Recent stories by Arthur Hirsch

June 16, 2013

New community center opens in Ellicott City

The old low-income Hilltop Housing project in Ellicott City has given way to another world: new apartments with facades of soft-colored siding and stone, and a recreation center with the latest in exercise gear, including a retractable-roof indoor swimming pool.

7:17 PM CDT, June 11, 2013

Kittleman launches run for Howard executive

The race to lead Maryland's most affluent county began Tuesday as state Sen. Allan H. Kittleman launched his bid to become just the second Republican to be elected Howard County executive.

7:35 PM CDT, June 7, 2013

Robo Raven makes aviation history

Robo Raven is making aviation history – again.

4:57 PM CDT, May 23, 2013

County weighs dueling visions for Maple Lawn South

Gene Iager and Chris Pereira live on opposite sides of Scaggsville Road in Fulton, and take conflicting views of a 91-acre expanse of grass and woods that lies between them.

8:46 PM CDT, June 4, 2013

Slain Howard County blogger recalled as activist, humorist and father

Dennis Lane's fiancee of eight years said she was struck from the beginning by this "absolutely, unbelievably charming man," how he seemed to know everyone, how he worked the room — and how he could talk.

9:09 AM CDT, June 2, 2013

As memorial event nears, family and friends recall Dennis Lane

On May 9, Dennis Lane stopped for lunch with companions at Clyde's of Columbia, one of his favorite spots. Folks say you wouldn't have to see him to know he was there because you'd hear the big laugh, or see the crowd of people around him, sharing views of local politics, business, the latest beer available in growlers in Ellicott City.

8:47 PM CDT, May 9, 2013

Howard residents, council demand action on power failures

In the Dunloggin, Beaverbrook and Font Hill neighborhoods of Howard County, residents say they've spent thousands on home generators and on food to replace the stuff that spoils when the power goes out for days. There have also been other expenses, they say: motel stays, flashlights, lanterns, gas hot plates and long, heavy-duty extension cords — the kind used to hook up to a neighbor's generator.

5:05 PM CDT, May 2, 2013

Volunteers help veterans, and others, get their house in order

The first troops showed up on a Saturday morning at the four-bedroom house in Columbia heavily armed: saws, hammers, crowbars, drills.

4:46 PM CDT, May 23, 2013

Howard County Council approves budget higher than Ulman's request

The Howard County Council adopted a $923.5 million general fund spending plan Thursday that increases allocations for schools and police while not raising income or property taxes.

4:29 PM CDT, April 12, 2013

Tracking the long-distance travels of dust

Spring stirs pollen, and also dust — high-flying dust that's blown thousands of miles to reach North America in greater amounts than scientists have known before, with potential impact on the climate and air quality.

8:16 PM CDT, May 1, 2013

Howard unveils anti-bullying campaign

More than a year after a Howard County teen committed suicide following months of online harassment, county officials unveiled a program Wednesday meant to discourage bullying via computer and in person.

9:17 AM CDT, April 13, 2013

Maryland seeks historic status for Fort Carroll

When she thinks of Fort Carroll, the abandoned 19th-century military installation in the Patapsco River, Beverly Eisenberg thinks of her grandfather — and of duckpin bowling balls.

4:11 PM CDT, April 11, 2013

ACLU questions constitutionality of cyber-harassment bill

A 2013 Maryland General Assembly bill bearing the name of a Howard County teenager who killed herself last year is expected to be signed into law, but it stands on shaky constitutional ground, an official of the Maryland ACLU said.

4:11 PM CDT, April 11, 2013

Wine and music flow from Annapolis session to Howard County

Wine growlers are coming to Maryland and the music at Merriweather Post Pavilion can play at the usual volume under Howard County-based legislation adopted in the 2013 General Assembly session.

6:28 PM CDT, April 11, 2013

Howard zoning request would bring chickens home to roost

Cathy Hudson knew the practice of raising chickens in her backyard made her part of a growing suburban trend, but when she learned Williams-Sonoma, purveyor of pricey kitchen gear, had started selling chicken coops — including a two-level cedar model for $1,499.95 — she thought, "OK, we have arrived."

8:04 AM CDT, March 29, 2013

Lutherville doctor known for running habits critically injured in Towson accident

Shirtless, hair flowing, legs pumping, Dr. Theodore Houk is a familiar sight running along North Charles Street on his twice-daily, 5.5-mile trek between his Lutherville home and his job at Greater Baltimore Medical Center.

5:07 PM CDT, March 28, 2013

Plan for wall repair ready to take shape in historic Ellicott City

Before it became "The Wall That Ate Some Cars," it was just a stone wall on Mulligans Hill Lane, bracing a 20-foot-high embankment — stalwart as the steep hills that give Ellicott City's historic district much of its character.

5:07 PM CDT, March 27, 2013

Court grants extension in Exxon gas leak case

Lawyers for families and businesses who sued ExxonMobil Corp. after an underground gasoline leak in northern Baltimore County have been granted more time to seek reconsideration of a court ruling that struck down most of a $1.5 billion verdict.

5:52 PM CDT, March 14, 2013

Road widening part of a new, improved U.S. 1

Howard County's new U.S. 1 meets the old near the Route 175 intersection, where the Jessup Plaza features a deli that offers breakfast all day, along with money orders, a shiatsu massage parlor and Jimmy G's Check Cashing.

5:01 PM CST, February 28, 2013

Bill would help Howard County go from growler to 'growlier'

Among the stainless-steel wine kegs in a chilled back room at Aida Bistro Wine Bar in Columbia, owner Joe Barbera shows off a prototype for a possible new venture: a slender dark bottle with a stopper that he likes to call the "growlier."

5:51 PM CDT, March 25, 2013

Lawyers ask for extension in Exxon leak case

Lawyers for northern Baltimore County families and businesses whose $1.5 billion damages award against the ExxonMobil Corp. was largely overturned by Maryland's highest court asked for more time to seek reconsideration.

5:01 PM CST, February 28, 2013

Bill would allow most library employees to unionize

Most of the Howard County public library's 184 employees would have the right to unionize and bargain for pay and benefits under a bill that has been endorsed by the county delegation to Annapolis.

9:41 PM CST, February 26, 2013

High court throws out $1B fraud verdict in Exxon leak case

Maryland's highest court on Tuesday struck down the bulk of a fraud case against ExxonMobil Corp. stemming from an underground gasoline leak in Baltimore County, reversing most of $1.65 billion in judgments and dealing a stunning blow to hundreds of families.

8:00 PM CST, February 25, 2013

In Carroll, Outdoor School's 'cultural tradition' may face budget reality

Sixth-graders from West Middle School in Carroll County scoured the Bear Branch stream one recent morning in search of aquatic life in the dead of winter. Nathan Grella said the contents of his bucket did not appear promising.

8:48 PM CST, February 17, 2013

Channeling the spirits in color and line at Ellicott City gallery

Ephrem Kouakou prefers to work while the world sleeps. The artist says that in the dead of night, absent the sound of any human voice or music, he can best hear the "spirits" talking.

4:49 PM CDT, March 21, 2013

Tech companies set to graduate from Center for Entrepreneurship in Columbia

Paul Capriolo and the crew at Social Growth Technologies are looking forward to graduation, having spent years getting ready for the world outside this one-story beige building in Columbia. The Maryland Center for Entrepreneurship is not a school, but it does cultivate business and launch its charges toward bigger things.

4:56 PM CST, February 21, 2013

Old-fashioned meat market, cutting-edge power

Fifty-eight years after it opened in Highland, Boarman's Old-Fashioned Meat Market is still, in many respects, living up to its name.

2:55 PM CST, February 15, 2013

Raven research defies common wisdom on 'species'

As the Baltimore Ravens' march to victory in Super Bowl XLVII defied the common wisdom of the sports world, so, too, has an examination of the genetics of their winged namesakes in the western United States led one local biologist to evidence he says defies the common wisdom of his field.

5:42 PM CST, February 7, 2013

Howard business leader briefs the White House

Julie Lenzer Kirk, who heads Howard County's Maryland Center for Entrepreneurship, has been to the White House for briefings before but has never been called upon to speak there.

4:59 PM CST, February 13, 2013

Lenten observers take their Ashes to Go

Leta Dunham got her breakfast order to go at a Roland Avenue Starbucks Wednesday morning: a grande triple skim latte in her cup and, on her forehead, an ashen reminder that we are all destined to become dust.

