Aruba

AirTran will begin offering nonstop flights from BWI-Marshall Airport to Aruba at the end of the year. The airline, now a subsidiary of Southwest, begins the service on Dec. 17. It will be the sixth international destination or Caribbean route from Baltimore offered by AirTran. In April, the airline began nonstop service to Bermuda. It also offers flights to Cancun, Montego Bay, Nassau and San Juan. "Travelers from throughout this region will enjoy nonstop access to Aruba, with its world-renowned beaches, outstanding weather, and island hospitality," said Paul J. Wiedefeld, executive director of BWI Marshall Airport.

For a girl who can't make decisions easily, picking a location for your wedding is extremely hard -- especially when you and your fiancé are transplants. I am from Massachusetts, as are most of my family members and friends. Andrew says he's "from the USA" because it is easier than explaining he grew up in Connecticut, California and Texas and has always summered on Cape Cod. Most of his family lives in the northeast. We have college friends along the entire east coast. There is no central location for everyone.

For a girl who can't make decisions easily, picking a location for your wedding is extremely hard -- especially when you and your fiancé are transplants. I am from Massachusetts, as are most of my family members and friends. Andrew says he's "from the USA" because it is easier than explaining he grew up in Connecticut, California and Texas and has always summered on Cape Cod. Most of his family lives in the northeast. We have college friends along the entire east coast. There is no central location for everyone.

Anne Arundel County prosecutors dropped an unrelated indecent exposure charge Friday against the man suspected in the disappearance of his traveling companion in Aruba. Anne Arundel County prosecutors dropped an unrelated indecent exposure charge Friday against the Gaithersburg man suspected in the disappearance of his traveling companion in Aruba. Gary Vincent Giordano, 52, was scheduled for trial next Friday in Annapolis District Court, after police said he and a woman were nude in an SUV parked in a downtown Annapolis public garage in mid-May.

AirTran Airways announced this week that it will offer nonstop weekend flights between BWI Marshall Airport and Aruba starting December 17. According to BWI spokesman Jonathan Dean, the Saturday and Sunday service is the first new international route launched by AirTran since it became a subsidiary of Southwest Airlines. Dean noted in a statement that with the new service, Aruba becomes the sixth nonstop international or Caribbean destination offered by AirTran from BWI, after Bermuda; Montego Bay, Jamaica; Cancun, Mexico; Nassau, Bahamas; and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Deflating experience. Sidney Ponson was nowhere to be seen in Aruba on Friday night, though it's important to point out that I'm referring to the popular nightspot on Fort Lauderdale beach and not the Caribbean island that brought you Sir Sidney and fellow former Orioles Eugene Kingsale, Calvin Maduro and Radhames Dykhoff. It's a fun place. If you're waiting for a table, they give you a balloon on a string with a number written on it so they can find you in the crowd, which I thought was kind of cool until someone in our party suggested that the restaurant could save a balloon by writing the number on my giant head.

ORANJESTAD, Aruba - Orioles pitcher Sidney Ponson apologized for his behavior yesterday and asked for forgiveness from the judge he allegedly struck during a Christmas Day beach fight that led to his 11-day detainment, which ended Tuesday. Ponson spoke at a news conference at the Queen Beatrix International Airport shortly before boarding a plane for Florida, where he plans to remain until reporting to the Orioles' spring training camp next month. He read a statement in Papiamento, a local language of Aruba, and took no questions.

While Bonaire is everybody's beloved baby, and Curacao is its budding offspring, Aruba for years was the estranged stepchild in the ABC islands of the Netherlands Antilles.It's not that Aruba is particularly homely. Goodness knows, all three islands are flat, dry and cactus-ridden, in contrast to the lush mountains and tropical rain forests of the French West Indies, their northeastern neighbors. It's just that with all the hype spread over the years for tourists to "sojourn in Bonaire and Curacao," nobody paid much attention to the neglected cherub.

Orioles pitcher Sidney Ponson could be arraigned today on assault and battery charges in Aruba after a fight on Christmas that put a local judge in the hospital. Ponson, 28, was detained on suspicion of assault at a beach in Boca Catalina after several people accused him of harassing them with his personal watercraft and operating it recklessly. According to police, Ponson allegedly struck one of the men, later identified as a judge, several times before fleeing the scene. The judge's condition was not released last night, but it's believed he suffered a black eye. Police detained Ponson, a native of Aruba, late Saturday night.

ORANJESTAD, Aruba - Chu Halabi wheeled his SUV into a parking space near his chiropractor's office one morning last week. "Got to get my back whacked before I leave town," the Orioles' longtime Aruban scout said. He was headed for Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where he would stay with Orioles pitcher Sidney Ponson, whom Halabi signed years ago and still counsels. His job was to attach himself to Ponson, who was recently detained for 11 days in Aruba after a beach fight. Parenting Ponson meant Halabi also would be catching Ponson during some of the pitcher's workouts before spring training.

