Aquarium In Baltimore

Hailey, a 20-year-old Atlantic bottlenose dolphin who entertained thousands of visitors to the National Aquarium in Baltimore, died late Saturday in the aquarium's hospital pool after a long battle with a painful liver disease.Born wild in the Gulf of Mexico, Hailey was captured in 1981. The aquarium acquired her and two other dolphins from a Florida company just before the 1990 opening of the Marine Mammal Pavilion.In 1995, Hailey was diagnosed with hemochromatosis, a disorder in which the liver is unable to properly capture and store iron, leaving damaging iron deposits in vital organs.

The National Aquarium in Baltimore won an injunction Sunday night to stop what a spokeswoman called a "mysterious" late-night attempt by the city to tear down an Inner Harbor footbridge used by about 300,000 tourists a year.City officials want to remove the 14-year-old wooden walkway between the aquarium and the Power Plant retail complex because it is not accessible to people in wheelchairs and violates the Americans with Disabilities Act, city officials said.Workers showed up under cover of darkness Sunday because they believed that demolishing the bridge at night would be less disturbing to the public, said Clinton R. Coleman, spokesman for Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke.

In Baltimore CityGirl, 7, drowns in Herring Run while playing with cousinA 7-year-old girl drowned yesterday when she fell into Herring Run in Northeast Baltimore, police said.Police spokeswoman Ragina Cooper said the girl and a male cousin, 10, were playing in the water in Herring Run Park near the 2200 block of Chesterfield Ave. about 5 p.m. when the girl slipped on a rock and fell into the water. Two men who were nearby pulled her from the water.Nichelle Godwin of the 5500 block of Bowleys Lane was pronounced dead at Johns Hopkins Hospital a short time later, Cooper said.

Ike the seal may be getting a new home.The National Aquarium in Baltimore unveiled plans yesterday for a $50 million to $70 million expansion that might include an outdoor otter exhibit, a larger seal tank and a building to house marine exhibits.The goal is to convert bare concrete plazas outside the aquarium into shady parks with fountains, Chesapeake Bay marsh grass and perhaps live turtles, sea creatures and water crashing over rocks.The proposal could create a greener and more welcoming entrance for the 1.6 million tourists who visit the 18-year-old aquarium each year and stay to stroll around the harbor, aquarium and city officials said.

Derrick Young came to the National Aquarium in Baltimore yesterday intent on updating a picture he took there five years ago. What he got was a snapshot for the ages: He was honored as the aquarium's 25 millionth visitor.Accompanied by his son, Derrick Young Jr., 3, his fiancee, Carla Alexander, 21, and her mother, Patricia Alexander, 52, Young was escorted down a red carpet by mascots Puffin the Penguin and Dewy the Dolphin as a brass band played.After a confetti shower, Young received a VIP hat, a gift basket filled with goodies, including a few Beanie Babies, a yearlong aquarium membership and gift certificates to the Hard Rock Cafe and Planet Hollywood.

Twelve industry leaders were honored last night at the Academy of Travel, Tourism and Hospitality's fourth annual Academy Awards fund-raiser, for their contributions to the community.The event typically raises $30,000 to $35,000 for the Academy -- a partnership between schools, the business community and the National Academy Foundation -- for students interested in careers in tourism and hospitality."The awards are to recognize people in the industry who are role models for our students," said Kathleen Floyd, director of Baltimore Academies, which includes the Academy of Travel, Tourism and Hospitality at Southwestern High School.

Overwhelming view of barge restaurant: 'Bubba Schmubba!'Editor's note: The writer is not the publisher of The Sun.The building of the Bubba Gump restaurant in the Inner Harbor is taking the expansion of the Inner Harbor too far. It appears that the citizens of Baltimore are not for this idea, no matter the stance of Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke and David Cordish. Mr. Cordish said in Friday's Sun, "This restaurant is going to be built." That is fine Mr. Cordish, but we don't have to come.Kevin R. BlackwellCatonsvilleWe believe the construction of the large Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurant on a barge between the National Aquarium in Baltimore's two pavilions on Piers 3 and 4 sets a dangerous precedent for both the aquarium and the entire Inner Harbor.

The National Aquarium in Baltimore, the city's most successful and most renowned attraction at the Inner Harbor, is planning a $50 million renovation and will help pay for it by increasing the adult ticket price by about 17 percent.Aquarium officials said yesterday that they will expand the rain forest attraction, change the dolphin show, renovate classrooms, improve the facility's World Wide Web site and schedule maintenance on aging buildings during the next 10 years."It takes money to support all that," said Denise E. London, senior director of marketing for the aquarium.

National Aquarium ought to remain our visible landmarkThe National Aquarium in Baltimore has become the signature of the city, recognizable throughout the world, just as the Eiffel Tower is the symbol of Paris, the Golden Gate Bridge is San Francisco and a picture of the Opera House instantly says Sidney.The Cordish Co. wants to posture with Baltimore's symbol with its intent to plant a Bubba Gump barge right in the water between the two aquarium buildings. What a marketing coup -- to be attached to the internationally recognized symbol of our city.

