Catonsville

Always, there were those lovely old country estates and gracious manor taverns with roaring fireplaces, but in the old days fine dining was associated with the city. Not so anymore. Now, there are more compelling reasons than ever for diners to cross county lines for a good meal. The 50 best county restaurants in Howard County, Anne Arundel County and Baltimore County is a mix of the old and the new, destinations for special occasions and joints for Monday night suppers, the chef-driven and crowd-pleasing.

Edward H. "Ham" Welbourn Jr., a retired insurance executive and World War II veteran, died April 29 of complications from dementia at the Blakehurst retirement community in Towson. He was 98. The son of Edward H. Welbourn, who owned Rennous Kleinle Brush Manufacturers in Catonsville, and Emma Dawson Welbourn, a homemaker, Edward Hambleton Welbourn was born in Baltimore and raised in Catonsville. After graduating in 1934 from the Gilman School, Mr. Welbourn enrolled at Haverford College, where he was a government major and earned a bachelor's degree in 1938.

The Western School of Technology and Environmental Science in Catonsville is scheduled to reopen Friday after an early-morning fire Thursday damaged two portable classrooms and the roof of the high school's main building, school officials said. Staff worked Thursday to prepare the building for reopening and ensure that it would be safe for students, school system spokesman Mychael Dickerson said. Firefighters responded to the school in the 100 block of Kenwood Avenue about 2:34 a.m. Thursday for reports of a possible fire and found one portable classroom engulfed in flames, with the fire spreading to a second portable classroom, according to the Baltimore County Fire Department.

The Baltimore County baseball coaches released their 2013 picks for top players, coaches and all-county teams earlier this week. The full list is below. 2013 Baltimore County baseball awards Baltimore County Player of the Year: Sam Stark, Towson, senior Baltimore County Pitcher of the Year: Matt Evans, Eastern Tech, senior Baltimore County Offensive Player of the Year: Kris Ewers, Dulaney, senior Divisional Coaches of the Year: Division I -- Rich Hambor, Catonsville; Division II -- Brad Eastham, Towson; Division III -- Brian Powell, Dundalk Sportsmanship Award: Division I -- Hereford; Division II -- Loch Raven; Division III -- Chesapeake-BC All-Baltimore County first team Pitcher: John Klein, Catonsville, junior Pitcher: Matt Evans, Eastern Tech, senior Pitcher: Aidan Miller, Towson, senior Infielder: Kyle Kershner, Towson, senior Infielder: Tyler Silbersack, Franklin, junior Infielder: Sam Stark, Towson, senior Infielder: Kris Ewers, Dulaney, senior Infielder: Tyler Smith, Western Tech, senior Infielder: Jay Patti, Hereford, senior Infielder: Logan Countryman, Loch Raven, senior Infielder: Cody Gwinn, Eastern Tech, junior Outfielder: Ryan Silcott, Franklin, senior Outfielder: Bobby Donald, Dulaney, senior Outfielder: Paul Walter, Eastern Tech, senior Outfielder: Robbie Wheelton, Catonsville,...

On July 12, 2006 HUGH ARTHUR BLAHA, of Pasadena; beloved husband of Theresa M. O'Neill; loving father of Scott R. Blaha and his wife Patricia, Timothy C. Blaha and step-father of Cathleen M. Jordan and her husband Ronald, Mary R. O'Malley and Robert O. Stachura; cherished granfather of Katie Blaha. Also survived by nieces and nephews; preceded in death by his wife Betty Mc Ginn Blaha in 1986, by his sister Helen and his brothers Howard and Henry. Relatives and friends are invited to call at the STERLING-ASHTON-SCHWAB-WITZKE FUNERAL HOME of Catonsville, Inc., 1630 Edmondson Avenue, Catonsville, MD 21228 (1 mile west of beltway exit 14)

Adrienne Carol Walker, 43, real estate agent Adrienne Carol Walker, a real estate agent and church volunteer, died Saturday of cancer at Howard County General Hospital. She was 43 and lived in Ellicott City. She sold homes in Howard, Anne Arundel and Montgomery counties during her 14 years with Grayson and Patriot Homes. She was a member of Gabriel Project, a nondenominational religious organization that helps single mothers. She opened her house to mothers and their newborns. Born Adrienne Kerbrat in Santa Monica, Calif.

Lotte Plaza is coming to Catonsville. The Columbia-based chain of Asian and international markets has signed a lease for a 46,000 square foot store in the One West Shopping Center on Baltimore National Pike. The space, formerly occupied by Toys R Us, will undergo a multimillion dollar remodel and renovation funded jointly by Lotte Plaza and the Owings Mills-based Fedder Company, which owns the property. Founded in 1989 in Silver Spring, Lotte Plaza operates stores in seven states including Maryland, California and Georgia.

The following is compiled from local police reports. Our policy is to include descriptions when there is enough information to make identification possible. If you have any information about these crimes, call the Wilkens Police Station at 410-887-0872 North Rolling Road, 1100 block, Nov. 17, 9:22 p.m. Wallet stolen by two armed juveniles. Glenwood Avenue, unit block, Nov. 17, between 6 a.m. and 6:20 a.m. Generator stolen from garage. Eastshire Drive, 700 block, Nov. 16, between 8 a.m. and 11:00 p.m. Pane of glass removed from window of house.

