Issues

A prominent Ellicott City blogger and businessman was stabbed to death by his daughter's 19-year-old boyfriend, who plotted with the 14-year-old girl to kill him so the two could run away together, Howard County police said Friday. Dennis Lane, 58, was found before dawn in his Winding Ross Way home. Police charged Jason Anthony Bulmer and Morgan Lane Arnold, both students at Mount Hebron High School, as adults in his killing; they both face conspiracy and murder counts. Both were held without bail, according to online court records.

A mayoral commission has issued a highly critical report challenging Baltimore's commitment to eradicating violence against dogs and cats, citing a lack of police investigation and poor conditions for captured strays. And five members of the Anti-Animal Abuse Commission, including chairman Caroline Griffin, have resigned in protest because of the city's inaction, Griffin said. "City Hall has failed to recognize or endorse this report," Griffin said. "By failing to recognize the problems, it's impossible to fix the problems.

Over and over again, we see that elections are ultimately not really about the issues or leadership qualities. They're about money. Whoever has the most money bribes, er, wins over the voters ("Ehrlich leads in donors; O'Malley leads in cash" and "Bernstein outpaces Jessamy in funds," Aug. 19). I suspect our nation's Founding Fathers are spinning in their graves. Mary Shaw, Philadelphia, PA

The Ravens could have as many as seven or eight new starters on defense when the 2013 season begins. You can produce a number of statistics that suggest why they may have felt compelled to overhaul their defense. Here is a good one: The Ravens whiffed on 87 tackles during the 2012 season, according to Football Outsiders. Aaron Schatz, who wrote about broken tackles in this recent post , explained that Football Outsiders define a broken tackle as one of two events: “either the ball-carrier escapes from the grasp of the defender, or the defender is in good position for a tackle but the ball-carrier jukes him out of his shoes.” Schatz added that “if the ball-carrier sped by a slow defender who dived and missed, that didn't count as a broken tackle.” Based on Football Outsiders' charting, done by more than two dozen people, only three NFL teams missed more tackles during the regular season.

Orioles designated hitter Jim Thome said doctors confirmed Saturday afternoon that the discomfort in his neck is being caused by spasms and he is hopeful within a day or two he'll be back in the lineup. "Basically what I have is a spasm up in my upper neck, trap area," said Thome, who is hitting .261 with two homers in 18 games for the Orioles. "I woke up today and I was just a little more stiff than I have normally been. I came in and it was something that never really changed. So I brought it to (the medical staff's)

When the critical vote to approve same-sex marriage in Maryland was coming down, I happened to be in Virginia — not that far geographically, really, but at the moment seemingly a world, and a time, away. There I was, in a state where legislators were trapped in a womb with no view, considering whether a microscopic, fertilized egg is a person, and whether a woman who wants an abortion must have an ultrasound first. Meanwhile, my home state was out there in the real world, dealing with a real issue involving actual people and their right to equal protection under the law. To which I can only say: Maryland, my Maryland!

Time and weak opponents over the latter half of the preseason have quelled the concern over the play of the Ravens secondary in the first half. Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones caught six passes for 109 yards and one touchdown in a quarter on Aug. 9, and Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson finished with five receptions for 111 yards and one touchdown in about a quarter-and-a-half on Aug. 17. Even Jacksonville Jaguars rookie Justin...

On the November referendum ballot on casinos, there should be one ballot for table games (yes or no) and a separate ballot for a sixth casino site (yes or no ). If there are no table games in Maryland I certainly will go to Atlantic City, where I can get rebates and food. Another casino in Maryland won't draw me and other players. If casinos don't offer table games, Baltimore should be the only casino in Maryland. Frank F. Braunstein, Pikesville

The San Francisco Giants placed former Oriole Aubrey Huff on the 15-day disabled list Wednesday, two days after he left the team because of an episode of anxiety. Huff has been getting treatment in Florida and is expected to rejoin the team Friday in San Francisco, where he will continue to get help. Manager Bruce Bochy spoke with Huff on Wednesday afternoon after days of exchanging text messages. Asked whether Huff's anxiety was related to personal or baseball problems, Bochy said: "I don't know if he even knows.

As this year's election campaign starts to accelerate, Marylanders are confronted with the biggest group of gubernatorial candidates in decades. How to distinguish among this crowded field is a perplexing question for voters.With this in mind, here are some issues that the candidates ought to address. In fact, voters should make it clear to those who want to be governor that detailed responses are mandatory. The state of Maryland is at a pivotal juncture. It has major problems that cannot be ignored much longer without long-term negative consequences:* Structural gaps.

