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There had to be some drama at the end. The 2013 General Assembly session, in a marked contrast to the train wreck that was the 2012 edition, moved toward its conclusion Monday as a model of efficiency and cooperation. For once, the kids weren't waiting until the night before to do their homework, having wrapped up virtually all of the major issues by Friday. And then came the speed camera bill. After a series of reports in The Sun about erroneous tickets given to motorists in Baltimore City (including one case of a car ticketed for speeding while stopped at a red light)

The following is the text of a letter to parents, dated Friday, April 5, that was sent home with students attending 14 Harford County public schools where a recalled food product, Pepperoni Pizzatas by Rich Products Corp., was served to students earlier in the week: Dear Parent(s)/Guardian(s): As a follow-up to the call that was made yesterday evening regarding the food product recall, we wanted to be sure you were aware of the recall details, possible symptoms associated with consumption of contaminated food products and contact information for school system departments that can assist with questions and concerns.

Municipal Employees Credit Union of Baltimore Inc. announced Thursday that it had agreed to acquire Advance Bank, another Baltimore-based institution. A sale price hasn't been determined and will be based on which Advance assets regulators say MECU can acquire, said Dorothea Stierhoff, senior public relations manager with MECU. MECU, a state-chartered credit union, and Advance Bank, a mutual savings bank, are each owned by their depositors. MECU has about $1.2 billion in assets and nine locations.

The fact that the starting attack leads No. 12 Johns Hopkins in scoring this season is not particularly shocking. What is surprising is that members of the first midfield are not immediately next on that list. Freshman Ryan Brown, who runs on the second line, is tied with senior John Ranagan for fourth in points with 17. Senior Lee Coppersmith, Brown's linemate, ranks sixth with 14 points, and senior John Greeley, who has been a starter since his freshman campaign, is seventh with 13. “Would we like to be more productive from the midfield?

Congress' inability to agree on matters of import isn't exactly a new phenomenon, but the Colonial Players' current production of the musical "1776" reminds us that fiery debate has been a part of our nation from the outset. Sherman Edwards' 1969 Tony Award winner for best musical, with book by Peter Stone, chronicles the vote for independence by the Continental Congress in the summer of 1776. Director Beth Terranova says the musical reveals "the enormity of the task our founding fathers set out for themselves.

When senior midfielder Ryan Clarke was lost for the remainder of the season because of a ruptured spleen during a 7-5 win against Widener on Feb. 23, the thought was that Salisbury's already-beleaguered offense was in more trouble. But the absence of Clarke - who was on the Tewaaraton Award watch list last month - has spurred the development of his teammates and spread the wealth around the Sea Gulls (9-2), who have moved up to No. 7 in the latest United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association poll.

Baltimore's oldest cab company and the Maryland Transit Administration are updating their fleets for wheelchair-using customers, replacing small buses and minivans with an SUV-like vehicle that provides a smoother, more civilized ride. The MV-1 is designed specifically to transport disabled passengers and already is in use in cities such as Pittsburgh, Chicago and Dallas. Built in Indiana, it is the only production vehicle that meets Americans with Disabilities Act guidelines. Yellow Cab and sister company 1010 Sedan purchased 10 MV-1s and began using them this week.

It was almost a year ago - 363 days, to be exact - but it seems like eons now. John Ranagan fired home a low, bouncing shot with 5.6 seconds left in overtime to give Johns Hopkins an exhilarating 11-10 win over then-No. 1 Virginia, extend the Blue Jays' start to 8-0 and vault them to the top of The Baltimore Sun poll. Since then, however, the goals and late-game heroics have not been as frequent for Ranagan. As the midfielder embarks on the second half of his senior year with the Blue Jays, Ranagan is acutely aware of the expectations that have dogged him since he was named a first-team All-American in 2011.

For the first time in history, the Roman Catholic Church has a pope from the New World, but liberal American Catholics should not expect Pope Francis to stray far from the old theology. Some things are excitingly different about this new pontiff. On matters of birth control, abortion, homosexuality, celibate priests and the role of women in the church, however, he is no revolutionary. When Argentina's Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio stepped out on the Vatican balcony as the new pope on Wednesday evening, all he was required to do was wave and give a blessing.

Welcome to a spring training version of Connolly's Bar We're in Florida, so we'll put some boat drinks on special. I'm afraid to light the Tiki torch, though. I don't want to burn the whole place down. So we'll just concentrate on baseball instead. Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts held court Monday in Sarasota. He's 8-for-20 in seven Grapefruit League games so far. He has not played on the road yet. He has not dived headfirst into the bag on a steal attempt (though he did do it at first base on a pickoff attempt with no problems)