Bad Weather

Rosecroft Raceway canceled live racing last night because of poor weather conditions. Officials expect to resume live racing tonight at 7:30.

With a second weekend of spring events about to be affected by the poor field conditions left from last weekend's storm, spring break couldn't have come at a better time for some of the state's baseball teams.Outside of the P.E. Center at Frostburg State, there were 6 to 8 inches of snow on the ground before last weekend's blizzard. Inside, the women's lacrosse, tennis and track and field teams were sharing time. So the baseball team was glad to head to Myrtle Beach yesterday for a series of games in South Carolina.

January's frigid weather put the big chill on home sales in Howard County, but local Realtors are predicting a flood of business come the spring thaw."

Some of Friday's postponed games will be played tomorrow giving several county boys and girls basketball teams a Monday-Tuesday-Friday slate this week.The rescheduling also means the No. 4 Annapolis at No. 20 Glen Burnie boys makeup has been changed again -- from Wednesday to Monday, Feb. 12. The two teams are vying for berths in the county championship game set for Feb. 20 at Old Mill.Annapolis (13-3, 8-2) visits No. 16 Arundel (11-5, 8-3) 7 p.m. tomorrow in a big South Division contest.

Despite inclement weather June 5, about 20 workers showed up for National Trails Day and a trail cleanup at the Morgan Run Natural Environmental Area.The cleanup was sponsored by the Carroll County Equestrian Council. Workers representing such groups as the Carroll County Equestrian Council, Trail Riders of Today, Trout Unlimited, Carroll County Bird Club, Westminster High School Camping and Conservation Club, Hashawha/Bear Advisory Council, Volunteer Community Service People, Boy Scout Troop 719, Piedmont Pacers, DNR staff and volunteers completed the first phase of the cleanup.

The poor weather conditions postponed yesterday's Francis Scott Key-Colonel Richardson Class 1A state semifinal volleyball match at Rising Sun High School.The match will take place today at 5 p.m. at Rising Sun.The No. 6 Eagles (19-0) reached the state tournament with a four-game win over Monocacy Valley Athletic League-foe Smithsburg on Friday. Richardson, the Class 1A East representative from Caroline County, is 14-3 and advanced with a three-game sweep of Kent on Friday.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A faulty valve switch and threatening thunderclouds forced NASA yesterday to postpone the liftoff of the shuttle Atlantis again, this time for 24 hours.More equipment trouble struck last night. The latest problem hit electronics gear in the crew cabin.Launch is now set for 11:02 this morning, although controllers can send Atlantis on its way as late as 3:06 p.m., or about five hours after the astronauts board the shuttle, whichever comes first.The electrical problem could further delay the launch, they said.

Winter is a big sign-up period for the nation's auto clubs as motorists fret over the possibility of being stranded by the roadside in bad weather.With so much talk about crime, a toll-free, 24-hour assistance number is nice protection. The fact the average motorist's car is now more than 7 years old adds to the probability of mechanical woes.Competition has never been more heated, in part because a number of manufacturers such as Oldsmobile, Chrysler and BMW offer their own free emergency roadside services.

The two championship games in the girls Holly-N-Hoops Tournament at the University of Maryland Baltimore County were canceled yesterday because of the inclement weather, and several other basketball tournaments had games postponed or canceled.Holly-N-Hoops co-chairwoman Kathy Campbell said Southern of Anne Arundel County was declared the winner by default over North Harford in the Holly championship game, and No. 5 Seton Keough won by default over No. 7 Severna Park in the Hoops championship contest.

As if Maryland racing didn't have enough problems with slot machines in Delaware, along comes Old Man Winter to aggravate them.Another snowstorm Friday. Another program canceled.Each time Laurel Park surrenders a live card to the weather, the track and the state's horsemen lose vital revenue that could be used to fight the onslaught of slots that will send Delaware Park's purse structure soaring, starting next month."I think probably this is the toughest winter racing here has had in a long time," said Maryland Jockey Club president Joe De Francis.