WHO: People who party a little too heartily — and then get behind the wheel of a car.
WHAT: A weekend sobriety checkpoint in Columbia netted 10 arrests last weekend. More than 1,200 drivers have been arrested in Howard County this year for driving impaired or driving under the influence.
WHY IT’S A BAD IDEA: Drunk driving is 100 percent preventable. If you know you have to drive home, why not just have one glass of wine? Had more than a couple of beers? Call a cab or stay on the host’s couch. Take public transportation. Walk. Just don’t get in a car. Even if you’re not worried about your own life, you should worry about the lives of people you could harm or kill behind the wheel.
WHERE TO SUPPORT: madd.org/
Today’s bright bulb: The jury is in
Baltimore County is making jury duty easier on jurors. Jurors can take their laptops to use WiFi in the lobby to keep up with what’s going on at work. And it is no longer necessary to fill out reams of paperwork to get a new jury duty date. Now jurors can respond to a jury summons online. It’s about time. The online system cost about $200,000, but it will save countless hours for judicial system staff and make doing your duty for your country — and your job — easier.
Quote of the day
“If he’s arrested, he won’t be able to work, and I need for him to work to pay. … I can’t make it on my own.” – “Mary,” who stopped trying to get a protective order against her abusive husband with a Mid-Shore Council on Family Violence counselor because she can’t afford life without him. Her pseudonym was chosen and her story told by Sharon Schmidt, a worker at Mid-Shore.
