Christmas Eve

Members of the Carroll Alcohol Retailers Association told the county liquor board yesterday that not being able to open on Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve could mean up to $27,000 in lost revenue for local liquor stores. Association members met with the board to solicit support on four proposed regulations, including legislation that would allow county liquor stores to operate on the Sundays before and after Christmas.Retailers would like the legislation passed this year because Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve fall on Sundays in 1995.

The congregation and leadership of Mountain Christian Church have been exceedingly generous with Anna's House of their time, talent and treasure. Anna's House was recently selected as one of the beneficiaries of the Christmas Eve service special offering and received $12,000 earmarked specifically for client assistance funding to help homeless women and their children reach self-sufficiency. These funds will pay for things not traditionally covered by existing grants such as help with car repairs for clients so they can obtain and maintain employment, camp scholarships and special recreation opportunities for the children, as well as a variety of other individualized needs that arise throughout the year, Torri Dietrich, director of Anna's House, said.

City police have identified the man who was fatally shot on Christmas Eve in Cherry Hill.  Damond Wallace, 30, was found at about 11 p.m. in the 2700 block of Giles Rd. suffering from gunshot wounds to his head, torso and arm. He was taken to an area hospital and was pronounced dead before midnight. Police said Wallace was not carrying identification, but police learned his identity when a relative contacted police. As reader Cham points out below, Wallace's family told a television station that they believe his killers mistook him for someone else.

The return of Billy Cundiff was bonus for Ravens fans who watched the kicker contribute to the team's 24-16 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. But it may also signal the end of Shayne Graham's tenure with the team. Graham was signed to the roster Dec. 21 as Cundiff was hobbled by his sore left calf. Graham converted two field goals and two extra points in the Christmas Eve win against the Cleveland Browns, but coach John Harbaugh said the team would not carry two kickers if Cundiff was healthy.

In 1968, Louis Azrael, a columnist for the News American, got a letter from a Mrs. Scott asking him to write about her husband and three of his friends who had gone missing four years earlier on Christmas Eve. She pleaded, "Perhaps someone may have some information and let us know." Olive Scott died of colon cancer in 1982 without getting any answers. Now, 45 years after Lawrence Scott and the others disappeared after drinking in a Fells Point bar, Mrs. Scott's son, Charles, and his wife, Patsy, are making the same plea to another Baltimore newspaper.

Christmas Eve This schedule will be in effect in the Baltimore area tomorrow for the Christmas Eve holiday:Anne Arundel CountyCounty offices closedCourts closedLibraries closed tomorrow and Christmas Day Trash removal pickup, landfill closedAnnapolisCity offices closedCourts closedParking meters free tomorrow and Christmas Day Trash removal no pickupBaltimoreCity offices closedCourts closedLibraries closedParking meters feed tomorrow, free Christmas Day...

Police in Anne Arundel county believe a 19-year-old Pasadena woman killed in a car accident on Christmas Eve was text-messaging and speeding when she crashed her car into a tree. Alyssa Anne Bennett was driving her 2002 Acura RSX north on Tick Neck Road near Bristol Channel Court in Pasadena at 2 a.m. on Dec. 24, police said, when she apparently lost control of the car and drove it off the road and into a tree. The accident occurred less than a mile from her home on Turf Valley Drive.

On Wednesday afternoon, Michael Foy decided to change a tire on his trailer while his wife, Catherine, prepared a Christmas Eve lunch and baked cookies. Foy assumed his youngest daughter, Jacqulynn, had followed her stepmother inside their Pasadena home. Moments later, as he looked through the window while backing up his truck, he saw 9-year-old Jackie pinned beneath a wheel of the trailer. Foy has been replaying the next few minutes in his mind ever since: screaming to his wife to call an ambulance, scooping the girl into his arms, hearing her complain of a leg injury before her eyes rolled back and she lost consciousness.

Dec. 24-25Government offices Federal open Christmas Eve; closed Christmas Day.State open Christmas Eve; closed Christmas Day.Baltimore City open Christmas Eve; closed Christmas Day.Baltimore County closed both days.Anne Arundel open Christmas Eve; closed Christmas Day.Carroll closed both days.Harford open Christmas Eve; closed Christmas Day.Howard open Christmas Eve; closed Christmas Day.Courts Federal closed both days.State may close early Christmas Eve; closed Christmas Day.Libraries Baltimore City close at 5 p.m. Christmas Eve; closed Christmas Day.Baltimore County closed both days.

