Maryland

Yeast are demanding little critters. To make good-tasting beer, brewers have to pamper them like pedigreed pets. A new report says it's all about the microbiology. Brewers say they use science to keep their charges happy.

The San Francisco 49ers are favorites to win the Super Bowl but the Baltimore Ravens have a special source of fuel. Raven Jacoby Jones is from New Orleans, where the game will be played. His mom made the team 150 plates of food.

It's rare in sport for someone to declare that this will be the finale and then go out a winner, says commentator Frank Deford. But, on Sunday, Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis hopes to do just that.

Baltimore, coached by John Harbaugh, will play Jim Harbaugh's San Francisco team in Super Bowl XLVII on Feb. 3. Teams coached by brothers have never before met in the NFL's championship.

The mayors of Denver and Baltimore made a friendly wager when their teams met in the NFL playoffs. When Baltimore won in overtime Saturday, it was disaster for Denver Mayor Michael Hancock. The mayor must now dance like Ray Lewis. The soon-to-retire Baltimore star does an awkward but enthusiastic sideline dance before games.

When most drivers get a ticket from a speed-zone camera, there's simply pay the fine. After all, the ticket often includes photographic proof that their car was over the limit. But a Maryland driver is fighting a $40 fine, citing speed-cam photos that show his car, sitting motionless.

Baltimore's population has been declining for decades. Now the city is reaching beyond its borders for growth, courting immigrants with new programs and laws. The big question: Will it work?

The number of states where gay marriage is legal will grow by at least two. On Tuesday, Maine and Maryland became the first states to approve same sex marriage by popular referendum. It brings the number of states where such unions are allowed to eight. In the state of Washington, the vote on a similar measure is still too close to call. In Minnesota, voters turned down an amendment to the state constitution that would have banned gay marriage.

Exit polls also showed that giving legal status to illegal immigrants gained support. Less than a third of voters would like to see working immigrants deported.

It's difficult to build a working four-rotor helicopter that spans 100 feet and only weighs 80 pounds. It's even harder when your engine is a 0.7-horsepower person. But two teams of young engineers hope to do just that.