Central Maryland

Mission: To educate and inspire young people to value free enterprise, understand business and economics and be work-force ready. Junior Achievement hopes to develop a desire in young people to stay in school and appreciate lifelong learning and to develop positive attitudes toward work. Throughout the school year, Junior Achievement volunteers present hourlong economics-oriented lessons to students in grades kindergarten through 12. Latest accomplishment: Junior Achievement of Central Maryland received the Peak Performance Award from Junior Achievement Inc. for 79 percent program growth during the 1997-1998 school year and achieved the highest growth rate of Junior Achievement offices throughout the country.

Richard Paul Sullivan , a former chairman and CEO of Easco Corp. who had been active in Republican state politics and civic affairs, died Sunday of cancer at his Owings Mills home. The longtime Guilford resident was 79. Mr. Sullivan, whose father was president of the American Girl Shoe Co. and whose mother was a homemaker, was born and raised in Newton, Mass. After graduating in 1950 from St. Sebastian's School in Milton, Mass., he earned a bachelor's degree in 1954 in marine engineering from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

I got hooked on hunting crows with a rifle when I lived in Uniontown. Central Maryland is smack in the middle of one of the nation's largest crow flyways.Back in the 1940s and 1950s, during the height of crow hunting popularity, New Windsor, Uniontown, Taneytown and Silver Run were hotbeds of crow-hunting activity. Crows were gunned by the thousands and town shoots were common.This was shotgun hunting that closely resembled waterfowling tactics. Hunters used blinds, decoys and calls to lure the crows into range.

Elizabeth K. "Bitze" Glaser, an ordained Presbyterian deacon who was active in the affairs of Govans Presbyterian Church, died Wednesday at Roland Park Place from complications of dementia. She was 95. The daughter of a Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. worker and a homemaker, Elizabeth Lyle Kane was born and raised in Northwest Baltimore. She was a 1934 graduate of Forest Park High School and Baltimore Business College. She was married in 1940 to H. Donald Glaser Sr., a consulting engineer, who had been president and chairman of the board of Henry Adams Inc. He died in 1985.

Meals on Wheels launches Central Maryland Web site Meals on Wheels of Central Maryland recently launched a new Web site, www.mealsonwheelsmd.org. The Web site offers information on Meals on Wheels and resources available for the homebound, including how to obtain home-delivered meal service, daily client menus, volunteer applications and upcoming events. A page for Howard County is available. Information: 410-558-0932, Ext. 3025.

The holidays have brought few on-court gifts for Francis Scott Key's girls varsity basketball team. Because of Monday's bad weather, the struggling Eagles have practiced just once in the last week, and in yesterday's first-round game of the second annual Central Maryland Basketball Tournament at Atholton, coach Brian Hollingsworth's 1-4 team faced defending champion Damascus of Montgomery County.Unfortunately for Hollingsworth and his Eagles, there was no exchange counter to switch tournament pairings.

Gov. Parris N. Glendening announced yesterday he will declare a drought emergency for Baltimore and Central Maryland, imposing mandatory restrictions on water use for the first time since 1999. Maryland's rainfall shortage and the low water levels in streams and reservoirs is more typical of the end of a very dry summer than the beginning of spring, state officials said, warning that conditions will likely become more severe. "Unless there is a significant change in weather, we should recognize this spring and summer are going to be very, very difficult," Glendening said State officials are still deciding which mandatory restrictions might be imposed, but called for expanded voluntary conservation statewide.

The University of Maryland's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources will hold a field day at the Clarksville facility of its Central Maryland Research and Education Center from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday. An environmentally centered program, "A Healthy Environment, A Healthy Me," will be held from noon to 3 p.m. for the public. Activities will include walking tours in the dairy barn area, hay wagon tours of the facility, including a manure composting site and wetlands area, and hands-on educational exhibits.

North CarrollPanthersCoach: Randy Clark, fourth yearAssistant coaches: Jim Boesler, Craig Walker, Greg Knill, Phil Bonnell, Carroll SeilerLast year's record: 1-9, 0-5 in the Central Maryland ConferenceTop returnees: Seniors, running back/defensive back Ronnie Miller, fullback/linebacker Jason Small, split end/defensive back Wade Zufall, tight end/defensive end Dave PolischeckTop newcomers: Seniors, offensive tackle/defensive back Geoff Baughn, offensive tackle/defensive...

The 13th annual Central Maryland Physics Olympics for high school students will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at Liberty High School on Bartholow Road in Eldersburg. A total of 27 schools from Carroll, Montgomery, Washington, Frederick, Howard, Baltimore, Prince Georges, Calvert and Anne Arundel counties and Baltimore City have registered to participate. Each team is accompanied by an adult and may include up to six students from any level of physics. The Olympics will include six events that demonstrate the fun in physics.

The Maryland Department of the Environment on Tuesday extended a drought watch to western Maryland and parts of central Maryland. A drought watch was already in effect for the Eastern Shore since April 13. The drought watch includes all of Harford and Carroll counties and parts of Baltimore and Howard counties, as well as Frederick County and points west. It doesn't include areas that get water service through Baltimore city. MDE issues a drought watch when at least two indicators show developing drought conditions.

