Trade

That gas mower you have owned for years is spewing all kinds of pollutants into the air. If you're ready to trade it in for a more environmentally-friendly model, Black & Decker is giving some incentive this weekend to do so. The power tool company on Saturday is giving discounts to people who trade in their old gas mowers for rechargeable mowers. The models available include: CM1936  –  19 in. 36V Rechargeable Mulching Mower with Removable Battery  CM1836 –  18 in. 36V Rechargeable Mulching Mower      Check here for more about the event, which runs from 12.

A "go home" Raw (the last episode before a pay-per-view event) is always watched with extra attention, mostly because critics have the same question -- did this particular show do anything to increase my interest in buying the pay-per-view on Sunday? Lately, many of these critics have answered no. Many people feel that Raw last night was no different -- that it was flat, lacked spark and didn't do very much to push the figurative "buy rate" needle. These, of course, are criticisms that always arise for this particular (mostly monthly)

Mike Preston, columnist: Good move by Ravens - there are still several players they value who are available. Chris Korman, reporter: We won't know why the Ravens moved back until we see who they pick (unless they opt to tell us in the press conference we're heading to any minute), but they obviously favored Alabama's Dont'a Hightower over Courtney Upshaw. It also seems they would have liked Wisconsin guard Kevin Zeitler, but  weren't sold on drafting Badgers center/guard Peter Konz this early.

Laurel has undergone many changes since the 1980s, but one thing has remained consistent over the years: the Laurel Board of Trade's annual Main Street Festival. This year's Main Street Festival, the 33rd one overall, will be held on Saturday, May 11, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Main Street will be closed to traffic between southbound Route 1 and Seventh Street for the festival, which could attract upward of 100,000 people. The festival usually hosts about 300 vendors and service organizations are spread out along the street, said Janet Able, treasurer of the Laurel Board of Trade.

During the seventh-inning stretch of an otherwise brutal Orioles' beating on Saturday, the video scoreboard at Camden Yards flashed a message that drew a thunderous roar from the announced crowd of 35,335. The Orioles had just traded two minor leaguers for likely Hall-of-Fame slugger Jim Thome, who is expected to join the team here Sunday and be the club's regular, left-handed designated hitter. It's a straight trade, with the Orioles picking up the remainder of Thome's $1.25 million salary for 2012.

Some Maryland lawmakers concerned about declining numbers of sharks worldwide have introduced legislation to ban trade in the ocean predators' fins, the prized ingredient in a soup that is popular in Chinese cuisine. Bills introduced Tuesday in both House and Senate would outlaw sale, trade, distribution or even possession of raw, dried or processed shark fins.  Violations would be punishable by fines ranging from $5,000 for the first offense up to $50,000 for repeat infractions.

The Orioles traded minor league infielder Mike Flacco, the younger brother of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe, to the Boston Red Sox on Friday for cash considerations or a player to be named later. Flacco, 26, played mainly at Single-A Frederick last year, hitting .218 in 103 games. He also played four games at Double-A Bowie and was expected to compete there for the starting first base job along with Aaron Baker and Tyler Townsend. Flacco was drafted in the 31 st round of the 2009 amateur draft out of CCBC-Catonsville.

Judging from the reaction on Twitter to the Orioles' trade of Robert Andino to the Mariners on Tuesday, many O's fans have a heavy heart over the infielder's departure. Andino will be forever etched in Baltimore baseball lore for getting the game-winning hit in the Orioles' Game 162 win in 2011 over the Red Sox. The game was later nicknamed the “Curse of the Andino” since it played a huge part in Boston missing the postseason. Many fans point to that game as a tonesetter to the team's success this past season.

- Brian Roberts was playing golf in Arizona on Wednesday when Florida Marlins outfielder Cody Ross alerted him that the Orioles had just traded for a starting pitcher. Brian Matusz was in Hawaii on vacation and learned about the trade on a phone call from his brother. Jeremy Guthrie had heard the rumors for much of the day, but he didn't hear that the deal was final until he was preparing to play in Pam Shriver's charity tennis event at 1st Mariner Arena. All three were pleased to learn of the trade that landed veteran starter Kevin Millwood from the Texas Rangers for reliever Chris Ray and Rule 5 selection Ben Snyder.

The Bush administration's rather zestful bashing of 37 nations accused of unfair trading practices -- with Japan, China and Taiwan predictably heading the list -- may be but a prelude to retaliatory action. If so, it could indicate that the administration is interested in an important legislative trade-off (pun intended).It would work this way: In exchange for its agreement to continue tough mandatory sanctions against miscreants who throw up barriers to U.S. imports and dump their exports at artificially low prices, the administration would retain its authority to negotiate trade agreements subject only to an up-or-down vote in Congress, without changes.

