Catwalk

CONOWINGO -- Hidden inside the massive Conowingo Dam, in a location as secret as any good fishing hole, officers from the Maryland Natural Resources Police scan a catwalk decorated with weekend fishermen.Using binoculars and high-powered scopes, the search is on for poachers who aspire to hook a striped bass -- rockfish -- in the gushing, nutrient-rich waters of the Susquehanna River below.Earlier this month, "Operation Fish Hook" started at the dam -- a police effort to halt rockfish poachers who catch the fish with illegal bait and often sell them for up to $6 a pound.

Random thoughts as the Orioles go into tonight's game against the Rays with their backs against the wall, one game behind the Yankees for the AL East crown with two to go: ** Was that a great scene in the O's dugout last night after Chris Davis hit that two-run shot in the ninth off Ray's reliever Kylle Farnsworth, the one that hit the Tropicana Field catwalk? Davis himself had no idea what happened, that much was clear. When the ball smacked what's called the C-ring of the roof's catwalk, he practically stopped in his tracks around second base, wondering why the ball had suddenly landed 100 feet or so in front of the outfield wall.

Undercover agents, some behind the scenes with binoculars, others mingling outside in plainclothes, made a major bust in an open-air market a few weeks ago. Of drugs? No, rockfish.Department of Natural Resources police organized "Operation Fish Hook" to discourage people from catching and keeping striped bass, an endangered species in Chesapeake Bay. Also known as rockfish, the species has been protected by fishing restrictions for the past seven years. Operation Fish Hook at Conowingo Dam has thus far resulted in more than 100 citations, 20 of them for illegal possession of striped bass.

Orioles right fielder Chris Davis continued his recent tear at the plate Monday night in the Orioles' 5-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Davis' two-run homer in the ninth off Rays reliever Kyle Farnsworth, his career-high 32nd of the season, was his sixth homer in five games. He's now homered in five consecutive games, the first Oriole to accomplish the feat since Melvin Mora on Sept. 30, 2005 to April 5, 2006. It's also largest consecutive-game homer streak in the same season since Reggie Jackson homered in six straight games on July 18-23, 1976.

A 19-year-old man was critically injured when he fell about 60 feet from a catwalk in an abandoned plant in Dundalk on Sunday afternoon, according to a Baltimore County fire official. Emergency crews were called to the old Joseph E. Seagram & Sons bottling plant in the 7100 block of Sollers Point Road about 3:49 p.m. by the man's friend, who had also been on the catwalk but did not fall, said Capt. C. Ross Cooke, a fire spokesman. The plant, closed in the late 1980s, has multiple buildings, some of which are gutted with unsecured stairwells, Cooke said.

How do you stop teen-agers from doing stupid teen-age things, like playing chicken on railroad tracks, or scaling water towers or clambering beneath a bridge high above frigid waters?If Ray and Kelly Jacob of Cape St. Claire in Anne Arundel County had the answer, their son, Michael, would still be alive, playing guitar and writing poetry. Michael, who sounded like an intelligent, introspective young man, died Saturday night when he fell off a catwalk under the U.S. 50 bridge, plunging 80 feet into the Severn River near Annapolis.

How do you stop teen-agers from doing stupid teen-age things, like playing chicken on railroad tracks, or scaling water towers or clambering beneath a bridge high above frigid waters?If Ray and Kelly Jacob of Cape St. Claire had the answer, their son, Michael, would still be alive, playing guitar and writing poetry. Michael, who sounded like an intelligent, introspective young man, died Saturday night when he fell off a catwalk under the U.S. 50 bridge, plunging 80 feet into the Severn River near Annapolis.

Over the next few weeks, the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and its technical committee will finish sorting out the future of the rockfish, which earlier this year was said to have flourished to the point of amazement over the past decade.Flourished to the point of being declared recovered as of Jan. 1, 1995.And while that is good news to most bay fishermen, there are anglers in the upper bay and on the Susquehanna River who might not benefit from the resurgence of the rockfish.

Outdoor fashion show Tomorrow from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Mount Vernon boutique Enigmatology sponsors "Fashion on Charles" - a fashion show at Mount Vernon Square. Designers from San Francisco, New York and Baltimore will show their threads. Everything from ready-to-wear to couture will be on the catwalk. If you like what you see, you can buy it there. General admission is free; a seat near the catwalk costs $5. Mount Vernon Square is on Monument Street between St. Paul and Cathedral streets.

