Copy editors from around the country descended on Baltimore for the fourth annual conference of the American Copy Editors Society, Sept. 14-16, 2000. 
    Baltimore, affectionately known as Charm City, was a fitting location for the conference, as it is the home of H.L. Mencken, Edgar Allan Poe, Ann Tyler, Jonathan Yardley and many other literary figures of the past and present. 
    About 500 people attended the 2000 conference, including more than 20 from the Philadelphia Inquirer and one from India. Registration was on par with the 1999 conference in Dallas.
    ACES President Pam Robinson announced winners of the national board election and scholarships. 
    Baltimore Sun Publisher Mike Waller welcomed the group to Baltimore. "No newspaper can be great without a great copy desk," he said.
     For the first time, ACES offered a full slate of early-bird sessions on Thursday. They included a religion panel and a session on visual editing. Friday and Saturday also featured a full schedule.
   For coverage of various conference sessions, go to:

 Religion panel

 Visual editing

 Handling Change

 Diversity

 Headlines

 Fairness for Copy Editors

 Editing for the Web

 Dot-Com Style  (at TheSlot.com)

    The conference’s first day was capped with an opening reception Thursday evening, sponsored by the Baltimore Sun. Friday night's banquet featured keynote speaker Jack White, a columnist at Time magazine. Saturday evening many attendees took in a ballgame at Camden Yards.

====
Deirdre Goebel Edgar is an assistant copy desk chief at the Los Angeles Times' Orange County edition. She can be reached at deirdre.edgar@latimes.com .

ACES announces headline contest
Click on the link for details on ACES' new Headline Contest.  For rules and details on how to enter, see Contest Entry Form.

Silent auction brings in $3,200
Friday was silent auction day, and a number of cool items were available to bid on.

What to see and do in Baltimore
 Tips from a local on visiting Charm City.