Question

WE STRONGLY urge Baltimore voters to vote "yes" on Questions A through K when they go to the polls on Tuesday. An affirmative vote would allow the city to borrow $41 million for civic improvements ranging from school repairs to developing a new East Baltimore industrial park.Historically, Baltimore has been conservative in issuing bonds. This time is no exception: Voters are being asked to authorize a total well below the city's debt capacity, a yardstick used by Wall Street rating agencies in assessing credit worthiness.

Questions that will haunt Joel Lee's familyThis is in response to U.S. Attorney Lynne A. Battaglia's letter (Feb. 21). I understand the limitations of the law and the limited jurisdiction of the U.S. Justice Department. Ms. Battaglia's position is that there was insufficient evidence to show that Davon Neverdon killed my son [Joel Lee, a student at Towson State University] because of his race.I question the thoroughness of the investigation. Many of my questions about the investigation were not met, i.e. the need to protect grand jury testimony and grand jury evidence.

PLUGGING HOLES in Maryland's constitution is an on-going process. Six sensible amendments are on the Nov. 5 ballot.QUESTION NO. 1 seeks to give public members greater say in deciding if judges should be disciplined for misbehavior. The amendment adds four public members (for a total of five) and a third lawyer member while cutting the number of judges on the Commission on Judicial Disabilities from four to three.These steps should give the panel better balance in assessing allegations against judges, making the group less of a legal insiders' club.

WASHINGTON -- Your 6-year-old son has been playing quietly with Power Rangers and his other beloved action figures on the recreation-room carpet.Suddenly his face, a little peachy-cheeked replica of your own, looks up at you curiously.Then he slowly asks you a question that just sucks the breath right out of you.''Dad,'' he says, ''is Grandpa going to die?''A chain of questions races through your head: What does he know? How much has he heard? What should I say?So you answer his question with a question: ''Wh-Why do you ask?

Members of the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants are answering readers' tax questions through April 15.Q: I work from home and I travel to and from my clients. Can I report all my mileage from the start of the day when I leave my home until I return? Or do I count the mileage beginning from my first appointment through my last appointment, with travel from my home to my first appointment and from my last appointment back home considered commuting? I do not meet any clients in my home.

Members of the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants are answering readers' tax questions through April 15.Q: Before my wife and I got married in 1993, we each owned a townhome. Following our marriage we sold one of the homes in 1993 and the other in 1994 and bought a single new residence that cost more than the sale price of both townhomes combined. How do we file Form 2119 to postpone taxes on the gain from both of the townhomes? Do we file two 2119 forms -- one for each house sold -- and list half the cost of the new home on each?

City bond issuesQuestion A$8 million Community Development Loan. Continuing development of housing and renewal programs. Includes renovation of parks and playgrounds, market improvements, housing rehabilitiation, residential and commercial loans to promote home ownership and property improvements.*Yes .. 35,034 .. .. 80.1%*No .. .8,705 .. .. .19.9%Question B$2.5 million Residential and Commercial Financing Loan. Financing for housing development and restoration of vacant properties.*Yes .. ..32,943 .. ..78.

Boxers or briefs? Newt Gingrich won't tell.And, no, he has nothing to say about Hugh Grant.The 52-year-old speaker of the House went on MTV, home to Madonna videos and "Beavis and Butt-head," yesterday to talk to the twenty-something generation.But the questions about underwear and Hollywood came not from the MTV crowd. They came from Washington reporters who mobbed Mr. Gingrich after the taping of an MTV special, "Newt: Raw," which dealt soberly with such topics as education and welfare reform.

Members of the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants are answering readers' tax questions through April 15.Q: Is the loss on the sale of a residential rental property treated as a capital loss or an ordinary loss?A: Property used in a trade or business, including rental of residential real estate (which is held more than one year before it's sold) is normally considered Section 1231 property. When Section 1231 property is sold, it generates a long-term capital gain or an ordinary loss.

