Key Issues

Marsha S. McLaughlin, director of the Howard County Department of Planning and Zoning, has been criticized for everything from being too soft on developers to being too hard on them. She comments on some of the key issues that have dominated her department over the past 2 1/2 years: Growth: "People all complain about the traffic on the road, but in many people's minds that means we have to stop growth so we won't have any more traffic. You can't stop the growth. So how to we accommodate it?"

Linda Malat Tiburzi wanted a front-row seat inside a 4th Circuit Court of Appeals courtroom Tuesday, so judges could get a good look at her during a hearing involving a convicted child rapist who had taught at a Baltimore Catholic school. Though it's traumatic for Tiburzi to relive her alleged abuse at the hands of John J. Merzbacher, she said she and the 14 other men and women who took a bus from Pasadena wanted to show their commitment to keeping him behind bars. "I want the judges to see my face," said Tiburzi, 51, who said she was sexually abused by Merzbacher while she was a Catholic Community middle-schooler from 1973 to 1976.

Washington.--For all the signs of a new chapter in relations between Israelis and Palestinians, there are key issues that everyone agrees are too hot to handle right now.Dubbed "final status" questions, they have been put off until a new phase of talks begins in two years: the future of Jerusalem, Jewish settlements in the occupied territories, refugees and Palestinian statehood.The idea, perhaps even the genius, behind the interim Israeli-Palestinian settlement is that it will allow a period of adjustment for people on both sides to start viewing each other in a new way.It is hoped that Israelis will stop seeing Palestinians as threats to their personal security and that Palestinians will stop viewing Israelis as occupiers trampling their rights and livelihoods.

Like most students gathered at the Johns Hopkins University on Wednesday to share tacos and watch the first presidential debate of the general election, senior Nicholas DePaul walked into the room as a supporter of President Barack Obama. But 30 minutes into the debate - as Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney hashed through their plans to reduce spiraling budget deficits - DePaul seemed deflated by the president's performance selling his economic vision to the country. "I'm afraid to say Romney is probably winning with the public because people react more to emotion in these kinds of things," said DePaul, a Californian who is studying political and environmental science and who spent much of the debate monitoring a political fact-check website on his laptop.

OLEY, Pa. - Election Day in this fervent hunting community traditionally happens in the rec room of the local gun club, where voting booths are set up under the watchful eyes of mounted elk and stuffed mule deer. Chatter about big game - not to mention gun rights - usually stops long enough for folks to step away and cast a ballot for president. It is hardly neutral territory. Many lodge members gathering here during this fall's deer-hunting season say they believe the Democrats would erode their right to own guns.

Halfway through a private effort at molding Howard County's fast-growing population into one community, members of a grass-roots project are grappling with tough topics such as diversity -- subjects beyond the county's General Plan review.That's the agenda for the next several meetings of Howard County -- A United Vision, as about 70 people split into small groups to discuss eight general topics labeled "key issues" in the county's future.Most, such as growth, are items the county's plan for the future will also consider, but United Vision, a private group, aims to go further, to find ways to link the county's new arrivals to older residents -- rural to urban, young to old and black to white -- to form one cohesive community.

Recycling bins are back in the State House. The governor rides in a sport utility vehicle that can burn ethanol. Maryland is about to join a handful of states that mandate low-emission cars, and it is closer than it has been in years to prohibiting smoking in bars, abolishing the death penalty and banning assault weapons. In ways large and small, Annapolis is showing signs of a leftward tilt just six weeks after Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley succeeded Republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. But halfway into the General Assembly session, just how liberal Maryland's new government is remains to be settled.

The Gang learned a key life lesson tonight: Democracy is hard. First of all, Dee is getting audited; but like most things related to Sweet Dee, nobody cares. The writers even made her the subplot, although this week's plot was already pretty thin to begin with. Dennis, Mac and Charlie decide they want a democratic system to resolve issues in Bar Policy. This would throw out the time honored tradition of long, drawn-out arguments followed by allowing Frank to make bad decisions on behalf of them all. Reason Will Prevail: This week's attempt at a memorable one-liner fell very short.

Julie Bykowicz completely gets it wrong in her article "Would it be different this time?" (Oct. 16.) Rather than addressing the very egregious, partisan and unstatesmanlike conduct of ranking Democratic leadership, she questions whether former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. could overcome the acrimony he experienced in his first term of office if he is reelected. By examining key issues negatively impacting our state and its economy — energy deregulation, unfunded and unconstitutional education mandates, increased taxes and spending, inept administration of slots, unemployment and illegal immigration, one would have to place blame squarely on the shoulders of the Democratic majority that is responsible.

