The Baltimore Sun from Baltimore, Maryland • A7

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2016 THE BALTIMORE SUN 7 France defiant 1 year after attacks killed 130 1 MARTIN BUREAUGETTY-AFP ABD DOUMANYGETTY-AFP A Syrian boy makes a run for it Sunday in the rebel-held town of Douma, near Damascus. Fighting in northern Syria kills 23, including 11 children Lanterns float in a Paris canal on Sunday as France honored the memories of victims of the 2015 terror attacks. Families plead for unity as liberties encroached upon By Angela Charlton and Elaine Ganley Associated Press PARIS France is a changed place since Islamic State extremists killed 130 people in the country's deadliest attacks a year ago. Fearing it's becoming more divided, too, survivors and victims' families marked Sunday's anniversary of the violence by pleading for national unity instead. Tourism is hurting, armed forces roam streets and France is still under a state of emergency that rights groups call abusive and ineffective and that the prime minister now says may be extended yet again.

"We always have this fear that weighs heavily in our hearts. We always try to be careful. And every time we pass by here, we think of them," said Sabrina Nedjadi, paying respects Sunday in her diverse eastern Paris neighborhood targeted in the attacks. At midday, hundreds of balloons were released to honor the memories of the victims; at dusk, paper lanterns were released into the Canal Saint Martin, bearing blue, white and red lights representing the French flag. Onlookers, including many families with children, lined the canal and surrounding bridges, watching silently as the lanterns drifted.

Some fear that France itself is adrift, its government unable to defeat the amorphous extremist enemy even as authorities encroach on liberties that the French hold dear. While French warplanes are targeting Islamic State strongholds in Iraq and Syria, the state of emergency at home allows broadened police powers to search homes and monitor communications. But it could not prevent further attacks on France over the past year, including a truck rampage in Nice by a man claiming allegiance to Islamic State. "Yes, terrorism will strike us again," Prime Minister Manuel Vails warned this weekend The International Federation for Human Rights warned in a recent report: 'Trance is now in a situation where an 'exceptional' regime is becoming permanent, in the name of combating terrorism. But there is little evidence that this approach is working and it comes at a cost to fundamental rights." As silence descended Sunday on Paris for a series of commemorations, the son of the first victim of the attacks spoke out for tolerance in the face of hate.

Manuel Dias, an immigrant from Portugal, was killed by a suicide bomber outside the national stadium during an international match Nov. 13, 2015. Under heavy security, President Francois Hol-lande unveiled a plaque in his memory Sunday near the Stade de France. Dias' son Michael said his father was "living proof that integration is possible, necessary" to end such vio lence. Learning to live again after extremists killed his father was "a personal challenge, but it concerns us all," Dias said.

"Long live tolerance, long live intelligence, long live France." Some people cried, others simply lit candles or laid flowers at ceremonies Sunday near the six bars and eateries where gunmen opened fire on unsuspecting crowds enjoying an unusually mild November Friday night. Notre Dame Cathedral held a special commemorative Mass on Sunday evening. Across the Seine River, mourners, tourists and residents streamed to the Bata-clan concert hall, where 90 people were killed by three attackers who also took hostages. The concert hall reopened Saturday night with an emotional concert by Sting. Jesse Hughes of Eagles of Death Metal, the California band whose concert that night ended in a bloodbath, paid respects at the Bataclan ceremony, placing his hand on his heart as he departed.

Nine people remain hospitalized from the attacks; others are paralyzed. Hundreds are receiving psychological treatment Yet a sign posted near the Bataclan, "Love for all, hate for no one," captures the sense of defiance shared by many. paign. The rebel offensive started after Russia, a major Syrian government ally, said it would halt airstrikes to allow rebels and supporters to leave eastern Aleppo. The rebels refused to take up the offer, and the United Nations failed to negotiate allowing in aid to the besieged area, amid wide anticipation of an imminent pro-government offensive.

