Abdominal Surgery

They're oldies but goodies! Some veteran radio voices are on the air again in the coming days.* Gene Leitner and Allan Caplan of the Golden Radio Buffs of Maryland plan a nostalgia trip as they begin two weeks of vacation fill-in tomorrow on the weekly "21st Century Radio's Heironimus & Co." program, from 7 p.m.-9 p.m. on WCBM-AM (680).Mr. Leitner, a founder of the club, says this weekend's outing will include broadcast of the first two episodes of the radio drama "Superman," a discussion of the origins of the radio drama "The Lone Ranger" and a broadcast by Alan Young that was recorded in June of 1945 at the Lyric Opera House.

Moves Baseball MLB: Reduced suspensions of following individuals for roles in incident July 28: Orioles P Willis Roberts from seven to five games, Orioles OF Melvin Mora from four to three games; Red Sox C Jason Varitek from four to three games, Red Sox IF Rey Sanchez from three to two games; and Red Sox pitching coach Tony Cloninger from two games to one game. Suspended Expos P Tomo Ohka six games and fined him $1,000 and suspended Braves P Chris Hammond three games for throwing at batters during game last Saturday; players' association appealed Ohka's suspension.

For the past six years, Sister Mary Monaghan has pulled lunch duty and monitored the halls as principal of St. Jane Frances School in Riviera Beach.On June 14, she will walk the halls for what might be her final time as principal. She is leaving to return to the classroom, this time as a mathematics teacher for middle school students."I want to go back and pick up the tempo of the classroom again," said Sister Mary, 58. "I find that exciting."Her announcement saddened students at the Roman Catholic school on Jane Drive.

Robert S. Jones, 82, Bethlehem Steel salesmanRobert S. "Footsie" Jones, a retired salesman, died of cancer Thursday at Joseph Richey Hospice in Baltimore. He was 82 and lived in Rodgers Forge.Mr. Jones, a native of Bandon, Ore., was a salesman for Bethlehem Steel Corp. for 19 years and retired in 1979. He also had been a salesman for Maryland Ship Building & Drydock Co. and Stone Container Corp. in Philadelphia.After arriving in Baltimore in 1940, he worked at the Bethlehem Steel Sparrows Point shipyard as a shipbuilder for six years.

APPOINTMENTS Dr. Paul Flint, an authority on robotic-surgery techniques for removing tumors in the airway and on the use of botulinum toxin to restore voice strength, has been named the first Charles W. Cummings M.D. Professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. The event marks the first new professorship in the Johns Hopkins University department of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery since 1998 and is only the fourth of its kind in the department's nearly century-long history.

Having been cleared to resume baseball activities Thursday, Orioles outfielder Nick Markakis said he's confident he will have enough time -- and at-bats -- to be ready for the regular season. Markakis hasn't played since March 1, when he was scratched from the starting lineup with neck stiffness. After an MRI, Markakis was diagnosed with a small disk herniation in his neck. On Friday, he will take swings off a tee and do some light throwing. Orioles manager Buck Showalter said the progression, which is slated to take three to four days, will include soft-toss hitting, long-toss throwing and live batting practice thrown by coaches.

Question: : Chocolate works for hiccups. My father was recovering in the hospital for several weeks last summer, and many, many times he had lengthy bouts of severe hiccups. As he was recovering from abdominal surgery, these were extremely painful. His doctors tried anti-spasmodic drugs to end them, and the drugs did not help. I read about this remedy in your book, bought him a bag of chocolate chips, and voila, it worked. He is in his 70s and a skeptic. When he mentions this cure to his doctors, they think he is making it up. Anyway, he was thrilled.

Otto E. Schellhase, last owner of the landmark Schellhase's Restaurant, where Baltimore's notables dined for more than half a century, died Thursday at Anne Arundel Medical Center of complications from abdominal surgery. The Annapolis resident was 88. Mr. Schellhase joined the family restaurant business in 1935 when it moved from Franklin Street to a larger space on Howard Street. Its distinctive German decor and menu drew a famed clientele, including stage actors, film stars and writers.

An estimated 138 million women of reproductive age -- 43 million more than in 1984 -- are protected from unwanted pregnancy by voluntary female sterilization, says the latest issue of Population Reports, published at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health.Female sterilization is not only the world's most widely used family planning method, but it is also one of the fastest growing, according to the report. Worldwide, the number of women using this method has risen by 45 percent since 1984.

SARASOTA, Fla. -- After seeing a spine specialist in Baltimore on Tuesday, Orioles right fielder Nick Markakis remains optimistic he will be recovered from a herniated disk in his neck in time to be in the starting lineup on Opening Day. Markakis saw Johns Hopkins spine specialist Dr. Lee Riley on the team's off day and returned to Sarasota on Wednesday. He said he's currently pain-free and his range of motion is returning. Markakis was scratched from the starting lineup March 1 after he woke up unable to move his neck.