Hybrid

As The Sun recently reported ("Task force rejects having elected Baltimore Co. school board," Sept. 10), the legislative task force considering alternatives to the board selection process "abruptly decided Friday to rule out recommending the addition of elected board members. " According to the legislation establishing the task force, the charge they were to carry out was: "to make recommendations on how many members should constitute the Baltimore County Board of Education.

The Ravens don't pick a defensive coordinator. They anoint one. The man who gets to run their defense is already well versed with its tradition, is an advocate of its core principles and is eminently familiar with its personalities. For Chuck Pagano, the mantle was passed last Jan. 18, in the wake of a disquieting playoff loss in Pittsburgh after a season in which that defense was besieged — relatively speaking — with problems defending the pass. No sooner had coordinator Greg Mattison opted for a return to the University of Michigan than Pagano was tapped to replace him. Eight months and one lockout later, the back end of the Ravens' defense might be its strength.

For as long as there's been talk of changing the Baltimore County school board structure to partly elected, minority groups and residents have been concerned about losing representation on the 12-member panel. Now, with a task force expected to convene in the near future to study the issue, they are expressing optimism that such concerns about school board diversity will be addressed. Efforts to create a hybrid Board of Education, led by Sen. Bobby Zirkin, were defeated weeks ago when the county Senate delegation threw its support behind the task force bill sponsored by its chairwoman, Sen. Kathy Klausmeier.

Electric car history: 1900: First electric wagon built in Baltimore by the Schaum Automobile and Manufacturing Co. 1906: Baltimore Bargain House, a dry-goods wholesaler, bought an electric truck, the first of its kind used for heavy hauling in the city. It could carry 10,000 pounds with a top speed of 5 mph, and could go 40 miles before needing to be recharged. 1911: Baltimore Gas & Electric Co.'s predecessor bought 10 electric wagons for its use and became a vendor and servicer of electric vehicles.

It's debatable which defensive end or linebacker in this draft would be the best pass rusher for the Ravens. But there's no question who is the fastest. Nevada's Dontay Moch set an NFL scouting combine record for defensive linemen since 2000 with an eye-popping time of 4.44 seconds in the 40-yard dash. That beat the previous mark of 4.47 by Alabama-Birmingham's Bryan Thomas in 2002. Moch, the 2009 Western Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year, is expected to get drafted as high as the third round.

The state is using $5.9 million in federal energy grants to put 143 heavy-duty hybrid trucks on Maryland roads. The Maryland Energy Administration said today that, under its Maryland Hybrid Truck Initiative, it is using the federal money to offset the cost of replacing less energy-efficient trucks with hybrid models. ARAMARK, United Parcel Service, Nestle Waters of North America, Sysco Corporation and Efficiency Enterprises are the companies getting the new trucks, which are being provided by Daimler Trucks North America.

The fate of Baltimore County's appointed school board is again in question, as debate over the selection process is expected to arise during this year's General Assembly session. State Sen. Bobby Zirkin, a longtime advocate, is pushing a measure that would create a hybrid board of appointed and elected members. The measure narrowly failed last session. In Baltimore County, one of the few districts in the state where all school board members are picked by the governor, there has been ongoing debate over whether an elected or appointed board would be most effective.

If you are traveling the roads of western Howard County some pleasant fall morning, there's a chance you'll spot a bicyclist who seems to be going rather fast for the amount of exertion he's putting into his pedaling. Meet Daniel Rowell, an intrepid commuter who regularly makes the roughly 22-mile journey from his North Laurel home to his Sykesville workplace aboard his $8,000 Optibike — a hybrid electric bicycle that supplements pedal power with a battery-driven engine. Rowell is one of a small band of long-distance commuters who regularly leave cars at home and hop aboard electric bikes.

The proposal to combine a new downtown arena with an expanded Baltimore Convention Center merits serious consideration. If it works, this newly constructed hybrid would both replace the aging 1 s t Mariner Arena — now a site of concerts and sporting events — and add space and allure to the city's convention business. The plan got an enthusiastic initial response recently from the Greater Baltimore Committee, which said it would study the proposal. This new idea makes more sense than the previous, $300 million idea, now abandoned, to level the old arena a build a new one on that site.

America's newest "green" cars made a stop Monday at the Johns Hopkins University, where students used to being examined turned the tables, crowding around to see, sit in and drive a Chevrolet Volt. The students also peppered the carmakers' engineers with questions about how the cars work — and how much they cost. General Motors brought a few of its sleek, quiet Volts — a cross between an electric car and a hybrid — to Hopkins' Homewood campus so the private university's students could check them out. The event was part of a national tour to generate buzz for the rollout of the first vehicles for sale to the public.