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Way Downstream

In Anne Arundel County, The Center for the Study of Local Issues at Anne Arundel Community College reports that 60 percent of surveyed likely voters on Nov. 7 report being “not very informed” about the Anne Arundel County executive candidates’ stands on issues. The twice-yearly survey, conducted Oct. 16 to 19, questioned a random sample of 382 county residents 18 and older.

The percentage agreeing that the county was moving in the right direction dropped four points, from 55 percent in spring 2006 to 51 percent. Issues most important to voters now are: growth (22 percent), closely followed by education (17 percent) and taxes (13 percent).

So which candidate did the poll forecast to win? It’s likely to be neck and neck between Democrat George Johnson (37 percent) and Republican John Leopold (38 percent), though a large group (25 percent) was still undecided, the study reported.

“While the race for county executive is the local race likely to get the greatest amount of voter attention, a lot more outreach by the media and candidates’ campaigns will be needed for voters to make an educated choice,” said the center’s director, Dan Nataf …

On the Gunpowder River in Baltimore County, two middle-aged sisters wish they hadn’t waited until the weather turned blustery on Monday to go out on the water. Their sailboat capsized 200 yards from shore. Three men on shore took out a power boat to aid in rescuing the exhausted women …

In Chesapeake Bay, the Army Corps of Engineers is proposing creating a 2,000-acre island in the Middle Bay near what is left of the privately owned James Island. The corps last week told locals in the Cambridge area of its plan, which also includes restoring 72 acres of Barren Island, which is owned by the Fish and Wildlife Service. More details are expected in December …

At the United Nations, a new study shows that Chesapeake Bay is not alone in suffering from dead zones. Cases of oxygen-deprived bodies of water around the world have jumped by one-third in just two years as a result of fertilizers, sewage and other pollutants. The U.N. Environmental Program report said that dead zones are being found for the first time in the Chesapeake and in Norwegian fjords. The UN warned that “these areas are fast becoming major threats to fish stocks and thus to the people who depend upon fisheries for food and livelihoods” …

Our Creature Feature is a toothy tale from the political woods, where animal rights advocates are chasing Gov. Bob Ehrlich for his support of bear hunting in the Old Line State.

On October 23, when the first segment of Maryland’s bear-hunting season opened, the Humane Society opened season on Ehrlich, running ads reminding voters that Ehrlich repealed a 50-year-old ban on killing bears despite opposition in polls and in the General Assembly. Hunters took a total 60 Maryland bears in the first two seasons and will be allowed to kill up to 55 this year. The group is reminding voters that the first bear legally taken in Maryland was an 84-pound, 10-month-old female.