Residents of eastern Aleppo on Sunday said for days they got text messages urging them to leave in the next 24 hours. It was not possible to immediately verify the authenticity of the messages or who sent them. Government aircraft had previously dropped fliers on the eastern districts also urging residents to leave and make use of the Russian-declared passageways to evacuate the besieged district. Three residents said they received the messages Friday and Sunday throughout the day, denouncing the opposition and threatening residents with an attack. Later Sunday, the Aleppo Media Center and the Syrian Civil Defense in eastern Aleppo said artillery shelling by the government hit a car and killed 11 people, many of them children.

While airstrikes on eastern Aleppo have subsided, aerial bombings of rebel-held western parts of Aleppo province continued. The Syrian Civil Defense, which operates in opposition-held areas, said one of its centers was bombed in rural Aleppo and put out of service in airstrikes on the town of Atareb. The strikes also killed three people, including two children. Meanwhile, a suspected airstrike is believed to have struck at a border crossing in Kurdish-held Afrin Canton, which links the area to rebel-held parts of Aleppo province, the Kurdish security force, known as the Asayish, said Sunday. The Asayish statement, carried by the Kurdish news agency Hawar, said the bombing occurred early Sunday.

The Observatory put the death toll from the explosion there at 12. In the complex terrain of northern Syria, it was not immediately clear who was behind the bombing. Near Damascus, opposition activists said airstrikes in Khan al-Shih hit a mosque around dawn Sunday, killing at least two people, including the mosque's cleric. By Sarah El Deeb Associated Press BEIRUT At least 11 children were among 23 killed Sunday in northern Syria as pro-government forces kept up their campaign against opposition areas in the country's north, while rebels shelled a government-held district in Aleppo. At least eight more people were killed in a suspected airstrike on a crossing point connecting Kurdish-held areas with rebel areas in northern Aleppo province, the Kurdish security force said.

The violence Sunday comes a day after government troops repelled a rebel offensive on western parts of Aleppo launched in late October. State news agency SANA said the shelling of a western Aleppo district killed four, including two women and a child. Aleppo has been deeply divided since 2012. The faltering rebel offensive was designed to break the siege on opposition-held eastern Aleppo. The government siege left an estimated 275,000 people trapped with no aid allowed in since July, amid a punishing bombing cam Ravens plan upgrades for Bank Stadium retained the right "to review and comment on all design and construction contracts." Frenz signed the Sept.

29 memorandum along with Ravens president Dick Cass, and the authority's board approved the initial renovation plans in October. The Ravens confirmed last week that they had reached agreement on the initial improvements, including the video boards and a second "ribbon" board the stadium already has one on the lower deck for messages such as promotions or out-of-town NFL scores. The club declined to comment further, saying it would be premature to discuss details of the proposals still under discussion. This season, the Ravens added a natural grass field to replace the artificial turf that had been there since 2002. In 2015, the team added 360-degree replays with a newly implemented system called "freeD." The club also said it spent more than $5 million before last season to improve Wi-Fi access in the stadium for fans.

While the Ravens have had no problem selling out games, officials said last year that the team like others must compete with evolving technology such as high-definition television. Bank Stadium is unique for its purple seats and gap-toothed upper deck. And most other football stadiums of its STADIUM, From page 1 original stadium design, creating views of the city for fans. The team would pay for the improvements. The $110 million price tag for the projects would be about half what the brick-sided, stadium cost when competed in 1998 with $205 million from the state and $24 million from the team.

"The Ravens are offering to expend a significant amount of capital into the stadium, so that's a positive thing," said Michael Frenz, executive director of the stadium authority, which serves as the team's landlord on behalf of the state. "I think it's pretty clear that what they're trying to do is improve the fan experience." The stadium authority also may kick in some more money. If it reaches agreement with the team on the $110 million package, the document says the authority "will use its best efforts" to pay up to $24 million for various projects that could include work on mechanical systems or flooring. "It's really nuts-and-bolts type things," Frenz said. Frenz cautioned that a large chunk of the renovations amounting to $71 million of the $110 million were still tentative "We're negotiating with the Ravens on an agreement.