New York Rangers forward Taylor Pyatt initially thought the team's equipment managers might not like him as much as Rick Nash. Each day, Pyatt would glance over to Nash's adjacent locker at the team's practice facility and notice long socks, wristbands, ankle braces and other assorted gear neatly arranged and folded — etiquette rarely seen within hockey dressing rooms. Pyatt figured it was at the request of New York's newest superstar, not the quirk of a meticulous neat freak. "I thought he was getting special treatment," Pyatt said this week, after watching Nash carefully fold and place every piece of equipment along a bench in front of his stall.

SEATTLE - Playing against the Orioles has to be viewed as just another game, Seattle Mariners infielder Robert Andino said before the teams' three-game series at Safeco Field kicked off. And then, Monday night, Andino went out and played a key role in beating his old team - hitting an RBI single to give the Mariners a lead they never lost and handling nine balls for outs while starting at second base in Seattle's 6-2 victory. Make no mistake: Andino, whom the Orioles traded to the Mariners this offseason for minor league outfielder Trayvon Robinson, wanted to remind his former organization what it gave up. But you'll never hear him say that.

As the second round of the 2013 NFL draft wound down Friday night, the Ravens traded a pair of draft picks to the Seattle Seahawks in order to move up six spots and draft Kansas State inside linebacker Arthur Brown. “We started to sweat a little bit as we start to see some good players come off the board, and the idea of not getting him was pretty scary,” Ravens assistant G.M. Eric DeCosta said. “So, we decided to make the move.” If they hadn't made the move, another team reportedly would have taken their “four-down” linebacker first.

Representing Dunbar High with a maroon suit and maroon tie, Tavon Austin strolled into Radio City Music Hall around 7 p.m. Thursday night to see his lifelong dream fulfilled. At 7:34 p.m., he and 22 other top prospects were introduced to the crowd. Each towered over him. Austin then retreated to the green room, downed a bag of potato chips and watched the draft unfold, his legs shaking the whole time, with a group of family and friends, including his mother, Cathy Green, and grandmother, Louann Green.

When Gunther and Linda Than moved into their one-bedroom unit in Canton's Anchorage Tower condominiums, they really downsized. The Thans moved from their larger unit in the Anchorage to one of the smallest at less than 1,000 square feet of living space, which includes the outdoor balcony. The entire front of the condo (living room, dining area, master bedroom and balcony), like every unit in the Anchorage Tower, has a water view, as well as a view of the city skyline and beyond. "Every unit here has a great view [so]

Congress passed the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge (STOCK) Act in 2012 in response to the public outcry over members' self-serving insider trading scandal last year. As with most laws, what is a crime for citizens was not illegal or unethical for members of Congress and their staffs. The STOCK Act addressed this loophole by requiring lawmakers and government officials to post their financial transactions online. It was a fleeting moment of transparency and accountability.

Baltimore Sun reporters, columnists and editors analyze the Orioles' trade of Jeremy Guthrie to the Colorado Rockies for Jason Hammel and Matt Lindstrom. Eduardo A. Encina, Orioles beat writer The Orioles dealing RHP Jeremy Guthrie, the only sure thing in their starting rotation, adds more questions than answers heading into spring. The timing, which came on the day Guthrie was scheduled to go to arbitration, was telling. In return, the Orioles will get two pieces to help rebuild the pitching.

The Laurel Board of Trade is holding a Meet the Candidates night to introduce candidates in Laurel's Nov. 1 city elections, Thursday, Oct. 20 from 6:30-9 p.m. at Quality Inn and Suites, 1 North Second St. (off Route 1 near Main Street). Candidates running for mayor and the at-large City Council seat are in contested races. The candidates for the Ward 1 and Ward 2 City Council seats, two in each ward, are running unopposed. Candidates will each be given a chance to speak, and will answer questions and meet with residents.

This afternoon I did a chat on our site about the Ravens and the NFL draft. Maybe the most popular question, besides ones about the situation at inside linebacker and the uncertainty along the offensive line, was about what it would take for the Ravens to trade up so they can draft one of the top left tackles or electric wide receiver Tavon Austin or some other highly-touted prospect who will be long gone by the time the Ravens pick. We get these questions every spring, so I figured I would do a little homework and address trading up here.

BOSTON -- The Orioles traded veteran reliever Luis Ayala to the Atlanta Braves on Wednesday, receiving minor league left-handed reliever Chris Jones in return. But the move was less about unloading Ayala than it was allowing the Orioles the opportunity to keep Rule 5 pick T.J. McFarland while moving to a seven-man bullpen. It lets the team go to back a four-man bench after playing short-handed since Saturday. The Orioles purchased the contract of outfielder Chris Dickerson from Triple-A Norfolk, and he replaced Ayala on the 40-man and 25-man rosters.