Hot Line

PHILADELPHIA — The line currently torching the Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup finals was, not too long ago, cinders. From Jan. 23 to March 3, Ville Leino didn't play a game. Scott Hartnell's hair follicles offered more production than his blade. And in terms of full-season output, Danny Briere was at levels not seen since his rookie season. So Flyers coach Peter Laviolette concocted this grouping late in the season because, well, he had to. "When he put us together, there were so many injuries that that's what was left, I guess," Briere said Thursday.

Describing their eight-day investigation of a teen-ager's disappearance as "basically at square one," Baltimore police have added an unprecedented array of resources to the search — including half the homicide squad — and have drawn help from national and state authorities. The FBI has agreed to fly in two helicopters equipped with advanced technology to aid city police in the search for Phylicia Simone Barnes, a North Carolina honor student. Police set up a 24-hour hot line Wednesday to receive tips.

The weekend started well, with the Ken Harris jury coming back with guilty verdicts after seven days of deliberations that made everyone suspect the three defendants were going to walk. Police, prosecutors and forensics experts put together a case strong enough to get convictions of young men who wore masks when they set out to commit their crimes. The alternative would have been shocking even in hard-to-shock Baltimore: Jurors acquitting the accused killers of a well-liked, public-spirited man during the armed robbery of a popular jazz club in a solid, middle-class part of town.

The weekend started well, with the Ken Harris jury coming back with guilty verdicts after seven days of deliberations that made everyone suspect the three defendants were going to walk. Police, prosecutors and forensics experts put together a case strong enough to get convictions of young men who wore masks when they set out to commit their crimes. The alternative would have been shocking even in hard-to-shock Baltimore: Jurors acquitting the accused killers of a well-liked, public-spirited man during the armed robbery of a popular jazz club in a solid, middle-class part of town.

Harford County has set up a pothole hot line for complaints about roads damaged by snow, ice and fluctuating temperatures. The county's Division of Highways is asking residents who spot problems to call the hot line at 410-638-3376. Officials say crews are prepared to respond to those calls and repair potholes as quickly as possible. - Mary Gail Hare

Twenty-one women who say their reports of rape or sexual abuse were dismissed by Baltimore police have reached out to a hot line established this week to ensure that officials are handling complaints properly. More than half of them asked authorities to reopen their criminal case and pursue possible leads. All their reports will be forwarded to auditors seeking to find out why Baltimore police lead the nation in the percentage of possible sex crimes that detectives conclude are false or baseless.

Federal and state leaders are launching an effort to win funding for a statewide hot line to help connect Marylanders with health and human service. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski has requested $800,000 to make the state's 211 hot line pilot program permanent and is co-sponsoring a bill that would provide dedicated funding for such services nationwide. Gov. Martin O'Malley, Comptroller Peter Franchot and United Way of Central Maryland President Larry Walton joined Mikulski to announce the effort to secure federal funding at the call center in Baltimore on Monday.

City leaders are establishing a hot line for victims who believe their reports of rape or sexual assault were not investigated fully by police. Officials announced Tuesday that the staff of the victim advocates group Turnaround Inc. will partner with the city to operate the rape and sexual assault hot line. The announcement comes after a Baltimore Sun investigation which revealed that, based on FBI crime data, Baltimore has logged a higher percentage of rape cases that officers deem false or baseless than any other U.S. city.

A hot line that helps consumers with the complexities of telephone service has chosen Carroll County for a pilot campaign to alert senior citizens to the free advice.The Tele-Consumer Hotline, based in Washington, serves all age groups at its hot line number -- (800) 332-1124. The non-profit group began in 1984 to help consumers after the breakup of AT & T and advent of a more complex telephone market, said executive director Sylvia Rosenthal.The hot line gets questions such as where to get special equipment for people with impaired hearing or vision or how to understand the different long-distance services.