Mission: To stimulate interest, develop knowledge and inspire stewardship of aquatic environments by providing cultural, recreational and educational experiences through exhibits and programs. The aquarium's diverse collection of more than 10,000 animals, representing more than 600 species of fish, birds, amphibians, reptiles and marine mammals, lives in re-created habitats.Latest accomplishment: Since March, the aquarium's temporary exhibit space has been taken over by 40 species of terrestrial and aquatic venomous animals,including the death adder, gaboon viper, velvet ants and gila monster.

Exhibit on Baltimore NAACP opens today at central Pratt A new exhibition sponsored by the Enoch Pratt Free Library and the Baltimore branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People opens today at the Central Library, 400 Cathedral St. Titled "97 Years and Counting," the exhibition contains memorabilia from the nearly century-old Baltimore branch of the NAACP. On display are historic photographs, posters and documents from the NAACP's start in 1912 through the civil rights movement and the organization's work today.

National Aquarium in Baltimore, whose bond rating was downgraded by a major Wall Street firm this week, said Wednesday that the nonprofit has been taking steps to improve its financial condition during tough economic times. Moody's Investors Service cut the aquarium's rating from "A3" to "Baa1," which is still an investment-grade category but a move that makes it more expensive to borrow money. Moody's cited concerns about the aquarium's diminishing financial resources due to recent investment losses, using funds from the group's foundation arm to finance capital projects and pressure on attendance as well as exposure to debt with a variable rate.

Its stars may be as frolicsome and endearing as ever, but designers of the new dolphin show at the National Aquarium in Baltimore say the idea is to do more than simply show the aquatic charmers at play. "In the old show, Play, we tried to show play as a form of learning," says Nancy Hotchkiss, the aquarium's senior director for visitor experiences. "We wanted people to see that with the dolphins, and realize that for themselves." The new show, titled Our Ocean Planet, tries for something a little more serious, she says.

Woman stabbed to death at Baltimore County store 1 A 23-year-old woman was fatally stabbed yesterday afternoon in a liquor store in western Baltimore County near the city line, Baltimore County police said. The woman was in the Charing Cross Liquors store in the 5200 block of Baltimore National Pike around 4 p.m. when she was stabbed in the neck, Cpl. Ben Yohe said. The woman, whose name was not released, was taken to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center where she was pronounced dead, Yohe said.

The "staycation" trend has been around since last summer and with the recent economic turmoil, it's probably here to stay. Even if the market rebounds quickly, there's still baggage fees, fewer flights and general travel weariness dragging down tourism. There are a couple of bright spots in the recent patch of dreary financial news. One is the rising strength of the dollar against some foreign currencies, which could help you save a few bucks on a hotel in London or Quebec. Another is falling gas prices that make the quick weekend getaway a bit more tempting.

What was that thing in the water? A dolphin? A shark? Gail Hill was calmly feeding the ducks off her pier in Essex's Norman Creek on Tuesday evening when she spotted what was unmistakably a large form moving just under the surface. Wait, make that two. It was only when one of the beasts popped its whiskered snout out of the water that Hill realized the visitors were manatees - a not-too-common animal in the Chesapeake Bay and its estuaries. Normally, they're sunning themselves in balmy Florida.

I was kneeling under 12 feet of water when the sensation began, the feeling of something soft and velvety on the back of my neck. A minute passed, then another, and it was still there, a feathery pressure. There were nine sharks, including two very playful zebra sharks, swimming near me, but I wasn't worried about the tickle coming from one of them. They all kept a respectable - if not respectful - distance, even if that was barely a foot away at times. After all, I had told dive master Yves Delpech I would not be intimidated by having the creatures on top of me, in a manner of speaking.

A female dolphin calf that was born Sunday at the National Aquarium in Baltimore appears to be in "robust health," but her survival for the critical first year will depend on her mother, aquarium officials said yesterday. Chesapeake, a 16-year-old Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, gave birth at 7:13 a.m. to a 30-pound, 2- to 3-foot-long calf - her third since 1992. The mother will not appear in any shows for at least another year, a spokeswoman said. The birth comes about two weeks after the loss of a dolphin male calf, which was stillborn July 14. Aquarium officials are awaiting the results of a necropsy at the Johns Hopkins University's comparative pathology lab. "Since we put so much time and care into these animals, we're very excited with this calf's arrival," aquarium spokeswoman Jen Bloomer said.

You're probably safe in assuming that there's only one time each year where the favorite destination of dozens of people is a Baltimore parking garage. That time was the VIP Artscape kickoff party held at the Meyerhoff Parking Garage. Guests gathered on the top of the garage for drinks, hors d'oeuvres, and all sorts of hobnobbing. All, with a bird's-eye view of the arts festival swirling around the building below. It was the first time A&R Cos. executive vice president Marjorie Rodgers Cheshire had come to the party.

One of the two pregnant dolphins at the National Aquarium in Baltimore gave birth to a stillborn calf early last week, aquarium officials reported yesterday. Shiloh, a 29-year-old Atlantic bottlenose, was in labor for 40 minutes in the early-morning hours of July 14. About 3 a.m., she gave birth to a stillborn calf weighing almost 32 pounds. "It's always very hard to report things like this. When it's a baby, it breaks our heart," said Sue Hunter, director of marine mammal training. "Nobody wants to see it end this way."