Beverly Walenga is serving as interim chief executive officer for the Central Maryland Regional Transit Corporation, the corporation announced last week. Walenga has been at CMRT for 15 years and is currently the director of Finance and Administration. The former CEO, John W. Powell Jr., is the new Howard County administrator for the Office of Transportation. According to a statement released by CMRT, the transit company has a $15 million annual budget and carries close to 2 million riders on 17 routes in the city of Laurel and portions of Anne Arundel, Howard, Montgomery and Prince George's counties.

Central Maryland has a lot to celebrate. This past week, hundreds of nonprofits across the region joined their voices to say "thank you" to the thousands of volunteers who selflessly give their time, effort and expertise each day as part of National Volunteer Week. From providing board of directors leadership and office support to painting, serving lunch, tutoring, harvesting produce and much more, volunteers of any age are invaluable to the nonprofits they serve, and they share something truly special with our vulnerable neighbors by listening and showing they care.

The deadline for submitting sports copy is 9 a.m. on Mondays. We prefer email (howardcountysports@patuxent.com). We do not accept results by phone. When two Howard County teams play, players from both teams (first and last names) must be mentioned in the write-up. Questions? Call 410-332-6578. Basketball Western Howard County Force The Western Howard County Force (U-11 girls) capped their 2011-12 season by winning the Central Maryland Championship. The WHC Force defeated the Columbia Ravens, 28-18.

Happy 100th Birthday, Girl Scouts of America. Founder Juliette Gordon Low organized the first Girl Scout Troop on March 12, 1912, in Savannah, Ga. Today, scouts can earn a senior cook's Locavore badge. The Girl Scouts of Central Maryland (GSCM) celebrate 100 years of women's leadership at the sixth annual Women's Leadership Forum Monday night at the GSCM Seton Urban Program & STEM Center, located, 4806 Seton Drive between 5:45 p.m and 8:15 p.m.  A special one-woman show, "Women: Back to the Future, will be presented by acclaimed performer, Kate Campbell-Stevenson . " The event is open to the public; admission, which includes the performance, is $25 for adults; girls ages 14 and up are asked to bring two non-perishable items for Girl Scouts' annual Harvest for the Hungry campaign.   For tickets contact Maria (Johnson)

United Way of Central Maryland's Community Partnership Board of Carroll County recently awarded a community grant of $1,500 to the Westminster-based Target Community and Educational Services. Target serves Carroll County residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities achieve self-sufficiency. The grant will support Target's partnership with Junior Achievement of Central Maryland to help teach employment and independent living skills to 67 county residents. "We are grateful for this opportunity to partner with United Way ... and Junior Achievement to provide the training required to strengthen the employment skills critical to assist these individuals to live as independently as possible," said Tom Zirpoli, president and CEO of Target.

LibertyLionsCoach: John Magee, sixth yearAssistant coaches: Dale Green, Donald Mongold, Mike Quealy, Jim Rodriguez, Dan IrwinLast year's record: 4-6, 2-4 in the Central Maryland ConferenceTop returnees: Seniors, quarterback Dan Reichard, defensive back/wide receiver Gray Johnson, defensive back Scott LingleTop newcomers: Juniors, quarterback Ross Yastzremsky, fullback Thomas Rheubottom, guard Brian Wingate, defensive back Doug CoppelerCoach's comments: "We...

LinganoreLancersCoach: Dave Carruthers, 13th yearAssistant coaches: Bill McIntoch, Tom May, Mike Chavez, Vincent Jones, Gary Leishman, Dave ZichafooseLast year's record: 7-3, 4-2 in the Central Maryland ConferenceTop returnees: Seniors, quarterback Rich Coffey, guard Brian Pietrewicz, safety Rodney Willis, defensive back Ronnie McGarvey, defensive tackle Joe KrcmaTop newcomers: Senior, offensive tackle/defensive tackle Jimmy Dodson; juniors, tailback/linebacker John...

And so another Thanksgiving approaches, the day officially set aside for the taking of personal inventory, and for expressions of gratitude for another year of life, for a steady income, for a place to live, for decent health (maybe even health insurance), for good food, clean water, heating and air conditioning, gas and electricity, cable and WiFi, and perhaps even happiness. Also, be sure to give thanks if you haven't had to call 211 this year. If you never once had to dial those three digits, then you probably are employed or have a steady retirement income; you can probably afford a house or apartment, too. If you never had to call United Way of Central Maryland's 24-7 help center, then you've probably managed to avoid suicidal thoughts, or at least be treated for trauma and depression through your health plan.

I sat with Kate Schulz and Stephanie Halcott, social workers with headsets, as they answered pleas for help at the United Way of Central Maryland's fifth-floor 211 call center overlooking Lombard Street. People who've lost their jobs and who've contemplated suicide, people who've lost their homes and had to move into a relative's abode, people who've run out of food and money - they all call this place. More so, of course, since the Great Recession and its long, grinding aftermath.