Community

Rita Custer, of Aberdeen, has always been self-reliant. A former assistant manager for a Rite Aid Pharmacy, she is currently living on unemployment due to prolonged illness. She is also raising two sons, age 11 and 16. Her oldest, Justin, has Down's syndrome and has been the victim of bullying in his own back yard. For many years, Custer's wish has been for a place where her sons could play in safety. Justin is a client of the Arc Northern Chesapeake region, and after his mother suffered two strokes, the organization stepped up to help.

All you can eat breakfast will be served this Saturday, April 13, from 7 to 10 a.m. at Harmony Lodge, Tome Highway, Port Deposit. Events supports the scholarship fund. The second annual Cody G. Richardson Relentless Run 5K and 3K fun walk will be June 1 at Perryville Middle School. The event benefits the Cody G. Richardson Memorial Scholarship Fund. Registration and packet pick up starts at 8 a.m. with the runners taking off at 9 a.m. and walkers at 9:05. There will be a cash prize for the first place male and female finishers.

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan told parents, students and educators in Baltimore County on Wednesday that while Americans might not agree on gun control legislation, they must work together so that children can grow up without fear of violence in schools. At a town hall-style meeting before a packed auditorium at Loch Raven High School, Duncan said communities must have tough conversations to address the violence that has hit schools across the country - including those in the county that hosted him Wednesday.

Local farmer Rick Holloway and America's Farmers Grow Communities is supporting the Community Foundation of Harford County Inc. to help better serve the area. Sponsored by the Monsanto Fund, which is the philanthropic arm of Monsanto Company, Grow Communities provides eligible farmers the chance to win a $2,500 donation for a local nonprofit organization of their choice. Holloway selected Community Foundation of Harford County Inc. to receive the $2,500 donation. The foundation will use the donation for the Memorial Fund of Benjamin Boniface.

Howard Community College student Katie Dunklee won't name the four-year school - her top choice - that turned her down for admission out of high school, but nowadays she doesn't lament the rejection. In fact, to hear the Elkridge resident tell it, the snub, though disheartening at the time, has proved to be beneficial. Surely her performance at HCC bolsters that claim. She has a 4.0 grade-point average, has become a leader of her junior college honor society and last month was awarded two national scholarships for her academic achievements.

Ravens wide receiver LaQuan Williams sat calmly at the Baltimore Convention Center on Saturday as a tattoo artist buzzed at his shoulder, sketching out the latest design on the already well-inked torso. Williams and the artist, who goes by the name Jonny Metropolis, have totaled at least a day together in a similar fashion after getting connected through the photo-sharing service Instagram. On Saturday, Metropolis was working on theatrical masks to represent the good times and the bad times in Williams' life.

Black scuff marks line the staircase at 922 N. Charles St., left there by frustrated tenants kicking the wall in a vain attempt to make their neighbor, the Museum Restaurant and Lounge, quiet down. Most nights, tenants say, the sound of DJs hyping up the crowd rattles china cabinets and nerves alike. "It's thump, thump, thump from the music," said Will Penn, 48, who lives in one of the apartments next door. Penn, like many other Baltimoreans who live near bars, said he has filed complaints using the city's 311 system but has seen nothing change.

In a letter sent to the Johns Hopkins Medical community Friday afternoon, Faculty Dean and CEO Dr. Paul Rothman labeled Dr. Ben Carson's comments on gay marriage "hurtful" and "offensive. " Rothman's letter is a turning point in what has been two weeks of a fierce culture-wars debate in the media about Carson. It shows that it wasn't only liberal opponents who were offended, as Carson, Fox news and conservative commentators have consistently contended. Carson's offensive comments were made in an interview with Sean Hannity on Fox News on March 26 when the partisan host asked Carson for his views on gay marriage.

Taking a page from organizations that offer members discounts, a residents' association in the northern end of Anne Arundel is offering more than the usual neighborhood advocacy and updates on zoning: The Linthicum-Shipley Improvement Association has added discounts at area businesses. "Think of AAA and AARP, where membership means more than just having an organization that looks out for your interests," said Rik Forgo, association president. AAA and AARP are among large groups that attract members with deals that include travel discounts and savings on gadget purchases.

When Nancy Aiken talks to students in Baltimore's Orthodox Jewish community about domestic violence and sexual assaults, she asks the boys a simple question: How many of you want to grow up to be a perpetrator of violence? Aiken knows the students mean it when they say, 'No, not me.' But she also knows, statistically, that some will, indeed, become wife beaters or sexual predators. "There is only so much we can do to train our young women how not to be victims," said Aiken, executive director of the Counseling, Helpline and Aid Network for Abused Women, or CHANA.