State safety officials are investigating the death of a Washington College junior who was electrocuted while working at the institution's theater.Edward A. Schroeder, 22, who a school spokesman said was a student assistant in the Eastern Shore college's drama department, was found dead Friday night on a catwalk above the stage in Tawes Theatre.Funeral services were conducted yesterday in Ridgefield, Conn. A memorial service will be conducted at 2:30 p.m. Monday at Washington College's Martha Washington Square in Chestertown.

A 19-year-old man was critically injured when he fell about 60 feet from a catwalk in an abandoned plant in Dundalk on Sunday afternoon, according to a Baltimore County fire official. Emergency crews were called to the old Joseph E. Seagram & Sons bottling plant in the 7100 block of Sollers Point Road about 3:49 p.m. by the man's friend, who had also been on the catwalk but did not fall, said Capt. C. Ross Cooke, a fire spokesman. The plant, closed in the late 1980s, has multiple buildings, some of which are gutted with unsecured stairwells, Cooke said.

Isis King is by no means a finished project. She's an evolving work of art. Many expected the 25-year-old to be sashaying the catwalks for major fashion houses in Europe after her ground-breaking appearance on "America's Next Top Model. " But she has essentially walked away from the industry because she thinks it limits her artistic talents. King, a Prince George's County native now living in New York City, is pursuing a design career and testing the waters in acting. That doesn't mean that she has completely turned her back on the runway, though.

In the world of canine competition, there are agility shows, which are a bit like gymnastics, with dogs performing on a series of obstacles and jumps. There are obedience trials, which some experts compare to spelling bees for dogs, requiring mental skill and concentration. There are field work contests, for dogs to show their hunting and searching abilities. But yesterday's National Capital Kennel Club conformation show at the Howard County Fairgrounds was the equivalent of a beauty pageant for dogs.

John Robinson has been driving past the 67-year-old stone building on historic Ellicott City's Main Street for years, he said, before he made a happy discovery several weeks ago. "It's really a post office, with no lines," he said, standing alone at a clerk's window. "This is my second time in here. I thought it was an [unused] historic building or something." But Robinson's joy might be short-lived. During his visit Monday, the 53-year-old Ellicott City resident learned that the building is to be sold to Howard County for conversion to a larger tourism office, which is why he had to wend his way through a crowd of politicians and news reporters in front of the 1940 building to get inside.

Outdoor fashion show Tomorrow from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., Mount Vernon boutique Enigmatology sponsors "Fashion on Charles" - a fashion show at Mount Vernon Square. Designers from San Francisco, New York and Baltimore will show their threads. Everything from ready-to-wear to couture will be on the catwalk. If you like what you see, you can buy it there. General admission is free; a seat near the catwalk costs $5. Mount Vernon Square is on Monument Street between St. Paul and Cathedral streets.

NEW YORK - As a stylist daubs lipstick on Dovile Virsilaite's bee-stung lips, you notice they're the only plump thing on her. The 17-year-old model from Lithuania is a leggy beauty, but volatile. Left unattended, she barks into her cell phone. Maestro is a 3-year-old champion bichon frise from Pennsylvania. Her pink tongue hangs coquettishly over her lower teeth as her handler blow dries her luxuriant white fur. She's beautiful, but not too choosy. Left unattended, she licks the hand of any stranger who comes near her. In recent days, both these pedigreed types were put through their paces in their respective milieu: New York's Fashion Week, held in Bryant Park, and the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden.

Quote: "I thought I hit it well enough to go out of Yellowstone. How does a baseball go in there and stay in there?" -- Jose Canseco of the Devil Rays, who hit a catwalk suspended from the Tropicana Field roof and got a ground-rule double instead of a homer.It's a fact: The Athletics' Miguel Tejada hit into an unusual 1-5-2-6-3 double play. There were rundowns between third and home, and between first and second.Who's hot: The Blue Jays' Shannon Stewart had his league-leading 12th multi-hit game and AL-leading 12th steal.

Quote: "I thought I hit it well enough to go out of Yellowstone. How does a baseball go in there and stay in there?" -- Jose Canseco of the Devil Rays, who hit a catwalk suspended from the Tropicana Field roof and got a ground-rule double instead of a homer.It's a fact: The Athletics' Miguel Tejada hit into an unusual 1-5-2-6-3 double play. There were rundowns between third and home, and between first and second.Who's hot: The Blue Jays' Shannon Stewart had his league-leading 12th multi-hit game and AL-leading 12th steal.