Bright Lights

IT'S SUCH a cliche: a young, black male whose life is enveloped by violence.But there's something different about 9-year-old Leon Little III. It's rare enough for a child who has been to more funerals than birthday parties to decide that he won't succumb to a violent lifestyle.It's quite a bit more difficult -- and unusual -- for a 9-year-old to reach out to his friends, family, teachers and community, to beg for their help in actually stopping violence.As was detailed in a Thursday article in The Sun, Leon is doing just that in his efforts to start a group called "Young Kids Against Violence" in Howard County.

HILLSDALE HEIGHTS is a sliver of a city neighborhood of mostly 40-year-old custom homes overlooking the Forest Park golf course and Leakin Park. Some are straight out of House & Garden magazine, with large swimming pools and cabanas. Others are more modest. But at a time when other, similar communities are against further development, Hillsdale Height wants more houses built."We are doing this for our neighborhood -- to get the right people in," says Winfield Willis, the neighborhood association's housing chairman, who is heading efforts to build new houses on a forested hillside.

A SOUP of cold mud covers a construction site in Frederick County, but Joyce Farley doesn't seem to mind. She is warmed by the realization that she, a home day-care operator, and her truck-driver husband, Mark, will be able to buy a new home in their county, which is rapidly becoming another pricey suburb of Washington."

HEROES come in all sizes. And ages. Like Daniel Weaverling of Westminster, a 9-year-old Webelos Cub Scout.Daniel was recently awarded the national Medal of Merit from the Boys Scouts of America for the rescue of his 14-month-old cousin, Benjamin Willoughby, last December at a golf club event.The toddler had quickly crawled under the rail of an outside deck and was close to tumbling head-first to a paved area 12 feet below. Young Weaverling ran toward Benjamin, dove at the rail, grabbed the boy's ankles and pulled him back up.The incident happened so quickly that Daniel said he didn't have time to think about what he was doing.

WRITING A CHECK is one way to help disaster victims. But when an earthquake struck his native Turkey, Huseyin Demiral wanted to do more. He launched a relief effort, gathering food and clothing for survivors. The Glen Burnie businessman deserves the gratitude of Turks and from everyone who appreciates his initiative in a time of dire need.We are accustomed to established organizations stepping in when disasters disrupt lives around the globe. Organizations marshaling relief for Turkey are listed on the Internet at www.help-turkey.

D'ANTOINE Webb, 14, is already a winner in this year's famed Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. His essay about the 1,150-mile Alaskan competition won a Baltimore Police Athletic League contest -- and earned D'Antoine a ride on the sled of investment adviser Dan Dent, who made his debut Sunday in the 10-day test. But Mr. Dent, the 57-year-old Baltimorean in only his fourth dog sled race, was an even bigger winner. Though forced from the race by dog bite injuries this week, Mr. Dent's attempt has inspired lots of local kids to pursue their dreams.

ELVIS SHOWED up in Ellicott City last week to give Bill and Carole Sachs the shirt off his back. The young man didn't give his last name, but he became the spirit of Main Street.He pulled up a few days after a $2 million fire drove the Sachses from their shop, Spring House Designs. He wrapped figurines in his scarf, his hat and then his shirt. He came with his tools and his truck several nights last week. He had skills to lend."This is my town," he said -- as if that were explanation enough.

THIS ISN'T the first recognition of Amber Coffman, nor will it be the last.Among the earliest was a community item in The Sun six years ago: "The Anne Arundel County Volunteer Firemen's Association invites everyone to the annual Miss Fire Prevention and Junior Miss Fire Prevention contest at the Riviera Beach Fire Hall on Fort Smallwood Road." Among the junior contestants listed was "Amber Coffman from Linthicum." She was 10.That year, Amber researched a school project on Mother Teresa. Her report, and a visit to the Sarah's House shelter for women and children near Fort Meade, inspired her to organize Happy Helpers for the Homeless.

THIS region needs more citizens like David R. Blumberg. He is one of those people who, year after year, gives of his time and energy for causes that make a difference in others' lives.On Tuesday, he steps down as chairman of the city's Republican Party after 16 years. It's a thankless task, given the lopsided number of Democrats in Baltimore, but Mr. Blumberg has worked mightily to lay the groundwork for an alternative political voice in the city. He's been a voice of moderation in state party affairs, defending the city elections board against unfounded charges of voter fraud in 1994.

THIS TIME of year, the grousing gets pretty heavy about paying income taxes by April 15. Tax collectors are not very popular.While most of the ire is aimed at the Internal Revenue Service, the comptroller's office in Annapolis gets its share of brickbats.Into this furor strolls Yvonne Daugherty, an 11-year veteran of Louis L. Goldstein's shop, who has managed to do the impossible: satisfy inquiring taxpayers.Ms. Daugherty, 62, handles the department's electronic mail. That is not an idle job. This spring, the comptroller's office is receiving 120 e-mail inquiries a day about how to fill out tax forms or interpret complex tax language.