Negotiations in the 13-day strike against Verizon Communications continued past the unions' midnight deadline into the early hours today with both sides reporting progress on key issues. "We're really moving head," said Candice Johnson, a spokeswoman for the Communications Workers of America, one of the two unions involved. "We've got a lot of ground to cover, but we're making progress." Johnson made those remarks at 12:30 a.m. today by telephone from Washington, where the talks are being held.

Mr. Bauer still has conceptual difficulty in dealing with the issue of extending the right to civil marriage to those of the same gender ("Supporters of gay marriage confuse facts with opinion," letter, June 14). Nowhere in his letter can he articulate an answer to the key question of what harm society would suffer from extension of this right, let alone entertain the thought of how society might actually benefit. If anything, his letter inadvertently makes the case for the opposite of what he advocates.

Centrist Democrats in the House of Delegates have decided to form a group to promote their point of view within the party and weigh in on key issues, a leading member of the group said Thursday. Del. Mary Dulany-James, a Harford County Democrat, said the groups would probably be called the Blue Dog delegation or caucus -- named after a similarly oriented group of moderate Democrats in Congress. James said the group could have apotential membership of about 20 members of the Democratic caucus, which has tended to be dominated by more liberal members from Baltimore city and Prinnce George's and Montgomery counties.

When the Maryland Senate came into session this morning, Sen. Ulysses Currie was seated in the front row - but a crucial 10 feet to the right of his former perch, the desk he was for years afforded as chairman of the Budget and Taxation Committee. Even as senators and delegates shook hands, hugged and greeted each other after an absence of nine months, Senator Currie served as a highly visible, awkward reminder of what could prove to be one of the most difficult pieces of business the legislature will have to take up this year.

The Gang learned a key life lesson tonight: Democracy is hard. First of all, Dee is getting audited; but like most things related to Sweet Dee, nobody cares. The writers even made her the subplot, although this week's plot was already pretty thin to begin with. Dennis, Mac and Charlie decide they want a democratic system to resolve issues in Bar Policy. This would throw out the time honored tradition of long, drawn-out arguments followed by allowing Frank to make bad decisions on behalf of them all. Reason Will Prevail: This week's attempt at a memorable one-liner fell very short.

Julie Bykowicz completely gets it wrong in her article "Would it be different this time?" (Oct. 16.) Rather than addressing the very egregious, partisan and unstatesmanlike conduct of ranking Democratic leadership, she questions whether former Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. could overcome the acrimony he experienced in his first term of office if he is reelected. By examining key issues negatively impacting our state and its economy — energy deregulation, unfunded and unconstitutional education mandates, increased taxes and spending, inept administration of slots, unemployment and illegal immigration, one would have to place blame squarely on the shoulders of the Democratic majority that is responsible.

Getting There is getting out of town. For the next few weeks, this writer will be trying out the transportation systems of places far, far away. While I'm gone, Maryland will be counting down toward its Sept. 14 primary and Nov. 2 general election. So I'd like to leave a few transportation-related questions behind for Maryland's leading politicians — especially Democratic Gov. Martin O'Malley and likely Republican rival Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. It would be a sin and a shame if Maryland voters didn't get some answers before they go to the polls.

Mr. Bauer still has conceptual difficulty in dealing with the issue of extending the right to civil marriage to those of the same gender ("Supporters of gay marriage confuse facts with opinion," letter, June 14). Nowhere in his letter can he articulate an answer to the key question of what harm society would suffer from extension of this right, let alone entertain the thought of how society might actually benefit. If anything, his letter inadvertently makes the case for the opposite of what he advocates.

WASHINGTON -- When President Bush was asked yesterday how he would answer pundits questioning the competence of his vice president, he said he was sorely tempted to respond with a rude hand gesture."

With Memorial Day approaching and school soon reaching an end, it's a good time to brush up on summer health and safety. Dr. Bill Zirkin of the Greater Baltimore Medical Center's emergency department talks about common summer issues and how to avoid them. Question: What are the warning signs of heatstroke or other heat-related illness? What are the best ways to avoid it? Answer: Heat-related illnesses, including heatstroke, which is the most severe condition caused by overheating, are caused by the body's inability to cool itself.

Maryland lawmakers prefer the final year of a four-year term to be quiet and noncontroversial as they face an election year. The General Assembly session set to begin Wednesday is likely to prove nothing of the sort for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, legislators are expected to struggle to pass a budget. Despite a promise of no growth in general fund spending, the state is facing more than a $1 billion shortfall in the next fiscal year and, after two years of falling tax revenue, will be forced to cut programs that have been cut before.