New Jersey

New Jersey became the first state in decades yesterday to abolish the death penalty, giving hope to opponents of capital punishment that Maryland and other states could soon follow. But the obstacles to passing a repeal or even a moratorium in the General Assembly next month remain high. Key lawmakers concede that the legislature is as polarized over the emotionally charged issue as it was last year, when a bill seeking a repeal was defeated by one vote in a Senate committee. Still, the news of New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine's decision to sign the repeal bill yesterday and to commute the sentences of the state's eight death-row inmates led many to believe that the momentum in Maryland will be on the opponents' side.

"To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan." There has never been a more succinct statement about the obligation and privilege the nation has to care for its military veterans than that brief clause in Abraham Lincoln's second Inaugural Address. But the New Jersey legislature thinks setting aside a day on which to remember those who have bought our freedom with their blood is not as important as it used to be. New Jersey legislators have unanimously passed a measure that includes a provision to remove the state mandate to teach about Veterans Day in the public schools.

EASTERN CONFERENCE DETROIT vs. ORLANDO CLEVELAND vs. WASHINGTON TORONTO vs. NEW JERSEY MIAMI vs. CHICAGO WESTERN CONFERENCE DALLAS vs. GOLDEN STATE PHOENIX vs. L.A.LAKERS SAN ANTONIO vs. DENVER UTAH vs. HOUSTON

Baseball ASTROS -- Called up OF Hunter Pence from Triple-A Round Rock. CARDINALS -- Optioned P Randy Keisler to Triple-A Memphis. Purchased contract of P Kelvin Jimenez from Memphis. PADRES -- Activated C Josh Bard from 15-day DL. Placed IF Russell Branyan on the bereavement list. REDS -- Agreed to one-year contract extension with P Todd Coffey through 2008. Sent P Jared Burton from Triple-A Louisville to Double-A Chattanooga on rehabilitation assignment. Traded OF Chris Denorfia to Athletics for cash and two players to be named.

Though the influx into Maryland of thousands of jobs from military base realignment is still years away, the first trickle of the expected torrent has already begun. Mitre Corp., a nonprofit technology firm that operates federally funded labs, plans to open an office Monday about five miles south of Aberdeen Proving Ground. There will be just eight employees in the new Belcamp office to start, said Danny DeMarinis, director of strategic initiatives for Mitre's Army programs directorate.

The cost of the Pentagon's sweeping nationwide shake-up of military bases, including Aberdeen Proving Ground and Fort Meade, has soared nearly 50 percent overall in the past two years, while savings from consolidating defense operations might have been overestimated, says a new report to Congress. The Government Accountability Office, an investigative arm of Congress, says the Defense Department's cost estimates for its largest base shuffle ever have climbed from $21 billion to $31 billion since the plan was unveiled in 2005.

When a 300-pound black bear breaks into your mountain cabin, eats your cookies and raids your refrigerator, you have several options.You could call state wildlife authorities and ask them to please come pick up the errant bear and carry him away to the real wilderness. Or, you could demand that they blast the burglarious bruin into the next life.But increasingly, wildlife managers and police officials are trying a third option -- turning the bear's visit into such a waking nightmare that it will forever after link people with fear, not food.

A dispute between the governors of New York and New Jersey has stalled the search by two major shipping companies for a new East Coast cargo hub, and could buoy chances that the companies will move to the port of Baltimore.Maersk Inc. and Sea-Land Service Inc., two of the world's largest shipping lines, are awaiting a final proposal from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey before deciding whether to stay in Elizabeth, N.J., or build a large new marine terminal in Baltimore.But officials in the New York-New Jersey port don't have a final offer to give the companies, because the two governors can't agree on the details.

My daughter is 13 years old, and, like most girls her age, she splits her time between childhood and young womanhood.She owns enough makeup to enter a witness protection program, but she still sleeps with her stuffed animals.But several of Jessie's classmates and acquaintances are sleeping with men. Not boys. Men who are 20, 24 and 27 years old.Two of the girls have left school. One was reportedly returned to her native country by her parents, but the other has disappeared into Los Angeles with her boyfriend and with police in pursuit.

WANAQUE, N.J. - The Wanaque Reservoir looks nothing like the workhorse of northeastern New Jersey's water supply system these days. Even after a recent storm, it is only about 32 percent full, and some sections of it resemble a parched and snowy flatland, with naked rocky banks, tufts of trees atop exposed mounds, and a few ice-covered ponds.The scene, though, was not what New Jersey water officials had in mind a decade ago when they agreed to spend $200 million on a pumping system intended to spare both the reservoir and northern New Jersey severe water shortages well into the 21st century.