Members of the Maryland Association of Certified Public Accountants are answering readers' tax questions through April 15.Q: My wife and I were planning to purchase two homes in 1994. After we bought our first home, we placed a contract with a deposit of $2,750 to purchase a newly constructed house that we were planning to rent. But when interest rates skyrocketed, we couldn't afford the house we were planning to rent and lost the deposit. Can we recoup this loss on our income tax return?

My favorite moment in Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's confirmation hearings was when Judge Sotomayor spoke earnestly about being inspired by a particular episode of the classic TV series Perry Mason. Newly installed Minnesota Sen. Al Franken leaned into his microphone and deadpanned: "What was the one case in Perry Mason that [District Attorney Hamilton] Burger won?" His satire was so subtle, even Judge Sotomayor seemed caught off guard, addressing his question at first seriously and succinctly.

Valerie Harper is on the phone, and she can't stop talking about Tallulah. The 68-year-old actress is known for her portrayals of strong-willed women. After creating the role of television's quintessential Jewish single girl, Rhoda Morgenstern, on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Harper has since depicted figures as diverse as author Pearl S. Buck and former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir. There isn't a wimp in the bunch. At the moment, Harper is borderline obsessed with the daunting task of bringing to life Tallulah Bankhead, the actress and party girl of the 1920s and 1930s who was known as much for her bon mots and bad behavior as for her beauty.

Sam Perlozzo, Orioles manager Do you have any comment on the steroid story that came out today? Not really. No one's asked me any questions about it, and I really don't have anything to say. We're going about our business like we always have. Someone else can take care of that.

What is your favorite sports cliche? It ain't over until it's over! Tom Morton Columbia

NEXT QUESTION Should Nick Markakis be up with the Orioles this year or in triple-A?

Katie Couric will make history if she takes over as anchor of the CBS Evening News in June as expected. But as the buzz about her impending departure from NBC's Today show intensifies, it is clear that she also faces a wall of questions over whether she has the right stuff to succeed as the first woman solo anchor of a network newscast. The question being asked again and again in one form or another: Does the broadcaster who rose to prominence in morning TV as the "girl next door" have the "gravitas" to anchor the nightly news?

STRAIGHTDOPE.COM What's the point? -- Ever find yourself pondering questions that seem to have no answer? Or scientific riddles that seem impenetrable? Or just weird conundrums? Turns out there's someone out there trying to answer all these things: Cecil Adams, longtime columnist for the Straight Dope. This page features a question of the day, links to the mailing list and message boards, as well as featured "classic" columns. What to look for --Before you send a question, check out the archives -- Adams has been working on the column in some form or another since 1973, and he's covered a lot of ground in that time.

Good morning --Carl Edwards -- Take a look at the front page of this section. Could you be the real Mr. Flip? QUESTION OF THE DAY The Ravens' next five opponents - the Steelers (twice), Bengals (twice) and Jaguars - all have winning records. How many of those games will the Ravens win? Billick's game plan can't score against mediocre teams. This five-game stretch will be his Waterloo. We've suffered him too long. Please, Bisciotti, send him to Elba. Michael S. Herman Sr. Baldwin With the Ravens misfiring on all cylinders and near implosion ... at best, I see two wins, and that's a really, really big stretch.

QUESTION OF THE DAY Does baseball need instant replay to review umpiring calls? Of course. Each manager gets one challenge per game. Use it or lose it. Traditionalists will protest this change, but the most important thing is to get the call right. Too many huge games have been decided by a mistaken umpire. Jeffrey Mariner Phoenix NEXT QUESTION If hired, will Leo Mazzone make a difference in the Orioles' pitching next season? The Sports section will ask a question of the day five days a week and run responses on The Kickoff page.

THE QUESTION: CAN A CITY SLICKER LIKE ME GET A TASTE OF HOWARD COUNTY FARM LIFE? What a timely question. It just so happens that the Howard County Farm-City celebration started yesterday and runs through Oct. 2. Check out www.farmheritage.org or call 410-313-6500. Have fun now, and watch where you walk.