Samuel Shapiro

Legislators may raise non-budget issues Gov. Martin O'Malley has called a special session of the General Assembly to focus on passing a large legislative package to close a $1.7 billion budget gap. But legislators can have minds of their own. Maryland legislators have filed requests for bills unrelated to the budget to be drafted for consideration during the special session - scheduled to begin Oct. 29 - which O'Malley, a Democrat, and legislative leaders...

Much the way the dredging issue dominated the port of Baltimore last year, the battle between CSX and Norfolk Southern over Conrail has taken center stage this year as port officials struggle to attract new cargo."

Oct. 30, 1938, was a typical cool autumn Sunday as Baltimoreans relished the news that Hopkins had defeated Haverford College, 7-6, after Charlie Rudo scored on an 80-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. On the other hand, Navy and Penn had slugged it out through four grinding periods to a scoreless tie.Headlines in The Sun promised that the War Admiral-Seabiscuit match race that Tuesday would open a "Brilliant Meeting" at Pimlico Race Course, while Brenda Frazier, New York's "glamour deb," had attended the Velvet Ball that weekend.

The emergence of new trade routes and an improving world economy have prompted a significant expansion of steamship service at the port of Baltimore this year, with the increase already exceeding last year's total growth.The boom comes as companies capitalize on new trade opportunities, particularly in South America and Southeast Asia, where governments are easing trade restrictions as their own economies develop.Monday, for instance, Maersk Line will start service from Baltimore to the eastern coast of South America, calling on Brazil, Argentina and Venezuela.

Maryland has NAFTA fever, or at least it should after this week.Gov. William Donald Schaefer and the Clinton administration have turned up the heat in their campaign to sell the North American Free Trade Agreement: The governor used a sister-state agreement with Mexico to stump for the trade pact ++ on Tuesday; on Wednesday, a group of Maryland and Virginia business leaders headed to the White House for a sales pitch; and yesterday's event brought Mr....

Helen Delich Bentley fought for defense contracts to keep the Sparrows Point shipyard alive and strong-armed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dig the harbor channels deeper. Around the world, she buttonholed shipping executives, who knew she could turn the federal spigot off and on for maritime subsidies.In hiring Mrs. Bentley as a consultant, the port of Baltimore has hedged its bets against losing her indisputable influence in Washington. But even so, in Congress and federal agencies, a relentless prodder is missing and uncertainty prevails.

Norfolk Southern Corp. is leaning toward building a $5 million rail yard adjacent to Dundalk Marine Terminal -- a move that would make the transfer of cargo between trains and ships more efficient and help make the struggling port of Baltimore more competitive.Improvements in the way containers are moved from one type of carrier to another are part of ongoing discussions concerning Norfolk Southern's and CSX's proposed split-up of the 11,000-mile Conrail system. Under a voluminous operating plan -- filed this week with federal regulators -- Norfolk Southern would take over all the rail lines operated by Conrail in Baltimore.

Q. I am currently holding 45 shares of Amoco Corp. and want to keep them. What are your thoughts on the stock? Should I buy more?A.If you're confident about investing in Big Oil, this company is among the best.Buy more shares of Amoco Corp. (around $51 a share, New York Stock Exchange), a giant firm in resins and domestic integrated oil, because they should outperform the overall stock market and offer little risk, said Robin Shoemaker, analyst with Shearson Lehman Brothers.It's true that oil companies are facing reduced long-run consumption and must emphasize fuel efficiency.

During the most bitter hours of the Depression, even th lowest-level Maryland Baking Co. employee could stop by the Baltimore home of Chief Executive Joseph Shapiro, who would happily ladle out a bucket of homemade crab soup."

To save fox squirrel, expand the refuge and protect open spacesAs conservationists in Maryland, we think Joel McCord's article about the impact of Congress' conservation funding legislation on Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge and the endangered Delmarva fox squirrel ("Environmental groups fear for prospects of endangered squirrel" Sept. 10) captured the essence of the debate: Congress has an opportunity to expand the refuge and protect the squirrels, but could squander it by including "poison pills" in the legislation that could undermine its goals.