Task Force

A state task force is recommending a raft of changes to give Maryland homeowners a better shot at avoiding foreclosure and — when foreclosures do happen — to give neighborhoods a greater chance at recovering. The suggestions, presented Wednesday to a House committee, range from voluntary mediation before a foreclosure case is filed to tax incentives for homeowners who purchase a foreclosure. Some, including those two examples, would require legislation. But many of the recommendations are intended to be just that — recommendations.

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is getting a lesson in one of the major downsides of privatizing government services: When you ask outside groups to take over something the city has always done, their agendas won't always be the same as yours. That's what's happening with the mayor's plan to privatize some of Baltimore's recreation centers. One of the nonprofits that is bidding to take over two centers would provide programs not just for the kids that have traditionally been the rec centers' focus but also ex-criminal offenders and psychiatric patients.

As the director of community planning for the Columbia Association and the lead on CA's Aquatics Master Plan project, I was concerned by Richard Blank's perspective ("CA staff still trying to kill the neighborhood pool concept") on what is a complex topic. The Columbia Associaiton, a private not-for-profit service organization, has 23 outdoor pools, five indoor pools and an impressive set of statistics for community pool use, staff safety records and customer satisfaction. I think we all agree that swimming and pools are an important part of the Columbia culture.

A Baltimore City police officer wounded when a colleague accidentally fired his gun inside a house in Odenton on Tuesday returned fire at the "perceived threat," according to new information from authorities in Anne Arundel County. The city officer, who was struck in the arm, "fired several rounds in response to the perceived threat," according to a statement released this morning that offers new details of the shooting and backs what an occupant of the house has told reporters. Police had gone to the house in the 100 block of Pine Cove Ave. in Odenton searching for a drug suspect.

A Baltimore Police officer was shot in the arm by a Baltimore County officer Monday afternoon while in Odenton serving a warrant with a law enforcement task force, police said. The city officer, who was not identified, was shot at about 2:15 p.m. in the 100 block of Pinecove Ave., in a townhouse community east of Fort Meade, officials said. The injury was described as a "through and through" wound and was not considered life threatening, though he was taken to Maryland Shock Trauma Center as a precaution.

The famous baseball manager was a scared kid once. When he came home from school and saw his father's car parked out front, he often fled to the relative safety of a friend's house. "There is no worse emotion than fear," said Joe Torre, who managed the New York Yankees to four world championships. "I was never physically abused, but the fear my dad brought to our house in abusing my mom was very personal, very real. " Torre talked about the far-ranging impact of that fear on Tuesday as he co-chaired the first meeting of a task force appointed by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to examine violence affecting children.

It's about time The Sun reported on the millions of dollars spent on unused textbooks in the Baltimore County school system ("Officials question millions spent on Balto. Co. tests and curriculum," Nov. 12). This is something that has been going on for a long time. I retired as a classroom teacher and mentor for Baltimore County in 2001. While in my last position, mentors often discussed the many books on various ability levels and subjects that were left in their original packaging in the book room.

Baltimore County should eventually issue liquor licenses to restaurants based on public need and accommodation, rather than on population, according to a task force set up to review the county's license laws. The county now limits the number of liquor licenses based on the population of each of its 15 election districts. The task force - formed by County Executive Kevin Kamenetz earlier this year - came up with several proposals to phase out that system and make the licenses countywide.

Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz plans to improve the economy of Baltimore County by changing liquor license law. Should Mr. Kamenetz accept the recommendations submitted by his appointed 12 member task force, he plans, "setting aside political calculations and process details, [to] move Baltimore County in a positive direction" by effectively transferring the wealth of businesses, which have been around for years, to businesses he deems more likely to increase the county coffers.

The City Council's finance committee chairman threatened Thursday to impose a moratorium on tax breaks for developers until City Hall implements more transparency in the process and funds more projects outside of downtown. Carl Stokes, who chairs the Taxation, Finance and Economic Development Committee, said he wants to see City Hall implement nearly a dozen recommendations from a task force composed of some of Baltimore's best-known business and political leaders before he would allow any more PILOT (payment in lieu of taxes)