Area Residents

Dozens of area residents and business people filed into the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium Friday for the first day of the Solar & Wind Expo to see how much it would cost to install solar panels or wind turbines — and how much that would cut utility bills. The expo brings together companies that offer all kinds of renewable energy for home or office, sponsors said. They, the vendors and state officials on hand said there was a real demand for such products now that government incentives and declining prices are making the switch more affordable.

Two Baltimore-area residents were killed in a small plane crash in Virginia on Saturday, the Virginia State Police said Sunday. The men were identified as Berry Raymond Newgent, 73, of Davidsonville, and Thomas Berry Newgent, 51, of Westminster. Berry Raymond Newgent was the pilot and owner of the experimental plane, and Thomas Berry Newgent the passenger, police said. The plane attempted to land several times, likely at a nearby airstrip, and crashed in a field in Suffolk, police said.

Their roads are snarled, their schools are overcrowded and their patience is wearing thin. So more than two dozen Eldersburg area residents decided last night that now is the time do something about it. "We needroll.The citizens' group invited representatives of other south county organizations to join them in finding a way to curb the rapid commercial and residential development that has transformed the Eldersburg area from a rural outpost into a full-fledged suburb.Last night, Mr. Hughes and others vowed to push county leaders to implement community planning councils so that residents can have a direct effect on when and where development can occur.

Ryan McGrath and other Baltimore-area runners were relaxing after the Boston Marathon, refueling with some burritos, when they heard the blasts. "I thought maybe it's one of those boat-type things that just shoots off a cannon every day," said McGrath, a Highlandtown resident who organizes a running group through Falls Road Running Store in Mount Washington. "One of my friends was like, 'Man, that didn't sound like a cannon.'" Police and emergency vehicles quickly flooded the area, and marathoners and spectators ran by crying, McGrath said.

In a move that has angered many residents, the Howard County liquor board has granted a license to the owners of what will be the first liquor store in the tiny community of Fulton.This month, the liquor board -- composed of the County Council members -- approved a beer and wine license for Fulton Wine and Spirits, which will be in Fulton Station, east of Pindel School Road on Scaggsville Road.The decision has been met with disapproval by many residents, who worry that a liquor store would bring crime, vandalism and congestion to the area.

An overwhelming majority of Baltimore-area residents say the quality of life here is good or excellent, although city residents are less enthusiastic than are their county neighbors, according to a massive metropolitan survey announced today.The poll, prepared by the University of Baltimore's Schaefer Center for Public Policy this spring in a partnership with the Baltimore Regional Council of Governments, asked 2,500 area residents to rate life in their community and identify the region's most pressing concerns.

Norman Benton, 72, fondly remembers his childhood days of fishing and swimming in Fort Armistead Park, a 45-acre area on the Baltimore City-Anne Arundel line named after a local War of 1812 commander. The Hanover resident thinks the fort is "beautiful." Del. Joan Cadden recalls that she went there every year as a child for Easter egg hunts or to watch ships cruise by on their way into Baltimore harbor. The park used to have a playground, the Brooklyn Park Democrat says, and the fort's underground tunnels were a great attraction for teens, who would explore the dark areas in groups.

For years, Bonnie Brumwell Hoyas and her three brothers have been trying to persuade Anne Arundel County officials to allow them to redevelop their family land, which houses several family businesses — including a large flea market — along busy Mountain Road in Pasadena. The land known as the "Brumwell property" is well-suited for a big-box retailer, the family says, arguing that area residents would benefit from having stores such as Target, Wal-Mart or Lowe's nearby instead of having to travel to Glen Burnie or Annapolis.

Backers of a plan to open a live-in homeless outreach center in Southwest Baltimore presented hundreds of letters and signatures of support Saturday to City Councilwoman Helen Holton, in hopes of overcoming the objections of some area residents. Project PLASE (People Lacking Ample Shelter and Employment), a 38-year-old program based in the North Charles neighborhood, wants to expand its programming and has set its sights on a closed Catholic school at St. Joseph's Monastery Parish on Old Frederick Road.

Pay raises for Baltimore area residents didn't keep pace with inflation in 1993, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics reported yesterday.Baltimore area residents earned an average of $27,236 in 1993, a percent increase from the previous year. The Consumer Price Index in 1993 rose by 2.1 percent.BLS economist Alan Paisner said 1993's statistics may be skewed by tax changes that encouraged people to take bonuses and other income in 1992. In previous years, area residents have seen raises match or exceed inflation, he said.

