Banister

On September 22, 2007, LOIS J. CARTER, wife of the late Charles W. Carter. A memorial service will be held at Grace Presbyterian Church, 2604 Banister Road, Baltimore, MD on October 5 at 11 A.M.

Longtime WBAL newscaster Marianne Banister will join WBFF Fox45 as anchor of a weekend morning news program that will launch Jan.19. The station announced that another Baltimore veteran, meteorologist Tony Pagnotti, will also join that station's news team. "We recognize outstanding talent and wanted both Marianne and Tony on our staff," Mike Tomko, station news director, said in an email to The Sun. "Their professionalism and long history in the market made for a perfect match here at Fox45.

There's going to be a new face on the front line of Baltimore's local television news wars next month. WBAL-TV yesterday named 35-year-old Marianne Banister, of KABC-TV in Los Angeles, as its new first-string co-anchor.Banister will be teamed with Rod Daniels at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. weeknights starting Sept. 18. She replaces Carol Costello, whose last day on-air at WBAL will be Sept. 1, according to Costello and vice president and general manager Phil Stolz.WBAL (Channel 11) did not renew the contract of Costello, who has been at the station since 1992.

In July when Marianne Banister was dropped by WBAL-TV, I wrote about the move as part of a larger issue of middle-aged women anchors being fired as cost cutting moves. Read that here . Last week, Sue Simmons, a long-time star on local TV in New York, made the same kind of headlines when WNBC-TV said goodbye to her after a long run atop the NYC ratings. And while Simmons is 68, her 68-year-old male co-anchor remains on the job. Well, Banister will be back on local TV Sunday for the first time since WBAL dumped her. She'll be talking about the changing dynamics of TV news at 11 a.m. Sunday on Richard Sher's "Square Off. " I know I appreciated Banister's straight talk back in July when I first reported the story with her. She didn't pull any punches about the fact that leaving WBAL was not her decision.

Although Baltimore County workers received no across-the-board pay increases this year, Police Chief Cornelius J. Behan got a raise.Executive Roger B. Hayden yesterday said Behan received a $13,000 increase Sept. 11, retroactive to July 1.Hayden said he approved the raise so that Behan's salarywould match that of Fire Chief Elwood H. Banister, who is paid $83,129 a year.Behan, the longest-tenured department head in the county, was making $70,304 before the raise.Behan has been the county's police chief since 1977.

Clarence W. Blount: A memorial service for Clarence W. Blount, an influential former state senator who died Saturday, will be held at 7 p.m. Friday at Morgan State University's fine arts center. A funeral for Mr. Blount, the Senate's first African-American majority leader, will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday at Grace Presbyterian Church, 2604 Banister Road. Mr. Blount will be buried at Woodlawn Cemetery. The family said donations may be sent to Grace Outreach Corp., a community outreach center at 2605 Banister Road, Baltimore 21215.

On April 5, 2007, RUTH Walker; devoted wife of Lawrence Robinson and beloved mother of Hildreth N. and Dr. Shawn W. Robinson. Friends may call at the FAMILY OWNED MARCH FUNERAL HOME WEST, INC., 4300 Wabash Avenue on Wednesday after 8:30 A.M. The family will receive friends at Grace Presbyterian Church, 2604 Banister Road on Thursday at 10:30 A.M. Funeral service wil follow at 11 A.M. In lieu of flowers, donations to Grace Outreach Center, 2604 Banister Road...

On June 14, 2009, EDNA LOUISE RYAN. Friends may visit the family owned MARCH FUNERAL HOME WEST, INC., 4300 Wabash Avenue on Wednesday after 8:30 A.M. The family will receive friends at Grace Presbyterian Church, 2604 Banister Road at 11:00 A.M. followed by funeral services at 11:30 A.M.

On February 18, 2004; ETTA M. DAVIS. Friends may call at the family owned MARCH FUNERAL HOME WEST, INC., 4300 Wabash Avenue on Sunday after 9 AM. Family will receive friends on Monday Grace Presbyterian Church, 2604 Banister Road at 10:30 AM, followed by Funeral Services at 11:00. See www.marchfh.com.

Special heat-detecting photography shot with a borrowed thermal camera has revealed that the entire pile of smoldering tree stumps at a Granite dump is still hot, which may again change Baltimore County's strategy for battling the 6-month-old fire.County Fire Chief Elwood H. Banister said the pictures, shot with a camera that was mounted on a county police helicopter, present a different view of the problem than what county fire officials had presumed.Previous visual inspections of the fire, even by air, had convinced officials that the blaze had shrunk to perhaps 12 "hot spots" that have been under attack with water over the past three weeks.

