Boy Scouts

The 150 Boy Scouts gathered with their troops in front of the mess hall at the Broad Creek Scout Reservation in Whiteford. The youngsters listened to a brief speech, followed by the sounding of a kudu horn and a recitation of their Scout Oath. "A lot of these boys might not understand what we did out here today," said Reed Blom, who has been the director of the Scout reservation for the past 20 years. "But when they're older, they'll remember that they participated, and then they'll understand the significance of the event."

Maryland PSC sets Bel Air meeting The Maryland Public Service Commission will conduct a hearing at 7 p.m. tomorrow in Bel Air. The hearing is part of the commission's effort to gather testimony for its investigation of wholesale power prices, as well as BGE's proposal to phase in a roughly 50 percent rate increase this summer. The hearing, which will be held in County Council chambers, 212 S. Bond St. in Bel Air, is one of a series that the commission has been conducting throughout the region.

The 150 Boy Scouts gathered with their troops in front of the mess hall at the Broad Creek Scout Reservation in Whiteford. The youngsters listened to a brief speech, followed by the sounding of a kudu horn and a recitation of their Scout Oath. "A lot of these boys might not understand what we did out here today," said Reed Blom, who has been the director of the Scout reservation for the past 20 years. "But when they're older, they'll remember that they participated, and then they'll understand the significance of the event."

Rose Giammona, 93, produce business proprietorRose Giammona, who ran a Little Italy produce business, died of heart failure Monday at Stella Maris Hospice. She was 93 and lived in Little Italy.Until she retired 30 years ago, she ran a fresh fruit and vegetable business in the 1000 block of E. Lombard St.Born Rose Garofalo in Baltimore, she graduated from St. Leo parochial school and at 16 joined the produce business founded by her parents, Vincent and Cira Garofalo, in 1910.In 1920, she married Anthony Giammona, who ran the business with her. They lived above their store.

Midshipman 3rd Class Jay Sebastian is an example of the best the Naval Academy has to offer.The 22-year-old sophomore computer science major from San Jose, Calif., plans to become a Marine Corps aviator. He belongs to the Semper Fidelis Society for future Marine officers and the YP Power Squadron, a surface warfare training unit.He's also a Girl Scout.Sebastian is among a group of midshipman who adhere not only to the academy's code of honor, but do their best to meet the standards of that other character-building organization.

Committee to review various county ordinancesThe Carroll County Ordinance Codification (Batch 1) Review Committee is meeting to review and make recommendations on various ordinances.Meetings are scheduled from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. tomorrow and Tuesday in Room 124C at the County Office Building, 225 N. Center St., Westminster.The ordinances to be reviewed are parking, private streets, landscaping, forest conservation and fees/taxes on mobile home park owners and operators.Information: 410-386-2143.

WASHINGTON -- Giving homosexuals a right to join one of America's most revered organizations -- the Boy Scouts -- the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled yesterday that it is illegal to bar gay males as Scouts or as troop leaders.The Boy Scouts of America said it would appeal the unanimous decision to the U.S. Supreme Court. It was the first ruling against the Scouts by any state's highest court.The decision is binding only in New Jersey. Even so, it was a major symbolic breakthrough for gay rights advocates, who have long stressed the importance to their cause of gaining access to the nation's mainstream institutions -- including marriage and military service.

Sen. Neall's party-hop was dishearteningState Sen. Robert Neall's explanation for his switch to the Democratic Party is disheartening. It is a perfect example of why so many people have a cynical attitude towards politics.Mr. Neall switched political parties, yet has the audacity to tell us that it was not a political decision. This sort of nonsensical rambling makes Mr. Neall a perfect fit for the Maryland Democratic Party.As a proud Maryland Republican, I am glad he left. The Republican Party has no room for deceitful politicians who twist words and try to manipulate public opinion.

WASHINGTON -- The Boy Scouts of America, already putting on a full defense in court of its ban on homosexuals, now finds it has to defend that policy within its own ranks, too -- especially among groups that sponsor Scout troops.The future of the ban depends heavily on the U.S. Supreme Court. The Scouts have appealed a New Jersey Supreme Court ruling that struck down the exclusion of gays as youth members or adult leaders.Signs of Scouting's internal debate over the ban are expected to emerge anew next week when a group of troop-sponsoring organizations reportedly plans to line up on the opposite side in that case.

Boy Scouts area council looking for past EaglesThe Baltimore area's Boy Scouts of America council is searching for quite a few good men -- those who attained the Boy Scouts' highest rank as Eagles, and are now older than 25 -- in connection with a celebration of Scouting's 90th anniversary and its theme emphasizing leadership in the 21st century.Adult Eagles not active in Scouting are asked to call 410-GO-SCOUT and leave their name, address, telephone number and year of Eagle award; or file electronically at the Web site www.geo cities.

