Children

Consumer advocates say they didn't get everything on their wish list during the latest meeting of the General Assembly, but the session produced several victories for Maryland consumers. For example, Marylanders would find it easier to buy auto coverage from a state insurance fund, foster children would gain protection from identity thieves and debtors would be less likely to be jailed under bills recently passed by lawmakers. Gov. Martin O'Malley is expected to sign these and other consumer-friendly bills next month.

Ravens offensive guard Ramon Harewood is spending part of the off-season back home in Barbados, where later this week he will host a football camp for children on the island. The "Big Mon Elite Athlete Development Camp" is set to begin Thursday and will include appearances by Harewood's Ravens teammates, including Ray Rice, Torrey Smith, Michael Oher and Bryan Hall. "The strong academic foundation and diverse athletic training I received growing up in Barbados has enabled me to achieve success on many levels as an adult and it is an honor to share what I have learned with the younger generation," said Harewood, who grew up in the town of St. Michael, Barbados, where he played volleyball, track and field, cricket and soccer before transferring to Morehouse in Atlanta to play football.

Letter writer Robert V.P. Davis opposes arming school teachers based on his limited experience in the Army and a nighttime military exercise gone wrong ("Arm teachers? No way," April 11). I was in the Army but finished my 32-year military career in the Air Force because my limited experience with the quality of Army people and training was poor. Does that mean that the quality of all Army people and training is poor? Of course not. Mr. Davis further noted that during a 2011 shootout involving police outside a local nightclub, the hit rate by officers was poor even though "these are men and women who work year 'round to perfect their weapons skills.

Sarah Holbrook, a senior at McDaniel College, knows first-hand the gratitude for a home-cooked meal during a family crisis. When she was 11, her 9-year-old brother died of leukemia. That's why she's been involved since she was a freshman with Heroes Helping Hopkins, an on-campus group that cooks meals for families at the Believe in Tomorrow Children's House, which provides a place to stay for families with children being treated for serious illnesses at Johns Hopkins hospital. "I understand what they're going through how hard it can be, how exhausting," said Holbrook, co-president of the group.

I watched 60 Minutes on Sunday and saw the anguish still being experienced by the Sandy Hook parents. Their grief has caused them to turn to action, and they are in Washington to lobby Congress to pass legislation that might prevent other gun tragedies. On Monday, I read "Johns Hopkins graduate dies in bomb explosion in Afghanistan," (April 8). Anne Smedinghoff's father Tom was quoted, "She was 'always trying to get out and do things for the population.'" I wondered if she ever noticed our Friday War Is Not the Answer vigils outside Homewood Friends Meetinghouse, across from the Hopkins campus, ongoing since 2001.

Amid growing concerns about the relationship between substance abuse and mental illness in children and adolescents, the Harford County Office on Mental Health will hold an educational town hall meeting for Harford County families and service providers. A panel of local experts on drug abuse, mental illness and suicide prevention will present information about recent trends and local resources. The town hall meeting, "Resiliency: Building a Path to Recovery for Children and Adolescents," is scheduled on Thursday May 2 from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at the William N. McFaul Activities Center.

A Baltimore-bound United Airlines flight was diverted and a local family removed from the plane after the parents complained about the content of an in-flight movie. The February incident resulted in the passengers being escorted off the flight by police at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, the family said, relaying the experience anonymously in a response to an article about air rage posted on The Atlantic Monthly's website . In a statement released to The Sun, United Airlines said Flight 683 from Denver to Baltimore was diverted to Chicago after the crew reported a disturbance involving a passenger.

Parents of children who attend 14 Harford County public schools were warned by school officials Thursday night that their children may have eaten a pizza product that is subject to a voluntary recall because of possible E. coli bacteria contamination. The affected schools are 12 elementary schools around the county and two secondary schools. The school system said the product, Pepperoni Pizzatas, has been removed from its food inventory, along with all products by the same manufacturer, Rich Products Corp.

  Baltimore City plans to serve 2 million free meals this summer to children who would otherwise have little to eat. Needy children often don't get enough to eat in the summer months when they are not in school to participate in the free lunch program. Under the city initiative, low-income children  under age 18 can get free breakfast, lunch and dinner at recreation centers, schools, churches, camps and other locations in the city. It is the second year of the porgram.

John Pittas' mother spent six months in a Pennsylvania facility recovering after an auto accident, then moved to Greece to be with her other children. Left behind: $93,000 in unpaid care bills. The facility sued to collect - from John Pittas. A court sided with the care facility last year and ordered the son, who runs a diner in Schnecksville, Pa., to pay up. The basis of the lawsuit is a so-called filial support law, which requires adult children to be responsible for the care of indigent parents.