Tax Refund

Mooney off to fresh start By LAURA ERNDE laurae@herald-mail.com Sen. Alex X. Mooney, whose first three years in office were marked by intense opposition to the leadership in Annapolis, says this year will be different. Mooney got off to a conciliatory start on opening day of the Maryland General Assembly session by voting to re-elect Sen. Thomas V. Mike Miller as Senate president for the 16th straight year. Mooney voted against Miller last year to protest the president's use of an obscure Senate rule to bring a gun control bill up for a vote.

Local lawmakers miffed over college's plan to change its name ANNAPOLIS - Western Maryland lawmakers took offense last week at Western Maryland College's plan to change its name. The Westminster, Md., college is paying an Illinois company $200,000 to come up with a new name because its current name leads people to mistakenly think it's located in the mountains. It may be close to Baltimore, but the college is still technically part of Western Maryland, lawmakers said.

WAYNESBORO, Pa. -- A student-hosted forum Thursday for Waynesboro Area School Board candidates featured not only questions about district spending, but also topics that might seem more relevant to teenagers. Student moderators Jessie Larios, Mary Dennis and Archie Cooley asked candidates about high school parking permits and the possibility of four-day school weeks. All the candidates and current school board members thanked teacher Ken Brown and his civics class for holding the event.

The old advice, "pay yourself first," is still good advice today. Saving is an important piece of building your financial security. Consider savings as a fixed expense similar to the rent, mortgage or utility bill. Put away some money in savings before you do anything else with your paycheck. Pay yourself first. That means each month, before you're tempted to spend money, commit to putting some of your money into a savings. You can write out a check to be deposited into your savings account, but it's much easier to arrange with your bank to do a regular automatic transfer of a certain amount from your paycheck or your checking account into savings.

As corporations go, Apple and the late and unlamented Enron would appear to be about as polar opposite as two companies can get. Apple manufactures innovative, useful, world-class electronics. Enron produced obtuse numbers in nonsensical accounts that it playfully named after flesh-eating dinosaurs. Apple's products have increased productivity and satisfaction for their users. Enron generated millions of dollars for its top executives at the expense of everyone else, from employees to shareholders to electricity consumers.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- The man, sporting a nice shirt and slacks, and his wife, in a white sweater, brown slacks and heels, present a picture of prosperity as they sit in Hagerstown City Hall. "Wow! You own a lot of property!" exclaims the man in a suit facing them across a table. Appearances are deceiving. Indeed, the Frederick couple owns six houses and a timeshare -- and so far, their attorney tells the suit-clad U.S. Bankruptcy Court trustee, three have gone into foreclosure.

Cartoon wasin poor taste To the editor: The first article I read this morning was about the beheading of Nick Berg, it was difficult to read and I can't imagine the pain the family is going through. A few pages later I was shocked to see the cartoon of Rumsfeld's head on a platter. I feel it was an inappropriate cartoon to run at this time and I am disappointed in the paper's decision to use it. Darcy Munro Williamsport (Editor's note: Because the Opinion Page is laid out in advance, the cartoon was selected before the Berg story became public.

All rightie, it's my favorite time of year. Well, perhaps not more favorite than Christmas, fall leaf season, Easter, tax-refund time, the Super Bowl, the first day of school and the time when the dogwood and redbud are in bloom at the same time. But other than that, it is my favorite time of year. Yes, it's that time of year again when the national obesity statistics come out and, like at the Oscars, I always get real tingly when they slit open the envelope. And the Tri-State area got some great news when West Virginia won the crown as the most obese state in the nation.

laurae@herald-mail.com FAIRPLAY- Marisa remains the smallest of the four and Maverick's rambunctious personality still fits his name. Deidra hasn't fully overcome her health problems and Dallas still is the most easygoing. But day-to-day life with the Davis quadruplets is anything but predictable, their mother said. On the verge of turning 6 years old, the quadruplets, who were born May 20, 1998, now are going to kindergarten and playing tee ball. Their parents, Craig and Denise Davis of Fairplay, are thankful they no longer have to change 16 to 20 diapers a day. Instead, they're busy preparing an endless supply of meals for the hungry bunch.

Editor's note - Please be as brief as possible when calling Mail Call, The Daily Mail's reader call-in line. Mail Call is not staffed on weekends or holidays so it is best to call Mail Call during the week. The Mail Call number is 301-791-6236. You are welcome to leave a recorded message on any subject, but some calls will be screened out. Here are some of the calls we have received lately: "The Board of Education wants the parents to believe that they are safe at school.