When were you planning to drop the news that you'll be leaving your Thanksgiving gathering early? Or that you won't be showing up at all? And how about Christmas Eve? When were you planning to tell your spouse that you won't be spending Christmas Eve with the family? I'm talking about Ravens fans. For the first time ever, a Baltimore NFL team is playing on Thanksgiving Day. And not one of those old-fashioned afternoon games, but one of those new 9:30 p.m. games they've been playing since 2006.

Christmas is over for another year, and the folks who worked their tails off to create those beautiful services and masses you attended are exhausted. Don't get me wrong, we yearn for a full church and really want you to be there. It would be nice to have extra chairs. It's wonderful to hear the singing of all those people and feel the energy and spirit. There is also the crying and confusion from small children who have no idea what a church is or why they are there and the occasional grumpy look from someone who has been dragged there against their will.

City police have identified the man who was fatally shot on Christmas Eve in Cherry Hill.  Damond Wallace, 30, was found at about 11 p.m. in the 2700 block of Giles Rd. suffering from gunshot wounds to his head, torso and arm. He was taken to an area hospital and was pronounced dead before midnight. Police said Wallace was not carrying identification, but police learned his identity when a relative contacted police. As reader Cham points out below, Wallace's family told a television station that they believe his killers mistook him for someone else.

A 24-year-old man who walked into the Laurel police station on Christmas Eve and confessed to a double murder on Long Island, according to police, is being held pending an extradition hearing as early as Tuesday. Jim Collins, a spokesman for the Laurel city police, said Jerry A. Lewis went to the station about 7:40 p.m. Saturday and told officers he had committed the slayings in North Bay Shore, N.Y. The bodies of 21-year-old Shakeela Planter and her 2-year-old son Jaiden Planter had been found in their apartment Friday, though local media reports said they had apparently been killed about five days earlier - the mother stabbed and the son beaten to death.

Someone in Maryland may still be able to claim their biggest Christmas present yet after last night's winning Powerball lottery numbers matched a ticket sold in Cecil County. Carole Everett, the Maryland Lottery's director of communications, said it appears that the nationwide drawing yielded a single winner. The $125 million prize has $78.9 million cash option and would come to $51.87 million after taxes. A winner has yet to come forward, Everett said. "They may not know yet or maybe they're passed out in shock," Everett said.

It's been 11 years since the Ravens played a home game on Christmas Eve. What did you do after the game? This year, fans will be able to stay in their favorite haunts long after the final play as many area taverns are sticking with their regular Saturday night hours. Some of those haunts are keeping their kitchens open. Open for regular Saturday service on Christmas Eve are Regi's (1002 Light St., 410-539-7344, regisamericanbistro.com) and Ryleigh's Oyster (36 E. Cross St., 410-539-2093, ryleighs.com)

Nobody doubts the Browns' young defense has had its shining moments. Goal-line stands in Pittsburgh and Arizona the past two games were two of them. But there have been some clunkers that have elicited flashbacks of previous defensive "Seasons From Hell", too. And the first game on Dec. 4 against the Baltimore Ravens, whom the Browns play on Christmas Eve, was the stinkiest egg laid by this group. "It left a bad taste in all of our mouths," said defensive tackle Phil Taylor.

There's not much time to squeeze in any more Christmas specials. But the holiday eve and the big day itself both bring a few memorable moments:* At 8 tonight on Maryland Public Television, for example, an encore airing of "Christmas Eve on Sesame Street" includes Big Bird and friends along with skaters from Hollywood on Ice. And MPT follows at 9 o'clock with its annual presentation of "The Nutcracker" ballet, as performed by Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gelsey...

It's Christmas and the song of the season that first pops into my head shouldn't be Elvis Presley crooning "Blue Christmas. " But it is, even though I'm not blue at all. Far from it, but that's the only Christmas song I can think of whenever I drive through downtown Havre de Grace. The only other words that come to mind are: "Attention, Kmart shoppers, the Blue Light Special…" It's Christmas and the song of the season that first pops into my head shouldn't be Elvis Presley crooning "Blue Christmas.

More than 2,400 retailers - the number keeps growing - have agreed to offer free shipping for purchases made today. They also promise to have the merchandise arrive by Christmas Eve. Search for participating retailers at Free Shipping Day . Organizers say some retailers are offering extra incentives on top.