This weekend, Baltimore will commemorate 150 years since the Pratt Street Riot in 1861.

Friday will kick off with a symposium by the Maryland Historical Society titled, “Land of the Free? The Fate of Civil Liberties in Baltimore in 1861.” It’s free to the public.

Exhibitions at the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Museum and Sports Legends at Historic Camden Station open this weekend focused on President Abraham Lincoln’s arrival to Camden Station and the sites’ significance in the Civil War.

Saturday’s celebration will feature a rededication of President Street Station as a city landmark and events at Fort McHenry that reflect the events of 1861. (Yes, there will be cannon firings.) A grand procession will start at 11 a.m. commemorating the Pratt Street Riot and first bloodshed of the war, complete with fife and drum corps. Events will be going on through the entire weekend, so check out the itinerary online.

While you’re downtown, the Baltimore Convention Center is hopping with the third annual Baltimore Fine Furnishings and Fine Craft Show this weekend. About 50 exhibitors from the mid-Atlantic will show off their best designed and handcrafted furniture, accessories, fine art and crafts.

And! Don’t forget to support your local record store this Saturday, on Record Store Day. The holiday’s website features a list of participating stores in Maryland, of which there are about 20. So go find one near you and pick up a big ten inch record.

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Most of the talk about military families in Maryland these days has to do with making it easier for people to move here with their jobs as part of the Base Realignment and Closure process. But Gov. Martin O’Malley took a step Thursday that could also make things easier for military families who have to move away.

At his final bill signing, O’Malley signed a bill that would make people eligible for unemployment benefits if they quit a job to follow a spouse in the military. Typically, unemployment insurance is not available to people who leave jobs by choice, but this will be a new exception in state law.

Potentially, these unemployment claims could raise premiums for some businesses that otherwise wouldn’t have seen former employees collect benefits, but on the whole it’s likely to have a small effect on the state’s unemployment system. According to the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, more than 300 people in the state were unable to collect benefits after following a military spouse in fiscal 2007.

ANDY ROSEN, Business Writer

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An Iraqi industrial complex has quadrupled its productivity in the last three months, and it has an Army veterinarian from Maryland to thank.

When heavy fuel oil became available to fire the kilns at the Narhwan Brick Factory Complex in Iraq, employment rose from 3,500 to 15,000, according to the Dept. of Defense.

But Army economist Lt. Col. Bruce Baker realized that healthy donkeys were needed for production at full capacity (to haul the fuel oil, straw and mud, without motor vehicles). And the animals on hand were sick and weak.

That’s where Capt. Rory Carolan, of Maryland, came in.

Carolan specializes in treating equine species such as horses, ponies and, indeed, donkeys. After arriving in Narhwan, Carolan held a clinic and treated more than 250.

“Many of the donkeys were malnourished and obviously mistreated,” he told the DOD. “Some suffered from pressure sores, hematomas and neglect. Some collapsed of exhaustion and died before our eyes.”

So, with the help of other soldiers, Carolan examined, wormed, measured and weighed the donkeys.

“That is where we can have the most impact, teaching the owners how to properly feed and care for the animals. Higher production at the factories will be achieved with the improved standards of care employed.”

JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor

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LiveLeak has the video of the Pentagon briefing where General Cartwright, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff discussed his “high level of confidence” that the rogue spy satellite has been destroyed. Video of the missile launch and “interception” with the satellite is included.

The Kaboom blog says:

While they can’t confirm completely the destruction of the tank, which was needed to release the toxic fuel that may have posed a danger to us Earthlings, the Pentagon has declared the mission a complete success and with good reason.

JACKIE SAUTER, Web Editor

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