Bright lights from a nearby convenience store have delayed this year's opening of the Bengies Drive-In, its owner says, and could threaten the future of Maryland's sole remaining outdoor theater. D. Vogel, who has been running the drive-in his family built since 1988, says lights from a Royal Farms Store across Eastern Boulevard would interfere with his customers' view of the Bengies' 52-by-120-foot screen. He contends that the store is violating the county zoning code by not protecting his property from the lights and that Baltimore County officials are refusing to enforce their own rules.

Brilliantly colored leaves. Crisp air. Changes in light. All are nature's way of signaling fall has arrived and will eventually give way to winter. For some people, however, the changes in light may cause a type of depression called seasonal affective disorder, says Karen Swartz, director of clinical programs for the Johns Hopkins Mood Disorder Center. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, as many as a half-million people in the United States may experience significant symptoms of SAD or "winter depression."

Many seem to think the four guys of Interpol are a gloomy bunch. The group's darkly atmospheric music and penchant for black suits certainly don't help to change that perception much. But listen closely to the post-punk band's latest album, Antics, and you'll notice a few aural rays of light. The gray clouds that hovered over the band's acclaimed 2002 debut, Turn on the Bright Lights, have parted a bit, revealing tighter musicianship and less hopeless lyrics. "There's a fairly drastic difference in the sound of the record," says Interpol lead singer Paul Banks, who's calling after a sound check for a show in St. Louis.

The bright lights that troubled neighbors and diners near the boccie ball court in Little Italy came down yesterday, but peace hasn't returned to the tight-knit neighborhood just east of downtown Baltimore. The battle line has simply moved about 50 feet to the other side of the court. In a community that sometimes resembles a family, fights are bitter, filled with recriminations and accusations. Sure, the dispute might center over the boccie court, a narrow patch of concrete at 906 Stiles St., but it is fueled by something much larger.

MANY Marylanders rushed to New York City Sept. 11 and after, to help. They were firefighters, paramedics, rescue workers, police officers, physicians, nurses and others whose special skills were needed. Volunteers all. They were helping not only the victims of the atrocity and the overworked first rescue workers, but also their neighbors in Maryland, knitting it into the nationwide fabric of concern that next time may help - God forbid - Marylanders in need. Mentioned here, as a stand-in for them all, is Tim Kane, a senior at Salisbury University on the Eastern Shore.

HUNDREDS of needy Carroll County children headed back to classes last month carrying a backpack filled with school supplies and wearing a new pair of shoes. The 650 kids also got a new T-shirt and some got fresh haircuts to start the year. Shepherd's Staff made it happen, as it has for seven years, with generous donations from the community and a strong faith that any shortfall would be covered. "We hope and pray a lot, and thankfully we've never had to say to children that we don't have enough," explains Kathryn Brown, the charity's longtime director.

EMMA BYRNE is 80 years old and still going strong. She's so busy, in fact, that when contacted recently, she didn't have much time to talk. She was getting that helping hand of hers ready again, preparing this time for a meeting at Columbia's Oakland Mills High School. It was just nine days after the Sept. 11 attack, and she was planning to help parents deal with their children's pain. Ms. Byrne has a passion for helping. The longtime peace activist gets involved whenever she feels she can contribute.

WOODIE, a 3-year-old black Great Dane, was badly emaciated, bitten and scratched, when he was found tied to a tree in Harford County woods last November. Thanks to months of care by volunteers of the Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League, Woodie has regained his health, weight and regal composure. He's about to move to his new permanent home. Last year, the rescue league cared for 133 unwanted Great Danes. Like Woodie, some had been abandoned or mistreated. Others had been given up by owners who were moving, getting divorced or simply had decided they did not want to keep a 140-pound dog with a voracious appetite.

WITH THEIR pledge of $1 million to the United Way of Central Maryland, Peter and Georgia Angelos have set a new standard of giving in this metropolitan area. Their generosity not only makes easier the job of dozens of agencies serving human needs, but also propels the United Way of Central Maryland into the big leagues among chapters across the country. Mr. and Mrs. Angelos - he is a lawyer and principal owner of the Baltimore Orioles - have become the first $1 million donors to the local United Way. The Baltimore-area chapter had been the only of the country's 20 largest United Ways without a million-dollar donor.

FOR WESTLEY W. MOORE and Joshua D. Nassiri, the next few years will be about high expectations. The two college seniors with local ties earned prestigious scholarships - honors that we haven't seen in this area for some time. A Rhodes scholarship is both an honor and an obligation. Scholars study for two or three years at venerable Oxford University and return to their countries to contribute something to society. Regional selection committees have chosen 32 of the brightest young Americans for these awards.