County

A snowball stand's success depends on two key things: hot weather and lots of hard work, say Baltimore-area purveyors of the summer treat. Add those ingredients to the crushed ice and syrup concoction that has long been a regional favorite, and summertime entrepreneurs say they can make a decent living during the season's warmest weeks. "A lot of people think it's easy to start it," said Margo Torsell, who along with family members runs a three-year-old stand on Liberty Road in Randallstown.

Advertisements praising Maryland's new gun control law will appear on Baltimore-area televisions soon after the measure is signed Thursday - the first volley in a two-pronged effort to defend the legislation and the politicians who voted for it. The gun control advocates behind the ads want to bolster support among Maryland voters in case there's a referendum next year. But they also want to counter a campaign to oust lawmakers who backed the bill in the General Assembly. "We know that the other side will be attacking the legislators who voted for it, and we want people to know those legislators were doing the right thing to save lives in Maryland," said Vincent DeMarco, president of Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence.

On behalf of the Hilltop / Maple Community Association, I would like to publicly thank Baltimore County Councilman Tom Quirk for his efforts to preserve open space in our neighborhood. We went to him at the beginning of the current rezoning cycle and asked if he supported the down zoning of several parcels of land in the Sawmill Branch valley. He not only supported our request, but submitted the changes himself, which saved our community a great deal of time and money. The two issues he submitted total almost 27 acres and were the only ones in the 1st District to get an RC 8 zoning, which is the most restrictive resource conservation designation.

A leaf-removal program has been discontinued after 25 years, saving Prince George's County $2 million. Some county residents say they raked their leaves to the curb as they had for years and expected they would be vacuumed up by the county. But they were surprised to learn the leaf-removal program had been cut. Susan Hubbard of the county's Department of Public Works and Transportation says a notice about the program being discontinued went out to community representatives over the summer.

BOYS PLAYER OF THE YEAR Laronja Owens Annapolis, junior Owens, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound guard, is the first in the illustrious history of Annapolis boys basketball to crack the 1,000 career points plateau as an underclassman. The only All-County first-team repeater has scored 1,065 points in two seasons, leading the Panthers to two county titles and an overall record of 49-3, none of the losses to a county team. "Laronja is one of the top three point guards we have ever had," said 25-year Annapolis coach John Brady.

Meeting with all county department directors for the first time Wednesday, Commissioner-elect Elmer C. Lippy Jr. let them know what was foremost on his mind: the looming $2.5 million budget shortfall.The newly elected Board of County Commissioners -- Democrat Lippy, 70, Republican Donald I. Dell, 65, and returning Republican Julia W. Gouge, 50 -- assume office tomorrow, less than a week after the departing board imposed a hiring freeze and asked agencies voluntarily to cut spending to compensate for the projected deficit.

Carroll commissioners have adopted a no-smoking policy for all county buildings effective Friday.

Carroll County could save up to $200,000 by sharing with the developers the cost of replacing a bridge in a new Finksburg subdivision, the county's public works director said yesterday.The county commissioners voted unanimously to pay $170,000 or half the cost of replacing the bridge over Lawndale Road -- whichever is less -- with the developers of River Downs, a 130-lot development that is to include an 18-hole golf course.The bridge spans the Patapsco River, which runs through the 600-acre parcel owned by Gaylord Brooks Realty Co. of Baltimore County.

Wrestler of the yearMike Babiak, John Carroll, Sr. (27-4): Ranked No. 3 at 189 in the state; defeated Tom Staab in their only meeting; lost twice to No. 1 Greg Plitt.Wrestler of the yearKevin Carter, Aberdeen, Sr. (22-2): Two-time county champion was regional champion. He reversed only regular-season loss in state 1A-2A semifinals, before losing in final, 3-0.Coach of the yearDick Slutzky, Aberdeen: The No. 11 Eagles (9-2) won a 12th straight county title and were region runners-up with a squad of freshmen (five starters)

Anne Arundel County yesterday refinanced $74 million worth of previously issued bonds for water and sewer projects, a move that will save $4.5 million in interest charges.The county had twice as many offers as it had bonds to refinance, a sign that bond purchasers still have confidence in the county's fiscal strength, said Dennis Parkinson, the chief administrative officer."This is real money in the bank that we've saved as the result of refunding these bonds," Mr. Parkinson said.The bond market has been good to the county lately.