Growing

In his recent State of the State speech, Gov. Martin O'Malley said, "Our story, Maryland's story, is the story of better choices and better results. " This is certainly the kind of high rhetorical flourish we have come to expect from state leaders during legislative session time in Annapolis. Mr. O'Malley's rosy rhetoric reminded me of another former governor who harbored presidential ambitions: Ronald Reagan, who once said, "Facts are stubborn things. " In assessing the economic health of our state, I'm inclined to focus on the facts.

There's a Starbucks and an Outback Steakhouse and a growing young tech company. Soon, a Harris Teeter grocery store and a Target will be built. All are helping to draw new residents to Canton. But where to park? "I don't know of any small part of Canton where there isn't a parking problem," said Darryl Jurkiewicz, president of the Canton Community Association. His organization has been pushing city officials for months to find solutions. The Boston Street corridor in Southeast Baltimore has become the latest ground zero for a familiar battle.

This week, the United States, Canada, and the 27 countries in the European Union "celebrated" Internet Privacy Day. However, it seems there is little to really celebrate; the past few years have given rise to the largest increase in electronic wiretapping our nation has seen. To be sure, access to information is important for fighting crime and terrorism. However, because the major laws that govern Internet privacy were written in 1986, they fail to protect the modern-day security needs of American citizens.

Tuesday's news that North Carolina transfer and junior attackman Nicky Galasso will sit out the upcoming season because of a “lower-body injury” that requires surgery immediately makes 2013 a tough road for the Orange. The team graduated three of its top five scorers from last year's 9-8 squad, and two of them were starting attackmen in Tommy Palasek (24 goals and 30 assists) and Tim Desko (22, 11). Despite the return of junior attackman Derek Maltz (28, 9) and senior midfielder JoJo Marasco (12, 19)

Prior to the preseason, so much was expected of Pernell McPhee that the second-year defensive end was already penciled in as a starter. But a nagging right knee forced him to undergo a pair of arthroscopic surgeries during a minicamp and before training camp, and McPhee, who had collected six sacks as a rookie, recorded just 1½ this past season. McPhee eventually began the year as the starting end on the defense's 3-4 front, but after six games, he gave way to Arthur Jones who started six of the next seven contests in which the unit opened with three down linemen.

The TV ads are quirky, the advertiser unusual: Advance, a Cockeysville-based document management company, has run a campaign during Ravens games showing executives kicking around off-the-wall ideas in a boardroom. Business-to-business advertisers don't normally target mass audiences. Football games typically offer up a steady diet of beer and car commercials. But Advance has used its ads to build a reputation for approachability and service. "We're really trying to build on the idea that we're about relationships, and about being made up of a group of people who are going to care about your business," said Jeff Elkin, president of Advance.

For some eight years, Sheldon Candis nurtured a dream - to set and make a movie in his native Baltimore, one that reflected the sometimes mean, sometimes wondrous streets where he grew up. It sounds like a long time to dedicate to a single project, but Candis stuck with it. But Friday is the day he always knew would come. Throughout the country, audiences will be watching a film marked with the words, "Directed by Sheldon Candis. " Thanks in large part to a successful screening at last winter's Sundance Film Festival, "LUV" is opening on about 50 theater screens in 15 American cities (including Baltimore)

The knock on Ralph Friedgen's office door interrupted a major session of second guessing. As the University of Maryland's coach replayed the 21-14 loss to Oregon State in the 2007 Emerald Bowl in his mind, he contemplated the difference another fast and physical receiver to pair with Darrius Heyward-Bey would have made. That's when Torrey Smith, who fit the profile but was redshirted that season in a decision Friedgen still questions, was a surprise visitor to his office. "He walks in and says, 'You know coach, I let you down.

Even as they celebrate clearing a legal hurdle, worries of stem cell research grant money evaporating constantly weigh on scientists like Dr. Ted Dawson, whose projects at Johns Hopkins Hospital have helped inform treatment of neurological diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. A three-year court battle by two researchers to stop stem cell research using human embryos ended Monday when the Supreme Court declined to review the case. Scientists like Dawson say that frees up grant opportunities and are relieved — for now. "It takes some of the uncertainty out," Dawson said.

I think is interesting that Thursday's editorial, "Growing Baltimore" (Jan. 3), included two paragraphs about how walkability and quality transit have helped to spark growth in Washington, D.C., but only a short sentence about the Charm City Circulator when discussing Baltimore. I commend The Sun for getting it right about D.C. But that begs the question: If quality transit has been so important to the revival to the city 40 miles to the south, why isn't it important to Baltimore's future?