5:27 PM CST, February 4, 2013

New proposal for Columbia

Decades ago, developer James W. Rouse looked at a rundown industrial waterfront in downtown Baltimore and saw the makings of an attraction called Harborplace at the Inner Harbor.

7:57 PM CST, January 10, 2013

Howard auditor 'hot line' takes reports of fraud, abuse

Michael Mershon can get pretty stirred up about lighting. He's been working in the business for more than 30 years, most of that time in Maryland, and said he's seen local governments waste millions of dollars on lighting jobs through contract practices that were sloppy, or worse.

8:31 PM CST, February 7, 2013

Students sitting in with the Baltimore Symphony

The stage at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall stands under a four-story-high ceiling, commanding an auditorium that seats more than 2,400 — bigger than any hall most students in the Howard County Gifted and Talented Orchestra have ever played. Soon after they begin their rehearsal, the young musicians can hear, and feel, the difference.

7:40 AM CST, December 30, 2012

Helping the homeless, one small grant at a time

Sherri Ingram-Hudgins steps into the homeless resource center on U.S. 1 in Jessup on the cold, rainy afternoon after Christmas, just about two years to the day since she began her effort to help people living on the margins.

6:24 PM CST, January 24, 2013

Planners begin countywide zoning review

The patch of green on Montgomery Road across from the Long Gate Shopping Center in Ellicott City stands out amid the asphalt, stores and homes.

7:24 PM CST, January 17, 2013

As Ulman eyes governor's chair, several officials consider his job

Amid a severe local outbreak of National Football League fever, Howard County Executive Ken Ulman is quick to point out that among the four Democrat politicians whose names are linked to the 2014 gubernatorial race, he's the only one who roots for the NFL's one true Maryland team.

6:32 PM CST, January 17, 2013

One-stop permit counter in Annapolis is part of streamlined review

Building just about anything in Annapolis, from a garden shed to a slots casino, is a bit easier these days, as applicants can now handle all of the paperwork in a single place — a new, one-stop permit counter at 145 Gorman St.

8:26 PM CST, January 3, 2013

New proposal added to mix as council again considers land-use map

The landscape of Howard County's "rural west" — the chunk of the county roughly west of Route 108 and Centennial Lane — is set for the moment, and most owners hold the right to develop their land, or not, as they wish.

4:49 PM CST, December 19, 2012

Rottweiler dispute resolved in Howard

Hazel Sanders and her Rottweiler service dog, Jurnee, are preparing to move into an apartment she can afford after the management company agreed to drop objections based on the Maryland Court of Appeals decision earlier this year defining pit bulls as inherently dangerous animals.

11:09 AM CST, January 8, 2013

Former criminal investigations chief in Carroll County pleads guilty to misconduct

The Carroll County Sheriff's Department's former head of criminal investigations pleaded guilty Tuesday morning to a misdemeanor charge of misconduct in office, and has been sentenced to a suspended one-year jail term, three years of probation, a fine and community service.

2:26 PM CST, December 22, 2012

Neglected livestock find a haven at Howard County manor

Jenny stepped quickly off the trailer into her new home, striding over to Jack, who seemed interested in the fresh arrival.

10:36 PM CST, December 20, 2012

Ulman seeks post-veto compromise on land rights

What a lovely spot for a veto.

2:57 PM CST, December 7, 2012

Hopkins team explores the dark side of light

Scientists who study sleep understand that light has a dark side, because it can interrupt natural rhythms, causing the mood and learning problems that go with lack of rest. Johns Hopkins University researchers have taken the understanding a step further and to a cellular level, finding that exposure to bright light at night appears to create these problems by itself, even apart from sleep patterns.

10:22 PM CST, December 6, 2012

Experiencing deja vu in Howard County farmland fight

This Howard County movie has played before: the County Council considering laws to restrict rural land development, farmers staging a tractor parade protesting what they see as an attack on their property values, public officials saying preservation efforts would only push landowners into the arms of developers.

7:11 PM CST, December 19, 2012

East Monument Street reopens after $7 million sinkhole repair

City officials on Wednesday removed orange construction cones and barrels from two blocks of East Monument Street that had been swallowed by a huge sinkhole this summer, unveiled an "Open for Business" sign on a lamppost and marked the end of a five-month, $7 million repair job.

10:22 PM CST, November 29, 2012

Consultants to track sources of waterway contamination

On good days, the Tiber Hudson tributary of the Patapsco is a pleasant part of the scenery in Historic Ellicott City as it flows through a stone channel by Tonge Row, beneath Tiber Alley alongside Main Street and past the B&O Railroad Museum before it spills into the river. It's a troubled waterway nonetheless, not considered able to support life, paved over in spots and surrounded by lots of asphalt.

10:30 PM CST, December 13, 2012

Howard County maps apartments for the homeless

Staci M. Watkins was found dead a week ago in a patch of woods along U.S. 1 in Laurel, not far from the Turf Motel, where she'd been living for a few weeks.

6:11 PM CST, November 15, 2012

Some Howard farmers up in arms over development rights

Marge Cissel is pressing her right index finger into the cover of a white loose-leaf binder containing a new state law limiting the use of septic systems, urging restricted development rights for some farm property. She's had the binder for months now, adding up what the law means for the value of her family's 310 acres in the Lisbon area, and she's angry.

7:20 PM CST, November 8, 2012

Mosque plan called too large for rural Howard County

Leaders of the Dar-us-Salaam community in College Park have been looking for years for a new home, a place for a school and a mosque close enough to be convenient for members living in several counties. They've scouted hundreds of spots and looked closely at a handful, and now they think they've found what they've been looking for in the rural western section of Howard County. 

5:16 PM CST, November 8, 2012

Woman with service dog could be barred from apartment

Hazel Sanders depends on her Rottweiler, Jurnee, to get her out walking, which she needs for a disabling knee condition, and to help her up if she falls. Two doctors have written letters saying the dog is an important part of her treatment, and she considers it as much a help as a seeing-eye dog is for a blind person.

7:32 PM CDT, October 4, 2012

Bingo hall loses bid to stop 'sweepstakes' enforcement

Patapsco Bingo in Baltimore on Thursday lost its court bid to stop city police from enforcing a ban on Internet "sweepstakes" parlors offering cash prizes on games that play like slot machines.

6:50 PM CST, November 21, 2012

Small Columbia project could make big waves, opponents say

On paper, the plan for a car maintenance shop and a few stores on Snowden River Parkway in Columbia hardly seems worth fighting about. The business people opposing it, however, see it as an illegal first step toward drastic changes for the worse along some major roads, and a potential threat to businesses in Columbia's nine village centers. 

10:20 PM CST, November 8, 2012

Howard voters raised bar for petitions, but did they know it?

Those in Howard County who want to channel the power of the ballot box to challenge local government decisions are going to have to work a bit harder to do it in elections to come, thanks to the vote Tuesday on one of five county charter changes. Whether this was the change voters wanted to make when they endorsed the change in overwhelming numbers seems to be a matter of debate.

9:34 PM CDT, October 18, 2012

Howard approves county's largest solar power station

Nixon's Farm in West Friendship has for 50 years been a fine place for country weddings in the converted 19th-century barn amid the grassy hills — "centrally isolated," the website calls the spot. Soon, though, a portion of the grounds off Route 32 could become the county's largest solar electricity generator, and the first built strictly to sell power to a utility.

8:10 PM CDT, September 20, 2012

Animal advocates oppose Howard's annual deer hunt

Three deer stand frozen in a sunlit clearing at the Middle Patuxent Environmental Area, watching a visitor who appears around a bend in the path. After a few moments, two turn away and head for the woods, while the one in front — a slender creature standing over 3 feet tall — won't take its eyes off this late-morning intruder crouching some 45 paces away.

6:14 PM CDT, November 1, 2012

Proposed zoning rules raise community hackles

Howard County planners are pushing new rules that would allow developers to depart from existing zoning in exchange for providing benefits to the community.

7:10 PM CDT, October 24, 2012

Baltimore County police seize sweepstakes game machines

Some of those who came to play at Hot Spot Sweepstakes in Towson on Wednesday afternoon walked away disappointed. Some seemed stunned.

