Backus

It is the time of year for A Christmas Carol, with its holiday message, stingy Ebenezer Scrooge, hopeful Tiny Tim and acrobatic clowns. Yes, clowns. The adaptation by Doris Baizley being performed by Howard Community College's Student Alumni Arts also has pantomime, somersaults, cast members speaking to the audience, masks and several musical numbers on hand bells. "It's the same characters; you just have a little bit different spins on everything," said Jenny Male, an HCC drama teacher and director of the show.

An article in the Aug. 19, 1911 edition of The Argus reported a local man's punishment for hosting cock fights on a Sunday. Herbert Backus, of Backus' Park, pleaded guilty Tuesday in the Circuit Court at Towson to the charge of allowing gambling on his premises, selling liquor on Sunday and cruelty to animals by conducting a cock fight. He was fined $500 and costs by Judge Frank I. Duncan. ***** Frederick Peregoy, the 12-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs.John W. Peregoy, who was slightly bitten in the right arm by a rabid dog about a month ago, and who took the Pasteur treatment at the Mercy Hospital, Baltimore, was discharged as cured last Monday.

Members of the Douglass High School JROTC received the Maryland Technology Award yesterday at the Baltimore Convention Center for a computer program they created, the second time in three years the school has won the award.Principal Rose Backus-Davis said the students created a Jeopardy citizenship game that can be used on a computer.The award was presented by state Superintendent of Schools Nancy S. Grasmick at the Maryland Technology Showcase.Bicyclist wearing mask shoots at group, kills manA 20-year-old man was killed yesterday by a masked bicyclist, who opened fire on a group of people in the 2700 block of The Alameda in Northeast Baltimore and then escaped through an alley, police said.

There is no Brokeback Mountain. That doesn't mean people won't pay to see it. The mountain, like the Annie Proulx short story in the New Yorker (and later in a book) that spawned a much-honored motion picture bearing the name, is fictional. Proulx placed it somewhere in Wyoming's Bighorn Mountains. The movie's director, Ang Lee -- because it was cheaper -- shot the film in Alberta, along the Canadian Rockies, primarily in the Kananaskis Country area near Banff National Park. If you film it, people come.

Employment center presents job workshops The Carroll County Business & Employment Resource Center offers a variety of workshops, training and informational programs to help individuals who may be seeking a job or looking for a new career. Registration is required for programs. For a detailed schedule of workshops, visit BERC at 224 N. Center St., Westminster. Information: 410-386-2820. Chamber of commerce schedules luncheon The Carroll County Chamber of Commerce will hold a general membership luncheon at noon April 10 at New Windsor Conference Center.

When you rode in Collins Talley's limousine, three things were inevitable: you'd get to your destination safely, you'd be on time and you'd be up to date on all of the latest news -- locally and nationally."

MANCHESTER Elementary School pupils have responded to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 by participating in local programs to send aid to survivors. "The school has been working to help the kids understand the consequences [of the attacks] and how to express concern, and how to do something at their age level to help," said Janet Haack, a fifth-grade teacher. One fifth-grade class made patriotic ribbon badges. Sales of the badges brought in $1,200, which the children sent to the American Red Cross.

Tasting barrel samples is not a perfectly reliable way of predicting which wines will be best when finished, but it's the best way we have. Based on my tastings of California wines at the Macarthur Barrel Tasting March 28, these are the wines I'd most like to have in my cellar:1990 top choices* Dalla Valle Maya Reserve, Napa Valley ($245/half-case). The production of this magnificent wine is tiny, but the special efforts required to find it are worth the trouble. It has tremendously intense flavors of blackberry and black cherry, and the length on the palate is exceptional.

Latest national election resultsThis page contains the latest results from Tuesday night's elections across the country for governor, Senate and House of Representatives. Legend: R denotes Republican; D denotes Democrat; I denotes Independent; O denotes Other; * denotes incumbentARIZONA99 %............ .......... ....... Votes .....%Jon Kyl, R .. .. .. .. .. .. ..577,934 ...54%Sam Coppersmith, D.. .. .. .. .427,285.. .40%CALIFORNIA100 %............ .......... ........Votes ... . %Dianne Feinstein, D*.. .. .. ..3,608,497.

Every school morning, Shawna Jeffress sprints through Mondawmin Transit Center.Sometimes, the Cherry Hill resident's subway train arrives late. Other times, the bus leaves minutes early. Either way, she usually misses the bus -- and the bell that starts her pre-nursing classes at Baltimore City Community College.Jeffress and many commuters want to improve the West Baltimore bus and subway depot and better coordinate schedules, which is why the Citizens Planning and Housing Association (CPHA)