Package

Unlike most other states, Maryland shoppers have to make one extra stop for a cabernet to go with that steak they bought on sale at the supermarket —grocery stores in the state generally are banned from selling alcohol. Increasingly, though, grocery chains like Wegmans and Harris Teeter are trying to find ways around the prohibition, drawing pushback from Maryland's powerful liquor lobby and package goods stores but support from consumers hoping for easier food-and-wine pairings.

Gilman first baseman Ryan Ripken, tall and lanky, pounds his fist in his glove as he watches his pitcher Matt Collins get in position for his next throw. "We're all going off movement and putting pressure on the batter," said Ripken, a senior who will be attending South Carolina in the fall. As the pitcher pulls his arm back, Ripken rushes toward home plate. It's a move other teams make. Gilman coach Larry Sheets calls it "typical bunt defense". But seldom do you see a first basemen get as close to the batter as Ripken did Monday.

An backpack left at a bus stop near an M&T Bank branch in Roland Park shut down streets, shops and a school Friday afternoon. The backpack, left in 700 block of Deepdene Road, was X-rayed and found to contain books, according to Sgt. Anthony Smith, a spokesman for police. Police blocked off several streets in the area during the evening rush hour and buses were re-routed. Roland Park Elementary/Middle School was put on lockdown. Businesses along Roland Avenue were evacuated.

Maryland's Senate took a philosophical turn to the left Wednesday night and approved a new "millionaire's tax" for anyone earning over $500,000 as they gave their initial nod to the state spending plan. The Senate is set to come back for final approval Thursday, as key House committees finalize their version of the budget. The two chambers will have agree on a spending plan. The last minute change to the Senate plan adds $30 million in new revenue to the state coffers. The funds are divvied for aging schools and municipalities.

If you have a package good store near the county line, Baltimore MayorStephanie Rawlings-Blake's proposed 5-cent bottle tax is not a nickel ("Mayor pushes school repairs," Feb. 14). Applying the tax to a 30-pack of beer would cost the city consumer $1.50 more plus a  15-cent sales tax on a tax. The nickel is now $1.65 more than the county! I agree that nickel is no big deal on a single item, but when you buy a bulk package, which is how beverages are sold in a package store, that nickel is devastating and prevents us from being competitive.

There's a lot you can do on Valentine's Day. There's the classic romantic dinner, the chocolate candy, the flowers. There's crying as you watch "Love Actually" home alone (we've just heard about this one). How about a live serenade? The Valentonez are here to help, in their words, "butter up your special lover friend or cheer up a lonely heart. " Peabody Conservatory -trained singers Melissa Wimbish, 28, and Britt Olsen-Ecker, 24, came up with the idea and enlisted their guitarist friends Paul Diem, 32, and Aldo Pantoja, 28, to form a singing group offering singing valentines from Saturday through Tuesday (packages start at $40; go to valentonez.com for details.)

Want to escape with your sweetie for Valentine's Day? Packages abound, both near and far, for married soul mates or those who are single and want to mingle. (Taxes and gratuities are not included unless noted.) Here are just a few. Romantic inns Glen Cove Mansion, Long Island, N.Y. The 55-acre estate, the setting for the Audrey Hepburn romantic comedy "Sabrina," offers the "Love is in the Air" package, including accommodations, chocolate-covered strawberries, champagne, $50 gift hotel dining certificate and breakfast.

A bipartisan group of senators put aside the battling that often prevails in Annapolis to announce Thursday a common agenda of bills that Democrats and Republicans can rally around. The bills would preserve scholarships for veterans, protect children from identity theft, promote social studies in public schools, help high-tech workers with the cost of security clearances and shield family farms from estate taxes. Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller started the news conference in the Senate's lounge with an endorsement of the idea of bringing together lawmakers of both parties on issues that do not excite partisan passions.

Employees from the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center (ECBC) recently afforded 24 high school students in Joppatowne High School's pre-engineering program the opportunity to experience real-world research and development processes conducted at ECBC. The group of juniors and seniors traversed a wide range of engineering career fields, and they were able to interact with subject matter experts that specialize in areas such as rapid prototyping, 3D laser scanning, and robotics detection.