Occupants

OVERDOSE IS the heroin addict's occupational hazard. Last year, 324 died in Baltimore after excessive heroin use so numbed their central nervous systems they couldn't breathe. Many of these addicts might have been saved if they had received a timely antidote and resuscitation. That's why Baltimore's health department has embarked on a radical experiment: training 50 addicts to inject naloxone, an opiate blocker. As of May, if those so trained find fellow addicts overdosing, they are directed to intervene and attempt resuscitation.

Larry T. Hughes has set national records for physically disabled track and field athletes, directs his own community service agency and is viewed as a hero by elementary school children who seek his autograph after wheelchair basketball demonstrations.But it took many years for the 47-year-old Columbia resident and likely Olympian to repair his life after Vietnam War injuries plunged him into a haze of drugs and alcohol, and feelings of isolation and self-pity. To escape his frustrations, Mr. Hughes made a seven-year sojourn in South America.

Not all occupation licensing laws on the books in Annapolis actually protect Maryland consumers from harm. It's pretty clear that many of these laws misuse state sanctions to protect existing businesses from unwanted competition. Now a new study by the Washington-based Institute for Justice can help Maryland lawmakers decide which of these laws serve the public and should stay - and which should go. The report, "License to Work: A National Study of Burdens from Occupational Licensing," examines licensing practices for 102 lower-wage occupations in all 50 states.

One man is dead and a volunteer firefighter was in critical condition after a three-alarm fire tore through a home in Reisterstown early Wednesday morning, according to the Baltimore County Fire Department. Steven Starr, 58, of the first block of Hanover Road, was found in an upstairs hallway of the home, which has multiple apartments, during an intense search-and-rescue effort, said Capt. Rich Schenning, a department spokesman. Starr, whose son described him as a big Baltimore sports fan who could often be found on the home's porch with a cup of coffee, was found in cardiac arrest and transported to Northwest Hospital Center, where he was pronounced dead, Schenning said.

I am an occupational therapy student at Towson University, and I wanted to express my opinion concerning Kevin Rector's article, "Hospitals join to find beds for mental patients" (Feb. 19). Throughout the article, I saw reference to health professionals including nurses, social workers, and psychiatrists. However, I didn't see mention of occupational therapists. I don't know if you are aware that occupational therapists play a significant role in the treatment of patients admitted to psychiatric facilities.

We reached out and touched Thomas Jefferson ... at least my wife and I felt we did when we entered his world on a recent driving tour of Virginia's Jefferson country. We discovered that the state where this extraordinary American was born, raised and passed his last years is so rich in structures and landscapes associated with him that he is a presence here still. Seeing his world in three dimensions made him seem even more real to us than did the commendable Ken Burns' television treatment of his life.

Baltimore CitySHOOTINGS: Southern District -- A gunman shot two men in the 1300 block of Carroll St. early Wednesday after fruitlessly searching them for drugs and cash. A resident of the 1400 block of Ward St. was shot in the right foot and was being held for observation at the University of Maryland Medical Center. The other man, a resident of the 1300 block of Carroll St., was treated for a graze-wound to the right side and released.ROBBERY: Central District -- A couple was robbed Monday evening in the 100 block of E. Baltimore St. by two men, one with a 9mm gun. From the man, the robbers took jewelry and clothing, all valued at $720.

An unidentified person was burned in an apartment kitchen fire in Edgewood Tuesday afternoon, according to a spokesperson for the Harford County's Volunteer Fire and Ambulance Association. At approximately 4 p.m., Harford County 911 call takers received a report of an apartment fire in the 1000 block of Magnolia Woods Lane in Edgewood, fire and ambulance association spokesperson Dave Williams said. As units from the Joppa-Magnolia, Abingdon, Bel Air Volunteer Fire companies and the Aberdeen Proving Ground (Edgewood Area)

I am writing in response to your article "Too many occupational licenses?" (Commentary, May 31). Specifically, I am writing about the licensing of tree experts. The work of a tree expert is very dangerous; rates of fatality and injury are among the highest for any profession. It is dangerous work. When someone has to remove a defective tree with a crane without destroying surrounding homes or killing pedestrians or motorists, it takes some knowledge and skill; it should also require a significant amount of insurance.

Emily Green received a fitting welcome to the new Annapolis City Hall annex on West Street, a brick surplus federal building on the edge of a Civil War graveyard.Green, the city's civic and neighborhood projects coordinator, called a cab one night after a meeting in the building. The dispatcher asked her where to send the cab."The national cemetery," she told him. He chuckled.While waiting alone in the building, she heard creaks and noises, so she decided to wait outside. Once outside, a bat swooped down from the building at her. That did it. She walked through the cemetery gates and waited by the street.