The "Fiscal Cliff," Bay Blue Crabs, The Sale Of The Senator Theater, and Suicide Prevention Training At Fort Meade And APG

The so-called "fiscal cliff" could have a big impact on Maryland. That's the word from a report from the state's Department of Budget and Management. The analysis says that if Congress and President Obama don't reach an agreement before automatic cuts to defense and other programs take effect in January, Marylanders could lose $2.5-billion dollars worth of income. Maryland could also suffer the direct loss of about 12-and-a-half-thousand jobs -- with maybe 85-thousand MORE jobs lost indirectly. Such job losses would likely send the state's economy into recession (via the Baltimore Sun, the Washington Post, and the Frederick News Post). 

Get your table paper down and your mallets out. If you want Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs before they head south for the winter, you may soon have to pick them yourself. WYPR’s Karen Hosler brings us this Old Bay-flavored report.

Speaking of crabs, a blue crab named "Baltimore Bill" is predicting an early winter. Charm City's weather-prognosticating crustacean walked off a specially-designed plank at the Inner Harbor yesterday and swam to the right toward the Chesapeake Bay. The folks who make Old Bay seafood seasoning say that means an early winter. If Bill had headed left, it's supposed to indicate a nice, warm fall (via our wire service and the Towson Patch).

Recently, WYPR’s Senior News Analyst Fraser Smith commented on lying in presidential politics. A listener disagreed with Fraser's conclusions... and Fraser responds in his weekly essay.

Baltimore's Board of Estimates has voted to approve the sale of the historic Senator Theater to its current operators for $500k (via our wire service and the Baltimore Sun).

The Army is holding mandatory suicide prevention training at Fort Meade and the Aberdeen Proving Ground. Fort Meade's training yesterday was part of an initiative to deal with the Army's highest-ever suicide rate. Aberdeen Proving Ground will hold its "stand down" training today, as military installations around the globe temporarily halt operations to focus on suicide prevention (via our wire service and the Baltimore Sun).

In sports news this morning: the Orioles hit a team-record-tying SEVEN home runs in last night's game against the Toronto Blue Jays (not the Tampa Bay Rays, as I mistakenly said in two early newscasts -- Nathan Sterner); the home runs spurred the O's to a 12 to 2 victory over the Blue Jays. The Orioles are off today.

And in other sports news: Ravens fans will be happy to hear that union referees are returning to the NFL. Last night, the NFL and the NFL Referees Association announced they have agreed to a new eight-year labor contract. The new collective bargaining agreement is still subject to ratification, but union refs are expected to be in action tonight, when the Ravens face the Cleveland Browns at M&T Bank Stadium. The game starts at 8:20pm.