MARYLAND
NAACP offices plan D.C. move
After two decades in Baltimore, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People appears days away from reaching an agreement to relocate its headquarters to Washington. pg 1a
State tax overhaul possible
Momentum is building in Annapolis for a comprehensive overhaul of Maryland's revenue structure - possibly including increases to some taxes and cuts to others - as a way to boost state revenue and solve long-term budget problems. pg 1a
NATIONAL
Militia called gravest threat
Armed militiamen affiliated with radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr now pose the gravest danger to the security of Iraq, surpassing Sunni extremists and even al-Qaida terrorists as the greatest obstacle to stability, according to a new Defense Department report to Congress. pg 1a
Violent crime on increase
The number of murders and robberies in the U.S. continued to grow during the first half of 2006, fresh evidence that violent crime is on the upswing after more than a decade of decline, the FBI said. pg 3a
WORLD
Green Zone prison breached
A once-prominent Iraqi-American, jailed on corruption charges, was sprung from a Green Zone prison this weekend by U.S. security contractors he had hired, several Iraqi officials said. pg 18a
BUSINESS
DOW -- DOWN
-4.25
12,441.27
NASDAQ -- DOWN
-21.63
2,435.57
S&P; -- DOWN
-4.61
1,422.48
SUN INDEX -- DOWN
-1.75
358.08
Ground rent probe begun
Baltimore court officials yesterday launched an investigation into the practice of a real estate lawyer who filed at least 10 ground rent lawsuits to seize homes owned by dead people. pg 1a
Steel furloughs proposed
Mittal Steel Co. NV is offering workers at Sparrows Point another round of five-week layoffs, a sign that the world's largest steel maker doesn't expect the industrywide slowdown to recover immediately in the new year. pg 1d
SPORTS
Anthony suspended 15 games
NBA scoring leader Carmelo Anthony was suspended for 15 games and six other players were penalized for their parts in a weekend brawl between the Denver Nuggets and New York Knicks. PG 5C
TODAY
Twist of time
Rubik's Cube, the multi-colored puzzle that was the must-have toy of 1980, is back. pg 1e
Only you
You did it. You've been selected Time magazine's Person of the Year. And so has everyone else. pg 1e