Crown

Dangerous Space By Kelley Eskridge Mary Modern By Camille DeAngelis Crown / 368 pages / $24 In the late 1980s, British novelist Maureen Duffy wrote a compelling series, The Gor Saga, in which cloning took center stage. These works appeared soon after the first test-tube baby, Louise Brown, was born in Britain. Duffy's works were later turned into a highly successful mini-series for the British Broadcasting Corp. and shown in the United States on PBS. The unsettling world of cloning, mixed species and the other repugnant possibilities wrought by playing too hard in the laboratory a la Mary Shelley's Dr. Frankenstein gave readers and viewers tremendous pause.

Freddie Douglas Russell Sr., a retired machinist, church deacon and Vietnam veteran, died Jan. 7 of multiple organ failure at Northwest Hospital Center. The Woodlawn resident was 64. He enlisted in the Army soon after graduating from Carver High School and served in Vietnam from 1964 to 1966. Exposure to Agent Orange during his two tours of duty caused lifelong health problems, his family said. After his discharge from the military, he worked as a machinist for Continental Can, Revere Copper and Crown, Cork & Seal.

The city zoning board answered a chorus of voices against new billboards in North Baltimore yesterday by rejecting applications for proposed billboards at two Crown Central Petroleum Corp. gas stations.The board made the decision after political and community leaders argued that billboards proposed for 4501 Falls Road and 5101 York Road would adversely affect their lives.The advertising company seeking to lease the billboard space is Eller Media Co."People sitting on their balconies could see the back of the sign," said Roz Goldner, a resident of the Deer Ridge condominium complex who opposed the proposed billboard at Falls Road and Cold Spring Lane.

The chief executive of a St. Louis-based petroleum-distribution company who controls about 15 percent of Crown Central Petroleum Corp.'s voting shares has proposed a merger of the two companies and a change in Crown's management, according to Securities and Exchange Commission documents released yesterday.In a letter to Crown's board of directors, Paul Novelly, chief executive of Apex Oil Co., said he was disappointed in Crown's performance and called for "a dramatic change" in the company's strategic direction.

Girls Co-Players of the YearBrooke Foster, senior, and Heather Easter, Junior, both North Carroll: "State champions" has a nice ring for the most dominant doubles pair in county history. A week after they won the regional crown, Foster and Easter collected their first state title in three attempts Saturday at Essex Community College. They captured their third straight county championship in as many years last month and helped the Panthers girls win the county team crown.This dynamic duo is thought to be the only doubles team to ever win three county titles.

First-year heavyweight Matt Belcastro won his first crown, and 140-pound teammate Richard Johnson took his second straight as Patterson coach Troy Stevenson captured his third straight Baltimore City Tournament crown at Mervo yesterday.Paul Eline (103), Jimmy Walker (145) and Kennard Wheeler (189) also won titles as the Clippers out-scored runner-up Poly, 234-174.Johnson, who expects to defend his 3A-4A East region title next weekend at Meade High in Anne Arundel County, won impressively with two first-period pins, the last in 1: 35. A junior, Johnson never wrestled before high school.

MIRACYLE Christine Graves wears two crowns. The 10-year-old Columbia resident, who has caught the pageant bug, is the reigning Miss Pre-Teen Baltimore and the first Little Miss Juneteenth.Doctors could not predict this when she came into the world in November 1988, three months premature and weighing only 1 pound, 14 ounces. Her mother, Theresa Chevalier, 37, was also a "preemie" and knew about the potential difficulty. She has had several surgeries to correct spinal problems and has internal organs that did not fully develop.

Crown Books, the discount bookseller that declared bankruptcy a year ago, expects to emerge from Chapter 11 protection in time for the holiday selling season, with hopes of rolling out its first new-format stores by next fall.Crown said yesterday that it has spent the past year closing nearly half of its 174 stores, revamping its format, rebuilding inventory, improving distribution and cutting operating expenses by $25 million.The Landover-based company filed a reorganization plan Wednesday with U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware and expects approval by October.

Crown Central Petroleum Corp., which has posted losses in seven of the past eight years, reported a second-quarter loss yesterday of $11 million, or $1.12 per share, vs. a $2.2 million loss, or 22 cents a share, in the comparable quarter last year.The Baltimore gasoline refiner and retailer had revenue of $281 million, compared with $339 million in the second quarter of 1998.Crown blamed the loss in large part on low refining margins -- the difference between what it costs to purchase and refine crude oil and the amount made on sales of the finished product.

