Belair Road

From the street the faded, yellow house on Belair Road looks unassuming. Three large picture windows overlook a community recreation center and an elementary school. It's around the corner from a community baseball diamond. On one recent visit, a small American flag lay discarded on the front lawn, along with a few scattered cigarette butts. A metal pipe protrudes above a side door. Before the police raided this house, prosecutors said the pipe held a surveillance camera placed there by the operators that recorded the number of men who passed through the entrance, and helped monitor the women working inside.

A man was shot in the arm Saturday evening in Northeast Baltimore, police say. Officers found the victim suffering from at least one gunshot wound in the 4900 block of Belair Road about 6:50 p.m., police said. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Police released no other information. alisonk@baltsun.com twitter.com/aliknez

A fast-food restaurant in Northeast Baltimore was robbed Saturday night by two men who forced customers to lie on the floor while they took an undetermined amount of cash from registers, police said. The men entered the KFC restaurant in the 6200 block of Belair Road shortly before 7:10 p.m. One of them brandished a handgun and ordered customers to the floor as his companion acted as lookout, police said. The gunman then jumped over the counter and took money from the cash registers before both men fled through the restaurant's rear parking lot and went south on Marluth Avenue, police said.

It's time to clean out the medicine cabinet again and get rid of any unused and expired prescription medications that may be sitting around. Harford County will host another Prescription Drug Take Back Day Saturday, April 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., when residents can drop off any leftover medicine - no questions asked. There are three dropoff sites: the parking lot of the county office building, 220 S. Main St. in Bel Air; Havre de Grace Police Department, 715 Pennington Ave. in Havre de Grace; and the Maryland State Police Barrack D, 1401 Belair Road in Bel Air. Contact 410-638-3333 or odcp@harfordcountymd.gov for more information.

Belair Road has been closed in both directions for more than an hour this evening after a southbound vehicle went airborne after striking an SUV, killing an unidentified man and injuring two others, Baltimore Fire Department spokesman Kevin Cartwright said. The accident took place about 3:30 p.m. at the intersection of Ravenwood Avenue when the driver of the southbound car, described as a coupe, crossed into oncoming traffic, Cartwright said. One man in the coupe was pronounced dead on the scene and another was taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital with what appeared to be non-life-threatening injuries.

A 7-year-old boy was struck and killed on Belair Road in northeast Baltimore Friday afternoon, a police spokeswoman said. The boy was struck at about 4 p.m. in the 3100 block near Lawnview Road. He was taken to Johns Hopkins Hospital where he was pronounced dead, said Detective Nicole Monroe, the police spokeswoman. She said police are investigating the crash, but it is believed to be pedestrian error. Monroe said the boy had been walking with several other children and an adult when he darted in front of the vehicle.

A 33-year-old man sitting in the back of a bar packed with up to 80 patrons on Belair Road was shot several times in the head and body early Wednesday, one of seven people killed in the city in the past five days. Baltimore police said a gunman walked into La'Son's Bar and Grill a few minutes before 1 a.m., pushed his way to the back and opened fire on Derrick Deon Smith, who was sitting in a secluded area behind the bar. Smith, of the 3500 block of chesterfield Ave., was rushed to Johns Hopkins Hospital where he was pronounced dead early Wednesday.

Baltimore County Police are warning residents to take an alternate route after Belair Road in Perry Hall was closed for a sink hole Thursday night. Police said the sink hole on Belair, near Old Forge Lane, is 3 feet by 5 feet and in the middle of the roadway. Officers say drivers should expect significant delays as the road is repaired. Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

As of 9 a.m. Monday, traffic was slow on the outer loop of I-695 near Belair Road, due to an accident. Accidents were blocking traffic on I-95 southbound near the Harbor Tunnel in Baltimore City, on I-83 near 28th Street in Baltimore City and on Route 152 near Trimble Road in Harford County. A disabled vehicle was slowing traffic on I-95 northbound near the Fort McHenry Tunnel. There were no major delays reported on Baltimore area transit systems.

As of 9 a.m. Tuesday, traffic was slow on Belair Road near Putty Hill Road, due to an accident. Accidents were slowing traffic on Ebenezer Road near Perryvale Road in Baltimore County, Route 7 near Ridge Road in Rosedale, and Route 482 near Brodbeck Road in Hampstead. Monument Street is closed between Wolfe Street and Patterson Park Avenue in East Baltimore, due to sinkhole repairs. Maryland Transit Administration bus 35 has been diverted. Until further notice, the No. 14 bus stop located northbound on Crain Highway at Furnace Branch Road has been temporarily relocated due to construction.