6:18 PM CDT, October 19, 2012

'Mayor of Linthicum shopping center' closing shoe repair shop

Billie Insley sits in a red leatherette chair at Your Shoe Service in Linthicum, smoking a Wave cigarette and facing a stack of stuff packed for moving or disposal: sheets of leather, boxes of fresh heels and soles, some bearing the red-and-black label of the old Cat's Paw Rubber Co. His life's work is nearly done.

6:05 PM CDT, September 13, 2012

Forest Diner moved to Virginia for restoration

The Forest Diner has left the county.

7:38 PM CDT, October 1, 2012

City trying to close 'sweepstakes' game rooms

Baltimore police are taking steps to close game rooms in the city offering computer terminals that mimic slot machines and pay cash prizes, but one operator went to court Monday to challenge the crackdown.

8:54 PM CDT, October 25, 2012

Howard voters asked to raise bar on petition drives

Howard County residents have tried four times in the past nine years to challenge local government decisions on taxes and land use by referendum and failed each time to get the questions on the ballot. They've been rebuffed by opinions of the county's law department and by the courts, getting hung up on legal technicalities and the details of how signatures are validated.

4:19 PM CDT, September 13, 2012

Dead Columbia boy's mother pleads guilty to misdemeanor

A Columbia woman pleaded guilty Thursday to a misdemeanor in connection with a report of an injury her 2-year-old son suffered five months before he was killed by suffocation.

1:16 PM CDT, October 12, 2012

Connecting the social and the spatial

Amy Lynne Shelton has a closet full of toys at the Johns Hopkins University cognitive psychology lab: Wooden human figures with movable joints, Lego and model train buildings, toy cameras and wooden triangular blocks — some with eyes, some without. Each has its role to play in research shedding light on the possible relationship of social grace and sense of physical space, work that might eventually help people who suffer the social difficulties common in autism spectrum disorder.

8:45 PM CDT, October 11, 2012

Merchants divided on Ellicott City parking program

Ed Williams, the apron-wearing proprietor of the Mumble and Squeak Toy Shoppe on Ellicott City's Main Street, has for decades heard arguments about downtown parking. It's a multiheaded beast — studied often, discussed ad nauseam and yet unsettled — but he figures he can point out what he considers the essence of the problem quickly by stepping out of his store on a bright October weekday afternoon.

9:18 PM CDT, October 4, 2012

Howard County chosen for national after-jail program

Vernon L. Hackett's latest stint at the Howard County Detention Center ended early last month after 54 days awaiting trial on a misdemeanor theft charge that was eventually dropped. The 41-year-old from Baltimore City says he's been in and out of the jail in Jessup five or six times, and in the last 22 years has also done turns in three other county jails and two state prisons — always on charges of theft, drug sale or possession, and probation violations.

10:05 PM CDT, September 6, 2012

Howard County works on green 'infrastructure'

Howard County is working on what officials call its "infrastructure," but the project doesn't involve bulldozers, road crews or loads of steel and asphalt. This "infrastructure" of woods, fields and waterways existed before there was a county — the task now is to keep it.

6:59 PM CDT, September 5, 2012

Baltimore County faces new workplace discrimination suits

Weeks after Baltimore County agreed pay about $500,000 to settle a workplace discrimination suit brought by the U.S. Department of Justice, a former county police lieutenant and two former firefighters have filed federal lawsuits claiming that they were illegally forced off their jobs.

6:40 PM CDT, September 27, 2012

New business springs from old farm traditions

More than 200 years into the life of their family farm, Tim and Mitzi Jones decided their future should include cheese. 

7:54 PM CDT, September 24, 2012

Jewish fans torn between God and the Orioles

As Yom Kippur begins Tuesday evening, Gil Kleiner plans to be in services at the Beth El Congregation without his iPhone, which will be sitting silently in his office at the synagogue registering an ESPN mobile app alert every time the Orioles score a run in their pursuit of the American League East pennant.

2:24 PM CDT, September 3, 2012

Maryland to expand Howard County rest area as safety measure

David Lones pulled his red and silver 18-wheeler off Interstate 95 South into the Maryland Welcome Center in Savage shortly after 5 p.m., some 12 hours after his day started in New Hampshire and in time to get a parking space for the night. He's not always so lucky.

9:23 PM CDT, August 30, 2012

Challenge to Howard government goes to Maryland's high court

Two Howard County residents challenging more than 100 government decisions involving a wide range of issues including sewer system hookups and the construction of highway interchanges and homes have won a hearing in Maryland's highest court.

9:13 PM CDT, September 11, 2012

Judge to retire amid complaints about domestic violence case

A Baltimore County district judge who has been under fire for his handling of a domestic violence case plans to retire next month, a spokesman for the Maryland court system said Tuesday.

8:59 PM CDT, August 22, 2012

Ellicott City derailment raises questions of track safety

As cleanup crews and investigators focus on the aftermath of a coal train derailment that killed two college students in Ellicott City, some officials are looking at new ways to keep people off the tracks that run through the historic district.

8:38 PM CDT, August 16, 2012

Balto. Co. agencies subpoenaed for records on Catonsville project

The Office of the State Prosecutor subpoenaed eight Baltimore County agencies this week for records on a planned Catonsville medical office development, county officials confirmed Thursday.

3:06 PM CDT, August 16, 2012

Howard takes steps to boost historic Ellicott City

Enalee E. Bounds has been running Ellicott's Country Store on Main Street in historic Ellicott City for 50 years, telling customer after customer that they have stepped into a house that could be the oldest "duplex" in the country — built in the late 18th or early 19th century — and how Mr. Walker lived on one side, Mr. Chandler on the other.

7:56 AM CDT, August 10, 2012

At Howard County man's house, history chimes on the hour

John D. Danko stops in mid-conversation to note the sound ringing through the house. The small brass bell chimes from behind the face of the grandfather clock in the foyer, perhaps the same sound people would have heard in their homes while waiting for word from the battlegrounds of the War of 1812.

6:31 PM CDT, August 27, 2012

City refills Monument Street sinkhole, sticks to repair forecast

A city road crew worked into Monday refilling a cavernous sinkhole on East Monument Street that collapsed again amid heavy rains Sunday, but the city is sticking to its forecast of completing repairs about two months from now.

7:07 PM CDT, August 7, 2012

Baltimore County agrees to pay $500,000 to settle federal lawsuit

Baltimore County has agreed to pay about $500,000 and reform workplace practices to settle a federal lawsuit accusing officials of discrimination against 10 Police and Fire Department employees and job applicants, chiefly on the basis of medical conditions, according to court documents.

9:04 AM CDT, August 3, 2012

Columbia Association bill raises suspicion

A bill to change the way the Columbia Association is defined in state law is portrayed by the organization's lawyer as a necessary housekeeping measure, but the legislation seems to have an image problem. 

4:54 PM CDT, July 26, 2012

Clarksville project takes step forward, but questions remain

Those who have followed the years-long saga of the Gateway School site in Clarksville might be experiencing deja vu after County Executive Ken Ulman's announcement last week that the county had reached a deal to sell the 7.8-acre parcel for $5 million to a developer for a commercial project that would stand out for its environment- and pedestrian-friendly design.

6:13 PM CDT, July 11, 2012

Howard County police search office of Columbia nonprofit

Howard County police detectives searched the office of the Columbia Housing Corporation on Wednesday in an investigation involving an employee, a lawyer representing the nonprofit agency said in a statement.

5:49 PM CDT, July 19, 2012

Howard County Council faces busy legislative meeting

The Howard County Council faces a busy voting session this week before the August recess, taking up the master plan for growth, several charter changes and whether to allow voters to consider term limits for newly elected council members.

June 22, 2012

State considers removing Patapsco River dam

Fish making the spring spawning run from the Chesapeake Bay upstream into the Patapsco River swim about 11 miles of cool, shallow, flowing water before hitting a concrete wall nearly three stories high: the Bloede Dam. The wildlife obstacle and human safety hazard has stood for more than a century in Patapsco Valley State Park, but its days could be numbered.

6:54 PM CDT, June 14, 2012

Evidence seized under search warrant in Howard animal abuse case ruled admissible

A Howard County woman facing abuse and cruelty charges after 40 dead animals were found in her Columbia townhouse lost a bid Thursday to have critical evidence thrown out.

6:49 PM CDT, July 13, 2012

Shuttered Forest Diner in search of a home

They peeled the facade off the old Forest Diner on U.S. 40 in Ellicott City, revealing an American classic. Stainless steel, glass, and compact as a caboose, the restaurant's original core from about 1950 sits in a vacant dirt-and-gravel lot behind a chain-link fence.

