WEEK IN REVIEW

Aug. 26-Sept. 1

Claims Against Lender IncreaseManagers of Pr. George's Firm Lived High Life

A class-action lawsuit against the Lanham-based Metropolitan Money Store Corp. claims that homeowners lost almost $60 million in equity while those who ran the home mortgage company -- Joy Jenise Jackson and Kurt Fordham -- were living a lavish lifestyle. The U.S. Secret Service and the FBI are investigating Metropolitan for possible fraud.

The D.C. attorney general also filed a lawsuit against Metropolitan, hoping to recover lost home equity and prevent foreclosure for city residents.

Leggett Backs Off on SlotsStance Might Limit Montgomery's Tax Burden

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett has been quietly urging local lawmakers to take a low profile in the statewide debate over slot machine gambling, even though polls have shown that county residents are the state's most ardent opponents.

Leggett's decision to lower the decibel level on slots marks a new approach for Montgomery Democrats in a debate that has divided state political leaders for years. The payback, Leggett hopes, would be a state budget package that plugs an estimated $1.5 billion state shortfall without making Montgomery residents shoulder what county leaders think would be a disproportionate share of the costs.

Drought Forces Crabs InlandUsual Sites Off Anne Arundel Become Too Salty

The drought that has ruined gardens and withered crops across the mid-Atlantic this summer has turned the crabbing world topsy-turvy. Across the Chesapeake Bay's midsection, watermen say the crab harvest is the worst in decades. But those in the bay's northernmost tributaries are finding huge numbers of fresh blue crabs.

Less rain means less water from rivers that feed the bay and less dilution for the saltwater that washes in from the Atlantic Ocean. This shift, officials say, has meant that some of the places where crabs are usually plentiful in midsummer -- such as the shores off Anne Arundel and Southern Maryland -- have become too salty for the crustaceans, which have sought fresher water far from the ocean.

Alternative to Exams Is ProposedTo Graduate, Students Could Do Projects Instead

Maryland high school students who are unable to pass a set of exams required for graduation could instead submit projects to demonstrate their mastery of academic subjects, under a plan introduced by State School Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick. Beginning with the Class of 2009 (this year's juniors), students must pass exams in algebra, English, biology and government -- or earn an adequate composite score on them -- to graduate. Grasmick said she offered the alternative because hundreds of students could be denied diplomas based on a single set of tests, rather than on their mastery of the subject.

Md. Records Lower SAT ScoresResults Reflect a Nationwide Trend

SAT scores declined across Maryland with the Class of 2007, reflecting a downward trend nationwide in the two years since the college entrance test was revised and expanded. Officials with the College Board, which administers the SAT, said the scores reflect greater participation among students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who previously might not have aspired to college.

Across the RegionMetro Disruptions; Bicycle Thefts

? Outbreaks of fire and smoke on the Metrorail system shut down stations and halted train service on consecutive nights, disruptions that appeared to be unprecedented in Metro's 30-year history. Reagan National Airport, Huntington, Farragut North and Farragut West stations were closed for a time the first night, and travel on sections of the Blue, Green and Yellow lines were halted during the evening rush the next night. Metro officials said the incidents probably were caused by power and equipment failures.

? Metro Transit Police reported 25 bike thefts in May and 32 in June -- roughly double the number from the same months last year. The region's stolen-bicycle underworld has become increasingly sophisticated, police and bike store owners say, as expensive bikes have flooded the market and Internet sites have provided platforms for easy sales.