Home Office

Ann Fligsten, a noted land-use attorney in Anne Arundel County, has long voiced her opinion on planning and zoning issues, testifying before the County Council and meeting with county officials. As chairwoman of the Growth Action Network, Fligsten helped organize a lawsuit filed last month alleging that the County Council violated state law by passing several amendments to a zoning bill that would allow development that opponents believe is prohibited by long-established county guidelines.

IN BOTH STRONG and weak stock markets, people continue to ask about the astonishing "Dow Five."It's a strategy that since 1973 would have returned $712,000 (!) for a one-time $10,000 investment. Average annual return: 20.6 percent.The "Dow Five" strategy is a five-stock, high yield-low price technique.Because low-priced stocks climb faster than high-priced shares, the "Dow 5" uses the five lowest-priced of the 10 highest-yielding stocks in the Dow Jones industrial average.Each year, on the anniversary of the first purchase, investors rearrange the list if any of the "Dow Five" have changed.

In the past few years, the bedroom has evolved into an expanded living space. Some people have added not only televisions but sophisticated home entertainment systems to their boudoirs. Others use the bedroom as a home office or home gym. You might even find a mini-kitchen in the bedrooms of those who have deep pockets and plenty of space.Statistics tell us, however, that we spend one-third of our lives sleeping. And so, for all the added creature comforts, the centerpiece of the bedroom is still the bed."

A 28-year-old man is awaiting trial on charges arising from three burglaries in Hampstead and Millers last year.Troy Gordon Stanley, of the 4200 block of Ritchie Highway, was arrested Monday and was charged with breaking into two homes and a physician's office between Jan. 2 and Jan. 23, 1993, state police said.Mr. Stanley is charged with breaking into the office of Dr. Deogracias Faustino, in the 4100 block of Lower Beckleysville Road, and stealing $150 on Jan. 2, 1993.Police said the defendant joined two Carroll County men in breaking into the office and two homes in the Millers area.

I'm trying to carve out space in our family room for a home office. It's not meant to be anything grand - just a chair-desk combination, some storage units and space for my computer and printer. Most of what I've seen in furniture stores seems scaled for a commercial office. It's either too large and heavy-looking or too modern in its styling to fit comfortably into a simply furnished family space with a contemporary design. You've just used a couple of the most indefinable terms in the lexicon of interior design: "simply furnished" and "contemporary design."

This time of year I'm inundated with software or literature about software. Manufacturers, naturally, know people are on the prowl for gifts. And there are also plenty of people boxed in for the winter who are looking to improve their computer systems. Here are some of the more intriguing pieces I've found.BDL HOMEWARE. Bette Laswell, president of BDL Homeware, sent me some of her programs she describes as "ready to use -- you don't have to figure out how to customize it." Her programs, for IBM compatibles, are for home-based needs.

NEW YORK -- Are you running a business from home? You may not be deducting all the expenses you're entitled to.On the other hand, you may be overdeducting. There's a lot of tax cheating going on among people who are indulging in what are essentially hobbies or diversions, not true businesses. You can't spend two weeks in a Honolulu resort, call on a customer while you're there, then write off the vacation as a business expense. It's morally and legally wrong. And you might get caught.But by all means, write off every dime that's legitimate -- keeping good records to substantiate your costs.

Federal authorities raided a downtown medical clinic yesterday and hauled away dozens of boxes in what sources say is an investigation into possible insurance fraud.Search warrants covered the offices and home of Fred Kolodner, a disbarred lawyer already suspected by the state of practicing law without a license, and his wife, Deborah, who in December was convicted in New Jersey of practicing medicine without a license.Shortly after 8:30 a.m., investigators with the FBI and the U.S. Postal Service, assisted by state and city police, arrived at Industrial Medical and Physical Therapy Clinic, operated by Mrs. Kolodner in the 500 block of St. Paul Place.

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court went far yesterday toward eliminating a tax break for many thousands of self-employed taxpayers who earn money by doing part of their work at home.Giving the Internal Revenue Service exactly what it had sought, the court ruled 8-1 yesterday that a 1976 law provides only a narrow allowance for tax deductions on the expenses of an office at home.That was one of two significant rulings issued yesterday. In the other, the court sharply cut back on access to the federal courts for grievance committees or organizations set up to represent prison inmates or others who claim to be too poor to pay court costs and lawyers' fees.

Dressed in a beige blouse buttoned to her throat and a long brown skirt, Deborah Anne Yazdoni appeared before a Baltimore County zoning commissioner yesterday seeking permission to operate a therapeutic massage office in her Park Heights Avenue home.She explained that she wants to see only a few clients a week and her lawyer presented copies of her diplomas and certificates.A Baltimore County vice squad detective had some evidence of his own: Yazdoni's business card that showed her wearing a string bikini and a snapshot taken as she was caught, wearing only panties and a bra, giving an undercover police officer a massage.