Lift

The four-ton motorized lift Ronald Tognocchi rode to his death, the UNO-33E, was dangerous from the start, says a lawyer representing Tognocchi's family in a multimillion-dollar lawsuit.Members of the victim's family "don't want sympathy," the lawyer, Daniel M. Clements, told a Baltimore Circuit Court jury in closing arguments yesterday. "They want a verdict that says you don't build machines like this and get away with it."But Robert Powell, attorney for the manufacturer, argued that Tognocchi, 45, who was investigating a previous accident on the same lift when he died, voluntarily assumed a risk when he set out to "re-create" the accident.

Howard County's General Assembly delegation last night approved a proposal to lift the ban on Sunday automobile sales in Howard, paving the way for the CarMax used-car "superstore" chain to open its sixth outlet and bring as many as 500 new jobs to the county.The legislation is expected to be approved by both houses of the General Assembly as a courtesy to the Howard delegation.Representatives of 10 of the county's 13 car dealerships opposed Sunday automobile sales, saying at a public hearing last month that Sunday sales would harm their businesses.

Joe Glos had two goals and an assist as visiting No. 8 Perry Hall upset No. 4 Calvert Hall, 5-2, in boys soccer Monday. The Gators (6-3) held a 3-1 lead at the half. Glos scored the opening goal. Pete Caringi had a goal and an assist for the Cardinals (6-3), whose winning streak ended at four. Nial Krach had 12 saves for Calvert Hall, two more than Perry Hall's Zach Miller. Field hockey No. 2 Garrison Forest 3, Roland Park 1: : Cody Magness scored twice to power the host Grizzlies (10-1-2)

TOKYO -- In a move that's seen likely to unshackle its domestic oil industry, Japan is poised to lift the stickiest hurdle its refiners face -- a ban on oil exports.Japan's Petroleum Council, an advisory body of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, is expected to endorse a proposal later this month to lift the ban on exports of oil products. The lifting of the ban, which was passed over when the country completed the deregulation of the oil industry, could come as early as September.

Baltimore's popular Lexington Market, which has sold produce and meats at the same downtown spot for more than two centuries, is set to receive a $3.5 million face lift in the coming months. Larger windows, wider entrances and new stalls, signs and lights are part of the plan, which is scheduled to receive the go-ahead from the city's Board of Estimates today. The market's orange-and-red awnings would be torn down and replaced with a lattice of iron girders and red awnings. Funding for the project would be provided by a combination of loans and state grants.

WASHINGTON -- In his news conference in the Rose Garden the other day, President Clinton couldn't seem to duck fast enough when asked two questions about his plan to lift the ban on gays in the military. His quick shuffles underscored how well he understands how his own elevation of the issue at the outset of his presidency has intruded in a detrimental way on other key elements of his domestic agenda.When a reporter asked his reaction to the startling testimony of Marine Corps Col. Fred Peck before the Senate Armed Services Committee that his son is homosexual but he still opposed lifting the ban, the president said only that he found all the testimony "quite moving and straightforward," and that he still thought the test on continued service "ought to be conduct."

WASHINGTON -- The Clinton administration yesterday worked to head off mounting congressional opposition to lifting the ban on gays in the military.As Republicans tried to provoke a confrontation over Mr. Clinton's proposal to end the ban, the administration sought to assuage a key Democratic critic, Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga., the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.Mr. Nunn, who expressed annoyance at the lack of consultation with Congress, had planned to speak out on the Senate floor yesterday but postponed that as administration officials sought to address his concerns.

WASHINGTON -- President Clinton has come up with a way to lift the ban on homosexuals in the military that would fulfill a campaign pledge while giving the administration time to work out the details with senior military leaders.Homosexual rights groups applaud the plan. Two homosexual lawmakers, Rep. Gerry E. Studds and Rep. Barney Frank, both Democrats of Massachusetts, were consulted this week, and approved. Military officials say they are pleased that they still will get to have some say on how the change would occur.

BEIJING - Natalie Woolfolk's knees were steady, her arms straight and her smile big as the room. Above her head, she proudly hoisted a lifetime of training and her Olympic dreams - not to mention more than 250 pounds of weights. But she also lifted high the dreams of her fiance, a fellow weightlifter who learned just one day before the opening ceremony that he wouldn't be competing at these Games. There'd be no gold medal for Woolfolk, an Arnold native and Broadneck High graduate, but at that moment, it didn't really matter.

ISTANBUL, Turkey -- Defying protests by secular Turks, lawmakers voted yesterday to amend the constitution to allow women to wear Islamic head scarves at universities. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a self-described conservative democrat who leads a party that has its roots in political Islam, had described the ban as an obstacle to young women's seeking an education. After scoring a solid win in parliamentary elections last summer, his AK party had pledged to work to lift the long-standing restrictions.