CONNECTICUT COLLEGE: Margaret Robbins, of Fallston, a sophomore at Connecticut College took part in "People Watching," the Dance Club's spring performance, Feb. 28 and March 1 and 2 at the Martha Myers Dance Studio at Connecticut College. The concert featured works choreographed by students, along with student light designs. Students danced to music by Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, Simon and Garfunkel and other greats. Robbins served on the publicity board for the show and danced in "The Party and The Band" and "Flock.

On Monday, the realization began to set in for Baltimore-area residents that the Ravens' victory in the Super Bowl on Sunday night was something they would remember for the rest of their lives. With memory-making in mind, Shemirra House-Massie took her husband and three children to the Ravens' training facility in Owings Mills to greet the team as the players returned from New Orleans. About 50 others had the same idea and gathered outside the complex, known as the Castle, on Monday afternoon.

For some area residents - including students at the John Carroll School, a Catholic high school in Bel Air - the day after the Super Bowl will be observed with a moment of rest. A handful of schools and businesses around the region will close or open later than usual on Monday after the Baltimore Ravens play in the Super Bowl in New Orleans Sunday evening. The reasons range from a desire to build morale - at John Carroll, students got a reprieve from the archbishop of Baltimore - to predictions that no one will really want to work on Monday, anyway.

About 1,000 Baltimore-area residents are expected to receive thousands of dollars each under a landmark $175 million settlement between the U.S. Department of Justice and Wells Fargo over accusations of discriminatory lending practices. Under the terms of the deal announced Thursday, Wells Fargo also will provide $7.5 million to the city of Baltimore, which federal officials credited with first raising issues of discrimination related to bank's subprime mortgages. The city alleged Wells Fargo steered minorities into subprime loans, gave them less favorable rates than white borrowers and foreclosed on hundreds of Baltimore homes, creating blight and higher public safety costs.

Nearly 2 million residents are being asked to conserve drinking water for the next three weeks so crews can complete "proactive" repairs to an aging water main in Southwest Baltimore that serves the region. Alfred H. Foxx, Baltimore's public works director, urged customers of Baltimore's regional water system to immediately begin taking conservation steps such as not washing clothes or watering lawns until after sunset or early in the morning. Foxx also warned that some residents of Southwest Baltimore and northern Anne Arundel and Howard counties may see a slight, temporary drop in water pressure on Thursday, and perhaps even a disruption in service, as crews prepare to replace three 16-foot sections of a 54-inch-diameter water main that serves those areas.

A man was shot and killed Tuesday night in Baltimore's West Forest Park neighborhood, as killings in the city's Northwest District approached the total for all of last year. While the Park Heights area in the northern portion has long been a troubled area, half the killings in the district this year have occurred in the southern area, where there is lower crime and neighborhoods consist mainly of single-family homes with well-kept lawns. Maj. Johnny Delgado, the district commander, said he thinks police enforcement efforts in the northern part of the district have led criminals to venture southward.

CONNECTICUT COLLEGE: Margaret Robbins, of Fallston, a sophomore at Connecticut College took part in "People Watching," the Dance Club's spring performance, Feb. 28 and March 1 and 2 at the Martha Myers Dance Studio at Connecticut College. The concert featured works choreographed by students, along with student light designs. Students danced to music by Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, Simon and Garfunkel and other greats. Robbins served on the publicity board for the show and danced in "The Party and The Band" and "Flock.

A man was shot and killed Tuesday night in Baltimore's West Forest Park neighborhood, as killings in the city's Northwest District approached the total for all of last year. While the Park Heights area in the northern portion has long been a troubled area, half the killings in the district this year have occurred in the southern area, where there is lower crime and neighborhoods consist mainly of single-family homes with well-kept lawns. Maj. Johnny Delgado, the district commander, said he thinks police enforcement efforts in the northern part of the district have led criminals to venture southward.

The head of the Fells Prospect Community Association, Victor Corbin, wrote me to add his voice to a chorus of complaints about St. Patrick's Daycelebrations. As we've reported, police wrongly allowed people to drink in O'Donnell Square in Canton, creating a mess akin to the Preakness infield. That has sparked a debate of civic responsibility versus police enforcement. The cops have stepped up and taken blame for failing to shut down the outdoor party, but also warned that we don't live in a police state, and it shouldn't be a cop's job to ensure societal norms are upheld each time we leave our houses.

Residents of Baltimore City and some suburban counties should know they could well see their sewer rates increase significantly in order to pay for the upgrade of the giant Back River sewage plant if the state legislature doesn't approve the proposed increase to the so-called "flush tax. " The flush tax was created to pay for improvements at the state's 67 largest sewage plants. But the fee hasn't brought in enough revenue to finish that job, and Back River upgrades will be in a financial jam without a fee increase.