Baltimore And Annapolis

Maryland train buffs shed a tear with the mention of the initials W, B and A.The Washington, Baltimore & Annapolis Electric Railroad was the great one that got away -- a state-of-the-art, high-speed, interurban company that died so regrettably in 1935.For just 27 years, the line linked a geographic triangle formed by the three cities in its name. Its efficient passenger service was heralded as a regional showpiece of progressive engineering. It was the 1908 equivalent of the Baltimore-Washington super-speed transport that is still dreamed of today.

Hattie Harrison, the matriarch of East Baltimore politics who often greeted colleagues as "Baby" and was known for her signature curled hair and Southern cooking, will be remembered at a funeral at noon Feb. 9. Mrs. Harrison died of heart disease complications Monday at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. She was 84. Appointed to the House of Delegates representing the 45th District in 1973 and re-elected thereafter, she was the oldest member of the General Assembly. She was also the longest-serving member of the House of Delegates and the first African-American woman to chair a major committee, Rules and Executive Nominations.

BALTIMORE - The Baltimore and Annapolis Trail is going national.The 13.3-mile hiker-biker trail was selected by the East Coast Greenway Alliance as one of the first designated trail sections of the East Coast Greenway network.The honor means the trail will be part of a 2,500-mile recreational path connecting metropolitan cities from Maine to Florida that could be mapped as soon as the year 2000."I think this is an important distinction," said David Dionne, park superintendent of the B&A Trail and member of the national board of directors of the East Coast Greenway Alliance.

Traffic is likely to be impacted in Baltimore and Anne Arundel counties today by the funeral procession for Forrest "Dino" Taylor, a veteran Baltimore City police officer who died Aug. 29, according to Maryland State Police. Taylor, 44, of Annapolis, was injured in the line of duty in a crash at a stoplight in Mount Vernon on Feb. 18. He died after complications from surgery stemming from the injuries he sustained in the crash, police said. Taylor was a 17-year veteran of the Baltimore Police Department, and is survived by his wife and two children.

Still thinking about whether to go out and party on New Year's Eve? We know, we know. There's that little Y2K thing that may have some of you staying close to home and hearth. But here's a salute to the party animals among you -- and you know who you are. Let the celebration begin!Baltimore and Annapolis are both laying out the red carpet for the new year.In a change from past years, Baltimore's celebration will have no activities at the Convention Center."We decided to move it from the Convention Center because we wanted to make it available to anyone.

The Baltimore and Annapolis Trail makes connections. Much as the train that traveled the same rail bed into the 1960s did, the 10-foot-wide paved recreational trail connects friends and neighbors, residents with employment, the rural with the urban, the past with the present, and most recently, art with transportation. Ranked the seventh-most heavily used rail-trail nationally by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, the county-owned 13.3-mile linear park brings out a wide range of users from meandering families to cyclists in training and commuters -- nearly a million in all each year.

The Baltimore and Annapolis Trail is going national.The 13.3-mile hiker-biker trail was selected by the East Coast Greenway Alliance as one of the first designated trail sections of the East Coast Greenway network.The honor means the trail will be part of a 2,500-mile recreational path connecting cities from Maine to Florida that could be mapped as soon as the year 2000."I think this is an important distinction," said David Dionne, park superintendent of the B&A Trail and member of the national board of directors of the East Coast Greenway Alliance.

Look what the Volvo Ocean Race blew in. Grammy Award-winning soul newcomer John Legend will perform Sunday night at 7:30 at the Hippodrome Theatre, 12 N. Eutaw St. Legend's appearance was to have been closed to the public as part of the prize ceremony for the Volvo Ocean Race, which has paused in Baltimore and Annapolis through May 7. But now tickets - a limited number of them anyway, at $100 a pop - have been made available for the show and a reception...

Hometown -- Baltimore and Annapolis Current members --Colin Stodd, percussion; Blake Mobley, keyboards; Tommy Bradel, drums; Johnny Fissinger, bass Founded in --2007 Style --instrumental electronica Influenced by --The New Deal, Daft Punk, Sound Tribe Sector 9 Notable --Damn Right came together last summer and played its first show as a band before it had any songs prepared. The band members just got on stage and improvised. Now, they have a few instrumental motifs figured out and are working on a mix tape culled from live performances.

