The Baltimore Sun from Baltimore, Maryland • Page A1

THURSDAY 01.18.2007 BALTIMORE, MD THE SUN'S 170TH YEAR: NO. 18 BALTIMORESUN.COM FINAL 50 CENTS THE NEW DAY' FOR MD. INAUGURATION OF MARTIN O'MALLEY Governor takes his oath, pledges bipartisan respect and progress on the state's problems BY JENNIFER SKALKA AND ANDREW A. GREEN SUN REPORTERS Martin O'Malley, sworn in as the state's 6lst governor yesterday as a 19-gun salute echoed in wintry air, promised "a new day in Maryland" marked by bipartisan respect and a fresh resolve to improve the lives of state residents. "For too long in the capitals of our nation and our states, we've acted as if our people have somehow lost the capacity to sacrifice and to make tough choices, but, my friends, to govern is to choose," O'Malley said from a podium outside the historic State House.

"In our Maryland, in our one Maryland, progress is always possible. And together we can make real progress, with respect for one another, with truth about ourselves, and the problems that we face, and faith in our ideals as a people." O'Malley's 13-minute speech was delivered from the sunny steps of the State House after he took his official oath of office in a joint session of the General Assembly launching a return to Democratic rule in Annapolis. Please see INAUGURATION, 8A Cancer deaths decline again Consecutive years of drop credited to prevention, therapy Black women take strategic posts in city's government BY JOHN FRITZE sun reporter As she raises her hand and solemnly swears, Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon will make history today before she steps inside her new office breaking 200 years of male domination at City Hall and placing Baltimore as the second-largest city in the nation with a woman in charge. Dixon, 53, is Baltimore's first female mayor, and her ascension not only bucks a national trend toward more males in local government but also ushers in a year in which African-American women will occupy the most powerful positions in Baltimore, including the mayor, City Council president, comptroller and state's attorney. "It matters," said longtime City Council-woman Mary Pat Clarke, who became Baltimore's first female City Council president in 1987.

"Every time a woman takes a job that's new, I think there's more pressure on that woman to perform than on a man who would take the same job." Please see WOMEN, 2 OA MORE COVERAGE A WELCOME The signs of change go up along Maryland's interstates. PG 1C FAMILY TIES O'Malley's wife and kids stick close on his first day. PG 9A RODRICKS Governor hasn't quite nailed his message yet. PG 1B BY CHRIS EMERY AND JONATHAN ROCKOFF SUN REPORTERS Cancer deaths have declined in the United States for the second year in a row, suggesting that decades of research into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the disease are paying off. A study by the American Cancer Society, released yesterday, found that at least 3,000 fewer people died of cancer in 2004 than in the previous year, a decrease that continues despite a population growing in numbers and in age.

According to the ACS, 553,888 people died from cancer in 2004, or more than 1,500 a day. "We are clearly on the right path," Dr. Martin D. Abeloff, director of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, said, commenting on the results. "We are seeing that cancer is really beginning to convert to a chronic disease." Among men, deaths from lung cancer, prostate cancer and colorectal cancer dropped the most.

In women, the greatest decline was recorded in breast and colorectal cancers. Experts attributed the progress to a variety of forces, including improved screening, a decline in smoking and the development of better drugs and therapies. "We always want to see the grand-slam home run," said Abeloff. "But what we are seeing are incremental gains." The absolute drop in the number of cancer deaths continues a trend that started in Please see CANCER, 7 A CANCER DEaTRT Cancer deaths in the United States have dropped for a second straight year. Cancer deaths, in thousands Gov.

Martin O'Malley with his wife, Baltimore District Court Judge Catherine Curran O'Malley, and sons Jack (left) and William. He delivered a brief speech in front of the State House and the family watched an inaugural parade. CHIAKI KAWAJIRI SUN PHOTOGRAPHER ON THE WEB Additional coverage, including video of the governor's inauguration ceremony, is available online at baltimoresun.compolitics Md. Wal-Mart law dealt second defeat U.S. appeals court upholds earlier ruling; Assembly seeks new health care solutions Bush to seek OK for eavesdropping In apparent shift, secret security court would approve domestic spying by NSA WORLD WAR DEBATE IS SET UP Setting up a showdown that could come next week, several anti-war senators, including one Republican, introduce a resolution opposing President Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq.

PG 14A WEATHER SHOWERS DEVELOPING High, 42; low, 30. Yesterday's downtown high, 37; low, 27. PG 8B 290 state's Fair Share Health Care Act was incompatible with federal rules that promote uniform treatment of employees. "In short, the Fair Share Act leaves employers no reasonable choices except to change how they structure their employee benefit plans," Judge Paul V. Niemeyer wrote for the majority, adding that such a constricted choice also violates the federal Employee Retirement Income Security Act, or ERISA.

With the future of the so-called Wal-Mart law in doubt, state legislators are planning to resurrect a host of other possible health care solutions during the Please see WAL-MART, 12A BY MATTHEW DOLAN, MELISSA HARRIS AND LAURA SMITHERMAN SUN REPORTERS Maryland's first-in-the-nation law to compel Wal-Mart to spend more on employee health care suffered another setback yesterday, providing fresh incentive for legislative leaders in Annapolis to explore ways to boost insurance coverage that do not involve the retailing giant. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit upheld a lower court finding that struck down Maryland's legislation. A divided three-judge panel ruled that the Alberto R. Gonzales is scheduled to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee this morning.

On Jan. 10, a judge on the secret national security court gave the federal government the authority to monitor calls to or from the United States that it believes are linked to al-Qaida or a related terrorist organization, Gonzales said in a letter yesterday to top members of the Judiciary Committee. Administration officials said they hope the ruling will cool debate over the president's power to authorize warrantless surveillance. "As a result of these orders, Please see NSA, 13A BY SIOBHAN GORMAN SUN REPORTER WASHINGTON In an apparent shift, President Bush has agreed to submit the National Security Agency's controversial domestic eavesdropping program to a secret court for approval, eliminating the warrantless aspect of the program, federal officials announced yesterday. Critics say the move, a year after the NSA program became public, appears to be an effort to pre-empt an investigation by Congress now that Democrats are in control.

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