College Park

A bomb squad responded to a possible "explosive device" in College Park early Friday morning, a Prince George's County fire spokesman said. Authorities were called to the 5000 block of Edgewood Road where they removed a suspicious package forcing the evacuation of three homes, department spokesman Mark Brady said. No injuries were reported. "Basically we use procedures that remove any working component so that it become inoperable," Brady said. Forensic tests are being completed on the package but he said, "it definitely had all the appearances of an explosive device.

Maryland could boast one of the top 10 research universities in the country, simply by establishing a formal bond between programs that already exist. That's the message Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller is pushing after he proposed Monday that the state university system study a merger between its Baltimore and College Park campuses. "If you're in favor of the state of Maryland, it's a win-win," said Miller. "It could give great stature to both universities and to the state.

Authorities say they are continuing to investigate a student murder-suicide this year just off the University of Maryland, College Park campus, a revelation that comes a month after the case was declared closed. Detectives are not looking for additional suspects but are seeking background information on the alleged shooter, Dayvon Green. They are also awaiting responses to subpoenas in the case, according to a Prince George's County police spokesman. A department attorney, Jamar Herry, cited the inquiry as a reason not to provide a copy of the case file requested by The Baltimore Sun through the Maryland Public Information Act. Police would not say who or what was subpoenaed, or what information police are looking to find on Green.

The University of Maryland, College Park could look considerably different by 2020 if plans for a light rail line and a town center development on the east side of campus roll forward this year. Preliminary engineering for the $1.93 billion Purple Line, expected to run through the heart of campus, could begin this fall if federal transit officials grant permission. The initial phase of the East Campus development, which would include a hotel, restaurants and retail shops, could also come up for approval by the Board of Regents if campus leaders can reach an agreement with the Baltimore-basedCordish Cos. School officials say that, in tandem, the projects could make the campus more accessible to commuting professors and students from across the Washington suburbs and give it a more polished look commensurate with the flagship university's enhanced national standing.

Dayvon Green, Stephen Rane and Neal Oa didn't know one another before becoming roommates last fall, sharing a modest split-level house in a subdivision across from the University of Maryland, College Park. But Oa came to regard Green as a friend, making Tuesday's events at the house even more shocking. Early that morning, Green opened fire, shooting Oa in the leg and killing Rane, police said. The violence stunned the community and those who knew Green. Police said the 23-year-old graduate student who had interned at NASA set fires in and around the home to lure his roommates outside before he shot them.

Some historical background can illuminate your editorial about the proposed merger of the College Park and Baltimore campuses of the University of Maryland ("Higher education politics," Oct. 23). In the 1960s, the College Park campus planned a new school of social work to be located in College Park. Instead, it was placed in Baltimore at the insistence of the chairman of the board of regents. A few years later the College Park campus planned a new architecture school there.

In his years as a chef, Chris Shoul had never thought much about the feelings of a lifelong vegetarian, unable to enjoy the cheesesteaks his buddy scarfed down. But last year, after Towson University began offering a vegan version of the sandwich made with substitute beef, the campus' top chef got a note from just such a student. "Because of you, I got to have my first cheesesteak!" the student raved to Shoul. Such moments are the reasons why Towson and the University of Maryland, College Park rank among the most vegan-friendly campuses in the U.S. and Canada, according to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Few state leaders care about the University of Maryland, College Park and its athletic teams more than Thomas V. Mike Miller, president of the state Senate. In recent years, Miller heard weariness creep into the voice of his friend Gary Williams at the prospect of courting another wave of teenage basketball players. So when Williams shocked much of Maryland by announcing his retirement Thursday as men's basketball coach, Miller hardly blinked. More importantly, he did not fret for the future of his alma mater, despite the latest in a year of big changes.

Actor Kevin Bacon brought his star power to a charity event Wednesday at the University of Maryland, College Park. But the cheers the actor received were not as loud as the hoots and hollers directed toward the six student groups competing for $5,000 toward their favorite causes. The competition — called the "Do Good" Challenge — is part of an effort by the school to make philanthropy more of a focus in academics and student life. The winner was The Food Recovery Network, which developed a system of collecting food from campus dining halls that would otherwise go to waste and distributing it to homeless shelters.