  Lauren and Joseph Brusak IV   Michelle and Dave Johnson, of Sparks, announce the marriage of their daughter, Lauren Michel Johnston, to Joseph John Brusak IV, son of Kathy and Joe Brusak, of Kingsville, on Sept. 10, 2011. The bride is a graduate of Hereford High School and Roanoke College, in Salem, Va. She is currently employed as a senior financial analyst at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Knowledge for Health Project. The groom is a graduate of John Carroll High School, Loyola University and the University of Baltimore, where he earned a master's degree.

AirTran Airways announced this week that it will offer nonstop weekend flights between BWI Marshall Airport and Aruba starting December 17. According to BWI spokesman Jonathan Dean, the Saturday and Sunday service is the first new international route launched by AirTran since it became a subsidiary of Southwest Airlines. Dean noted in a statement that with the new service, Aruba becomes the sixth nonstop international or Caribbean destination offered by AirTran from BWI, after Bermuda; Montego Bay, Jamaica; Cancun, Mexico; Nassau, Bahamas; and San Juan, Puerto Rico.

AirTran will begin offering nonstop flights from BWI-Marshall Airport to Aruba at the end of the year. The airline, now a subsidiary of Southwest, begins the service on Dec. 17. It will be the sixth international destination or Caribbean route from Baltimore offered by AirTran. In April, the airline began nonstop service to Bermuda. It also offers flights to Cancun, Montego Bay, Nassau and San Juan. "Travelers from throughout this region will enjoy nonstop access to Aruba, with its world-renowned beaches, outstanding weather, and island hospitality," said Paul J. Wiedefeld, executive director of BWI Marshall Airport.

A judge in Aruba on Monday ordered a Gaithersburg man held for 16 more days as investigators continued to probe how and why his traveling companion disappeared two weeks ago. Gary V. Giordano, 50, appeared before an examining magistrate for a little over two hours. The proceeding was closed to the press, as is typical at this stage in Aruban investigations. But Aruban Solicitor General Taco Stein said that prosecutors argued to the judge that Gardner appeared to be the victim of foul play and Giordano was involved.

Aruban authorities said Sunday that they intend to pursue criminal charges against Gary Giordano, the Gaithersburg man whose female companion disappeared on the island this month. Aruban Solicitor General Taco Stein called Giordano a "suspect in a suspicious death. " Giordano told officials that Robyn Gardner, 35, failed to return to the beach after the pair went snorkeling Aug. 2, but officials have questioned his account. Her body has not been found. In Maryland, federal agents began sifting through documents seized during their raid of Giordano's $1.1 million home Friday night.

A Frederick County woman who traveled to Aruba with an American companion vanished a few days into the trip, and police on the island have detained the man, authorities in Aruba said Tuesday. Robyn Gardner, 35, was last seen Aug. 2 in an area known as "Baby Beach" for its shallow waters, said Ann Angela, a spokeswoman for Aruba's public prosecutor's office. On Friday, authorities investigating Gardner's disappearance detained her 50-year-old companion, who had reported that she had failed to make it to shore after snorkeling, officials said.

Orioles pitcher Sidney Ponson will be detained in Aruba for up to eight more days after meeting yesterday morning with a public prosecutor who's investigating a fight on Christmas that injured a local judge. Ponson is being held at a police station in the community of San Nicolas. According to a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office, Ponson could be charged with assault and fighting in a public place. The second charge is punishable by up to 4 1/2 years of imprisonment. "In this system, he is being suspected of something," said Mary Ann Croes of the prosecutor's office.

HAVANA -- Jason Giambi hit two of his team's five home runs, as the United States routed Aruba, 12-0.The United States (3-0) scored seven runs in the second inning to break open the game, which was halted after seven innings by the international 10-run rule. Giambi, out of Cal State Long Beach, has three homers in the tournament.In other action, Mexico (2-2) defeated Nicaragua, 3-1, and Canada (0-3) lost to the Dominican Republic, 4-3.SoftballFor the fifth time, the U.S. women had a shutout, as Lisa Fernandez of Long Beach, Calif.

This picture was taken on Palm Beach, Aruba, in August. Having taken nearly 150 sunset pictures during the course of our vacation, I thought this one seemed to capture the beauty of the island with a mix of the vibrant colors as well as the serene schooner about to pass through the sunset. Richard Denis Lynch Annapolis The Sun welcomes submissions for "My Best Shot." Photos should be accompanied by a description of when and where you took the picture and your name, address and phone number.

Deflating experience. Sidney Ponson was nowhere to be seen in Aruba on Friday night, though it's important to point out that I'm referring to the popular nightspot on Fort Lauderdale beach and not the Caribbean island that brought you Sir Sidney and fellow former Orioles Eugene Kingsale, Calvin Maduro and Radhames Dykhoff. It's a fun place. If you're waiting for a table, they give you a balloon on a string with a number written on it so they can find you in the crowd, which I thought was kind of cool until someone in our party suggested that the restaurant could save a balloon by writing the number on my giant head.