Lingering Problem of Functional Illiteracy Threatens to Get Worse

WASHINGTON – Donald Thornton can manage to read a bus schedule, but when it comes time to call the roll for the fourth- and fifth-graders he coaches in basketball, the Baltimore man has to ask one of the children to do it

Bethesda Mother Urges Consumers to Reject Violent Toys

ANNAPOLIS – This holiday season, Daphne White wants you to keep something in mind as you shop for toys: Violence is not child’s play

Maryland Prison Population Exploded in 20th Century

WASHINGTON – A higher percentage of Maryland residents is behind bars now than at any time during the century, and criminal justice experts say the number will likely rise into the new millennium

Transient Man Finds Himself Home for the Holidays

SILVER SPRING – Mike Ditch crossed Georgia Avenue recklessly as cars whizzed by and pointed to a parking garage and the back of the post office – places he once slept

Amid Big-House Boom, Row Houses and Town Houses Stage a Comeback

WASHINGTON – In 1900, Baltimore ruled the state and the row house ruled Baltimore

Marylanders Marched Steadily Toward Dream of Homeownership in 20th Century

WASHINGTON – A record number of Marylanders achieved the American dream during the 20th century, as post-war growth spurts, government support and general economic prosperity pushed homeownership to 65 percent

Boom Times for State Farmers’ Markets Benefit Both Growers and Consumers

WASHINGTON – At least one part of the farming business is booming in Maryland: Farmers’ markets jumped from only 23 in 1990 to 65 this year and can be found in all but two counties in the state, agriculture officials said

Maryland Lost 75 Percent of Farms, as Farmers Found it Harder to Get By

WASHINGTON – William Addison once thought farming was his future

Political Power Shifts Still Catching Up to Century’s Population Shifts

WASHINGTON – Marylanders moved from the farm to the city and then to the suburbs by the hundreds of thousands over the course of the 20th century