8:24 PM CDT, June 28, 2012

Tensions ease over downtown Columbia partnership

John DeWolf III, the Howard Hughes Corp.'s senior vice president for development, is a tall man doing a big job from a large office in downtown Columbia. The floor-to-ceiling windows face Lake Kittamaqundi, and the conference table is covered with maps and plans for downtown development, a 30-year project to include new stores, homes, offices, hotels, transit lines, walking paths, renovations at Merriweather Post Pavilion — all in pursuit of James W. Rouse's original idea of a "real city."

6:15 PM CDT, June 13, 2012

Developer drops pursuit of Dundalk government center project

A Baltimore County developer said he has abandoned pursuit of building "big box" stores at the site of the North Point Government Center in Dundalk and moving those offices to the site of a nearby former whiskey distillery that he owns.

6:42 PM CDT, June 7, 2012

Balto. Co. Council member decides against riverfront development

The Baltimore County Council member from Middle River said Thursday that she is opposed to allowing a riverfront housing development on conservation land in her district, which would be the largest project ever outside a long-standing growth-control boundary.

9:08 PM CDT, May 21, 2012

Judge denies contractor claim against Balto. Co.

A Circuit Court judge has ruled against a contractor who claimed Baltimore County owed the company $1.4 million in a dispute over construction of the County Detention Center.

10:56 PM CDT, June 14, 2012

Wine on the way? Two men look to open wineries in Howard County

The Howard County winery tour of the future could conceivably start at Riggs Meadow Drive, then continue south on Route 97, heading down the two-lane road that turns from suburban to rural as you approach Jennings Chapel Road, where you could stop for another taste or two.

6:59 PM CDT, May 29, 2012

Baltimore County appeals board approves waterfront condominium

The Baltimore County Board of Appeals has approved a plan for a 36-unit waterfront condominium on the southeast side in Bowleys Quarters, reversing a hearing officer's ruling issued last year.

9:19 AM CDT, May 23, 2012

Owings Mills development fight takes on feel of campaign

With residents being bombarded by fliers, robocalls, even a telephone opinion survey, the fight over the future of the former Solo Cup site in Baltimore County is taking on the trappings of a political campaign.

3:31 PM CDT, June 23, 2012

Sparrows Point Country Club considers selling land to raise cash

Growing up in Dundalk, Kent Mosmiller knew about Sparrows Point Country Club. He spent summers on little boats along Bear Creek where he could check out the 40-foot cabin cruisers at the club marina and, beyond that, the green expanse of the golf course. It wasn't for him or his family.

1:09 PM CDT, May 30, 2012

Man found in burning truck in Essex a homicide victim

A man found dead in a burning pickup truck in Essex last weekend was a victim of homicide, and Baltimore County Police have a warrant to arrest a county man in the killing, the police said Wednesday.

8:25 PM CDT, May 21, 2012

Gas pipeline raises concerns about safety, environment

Columbia Gas Transmission's underground pipeline runs alongside David Raymond's house in Cockeysville today, as it did when he bought the place 30 years ago, quietly delivering natural gas to Baltimore County and beyond without incident.

10:12 PM CDT, July 5, 2012

Changes in the works at Healthy Howard

Thousands of Howard residents have stepped from the parking lot of the Health Department offices through the glass door to the county's Door to HealthCare program in the past 18 months, using this portion of the innovative Healthy Howard project to search for a doctor and a way to pay for services.

9:13 PM CDT, June 4, 2012

Baltimore County Council amends development bill

The Baltimore County Council on Monday made significant changes to a measure involving the county development approval process after preservationists said it would undermine an essential county growth-control tool and could run afoul of state law.

9:54 PM CDT, May 22, 2012

Balto. Co. man arrested on charges of impersonating a police officer

A 31-year-old Baltimore County man has been arrested on charges of impersonating a police officer in St. Mary's County, and police are investigating whether he may have committed similar offenses closer to his home.

6:27 PM CDT, May 3, 2012

Jurors weigh Owings Mills murder case

Six weeks after Scott M. Greenberg was found shot to death in his parents' house in Owings Mills in August, 2009, police arrested Gerald E. Sears and charged him with murder, robbery and drug-dealing.

4:02 PM CDT, June 10, 2012

Howard weighs downtown Columbia business district

The jazz quartet's last tune of the lunchtime set at the Columbia lakeside took an up-tempo bebop turn, the sort of sound one might associate with things urban and urbane: the Village Vanguard, maybe Birdland. The band played before a sparse crowd seated on a grassy terraced slope, folks who would get into their cars and drive off through a place that looks much like a suburban office and shopping area with its wide boulevards, tidy lawns, neat rows of trees, and parking lots.

5:17 PM CDT, June 3, 2012

Howard County general plan stresses revitalization of U.S. 1 corridor

U.S. 1 in Howard County gets you from Elkridge to Laurel, from the White Elk Motel to the Fat Daddy Saloon, with an array of industrial and office parks, homes, fast-food restaurants, storage places and gas stations in between. The strip is looking better in recent years, sprouting new developments with names like Elkridge Crossing, Howard Square and Ashbury Courts, but it's still a work in progress.

8:11 PM CDT, May 24, 2012

Middle River conservation land targeted for housing growth

Baltimore County planners want to allow hundreds of houses on waterfront conservation land along the Bird River in Middle River, over the strong objections of environmental regulators.

9:01 PM CDT, May 8, 2012

Residents criticize natural gas pipeline proposal

Harold Burns, president of the Falls Road Community Association, stepped to the microphone at the Oregon Ridge Lodge Tuesday night and threw down the gauntlet before representatives of a gas company proposing an underground pipeline through his part of Baltimore County.

7:17 PM CDT, April 19, 2012

Dundalk woman guilty of assaulting detention center officer

A Dundalk woman who was sentenced last week to 60 years in prison in her husband's murder pleaded guilty Thursday to assaulting an officer at the Baltimore County Detention Center last August, said Deputy State's Attorney John P. Cox.

7:33 PM CDT, April 11, 2012

Man gets life sentence in school bathroom sex assault try

A 22-year-old man was given a life sentence Wednesday for trying to sexually assault a boy in a Dundalk middle school bathroom.

6:31 PM CDT, May 14, 2012

Baltimore County police create task force to target metals theft

After the power failed in an Essex neighborhood earlier this year, BGE officials discovered that someone had been stealing copper wire from the tops of utility poles. Oddly enough, however, they found no marks on the poles indicating that the culprit had climbed roughly 40 feet to reach the wire.

5:07 PM CDT, April 26, 2012

Balto. Co. police investigate rock thrown through mosque window

Baltimore County police are investigating a "possible bias incident" after a rock was thrown through a window of a Muslim community center in the southwest neighborhood of Riverview.

5:31 PM CDT, April 23, 2012

Adult store ordered to stop showing videos

An adult movie and accessory store in Halethorpe that has been the target of neighbor complaints and Baltimore County penalties for years was ordered by a judge on Monday to stop showing videos and to dismantle viewing booths.

8:42 PM CDT, May 7, 2012

Proposed pipeline raises concerns in Baltimore, Harford Co.

Wooden stakes mark the path that a proposed underground gas pipeline would cut through Jonathan Guth's property in Baltimore County along its 21-mile route northeast to Harford County. The project would take out about half a stand of woods that Guth says makes a fine noise and privacy buffer between his four-bedroom house and the main road, and he's not happy about it.

7:56 PM CDT, May 4, 2012

Balto. Co. man found guilty of 2009 Owings Mills killing

A Baltimore County man was found guilty by a Circuit Court jury Friday of fatally shooting a man found in an Owings Mills home in 2009, a state prosecutor said.

8:11 PM CDT, May 2, 2012

Developer floats idea of Dundalk commercial, office project

No one makes whiskey any longer on Sollers Point Road in Dundalk, where the old distillery stands empty, the weeds poke through the paving and graffiti marks the brick walls.

2:17 PM CDT, April 23, 2012

Man who claims Schaefer's estate owes him loses another round in court

A Las Vegas man who claims the estate of William Donald Schaefer owes him $28,000 for restaurant checks he picked up and time he spent visiting with the former governor and comptroller for five years lost another round in court on Monday.

