Queen Anne

Those who want to restrict political freedom are at it again. The current campaign financing system has nothing to do with the charges brought against former state Sen. Thomas L. Bromwell ("Fall of a man of `immense talents,'" July 24). But so-called reformers are using Mr. Bromwell's corrupt behavior to trick citizens into accepting government-financed elections. The truth is that government-subsidized campaigns have been shown to decrease confidence in state government. Political scientists Jeffrey Milyo and David Primo found that taxpayer financing has "a statistically negative effect on public views about whether `people have a say' in their government or whether `officials care.

Girl, 5, fatally injured in head-on collision A Washington man driving without a license crashed head-on into another car, killing his 5-year-old granddaughter and injuring four people, including himself, state police said yesterday. Police said they found alcohol and drug paraphernalia in the Ford Taurus driven Tuesday afternoon by Larry Freeman, 50. He was supposed to be taking two grandchildren home to Temple Hills from summer camp but was headed in the wrong direction and was at least 10 miles off course, said Trooper K.T. Ringgold.

STEVENSVILLE -- It begins in the still-dark hours of the morning as a ribbon of headlights flashing across the graceful steel and concrete curve of the westbound Bay Bridge.The workaday trek to Annapolis, Baltimore or Washington is documented by 12,000 commuter tickets collected at tollbooths from motorists who have discovered they can have it both ways -- working in higher-paying jobs in or near the cities while enjoying the peace of an Eastern Shore lifestyle.While all five counties of the Upper Shore report increasing numbers of residents willing to drive from Easton, Denton or Chestertown to work "across the bay," it is Queen Anne's County -- especially Kent Island and other close-in communities along U.S. 50 and 301 -- that continues to lure new residents.

CENTREVILLE -- The next time Queen Anne's and Kent County's high schools meet on a basketball court, the only sounds will be the squeak of shoes on the hardwood floor and referees' whistles.No cheerleaders, no classmates, no spectators. Just two varsity boys' teams in an otherwise empty gym.At the two rural schools, where pickup trucks line student parking lots and Future Farmers of America chapters are among the most popular clubs, a longtime basketball rivalry has been marred by gunfire twice in the past year.

NOTEworthy Day:Some pro football scouts, at this preliminary stage, say quarterback prospects Chris Redman of Louisville and Chad Pennington of Marshall are difficult to separate in talent evaluations, but that song has been heard before, such as with Ryan Leaf and Peyton Manning, Rick Mirer and Drew Bledsoe.Queen Anne's and Perry Hall high schools shared the athletic and academic talents of Kristine Jost, who set distance-running records at Villanova University, graduating with an imposing, 3.52 grade-point average, and is now pursuing another degree, this in sports journalism, at the University of Florida.

Sabrina Ryals' one-out single in the bottom of eighth scored Becky Mooty with the game-winning run as Archbishop Spalding defeated Pallotti, 3-2, in the championship game of the Maryland Independent Schools tournament yesterday.The Cavaliers (25-8) have claimed the championship in each of the tournament's first two years. Spalding also beat Pallotti in last season's title game, 8-0.Ryals, who had two hits, was voted the tournament's Most Valuable Player, batting .700 (7-for-10), with two doubles and three RBIs.

REVITALIZATION efforts along Baltimore's North Charles Street corridor received a boost this month when new owners began a $6.5 million renovation of the Queen Anne Belvedere apartments near the University of Baltimore's midtown campus.Stanley Keyser of Keyser Development Corp. leads a local group that has acquired 16 properties in and around the 1200 block of N. Charles St. -- one of the few intact rows of Queen Anne-style buildings in Baltimore.By next summer, Keyser and his partners plan to complete 76 upper-level apartments designed for University of Baltimore students and others who want affordable housing.

In the weeks after Hurricane Floyd swept up the East Coast, Maryland officials doled out $747,000 in federal money to help farmers repair damage to their fields -- then ran out of money, leaving other farmers in limbo.Those farmers might soon get help. Congress has approved a supplemental $50 million for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's emergency conservation program.The money, which pays for repairs to waterways and ponds on farm fields to slow run-off and distribute it through woods and marshes, "hopefully should be available any time now," said Bebe Shortall, a program specialist with the state Farm Service Agency.

No. 12 Severna Park 12, No. 10 Arundel 8: The Falcons, whose coach had to watch the game from the stands after being given a one-game suspension for cursing in a game, won the Class 3A-4A East region title and will make their first appearance in the state final four at UMBC.Queen Anne's 7, No. 14 South River 6: Tom Simpler scored the winning goal in Class 1A-2A East with two seconds left after holding the ball the final four minutes.South River held a 5-3 halftime lead, before Queen Anne tied the game early in the third.

Largo's Queen Anne School scored four runs in the second inning and defeated Chapelgate, 4-2, to win the Maryland State Private School Softball Tournament Silver Division championship at Riverdale Baptist yesterday.Queen Anne used two Chapelgate errors, three walks and a single to score all its runs."Except for that one inning, it was a pitcher-dominated game on both sides," said Chapelgate coach Steve Kunkel, whose team finished 14-8.Chapelgate pitcher Hope Meisinger struck out 13 and walked five.

