Guidelines

In his January 18th piece, "New Md. Rules on Stormwater Assailed," Tim Wheeler describes the content of a Smart Growth Task Force meeting at the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) where members of the development community came out to oppose new regulations aimed at tightening pollution control standards on re-development sites. Having been at the meeting, I wasn't surprised so much by the overwhelming sentiment from the development community; they don't want to have to pay the cost of making their projects pollute less.

The reports that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cut its threshold for lead poisoning from 10 micrograms per deciliter to 5 micrograms were something of a simplification. What the CDC said, after years of study and discussion, was that no level of lead exposure for children is safe. The 5-microgram level was set somewhat arbitrarily as the point at which doctors and public health officials would recommend parents take action to reduce their children's risk, but there is ample evidence to show that levels of 3 or 4 micrograms - and perhaps even lower - are associated with learning and attention deficit disorders later in life.

Some leading AIDS experts have issued the first guidelines aimed exclusively at getting those newly diagnosed with HIV into treatment and keeping them in it. Thirty one international experts, including three Johns Hopkins faculty members, used 325 studies involving tens of thousands of people infected with HIV to develop the guidelines for the International Association of Physician in AIDS Care .  HIV, which infects about 50,000...

Many women became used to having a Pap smear annually to check for cervical cancer, but recent recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force have updated the timeline. Now, most women will need the test every five years. Cancer experts now agree that that this can fully protect women, while cutting down on costs, false positive test results and side effects, said Dr. Amanda Nickles Fader, assistant professor of gynecologic oncology at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center.

A consecutive-game playing streak shall be extended if the player plays one half-inning on defense, or if he completes a time at bat by reaching base or being put on. A pinch-running appearance only shall not extend the streak. If a player is ejected from a game by an umpire before he can comply with the requirements of this rule, his streak shall continue.

A U.S. District Court judge in Baltimore has rejected federal sentencing guidelines and refused to impose a prison term on a Bethesda man who stole TV rating equipment from Arbitron Co. for an attempted sale to the A.C. Nielsen Co., Arbitron's chief competitor.Judge William N. Nickerson, the newest judge on the federal bench here, accepted defense arguments yesterday that the theft was "aberrant behavior" by the defendant, former Arbitron employee Barry D. Glick, who suffers from an unspecified personality disorder.

Harford's cable TV operators would have to answer customers' telephone calls within 30 seconds during regular business hours, restore cable outages within 24 hours and hook up service for new customers within seven business days under proposed guidelines.County Council members reviewed new Federal Communications Commission guidelines, based on the 1992 Cable Act, on Tuesday.As the franchising authority for Harford County, the council has the authority to enact regulations based on the FCC guidelines.

WASHINGTON -- Faced with mounting criticism over its ties to Third World military officials involved in human rights abuses, CIA Director John Deutch said yesterday that his agency is preparing to issue its first uniform guidelines for covert officers to use in recruiting foreign agents and paid informants.The pending directive, prompted by the controversy over the CIA's role in Guatemala, is the intelligence agency's first attempt to develop quality control over the foreign nationals on its payroll, Mr. Deutch said in an interview with reporters and editors in the Los Angeles Times' Washington bureau.

LOS ANGELES -- The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is accusing Hughes Aircraft Co. of violating federal guidelines that require government contractors to diversify their work forces and management.Officials of the civil rights group said they would present evidence at a news conference in Washington today that Hughes, which employs 55,000 people, has only two black vice presidents and that blacks are grossly underrepresented in its work force.The move by the NAACP reflects its new strategy of scrutinizing industries that do business with the federal government to assure that they comply with affirmative-action requirements.

As home equity loans have gained popularity among Americans, the National Home Equity Mortgage Association has offered a number of guidelines for borrowers to follow. They include: Borrow within your income and budget: A home equity loan is a major financial undertaking. Borrow for necessities or to take advantage of lower interest rates: NHEMA does not recommend taking a home equity loan to finance a luxury item or trip. Don't refinance too frequently: Refinancing a home loan can mean additional closing costs and fees.