6:12 PM CDT, April 19, 2012

Arundel to decide how to split the proceeds from new casino

Absent the colorful facade yet to come, the slots casino at Arundel Mills looks from the outside like a giant parking garage, but thousands of gambling machines on the first floor will soon be lighting up the day and night. The doors are set to open in June, and this year Anne Arundel County can begin slicing up its share of the expected millions.

7:17 PM CDT, April 12, 2012

Woman testifies defendant was driving when girls were hit

A Severn woman broke down in tears several times Thursday in Baltimore Circuit Court as she testified that her boyfriend was driving the 2001 Lincoln that struck and killed two teenagers on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard last June. She said she switched seats in the car with him before they were stopped by police later that night.

3:49 PM CDT, April 29, 2012

Parking garage proposal for park sparks Annapolis fight

On a sunny spring afternoon, children continue a tradition in the downtown playground next to Annapolis Elementary School: shooting hoops, kicking a ball around, riding the swings. Adults, meanwhile, pursue another generations-old practice: arguing the future of the little park, long considered the keystone to waterfront revitalization.

8:58 PM CDT, April 11, 2012

Localities, schools, colleges face uncertain budget picture

Local government and university leaders are struggling to craft spending plans amid uncertainty over the state budget — and how a package of threatened cuts might affect schools, roads, public safety and other basic services.

7:39 PM CDT, April 11, 2012

Woman banned from Walmart for 5 years after bleach fight

A Lansdowne woman was ordered to stay out of Walmart for five years after pleading guilty Wednesday to misdemeanor assault in a bleach and Pine-Sol fight that briefly shut down a Baltimore County store last fall.

4:29 PM CDT, April 2, 2012

Jewish Times publisher sold at auction

The likely new owner reassured staffers of the Baltimore Jewish Times on Monday that nothing will change in the 93-year-old weekly's commitment to reporting on the local community.

5:18 PM CDT, April 10, 2012

Man to be sentenced on charge of attempted school assault

A 22-year-old man faces sentencing Wednesday morning for trying to sexually assault a boy in a Dundalk middle school bathroom in 2010.

11:23 AM CDT, April 2, 2012

Baltimore Jewish Times publisher sold at bankruptcy auction

The company owned by the family that has published the Baltimore Jewish Times for 93 years was sold at bankruptcy auction Monday morning for $1.26 million to the owners of the Washington Jewish Week, who are promising to keep the local focus of the weekly magazine.

4:42 PM CDT, April 9, 2012

Battle brews in Towson over boundaries of business district

When Towson American Legion Post 22 commander Jim Rebbert looks at a planner's drawing envisioning a future for the patch of land where the post now stands, he gets the jitters. The drawings show businesses and apartments along pleasant, tree-lined thoroughfares, but not the Legion post.

6:01 PM CDT, March 14, 2012

Judge sets new deadline in Jewish Times bankruptcy

The publisher of the Baltimore Jewish Times and its key creditor have been given until Friday morning to file a plan to get the company out of bankruptcy or face a hearing on a motion to appoint a trustee to run the business.

7:32 PM CDT, March 20, 2012

Five parties express interest in Jewish Times, Style magazine sale

Five investor groups or companies, including The Baltimore Sun's publisher, have either expressed interest in or submitted bids for the owner of the Baltimore Jewish Times and Style Magazine, according to the general manager of Alter Communications Inc., which is now up for sale under a bankruptcy trustee.

9:20 PM CDT, March 29, 2012

Perjury inquiry helps sink another case

Not long after his son was stabbed to death outside his apartment in Hampstead, Richard DeMario heard that police had arrested a suspect, and soon enough it seemed to him they had a strong case. The man had confessed in a video recording and left behind a trail of physical evidence, including a knife said to have been used in the killing and a shirt that prosecutors said was stained with the son's blood.

8:22 PM CDT, March 12, 2012

Investigation highlights Balto. Co. minority hiring struggle

When Baltimore County Police Capt. Andre Davis took command, late in 2010, of recruiting and hiring, he could see that efforts to bring in African-Americans had slipped. Background checks were not being completed on many applicants, and no effort was being made to see that black candidates showed up for physical and written exams.

5:11 PM CDT, April 4, 2012

Jewish Times' new owners poised to take the helm

The prospective new owners of the Baltimore Jewish Times took over Washington Jewish Week nearly two years ago and made an array of changes to the publication, which had just turned 80 years old. They redesigned the tabloid, revamped the website and launched an email newsletter.

7:14 PM CDT, March 21, 2012

Auction of Jewish Times publisher proposed for next week

Pending the approval of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, the publisher of the Baltimore Jewish Times and Style Magazine could be sold at auction next week.

5:50 PM CDT, March 11, 2012

Battles loom as Baltimore Co. changes zoning map

David Boyd has seen the county's rezoning routine hit home before. He didn't like it the first time and he doesn't like it now.

6:58 PM CDT, March 19, 2012

Bankruptcy trustee settles in at Baltimore Jewish Times

The new face in the office of the publisher of the Baltimore Jewish Times and Style Magazine is Zvi Guttman, a man in a black yarmulke, white shirt, dark tie and black suspenders who settled into the conference room Monday, opened his laptop and began the work of a bankruptcy trustee: selling the business and searching for assets to pay creditors.

7:57 PM CDT, April 5, 2012

Judge approves sale of Jewish Times publisher

The buyers of the Baltimore Jewish Times' publishing company are prepared to close the $1.26 million purchase of the company Friday after a U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge approved the transaction Thursday. The sale will bring an end to 93 years of family ownership.

7:30 PM CST, February 8, 2012

Appeals court: State cannot re-indict defendants unfit for trial

A Maryland appeals court has ruled that the state violated the rights of two men who were found incompetent to stand trial and were then held in state institutions beyond the legal time limit without going through proceedings for commitment to a mental hospital.

4:43 PM CST, February 16, 2012

Baltimore County Revenue Authority chief stepping down

The chief executive of the Baltimore County Revenue Authority, which runs public parking, golf courses and an indoor skating rink and sports center, said Thursday that he has left the post to pursue another position.

8:38 PM CDT, March 29, 2012

Key creditor bids to buy publisher of Jewish Times

A key creditor in the bankruptcy of the Baltimore Jewish Times and Style Magazine publisher has become the third bidder for the firm, raising the prospect of new ownership that the current chief executive officer said would be "a real tragic end to this company."

4:14 PM CST, February 19, 2012

Baltimore Co. Council poised to reform development practice

The Baltimore County Council is poised make it easier to get information about plans filed under a real estate development method that has been criticized as too easy on builders and too hard on residents trying to keep track of what's going on in their neighborhoods.

8:59 PM CDT, March 28, 2012

Charges dropped in 2007 Bowling Brook death

Carroll County prosecutors have dropped reckless-endangerment charges against five former juvenile facility staff members in the death of a Baltimore teenager because the main detective on the case is being investigated for perjury.

6:24 PM CDT, March 13, 2012

Competing plans spiked; talks continue in Jewish Times bankruptcy

Two competing plans to take the Baltimore Jewish Times' publisher out of bankruptcy have been taken off the table, and talks continued Tuesday between the company and a key creditor after a judge approved an emergency cash infusion.

4:53 PM CST, February 9, 2012

Man accused in killing at Perkins found competent for trial

A man accused of beating one of his roommates to death at the Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center last fall was found mentally competent Thursday to stand trial in Howard County Circuit Court.

3:49 PM CST, January 15, 2012

Protesters head to D.C. to decry economic inequality

Civil rights veteran Helena Hicks had walked much of the route already, many years ago — decades before the nation's capital memorialized the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in stone. Some things have changed dramatically since then, others not so much. So Hicks took to the streets once more.

7:46 PM CST, January 4, 2012

Jewish Times publisher, printer miss deadline for joint plan

The publisher of the Baltimore Jewish Times and its former printer have now blown a third deadline set by a federal judge to submit a joint plan to take the company out of bankruptcy, and the years-long feud goes on.

4:21 PM CST, January 22, 2012

Stepped-up arrest effort in state targeted violent offenders

When springtime trends showed that 2011 homicides in Maryland would rise by 7 percent, the governor's office set in motion an intensified effort to arrest violent offenders wanted on warrants in areas where most of the state's violent crime occurs: Baltimore City and Prince George's and Baltimore counties.

5:16 PM CST, December 27, 2011

Police seek help in finding quilt stolen from Banneker museum

A quilt made by a prominent African-American textile artist and teacher was stolen during a burglary this month from the Benjamin Banneker Historical Park and Museum in Oella, where it was on loan.

