Candlelight Vigil

Suddenly, On December 28, 2006 GABRIEL C. MCLAUGHLIN, 29, loving son of Paulette E. (nee Walters) and Preston E. McLaughlin; devoted brother of Preston Murphy, Cory McLaughlin and Beverly J. McLaughlin. He is also survived by many loving family members and friends. He will be dearly missed by all. Candlelight Vigil will be held at 2400 Eastern Ave. on Friday, January 5 at Dusk.

Rheumatology Joints may benefit from bone drug A drug that strengthens aging bones may also protect patients' joints from osteoarthritis, according to a study by a Johns Hopkins University rheumatologist. Dr. Clifton Bingham and colleagues studied the effect of risedronate, commonly marketed as Actonel, on a group of 2,483 arthritic men and women from the United States and Europe. Researchers measured the amount of cartilage at the one- and two-year point and used blood tests to look for more cartilage breakdown.

Just after dusk yesterday, Shawn Tiller's mother arrived at an East Baltimore street corner with bundles of colorful balloons and teddy bears for her boy. Friends embraced her and passed out candles. In hushed tones, they asked if it would be appropriate to sing "Happy Birthday." Tiller would have turned 17 yesterday. Instead of celebrating, his parents and about 50 of his friends stood on the cracked pavement where he was gunned down over the weekend for a candlelight vigil. They tied the balloons and toys to a signpost.

WASHINGTON - Antiwar demonstrators held candlelight vigils across the country last night, energized by Cindy Sheehan, the California mother of a fallen soldier who has camped out for almost two weeks near President Bush's central Texas ranch, demanding a face-to-face meeting with him. In the Baltimore area, protesters held vigils in Bel Air, North Baltimore, Catonsville and elsewhere. In Washington, 400 to 500 demonstrators gathered silently in front of the White House on Pennsylvania Avenue.

As scores of mourners scattered, seeking refuge from sudden chilly gusts of rain, Luz Kordell remained. Dripping wet, she waited last night for a chance to pray with the families of three young children brutally killed last week in Northwest Baltimore. Kordell, a Head Start teacher who taught the cousins of the dead children, said she wanted to offer her personal support. "I don't care if I get wet," she said, shivering. "I came to be with them." Once the shower slowed, more than 200 mourners emerged from the cover of umbrellas and awnings to take part in a candlelight vigil in front of the upper Park Heights Avenue apartment building where the children were slain.

They stood quietly behind the Longfellow Elementary sign as though posed for a class picture, a small candelabra of people flickering against the dark. A family trailed toward them: two children, one holding a small picket sign that read, "Remember the Kids," and their parents, one holding a large American flag. In the warm night, dogs sat patiently by their owners. Once or twice, a car honked. It was Missy Zane's second Sunday candlelight vigil against the war, but now bombs were falling on Iraq.

Prayers for peace, for protection of American troops, for wisdom among world leaders and for the safety of the people of Iraq reverberated in churches and in streets throughout the area yesterday. The Rev. Richard B. Hilgartner, associate pastor at the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, began the 11 a.m. Mass with a call "to pray in a special way for God's justice and power to bring us to safety and peace." "The war is in the front of people's minds," Hilgartner said. "We are all thinking about it and praying."

On the eve of President Bush's deadline for diplomacy over war, hundreds of people encircled Baltimore's Washington Monument last night, clutching candles and holding signs declaring, "No Iraq War" and "War Is Not The Answer" - a small action that was part of a worldwide vigil for peace. Collectively called Global Vigil for Peace, the vigil was one of more than 2,500 candlelight gatherings, beginning in New Zealand, that crossed the planet in protest of the anticipated U.S.-led war with Iraq.

As the one-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 tragedies approaches, churches, synagogues, schools, museums and other institutions are planning events to mark the date. Following is a guide to area commemorations, including candlelight vigils, religious services, concerts of sacred and secular music, tributes to police and firefighters, poetry readings, open discussions, art exhibits and readings of the names of casualties. Baltimore area Abundant Life Church, 7302 Pulaski Highway. Candlelight vigil, prayer, music and multimedia presentation, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

UNDER A starlit sky, hundreds of people gathered to participate in a candlelight vigil near the People Tree at Columbia's Lakefront on Sunday night. The event, called "Columbia Remembers," was planned by the Columbia Association to honor the victims and rescue workers at the Pentagon and in New York who lost or risked their lives Sept. 11 and in the aftermath of the tragedy. The ceremony began with representatives from the Howard County Police and Fire Department's Color Guard marching toward the People Tree, led by Ellicott City residents Don Zack and his daughter, Tatia, playing bagpipes and drum.