A week from today, New Jersey and Virginia - two nearby states that have a lot in common with Maryland, notably well-educated and racially diverse Eastern Seaboard populations with high household incomes - conduct the only two governor's races in this odd, and odd-numbered, election year. Will the results have any meaning for politics in the rest of the country? Maybe, but not likely. Despite the temptation to view these elections as bellwethers for the 2010 congressional races or even the 2012 presidential contest, they will be anything but. In 2001, only two months after the Sept.

Devils@Capitals 7 p.m. [Comcast SportsNet] Just in case you watched a little too much football this weekend, check out Alexander Ovechkin and Washington as they take on New Jersey. Here's a hint: It's hockey.

If there were ever a time that we all needed a great escape - this would be it. But, you may be thinking, this is also the time when we can least afford to get away. Spending a few days at the beach doesn't have to break the bank. Waterfront hotels, restaurants and attractions are slathering on the deals and discounts as thickly as they can, especially on the Internet. We found fun, free and nearly free activities and events at popular beach destinations along the Mid-Atlantic coastline, from North Carolina to New Jersey.

The New Jersey attorney general's office has reached a settlement with Ticketmaster over the recent sale of tickets to a Bruce Springsteen concert there, calling for major changes in how Ticketmaster does business. The settlement - announced yesterday, a day before hearings open in Washington on the proposed merger between Ticketmaster and Live Nation - requires Ticketmaster to reform several of its business practices, in particular with regard to its ticket resale operation, TicketsNow.

They are here and, in some cases, fairly easy to spot. The first of thousands of families relocating to Maryland with the nationwide military realignment known as BRAC have arrived from New Jersey. "That might be why New York Giants' flags are flying in Ravens country," said Bruce England, executive director of the Susquehanna Workforce Network, which provides employment resources and programs to businesses in Harford and Cecil counties. Fort Monmouth in New Jersey is closing and transferring many of its jobs to Aberdeen Proving Ground.

Under Armour to supply SEC tourney apparel Sports apparel company Under Armour Inc. said yesterday that it has reached an agreement to provide apparel to athletes competing in any Southeastern Conference championships, starting this year.. The NCAA allows athletes who participate in SEC championship games to receive a gift on behalf of the conference for playing in the game. Under Armour will provide the apparel that will serve as these gifts. The Baltimore company did not disclose financial details of the multiyear agreement.

1 Challenging: The ACC/Big Ten Challenge is all over your TV tonight, with doubleheaders on ESPN (7) and ESPN2 (7:30) and a game on the channel we dare not mention, ESPNU (7). 2 Same old?: The Wizards are 1-2 thus far under Ed Tapscott (left). They try to square his record tonight at New Jersey (7:30, Comcast SportsNet). 3 Same old,: Part 2: Speaking of changing coaches, the Lightning fired Barry Melrose 2 1/2 weeks ago and still sits in last place. Tampa Bay faces the Flyers (7 p.m., Versus)

Awards * DLA Piper received the Law Firm Diversity Award from the Council on Legal Education Opportunity. The firm is recognized for its excellence in diversity and dedication to building a more diverse legal profession. * Eyre Bus, Tour & Travel, headquartered in Glenelg, was named as the 2008 Operator of the Year by the International Motor Coach Group. Mergers * Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson, Baltimore-based consulting engineers has merged with Kupper Associates of New Jersey. The new firm will service markets from New Jersey to Florida and West Virginia.

A new congressional study on relocating military jobs and strategic communications and surveillance operations from Fort Monmouth, N.J., to Aberdeen Proving Ground in Harford County identifies a number of challenges the Army faces in completing the move. But the Pentagon should not be deterred. It has accomplished similarly difficult relocations in the past, and Maryland should be prepared to help bring about a smooth transition. In its report this week, the Government Accountability Office warned that the Army may not be able to fill technical and electronics jobs fast enough to meet the need and may have to hire less-experienced scientists and engineers than those now working in New Jersey.

All the trappings befitting a group poised for superstardom were in place: Big-budget industrial-looking set, check. Pyrotechnics, check. Supersoaker guns shooting yards of sudsy foam? Check. The Jonas Brothers, the latest product of Disney's almighty teen machine, packed 1st Mariner Arena last night with a calculated spectacle of a show. The music - tuneful and fizzy with overly familiar punk-lite guitar riffs and chord progressions - was nearly drowned out by the deafening screams from prepubescent girls filling the sold-out arena.