small packages, addressed to Gov. Martin O'Malley and another state official, ignited 20 minutes apart in government buildings in Annapolis and Hanover Thursday, launching a wave of concern throughout the state. The only injuries reported were to the fingers of a state mailroom worker, who refused treatment — yet federal and state officials locked down state government mailrooms indefinitely and responded with a massive public safety effort that captured the focus of the cable news networks.

BAGHDAD - - As Iraqi officials prepared to announce a new date for long-delayed national elections, car bombs detonated at government buildings and in crowded Baghdad streets Tuesday, killing at least 127 people and wounding about 500 more. The attacks on state institutions appeared aimed at further eroding the Iraqi people's faith in the political process, which many already viewed with deep skepticism. The morning blasts shook the eastern and western sides of the city over a span of about 30 minutes, gutting parts of the city's main courthouse on the western side of the Tigris River and other buildings.

BEL AIR -- Gov. William Donald Schaefer says he has seen the future of Maryland, and it is lighted by an energy-efficient fluorescent light bulb.At a news conference held in front of a state district court building here yesterday morning, Mr. Schaefer appointed a new energy czar and announced a program to reduce the energy costs of government buildings and vehicles.Mr. Schaefer teamed up with George V. McGowan, Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. chairman, to announce the start of a joint conservation program as a group of government officials and election campaign workers watched.

The number of false alarms from security systems in the county has decreased significantly since police mounted a reduction effort - except at schools and other government-run buildings. A recent audit of the Police Department's False Alarm Reduction Program showed that more than 50 alarm sites accounted for more than 25 percent of all false alarms - and half of those are government buildings. The "top offending" sites, in fact, are operated by county government agencies or the school system, according to the audit.