Sparrows Point

Several hundred former Sparrows Point workers gathering late Monday afternoon for details of their steel mill's demise heard from union leaders that at least two groups had wanted to restart the plant but weren't given the chance. Joe Rosel, president of United Steelworkers Local 9477 in Sparrows Point, told the crowd that Sherman International, an iron and steel equipment supplier in Pittsburgh, wanted to operate the plant and tried to bid $150 million for it last week. "They were told they couldn't bid because the plant wasn't for sale anymore," Rosel said.

The great steel mill of Sparrows Point is gone, and it's never coming back. Local, state and federal officials, along with union leaders, made a valiant attempt to find a new operator who would restart production there, but it was not to be. The plant's 12-year-old cold mill is being sold to a company that will disassemble it and use it for spare parts, and the rest of the complex will be razed to the ground. An institution that provided not just employment but an identity to a community, a factory that represented America's industrial and military might, is now just another relic of history.

Here's what I'm thinking: We get La Famille DeBeaufre to establish a second bakery in Sparrows Point and ship their beloved Berger Cookies all over the world — to China, India, Brazil, Mexico and other nations with rising economies. And maybe we send some cookies to North Korea to give those poor people a treat and the inspiration they need to rise up against the rocket club president who serves as their dictator. Think of it: Berger Cookies as an instrument of international influence, revolution and peace.

The effort to connect former Sparrows Point workers with training for new careers gained more urgency last week as the final hopes of the steel mill reopening were dashed - and as the deadline to apply for the help or forever lose it fast approaches for hundreds. More than 1,600 of the people laid off from the Baltimore County plant are eligible for federal "trade adjustment" benefits, which cover retraining costs and come with a stipend equal to unemployment benefits once those run out. Only half have enrolled.

WEATHER: Sunny, high near 48 . Tonight is expected to be clear, low around 38. TRAFFIC: Check our traffic updates for this morning's issues. TOP NEWS City issued speed camera ticket to motionless car : T he Baltimore City speed camera ticket alleged that the four-door Mazda wagon was going 38 miles per hour in a 25-mph zone. But the Mazda wasn't speeding - it wasn't even moving.

An out-of-state steelmaker has bought the most valuable piece of the Sparrows Point plant to use as spare parts, a move that could kill the last hopes that the steel mill might be purchased by an operator and reopened. American Metal Market reported late Wednesday that Charlotte, N.C.-based Nucor Corp. had acquired the major portion of Sparrows Point's 12-year-old cold mill, the newest part of an old facility. Nucor's president, John Ferriola, told the trade publication that the acquisition would be used for upgrades and to replace parts at the company's own mills.

The owners of the Sparrows Point steel mill plan to raze the closed plant, Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz said Thursday, as political leaders from Towson to Washington mourned the loss of a landmark that once employed tens of thousands. The officials, including Gov. Martin O'Malley, vowed to help steelworkers who have lost their jobs. But the head of United Steelworkers Local 9477 was angry that a key part of the plant is being sold to North Carolina-based Nucor Corp. — to be used for spare parts.

Some Dundalk area residents are concerned about the Maryland Port Administration 's designs on Sparrows Point, fearing the state's long-range plans to convert a corner of the old steel-making complex into a supercargo shipping terminal could literally dredge up the point's toxic legacy in the Patapsco River. An "emergency" community meeting has been called for 7 p.m. Thursday (Dec. 6) at the North Point - Edgemere volunteer fire hall, 7500 North Point Road in Edgemere. Russell S. Donnelly, a local environmental activist, said residents still sore from a seven-year fight against putting a liquefied natural gas terminal at Sparrows Point need to take a closer look at what the port is proposing to do there.

Baltimore County officials are urging workers who were laid off from the Sparrows Point steel mill this year to ensure they meet deadlines for receiving federal assistance. The deadline for applying for Trade Adjustment Assistance is 26 weeks after a layoff. For some workers laid off this year, that date is approaching this month, county economic development officials say. The benefits include funds for job training, extended unemployment compensation, relocation assistance, wage subsidies for certain workers who find reemployment, and other help.

Roland V. "Danny" Danielson, a retired Bethlehem Steel Corp. naval architect and avid outdoorsman, died Nov. 17 of renal failure at Stella Maris Hospice in Timonium. He was 92. The son of Swedish and Danish immigrants, Roland Victor Danielson was born and raised in Cambridge, Mass. After graduating from Cambridge public schools, Mr. Danielson was awarded a scholarship to attend Massachusetts Institute of Technology, from which he earned his bachelor's degree in 1942 in marine engineering.