The Capital from Annapolis, Maryland • Page 12

A4-THE 'CAPITAL, Tuesday March 9 1999 REGION Delegate: Teens buy booze on Internet ASSOCIATED PRESS Young people who cannot walk into a liquor store and buy alcoholic beverages can get it delivered to their home if they have access to the Internet and a credit card number Sen. Marilyn Goldwater, D-Montgomery, asked a House of Delegates Committee yesterday tn hpln tnrn.nff thp Internet hnngp 1 9 9 9 CENIMi organization set up to battle Internet sales of alcoholic beverages. It was opposed by the wine industry It is already illegal in Maryland to sell alcoholic beverages by i His job would be made much easier if Ms Goldwater's bill was expanded to apply to all sales and not just sales to minors, Mr Ehart said. He predicted he would seldom have to use the law if violation of the ban on sales by mail is made a felony -'I believe that the act of it being a felony in her dorm, where the alcohol was purchased through the Internet, that resulted in one man being sent to the hospital. Wine industry representatives said wineries take care not to sell to minors and should not have to live with the threat of a felony conviction for what could be a simple mistake.

Reporter sentenced child porn case GREENBELT (AP) HiS VOlCe quavering, veteran reporter Larry spigot by making it a felony to sell alcoholic beverages by mail to anyone under age 21 "Youngsters are very cyber savvy these days," she said at a hearing before the House Economic Matters Committee the Internet, vnn ASSEMBLY man 10 anyone regaro- less of age, but the crime is only a misdemeanor, rt, director of the state alcohol and tobacco tax unit, said it is difficult to try to prosecute out-of-state Internet would stop most of them in their tracks," he said. The bill drew support from John Gaine and Lisa Bird, Montgomery County high school students active in Students Against kkni in a Univer'si Albert Copp of Woodhall Wine Cellars in Baltimore County opposed the bill even though it would not apply to wineries located in He said he is concerned about winery nt ho iin Matthews offered a courtroom assurance "They don't ask for any verification. It comes in a box that is not marked Her bill drew support from students, the state comptroller's office and a national inclined to try to extradite someone for a misdemeanor "People on the Internet we can't reach," he said. "We write them letters. They ignore ary- resiaem assistant in a university 01 land at College Park dormitory.

Mr. Gaine and Ms. Bird said they know of students who buy alcoholic beverages over the Internet. And Ms Metzger told of a party wiiiu up with a felony conviction that would cost them their federal license to produce wine. "You "can't know everything there is to know," he said.

Local gayernmenis online REGIONAL DIGEST ASSOCIATED PRESS Almost all of Maryland's 23 counties, and a third of its 157 municipalities have Web sites, which are gaming in popularity for offering a variety of services to residents, county and municipal officials say "It's just part of the information revolution," said Kevin Best, manager of research and information management at the Maryland Municipal League. "It's become really very difficult to justify not having a Web site for a local government, even if it's a very small or municipality The Internet can be used to send out parking permit applications without postage, provide legislative agendas, texts of pending bills, public meeting schedules, copies of local ordinances, biographies of officials, e-mail addresses, and information about various building permits Annapolis' Web site has changed the way the city does business, said Thomas W. Roskelly, city spokesman and Webmaster. For example, one Saturday night three years ago, a resident posted a message about a broken street light Mr. Roskelly got the message early Sunday and forwarded it to the Department of Public Works.

The light was fixed by Monday. "Normally, that person wouldn't have been able to make that complaint until Monday," he said. Annapolis' revamped Web site includes trash removal schedules and forms for employment and parking permits that Web surfers can print out and fax in. Mr Roskelly said he's developing a system that will allow citizens to file applications through their home "It's available 24 hours a day and it gives the citizen or the customer the opportunity to learn a great deal at absolutely their own time and pace," he said 5 arrested in illegal hunting sting CHURCH CREEK (AP) Under- The owner of the property will be months in prison and a $5,000 fine --cover agents -posed an exclusive hunting club for four years, collecting evidence that led to charges against 25 members, state and) federal officials say The numerous violations include hunting and fishing out of season, baiting waterfowl, exceeding bag limits for waterfowl and deer, keeping undersize fish, and processing waterfowl without a license. "They were not abiding by the rules, it didn't matter to them when they hunted or fished," said Richard Mclntire, a spokesman for the Department of Natural Resources cause he not been served with charging documents, he said.

