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Dr. Joshua Zimmerberg says he's careful not to publicly disclose any personal information that could be of use to identity thieves. But soon, he might not have any choice but to have his finances published on the Internet for the world to see. Zimmerberg, a researcher and manager at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, is one of 28,000 federal employees in the executive branch who come under last year's Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge...

I thought Ticketmaster was the most hated company in America, but it turns out to have had some competition for that title in recent years. It lost last year to AT&T, Bank of America, Walmart and Electronic Arts, the maker of digital games. The Consumerist, a savvy blog affiliated with Consumer Reports, conducts surveys every year and declares "The Most Hated Company in America" each spring. Ticketmaster is always in the running. The financial crisis of 2007-2008 crowded the field with Bank of America, AIG and Countrywide Financial.

A Baltimore lawmaker plans to introduce legislation that would require all Maryland hospitals to participate in an online psychiatric bed registry meant to expedite care for the mentally ill. Del. Samuel I. "Sandy" Rosenberg said the registry can help hospitals more speedily transfer mentally ill patients who arrive at emergency rooms. "I'm doing this to make better care available to people," Rosenberg said, "not to harm the hospitals. " The Baltimore Sun reported Tuesday that some hospitals have been reluctant to take part in a new registry launched by state health officials.

A 150-foot wide asteroid is expected to pass closely by Earth on Friday, and though it will be difficult to see in skies over the U.S., the fly-by will be broadcast online. Backyard astronomers on the other side of the world will be able to see the asteroid, known as 2012 DA14, as the object makes its closest pass by Earth. But by the time it comes into view over Baltimore's skies, it will have moved far enough away that it will be tougher to see. NASA explains here :  "It will brighten only to magnitude 7.5, too faint to be seen with the naked eye, but easily visible with a good set of binoculars or a small telescope.

The online grocer Relay Foods started service in the Baltimore area back in December. Starting this weekend, Relay will offer pickup service for customers who have placed orders online. Previously, the only option for Baltimore customers purchasing groceries from Relay has been home delivery. The pickup locations are Baltimore Clayworks (5707 Smith Ave. in Mount Washington) and in front of Trohv (921 W. 36th St. in Hampden ). The pickups will operate from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

A top city official said Monday that 10 of Baltimore's 83 speed cameras are now operational - a month after the entire network was shut down during a troubled transition to a new vendor. Khalil Zaied, deputy chief of operations for Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, also told City Council members during a lunch that about 15 of the city's red light cameras are now working. On Jan. 1, Baltimore's speed and red light camera system experienced a complete shutdown during what city officials called a problematic transition to a new contractor.

As much as those on the right whine and moan about the "liberal bias" of The Sun, they must be faithful readers. I notice that on most of political-oriented issues, the majority of responders to "What Maryland thinks" take a right wing position. If the voting in general elections corresponded to most of the poll results, Maryland would be a red state. Or, it could be that conservatives have nothing more important to do than take public opinion polls. Ed Johnson, Catonsville Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

Tax season officially kicks off Wednesday, later than usual because lawmakers only this month passed legislation to address expired tax cuts. The IRS needed time to update its forms and systems. Not a problem for procrastinators, but a problem for others used to the tax season starting in mid-January. "It is very painful and very inconvenient" for early filers counting on refunds to pay off holiday credit card bills or other debt, said Mark Steber, chief tax officer for Jackson Hewitt Tax Service.

Moving to expand its online sale presence, Acme Paper & Supply Co., Inc., a Savage-based distributor of packaging, office and janatorial products, has acquired ReStockIt.com, a supplier of office supplies and electronics. Financial terms were not disclosed. ReStockIt.com, based in Davie, Fla., reported revenue of $25.6 million in 2011. It has 30 full-time employees. Acme was founded in Baltimore in 1946 by the Attman family and moved to Howard County in 1979. ReStockIt.com was founded in 2004.

Baltimore County residents: Feel free to get nosy about your neighbors' property taxes. A new online database from The Baltimore Sun allows users to find the assessed value and the amount of tax paid for any Baltimore County home or commercial property . The database contains numbers from the tax year that ended June 30, 2012, and gives users multiple search options. In addition to looking up a property by address, users can search by the property owner's name, the assessed value, the tax amount or the credit amount.