The operators of Cook Volkswagen in Fallston are looking to expand the vehicle storage lot for their Route 1 (Belair Road) dealership, but the property developer must resolve outstanding issues with state and federal agencies and work out an agreement with neighboring homeowners before they can proceed. Members of Harford County's Development Advisory Committee - which reviews developers' site plans and provides recommendations to the Department of Planning and Zoning - recommended during their Wednesday meeting that the owner and developer of the property, listed as 2110 Bel Air Road LLC of Aberdeen, come to a resolution with the county, the Maryland Department of the Environment and the Army Corps of Engineers before the site plan could be approved.

Children's birthday parties at home with cake and games will never go out of style. But if you or your child want to try something different this year, there's no shortage of specialty sites in the Baltimore area eager to host your celebration. It doesn't matter if your child is an artist, an athlete, an outdoor enthusiast or all three - there is a specialty party designed just for him or her. Here is a sampling of sites to check out: BALTIMORE COUNTY Abrakadoodle Art Studio 9606 Deereco Road, Timonium 443-841-7171 abrakadoodle.com Bring out the artist in your party guests with themes like Party Pirates, Monet Water Lilies or Castles and Dragons.

Children's birthday parties at home with cake and games will never go out of style. But if you or your child would like to try something different this year, there's no shortage of specialty sites in the Baltimore area eager to host your celebration. It doesn't matter if your child is an artist, an athlete, an outdoor enthusiast or all three -- there is a specialty party designed just for him or her. Here is a sampling of sites to check out: BALTIMORE COUNTY Abrakadoodle Art Studio 9606 Deereco Road, Timonium 443-841-7171 abrakadoodle.com Bring out the artist in your party guests with themes like Party Pirates, Monet Water Lilies or Castles and Dragons.

One of two 13-year-old city girls reported missing Saturday night has been in contact with her parents, Baltimore police said Sunday morning. Kymira Martin, who police said was last seen about 7:20 a.m. Friday as she left her home in the 3700 block of Ellerslie Ave. in Waverly, has been in communication with her mother, police said. The girl told her mother she will return home today, they said. Meanwhile, there was no news on a second, unrelated missing person report issued yesterday, also regarding a 13-year-old.

One of two 13-year-old girls reported missing in Baltimore on Saturday night has returned home, city police said Sunday evening, but the other girl still has not been found. Kymira Martin made contact with her mother Sunday and returned home later that day, according to police. She was reported missing from her home in Waverly after leaving Friday evening. Still missing is Kaitlyn Benny. Described as white, 5 feet 4 inches tall and weighing 130 pounds, she was last seen about 5:30 p.m. Friday in the 5900 block of Benton Heights Ave. in the Glenham-Belford area off Belair Road.

Traffic Morning commute snarled by accidents, including two with injury Several accidents, including a fatal crash in Baltimore County, hampered Thursday morning's traffic, according to the state Department of Transportation. The morning commute became snarled at 5:41 a.m., due to a deadly accident involving three vehicles that closed all lanes and both shoulders of the Interstate 695 inner loop near Belair Road in the Overlea area of Baltimore County, DOT said. One adult was killed in the accident, and at least one adult and one child were injured and transported to area hospitals in critical condition, a Baltimore County Fire Department dispatcher confirmed.

The season may be over and they may be former Ravens, but excitement for all things purple and black still drew a crowd on Saturday to the Giant Food store in Perry Hall for an event with former Baltimore Ravens Matt Stover and Kyle Richardson. The two Super Bowl champions came to the store, 8905 Belair Road, Perry Hall, on Saturday, Feb. 16, to meet with residents, sign autographs and perform a little kicking demonstration in the Giant parking lot. Stover was the place kicker, and Richardson was the punter, on the Ravens' 2000-2001 Super Bowl champion team.

Neighbors described a large, raucous party that spilled into the front and back yards of an Overlea home, causing an off-duty Baltimore County police officer to stop his car before he was shot early Sunday morning. "We heard a bunch of laughing. It was a whole party down there," said Zach Tawney, who lives several doors down from a home in the 700 block of Dale Avenue, where he and other residents said they spotted boisterous guests gather. Tawney said he ignored the noise until he awoke to gunshots about 3:20 a.m., and called 911. Police said the officer was struck twice by a man from the crowd who fired into the officer's vehicle.