Family members with questions about the status of individual service members may call the following hot lines:Army (800) 626-1440Air Force (800) 253-9276Navy (800) 255-3808Marines (800) 523-2694Coast Guard (800) 283-8724American LegionFamily Supporthot line (800) 786-0901Maryland Army and AirNat'l Guard (800) 492-2526Or from Baltimore 576-6019GENERAL HOT LINESFOR FAMILY SUPPORTU.S. Army Reserve hot line(only for family members ofreservists called to activeduty) (800) 874-8451U.S. Army Desert Storm hot line (nationwide community familysupport center hot line, for family members of Army per-sonnel only)

Twenty-one women who say their reports of rape or sexual abuse were dismissed by Baltimore police have reached out to a hot line established this week to ensure that officials are handling complaints properly. More than half of them asked authorities to reopen their criminal case and pursue possible leads. All their reports will be forwarded to auditors seeking to find out why Baltimore police lead the nation in the percentage of possible sex crimes that detectives conclude are false or baseless.

City leaders are establishing a hot line for victims who believe their reports of rape or sexual assault were not investigated fully by police. Officials announced Tuesday that the staff of the victim advocates group Turnaround Inc. will partner with the city to operate the rape and sexual assault hot line. The announcement comes after a Baltimore Sun investigation which revealed that, based on FBI crime data, Baltimore has logged a higher percentage of rape cases that officers deem false or baseless than any other U.S. city.

PHILADELPHIA — The line currently torching the Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup finals was, not too long ago, cinders. From Jan. 23 to March 3, Ville Leino didn't play a game. Scott Hartnell's hair follicles offered more production than his blade. And in terms of full-season output, Danny Briere was at levels not seen since his rookie season. So Flyers coach Peter Laviolette concocted this grouping late in the season because, well, he had to. "When he put us together, there were so many injuries that that's what was left, I guess," Briere said Thursday.

Harford County has set up a pothole hot line for complaints about roads damaged by snow, ice and fluctuating temperatures. The county's Division of Highways is asking residents who spot problems to call the hot line at 410-638-3376. Officials say crews are prepared to respond to those calls and repair potholes as quickly as possible. - Mary Gail Hare

Federal and state leaders are launching an effort to win funding for a statewide hot line to help connect Marylanders with health and human service. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski has requested $800,000 to make the state's 211 hot line pilot program permanent and is co-sponsoring a bill that would provide dedicated funding for such services nationwide. Gov. Martin O'Malley, Comptroller Peter Franchot and United Way of Central Maryland President Larry Walton joined Mikulski to announce the effort to secure federal funding at the call center in Baltimore on Monday.

Sherry L. Schott, who had worked in sales and later was a hot line counselor, died of congestive heart failure Wednesday at Carroll Hospice's Dove House in Westminster. She was 51. Sherry Lee Swanson was born at Fort Meade and moved with her family to South Bend, Ind., in 1960. In 1970, she moved with her family to Woodlawn, where she graduated from Woodlawn High School in 1976. After high school, she began working in sales and became manager of Jack's Clothing store in Westview Mall.

The Anne Arundel Trade Council is launching a legislative hot line on Tuesday for county residents who want their views relayed to county council members.The hot line is primarily intended as an information-sharing resource, more than an "I'm-against-this or I'm-for-that" hot line, said Jeanette Wessel, chief executive officer of the Trade Council.Council employees will write down the views of callers who leave them and tell legislators what comes in over the phone lines, regardless of whether the views coincide with the trade council's position on various issues.

Sometimes you just need to ask somebody one question about your finances. Should I consolidate my student loans? Why did my credit card interest rate double to 28 percent? What do I do about the collection agency coming after me for an old bill I already paid? Marylanders now have a new resource to call and find the answers to these or any other money questions. Three nonprofits - Maryland CASH Campaign, Baltimore CASH Campaign and Consumer Credit Counseling Service of Maryland and Delaware - have created a financial counseling hot line.

It's not as if I haven't done my homework over the years. I read Betting Thoroughbreds, which is one of the bibles of horse handicapping, and I've put in my hours at the rail trying to make sense of the Daily Racing Form, and pretty much all it got me was a little lighter in the wallet. My ability to pick winners at the track ranks right up there with the keen insight I showed this spring predicting the future of Orioles pitcher Daniel Cabrera, so it would be unfair to the casual horse player for me to make betting recommendations about today's Preakness at Pimlico Race Course.