Wet Weather

Petition drive over map continues Organizers are continuing a petition drive that seeks to overturn the Carroll County delegation's choice of a map that divides the county into five commissioner districts. The delegation members chose Option One last month and have drafted a bill that would make the map law. Voters who prefer Option Two, the map recommended by the redistricting committee and favored by officials of all eight towns, can sign the petition electronically at www.petitionspot.

The gray skies yesterday were no match for the abundantly colorful Greek costumes, and the frigid wind and spotty drizzle failed to dampen the enthusiasm of participants and spectators at the 10th annual Greek Independence Day parade, held yesterday in Greektown. "Two years ago it rained, but I still marched," said 17-year-old Despina Cornias, a junior at Polytechnic Institute who has participated in the parade since it began. The crowds weren't as large as some in the past, she said, wearing a red-skirted costume from Crete as part of the St. Nicholas Hellenic Golden Coins dance group.

The Anne Arundel County Council approved a $1.1 million bailout loan last night to the quasi-public agency that developed the 36-hole Compass Pointe golf course in Pasadena. Council members approved the loan to the Maryland Economic Development Corp. on a 6-0 vote. Most said they were reluctant to devote public money to a golf course but were afraid the county's bond rating would suffer if they did not back the project. "I feel like we've been put into a box," said Councilman Ronald C. Dillon Jr., a Republican whose district includes the golf course.

OCEAN CITY - Rain or the threat of it all morning. Skies so dark you'd swear it was a Sunday during the National Football League season. And wind, gusting from the northeast, prompted small-craft warnings. It was the perfect day for a parade in Maryland's beach town - at least for a few thousand die-hards who say their loyalty and love of the Baltimore Ravens were defined by the 13 long years they waited for a team after the Colts franchise was hauled off to Indiana. Yesterday was the third year in a row with the weather on the iffy side for the annual three-day convention of the Council of Baltimore Ravens Roosts, the governing body for nearly 50 chapters with about 4,000 members.

A sharp increase in plywood prices is rattling the construction industry and leaving consumers with higher costs for new houses and home-improvement projects. Some prices for plywood and other wood-type boards used to build and renovate roofs, floors and walls have doubled since the spring, according to industry figures. Experts blame the increase on a short supply of plywood and stronger-than-expected summer demand for new homes as mortgage interest rates hit historic lows. The weak supply is owed to a collection of factors, including the summer's wet weather, fires in the West and consolidation among wood mill operators after years of depressed plywood prices.

NEW YORK - The rain had cleared, tennis had returned to the much-beleaguered U.S. Open and No. 13 seed David Nalbandian couldn't keep the smile from his face. After three days of waiting, Nalbandian pulled off the biggest upset of the tournament so far, beating No. 2 seed Roger Federer in impressive fashion, 3-6, 7-6 (1), 6-4, 6-3, yesterday. "Weird," said Federer, after losing to Nalbandian for the fifth straight time. "He likes my game. He likes to play [counter-punch] tennis. I've never had a great day against him. "But I had my chances today.

It was a summer of cancellations for the Pocomoke River Cruises. Too many soggy days kept people away from the scenic boat rides. "If it's thundering and lightning, you really don't want to be on the water," said Rai Coiro, who runs the cruises with her husband in Snow Hill. "You really just can't enjoy the river." So it went this summer, from Maryland's foggy mountain resorts in the west to the rain-soaked beaches in the east. While some restaurants and tourist spots reported solid seasonal bookings, for many it was the summer that wasn't.

The growth that Griff Bell's boat rental company could have had this season is gone with the rain - he's seen a day of wet weather for every day of sunshine and sailing. Tent rentals, on the other hand, are booming. No one wants a washed-out outdoor party. "They call the day before: `It's going to rain, I need something!'" said Terry Chiveral, a manager for ABC Party and Tent Rental Center in Baltimore, which is getting an unusual number of last-minute reservations. The near-biblical downpours this spring and summer have brought headaches for fair-weather ventures, while hot-tub builders, tanning salons and lawn mower operators bask in water-propelled profits.

Despite a partial collapse in one garage in the spring and record snowfall and rain, the Longwell and Westminster Square parking garages will wrap up about a year's worth of construction within the next few weeks, with an expected opening Sept. 1, Westminster city officials said. The garages, with about 500 new spaces between them, will bring the city's total downtown public parking spaces to more than 2,300 - enough to accommodate the business development that city officials hope to see. "It was a vote of confidence in downtown," said Thomas B. Beyard, the city's director of planning and public works.