The club operated out of the Golden Hills Farm in Church Creek in Dorchester County. Five of the members were charged with violating the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which covers game birds including ducks and geese The five Edward Williams Davis, 40; Robert Larry Gotee 27; Larry Ritchie Powley, 46; Ronnie William Robbins, 39; and Scott Ruark, 30; all of Hoopers Island -were released on $10,000 bond each. Each faces a maximum of six Not all of the members of the club were charged, Mr. Mclntire said. "The individuals who were charged were the most frequent violators.

There were some who followed the law," he said. Natural Resources Police and S. Fish and Wildlife Service agents served arrest and search and seizure warrants and citations at the homes of 22 a in Dorchester and Montgomery counties and at locations in New Jersey and Michigan, the Department of Natural Resources announced No takers for town's pit bull registry PORT DEPOSIT The city's deadline for registering pit bull dogs has come and gone, with no takers The deadline for paying a $50 fee to own the breed was Monday, and not a single city resident had signed on. The registration deadline was established last month in a town ordinance designed to limit the number of pit bulls in Port Deposit. Beginning today, any unregistered pit bull found in city limits will be confiscated and its owner will be fined.

Violators will be fined on a progressive scale, starting with a $25 citation for the first offense and then increasing in $25 increments. "I'm sure there are some pit bulls still left in town, but there's been a large exodus of pit bulls recently. That's the word I've heard on the street," said Nancy Muth, town clerk and treasurer The ordinance was passed Feb. 16, less than 12 hours after a pit bull fatally attacked a coon hound named Pooh Bear as several adults and children watched from a nearby bus stop. The pit bull was later destroyed at the Cecil County SPCA Council authorizes Wagner's Point buyout BALTIMORE The City Council unanimously approved a plan last Ttightto-tray industrial park.

Residents of the Wagner's Point neighborhood have been pleading with the city to buy their homes for years. Residents say they can't sell their homes because of fears about pollution from nearby plants and concerns about higher-than-normal cancer rates in the area. Their fears were underscored in October when an explosion at the Condea-Vista Chemical Plant injured four people. The city will begin appraising the properties in April. Maryland-lotteries Drawn last night: Pick Pick Cash in Hand, 5-11-12-20-22-25-31.

Drawn yesterday afternoon: Pick Pick been researching a downloaded and sent child porn a online. U.S. District Judge Alexander MATTHEWS unswayed yesterday. "I believe Mr. Matthews crossed the line," Judge Williams said in sentencing a to an 18-month prison term.

"I also believe that it was immoral" Matthews, who was also fined $4,000, received the lightest prison sentence possible under federal guidelines He faced up to 30 years in prison and a $500,000 fine after pleading guilty in July. Judge Williams said he would recommend Matthews serve his sen tence in a halfway house, provided federal prison officials agree Matthews was given 60 days to report to prison, although it was unclear whether his attorneys would try to keep him out of Jail pending an appeal. Matthews is the first journalist prosecuted for accessing child por nography on-the Internet, according to the Reporters Committee for Prosecutors had likened his to someone buying and selling co caine to write a story on drugs Media and civil rights groups meanwhile, defended his right to research a story "How can this not send a chill through any investigative reporter who has violated a statute in the attempt to gather a story?" said Jane Kirtley, executive director of the reporters committee. "So, I guess more than 30 years as a reporter counts for nothing," Mat thews said outside the courtroom after he was sentenced. HometownAnnapolis.com Don't NEWS, COMMUNITY INFORMATION, SEARCHABLE CLASSIFIEDS, ARCHIVES A breath of fresh air! Check us out! www.hometownannapolis.com HometownAnnapolis.com is your one-stop website for local news updates, community happenings, and year-round event information.

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