Panic

I don't know about anyone else around here, but I'm sick of the whole thing - this winter without significant snow. Bad enough the Steelers won the Super Bowl and Channel 11 had to reduce Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band to the size of a playing card so they could telecast the Maryland evening lottery numbers being drawn during the halftime show. Bad enough that we're now in the real boring part of winter - Pro Bowl, anyone? - and that the Terps aren't doing so well, and Gary Williams appears to be circling the drain, and Michael Phelps wants again to be forgiven for being young and foolish.

There are several teams that like to make big splashes at the winter meetings. The Orioles aren't one of them. Traditionally, they haven't been. And with deliberate club president Andy MacPhail leading the charge, they likely won't be again next week. And that's OK. The Orioles have more holes than Augusta National. They need at least three starting pitchers, a conservative estimate. They also have no shortstop on the 40-man roster, meaning the David Ortiz-shift could be a permanent defensive alignment at Camden Yards in 2009.

President Bush's tepid Rose Garden reassurances Friday that the government is addressing the economic crisis notwithstanding, Washington still hasn't tamed the Wall Street beast. Try as it might, the administration's combination of moves hasn't stopped the free-fall or lessened the fear gripping the nation's investors. The moves have been many, from interest rate cuts and the takeover of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to the $700 billion rescue plan and last week's decision by the Federal Reserve to loan money directly to corporations.

CHICAGO - United Airlines' stock fell more than 75 percent yesteday morning after a nearly 6-year-old Chicago Tribune news report was distributed via a market information site operated by Bloomberg L.P. The stock, which had closed Friday at $12.30 a share, hit a low of $3 a share before the confusion was cleared up. The stock closed at $10.92, down $1.38 for the day. After being alerted to the issue yesterday morning, the Chicago Tribune removed the...

This week on the What's the Deal travel blog (baltimoresun.com/travelblog), we're talking about kids flying solo. Airlines typically charge a fee to ensure these minors get where they're going. But what happens when the parent shows up at the gate but the child doesn't? Panic. That's what one Virginia family says occurred when their 10-year-old flew United Airlines from Boston to Dulles after a visit with her grandmother. Jeffrey and Judy Boyer of Reston were obviously upset at what happened to their daughter, Jenna.

The Q: Auto repair complaints were No. 2 behind landlord and property management problems on the Maryland attorney general's top five consumer complaints list last year. When your car won't start, leaks or is making funny noises, it can cause consumers to panic and forget what their rights are under Maryland law. Reader Rodney Kerr was in a miserable situation recently when he sent a frantic e-mail to us. "Hello, I'm in an auto repair shop, and I'm very, very concerned," Kerr said. "The owner started a lot of repairs on his own without any authorization at all. The vehicle is there because it wouldn't start.

The federal government's military Base Realignment and Closure and other shifts are expected to add as many as 60,000 jobs - about 20,000 of them government employees - and 28,000 households in Maryland over more than a decade: military personnel, civilian employees, contractors and supporting roles. They also will heighten demand here for everything from transportation improvements to a well-educated work force. Since 1999, Maryland's Department of Business and Economic Development has had an Office of Military and Federal Affairs.

YOU'VE HEARD about the $15 fee that American Airlines begins charging later this month for your first checked bag and you're determined to avoid paying. Instead, you'll just cram so much into your carry-on luggage that the airline will wish it never dared you to bring it on. Stop. Take deep breaths. Now let's start again. Isn't this a great opportunity to lighten your load? To travel as freely as you've always wanted? Even if American ends up doing away with the new fees because other carriers are too smart to follow their lead, this could be the moment you've been waiting for to get rid of some excess baggage.

THE Q: All this rain might be great for your garden, but it's doing a number on homes. We're talking about leaky roofs, wet basements, clogged gutters and precariously hanging tree limbs. If those troubles aren't enough to give you heartburn and anxiety, the task of finding a good plumber, roofer, or tree service could just send you over the edge. What's the best way to find a home contractor? Is word of mouth best? Is the Better Business Bureau your only shot at finding a reputable company?

WASHINGTON -- The Federal Reserve and Treasury Department orchestrated the "fire sale" price for the quick purchase of investment bank Bear Stearns, the chief executive officers of the banks involved told Congress yesterday, while disagreeing about whether such a rushed deal was necessary. During a gripping five-hour hearing before the Senate Banking Committee, the chief executive officers of Bear Stearns Cos. and JPMorgan Chase gave their versions of events that led to the government-brokered sale of the venerable bank March 16, with $29 billion in taxpayers' money at stake in the deal.