City/county Digest

Worker rescued from trench

Anne Arundel County emergency crews rescued a construction worker yesterday who injured his back after falling into a trench at a fiber optic cable work site in Annapolis.

The accident occurred about 11:30 a.m. after the worker fell into a hole that was about 7 feet square and 7 feet deep, said Lt. Frank Fennell of the Anne Arundel County Fire Department. It occurred near the eastbound ramp to U.S. 50 off Route 2 and West Street.

The 21-year-old told rescuers he heard his back snap when he landed in the pit, which had been dug to install a concrete cable junction box, Fennell said.

Because the sides of the dirt pit were unstable, it had to be shored up with sheets of plywood and metal braces before medics could safely descend into the pit and remove the injured worker using a backboard and stretcher.

"It took about two hours and a lot of staffing to do it," Fennell said.

He said blankets were used and heat was pumped into the pit to keep the man warm.

The worker, whose name was not released, was flown to Maryland Shock Trauma Center for treatment of nonlife-threatening injuries, Fennell said.

Greg Garland

Baltimore City: Education

English classes for foreign speakers

Registration is being accepted for the spring session day classes at the College of Notre Dame's English Language Institute, 4701 N. Charles St. The eight-week session, which runs from Jan. 30 to March 31, includes beginning through advanced classes, as well as a preparation course for the Test of English as a Foreign Language. Classes for both full-time and part-time students are offered Monday through Friday. Registration continues through Jan. 23. Information: www.ndm. edu/institutes/eli. To register: 410-532-5566.

Washington: Medicine

Army plans new amputee center

Even though Walter Reed Army Hospital is slated to close in five years, construction is expected to begin this spring on a state-of-the-art rehabilitation center for amputee soldiers. A waiver was granted, and a contractor to build a $10 million Military Amputee Training Center should be selected by the end of March, with construction to be completed in September 2007, officials said. The center will be used for five to seven years, officials said. "The transitional center is necessary to provide the best possible care for our amputee patients in the five years between now and 2011, when Walter Reed is scheduled to move to Bethesda," the hospital said in a statement.

Associated Press

MONTGOMERY: BETHESDA

Parks panel deeded Uncle Tom's cabin

On the day set aside to honor a civil rights pioneer, an important piece of history dating back to slavery was slated for preservation. The original Uncle Tom's Cabin was officially deeded to the Maryland National Capital Parks and Planning Commission yesterday. The slave cabin was once home to Josiah Henson, the inspiration for Harriet Beecher Stowe's title character in the abolitionist novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. The short autobiography The Life of Josiah Henson, Formerly a Slave was published in 1849. Three years later, Stowe's novel helped focus world attention on the brutality of slavery.

Associated Press