Mailbag

Traditionally, spring is the time to clean up your act. I began by delving through a stack of unanswered mail. I won't say I have been negligent in keeping up with my correspondence. I'll just say to all those December and January letter writers: Your moving testimonials on the joy of fruitcake made me weep. But, please, no more recipes.Now on to more seasonal topics, such as Baltimore's taste or lack of it for Tex-Mex food, puffy pancakes, and the quest for separate checks at restaurants:JJTC Tough talk from TexasFrom: Trish Campion, La Marque, TexasRe: Baltimore's below-average consumption of Tex-Mex foodsDear Happy Eater: As a native of Charm City, I moved to Texas in 1978 and was not thrilled about Mexican food.

A slate of challengers won the majority of offices in Baltimore's largest labor union yesterday, but failed to capture the presidency in balloting that was complicated by belated discovery of a missing mailbag of ballots.The challengers won 11 of 20 races for executive officers and board members after 677 wayward ballots were counted yesterday and official results announced for Local 27, United Food and Commercial Workers union.Thomas Russow, a former vice president of the international union who has headed the local since 1984, was re-elected to a three-year term as president over Garland Humphries Jr., a longtime Giant Food store employee who headed the opposition slate.