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Anne Arundel County Executive John Leopold treated the county government as his personal fiefdom, and he acted as if those paid by the public were his servants. He ordered them to engage in activity to further his political career, to facilitate his liaisons and to take on the demeaning task of changing his urinary catheter bag. That makes him a terrible boss and a bad public servant. Judge Dennis Sweeney ruled Tuesday that it also makes him a criminal. His decision in this case sets an important and wise precedent in the state's vague public corruption law and offers the promise that Anne Arundel County can put this tawdry episode behind it. State Prosecutor Emmet C. Davitt brought an indictment against Mr. Leopold that accused him of ordering his executive protection detail to put up campaign signs for him, to compile dossiers on potential political opponents, to chauffeur him around the county as he ripped out his opponent's campaign signs, to drive him to midday assignations in a parking lot with another county employee, and to prevent that woman from crossing paths with his live-in girlfriend.

A woman was struck and killed crossing a road in Milford Mill on Tuesday morning, Baltimore County police said. Police Cpl. John Wachter said that about 6:48 a.m., a woman crossing Liberty Road at Liberty Place Road was struck by a van. She was taken to Northwest Hospital, where she later died, police said. Police identified the woman as Maladho Diallo, 36, of the unit block of Liberty Place in Windsor Mill. The driver remained at the scene, and the county Crash Team is investigating, Wachter said.

Packed doesn't begin to describe Hannah Oneda's schedule. While it's common for freshmen to falter and sludge their way through their first semester at college, and take to liberties in exploring their newfound freedom, the Johns Hopkins cross country runner from Winters Mill has hit the ground running - literally and figuratively. "I wake up around 8 or 9 to do either a 30-minute pool or shakeout run, or yoga with the team. Then, I go to class from 9 to 12, eat lunch and maybe fit in another 30-minute pool run if I didn't do it in the morning.

Students at Parr's Ridge Elementary School, in Mount Airy, recently raised $1,351 to donate to the American Red Cross in support of victims of Superstorm Sandy victims. Students raised the money by participating in "Penny Wars," which had grade levels competing against each other to see which grade could collect the most money. First grade won and earned extra play time. Fifth-grade math classes and a fourth-grade class at Mount Airy Elementary School helped count the money.

Long before Doug Masiuk became a serious runner, he had to learn how take his lifelong battle with Type 1 diabetes one step at a time. Diagnosed when he was a toddler, Masiuk, now 38, played soccer through high school at Severna Park. Once his soccer career ended, Masiuk had to find another physical activity to help him combat a life-threatening auto-immune disease that prevents the pancreas from producing insulin and can cause dangerously high blood-sugar levels. Several years ago, Masiuk turned to long-distance running.

Two juveniles were arrested in the burning of a wooden cross in the driveway of a Westminster home late Sunday night, according to the Carroll County Sheriff's Office. Detectives and representatives of the Fire Marshall's Office responded to the 500 block of Ravenshead Run Road just after 11 p.m., when the burned religious symbol was found, the sheriff's office said. Meanwhile, sheriff's deputies were conducting an investigation in the area for a separate call and were able to identify and locate two juvenile suspects in the cross burning, the sheriff's office said.

A 15-year-old was struck by a car at an intersection at Maryland Route 198 in Anne Arundel County Thursday morning, police said. The teen was crossing at the intersection of Route 198 and Russett Green East around 5:59 a.m., when he was struck by a Chevrolet Camaro. Police said the car had a green light and remained on the scene, and that the teen was crossing at the intersection against a pedestrian traffic signal. The teen was taken to Laurel Regional Hospital, where he later died, police said.

Navy will be a participant in one of the first two NCAA Division I lacrosse games played at Citi Field, the New York Mets announced Monday. The inaugural Metropolitan Lacrosse Classic will feature the Midshipmen playing Holy Cross at approximately 4:05 p.m. Sunday, March 17. The game will be preceded by Michigan-Colgate at 1:05 p.m. ESPNU is expected to telecast the Michigan-Colgate game, with ESPN3 carrying Holy Cross-Navy. Tickets go on sale Wednesday, Dec. 19 at Mets.com/Lacrosse, Tickets.com and 718-507-TIXX.

WWE pretty much saved the best for last, in terms of pay-per-view offerings.   Even with WWE champion CM Punk off the card because of injury, WWE TLC was a terrific pay-per-view event with several great things to write home about. First and foremost, many fans were pleasantly surprised with the final image of the broadcast -- a victorious Dolph Ziggler holding his Money in the Bank briefcase, having defeated John Cena. Yes, you read that correctly. John Cena didn't win. Dolph Ziggler did, and the match was great.

The only place where Hannah Oneda is just a face in the crowd is in Sports Illustrated. That's where the Westminster resident landed this week. After leading the Johns Hopkins University women's cross country team to its first national championship, Oneda's photo and a paragraph on her freshman accomplishments graced the "Faces in the Crowd" section of the nation's premier sports magazine. While the national notoriety is something new for Oneda, distance-running championships are not. In her four years at Winters Mill High, Oneda won nine titles in cross country and track and field.