Donna Hamilton will be joining Rod Daniels at the 11 p.m. anchor desk at WBAL-TV  (Channel 11) starting Super Bowl night, General Manager Dan Joerres confirmed Wednesday. Daniels has been anchoring the flagship broadcast solo since July when WBAL decided not to renew the contract of Marianne Banister. Banister had been co-anchoring since 1995 when she arrived at WBAL from station KABC, the ABC owned station in Los Angeles where she anchored early morning and 6 p.m. newscasts in the nation's second largest TV market.

The departure last week of Marianne Banister from WBAL-TV after 15 years of co-anchoring a team that always finished first or second in its time period raised big questions about the changing face of television news in Baltimore. In the past year and half, several long-time anchors have signed off the local airwaves, including Sally Thorner at WJZ, and Mary Beth Marsden at WMAR. By long-time, we're talking 15 years or more of coming into Baltimore homes every night with the local news.

Marianne Banister's farewell from Baltimore television after more than 15 years of co-anchoring the 6 and 11 p.m. news at WBAL-TV was an unusually modest and subdued one. Unlike the farewells for Sally Thorner at WJZ and Mary Beth Marsden at WMAR in December of 2009, there were no video montages of Banister's career at WBAL. There were no extended farewells or family members and colleagues coming onto the set to say goodbye. Banister's final words to Baltimore viewers at the end of the 11 p.m. newscast lasted 35 seconds, and only 17 seconds were actual words of farewell.

Marianne Banister, one-half of the longest running anchor team in Baltimore television, is leaving WBAL-TV after more than 15 years as co-anchor of the 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts at the top-ranked station. Her last day at the station will be Wednesday, WBAL General Manager Dan Joerres said. She will say "goodbye" to viewers at the ends of the 6 and 11 p.m newscasts, he added. Banister came to WBAL in 1995 from station KABC, the ABC owned station in Los Angeles where she anchored early morning and 6 p.m. newscasts in the nation's second largest TV market.

On June 14, 2009, EDNA LOUISE RYAN. Friends may visit the family owned MARCH FUNERAL HOME WEST, INC., 4300 Wabash Avenue on Wednesday after 8:30 A.M. The family will receive friends at Grace Presbyterian Church, 2604 Banister Road at 11:00 A.M. followed by funeral services at 11:30 A.M.

On April 10, 2009, LEONORA E. HEWITT. Friends may visit the family owned MARCH FUNERAL HOME WEST INC., 4300 Wabash Avenue, on Wednesday after 8:30 A.M., where the family will receive friends from 5 to 7 P.M. The family will also receive friends on Thursday at Grace Presbyterian Church, 2604 Banister Road, at 10:30 A.M. followed by funeral services at 11 AM.

If not for the Persian Gulf war, Baltimore County firefighters today might be bulldozing a 100-foot-high burning stump dump in Granite in an effort to put out the stubborn fire, instead of letting it burn.Baltimore County Fire Chief Elwood H. Banister Jr. told the County Council yesterday that Maryland National Guard units were willing to use their bulldozers and other heavy equipment on the pile of tree stumps -- except that their heavy equipment has been shipped to the gulf to fight the Iraqi army.

After 38 years in uniform, Baltimore County Fire Chief Elwood H. Banister announced his retirement yesterday.The announcement was made in a letter distributed by the chief, who refused to discuss his decision with reporters.The letter noted his retirement and recounted his professional history as a paid and volunteer firefighter. He has been chief for 3 1/2 years.His action came two weeks after a presentation at a Cincinnati fire conference in which he reportedly criticized politicians and the effects of budget cuts on the fire service.

On January 21, 2009, LILLIAN GAIL OWINGS. On Wednesday, friends may call at VAUGHN C. GREENE FUNERAL SERVICES (RANDALLSTOWN), 8728 Liberty Road from 4:00 to 8:00 P.M. On Thursday, Mrs. Owings will lie instate at Grace Presbyterian Church, 2604 Banister Avenue, where the family will receive friends from 10:00 to 10:30 A.M., with services to follow. Inquiries to (410) 655-0015.

On July 27, 2008, HORTENSE B., loving mother of Notra Jackson, Hortense Lois Cannon, Floyd and Thomas Wright. She is also survived by eight grandchildren, 17 great-grandchildren, two daughters-in-law, Mary Katherine and Belinda Thomas Wright. She is also survived by a host of other relatives and friends. Friends may visit the family owned MARCH FUNERAL HOME WEST, INC., 4300 Wabash Avenue on Friday after 8:30 A.M., where the family will receive friends from 5 until 7 P.M. The family will also receive friends on Saturday at the Grace Presbyterian Church, 2604 Banister Road at 10:30 A.M followed by funeral service at 11 A.M.