Acton

Lucy C. Acton, a former Evening Sun feature writer who later was editor of Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred, formerly Maryland Horse Magazine, died June 7 of cancer of the appendix at Gilchrist Hospice Care. The Timonium resident was 63. "She was a deliberate person and real dedicated to the Maryland horse racing industry. She really cared and that was her life," said Joseph B. Kelly, retired Washington Star racing editor and turf historian. "It is a very complicated business, and she wrote about and participated in every phase of it," said Mr. Kelly, who had worked with Ms. Acton's father, Wilton Snowden Carter, in the late 1940s when both were young reporters covering racing for The Baltimore Sun and the old Evening Sun. "Lucy was a very quiet person but a real hard worker and a little giant," he said.

LANDOVER -- It took more than a week -- and several clarifications from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman -- but the Washington Capitals decided to match the San Jose Sharks' free-agent offer for left wing Kelly Miller yesterday.In a separate move, the Capitals signed 14-year veteran Keith Acton to a one-season contract.Miller, 30, will receive a $1 million signing bonus and salaries of $800,000 and $850,000 for the next two years. Miller will have the option of extending the contract for an additional two seasons at $500,000 per season.

In a move aimed at keeping the proposed redevelopment of the former Anne Arundel Medical Center site from being stalled by lengthy court action, Annapolis Mayor Ellen O. Moyer will introduce legislation tomorrow that would give any city interests in a disputed half-acre waterfront parcel to the developer for $1. The parcel, known as the "nurses' lot," has been a primary focus of a group of residents opposed to the planned 114-unit Acton's Landing residential...

As the Annapolis Board of Appeals continues its hearings tonight on the proposed redevelopment of the former downtown hospital site, a group of vocal residents opposed to the Acton's Landing project will continue to make their case for a scaled-down version. Acton's Landing Area Residents' Monitor, a loosely organized but well-funded group of nearby residents known as ALARM, is expected to take center stage tonight as its attorney calls witnesses and presents an alternative plan for the 4 1/2 -acre site.

After years of community haggling and arduous review, the plan to redevelop the former hospital site in downtown Annapolis into an upscale 106-home community is poised to become a reality. "We're delighted with the approval," Russell Rosenberger, president of Virginia-based Madison Homes Inc., said of Tuesday night's vote by the Historic Preservation Commission, signing off on the developer's choice of building materials and exterior design for the Acton's Landing project. The unanimous vote by the commission, which reviews construction plans in the city's historic district, frees the developer to pursue city building and grading permits.

While junior Joe Fletcher has emerged as Loyola's shutdown defenseman and seniors Scott Ratliff and Josh Hawkins have headlined one of the more prolific Rope units in Division I, Reid Acton has stood in the background. But that's not how coach Charley Toomey feels about the senior defenseman. Acton, a three-year starter, is a security blanket for the No. 5 Greyhounds (11-3), who will meet No. 8 Ohio State (10-3) in a semifinal of the Eastern College Athletic Conference tournament at Hobart on Thursday night.

Top-ranked Loyola plans to open the season on Saturday against Delaware with a defenseman making his first career start. Senior T.J. Harris has played in seven contests in his first three years, but he will join junior Joe Fletcher and senior Reid Acton on close defense. “He's looked good in the scrimmages,” coach Charley Toomey said of Harris. “We'll see if he's prepared to be a 60-minute defenseman or if we have to use [sophomore] Pat Frazier off the bench. T.J.'s a senior, and he certainly looked good through the fall and through the scrimmages.

The first major residential project in downtown Annapolis in decades has stalled in recent months as developers and the city rework the proposal to fit the "quirkiness" of the state capital. Planning Commission hearings on the project, which is proposed by Virginia-based Madison Homes for the 4 1/2 -acre site to be vacated by the Anne Arundel Medical Center in late October, were to begin in the spring but are expected to start no sooner than September. The mammoth hospital buildings that stretch from the historic district into the quiet Murray Hill neighborhood could remain vacant for months before the project begins.

Former Loyola University lacrosse player Tim McDermott has joined the Virginia men's program as a volunteer coach, as announced by head coach Dom Starsia .  “I couldn't be more pleased to announce Tim's addition to our staff,” Starsia said. “I have known Tim for some time now and have come to admire him as a person and a student-athlete.  He will work closely with our faceoff men and goalies, and will be involved in all aspects of the program.” McDermott was a midfielder for three seasons at Division III SUNY-Geneseo, where he was a two-time All-American and led the NCAA in faceoff winnning percentage in 2006.