Joanne S. Parrott, the first woman president of the Harford County Council and a Maryland state delegate from 1998 to 2006, was found dead at her Fallston home Wednesday. She was 68, and the cause of death was unknown, according to a statement yesterday from the county executive's office. County Executive David R. Craig ordered Harford County flags flown at half-staff in her honor. She was "a hard-working legislator who understood the needs of the many rural constituents in her district," said state Sen. Barry Glassman.

Since the Boy Scouts of America were founded in 1910, they've been known for a two-word motto - Be Prepared. And while Bill Ehmann, owner of two dozen merit badges, has been a Scout for most of his life, nothing could prepare him for what happened Saturday. In a ceremony at the Star-Spangled Banner Flag House, Ehmann's mother pinned a silver medal on his chest, making him, at 50, the oldest new Eagle Scout anyone in the Baltimore Area Council could remember. "I'm overwhelmed," he said, fighting back tears as his parents, Jean and Walter Ehmann, both in their 70s, looked on along with his wife, Paula, and their three grown daughters.

Elijah E. Cummings' South Baltimore Cub Scout pack was so poor that members shopped for uniforms at secondhand stores, made their own patches and shared a single manual. And when their den mother needed rope for an activity, she cut pieces of clothesline for the boys to share. Today, youths growing up in similarly rough city neighborhoods think joining the Scouts is too expensive and, even worse, uncool, said Cummings, now a Baltimore-area congressman. A new partnership between the Maryland NAACP and the Baltimore-area council of the Boy Scouts of America hopes to change that perception, encouraging youngsters from some of the city's toughest areas to excel in the Scouts.

I recently received in the mail an urgent request to support the cause of something called the Scouting Legal Defense Fund. "Hey, I'm an Eagle Scout," I thought cheerfully. "How can I help?" According to the accompanying letter, my financial assistance was "desperately needed" to prevent the American Civil Liberties Union from using the courts to force the Boy Scouts of America to accept gay scoutmasters. This potential catastrophe, the letter said, "will destroy the Boy Scouts' mission to instill wholesome values and provide solid role models to young men to help them become responsible, well-rounded citizens."

As mourners shuffled into pews, images flashed on a screen above the altar: The couple dancing on their wedding day, the husband's strong arms wrapped around his wife. Their three sons posing in Christmas sweaters, all chubby cheeks and big smiles. The boys in recent years, shaggy-haired and gangly, clowning on a snow-covered mountain. Throughout the church, parents clutched their adolescent children, looked at the photos of a family who appeared very much like them, and wept. Nearly 1,300 people gathered in a Baltimore County church yesterday to remember the Browning family - parents John, 45, and Tamara, 44, and their sons Greg, 14, and Ben, 11, who were fatally shot in their Cockeysville home last weekend.

The Cub Scouts of Pack 1111 beamed as they talked about their favorite part of the annual Klondike Derby. "The fires," many of them shouted yesterday as they sipped the homemade tea they had just finished making. The name of their pack is, after all, the Fire Eagles. Almost 2,000 Howard County Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts and their supporters filled Patapsco State Park in Ellicott City for the Klondike Derby, a one-day event sponsored by the National Pike District of the Boy Scouts of America.

Program today on `Senior Week' HC DrugFree will present "Senior Week in Ocean City," a program for parents and 12th-graders, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. today at Howard High School in Ellicott City and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. tomorrow at River Hill High School in Clarksville. The program addresses parents' fears and the risks teens face during the traditional Maryland "Senior Week in Ocean City." Parents can learn about Ocean City initiatives that have been put in place to ensure a safe and enjoyable Senior Week.

Dean Earl Yolton, a plumbing estimator who coached Little League teams and was active in the Boy Scouts, died of a heart attack Saturday at Union Hospital in Elkton. The North East resident was 50. Mr. Yolton was born in West Chester, Pa., and raised in Concord Township, Pa. After graduating from Garnet Valley High School in Concord Township in 1975, he worked as a welder for 16 years. He later went to work as a plumbing estimator for a Wilmington, Del., plumbing company, and for the past five years, was an estimator for J.F. Fischer Inc., a Baltimore mechanical contracting firm.

The 150 Boy Scouts gathered with their troops in front of the mess hall at the Broad Creek Scout Reservation in Whiteford. The youngsters listened to a brief speech, followed by the sounding of a kudu horn and a recitation of their Scout Oath. "A lot of these boys might not understand what we did out here today," said Reed Blom, who has been the director of the Scout reservation for the past 20 years. "But when they're older, they'll remember that they participated, and then they'll understand the significance of the event."

The 150 Boy Scouts gathered with their troops in front of the mess hall at the Broad Creek Scout Reservation in Whiteford. The youngsters listened to a brief speech, followed by the sounding of a kudu horn and a recitation of their Scout Oath. "A lot of these boys might not understand what we did out here today," said Reed Blom, who has been the director of the Scout reservation for the past 20 years. "But when they're older, they'll remember that they participated, and then they'll understand the significance of the event."