The Avenue News from Dundalk, Maryland • A5

on the web www.AvenueNews.com March 31, 2022 The Avenue News Page 5 8127 PULASKI HWY. BALTIMORE, MD 21237 41 AUTO TALKAUTO TALK BAD STARTER Are you having problems starting your vehicle? One reason could be a defective starter. Issues with a starter are more common than many drivers realize. Symptoms of a bad starter include a clicking noise when the key is turned or the start button pushed, smoke under the hood, and the dashboard lights lighting up but the engine turn over. A bad starter can often be confused with other car troubles, such as a dead battery, so essential to visit a mechanic immediately for a proper diagnosis before the problem worsens.

Loose wiring, dirty or corroded connections, battery corrosion, oil leaking onto the starter, and bad fuses all may contribute to a bad starter. Ask most drivers and they will tell you that reliability is at the top of the list of features they demand in a vehicle. And as anyone who has ever driven a car knows, when you turn that key to get where going to work, to pick up the kids at school, to shop before dinner guests arrive you are relying on that car to start. At Garage, we have the know-how to give you expert advice on maintenance and repair to get you where you need to be comfortably, safely, and on time, every time. HINT: A starter can die without making any noise at all.

Presented by Quintin Hankla LAW FIRM Combined Over 50 Years In Practice Dennis E. Jason E. Cuomo Baltimore Towson Locations Day Evening Hours 410-675-7900 cuomolawfirm.com CRIMINAL CASES D.U.I./TRAFFIC (Former Assistant States PERSONAL INJURY ACCIDENT CASES WILLS AND ESTATE ADMINISTRATION BALTIMORE (AP) Tug boats began working to dislodge a stranded container ship Tuesday, more than two weeks after it ran aground in the Chesapeake Bay. The effort to refloat the more than (305-meter) Ever Forward using five tug boats began Tuesday afternoon, U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer 3rd Class Kimberly Reaves said.

From shore, three tug boats could be seen pulling on taut lines attached to the rear of the Ever Forward, sending puffs of smoke into the air. Dozens of people gathered at a park nearby to watch the work Tuesday af- ternoon. The ship operated by Tai- wan-based Evergreen Ma- rine Corp. was headed from the Port of Baltimore to Nor- folk, Virginia, on March 13 when it ran aground north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

Officials have said there were no reports of injuries, damage or pollution. A salvage company began dredging around the ship a week later and Evergreen said in a statement Tuesday that enough material has been displaced for the at- tempts to free the vessel. The plan was for five tugboats to work together in the effort and to reduce the ballast wa- ter on Ever Forward to light- en the ship, Evergreen said. At noon, officials extend- ed a 500-yard (457-meter) safety zone around the ship to 1,000 yards (914 meters), closing the navigation chan- nel to commercial traffic un- til midnight. If the ship is not refloated Tuesday, dredging will start again and a second attempt will be made Sunday, offi- cials said.

If both attempts at freeing the ship are un- successful, the removal of containers will have to begin, according to a marine safety information bulletin. The Coast Guard has said they have not yet determined what caused the Ever For- ward to run aground. The ship ran aground outside the shipping channel and has not been blocking navigation, unlike last high-profile grounding in the Suez Canal of its sister vessel, the Ever Given, which disrupted the global supply chain for days. Work starts to free Ever Forward stranded in Chesapeake Bay AP CORTEZ The tugboats Atlantic Enterprise, left, and Atlantic Salvor, bottom right, use lines to pull the container ship Ever Forward, top right, which ran aground in the Chesapeake Bay, as crews began to attempt to refloat the ship, Tuesday, March 29, 2022, in Pasadena. By BRIAN WITTE Associated Press ANNAPOLIS Maryland lawmakers scrambled to ap- prove a new congressional map Tuesday to comply with a court order, after a judge struck down the first map drawn by Democrats this redistricting cycle late last week.

The Maryland Senate moved quickly to advance a new plan with more com- pactly drawn districts for the eight U.S. House seats. The Senate voted 30- 13 for the map, which was introduced Monday night. That sends the measure to the House, which is expect- ed to pass the bill quickly to comply with a Wednesday deadline set by a judge for a new plan. Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judge Lynne Battaglia struck down the map Friday, calling it product of extreme partisan In her order, Battaglia said the map violated the state constitutional require- ment that legislative districts consist of adjoining terri- tory and be compact in form, with due regard for natural boundaries and political sub- divisions.

It also violated the state free elec- tions, free speech and equal protection clauses, she said. Legislative leaders said the ruling amounted to a new standard for the congressional maps. While those standards have ap- plied to the boundaries of the state legislative districts for the 188 seats in the Gen- eral Assembly in the past, they had not been applied before to the congressional map, they said. Senate President Bill Fer- guson and House Speaker Adrienne Jones said in a statement Monday that the new map is contingent on the loss of an appeal of the ruling. The new map was drawn by staff at the Maryland Department of Legislative Services over the weekend to comply with the order.

Sen. Melony Griffith, a Prince County Democrat, said the presid- ing officers requested the new map in legislation based on the court ruling and after consultation with the attor- ney general. drafting was based on the guidance given from the court, a desire to keep people, as many as possible, with their current districts or representation, mindful of our desire and require- ment to comply with the Vot- ing Rights Act, to maintain compactness, avoid packing and take into consideration unique geogra- Griffith said. In a map long criticized for sprawling districts drawn to benefit Democrats, Demo- crats now hold a 7-1 advantage in the U.S. House seats over the GOP.

in a state where Democratic voters out- number Republicans 2-1. Liliana Norkaitis, a high school student in Harford County, was one of three people who testified against the new map at a Tuesday morning bill hearing, after a signup period to testify was less than 12 hours, from 8:30 p.m. Monday to 7:30 a.m. Tuesday. I have not yet completed AP statistics this year, I need to be a certified statistician to know that the federal representa- tion is heavily inflated to be a Democratic Nor- kaitis said.

asking for the map to reflect that of our state Critics said the plan ap- proved in a December spe- cial session would potentially enable Democrats to go 8-0 by endangering the only Republican congress- man, Rep. Andy Harris. The initial map added Democrats to district by extending the boundar- ies that include the Eastern Shore to the west across the Chesapeake Bay and into a pocket with more Demo- cratic voters in Anne Arun- del County. The revised map approved Tuesday removes that change, restoring GOP strength there. Overall, the new map makes the districts more compact.

The 6th Congres- sional District in western Maryland, which had been held by a Republican be- fore it was redrawn about a decade ago, would have all of Frederick County in the district. Still, Republican lawmak- ers say the map basically preserves the unfairness of the boundaries that have been in effect for the last de- cade. Sen. Michael Hough, a Frederick County Republi- can, said the map is identical to the map I voted against 10 years ago, which was a 7-1 map, while prettier, is nothing more than lipstick on a Hough said. Maryland lawmakers scramble to produce new congressional map.