CENTREVILLE - The final seconds had barely ticked off the scoreboard when Eastern Tech coach Mark Mesaros began focusing on next week's opponent. By virtue of his team's 28-6 win over host Queen Anne's last night, Mesaros and his No. 4 Mavericks earned their second straight trip to the Class 2A state title game and will face the team that defeated them last season, River Hill. "We're going to have our work cut out for us," said Mesaros, whose team improved to 13-0. "It's our second bite at the apple, and we're going to try not to waste it."

Football No. 4 Eastern Tech @Queen Anne's WHAT: Class 2A state semifinal WHEN : Tomorrow, 7 p.m. OUTLOOK: All four teams in the 2A semifinals are 12-0, so something will have to give. "It's hard to gauge if this will be a competitive game," Queen Anne's coach Donny Graef said. "We won't know until we play. We have no common opponents." Eastern Tech features a balanced offense, while Queen Anne's is heavy on the run. Both squads have solid defenses. THE BALTIMORE SUN'S PICK: Eastern Tech Football No. 7 Hereford @ No. 6 Wilde Lake WHAT: 3A state semifinal WHE N: Tomorrow, 7 p.m. OUTLOOK: The Wildecats (11-1)

Yes, they started with a costume ball and Queen Anne impersonator, but Annapolis is serious about its history. Maryland's capital has been marking the 300th anniversary of its 1708 charter since September. Last weekend, nine months into the yearlong celebration, it got around to a scholarly symposium on the subject. The upshot, from an expert in Colonial legal history brought in from New York: The city has exaggerated the importance of the charter and the role of Queen Anne, who had "little or nothing" to do with the document, said C. Ashley Ellefson, emeritus professor of history at the State University of New York at Cortland.

For the Queen Anne's County Sheriff's Department, their piece of what later evolved into a complex investigation into illegal gambling machines began with some thefts at a local high school. From there, deputies discovered that the suspect was using stolen cash to play the machines at a truck stop in Centreville. That investigation merged into a bigger case that federal, state and local authorities in Maryland pursued against Truck Stop Games LLC. Last year, the Virginia-based company pleaded guilty to money laundering and was forced to hand over $2.5 million in assets to federal authorities, while a company that operated the truck stops, called TravelCenters of America, had to forfeit $4.2 million in a related civil action.

To understand why Maryland's Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Law is not working particularly well, one need look no further than to the Queen Anne's County couple who wanted to build a parking garage on their waterfront lot. Last month, an Eastern Shore judge denied the couple the variance they needed to build it - but only after a yearlong debacle that easily could have been avoided. What's so bad about a three-car garage? By itself, not all that much. But the problem is that the more impervious surface created near the bay and its tributaries, the more harmful runoff pours into the water.

Families and students from Annapolis, Eastport and Germantown Elementary schools will participate this week in an environmentally conscious night of family fun. Go Green Family Night will be held tomorrow from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Boys & Girls Club of Annapolis, 121 South Villa. The students are planning a night of activities to promote a healthful environment, including making valentines out of reused newspapers and magazines, and sorting through mock bags of trash to see how trash can be reduce by recycling.

On November 28, 2007, Joy Diane Sturm A Memorial Service will be held on Monday, Dec. 3, 2007 at 11:00 AM at St. John's Lutheran Church, 300 W. Maple Road, Linthicum, MD. Memorial contributions may be made to Hospice of Queen Anne's Inc., 423 Thompson Creek RD, Stevensville, MD 21666 or a charity of your choice. Arrangements are by the Fellows, Helfenbein and Newnam Funeral Home, P. A., Centreville, MD 21617. www.fhnfuneralhome.com

QUEEN ANNE -- Dick Messix, who farms about 430 acres near this Eastern Shore town, passed his first nutrient management inspection last week with flying colors. But it was not a lot of fun. As a state inspector plowed though Messix's records looking for any violation of pollution laws, the state attorney general and his top environmental assistant were sitting at the table. "Yeah, I was nervous," Messix said after the two-hour session last week. "My stomach was turning. I had a good case of the butterflies."

Queen Anne Ball -- The Friends of Annapolis will present the 1708 Queen Anne Ball from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday at Loews Annapolis Hotel, 126 West St. It will feature a castlelike setting with live music from Radio City, a silent auction and Colonial costumes. The gala will mark the beginning of the yearlong celebration commemorating the signing of the royal charter 300 years ago. Proceeds will benefit the city's 2008 Annapolis Alive celebration. Tickets are $150 and up. 410-280-0445, ext. 103; or www. annapolisalive.

Four veteran county police officers were promoted Friday to sergeant. "You'll not only be the backbone [of the agency], you'll be our shoulders and legs. Your success as a leader will be placed squarely in your hands," Col. James Teare, the Anne Arundel County police chief, told the officers at a ceremony at the Southern District. The ceremony provided insight into the aspirations of one of the officers. Deputy Chief Emerson C. Davis recalled a training academy exercise in which Sara Schriver, then a recruit, told her peers that one day she would be police chief.