Muhammad

More than 280 college presidents - including the head of Maryland's flagship public university - pledged yesterday to fight global warming by making their campuses "climate neutral." Signers of the American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment, which was inspired by similar collective efforts among cities and businesses, are pledging to work toward neutralizing greenhouse gas emissions on campus and to increase global warming research and education efforts. Among Maryland college presidents who have signed the pledge are C.D. "Dan" Mote Jr. of the University of Maryland, College Park; Jonathan C. Gibralter of Frostburg University; Joan Develin Coley of McDaniel College; and Baird Tipson of Washington College.

Where was one of the first mosques in the United States located? You might think somewhere in Michigan, with its large Arab-American population. Or maybe cosmopolitan places like New York City or Chicago. You'd be wrong in all three cases. But in searching for the answer, you'd get steaming hot, if you thought of a place that gets very cold. Some sources say the answer is the town of Ross, in the unlikely state of North Dakota. The mosque there opened in 1929. But others say two mosques opened in Maine and Connecticut as early as 1915.

WASHINGTON -- With an unintentional irony that might even tickle the Prophet Muhammad himself, a new book called Killed Cartoons killed a cartoon. Not because it was bad, but because it was just too good. The book, edited by David Wallis and published by Norton, features political cartoons that other publications considered too hot to handle. Except for one - a drawing familiar to cartoon watchers, the omission of which merely reiterates the premise that made the book necessary. Glaringly missing in a history of killed cartoons is one by Doug Marlette that sparked Muslim outrage a few years ago. The cartoon depicted a jihadi driving a Ryder truck with a nuclear bomb in back, with the caption: "What would Muhammad drive?"

The clock in the WOLB studio showed the time was pushing 2-ish. It was time for the weekly State of the City show -- broadcast every Friday from noon to 2 p.m. -- to wind down. Time enough to take only a few more callers. "Brother Daren," one of the callers said, "they say you were too hard on them people the other night. But how are you going to make them accountable, if you aren't hard on them?" The "brother Daren" the caller was talking to was Daren Muhammad, the host of State of the City who's also part of a group called the Community Forum Think Tank.

WRESTLER OF THE YEAR Zach Brown Wilde Lake The senior used his cat-like balance, reflexes, "strength and technique to clearly separate himself" as Maryland's elite upperweight, said River Hill coach Brandon Lauer, a former NCAA All-American and three-time state champion. "Zach has his own technique and style. It's scary how good he could be as a Division I wrestler." Only the second Wilde Lake wrestler to end a season unbeaten, Brown was 29-0 with 17 pins and five technical falls at 215 pounds.

As part of their bullpen overhaul, the Orioles signed Danys Baez, a 29-year-old right-handed setup man, to a three-year deal worth $19 million. The Orioles' ninth Cuban-born player, Baez has a career mark of 31-37 with a 3.79 ERA and 111 saves. Baez pitched for the gold-medal-winning Cuban national team in the 1999 Pan American Games. A lot was made of how much the Orioles spent on the bullpen during the offseason. How good do you think the unit can be? -- Well, we definitely have a lot of good pitchers in there.

Among the dozen or so signs protesters hoisted above their heads yesterday, one stood out. "This attack on WEAA Radio (Dr. Powers Show) is a preemptive strike!!! Does O'Malley have an administration or a Regime!!!" The O'Malley in question is Maryland's most famous one, newly inaugurated Gov. Martin O'Malley. "Dr. Powers" would be one Tyrone Powers, host of the former weekly radio show The Powers Report on WEAA, Morgan State University's radio station. The Powers Report used to air every Tuesday from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. But on Jan. 23, WEAA managers yanked Powers' show -- Powers calls it "the people's show" -- from the air. Powers, a Ph.D.

ROCKVILLE -- A tearful Lee Boyd Malvo told a Montgomery County courtroom yesterday that he was ashamed of his role in the sniper rampage that terrorized the Washington area in 2002 and claimed six lives in the suburban county, and that he'll never be able to forgive himself. "I am truly sorry, grieved and ashamed of what I have done to the families and friends" of the six victims, said Malvo, sniffling as he read the names. Circuit Judge James L. Ryan then sentenced Malvo, now 21, to six consecutive life terms in prison, one for each person that he and John Allen Muhammad were convicted of killing in Montgomery County.

Berlin company to run opera despite controversial imagery BERLIN -- After facing weeks of criticism for bowing to radical Islam, the German Opera company in Berlin announced yesterday that it would stage a Mozart production that includes a scene showing the severed head of the prophet Muhammad. The opera company, which pulled Idomeneo from its schedule in September for fear of inciting Islamists, said the show was revived after a security assessment found "dangerous incidents unlikely."

Linda Muhammad said she knows what should have happened after that .22-caliber handgun went off at Grove Park Elementary School this week. "That should have been a soft lockdown, according to the conference," Muhammad said from her Northeast Baltimore home yesterday morning. The conference she referred to is the one that was held Tuesday in Chevy Chase. The one that President Bush - you might remember him as the guy every Democratic candidate in Maryland ran against in the primary - set up to discuss school safety.