Push

Brendon Ayanbadejo doesn't need Super Bowl XLVII to assist the cause for gay rights and gay marriage. But the Ravens inside linebacker won't turn down the opportunity during the week in New Orleans to champion the push for equality. Ayanbadejo, who contributed to Maryland passing an initiative to legalize gay marriage in November, was peppered about using the lead up to the Super Bowl as a platform, but he pointed out that he doesn't really need to seek the cameras or recorders. “Organically, it was going to happen anyway,” he said after Friday's practice.

Attempting to break a years-long stalemate over transportation revenue, Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller intends to introduce legislation that would allow local governments and regional authorities to raise money for roads and mass transit. Members of Miller's staff said the bill, which is still being drafted, is likely to include some familiar forms of transportation revenue, including a gas tax increase. But it also would include creation of new regional authorities to carry out transit projects and permission for local jurisdictions to impose their own taxes for local road projects.

In response to the Sandy Hook shootings and the resulting uproar on weapons control, Gov. Martin O'Malley finally proposes legislation limiting the availability of guns purchased by the public and promises to allocate funds for increased safety in schools ("O'Malley to push stricter gun limits," Jan. 15). "Finally"? Yes finally, because the issue of guns and homicide remains far from a novel issue for citizens in Maryland, especially for those citizens of Baltimore City. The FBI's Uniform Crime Report showed 27,808 violent crimes reported in Maryland's metropolitan statistical areas in 2011, with 391 of these crimes labeled murder or non-negligent manslaughter.

UPDATE (Jan. 22): On Monday, co-owner Shanna Cooper stated in an email that Moonshine Tavern's grand opening is now Saturday, Feb. 9, instead of this Saturday. She did not give a reason for the postponement. --------------- Posted Jan. 10: Last Sunday, the Gin Mill on Boston Street closed after nearly 16 years of service. The Canton building won't be closed for long, though, as Moonshine Tavern is set to open on Jan. 26, according to co-owner Shanna Cooper.

- Four years after he rode into the White House on a message of change, President Barack Obama is set to begin his second term Monday amid lowered expectations and a sense that his re-election has done little to alter the nation's fractured political landscape. Despite talk about a major overhaul of immigration policy and a comprehensive plan to deal with gun violence, the Obama administration will immediately shift from the celebratory mood of the inaugural to another bitter, pressing fight with congressional Republicans over spending, taxes and budget deficits.

From Liz Atwood: When kids start middle school, they notice one thing right away: There is no recess. They have gym class, but unstructured playtime is left behind in elementary school. But a new statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics urges parents and teachers to recognize the importance of recess for children and adolescents. The doctors say kids need a break from the academics and physical education classes cannot compensate for the freedom of recess. They go on to say that recess should never be taken away as punishment.

Gov. Martin O'Malley announced Monday broad details of a plan that would give Maryland among the nation's strictest gun laws. No one could buy a handgun without first passing a training course and providing fingerprints to a police database. That licensing provision, expected to be controversial in Annapolis, is the most sweeping change in a proposal that also includes a ban on the sale of assault rifles and high-capacity magazines, which were used in the Newtown, Conn., school shooting that has sparked a national debate on gun control.

After pushing a female companion out of harm's way, a 19-year-old Essex man was hit by a truck Friday night and hospitalized for his injuries, Baltimore County police said. Kwante Betters and Lauren Bielanski, both 19, were trying to find jumper cables after their van stalled on Southeast Boulevard near Turkey Point Road in Essex about 10 p.m. Friday, according to police. Betters saw a red Ford F-150 pickup truck approaching and pushed Bielanski out of its path. The truck struck the disabled van and Betters, throwing him into the road.

Aside from the business suit he was wearing, which he joked was rented for the occasion, Sam Zell was never more himself than when he appeared at a New York lender conference in April 2007 to hawk his $8.2 billion buyout of Tribune Co. Slinging one-liners and a couple of his trademark expletives, the self-assured billionaire held a crowd of potential backers in thrall as he explained why he was willing to bet his reputation on a transaction that...

Change has swept through the University of Baltimore — and the surrounding neighborhood — over the past decade. Striking new academic buildings, an apartment building and the university's first dormitory have appeared among the brownstones of the Midtown neighborhood. New shops and restaurants brighten once-dingy blocks. Streets that were deserted after dark now buzz with students. "It seems more like a university environment now," said Earl Spain, 59, who completed his bachelor's degree at UB in 2002 and is working on a master's in criminal justice.