Bond

Visiting No. 12 Roland Park built an early lead and held on to upset No. 7 St. Vincent Pallotti, 45-35, Friday. Daisy Alaeze and Beth Kelly each scored 14 points for the Reds (10-8), who led 24-13 at halftime. Tiffany Padgett scored 14 points and had 11 rebounds for the Panthers (11-6). No. 1 Aberdeen 70, Elkton 38: Bri Jones scored a game-high 24 points, and Nia Alleyne added 22 to power the host Eagles (13-0) past the Elks. No. 4 Spalding 56, No. 14 Seton Keough 41: The visiting Gators (9-9)

The first baby born at Sinai Hospital during Sunday's Ravens game is going to get a little contribution toward their financial future. The Northwest Baltimore hospital is going to give a $3,000 savings bond to the first baby born after the kick off of the game against the New England Patriots. The hospital sees the gift as a way to celebrate the Ravens' success and cheer them on during the playoffs. "That baby will literally be able to say he or she was born a Ravens fan," said  Neil Meltzer, president and COO of Sinai.

As a resident of Strawbridge Home for Boys in 1950, Jim Mathis, at age 13, found himself working on a full-fledged farm with cows, hogs, chickens and horses. He soon learned a few lessons. "Cows don't care what day it is. At the same time every day, when it is time to milk, they come to the barn," Mathis, now 74, chuckled. "Farming is a 24-hour, seven days a week job. (Today), there's not a farmer amongst us. " That "us" is Mathis' fellow alumni from Strawbridge, a Methodist-run home in Eldersburg where boys between ages 6 and 18 were sent to live, from 1924 to the late 1950s, either because they were orphans, or their families couldn't care for them.

Harford County's AAA bond rating was reaffirmed by rating agencies Moody's Investors Service and Fitch Ratings, Harford County Executive David R. Craig announced Tuesday. The two agencies upgraded the county in 2010, and the confirmation of the AAA ratings are the result of a review of the county's fiscal management practices and economic outlook, as well as meetings with the county executive and members of his administration. Standard & Poor's also reaffirmed its AA+ rating for the county.

Technology has overtaken the U.S. savings bonds. After this year, you will no longer be able to buy a paper bond. All purchases will be made electronically. By going totally electronic, the government is expected to save $120 million over five years. You still will  be able to redeem paper bonds at banks, though. Since 1935, people have purchased the bonds to fund the government's operations. The bonds became a traditional gift for a newborn. The Treasury Department is saying good-bye with an online interactive timeline , which includes cameos of celebrities who promoted the sale of savings bonds over the decades.

An overnight fire in the unit block of East 25th Street injured one person, according to the Baltimore Fire Department. Firefighters responded to the three-story building, which is occupied by a Big Boyz Bail Bonds company, around 2:40 a.m. and discovered a blaze in the basement, officials said. The fire spread through the duct work to the first, second and third floors, officials said. One person escaped the building uninjured, but firefighters had to rescue a second person, officials said.

[Note: This is the story that will appear in Saturday's newspaper, following two previous blog posts and additional reporting on this story] Suspects charged with murder and those facing gun charges in general can expect in Maryland to be held without bond pending trial. But twice in the past six months, 18-year-old Brandon Kyle Mitchell has been arrested in shootings - one of them fatal - and was released after posting just a $50,000 bail. Officials acknowledged an error was made when Mitchell was released last week on $50,000 bond on a first-degree murder charge, according to interviews and recordings of court hearings.

Suspects charged with murder and those facing gun charges in Maryland can expect to be held without bond pending trial. But twice in the past six months, 18-year-old Brandon Kyle Mitchell has been arrested in shootings - one of them fatal - and was released after posting just $50,000 bail. Officials acknowledged an error was made when Mitchell was released last week on $50,000 bond on a first-degree murder charge, according to interviews and recordings of court hearings. But when prosecutors appealed the decision in hopes of having Mitchell held without bond, District Judge Askew W. Gatewood Jr. said Mitchell's good behavior while he was free showed that he could indeed be released on bond.

The Maryland General Assembly's chief budget analyst, Warren Deschenaux, made headlines last week by advocating that the state not seek to increase its debt limit for fear that such a move could prompt one or more of the major credit ratings agencies to strip the state of its long-held AAA rating. Such a downgrade would force Maryland to pay higher interest rates on its debt and exacerbate its existing budget problems. Mr. Deschenaux is absolutely right about that, but his comments should not be misconstrued.

Everything on the menu at Bond Street Social is intended for sharing. Really, everything. It's part of the new establishment's mission of "taking social to a whole new level. " I'm not against it. I'm good with social. I just wonder if the all-share-all-the-time concept will stick. If it does, swell. If it doesn't, also swell -- Bond Street Social has invested in a talented chef, Neill Howell, who can take the menu anywhere the crowds who have been pouring into the new place want him to. Here's the review of Bond Street Social