Accepted

The following is compiled from local police reports. Our policy is to include descriptions when there is enough information to make identification possible. If you have any information about these crimes, call the Wilkens Police Station at 410-887-0872. Hollins Ferry Road, 3900 block, Feb. 3, 11:15 p.m. Two people were struck in the head in parking lot. Two assailants were chased off by witness. Washington Boulevard, unknown block, Feb. 2, between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Woman who accepted a ride while waiting at bus stop was taken into Morrell Park and sexually assaulted at knifepoint.

The state commission charged with awarding a casino license in Prince George's County will call for proposals at a meeting in Annapolis on Jan. 31. Don Fry, the group's chairman, anticipates setting a due date in May and, depending on the number and nature of the applicants, awarding the license no later than the end of the year. MGM Resorts, a partner in a proposed $800 million project to be built near National Harbor, will begin work on its proposal as soon as the request is made, spokesman Gordon Absher said.

The Catonsville Historical Society was the lucky recipient of a generous check from the Catonsville Woman's Club, due to the group's demise. It was presented at the January board meeting by Becky McNamara, who has been a longtime member of both organizations. The society also received two silver tea services, previously used by the club. Lucy McKean, corresponding secretary Catonsville Historical Society

It was disappointing to read Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.'s column criticizing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for not appearing before Congress to testify about the death of our ambassador to Libya ("For Republicans, a not so happy New Year," Jan. 6). Has no one has explained to Republicans the concepts "concussion" or "life-threatening blood clot" in terms simple enough for them to understand? I will bet my next paycheck that Secretary Clinton does indeed testify when she is cleared to do so by her doctors.

Today is the final day for Maryland homeowners to apply by mail for the Homestead Tax Credit, which prevents property taxes from going up more than 10 percent per year (it's a lesser percentage in most counties and Baltimore). Applications will also be accepted in person on Wednesday (read below for details).  The tax credit could save some homeowners hundreds of dollars on their July tax bill. To learn more about the credit, read the related items to the left of this post. The credit only applies to owner-occupied residences.

The Carroll County Student Government Association is accepting applications from current ninth- and 10th-grade students interested in serving as the student representative-elect on the county Board of Education for the 2013-14 school year. The student representative is elected by the CCSGA for a two-year term. This year's student member is O'Reilly Miani, a senior at Francis Scott Key High School. During the first year, the student representative-elect will shadow the current representative to learn the responsibilities of the position.

Additional work will be done to stabilize the banks of Plumtree Run south of George Street in Bel Air under a contract addendum passed by the Board of Town Commissioners at the most recent town meeting. The addendum to the existing contract with Ecotone Inc., of Jarrettsville, will stabilize the stream bank in the area of the Plumtree Square condominiums, according to Public Works Director Randy Robertson. Ecotone is the company the town hired last summer to remove the nearly 50-year-old pipe that carried Plumtree Run under Plumtree Park, so the stream could be daylighted - that is, brought to its natural course above ground.

It is troubling that neither The Sun's news coverage nor its editorial regarding the United Nations' recognition of Palestine as a non-member observer state bothered to mention what Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas actually said in his speech to the General Assembly preceding the vote. President Abbas could have used the U.N. forum to confirm Palestine's commitment to peaceful coexistence with Israel and to underscore how its enhanced U.N. status will further that goal. Instead, Mr. Abbas defamed Israel by repeating the scurrilous lies and distortions that are common parlance in the Arab world.

This week, we got a “feel good” type of episode, which is appropriate considering we are quickly approaching the holidays. If I had to name this episode, it would be “Olive Branch” or “We Are Family” (yes, I'm singing it in my head, too). The group heavily unites in this episode and shows that in the end, it is all about family, and they are one family. United they stand, united they fall - down - hard. The episode starts where they left us last week, with Vinny wanting to speak to Jionni in private.

"I Used to be Darker," the latest movie from Baltimore's Matt Porterfield, will be shown at January's Sundance Film Festival, organizers announced Wednesday. "I was in a bit of a state of shock," said Porterfield, who was on a return bus trip from New York when he got the news. "I'm ecstatic. " The movie, Porterfield's third feature as a writer-director, tells the story of a runaway from Northern Ireland who moves in with her aunt and uncle in Baltimore, and the family crises that ensue.