Anne Arundel

Longtime Anne Arundel County State's Attorney Frank R. Weathersbee is retiring from the position he's held for 25 years to become a member of the state's Parole Commission. His appointment was announced Wednesday by Gov. Martin O'Malley. Weathersbee, 69, a prosecutor for four decades, said he will “retire” June 11, and start on the commission the next day amid “mixed emotions.” “I've got an opportunity to do something else and stay kind of in the field, so I am going to take it,” said Weathersbee, a Democrat.

An attorney for the family of an Anne Arundel County 7-year-old suspended from school after being accused of nibbling a pastry into the shape of a gun says he met with school officials Wednesday in an attempt have the student's suspension expunged, but no resolution was reached. Park Elementary School student Josh Welch was suspended in March for two days after school officials accused him of shaping the pastry into the form of a gun and waving it around. School officials sent a letter home to parents saying the student had been removed from the classroom for making "inappropriate gestures that disrupted the class.

Hundreds of Anne Arundel County charities are hoping to get a fundraising boost from a round-the-clock, online donation event. The Community Foundation of Anne Arundel County will host the "Great Give" from 7 p.m. Wednesday through 7 p.m. on Thursday. Donors can go to a designated website -- greatgiveaac.razoo.com -- to donate to their favorite charities. Corporate sponsors are paying for the administrative costs, so 100 percent of donations will go to participating charities.

Anne Arundel County Police collected 27 guns at a turn-in event on Saturday. The guns included 13 handguns, nine rifles, four shotguns and one submachine gun, said Justin Mulcahy, a department spokesman. The turn-in event at the Glen Burnie Improvement Association was one of two dozen held across Maryland on Saturday. In Annapolis, officers collected 16 guns.

State Del. Donald H. Dwyer Jr. of Pasadena, who was involved in a powerboat crash last August that injured him and several others, will plead guilty Tuesday in Annapolis District Court to operating a boat while drunk — part of plea deal that his attorney said includes prosecutors not seeking a jail sentence. "I truly regret the incident of Aug. 22 of last year," said Dwyer, 55, at a Monday news conference in Glen Burnie. The collision of his boat with another vessel injured Dwyer — he suffered a broken foot and neck injuries — and six others, including four children, on the other boat.

The debate over Anne Arundel County's new stormwater fees - criticized by many as the "rain tax" - will continue through this month, and possibly beyond, as the County Council weighs several options for revising the controversial levy. Council members have before them five bills to tweak the rate structure, and more could come before July 1, when the fees must be in place. Councilman Jamie Benoit, a Crownsville Democrat who is sponsoring four of the bills, said his goal is to "make this fee equitable and align the obligation to pay with the ability to pay. " The council initially approved a set of stormwater fees in April, only to have the bill vetoed by County Executive Laura Neuman, who expressed concern that too few people knew about them.

Annapolis Wine Expo The Annapolis Wine Expo will be held from noon to 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, May 11, at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, and volunteers are needed for each session. Each volunteer will receive a free ticket, free on-site parking, a souvenir wine or beer glass, bottled water and a gift. Information: email Julie Scott at juscott10@gmail.com or go to annapoliswineexpo.com. Arundel Public Library The library seeks a volunteer, 16 or older, to assist with scanning a large archive of historical photographs and clippings, uploading the images to Flickr and entering any data written on the photos.

Anne Arundel County police are investigating sexual abuse allegations by a former student at Monsignor Slade Catholic School in Glen Burnie, officials of the Archdiocese of Baltimore said Wednesday. In a letter posted on the archdiocese website and sent to parents via email Wednesday, Barbara McGraw Edmondson, the superintendent of schools within the archdiocese, said county police searched the school Tuesday afternoon and that those being investigated have been suspended until "a determination is made concerning the veracity of the allegations.

Two two-alarm fires that damaged homes in the Brooklyn and Shady Side areas of Anne Arundel County were under investigation on Tuesday, according to county fire officials. The first blaze, reported around 5:15 p.m. Monday in the 4800 block of Woods Wharf Road, displaced two residents and a dog - all escaping unharmed, officials said. Officials said it took firefighters about three hours to bring the fire under control. Damage was estimated at about $100,000. The home had no working smoke detectors, according to fire officials.

Anne Arundel County police officers are asking people to bring their unwanted guns to a gun turn-in event on Saturday. The event will be from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Glen Burnie Improvement Association building at 19 Crain Highway South in Glen Burnie. The police are co-sponsoring the event with the Office of the Attorney General. They'll accept handguns, rifles and shotguns, whether they are working or not. No identification is necessary and guns will be accepted with no questions asked.