Fox rabid; dog's owner sought
A rabid fox was found dead near where a dog was attacked by a fox in a northern Harford County park last weekend, and officials are attempting to find the dog's owner. Harford County Health Department officials said an unidentified man was walking a dog near the boardwalk in Eden Mill Park in Pylesville on Sunday when a fox attacked the dog. Officials later found a dead fox nearby that tested positive for the rabies virus. It was the first recorded case of rabies in a fox in Harford County in a year, according to Bill Wiseman, a Health Department spokesman. "We're urgently looking for the dog's owner because, on the slight chance that the fox's saliva contacted an open wound on the owner or contacted his eyes, nose or mouth within a couple of hours of the attack, he might have contracted the virus," Wiseman said. "And if the rabies virus goes untreated, it is lethal." Officials learned of the attack when the dog's owner mentioned it to a park employee Sunday, but the man did not give his name or describe the dog.
JONATHAN PITTS
UM president keeps commencement prayer
The University of Maryland, College Park will retain its tradition of offering a prayer before its commencement exercises, university President C.D. Mote Jr. said Thursday. His decision to maintain the two-minute prayer and moment of silence runs counter to a recommendation this week from the University Senate, which voted 32-14 to stop it. The Senate is composed of students, faculty and staff, and advises Mote on major issues. Senators had said the prayer was noninclusive and not appropriate for a public institution. But in a statement, Mote said, "For many people, a prayer of gratitude and a moment of reflection are an important part of our commencement tradition." A prayer has been a long-standing part of the university's graduation; a moment of silence was added in 2007.
STEPHEN KIEHL
Two men sought in Edgewood stabbing
Harford County sheriff's deputies said Thursday that they are looking for two men in the stabbing of a 20-year-old man Wednesday night in Edgewood. Brian Johnson was stabbed about 11 p.m. outside his home in the 1800 block of Eastfields Way, police said. He was flown to Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where he was treated for multiple stab wounds to the upper torso and was listed in stable condition, police said. The motive for the stabbing was not known, they said.
JONATHAN PITTS