Corporate Office Properties Trust, the Columbia-based office real estate investment trust, is issuing $350 million in debt, the sale of which is expected to close next week, the company announced Thursday. The senior unsecured notes are due in ten years and will pay 3.6 percent interest, according to a statement from COPT. The closing is expected on Monday, the firm said. COPT's operating partnership plans to use the funds raised by the offering to repay borrowed funds and for general corporate purposes.

When No. 10 Washington College and No. 2 Dickinson meet in Wednesday night's Centennial Conference tournament semifinal, it will be a rematch of the April 13 regular-season meeting in which the Shoremen suffered a 15-10 setback in Chestertown. If Washington (12-3) harbors any hope of pulling off the upset and tagging the Red Devils (15-0) with their first loss of the season, the Shoremen must avoid surrendering runs that plagued them in the first contest. Dickinson scored all five goals of the second quarter to turn a 3-2 deficit into a 7-3 advantage, embarked on a 4-0 spurt in a span of 1 minute, 46 seconds of the third period to take a 12-6 lead, and then scored three unanswered goals in 2:03 of the fourth quarter to assume a 15-9 advantage.

Baltimore issued more than 16,000 speed camera tickets in less than two months this year before shutting the troubled program down over a programming error, according to figures posted by the city. The numbers offer a detailed statistical look at the recent performance of the program targeted this year by state lawmakers. Officials started issuing the $40 tickets for the first time this year on Feb. 20, the figures show. But they announced on April 16 that they had again stopped citing drivers amid reports that one of the city's new cameras had been programmed with the wrong speed limit, resulting in hundreds of erroneous tickets.

Howard County legislators said this week that they believe the General Assembly will need to make adjustments to a state-mandated stormwater management fee imposed on Howard County and nine other Maryland jurisdictions. "I don't think it's over yet," said state Sen. James Robey, co-chair of the county's delegation to Annapolis. "We need to go back and make this more fair. " Robey and six other members of the county delegation spoke at the Howard County Chamber of Commerce's annual legislative wrap-up breakfast Thursday in Columbia.

After spending 15 hours Friday locked on coverage of the manhunt in Boston, here are my picks for the highs, lows and deeper media stories of this remarkable day and night. The best moment belonged to Diane Sawyer and ABC News for a phone interview Friday night with George Pizzuto, a next-door neighbor to the man who discovered a wounded and bloody Dzhokhar Tsarnaev lying under a tarp in a boat in his backyard and called police. The interview started at 8:02 p.m., and was the first clear explanation of how the police found the 19-year-old bombing suspect in Watertown Friday night.

The operators of Cook Volkswagen in Fallston are looking to expand the vehicle storage lot for their Route 1 (Belair Road) dealership, but the property developer must resolve outstanding issues with state and federal agencies and work out an agreement with neighboring homeowners before they can proceed. Members of Harford County's Development Advisory Committee - which reviews developers' site plans and provides recommendations to the Department of Planning and Zoning - recommended during their Wednesday meeting that the owner and developer of the property, listed as 2110 Bel Air Road LLC of Aberdeen, come to a resolution with the county, the Maryland Department of the Environment and the Army Corps of Engineers before the site plan could be approved.

WASHINGTON -- Congress returns from vacation today to confront the heaviest variety of complex legislative issues it has faced in many years, while hoping to improve its standing with the public by seeking solutions to the nation's toughest problems.None of this fall's issues may prove to be as challenging as President Clinton's budget bill, which barely passed in both houses last month. But the vote on the North American Free Trade Agreement may be as close, and the health care overhaul may be even more complicated, even though both may well attract a level of bipartisan cooperation all but unseen in the 103rd Congress.

The 6th District congressional candidates who debated in Carroll County last night avoided smear tactics, focusing instead on economic, educational and health-care issues.In his opening statement, state Del. Thomas Hattery, who defeated incumbent Beverly B. Byron in the Democratic primary, asked his Republican opponent to keep the debate "focused on the issues and not on personal matters.""It's up to you," responded Roscoe Bartlett.And the candidates succeeded, addressing the issue of negative campaigning only when one of the panelists at Carroll Community College in Westminster asked how such tactics served to inform the voters.

It is no secret that Maryland coach Mark Turgeon has a need for an experienced point guard  next season. With the recent departure of rising senior Pe'Shon Howard, the Terps have four scholarships available. It is also no secret that former Lake Clifton point guard Antonio Barton is looking for a place to finish his college career. Barton received his release from Memphis this week, has a year of eligibility remaining and will be available to play right away as long as he gets his degree from the school this summer.

Regarding the article, "Towson leaders seek solutions to parking" published in the April 10 edition of the Towson Times, we at Pollard's Towing appreciate the Towson Times notifying the public of the change in parking policy at specific lots in downtown Towson. However, the article included several factual omissions. First, the parking meter was installed and proper signage - in compliance with local laws - posted about one month before any cars were towed. This was by design.