9:09 PM CST, February 21, 2012

Justice Dept. probes Balto. Co. minority hiring for police, fire

The U.S. Justice Departmenthas opened an investigation of possible racial discrimination in hiring at the Baltimore County police and fire departments, according to correspondence between the agency and the county.

9:09 PM CST, January 5, 2012

Jewish Times group headed by physician-turned-entrepreneur

Dr. Scott Rifkin says the Baltimore Jewish Times "has a long and distinguished history and deserves to be saved" as its parent company is mired in a contentious bankruptcy. So he did what he's known to do, when he feels the time is right: He jumped in.

5:01 PM CST, January 20, 2012

Man sentenced for sexual assault in Skateworks case

A 19-year-old man was sentenced to prison Friday morning after the girl he sexually assaulted in a Woodlawn roller rink told the judge that since the crime she's been harassed, gotten into fights with schoolmates and become increasingly angry.

7:30 PM CST, January 14, 2012

MLK marchers have brief face-off with police

Demonstrators marching through downtown Baltimore on Saturday to mark the approaching Martin Luther King Jr. holiday had a brief face-off with the police, but the two sides parted ways peacefully without arrests.

5:45 PM CST, December 7, 2011

Family of boy killed by falling tree at camp sues Carroll Co.

Relatives of a 9-year-old boy killed by a falling tree at a Carroll County nature camp two years ago have filed a $12 million suit against the county, contending that camp managers should have protected the boy by cutting the dead hickory tree down before it fell and keeping children inside during high winds the morning of the accident.

6:59 PM CST, December 28, 2011

Baltimore Co. police officer hurt in crash with tractor-trailer

A Baltimore County police officer and two other people suffered injuries Wednesday after the officer's cruiser was struck by a tractor-trailer on the Baltimore Beltway in Towson, forcing police to temporarily close the highway.

7:47 PM CST, February 16, 2012

Balto. Co. unveils $76 million emergency dispatch system

Baltimore County officials announced Thursday that they have launched a $76 million radio system for police, fire and other emergency crew members designed to improve sound quality, cover more territory and make transmission more reliable.

1:50 PM CST, December 24, 2011

'Sweepstakes' game rooms raise legal, tax questions

Lillie Chappell was up about $50, then down about the same, and was into her third hour playing a video game — pressing a button on the computer screen and watching tumbling four-leaf clovers, bars, horseshoes, numeral sevens. Compared with slot machines she'd played at Delaware Park, she said this was "pretty much the same."

5:06 PM CST, January 9, 2012

Man accused in Skateworks rape acquitted of most serious charges

A Baltimore County man accused in a gang rape at a Woodlawn roller rink was acquitted Monday of the most serious charges against him. But Davon Perry faces two counts on which the judge declared a mistrial after members of the jury said they were "hopelessly deadlocked."

8:40 PM CST, December 9, 2011

'Pit bulls' seized in cruelty cases face difficult transitions

Michelle bears three small white scars on her black nose, another above her left eye and marks on both her front legs — left by metal grips of a device used to hold her still for forced breeding. A tear in her lower lip has healed nicely after surgery.

7:02 PM CST, January 3, 2012

Girl, 13, identifies attacker in Skateworks assault

A 13-year-old girl who was sexually assaulted in a Woodlawn roller skating rink in 2010 took the witness stand Tuesday in Baltimore County Circuit Court, pointing to Davon Perry as one of three males who took part in the attack.

7:17 PM CST, January 1, 2012

Woman sues Balto. Co. police, claims assault, rights violations

A Baltimore City woman has filed a lawsuit in federal court against Baltimore County, its Police Department, several officers and officials, claiming she was assaulted and her constitutional rights violated when she was arrested while recording an encounter with police near a Towson bar two years ago.

8:16 PM CST, November 12, 2011

Suspect in Arundel mall killings gunned down by police

The man suspected of fatally shooting two people outside Arundel Mills mall in Hanover late Friday night was shot and killed, and a police officer was wounded, in an exchange of gunfire in a residential area of Prince George's County on Saturday morning, police said.

6:02 AM CST, December 6, 2011

Police crack down on unleashed dogs in Patterson Park

City police say they are cracking down on dog owners who let their pets off the leash in Patterson Park, weeks after a poodle was attacked by two pit bulls who escaped from their backyard about a block away from the park.

5:13 PM CST, December 27, 2011

Md. lawmaker to try to ban 'sweepstakes' game rooms

A Maryland legislator said he plans to introduce a bill in the General Assembly that would outlaw video game rooms that offer cash prizes for playing a "sweepstakes," saying such operations could effectively put "slots on every corner."

6:18 PM CST, January 4, 2012

Witnesses: Skateworks rape defendant was in room with girl

Two key witnesses in the state's rape case against Davon Perry testified Wednesday that the defendant was in the room with the teenage girl he is charged with attacking, but they told the court different versions of events that occurred that Saturday night at a Woodlawn roller rink.

7:43 PM CST, November 30, 2011

Appeals court says creamery opponents have right to fight

Opponents of a farmer's creamery business in northern Baltimore County have the right to pursue their fight against the operation before a circuit judge, the state's second highest court ruled on Wednesday.

6:01 PM CST, November 23, 2011

Russian woman's son named as suspect in her death

A former Baltimore County resident serving a 10-year sentence for armed robbery in federal prison has been named as a suspect in the death of his mother, who was visiting from Russia, a Baltimore County Police Department spokeswoman said Wednesday.

6:11 PM CST, November 12, 2011

3 makeshift firebombs in N.W. Baltimore renew concerns

Three makeshift firebombs were thrown against houses in Northwest Baltimore early Saturday, causing little damage and no injuries but raising concerns that a spate of nine similar attacks in September has been renewed.

3:49 PM CDT, October 16, 2011

In Bishop case, Maryland death penalty law gets first trial

The man accused of fatally shooting a Towson gas station owner in a murder-for-hire scheme is due in court this week — the first trial under Maryland's revamped death penalty law, legal experts say.

8:28 PM CST, December 6, 2011

County development chief's legal filing draws council concern

Baltimore County Council members said Tuesday that county development chief Arnold Jablon should not have acted as the attorney for a local environmental engineer who has worked for builders on projects in Baltimore County.

8:09 PM CST, December 3, 2011

Maryland National Guard troops welcomed home from Iraq

Kayden Hoskins can say "Daddy" now, but she could not when her father, Spc. Tom Hoskins of the Maryland National Guard, left for Iraq in February. The 15-month-old from Havre de Grace has known Daddy mostly as a voice on the phone, a man reading her a book on a DVD sent from far away, a face in a framed photograph that on occasion she kisses.

3:34 PM CST, December 26, 2011

Returns, bargains bring out the post-Christmas rush

Santa Claus had left the building, but the Stratemeyer family of Dundalk was picking up where he left off Monday morning, planning a day of many stops to return or exchange bags of items that weren't quite right. This visit to Towson Town Center was just the start.

7:56 PM CST, November 22, 2011

Baltimore Co. police union head Weston suspended with pay

The president of the Baltimore County police union has been suspended with pay and stripped of his police powers after an internal department investigation, months after he received probation before judgment on misdemeanor assault charges, a department spokeswoman said.

6:38 PM CDT, October 27, 2011

Jury in murder-for-hire case says defendant is eligible for death

The Baltimore County man convicted this week of first-degree murder in the shooting of a Towson gas station owner can be subjected to the death penalty, a Harford County Circuit Court jury decided Thursday.

6:17 PM CST, November 29, 2011

Bowleys Quarters waterfront condominium plan rejected

A developer's plan for a 36-unit waterfront condominium with boat slips that has pitted neighbor against neighbor for years in Bowleys Quarters has been rejected by a Baltimore County hearing officer.

4:21 PM CST, December 19, 2011

Gambling charges against Minnick put on inactive docket

Gambling charges against a state lawmaker's brother and three others were set aside on an inactive docket Monday in Baltimore County District Court in Towson, meaning the court made no finding of guilt or innocence in the case alleging that a Dundalk tavern made cash payouts on video game machines.

5:04 PM CST, November 23, 2011

Man pleads guilty to killing Dundalk neighborhood bar owner

A Dundalk man accused of killing his brother-in-law last spring outside the neighborhood bar the victim owned has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, the third person to plead in the case, in which the bar owner's wife is also charged.