Organizers of the welcoming party for the Volvo Ocean Race now have a genial host with deep pockets to help pay for shindigs in Baltimore and Annapolis. Constellation Energy Group, the Baltimore-based parent of Baltimore Gas and Electric Co., announced yesterday that it will spend $500,000 to be the title sponsor of the April 2006 stopover, the only U.S. port-of-call in the seven-month global yacht race. The financial commitment, along with strong civic backing and logistics planning, puts preparations months ahead of the push for the 2001-2002 Volvo stopover, organizers say. "We're well on our way," said Gregory Barnhill, chairman of the board of Ocean Race Chesapeake, the in-port committee.

The Rev. Theodore M. Heyburn, a retired Redemptorist priest who led churches in Baltimore and Annapolis, died Nov. 12 of complications from diabetes at Stella Maris Hospice in Timonium. He was 77. Father Heyburn, the son of a longshoreman and a homemaker, was born and raised in Brooklyn, N.Y. He was in the eighth grade when he began religious studies at St. Mary's Seminary in North East, Pa., and then entered the Redemptorist novitiate at Ilchester. He professed his vows in 1955 and made his final profession in 1958.

Hometown -- Baltimore and Annapolis Current members --Colin Stodd, percussion; Blake Mobley, keyboards; Tommy Bradel, drums; Johnny Fissinger, bass Founded in --2007 Style --instrumental electronica Influenced by --The New Deal, Daft Punk, Sound Tribe Sector 9 Notable --Damn Right came together last summer and played its first show as a band before it had any songs prepared. The band members just got on stage and improvised. Now, they have a few instrumental motifs figured out and are working on a mix tape culled from live performances.

If you like outdoor recreation, you'll find plenty to like in Anne Arundel County. State, county and city of Annapolis parks and trails provide a variety of environments for running, walking, hiking, biking and picnicking, as well as ball fields, tennis courts and other areas developed for team sports, and the county is home to a number of public and semiprivate golf courses. If nautical recreation appeals to you, Anne Arundel, with its rivers and numerous creeks and its location on the Chesapeake Bay, offers many opportunities to spend time on the water.

Look what the Volvo Ocean Race blew in. Grammy Award-winning soul newcomer John Legend will perform Sunday night at 7:30 at the Hippodrome Theatre, 12 N. Eutaw St. Legend's appearance was to have been closed to the public as part of the prize ceremony for the Volvo Ocean Race, which has paused in Baltimore and Annapolis through May 7. But now tickets - a limited number of them anyway, at $100 a pop - have been made available for the show and a reception...

Frank Charles Collins, 82, formally of Baltimore and Annapolis, died May 22 at his home in Bradenton, Florida. Born January 29, 1923, in Baltimore, MD, the son of Edith Mae Collins, he graduated from high school in the Baltimore area and joined the Marines to serve in WWII in the Pacific Theater for over two years. Frank was known to many of his friends as Rip. He served as a Charter Sailing Boat Captain and specialized in trips between Annapolis and the islands of the Bahamas. Upon completion of his sailing career, he lived about five years in St. Croix, finally retiring to Bradenton, Florida.

If you like outdoor recreation, you'll find plenty to like in Anne Arundel County. State, county and city of Annapolis parks and trails provide a variety of environments for running, walking, hiking, biking, and picnicking, as well as ball fields, tennis courts and other areas developed for team sports, and the county is home to a number of public and semiprivate golf courses. If nautical recreation appeals, Anne Arundel, with its rivers and numerous creeks and its location on the Chesapeake Bay, offers many opportunities to spend time on the water.

As a Volvo official formally announced the return of the Volvo Ocean Race Round the World to Baltimore and Annapolis yesterday, he urged local organizers to find a local entry to fuel the excitement."

Long before light rail delivers the first passengers to Baltimore-Washington International Airport, hikers and bicyclists will likely find their way there.By next spring, state transportation officials expect to have completed the first leg of a 10 1/2 -mile recreational trail planned to circle the airport.The first of four phases of construction will begin in about two weeks, state Transportation Secretary O. James Lighthizer announced yesterday.The first phase -- comprised of two sections -- will begin at North County High School, run south along Aviation Boulevard and east across Stewart Avenue to the Baltimore and Annapolis Trail, the county's most heavily used park.

Attention all sofa jockeys: If your most recent experience with cycling was watching last July's televised coverage of Lance Armstrong at the Tour de France, then maybe it's time to dust off your bike and get back in the saddle. But before you shock your atrophic frame with some (gasp!) good old-fashioned exercise, you'll need to know where to ride. From paved trails to off-road paths, there are plenty of biking spots in the greater Baltimore area. Here's a list of some trails to get you moving.