The Capital

The SHO car is back, with a vengeance. True to its roots as Ford's executive express, the 2010 Taurus SHO, like the two generations before it, builds on the strengths of the basic Taurus platform and adds both performance and luxury in a high-tech manner. Full Story »

A two-car accident tied up traffic on West Street Monday morning and sent two drivers to the hospital with minor injuries, city police said. Shortly before 8 a.m. the driver of a pest control truck pulled out of Davis Street and attempted to cross West Street to reach a gas station. Full Story »

On the day before Halloween, the students at Severn River Middle School had a two-hour early dismissal. Wendi Winters — For The Capital Ted Mathison, president of the Severna Park Assistance Network, accepts a check on behalf of the nonprofit organization from the seventh-grade class of Severn River Middle School. Full Story »

Baby oysters do best when they are put on top of old oyster shells. But what's one to do when there are no more oyster shells? By Pamela Wood — The Capital Crews place chunks of granite on the floor of the Severn River to serve as a base for a new oyster reef. Full Story »

EDITOR'S NOTE: Ever want someone to growl on your behalf? From plowing to potholes, from sediment runoff to sewer blockages, The Watchdog wants to hear about your civic problem. She'll figure out which government agency is responsible and follow up to see that it's handled satisfactorily. Full Story »

Getting Maryland to take drunken driving seriously has been a long, slow slog. The problems included cultural indulgence for drinking, loophole-strewn laws, judges with a weakness for playing social worker and a defense bar with more than its share of representation in the General Assembly. Full Story »

The minimum funding increase the county is required to give schools is quadrupling next year, from $2 million to $8.3 million, because of a spike in the number of students attending public school. Full Story »

NASSAU, Bahamas - Hollywood heartthrob Johnny Depp suspects he'll never get used to receiving awards for his acting work. Full Story »

Two candidates attacked by anonymous political literature during this fall's campaign want the city elections board to do more when it suspects violations of the law. Full Story »

The door ram used by police SWAT teams is heavier than it looks. Just ask the group of teens and parents who were at the Annapolis police station last week as part of a new youth outreach program. Full Story »

WASHINGTON, D.C. (AP) - Senate Democrats who thought they had found a workable compromise on health care reform learned otherwise from independent Sen. Joe Lieberman over the weekend. Full Story »

The state believes it has enough money to continue to provide grants for failing septic systems in environmentally sensitive areas, but businesses are worried they won't get paid for the work until the government sends the money directly to them. Full Story »

The county government needs to know what we are all throwing away in our garbage cans each week. And there's only one way to find out: Take a look inside that stinky, gross mess. Full Story »

For someone who has covered Naval Academy football for the past 10 years and developed great respect for the program's coaches and players, it is difficult to write these next five words. Full Story »

History was made yesterday when the Touchdown Club of Annapolis announced co-winners of the prestigious Jim Rhodes Memorial Trophy, awarded annually to the finest high school football player in Anne Arundel County. Full Story »

RIVA - A 46-year-old Baltimore man died last night shortly after walking into a volunteer fire station and verbally confronting firefighters who tried to treat him, county fire officials and police said. Full Story »

ROME - Premier Silvio Berlusconi is in pain and will remain hospitalized until at least tomorrow with a fractured nose and two broken teeth from an attack by a mentally disturbed man who hit him in the face with a statuette, doctors and aides said. Full Story »

Exxon Mobil will buy XTO Energy in an all-stock deal worth $31 billion as the oil giant moved aggressively today to capitalize on the growing supply of natural gas at home. Full Story »

The toughest part of being one of the world's greatest athletes is not the hours of grueling practice - it's saying no to excited autograph-seekers. Wendi Winters — For The Capital TOP: Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps signs an autograph Saturday at the 36th Annual Christmas Invitational Meet for Chaz McCullough, 13, of Crofton. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is asking bank executives to support his efforts to tighten the financial industry, while bankers are prepared to tell the president he should stop oversimplifying their concerns if he wants good-faith collaboration. Full Story »

BALTIMORE (AP) — A white teenager charged in the unprovoked beating of an elderly black fisherman will have his case heard in juvenile court. Full Story »

BALTIMORE (AP) — Baltimore is spending $24,000 to buy new uniforms for employees at the city's 311 call center. Officials say money approved last week by the city's Board of Estimates will pay for polo shirts, slacks and sweaters or hooded sweat shirts for about 80 workers. Full Story »

WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation's capital got in the holiday spirit Sunday night when music legends Neil Diamond and Mary J. Blige performed for President Barack Obama at the annual "Christmas in Washington" concert. Full Story »

For six years, global consulting firm Accenture PLC featured Tiger Woods in ads designed to highlight the company's claimed attributes of integrity and high performance. Full Story »

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Michael Phelps won the 200-yard butterfly Sunday, giving the 14-time Olympic champion five first-place finishes in five events at the three-day NBAC Christmas meet at the U.S. Naval Academy. Full Story »