Yields

The Sun editorial ("In defeat, a victory," Sept. 24) claims that the City of Baltimore was within its rights to make unilateral changes to fire and police pensions. Federal Judge Marvin Garbis ruled that the city ordinance was unconstitutional. It appears that the editorial board at the Sun believes contracts are made to be broken. In 2009, the fire officers, fire fighters and the Fraternal Order of Police approached the city administration with a proposal that would have saved Baltimore over $80 million in pension costs.

"Greetings from Maryland, home of the number one public school system in America for four years in a row!" That is how Gov. Martin O'Malley opened his speech at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., last week to a roar of applause. He was referring to the state's ranking from Education Week magazine. If he had said, "Greetings from Maryland, where more than 60 percent of public school graduates who studied a 'college prep curriculum' and went on to community college needed remedial help in math" (which was the case as recently as the 2008-09 school year)

This year's drought, along with recent news reports of the lowest corn yield in 17 years, has rekindled the food vs. fuel debate - and, for good reasons. When Congress passed the Energy Independence and Security Act in 2007, an ambitious schedule for incorporating ethanol into the nation's fuel supply known as the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) was established. Though ethanol was sold as a way to make our energy supply more secure, little consideration was given to what every farmer knows: Mother Nature can be fickle, as this year's drought proves.

These dog days of summer, when concert halls are terribly quiet around here, are a perfect time for classical music fans to do a little homework that will pay off in the new season. Folks who have never heard, say, Leonard Bernstein's "Kaddish" Symphony, or any other off-the-beaten-path works scheduled in the months ahead can get a lot more out of those experiences with some preparation now. Let's face it: Audiences don't spend much time diligently reading their program books before a performance starts.

The Maryland wrestling team had its overall best performance in the team's 50-year history at the USA Wrestling Junior & Cadet National Championships this month. A record total of 21 All-American honors were earned by 15 Maryland wrestlers, including two national championships, and six double All-American placements from the 65 wrestlers who made the trip to Fargo, North Dakota. A wrestler earns All-American by placing in the Top 8 in a weight class. Maryland placed eighth overall in Junior Greco-Roman among 47 teams.

Queenstown farmer John Draper's corn crop looks bleak - ears that normally have 18 or 20 rows of kernels have 14 rows due to a lack of rain. Others have few or shriveled kernels, and some stalks haven't grown any ears at all. Yet, with a shot at harvesting about 60 percent of his normal yield, Draper considers himself fortunate. Drought conditions that have persisted across Maryland are expected to cut this year's corn crop yield in half. The weather also is threatening soybean crops, and driving up prices for all types of grains, squeezing livestock and poultry farmers.

When Richard Young gets done with a day of crabbing, he often calls the co-owner of his seafood business on his cellphone to let her know he's headed back in. Starting next week, though, the 56-year-old waterman from Dundalk is going to be checking in by phone with the Department of Natural Resources every morning as he leaves the dock in the wee hours and then again when he's caught his last crab. And by the time he gets back to land, he'll have texted in the details of his catch - while still keeping one eye on the water, of course, as he steers his workboat, the Island Girl.

Gov.Martin O'Malleyis planning two days of meetings with key state leaders early next week that could determine whether he decides to call a special session on gambling expansion this summer. The governor is planning to meet Monday with Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Prince George's CountyExecutive Rushern Baker and Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett to test how far they are willing to go in helping to pass a plan to add a new casino in Prince George's. The next morning O'Malley is scheduled to what could be a do-or-die meeting with House Speaker Michael E. Buschand Senate President Thomas V. Mike Millerthat could decide whether the three move forward with a plan to call lawmakers back to Annapolis by mid-August to put a gambling referendum on the November ballot.

President Barack Obama has succeeded in opening up a new legal specialty, namely interpreting and enforcing the incomprehensible health care reform law ("Romney: It's a penalty, not a tax," July 3). Certainly, the resulting maze will dismay the majority of the medical profession and their patients. The tax laws now are so complicated that the average layperson is totally baffled and for the most part has to consult tax experts who frequently also have problems, not to mention the IRS responders who try to give answers to citizens' questions.

A Maryland Transportation Authority police officer's traffic stop in October netted more than $120,000 in cash for the agency and federal government.  Last week, federal prosecutors initiated formal forfeiture proceedings to claim the cash, recovered when a corporal pulled over a Hertz rental vehicle travelling southbound on I-95 in Baltimore County in October.  According to court documents, the vehicle was pulled over for traveling 65...