Lift

BEIJING - A Taiwanese government panel's recommendation this week to lift trade restrictions with rival China should help the two sides avoid military conflict, specialists in the region said yesterday. The proposed policy change, suggested Sunday by a group of government advisers in Taipei and supported by President Chen Shui-bian, would make it easier for Taiwanese companies to invest in China and strengthen economic ties between the two enemies. Their increasing economic interdependence should, in turn, discourage both sides from actions that could lead to military confrontation.

Mayor Martin O'Malley announced yesterday the kickoff of a $3.5 million face lift for Lexington Market, which he envisions as a social and economic anchor for the soon-to-be-revitalized west side of downtown Baltimore. O'Malley said his administration's efforts to persuade more people to live in the new housing units being built downtown hinge on providing them "a place to shop, someplace with character, someplace to draw people together." Indeed, bankers and developers involved in the west-side redevelopment plan see a newly renovated market as a key piece of the project.

A pair of highway accidents -- including an overturned tanker truck and a separate crash that left a White Marsh man trapped beneath tons of metal in his truck-mounted crane -- snared motorists in traffic yesterday along Interstate 95 in Baltimore and Howard counties.In the worst of the two accidents, mid-morning traffic on southbound I-95 was backed up about two hours, from White Marsh to Mountain Road about eight miles away in Harford County.A crane careened off I-95 north of the Baltimore Beltway and skidded to a stop on its side, requiring rescuers to gingerly lift the heavy rig while they cut the driver free from the wreckage.

The first balloon ride in the United States reportedly occurred in Baltimore in 1784, when 13-year-old Edward Warren sailed over Mount Vernon Place in an "aerial chariot" owned by attorney and tavern keeper Peter Carnes. That spirit of adventure lives on in the city's newest attraction, the Hi Flyer balloon at the Port Discovery children's museum on Market Place. Like Carnes' invention, the Hi Flyer is a tethered balloon that provides a new way to view the city. Capable of lifting passengers 340 feet above street level, it's one of the highest public observation points in Baltimore - and a lollipop-shaped billboard for Port Discovery.

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration is preparing a proposal to lift international sanctions on Iraq in phases, retaining U.N. supervision of Iraq's oil sales for now but transferring other parts of its economy to a new Iraqi authority in coming months, administration officials said yesterday. The officials said that instead of a single Security Council resolution to lift sanctions on Iraq, the United States would seek three or four resolutions over several months, gradually turning over parts of the economy to an Iraqi authority assembled with U.S. guidance.

Second-chance points and a guard getting a second life lifted Loyola to an 80-67 victory over host Towson in the season opener for both teams last night. Coach Jimmy Patsos cried wolf about the Tigers beating up his team inside, but Loyola had a 47-28 bulge on the boards and prospered on putbacks when its half-court game dried up. "Never in 27 years of coaching have I had a team out-rebounded by 20," Towson coach Pat Kennedy said. "When our big guys saw the size of Loyola, maybe they thought they could dominate.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Vowing to make good on one of his more dramatic campaign promises, President-elect Bill Clinton said yesterday that he intended to lift the 50-year ban on gays in the military.Mr. Clinton spoke about the controversial issue after attending a Veterans Day ceremony at the state Capitol here during which he said he was committed to keeping the United States "the strongest in the world" even as he pared down military forces.In his first major public appearance since his Election Day victory, Mr. Clinton pledged to reform the health care system for veterans, especially those who are homeless, and to retrain those who would lose jobs because of military cutbacks.

Good morning --Kyle Boller -- Did you read yesterday's report card? That should lift your GPA.

Marques Fitch scored the game-winning points for the second consecutive game, hitting a three-pointer at the buzzer last night to lift Virginia Wesleyan over host Salisbury, 69-67, at the Maggs Center. Tuesday, Fitch took the ball from end to end and made a layup with 1.9 seconds left in overtime to lift the Blue Marlins (6-0) over Christopher Newport, 72-71. Fitch finished with 15 points. Justin Rice of Salisbury (2-6) led all scorers with 20. Women Salisbury 78, St. Mary's 54: Kiera Watkins recorded game-highs with 22 points and nine rebounds for the visiting Sea Gulls (5-3, 2-0 Capital Athletic Conference)

When Jack Frost ski resort in Blakeslee, Pa., opened a slope for snow tubing last year, it was something of an experiment."We put in three chutes and bought one lift, and we really didn't have high expectations for the first year," said Melanie Murphy, general manager of Big Two Resorts -- Jack Frost and its nearby sister slope, Big Boulder. "But people just poured in. It was unbelievable. We ended up doing in the first two weeks what we had anticipated in the whole season."Jack Frost and Big Boulder are ready for this year, along with a couple of other Pennsylvania mountains that are jumping on the tubing bandwagon.