4:54 PM CST, November 15, 2011

Balto. Co. Police win award for program tracking violent offenders

The Baltimore County Police Department has been recognized by an international police organization for its use of a statewide program designed to keep watch on the most violent offenders.

6:47 PM CDT, November 2, 2011

No death penalty for man convicted in murder-for-hire plot

Prosecutors in the murder-for-hire case involving the killing of a Towson gas station owner cleared the hurdle set by Maryland's revised and more restrictive capital punishment law, but ultimately could not convince a jury to sentence to death the man convicted of first-degree murder for the shooting.

7:26 PM CDT, September 22, 2011

Parties in Jewish Times dispute scolded by judge

A federal judge on Thursday scolded both parties vying for control of the company that publishes the Baltimore Jewish Times, giving them 30 days to develop a plan to take the company out of bankruptcy — or else a trustee would be appointed to run the business.

5:59 PM CST, December 13, 2011

State delegate and family leave the tavern business

State Del. Joseph J. "Sonny" Minnick and his family have quit the tavern business after 20 years, selling their liquor license shortly before the lawmaker's brother faces trial on gambling charges in connection with video machine payouts at the Dundalk establishment.

5:23 PM CST, November 15, 2011

Stevenson University buys Shire drug plant in Owings Mills

Stevenson University has bought the Shire Pharmaceuticals plant next door to its Owings Mills campus, a $10.5 million deal that a school official said will expand the grounds by a third and help meet the goal of increasing full-time student enrollment to 4,000 in the next two years.

7:53 PM CST, November 22, 2011

Baltimore Co. police officers win same-sex benefits claim

Two Baltimore County Police officers who were denied health benefits for their same-sex spouses have won their cases before an arbitrator, the first disputes of this kind to be decided in the department.

8:25 AM CDT, October 13, 2011

Four injured in Eastern Baltimore Co. crash

Four people were hurt Thursday morning when an SUV rammed the back of a truck doing work for BGE in eastern Baltimore County, police said.

8:14 PM CDT, September 6, 2011

Balto. Co. Council OKs in-law apartment, roadside stand bills

The Baltimore County Council unanimously adopted rules Tuesday for "accessory apartments" in single-family homes and revised the definition of a "farmer's roadside stand" — two votes that may resolve a couple of long-standing neighborhood disputes.

9:08 PM CST, December 5, 2011

Mayor: Idea that Grand Prix needed more from city is 'nonsense'

With the company that put on Baltimore's inaugural Grand Prix struggling to pay its debts, a disagreement is revving up over whether the city did enough to ensure the race's financial viability.

9:25 AM CDT, October 13, 2011

Two Florida men arrested on I-95 on drug charges

A Maryland state trooper on Wednesday evening made quick use of what he learned at a three-day training class on spotting illegal activity, as he stopped to help a couple of stranded motorists on Interstate 95 near Elkton and ended up arresting the two Florida men after finding a load of marijuana.

7:34 PM CDT, October 26, 2011

Guilty verdict in murder-for-hire scheme; defendant could face death

A Baltimore County man was found guilty Wednesday of shooting a Towson gas station owner to death in the first case to test Maryland's revised capital punishment law.

9:22 AM CST, November 10, 2011

Fort Howard project gets good report, but some disagree

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has released a report on the potential environmental impact of a proposed 1,473-unit residential development on the Baltimore County waterfront that can be summed up in two words: no problem. Opponents of the Fort Howard project disagree, and they mean to make waves.

6:28 PM CDT, October 13, 2011

Howard council weighs move to speed up county appeals

The Howard County Council is considering a move to eliminate a widely used approach to challenging decisions on land use, building permits and other matters, a step some activists say sharply curtails the public's right of appeal.

8:15 PM CDT, September 28, 2011

Baltimore County accused of workplace disabilities act violations

The U.S. Justice Department is investigating allegations that Baltimore County government has harassed employees over their medical conditions and forced some out of their jobs, according to court documents and people who have spoken with federal investigators.

7:38 PM CDT, November 1, 2011

Man convicted in murder-for-hire scheme apologizes

The man convicted of killing a Towson gas station owner for money apologized Tuesday in Harford County Circuit Court to the victim's family and friends, saying "I'm sorry to the last fiber of my being." The apology came shortly before a jury was to begin deliberating whether Walter P. Bishop Jr. will be sentenced to death or life in prison.

10:07 PM CDT, October 8, 2011

In Jewish Times bankruptcy, longtime collaborators become foes

Their great-grandfathers each founded Baltimore companies, a publisher and a printer, and their families have built close ties working together since the 1950s to produce the venerable Baltimore Jewish Times.

4:20 PM CDT, September 17, 2011

For Allegany, a decline of industry, a rise in crime

The black metal bars on the front door and window at Kelly's Tavern mark how life has changed in Allegany County these past few years. Antoinette Kelly put those up in the spring, after someone broke in through the door, stole about $200 in cash, a bottle of Captain Morgan rum and a bottle of Jack Daniel's whiskey and left — apparently in haste.

11:06 PM CDT, August 30, 2011

Balto. Co. bill could help resolve Sparks farm stand fight

The Baltimore County Council is scheduled to vote next week on a measure that could help a Sparks farmer resolve a long-standing fight to run a stand out of a barn, though lawyers for the farmer and for his opponents have different views on what the bill would allow.

5:06 PM CDT, August 28, 2011

Baltimore County to begin revision to land-use regulations

An east-side Baltimore County Council member expects the owners of a sprawling old warplane factory to seek rezoning of their property. A Towson lawyer will try for a third time for new zoning allowing a small office building. North county activists plan to study maps looking for environmentally sensitive areas that might need protection from development.

7:31 PM CDT, August 25, 2011

Balto. Co. police union head gets probation in assault charge

The head of the Baltimore County police union has had his police powers restored after he received probation before judgment on misdemeanor assault charges in Circuit Court this week.

8:52 PM CDT, October 25, 2011

Man loses claim against Schaefer estate

Mike Schaefer enjoys telling stories about William Donald Schaefer — how he met the Baltimore mayor during the 1980s, how decades later they became regular companions for meals in Annapolis and Baltimore, how he visited the legendary Maryland politician on Christmas Day last year at the Catonsville retirement community where he lived.

3:45 PM CDT, August 22, 2011

County register of wills tightens procedures

The Baltmore County Register of Wills has tightened up procedures in response to a state audit that found that during a three-year period it did not report all estates valued at greater than $1 million to the office of the state comptroller, as required by law.

6:47 PM CDT, August 15, 2011

Seven arrested on drug charges after raid on Dundalk night club

Seven people have been arrested on drug charges at a Dundalk night club after more than 100 Baltimore County police officers raided the place last week, police said.

9:12 PM CDT, August 1, 2011

Baltimore Co. Council hears residents' concerns on redistricting

The Baltimore County Council got an earful Monday night about proposals to adjust council district lines, as Woodlawn area residents opposed plans to take the Social Security Administration headquarters and several thousand residents out of their district, and Loch Hill neighbors said they wanted to stay in the same jurisdiction asTowson.

July 31, 2011

Balto. Co. to pay hundreds of thousands in lost lawsuit

A veteran Baltimore County police detective will receive $225,000, and his lawyer could get more in fees now that the county has lost a case in which the officer claimed that his rights were violated under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

4:50 PM CDT, July 17, 2011

Condominium plan splits Balto. Co. community

No dirt has been turned, but the Galloway Creek waterfront condominium has already marked the Bowleys Quarters peninsula, setting neighbor against neighbor, suggesting a future for the southeastern Baltimore County community that some find promising, others frightening.

6:23 PM CDT, July 28, 2011

St. Paul's School sued by former student in bullying case

A Baltimore County mother is suing St. Paul's School for Boys and two administrators for $150,000, claiming that her son was bullied for years by other students and the school did nothing to protect him.

6:24 PM CDT, August 19, 2011

Howard immigrant who lost home to mistake settles case

A Howard County man who lost his townhouse in a refinancing foul-up six years ago has settled the matter before trial, giving him enough money for a down payment on a new house, a lawyer in the case said.

7:44 PM CDT, September 21, 2011

Survey reveals Dundalk's reputation: rough, with water views

Lifelong Dundalk resident Scott Holupka has heard the jokes. He's heard Dundalk residents stereotyped as some "combination of Archie Bunker and a West Virginia hillbilly," the community knocked as dirty, industrial and smelly.