Crown Central Petroleum Corp. said yesterday that it is reducing output at its two Texas refineries because of low oil and gasoline prices.Baltimore-based Crown said it has trimmed crude-oil processing by 10 percent at its Tyler, Texas, plant, which can process 52,000 barrels of oil per day.And it said its Pasadena, Texas, refinery, the site of a long and costly union lockout, would continue processing 70,000 barrels a day -- 30 percent below its capacity of...

With most schools closed or closing this week, the summer vacation season moves into full swing for many families. This year, job uncertainty and economic woes seem to have put a lot of travel plans in flux. Some destinations report that visitors are waiting until the last minute to make reservations and when they do, they're bargaining for - and often receiving - lower prices. Good for them. It may be too far a stretch to say the annual rite of summer travel is in danger, but HomeAway.

GIRLS CLASS 1A Sparrows Point (11-5) vs. Glenelg (9-7-1) When, where: 7:30 p.m., UMBC Outlook: The Gladiators have won five state titles and two straight, capturing the Class 2A crown in 2006 before beating Sparrows Point, 2-0, last season in 1A. The Pointers have reached the title game in four of the past five years but have yet to bring home the elusive crown. Experience is on the Pointers' side this time, with a senior-laden team led by four-year varsity players Lauren Miller and Gabby Antalffy.

ELMONT, N.Y.-- --Michael Iavarone's curiosity got the better of him, and when he saw a group of reporters assembled at Belmont Park yesterday, he immediately knew the object of their attention. So en route to visiting his own horse, the celebrated and sanctified Big Brown, Iavarone made a quick detour and parked his white Mercedes in front of Barn 17. "This is the first time I've put my eyes on him," Iavarone said shortly after stepping out of his car. "He's a good-looking horse." All eyes were directed at the large chestnut colt named Casino Drive, considered the top threat to spoil Big Brown's Triple Crown coronation in tomorrow's Belmont Stakes.

Silver Charm, 1997 Eleven years later, his ride in the Belmont Stakes still nags at jockey Gary Stevens, who blames himself for Silver Charm's failure to sweep the 1997 Triple Crown. Belmont Stakes Saturday, 6:25 p.m. post time, Elmont, N.Y., chs. 2, 7

Is there any chance that Big Brown's owner will send the thoroughbred on an injury rehab race before the Belmont Stakes? Big Brown visited a hoof specialist earlier this week. Strangely, it was Dr. James Andrews. But seriously ... I'm reading reports on how the actual specialist, Ian McKinlay, inserted stainless steel wire stitches into a crack in Big Brown's left front foot to draw it together. He'll return to Belmont Park today and likely clean the area and replace the stitch before covering it with adhesive.

The Triple Crown party started early. At 6:19 p.m., to be exact. The grandstands were shaking. Fans in the infield briefly clawed their way from the black hole of depravity. And everyone in horse racing began thinking about what might be waiting. Yesterday, Big Brown won the 133rd Preakness. And tomorrow, he'll make the trip to New York, with a chance at history just three weeks away, just 1 1/2 miles of dirt separating his name from those of the other greats. War Admiral. Citation. Secretariat.

Critic's Pick -- Tyra Banks and company crown this cycle's winner in the season finale of America's Next Top Model (8 p.m., WNUV, Channel 54).

Let Mr. Flip piggyback on the suggestion made by his colleague Rick Maese in yesterday's editions about restoring some luster to the Triple Crown by adding a week between the Kentucky Derby and Preakness. His argument is that we would see more Derby horses in Baltimore if they had another week of rest. Good idea. And how about another one? You want to run your horse in the Derby? Fine, but you have to pledge a large fee - Mr. Flip doesn't move in horse ownership circles, so he wouldn't know exactly how much - that you'll also run your horse in the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes.

1Can Johns Hopkins repeat? With many programs fielding stronger and faster squads, capturing back-to-back national championships is becoming as rare as a quality singer on American Idol. It has been almost 10 years since Princeton ruled the lacrosse world, winning its third straight NCAA crown in 1998. But don't sleep on the Blue Jays, who return five of last year's top six scorers, including senior midfielder Paul Rabil. Junior Michael Evans anchors a defense that limited opponents to 7.8 goals a game.

Wise Metals Group LLC has reached a tentative agreement that would bring back one of its biggest customers, ending a yearlong stalemate that resulted in the two suing each other over breach of contract. Linthicum Heights-based Wise, the world's third-largest manufacturer of aluminum can stock for the food and beverage industry, said yesterday that it is working out a contract with Philadelphia-based Crown, Cork & Seal Co. Inc. that would expand their prior relationship and end the lawsuits.