Meter

There needs to be an option for us to say "No" to BGE. There is absolutely no sense to the notion that a person would sit around watching their electric meter tick off its use. We have solar heat, solar hot water; our electric usage -- in units of kilowatt hours -- has been pretty much the same for 30 years. We turn on the AC once a year for about 3 hours, because we were advised to do that to make sure the system was working. It is. Otherwise, if it gets hot we run a fan or two. The heat pump system serves as backup heat in the winter, and that usage has also been stable over 30 years.

Jibri Victorian fields a lot of questions about his school. “Where is Coppin State?” is one. “Is Coppin State even a D-I school?” is another. But more recently, there has been this: “How can I get involved in Coppin State's track program?” It's a welcome change in tone. A Laurel native, Victorian has become the poster child of the Eagles' track and field program. He will run in his third straight NCAA Division I outdoor track and field championships tonight in the semifinals of the 400-meter hurdles.

The Sun's June 22 editorial on the Public Service Commission's denial of BGE's smart meter application simply repeats BGE's own assertions regarding its proposal as a business venture and fails to acknowledge the important ratepayer concerns at issue in this case. The long-term vision of a "smart" grid for the country is not at issue here. What is at issue is BGE's specific smart meter proposal to spend almost $1 billion, paid by BGE's customers, risk-free and at a profit to the company, to replace all existing electric and gas meters.

In the off-season, Ocean City often adds some new feature for tourists: a miniature golf course perhaps, a seafood restaurant or maybe a bar that caters to the beachgoing crowd. But here's a possible addition that might not be so welcome - parking meters north of 10 t h Street. On Friday, the Ocean City Council is expected to be briefed on a proposal to create a whopping 4,800 paid parking spaces. The most ambitious version of the plan would require visitors to pay for parking at any space along the streets on the Atlantic Ocean side of Coastal Highway from 10 t h Street to the Delaware line.

The Ravens Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers was the highest rated telecast in Nielsen meter history, according to preliminary ratings from CBS. With almost one out of every two TV homes in the nation tuned to the game, it topped the Green Bay vs. Pittsburgh Super Bowl 2011 game.  The rating excludes the period from 8:45 to 9:15 p.m. when play was stopped because of a blackout in stadium lights. Here's the release from CBS: CBS Sports' coverage of Super Bowl XLVII featuring the BALTIMORE RAVENS, 34-31 win over the SAN FRANCISCO 49ers on Sunday, Feb. 3  (6:30-8:45 PM and 9:15-10:45 PM, ET)

Former 400-meter world champion Antonio Pettigrew was found dead Tuesday, the university where he worked as a coach said. Pettigrew, who is survived by his wife and son, had been an assistant track coach at North Carolina for the past four seasons. The 42-year-old Pettigrew, who was stripped of an Olympic gold medal in 2000 after admitting to doping, was found unresponsive by friends in the back seat of his vehicle in Chatham County in central North Carolina early Tuesday.

Jason Lezak , the anchor of the thrilling 400-freestyle relay in Beijing, claimed a spot on the Olympic men's 100-meter freestyle team after a top-six finish in the event Friday. The 36-year-old Lezak will be joined on the team by Nathan Adrian , Cullen Jones , Matt Grevers , Ricky Berens and Jimmy Feigen . "I was nervous. It's a big race for me. I trained four years for this. It's been real hard," Lezak said. "This 36-year-old body was run down.

LONDON - Michael Phelps, after just becoming the most decorated Olympian of all time, will anchor the U.S. men's 800-meter freestyle relay tonight. The surprise decision - Phelps tends to lead off - was announced just before the start of the 200-meter butterfly, in which he won silver. The U.S. relay team will be led off by Ryan Lochte, who on Sunday anchored the 400 frees relay and gave up the race-long lead to French swimmer Yannick Agnel, in a reverse of what happened so dramatically in the Beijing Games.

Michael Phelps will not chase eight gold medals at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. His coach Bob Bowman tweeted late Monday morning that the Olympian will not race in the 200-meter freestyle , giving him a slate of seven events in London. "I think it's just smarter," Phelps said Monday. "Sort of thinking of everything and thinking how things went here, I think it's just a better option for me to be able to swim as best I can. And it's going to give me the best opportunity to swim well.

Another day, another shot at a bit of redemption. But this time it may be for Tyler Clary, the swimmer whose public dissing of teammate Michael Phelpscaused a verbal firestorm as the two headed to the Games. Clary was widely viewed as the bad guy after telling his hometown newspaper three weeks ago that Phelps, poised to become perhaps the most decorated Olympian of all time, didn't work hard and was asking to get beaten. And Clary, little-known and headed to his first Olympics compared to Phelps' fourth, said "it would be complete satisfaction" when he did the beating.

