State Circle

Business has returned to Jayne Barrett's clothing store on State Circle in Annapolis.It's not as brisk as it was last year, but it's infinitely better than it was during the eight months her customers had to tramp through mud to get to her store, The Salt Box."The people on the circle took the brunt of this," Barrett said. "We're the ones who had the street and the sidewalk torn up."The city began rebuilding State Circle in March and finished in November. They rebricked the street and sidewalks and buried overhead power lines.

It's brilliant and blustery atop the tallest building in Annapolis, a bank of white clouds scudding quickly across the sky. John Greenwalt Lee leans against a temporary railing, gazing down with fondness on the town he calls home. A few blocks to the northeast, the dome of the Naval Academy Chapel looms far above the street. Lee helped renovate it in 1999, rappelling out a window to apply chemicals to the copper to bring out its historic-looking green. A little to the west, the spire of St. Anne's Episcopal Church towers above downtown.

With the end of the General Assembly's 90-day session, MPT's "State Circle" brings down the curtain on its year with a special broadcast at 7:30 tonight on Channels 22 and 67."State Circle" is a model of quality, locally produced public affairs programming. For those not familiar with the show, which airs each Friday when the legislature is in session, it offers the kind of coverage of state politics that big-city, network affiliates are supposed to provide but rarely do. It's aggressive, thoughtful and fairly comprehensive.

This Friday in Annapolis dogs will slip into their docksiders, pop on their Panama hats and climb aboard a cruise ship. There, they'll enjoy snacks, drinks and live music. Maybe if you're nice, they'll let you come along. It's Ben's 5 th Dog-Friendly Cruise, an event organized by Paws pet boutique to benefit the Animal Legal Defense Fund. Dogs and people meet at the Annapolis City Dock to board the Watermark's Harbor Queen at 7 p.m. They'll cruise until about 10 p.m., listening to the live music of Dan Haas & Ben's Bones, nibbling finger foods from Whole Foods and perhaps sipping on a little something from the cash bar. There will be a silent auction with the chance to score all kind of goodies from area businesses -- Red Leash Photography, Loews Annapolis Hotel, Davis' Pub, Stoney River Legendary Steaks, Broadneck Grill, Casa Nova and Paws & Possibilities Dog Training are just a few. Peole can also buy $10 raffle tickets for a chance to win two roundtrip tickets on Southwest.

The latest obstacle to Annapolis' reconstruction of State Circle has been overcome.The city removed two fuel-oil tanks from School Street near the Governor's Mansion on Monday and drained and cleaned a third that had been leaking, city Public Works Director William Campbell said.The city will install a monitoring well to see how deep the oil has traveled from the third tank, Campbell said.The state Department of the Environment ordered the test because leaking tanks can pose a serious environmental threat.

A trial of former state Sen. Thomas L. Bromwell could pull some of the most influential leaders in Annapolis into a courtroom, focusing attention on how relationships between politicians and business leaders - often built through money and favors - can shape the course of legislation and state affairs. In a federal indictment released this week, prosecutors described how Bromwell and his legislative aides asked some of the most prominent figures in Annapolis to intervene on behalf of a mechanical contracting company, Poole and Kent.

An Annapolis floral institution that over the years counted lawmakers, lobbyists and even governors among its clientele, has changed hands. Flowers by James -- a family business for 45 years on State Circle -- is now York Flowers, bought by a third-generation florist whose shop is in an upscale neighborhood of northwest Washington. Just steps from the State House and governor's mansion, Flowers by James has decorated weddings for thousands of brides around Annapolis, supplied corsages for the Naval Academy and many a May Day basket for businesses in Annapolis's Historic District.

There it sits, triumphant, the soldier who survived battle, the flower left standing after a storm, the building that fire could not destroy.The address is 1 State Circle, Annapolis, one of the oldest and most historic buildings in a city replete with them."

It's brilliant and blustery atop the tallest building in Annapolis, a bank of white clouds scudding quickly across the sky. John Greenwalt Lee leans against a temporary railing, gazing down with fondness on the town he calls home. A few blocks to the northeast, the dome of the Naval Academy Chapel looms far above the street. Lee helped renovate it in 1999, rappelling out a window to apply chemicals to the copper to bring out its historic-looking green. A little to the west, the spire of St. Anne's Episcopal Church towers above downtown.

