Solutions

Joyce Paige is 72 and, by her own admission, getting a little frail. She'd like nothing more than to continue living in her Glen Burnie home, but without outside help, it could become more difficult the older she gets. Paige could get that opportunity now that a group in Anne Arundel County is establishing a "virtual village" - a loose network of caregivers, volunteers and service providers - to assist Anne Arundel residents older than 55 who might one day need care. A Baltimore woman is also looking at establishing such a village in the city's Roland Park neighborhood.

The top two positions of command in the U.S. Naval Academy's 4,300-member brigade of midshipmen will be filled next semester by midshipmen Julianne Gallina of Pelham, N.Y., and Daniel Truckenbrod of Sycamore, Ill.As brigade commander, Gallina will have the rank of midshipman captain and will be responsible for the daily military activities and performance of the brigade.Most visible in parades, ceremonies and daily formations, she will also perform administrative functions and will be the key link in the chain of command between the midshipmen and officers.

The dismantling of Exelon Corp.'s Zion Station nuclear power plant near Chicago is setting several remarkable precedents. It's the biggest-ever nuclear decommissioning job in the United States, says Exelon, which is seeking permission to buy Constellation Energy and Baltimore Gas & Electric. The enterprise will take a decade, employing hundreds. Instead of separating the radioactive debris from the nonradioactive, the usual method, workers will ship most of the rubble to Utah and dump it in the desert.

The Contemporary Museum , which has featured provocative works by a broad sampling of cutting-edge artists, announced a new executive director this week who promises to keep things innovative. Sue Spaid doesn't officially start until Dec. 13, but the Pennsylvania-based curator and educator has already planned more than 50 events for the next six months or so and has already sketched out exhibits through 2013. "I'm a Virgo, so I'm big at planning," Spaid, 49, said Wednesday.

The bleating about broken government and partisanship continues. "Why can't those boobs in Washington agree on anything?" We're constantly told that the way to fix the country is to dethrone the left and right and empower the middle. Americans Elect, No Labels, the Gangs of Six and Fourteen, conservative Democrats and liberal Republicans: Handing things over to these middling mincers and half-a-loafers is supposed to be the answer to all of our problems. It's as if we should just put Nelson Rockefeller's mug on the dollar bill and be done with it. But what if the real compromise isn't in forcing the left and the right to heel.

From medical insurance to family leave policies, solutions to social issues facing the nation are coming not from Washington, but from the various states. From one point of view, that's a benefit, since it opens the way for different and creative approaches. But the larger picture is less encouraging.Not all states have the strong leadership or the fiscal resources to address social problems effectively. Moreover, many governors across the nation are facing record deficits, exacerbated by increased mandates from Congress.

Each year since 1995, the United States Department of Agriculture has released a report revealing a degree of hunger in the world's richest nation that is our collective shame. But are we allowed to refer to this reality as "hunger"? Recently, policymakers at the USDA have removed the terms "hunger" and "food insecure" from their classification scheme for describing Americans' ability to obtain sufficient, safe, nutritious and affordable food. To ensure scientific rigor, the USDA asked the National Academy of Sciences to evaluate its methods for estimating "food insecurity" and hunger in the United States.

From: Natalie C. YopconkaColumbiaIn response to "What's Your Opinion?": What should Howard County officials do to encourage the development of moderate-income housing?(They should) set up stable housing and apartment developments that are safe, secure places to live for middle-aged professionally oriented, single-career females. This area has been completely ignored thus far. Consequently, bugs, trash, etc. characterize Columbia developments.Also, control of dust and debris during construction and green life that promotes human allergies have been ignored.

MARYLAND DEMOCRATS heading to the polls today can take some satisfaction that they still have a choice among candidates in the race for the presidential nomination. But backers of candidates who have dropped out will have to settle for a smaller, less diverse field because of choices made in earlier primaries and caucuses. Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts has a clear edge, having so far won 18 of the 20 contests electing delegates. But Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina is pushing him hard.