Tag

The "XTRRVNU" vanity license plate mocked up on Sunday's front page ("Raising revenue," March 27) is impossible to actually get because the War of 1812 design has replaced the classic black on white Maryland tag. One of the reasons I asked Del. Keiffer Mitchell to introduce legislation to restore the use of the classic tag for personalized plates (HB 697) is that vanity messages of five to seven characters obscure the Star Spangled Banner. (By the way, the heron on the Chesapeake Bay tag goes missing in action when the plates are personalized.)

Anne Arundel County police are targeting drivers who fraudulently use handicap tags, use fake placards or wrongly park in spaces reserved for disabled people's vehicles. Police said the crackdown is taking place countywide during one week each in May, August and November, and one took place in February. It includes shopping centers and mall lots. A violation is subject to a fine of up to $500. The medical certification for handicap parking must be shown to officers who ask to see it, police said.

Terrell Stoglin poured in 25 points Sunday during Maryland's critical 87-80 victory over N.C. State , stealing a little bit of the spotlight from Grievis Vasquez, who was on hand at Comcast Center to see his jersey go into the rafters. Of course Stoglin didn't take down the Wolfpack all by himself. Jordan Williams scored 26 points and pulled down eight rebounds, but we have come to expect strong performances like that from the sublime sophomore big man. Those two, along with a little help from Dino Gregory, helped keep the Terps' at-large hopes from flat-lining with another ACC loss.

The Eagles, Patriots, Jets and Chargers have exercised their right to franchise players in the past couple of days even though it might not hold up after the labor Armageddon. The Ravens have now done the same with Pro Bowl defensive tackle Haloti Ngata. The Ravens on Tuesday placed the franchise tag on Ngata, ensuring he will remain in the Ravens' control for 2011. The NFLPA is questioning the validity of the franchise and transitional tags, but that hasn't stopped Ngata, Eagles quarterback Michael Vick, Patriots guard Logan Mankins, Jets linebacker David Harris and Chargers wide receiver Vincent Jackson from getting tagged.

Prohibited by NFL rules to sign Haloti Ngata to a long-term deal, the Ravens secured the two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle for next season by placing the franchise tag on him. If the Ravens' track record holds up, this is the first step to making him "a Raven for life. " The last two players who have received the franchise tag from the Ravens — cornerback Chris McAlister and linebacker Terrell Suggs — eventually signed muti-year deals that were among the richest for their positions at the time.

Ravens NFLPA's view of franchise tag could put Ngata on market The NFL Players Association is disputing the NFL's contention it can apply a franchise tag to players whose contracts expire at the end of the 2010 league year, which throws into question the Ravens' ability to tag defensive tackle Haloti Ngata . A statement from the NFLPA said the union had "received reports that the NFL is advising clubs" they can use the franchise...

A small shopping center on busy Belair Road in Perry Hall is popular among one crowd for all the wrong reasons. The building's white exterior has made it a frequent target for graffiti artists or "taggers. " It's been marked up about five times in 12 years, including earlier this month when it was one of three local businesses defaced with black spray paint on the same night. Store owners said memories of a previous incident over the summer when the two-level building was spray-painted red hadn't quite faded before Jan. 7 when Fino Jewelers about a block away and Friendship Enterprises on Joppa Road were also targeted.

Maryland motorists seeking to renew their expiring tags will have five options for doing so next year — but standing in line at Motor Vehicle Administration office counters won't be one of them. Starting Monday, the MVA plans to direct customers who want routine renewals of tags expiring in February and subsequent months to automated kiosks or to one of four other choices that don't involve a queue. One aim of the decision is to cut waiting times for customers who do need to interact with a clerk.

Baltimore City police are investigating several acts of vandalism in Northwest Baltimore last weekend in which swastikas and other messages were spray-painted onto cars, said a police spokesman. Cars were tagged on Strathmore Avenue, Clarinth Road and Labyrinth Road between late Friday night and early Saturday morning, said Kevin Brown, the spokesman. In the 2800 block of W. Strathmore Ave., a swastika was spray-painted on a vehicle, along with the phrase "IH8U," while an expletive was found on the side of another vehicle in the same block.

From the moment the decision was made to jettison Dave Trembley and install Juan Samuel as interim manager, there was really just one thing that could threaten the Orioles' search for the right outside candidate to take the permanent job and lead them into the future. Juan Samuel. The risk inherent in hiring an interim manager -- especially early in the season -- is that the team just might take a hard right turn and leave room to wonder if the right guy was sitting there under your nose all along.