Catonsville resident W. Fumiko Campbell, who will step down from her current two-year term as president of the St. Agnes Hospital Auxiliary in March, won two awards for volunteerism in 2012. She received a Geri award from the Maryland Senior Citizens Hall of Fame and an Unsung Hero award from the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Maryland Chapter. The first emeritus member of the St. Agnes Foundation, Campbell will continue raising money for the hospital, where she has volunteered more than 25,000 hours.

On behalf of Hillcrest Elementary School, I would like to thank everyone who supported the annual Box Tops program. Because of you, Hillcrest earned more than $1,750 this school year! Box Top funds helped the administration achieve the goal of supplying all classroom teachers with a document camera and projector for the upcoming school year. Also, a huge thank you to those who generously contributed prizes this year: Opie's, You Scream for Ice Cream, Caffyn family, Baltimore Ravens, Bellis family and WeLoveCatonsville.org.

In the top of the seventh inning at No. 6 Oakland Mills on Wednesday afternoon, Marriotts Ridge took a 3-2 lead on an RBI ground ball by leadoff man Jake Bender that sent home Matt Marinelli who had led off the inning with a single. At the time, Connor Delaney - the Mustangs' No. 5 hitter - thought the run would be enough for ace Eric Brown and the solid Marriotts Ridge defense. "I definitely trusted our defense ... but I knew any more runs we would get would be insurance runs," Delaney said.

Learn from past for answers to overcrowding We have all heard, "If you don't learn from history, you are destined to repeat it. " We must learn from events 18 years ago when citizens wanted the (County Executive Dutch) Ruppersberger Administration to commit to the voters' approval to reopen Bloomsbury as a middle school. Instead, the county executive transferred the approved monies to other school projects. Citizens of Catonsville united and appeared before the Baltimore County Board of Education, the County Council, county executive and even held hands around Bloomsbury to no avail.

Among 100 calls for medical and fire-rescue service received by the Arbutus Volunteer Fire Department during the period May 5-12, were the following: Johnnycake Road, 5700 block, 12:45 a.m. May 11. Crews from the Arbutus and Woodlawn volunteer stations and Catonsville, Westview, and Woodlawn career stations responded to the report of a residential fire in Westview and extinguished a basement fire. South Rolling Road, 900 block, 11:59 p.m. May 10. Crews from the Arbutus volunteer station and Catonsville career station responded to the report of a person injured after falling on the Brightview Assisted Living facility campus.

First Financial Federal Credit Union honored students from the area's three public schools with scholarships of $3,000 each during its annual meeting in Timonium last month. Among the recipients were: • Sarah Anderson, Catonsville High School • Lindsay Yerrid, RICA Catonsville Educational Center • Melissa Miller, Lansdowne High School • Jacob Badin, Western School of Technology and Environmental Science. To qualify, students were required to be First Financial members, have a minimum unweighted grade point average of 2.5, be involved in school and community activities, and submit an essay, an academic reference letter, and a character reference letter.

The Kenwood boys lacrosse team isn't filled with Division I college prospects and doesn't have near the depth than most teams. In fact, its roster only consists of 19 players, 17 of which are seniors.  But that hasn't stopped the Bluebirds from enjoying a breakthrough season. After claiming Baltimore County's Division II championship last week with a 12-2 win over defending champion Owings Mills, the Bluebirds enjoyed the program's biggest win when they upset longtime Baltimore County power Catonsville, 7-6, to open their region playoff run.  After knocking off Poly in the quarterfinal round, the Bluebirds (12-3)

Genevieve B. "Gen" Miller, a retired sales associate and homemaker, died Wednesday of heart failure at St. Joseph's Nursing Home in Catonsville. She was 95. Genevieve Beatrice Scriba was born in Baltimore and raised on Hollins Street. She was a parochial school graduate, family members said. She was married in 1943 to Grant W. Miller Sr., a career Army officer, who died in 1988. Mrs. Miller, who lived briefly in France during her husband's Army days, spent most of her life in Catonsville.

A 14-year-old girl was struck and killed Friday night while crossing the Baltimore National Pike in Catonsville, a Baltimore County police corporal said. Cpl. John Wachter said the girl who has not been identified was struck by a Volkswagen Passat in the westbound lane about 9:30 p.m. as she tried to cross from the north to the south side of the road. She was pronounced dead on the scene. The pike is part of U.S. 40, which has been identified as one of the deadliest pedestrian corridors in the region.

An article in the May 27, 1911, edition of The Argus reported on the first of what would be a series of events marking the 50th anniversary of the ordination of James Cardinal Gibbons, one of the most famous and accomplished American religious leaders. In 1886, Cardinal Gibbons, for whom the now-closed all-boys Catholic high school was named, became only the second American named a cardinal.. Cardinal Gibbons was given his first college reception in honor of the approaching jubilee celebration Friday afternoon of last week at St. Charles' College, Cloud Cap, on the Maiden Choice road, near Catonsville.

Jeanette M. Smith, a retired housekeeper who was active in Republican politics, died May 2 at FutureCare Old Court senior living facility in Randallstown. She was 94. "We are waiting for the results of an autopsy for the cause of death," said a grandson, Thomas R. Jones II of Baltimore. The former Jeanette Marion Ray was born and raised in Catonsville and was a 1937 graduate of Frederick Douglass High School. That year, she married Alexander Smith, a jukebox repairman, who died in 1983.