It's still under discussion," he said. In the document, the stadium authority KENNETH K. LAMBALTIMORE SUN The Ravens are proposing to replace the east and west video boards with larger ones under the $110 million renovation plan. generation used concrete, glass, stone and steel not brick. Although sometimes overshadowed by its neighbor the popular Oriole Park at Camden Yards Bank Stadium is still well regarded.

Stadium Journey, a site that annually ranks ballparks, recently listed Bank stadium as No. 17 on its top-100 stadium experiences. Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis was the only NFL stadium listed ahead of it. Oriole Park at Camden Yards was ranked No.L Ravens fan Bill Lambka of Pasadena said while Baltimore is fortunate to have "absolutely fantastic" stadiums, escalators would be welcome at Ravens' games. "It's getting up to that upper level and getting back," Lambka said.

"There are a lot of fans who have health issues. I have a very good friend with health isues, and he's very limited." The current stadium escalator is for the club level. Elevators are for fans in the suite or club levels but not those in the upper bowl unless they have disabilities. jebarkerbaltsun.com twitter.comsunjejfbarker Baltimore zoning overhaul nears approval be making some changes. We'll be in a position to fix things that aren't working." Disputes flared up around Baltimore over the rezoning.

The council held more than 40 meetings to address concerns. In Fells Point, neighborhood groups banded together to try to limit building heights, but the proposal failed. In nearby Highlandtown, representatives of industrial firms took issue with an amendment proposed by Councilman James B. Kraft to allow the construction of new homes. Opponents feared a clash between residents and business.

Kraft's amendment stood. In Roland Park, the Baltimore Country Club tried to prevent a cap on the number of homes that could be built on its land. Neighbors supported the limit, and the council sided with them. lbroadwaterbaltsun.com twitter.comlukebroadwater two weeks of passage of their zoning bill," she said. "There are going to be mistakes.

I would hope it gets amended once a year. Certainly, anything would be better than waiting for 40 years. These things need to be frequently looked at as cities change and evolve." Council members say the overhaul, dubbed TransForm Baltimore, has been written to usher in an era of faster, simpler development. It includes changes intended to promote the reuse of the city's old buildings and encourage walkable neighborhoods that include homes and businesses suited to 21st-century tastes. The changes in the bill would make it easier to create urban farms, bioparks and projects built near transit stops.

The council erupted in a bitter dispute last month over how the code handles liquor stores. The rewrite would put dozens of liquor stores in residential neighborhoods out of business. Councilman Nick J. Mosby proposed a 60-page amendment that would have been even more stringent Mosby proposed creating a Public Nuisance Prevention Board that included community members, limiting the sale of individual beers, and blocking some new liquor-serving establishments from opening within 300 feet of existing establishments. Young and others argued the amendment was anti-business.

It failed by a vote of 11-3. City Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke supported Mosby's amendment. She was pleased with other aspects of the zoning bill. "I'm relieved and glad to see it end successfully," she said. "We were very much in consensus about the lands of businesses that we need to have council approval for.

"I feel it's a good new code, but yet we'll ZON I NG, From page 1 glad it's over. We're not 100 percent where we want to be, but we're 95 percent there. "When the new council comes in in January, we're going to put together a group to evaluate what we passed. If anything fell through the cracks, we'll amend it then." Baltimore's current zoning bill was approved in 197L The city's Planning Department began to work on a rewrite of the law eight years ago, and the council has worked on it for more than four years. Council members have considered more than 800 amendments and signed off on more than 290.

Laurie Feinberg, Baltimore's assistant director of planning, worked on the legislation for years. She said it would not be unusual after such an overhaul for the council to take a fresh look at what passed in January. "Philadelphia had amendments within.