6:59 PM CDT, September 5, 2011

Balto. Co. proposal on 'in-law apartments' draws criticism

The Baltimore County Council is set to vote on a bill to clarify the rules for so-called in-law apartments, a measure that has drawn strong opposition from community activists who claim that it could allow neighborhoods to become more densely populated than zoning allows.

3:44 PM CDT, August 15, 2011

Rebuilt office tower to fill gap in Towson

Construction crews are busy filling a 12-story gap that has stood empty in the center of Towson for nearly 10 years.

10:44 PM CDT, July 14, 2011

Minnick's Restaurant co-owner, three others charged in illegal gambling case

Two weeks after Baltimore County police seized electronic gambling machines from a Dundalk bar co-owned by state Del. Joseph J. "Sonny" Minnick, authorities filed gambling-related charges against four people.

7:45 PM CDT, August 9, 2011

Delegate files suit against Harford Sheriff

Del. Richard K. Impallaria has filed a lawsuit against the Harford County sheriff, claiming towing companies are committing "theft" and "extortion" and the county's chief law enforcement officer should do something about it.

5:58 PM CDT, July 10, 2011

Fiery jerk chicken, colorful feathers at Caribbean Fest

Wayne Smith is standing at the Weber gas grill in Clifton Park brushing barbecue sauce over a batch of jerk chicken — a Caribbean signature dish in a weekend of cultural signatures at the 30th annual Caribbean Carnival Festival.

July 31, 2011

Group alleges housing discrimination at Balto. Co. complex

For the second time in less than a year, a fair-housing advocacy organization has filed suit in U.S. District Court claiming racial discrimination by a company that owns 24 apartment complexes in the Baltimore region.

6:31 PM CDT, June 22, 2011

Balto. Co. Council redistricting plan likely to help incumbents

The partisan profile of the Baltimore County Council would be strengthened and several neighborhoods once torn among districts would be knit back together under a proposal advanced Wednesday by a committee established to redraw the county political map to reflect population changes since the last census.

6:38 PM CDT, July 9, 2011

Police report stabbing downtown, arrest man in July 4 killing

Police made an arrest Saturday in the fatal stabbing that marred last weekend's Fourth of July celebration at the Inner Harbor, as officers began to investigate a separate overnight killing downtown.

7:14 PM CDT, June 14, 2011

Alternative development technique brings controversy in Balto. Co.

Behind the asphalt parking lot at Dimitri's International Grille in Catonsville, the wooded area drops about 30 feet in a steep slope in one direction, adjoining Patapsco Valley State Park on two sides. The restaurant's owner wants to build 10 townhouses there, though zoning doesn't allow it and the Baltimore County planning staff has strongly recommended against it.

7:38 PM CDT, June 29, 2011

$495 million award from Exxon in Balto. Co. gas spill could grow

A Baltimore County jury has ordered Exxon Mobil Corp. to pay more than $495 million to compensate a group of Jacksonville families and businesses for claims of lost property value, emotional distress and medical monitoring resulting from a 2006 underground gasoline leak — and damages could continue to grow.

3:24 AM CDT, August 30, 2011

Archbishop O'Brien leaving Baltimore for post in Rome

Archbishop Edwin F. O'Brien flies to Rome next month for a new job leading a global order of Catholic knights, a post that likely will lead to his elevation to cardinal, but which also begins his departure from the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

10:26 PM CDT, June 20, 2010

Couple takes crab cookery to new waterfront spot

The first in a weekly series about the people and the jobs that define a Maryland summer.

11:08 AM CDT, July 1, 2011

Damages in Balto. Co. Exxon leak suit rise to $1.5 billion

Baltimore County jurors returned a verdict for punitive damages against ExxonMobil Corp. on Thursday that raises the total award stemming from an underground gasoline leak in 2006 to more than $1.5 billion, a figure that a plaintiffs' lawyer says could make it the largest judgment ever in a case of this type.

7:00 AM CDT, July 6, 2011

Balto. Co. Council alters PUD rules, also revives Catonsville development

The Baltimore County Council approved significant changes on Tuesday evening to a land development approach that has often drawn fire from community activists, a move that council members said would stop bad projects early and make the development process more open.

7:27 PM CDT, June 30, 2011

Long before Catonsville's July 4th parade, seat savers wait

Catonsville's Fourth of July parade is bound to be an impressive event Monday afternoon, with 17 marching bands, Lone Ranger look-alikes, wailing firetrucks, color guards, 25 floats and a renowned local waitress drifting by in a long red gown. But before that, unfolding as you read this, goes the spectacle of the chairs.

7:20 AM CDT, June 21, 2011

Miller's Island restaurant slapped with $4,000 fine in years-long battle over music

The years-long battle over music at the Dock of the Bay restaurant in Miller's Island continued Monday as the Baltimore County Board of Liquor License Commissioners fined the waterfront establishment $4,000 for two violations, and the chairman warned that heavier penalties will be imposed for further infractions.

6:32 PM CDT, July 10, 2011

Towson looks to more open, walkable design to hold visitors

Baltimore County has a plan for the heart of Towson, and it looks like Allegheny Avenue.

4:48 PM CDT, July 9, 2011

Girl fatally struck by car in Catonsville

A 14-year-old girl was struck and killed Friday night while crossing the Baltimore National Pike in Catonsville, a Baltimore County police corporal said.

9:31 PM CDT, July 1, 2011

Vindication mixes with continued uncertainty for Exxon plaintiffs

The oversized windows of Hans Wilhelmsen's house in Jacksonville command a view to the east of hills dotted with baled hay and stands of oak, maple and pine on the 70 acres he owns a mile south of where an Exxon station unleashed an underground flood of unleaded gasoline five years ago. Thirteen bison patrolled the fields then, but they're gone now, and Wilhelmsen is sure he knows why.

6:16 PM CDT, July 9, 2011

Police report stabbing downtown, arrest man in July 4 killing

Police made an arrest Saturday in the fatal stabbing that marred last weekend's Fourth of July celebration at the Inner Harbor, as officers began to investigate a separate, overnight killing downtown.

10:07 PM CST, January 29, 2011

Two-alarm fire hits Charles Village Pub in Towson

A two-alarm fire Saturday evening heavily damaged the Charles Village Pub & Patio, a popular hangout for Towson University students.

9:03 PM CDT, April 11, 2011

Council calls hearing on lead-paint judgments

The Baltimore City Council called on officials of the Housing Authority and other agencies to explain what's being done about paying judgments of nearly $12 million to public housing residents poisoned by lead paint.

8:42 PM CST, December 8, 2010

Bomb plot suspect drew inspiration from radicals, Web

The suspect in the attempted bombing of the Army recruiting center in Catonsville apparently drew inspiration from an array of websites and radical Islamic leaders, including a U.S.-born cleric who has been targeted for assassination by the Obama administration, according to an FBI affidavit.

December 6, 2009

A Sun snapshot: Should Dixon stay?

In the market and at the bus stop, over glasses of wine and under the barber's clippers, the daily rhythm of life in Baltimore has been interrupted by a question reverberating through many a conversation: Should Mayor Sheila Dixon, convicted of embezzlement, continue to run the city?

7:37 PM CDT, June 28, 2011

Verdict sealed in Exxon gas spill trial; proceedings continue

ExxonMobil Corp. has lost its bid to avoid paying punitive damages in a case stemming from an underground gasoline leak in northern Baltimore County in 2006, but how much the international company will have to pay remains to be seen as the case continues in Circuit Court on Wednesday.

10:42 PM CST, December 30, 2010

Racetrack crews find temporary relief from closure worries

Frances Kent has made her home for 22 years in one room along the backstretch at Laurel Park. She pays no rent, but also has no private bath or cooking appliances, which are not allowed, so she saves coupons for Arby's roast beef specials and other fast food, and finds that canned "tomato soup is not bad cold."

6:46 AM CST, January 10, 2011

New interest in exorcism rites comes to Baltimore

The rite, those few priests who have performed it say, can unfold as a quiet prayer session or a show of violence.

8:20 PM CDT, June 17, 2011

Exxon Mobil accused of 'fraud' in Jacksonville gas spill trial

Lawyers for dozens of Baltimore County families suing Exxon Mobil Corp. closed a six-month trial Friday by arguing for punitive damages in a 2006 underground gasoline leak in Jacksonville, accusing the corporation of playing down the potential harm of the contamination and of committing "fraud."