Zip Code

Why can't political redistricting be done simply by adding or subtracting adjacent zip codes? Surely by using census and post office data, not to mention private industry's marketing research, we pretty much know the precise population of every zip code in the nation. Why can't political redistricting be simply done by adding or subtracting adjacent zip codes? Start from one corner of the state and go north, east, south, or west (depending on what shape the state best lends itself to)

It's one thing to go foraging. It's yet another to know where to look! With the help of neighborhoodfruit.com , you can locate both fruit trees on public land, such as in parks, as well as trees on private property where the owners have offered the fruit to those willing to pick it. On the flip side, if you know of a publicly accessible tree, or have a fruit-bearing tree on your property that you can't or don't want to pick, this might...

Arnolia United Methodist Church Thrift Store, 1776 E. Joppa Road, in Parkville (corner of Joppa and Oakley roads) announces its grand opening on Aug. 22 at 11 a.m. Proceeds will support Arnolia outreach programs for persons in the 21234 ZIP code. The outreach programs assist the community with school supplies, food and to help prevent evictions and utility turn-offs. Items from the thrift store will include gently used men's, women's and children's clothing, housewares and other household items.

Major League Baseball is considering realigning its leagues and divisions. Proposals have ranged from adding two teams to the 14 currently in the American League, thus equaling the number in the National League, to moving the Houston Astros to the American League and creating two 15-team leagues. Everyone from ESPN's Mike Greenberg to NBC's Bob Costas to baseball writers struggling to come up with a story have weighed in with various schemes or analysis. Virtually all agree that every solution is, to a certain degree, unfair and imbalanced.

HP and Fandango are offering $5 off your Fandango.com purchase made by 4/30 at midnight. Just start at  http://www.fandango.com/promo/hpfeefree  and type in your zip code. After that just pick the theater/movie you want and follow the steps as usual and $5 will automatically be taken off at checkout. Now I can afford to see Thor and Vin Diesel vs The Rock!

Andre Wright and Kena Douglas were intrigued with the new-looking bungalow on High Ridge Road in an old-fashioned, nearly rural neighborhood just east of Interstate 95 in North Laurel. They had been hoping to find a place to buy in Columbia, where Wright works and Douglas goes to school, but she was enamored of the all-new "green" features in the completely renovated home rescued from abandonment and foreclosure by the Howard County Housing Commission. "That appeals to me," said Douglas, 49. Wright, 51, added that winter heating oil bills in homes with conventional systems can run hundreds of dollars a month.

Doug Ashton takes pride in Orchard Beach, his community of small homes and cottages nestled along northern Anne Arundel County's waterfront, where the laid-off construction superintendent has organized cleanups of shorelines sometimes littered with beer cans and other trash. Now Ashton is pushing to clean up his area's reputation as an outpost of the scrappy South Baltimore neighborhood of Curtis Bay, leading an effort for his community to get its own ZIP code. Orchard Beach is one of six waterfront communities of cottages and townhouses that recently banded together to lobby the U.S. Postal Service to officially recognize their communities; though they won't get their own ZIP codes, they'll soon be listed as independent postal destinations.

A program that offers East Baltimore residents an alternative to payday loans has more cash to lend and has expanded to include more ZIP codes. The "Borrow and Save" program, which makes low-interest loans, has extended its one-year pilot to encourage residents to pay down debt and save money. The mission of the program is to improve the economic well-being of low- to moderate-income families and individuals by providing them access to small loans to break the high-cost, short-term borrowing cycle.

Thank you to The Sun for your March 18 editorial urging prompt response by all Marylanders to the 2010 census ("Return your census form," March 18). We're off to a great start. After the first week, 24 percent of Maryland households had returned their forms -- nearly twice the national average. Folks have remarked to us that, as advertised, they're easy and quick to fill out. But the work of Maryland's Complete Count committee isn't over. We're reaching out to community leaders, clergy and others to spread the message, especially in economically challenged areas that are traditionally the hardest to count.

I live in the city (zip code 21206). My neighborhood is completely blocked in with no sign of help. Many of my neighbors and myself are unable to get to work. Our roads have not been plowed. We have many elderly residents that family members can't get to because of the roads. The county roads look great compared to the city. What's going on?!? I am originally from Boston and have seen my fair share of storms. The mayor needs to contact them because they know how to plan and execute snow removal.