Some leading AIDS experts have issued the first guidelines aimed exclusively at getting those newly diagnosed with HIV into treatment and keeping them in it. Thirty one international experts, including three Johns Hopkins faculty members, used 325 studies involving tens of thousands of people infected with HIV to develop the guidelines for the International Association of Physician in AIDS Care .  HIV, which infects about 50,000...

The United Way's 28th annual Haverst for the Hungry campaign is underway. The food-collection drive continues through Saturday. It's simple. You just leave non-perishable goods by your own mailbox and your letter carrier will pick up your donation and get it to the right folks. For more information and guidelines about what to donate, go to Harvest for the Hungry website . You can also donate money through Give Corps , and if you do you'll be eligible for a $20-off deal from Tapas Teatro . Other partners for the Harvest for the Hungry include Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, the United States Postal Service, WBAL-TV 11, The Baltimore Sun Media Group, Safeway and Girl Scouts of Central Maryland.

Got a problem? There's an app for that! Unfortunately, solving Maryland's budget deficit isn't that easy. In fact, one proposal set forth this week by Gov.Martin O'Malleyto tax digital goods could impact states and consumers well beyond Maryland's borders. While Maryland has the right to address the taxation of goods, Congress must fix the potential for duplicative state taxation first. Over the last 10 years, the sale of digital goods has grown at lightning speed. According to the CTIA (a trade group representing the wireless telecommunications industry)

A Maryland doctors' group is pushing legislation to bolster the state's child safety seat laws, a move designed to better protect toddlers from head, neck and spinal injuries during accidents. The Maryland State Medical Society, also known as MedChi, wants the state to adopt recommendations made last year by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The recommendations include lengthening the amount of time young children have to stay in seats facing the rear of the car and raising the age that children should have to sit in the back seat.

The Capital Debt Affordability Committee, dominated by appointees of Gov. Martin O'Malley, raised the state's debt limit by $150 million Monday over the dissent of Comptroller Peter Franchot. The move increases the state's capacity to borrow money for such projects as roads and school construction from $925 million to $1.075 billion. The committee's action in effect borrows lending capacity from the future, saying the extra spending during the coming budget year should be repaid in 2017.

When spuds were all greasers, they deserved to get kicked out of school. Deep-fat french fries and oily tater tots got the heave-ho from most cafeterias, as schools in Maryland and across the country tried to improve child nutrition. Potatoes that wanted to stay on the menu had to go to reform school, returning as low-fat, oven-baked "fries," baked potatoes or mashies made with skim milk. Now even those goody-two-shoes spuds face near-expulsion. Proposed federal nutritional requirements for the National School Lunch Program would allow school cafeterias to offer students no more than one cup of starchy vegetables per week.

MY FIRST REACTION to the federal government's recently unveiled diet guidelines was get real. Sixty to 90 minutes of exercise a day? Four-and-a-half cups of fruit and vegetables? More whole grain than a Kansas elevator? Virtually no salt? The only kind of people who live like this are vegetarian gym teachers, now known as fitness consultants. But once I let the wave of skepticism subside - wondering, for instance, if the promulgators, outgoing Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson and outgoing Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman, actually get sweaty on a daily basis or stand over a stove making weeknight suppers - I decided to have a little fun with the new proposals.

To most visitors, Baltimore's Inner Harbor looks like an appealing mix of shops and waterfront attractions. But to anyone trying to exercise their rights of free speech, it can be a hostile maze governed by a patchwork of rules. If you demonstrate or distribute leaflets at the "wrong" spot, you could be ordered to leave and threatened with jail. That is what happened recently to Bruce Friedrich. He and fellow members of an animal rights group handed out leaflets one recent Sunday on a pedestrian bridge between the power plant and the National Aquarium — what looks to all the world like a public sidewalk on public property — only to be threatened with arrest by a city police officer and ordered to leave the harbor.

We have weathered the food pyramid, the fascination with oat bran and the embrace of low-fat fare. Now, as is its habit, the federal government is giving us more advice on what to eat. A fresh set of federal dietary guidelines, a five-year update issued by the departments of Agriculture and Health and Human Services, were announced last week. Happily, there seemed to be less nagging in this go-round than in prior years. Indeed, the phrase "enjoy your food" was part of the government 's message.