Negative

Julio Lugo said he never lost consciousness while sprawled out on the infield dirt at Angel Stadium in Sunday's first inning. He was just stunned. "It scares you when you get hit in the head," said Lugo, who was plunked behind his right ear on a pickoff throw by Los Angeles Angels starter Jered Weaver. "You've got to be careful. It just happened so fast, I didn't know what was going on. … I was stunned. " Lugo remained motionless for several moments -- with his hand draped on first base -- before sitting up. He eventually walked off on his own power and was replaced in the lineup by Jake Fox. Ty Wigginton moved to second base, and Fox played first for the rest of the game.

Former two-term Anne Arundel County Executive Janet S. Owens announced Wednesday that she will not seek a return to the office. Owens, a Democrat who served from 1998 to 2007, had been considering a challenge to County Executive John R. Leopold, a Republican who filed for re-election last week. Joanna Conti, a Democrat and business executive from Annapolis, is also running. Owens, 66, said a number of factors shaped her decision, including polls showing that her road to victory would require negative campaigning.

I must say that I agree with Rozabell Nester (Readers respond, April 30) regarding the need for a national ID. Unfortunately illegal immigration has reached a point where dealing with the problem outweighs the negative aspects of a national ID. And there are plenty of negatives regarding a national ID. We must go one step further though. We must hold employers responsible for hiring only legal residents. They must check the IDs for every person they employ, even if the person hired is mowing the lawn.

Concerning the letter opposing President Obama's health care plan ("Obamacare can be stopped in the House," Readers respond, March 18), everyone wants health care but not everyone can afford it. And if you think that you don't need health care, then you really do need health care because you need your head examined. Is this a perfect plan? Will it work? I think that there is only one way to find out. And I am so tired of all the negativity about President Obama and health care.The writer apparently can afford health care, but many others are not so lucky.

WASHINGTON - - The housing market remains a significant risk to the economy, data released Wednesday showed, as bad weather across much of the country hammered the construction industry. Along with icy storms, the real estate recovery is facing man-made head winds. The government said Wednesday that buyers will face higher fees and tougher standards for home loans backed by the Federal Housing Administration, a popular source of loans for first-time buyers. And unemployment is expected to remain high throughout the year, which is likely to drive the foreclosure rate to new records.

Christine Dolde wanted to testify against the young man who put a knife to her throat as she walked up the front steps to her Guilford home in the middle of the afternoon. The 43-year-old said she would have easily and unequivocally identified the man who attacked her, the man who took her purse containing the nearly $300 she was planning to take on a trip to celebrate her grandmother's 90th birthday. But Baltimore prosecutors told her not to bother, that her testimony and picking the suspect from a police mug shot she was shown were not enough by themselves to ensure a conviction.

PITTSBURGH -- The Ravens should have been celebrating a trip to the playoffs at Heinz Field. But like most celebrations for the Ravens on Sunday - especially the ones in the end zone - they simply weren't meant to be. Mistakes negated three touchdowns in the second half as the Ravens imploded in a 23-20 loss to the rival Pittsburgh Steelers. The Ravens (8-7), who can still clinch the playoffs by winning at Oakland in the regular-season finale, could have forgone next week's drama.

The Ravens should have been celebrating a trip to the playoffs at Heinz Field. But like most celebrations for the Ravens on Sunday - especially the ones in the end zone - they simply weren't meant to be. Mistakes negated three touchdowns in the second half as the Ravens imploded in a 23-20 loss to the rival Pittsburgh Steelers. The Ravens (8-7), who can still clinch the playoffs by winning at Oakland in the regular-season finale, could have forgone next week's drama. With the Jacksonville Jaguars and Denver Broncos losing, the Ravens would have secured a postseason berth with a win. But they couldn't hold up their end of the bargain in one of the most exasperating halves of their season.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- The prognosis appears promising for Jared Gaither. The starting left offensive tackle returned to Baltimore with his Ravens teammates after suffering what appeared to be a head or neck injury in the second quarter of the team's 27-21 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday. X-rays at Massachusetts General Hospital on Gaither's neck and shoulder were negative. He collided headfirst with quarterback Joe Flacco's back while trying to block on a passing attempt. A magnetic resonance imagining is expected today on the 6-foot-9, 340-pound Gaither, who was too big to fit into the MRI machine at the Boston hospital.