Several articles about utility smart meters, most recently the profile of a retired EPA attorney who has concerns about them ("At the center of smart-meter fight," March 24), indicate that those opposed to the devices are mostly concerned about possible health risks of non-ionizing wireless radiation as smart meters send readings over the cell phone networks. If there is something to worry about with wireless radiation, look to your cell phone. It is used much closer to your body than a smart meter is going to be. In addition, the smart meter is outside your house, adding a further level of attenuation.

Concerns about utility smart meters are frequently dismissed as tinfoil-hat paranoia. But it's not so easy to dismiss Jonathan Libber. The Baltimore man delivers his arguments against the wireless devices in the calm manner of an attorney. He is, in fact, an attorney - retired from the Environmental Protection Agency, a point he notes when he reminds people of the country's spotty record of figuring out environmental hazards before they're widespread. As the force behind Maryland's smart-meter opposition, Libber is spending the early part of retirement in a way he'd never envisioned.

Legislators heard an outpouring of complaints Thursday about smart meters from Maryland utility customers who want to be allowed to opt out without charge. Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. and other Maryland utilities are installing the meters — which send wireless data about energy use and allow the companies to pinpoint outages — as part of a nationwide push to jettison analog meters that require in-person reading. Utilities say the new technology will reduce costs and enable customers to better manage their energy use. But here and elsewhere, the shift has kicked off a countermovement of smart-meter foes with concerns about health effects, privacy, the cost of installation and other issues.

Sunday's Super Bowl telecast drew a record audience of 1.5 million viewers at its peak in the Baltimore market, according to preliminary Nielsen figures provided by WJZ-TV. The audience is believed to be the largest for any show on Baltimore TV since the introduction of household meters in Baltimore in 1992. The telecast earned a rating of 59.6, which means three out of every five TV homes in the area was tuned to the game. "We were excited to share the Ravens Superbowl victory with viewers throughout the region," Jay Newman, general manager of Baltimore's CBS-owned station said Monday.

The Ravens Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers was the highest rated telecast in Nielsen meter history, according to preliminary ratings from CBS. With almost one out of every two TV homes in the nation tuned to the game, it topped the Green Bay vs. Pittsburgh Super Bowl 2011 game.  The rating excludes the period from 8:45 to 9:15 p.m. when play was stopped because of a blackout in stadium lights. Here's the release from CBS: CBS Sports' coverage of Super Bowl XLVII featuring the BALTIMORE RAVENS, 34-31 win over the SAN FRANCISCO 49ers on Sunday, Feb. 3  (6:30-8:45 PM and 9:15-10:45 PM, ET)

College basketball Terps ' Hawkins, Thomas make Wooden Top 20 list Senior Tianna Hawkins and junior Alyssa Thomas of the 10th-ranked Maryland women's basketball team were named to the John R.Wooden Midseason Top 20 list, released Tuesday. The forward duo leads the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring and in rebounding. Hawkins is averaging 18.9 points and 10.4 rebounds, while Thomas, the reigning ACC Player of the Year, has scored in double figures in 15 of 18 games this year and has 10 double doubles, including one triple double.

If the Algerian runner had stayed disqualified. If a fellow American hadn't surged past him near the finish line. If he had run .05 of a second faster. Matthew Centrowitz almost medaled in the 1,500-meter race here Tuesday night, but for several might-have-beens. But the 22-year-old graduate of Broadneck High School in Annapolis doesn't play that game, and is accepting the heartbreaker of a finish in his first Olympic Games. "What I'm trying to swallow now is not a good feeling," the dejected Centrowitz said.

Consumer and senior advocates oppose Baltimore Gas and Electric Co.'s request for an expedited review by state regulators of the company's smart grid proposal, rather than a full hearing. If the plan were approved, all BGE customers would get "smart meters" that create a two-way communication network that gives users hour-by-hour data about their energy use. The utility would pay rebates to those who conserve when energy demand is highest. It would also save millions by automating meter readings as well as service disconnection and reconnection.

Some Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. customers — Del. Glen Glass of Harford County included — are convinced that they don't want a smart meter wirelessly sending data about their energy usage day in and out. Some, like Eric Rockel of Lutherville, are withholding judgment while they do more research. Maryland utility regulators firmly support the new meters, but even they have decided to do more research. They want to know the cost of customers opting out and keeping one of the old analog meters before ruling on whether to allow it. The Maryland Public Service Commission said this week that it would impose an "appropriate" charge on anyone opting out, if it does go that direction.

The Maryland Public Service Commission said Monday that it will give energy customers a choice on smart meters, but it hasn't decided yet whether to allow a total opt-out or to make the alternative a smart meter installed in a way to limit radio-frequency emissions. "Although we have not found convincing evidence that smart meters pose any health risks to the public at large, we acknowledge a good-faith belief on the part of some ratepayers to the contrary," the commission said in its order.