Baltimore County Digest

Smith reports more than $1.5 million

Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith Jr. has more than $1.5 million in the bank for his re-election campaign, according to the latest campaign finance information supplied yesterday by the state.

Smith, a Democrat, raised $755,676 last year. "I think it's pretty clear the county executive's support is really deep and really broad," said Rachael Rice, Smith's campaign fundraiser. "It cuts across socioeconomic lines. We've got a lot of regular folks who pay $25 to come to his picnic, and you've got businesses who are interested in him, and unions."

The only person who has filed paperwork to challenge Smith is Norman J. Cioka, a Republican.

Towson

Bay Trust gives environmental honors

The Chesapeake Bay Trust has awarded environmental honors to a Glen Arm resident and a Towson High School teacher, the group has announced.

Charles E. Conklin, chairman of the board of directors of the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, won the 2006 Ellen Fraites Wagner Award for volunteers who help protect and restore the bay. The retired Bethlehem Steel engineer has served on many boards and groups and directed a reforestation project on the Dulaney Valley Branch of the Gunpowder River.

Environmental science teacher Margaret I. Paul was one of two Teachers of the Year named by the trust. She was honored for leading projects such as raising horseshoe crabs, building duck and bat boxes and testing water quality, often using the grounds of Towson High School as a teaching tool.

Reisterstown

Hannah More School gets new official

Hannah More School, which offers services for emotionally disabled and autistic middle- and high-schoolers in Reisterstown and Anne Arundel County, has hired a new director of development, school officials have announced.

Joan D. Drebing is the former director of development for the Osteogenesis Imperfecta Foundation, a nonprofit organization that provides information about a condition also known as "brittle bone disease."

Perry Hall

Forum to discuss community's future

Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith Jr. has scheduled a "roundtable" of community leaders to discuss the future of Perry Hall on Thursday.

Panelists include the Rev. George DeMass, pastor of Perry Hall Presbyterian Church; Dennis Eckard, president of the Perry Hall Improvement Association; Jerry Soukup, president of the Perry Hall Recreation Council; and several other business owners and community activists.

The public forum begins at 7 p.m. at Perry Hall High School, 4601 Ebenezer Road.

Countywide

Free colon cancer screenings offered

The Baltimore County Health Department's Colon Cancer Prevention Program, which recently recorded its 1,000th colonoscopy, is offering free screenings and cancer treatments for eligible residents.

County residents must be uninsured or underinsured, age 50 or older and be in a low-income bracket. Free colonoscopies are given to eligible residents younger than age 50 who have a family history of colon cancer or are experiencing health problems.

The program is funded by a state Cigarette Restitution Fund grant.

Colon cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in the state. County residents can call 800-MD-COLON for information about the free screenings.

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