Balloon

The balloon man's dream is heading skyward. Despite questions about whether it would pop or create traffic jams, a Baltimore committee granted preliminary approval yesterday to a Pikesville businessman's proposal to create a balloon ride north of the Port Discovery children's museum. Lee Raskin, representative of the Sky High of Maryland balloon company, showed the city's Design Advisory Panel sketches of a 110-foot high helium balloon with a ring-shaped gondola and a colorful "Port Discovery" advertisement on its side.

The HyFlyer is flying high again. The tourist balloon that bobbed over downtown for months last year returns to the sky this afternoon for a second season after a snag over insurance rates was resolved. "From this weekend on, we'll basically be open most of the week," said Lee Raskin, who developed the attraction next to the Port Discovery children's museum. Raskin had intended to resume the balloon rides early last month. But he learned that his insurance premium had spiked from $190,000 to $360,000 as part of an industry-wide trend of rising rates, and could not afford it. Only recently was Raskin able to lower that premium by reducing the ride's liability coverage, from $30 million to $10 million.

A day after the helium balloon anchored at Port Discovery stalled in the air and left its passengers to ride out high winds, the tourist attraction was grounded indefinitely yesterday, as a state investigation began and a federal official confirmed a second probe. James D. Fielder, secretary of the state Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation, said investigators with his office inspected equipment at the ride yesterday. Fielder declined to give more details, saying the investigation is far from complete.

A 50-year-old balloonist crashed into residential power lines in Lisbon Sunday night, disrupting electrical power to 300 residents for about two hours.The balloonist, Ronald Broderick, of the 12400 block of Banard Way in West Friendship, was uninjured during the solo flight.But about 300 Potomac Edison Power customers lost power for two hours, said Kenneth Powell, a Potomac Edison spokesman.The power outage began about 7 p.m. Sunday when Mr. Broderick's balloon struck the power lines as he attempted to land.

Call it a clownnapping, or maybe a peeping Ron.A fully inflated, three-story-high balloon depiction of fast-food pitchman Ronald McDonald -- stolen from a McDonald's restaurant -- was found early yesterday in the back yard of a Parkville townhouse.The balloon had been squeezed into the small fenced yard of Kimberly Huskins' home in the 3500 block of Moultree Place -- the clown's back was to the road, and his face appeared to be peeping into a second-floor bedroom window. Pranksters had plugged in a generator to keep it inflated.

A year after a tethered tourist balloon stalled 200 feet over Baltimore's downtown, trapping 17 frightened passengers for two hours, the popular attraction remains grounded with no assurance that the gondola will rise above the city again. Yet the idle helium balloon that is still tied to a yellow winch next to the Port Discovery children's museum serves as a reminder of unresolved issues and painful memories. The board president of the nonprofit corporation that runs Balloon Over Baltimore Inc. would say only that the company is still "addressing issues" of the accident.

The Zaminskis heard the "thump, thump, thump" on the roof of their Towson home early yesterday and knew it couldn't be Santa Claus.It turned out to be a hot air balloon."

West Meade Elementary School's reading program got off the ground yesterday as a red, white and yellow hot air balloon carried 12 students aloft for a bird's-eye view of their school as classmates and parents watched from the playground.Afterward, the school's reading specialist, Linda Rayman, passed out reading journals -- manila folders with four pages stapled inside to keep track of every book students will read by themselves, with their parents or teachers."What we're trying to do is motivate students to read not just in the classroom but at home," said Mrs. Rayman, who organizes the program with Principal Barbara Mason and Guidance Counselor Kendra Navarro.

In a hot-air balloon, you go where the wind takes you.Yesterday the wind was gentle, which made the floating easy for 10 hot-air balloons sailing over Westminster in the third annual Fallfest hot-air balloon race.Skies were clear for take-off shortly after 7 a.m. In the air, the pilots and their passengers could see for 40 miles. Some even spotted Sugarloaf Mountain in southern Frederick County.The balloonists set sail from the soccer field at East Middle School, following the lead balloon in a race to see who could drop a beanbag closest to a target placed in a field by the lead pilot.

A pilot flying in the weather-delayed Preakness Week annual hot-air balloon race was injured yesterday when his craft hit a tree and landed in the back yard of a Northeast Baltimore home.Rich Schroeder, of Lancaster, Pa., suffered a fractured vertebra. He was treated at Good Samaritan Hospital and later transferred to Lancaster General Hospital, where he was listed in satisfactory condition last night. His wife, Sharon, said he is scheduled to be released tomorrow . "He should be OK," she said.