Issues

Marcus Leak, a promising Maryland wide receiver who averaged 17.1 yards per catch before being sidelined late last season with a broken toe, has withdrawn from the school but says he plans to return next year. Even with the rising junior's departure, wide receiver remains one of Maryland's deepest positions. But his decision is a blow because Leak, who is from Charlotte, N.C., had emerged as a deep threat and complement to leading playmaker Stefon Diggs. Leak, who finished second on the team with 23 receptions in just seven games, cited unspecified “personal issues.” A source said the sophomore was not being punished and was in good academic standing.

My colleague, Candy Thomson, recently reported that a study will soon evaluate the structural condition and projected life left in the Bay Bridge, while also considering the possible addition of a third span to accommodate traffic demands that will soar by 2025. The first span that bound the Eastern and Western Shores opened for traffic in 1952. It had been troubled by 45 years of haggling, vanished funding and public debate that was additionally fueled by doubters, controversy, economic downturns and wars.

Parking issues are holding up plans for a New York-style pizzeria with live music in Hampden. Kelly Beckham, 44, of Butchers Hill, said he wants to open Paulie Gee's Hampden this summer on the first floor of the former Hampden Republican Club building at 3535 Chestnut Ave. The 125-seat, 6,000-square-foot eatery would have outdoor seating and would specialize in non-traditional pizzas like braised fennel and fresh mozzerella with anisette cream drizzle....

Talbot Bank of Easton, Maryland said Friday it has entered into a consent order with federal and state regulators. That order from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Commissioner of Financial Regulation of Maryland requires the bank to improve its credit quality and revise some of its policies and procedures, the bank said. "No bank has been immune from the challenges created by the economic downturn," CEO Patrick M. Bilbrough said in a statement. "As we deal with those challenges, we are working closely with the FDIC and the commissioner to make sure that we handle these challenges in the correct way in a timely manner.

You may not recognize Debbie Kowalski Wilson's name, but if you've opened a Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue in the past six years, chances are you've seen her work. Wilson, who is from Edgewood and now lives in Hawaii, has had her Maui Girl swimsuits featured in the popular edition of the magazine 48 times - and more than 200 times in the online version. This year, Wilson's swimsuits were featured 14 times, including a centerfold with cover model Kate Upton in Antarctica. And with Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of summer here on the mainland, quickly approaching, Wilson is preparing for a busy season.

Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger on Thursday joined the chorus of lawmakers criticizing Baltimore City schools for spending stimulus money and dollars designated for poor children on $99-per-person fried chicken dinners, a makeover day and two cruises through the Inner Harbor. “I supported federal stimulus funding to create jobs by putting more teachers in classrooms and avoiding the layoffs of others -- not for harbor cruises, catered dinners and theater tickets," said Ruppersberger, a Democrat, in a statement.

The Orioles were not a perfect team in 2012, though it's easy to get nostalgic about their first truly competitive season of this century. They were plugging holes in the starting rotation throughout the summer. They needed several months to assemble an adequate defense. And clutch hitting was always an issue. The only component of the club that was never cause for serious concern was the bullpen, which was pretty much airtight and was the main reason the Orioles put up otherworldly numbers in one-run and extra-inning games.

Remember the last time you got a B in a class? Maybe a B was OK, a hard-earned accomplishment in a difficult, GPA-sinking course. Or perhaps a B just wasn't good enough - a subpar finish that left you mentally shaking a fist at other classmates. The grades are in for the Johns Hopkins University. Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM), an international student-run health advocacy group, recently released the first-ever University Global Health Impact Report Card. The report card ranked the top 54 North American research universities on their overall contributions to global health.

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.

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.