Ken

Amid the clatter and dust of huge machines connected by conveyor belts and catwalks, the newspapers, plastic bags, cardboard, cans and bottles come flying at workers who frantically pluck unwanted items from the recycling stream. Screens and spinning, star-shaped black plastic devices separate newspaper from cans and bottles. The fast-rotating stars push the paper higher up an inclined screen; the heavier, smaller cans and bottles tumble down to a different level.

LAS VEGAS -- In professional boxing's golden '50s, middleweight champion Sugar Ray Robinson toured Europe with entourage that included a masseur, barber and dance instructor.In the next two decades, heavyweight champion Muhammad Al traveled with his personal army that included trainers, cooks, sparring partners and countless sycophants who served as a Greek chorus for his doggerel and rival-baiting.But nothing quite compares with the assortment of specialist who serve as a support team for Evander Holyfield, who will challenge James "Buster" Douglas for the world heavyweight championship Thursday night.

Howard County lawmakers are looking to adopt more stringent requirements that would make applicants for massage establishments and taxicab driver's licenses undergo nationwide criminal background checks. The bill being considered by the county delegation, at the request of County Executive Ken Ulman, would require going beyond the current standard of statewide background checks to increase safety for cab riders. Advocates say the requirements would also provide a check against brothels disguising themselves as massage parlors.

Howard County, which led the way in prohibiting smoking indoors, plans to extend the ban outdoors to all county parks, a move that would be the first of its kind in the state. "It's something we've been looking at for some time," County Executive Ken Ulman said in an interview, adding that it's another goal toward making "Howard County the healthiest county it can be. " Smoking, he said, "is not in keeping with that. It's a dirty, filthy habit. " Ulman plans on issuing an executive order that applies to all 57 park properties, but does not include open space and parks owned by the Columbia Association.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Dale Earnhardt is the Man in Black, The Intimidator. He is NASCAR's six-time champion.In a sport where death can be the price paid for participation, men like Earnhardt often seem bigger than life.And here at Daytona International Speedway, where Earnhardt will contend again for his first Daytona 500 victory today, he has worked hard at living up to the image.Publicly, the champion smiles, signs autographs, shakes hands and seems to get a genuine kick out of everything from installing a seat in his IROC car to winning Thursday's 125-mile qualifying race.

A Baltimore jury convicted two young men and acquitted another of murder Friday in the death of former City Councilman Kenneth N. Harris Sr., who was killed two years ago after he and a woman stopped by a jazz club to borrow a corkscrew as the facility was about to be robbed. Jerome Williams, 17, and Charles McGaney, 22, were each found guilty on 28 counts, including felony first-degree murder, assault, handgun, and robbery charges. Gary Collins, 22, was acquitted of murder but found guilty on all of the other charges.

It's time for the Orioles to conduct their annual midsummer auction of veteran talent. That's how they got rid of Mike Flanagan in the first place. They'd be crazy -- and heartless -- to do it again. Flanagan, 39, already is drawing serious interest in talks with the New York Mets, but manager John Oates indicated last night that he would not endorse a trade unless the club received an overwhelming offer. That's good news for Flanagan, who not only wants to finish his career in Baltimore, but to pitch in the final game at Memorial Stadium, where he competed in the World Series in 1979 and '83. "I had a vision of pitching at some point in the last game -- in the last inning or just in the game," Flanagan said.

In the slice of North Laurel known as Whiskey Bottom, daily reminders of the wild world of bootlegging and revenuers live on in several street names: Moonshine Hollow, Bourbon Street, Sylvan Still and Whiskey Run. Then, once the potion has had its desired effect, you can always retreat to Mellow Court. This densely populated section of southeastern Howard County, where rolling fields once yielded tobacco harvests, is a grab bag of moderately priced apartments, townhouses, condominiums and single-family dwellings.

For all you complaining about the less-than-stellar season six premiere, feast your eyes on the scintillating second episode. “The Collaborators” delves into themes of desire, putting on a good face for show and the sin rooted deep in Don's history: prostitution. The death and suicide images are still there, but toned down a bit from last week's one-and-a-half deaths. That's always a plus. Don runs into the good -- but not good enough for his wife -- doctor in the elevator before slipping away to sleep with said wife.

Sun reporter Ken Murray analyzes this week's playoff matchups Each week, Sun football writer Ken Murray breaks down this week's playoff matchups and makes his picks. Listen to analysis: MP3| Podcast Playoff picks Redskins over Buccaneers Patriots over Jaguars Panthers over Giants Steelers over Bengals Last week's record: 5-1 Regular-season record: 49-29