Several Annapolis streets will be closed from 9 a.m. to noon tomorrow in preparation for President Clinton's address to the Maryland General Assembly.State Circle, Maryland Avenue, and Francis, School, North, East, Cornhill and Pinkney streets will be closed.Several other roads might also be closed throughout the morning: St. Johns Street from College Avenue to Calvert Street, Bladen Street inbound from Calvert Street to College Avenue, and College Avenue from Church Circle to King George Street.

Annapolis residents are used to their city being the center of attention — as the home of the State House and Naval Academy, it has hosted frequent presidential visits and a Middlde East peace summit. But when streets filled with emergency equipment and TV trucks Thursday because a flash of fire and smoke came from a package sent to the governor, jaws dropped. "We are kind of stunned that it happened here," said Marta Staples, who works at a jewelry store around the corner from the Jeffrey Building, where a mailroom worker was injured in the incident.

Calendar Calling all artists From painters to photographers, submit your work to serve as the official image of Hospice Cup XL, which will be held Sept. 24, 2011, in Annapolis. Deadline to submit art work is Jan. 15. The winning art will also appear in promotional advertisements, videos, event T-shirts and posters. All works submitted will be displayed at the Maryland Federation of Art Circle Gallery Jan. 19 through 30, 18 State Circle, Annapolis. Information: http://www.

Ask Maryland politicians whether they believe in the need for transparent government, and they're sure to say yes. But when it comes to actually finding ways to make it easier for citizens to learn what their elected representatives are doing in Annapolis, the talk doesn't translate to much action. Our delegates, senators and governor aren't necessarily hostile to the idea of revealing the secrets of State Circle. In 2008, for example, they passed the "Google Government" bill that put information about all state contracts online in a searchable format.

The State House is reopening after an eight-month, $10 million renovation, though planners are far from completing the wholesale redesign - and a more visitor-friendly experience - they envision for the historic building. Construction crews have repaired an aging heating and cooling system, updated a plumbing system that was in danger of rupturing and replaced unsafe electrical wiring. With that work in the final stages, moving trucks pulled around State Circle to unload boxes and furniture yesterday, and Gov. Martin O'Malley was in the building.

Martin O'Malley, sworn in as the state's 61st governor yesterday as a 19-gun salute echoed in wintry air, promised "a new day in Maryland" marked by bipartisan respect and a fresh resolve to improve the lives of state residents. "For too long in the capitals of our nation and our states, we've acted as if our people have somehow lost the capacity to sacrifice and to make tough choices, but, my friends, to govern is to choose," O'Malley said from a podium outside the historic State House.

Annapolis residents should be ready for street closures, parking restrictions and a 19-gun salute tomorrow during the inauguration festivities for Gov.-elect Martin O'Malley. Bladen Street will be closed to southbound traffic from Rowe Boulevard starting at 6:30 a.m. tomorrow. College Avenue will be closed eastbound from Church Circle except for official traffic starting at 9:30 a.m. State Circle, School Street and Francis Street will be closed from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. More streets will be closed for the inaugural parade, which is expected to begin at 1:30 p.m. The parade route runs from the main gate of the Naval Academy to East Street to State Circle to North Street.

A fire in a laundry room of the historic Governor Calvert House inn on State Circle in Annapolis forced the evacuation last night of more than a dozen customers, but caused no injuries and only slight damage.A dryer in the laundry room on the upper level of the parking garage of the mansion across the street from the State House caught fire at about 6: 25 p.m., triggering sprinklers that kept the flames from spreading, said Capt. Leonard Clark of the Annapolis Fire Department.All the diners at a banquet and several residents in the hotel's 18 occupied rooms escaped safely when they heard smoke detectors, according to fire officials and hotel management.

Maryland: Inauguration O'Malley plans series of events Gov.-elect Martin O'Malley plans a week of inaugural events, including a parade and a performance by Kool and the Gang, according to a schedule his transition team released yesterday. Before being sworn in Jan. 17, O'Malley plans a seven-day tour of the state, including stops in suburban Washington, Southern Maryland, Western Maryland and the Eastern Shore. He plans to attend prayer breakfasts, hold town hall meetings and eat lunch with Annapolis Mayor Ellen O. Moyer at Chick and Ruth's Deli.