Daniel

Always, there were those lovely old country estates and gracious manor taverns with roaring fireplaces, but in the old days fine dining was associated with the city. Not so anymore. Now, there are more compelling reasons than ever for diners to cross county lines for a good meal. The 50 best county restaurants in Howard County, Anne Arundel County and Baltimore County is a mix of the old and the new, destinations for special occasions and joints for Monday night suppers, the chef-driven and crowd-pleasing.

The Johns Hopkins men's lacrosse program plans to surrender its status as an independent and join a conference, the university announced Friday. The Blue Jays have competed independently for 130 years, winning nine NCAA championships and qualifying for 41 consecutive NCAA tournaments before getting left out of the postseason earlier this month. In a letter to the Johns Hopkins community and posted on the school's website, president Ronald J. Daniels said he accepted the recommendation of a seven-member special committee that proposed that the program pursue a conference affiliation.

On June 16, 2003, DANIEL S. WHIPPLE devoted father of Daniel Jr., Pete, Thomas and Paul Whipple and Sara Hunt, dear brother of Peter Whipple of Silver Spring, MD. Also survived by ten grandchildren. Services and interment private.

Eric and Laurie White of Bel Air, announce the engagement of their daughter, Emily, to Daniel Grden, son of David and Sandy Grden of Abingdon. The bride-to-be is a graduate of C Milton Wright High School and Messiah College. She is employed at New Covenant Christian School in Abingdon as a kindergarten through 12th grade art teacher. The prospective groom is a graduate of Bel Air High School and is employed at Business Machines in Forest Hill as a copier technician. A June 16 wedding is planned.

On February 24, 2003, DANIEL TITZ of Columbia, beloved husband of Anne A. Titz; devoted father of Frank Gerard and the late Daniel Paul Titz; loving grandfather of Frank Albert Titz, Erik Paul Titz and Theresa Mwaws; great grandfather of Katelyn and Gabrielle Mwaws. In lieu of flowers donations, in memory of Daniel, may be made to the Grasonville Senior Center.

On January 18, 2005 DANIEL LONG; beloved husband of the late Stella Long (nee Matczuk); dear father of Daniel T. Long; father in law of Josie M. Long; grandfather of Kristy M. Orellana; brother of Barbara Mitchell. Prayers at Kaczorowski Funeral Home, P.A. 1201 Dundalk Avenue on Monday, at 11 A.M. Interment Holy Rosary Cemetery. Visiting hours on Friday and Saturday, 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 P.M.

On March 1, 2004; DANIEL, beloved husband of Sharon Romanowski (nee Riffe); dear father of Daniel, Jr. and Lisa Romanowski, Rhonda Hughes, Cindy Heaney; father-in-law of Barbara, Bob, Steve and Mike; cherished pop of Daniel III, Michael, Tammy, Nicholas, Robbie, and Krista. Also, survived by many brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews and friends. Services at Kaczorowski Funeral Home, P.A., 1201 Dundalk Avenue on Thursday at 12 noon. Interment Holy Rosary Cemetery. Visiting hours on Wednesday 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 PM.

On August 20, 2003; DANIEL "HAMMETT", devoted father of two daughters and four sons. Family will receive friends at the Islamic Society of Baltimore, 6631 Johnnycake Road on Saturday at 9 AM. Funeral arrangements entrusted to March Funeral Home-West, Inc, 4300 Wabash Avenue.

Here's what Ben Bernanke, the Federal Reserve chairman, said three years ago as the nation's gap between rich and poor widened toward historic levels: "I think it's a very bad development. It's creating two societies. And it's based very much, I think, on educational differences. … It leads to an unequal society, and a society which doesn't have the cohesion that we'd like to see. " As college students complete final exams and the 2013 commencement season arrives, a look at the higher education landscape suggests that the nation still has a long way to go in closing the education gap at the root of the income gap - what we should call the opportunity gap. "Socioeconomic diversity" on campus remains elusive.

On April 17, State Senators Joe Getty, R-Baltimore and Carroll counties, and Ed Kasemeyer, D-Baltimore and Howard counties, shared anecdotes and answered questions from about 50 McDaniel College students who had gathered in a lecture room at Hill Hall for the occasion. The senators had visited the campus for a presentation, ““So What Just Happened: A Report from Annapolis,” as a courtesy to long standing McDaniel political science professor, Dr. Herb Smith - who is frequently sought-out by statewide and national media outlets for his insights into Maryland politics.

McDaniel College announced Monday that a $6.7 million bequest will be used to establish an endowment for scholarships, the largest in its history. The funds come from the estate of Philip Henry Dorsey, who was part of a class of 18 earning a bachelor's degree from the Westminster school in 1891. After graduation, Dorsey went home to St. Mary's County, where he managed farmland and bought and sold crops. When he died in 1945, his will established a trust fund for his descendants to attend McDaniel, then known as Western Maryland College.

No. 10 Washington College took the uncertainty out of its postseason plans by walloping Swarthmore, 16-5, Wednesday night and clinching a spot in the Centennial Conference tournament. The same cannot be said for the team's opponent in the tournament. How No. 19 Gettysburg fares against McDaniel on Saturday will determine whether the Shoremen (12-3 overall and 5-3 in the league) get the No. 3 or No. 4 seed. If the Green Terror (5-10, 2-5) upset the Bullets (8-6, 4-3), Washington would earn the third seed and meet Franklin & Marshall (10-4, 6-1)

"Come casual … dine fine. " That's the motto sprinkled across Christopher Daniel's menu and signage. The concept - good food served in a low-key setting - is a worthy one. But while the service is top-notch, the food portion of "fine" dining needs a boost. The restaurant has been popular since its opening in 2005, though during our visit on a Wednesday evening the Timonium space was only about half full. Even with a big table of chatty women, the atmosphere was hushed, making the conservatively decorated space feel more formal than "come casual" suggests.

The Baltimore sports scene is blessed with a bunch of talented bloggers who bring their unique perspective to the conversation. Each week, I hope to chat with one of them in a regular feature called Blogger on Blogger. This week, I exchanged emails with Daniel Moroz, who blogs about the Orioles for his blog, Camden Crazies . MV: Why hasn't Jake Arrieta developed into the pitcher the Orioles hoped he would become, and at this point, is there anything more they can do as an organization to help him get the most out of his talent?

Sarah Holbrook, a senior at McDaniel College, knows first-hand the gratitude for a home-cooked meal during a family crisis. When she was 11, her 9-year-old brother died of leukemia. That's why she's been involved since she was a freshman with Heroes Helping Hopkins, an on-campus group that cooks meals for families at the Believe in Tomorrow Children's House, which provides a place to stay for families with children being treated for serious illnesses at Johns Hopkins hospital. "I understand what they're going through how hard it can be, how exhausting," said Holbrook, co-president of the group.

The four-story brownstone near Washington's Lafayette Park is one of the most exclusive hotels in the world. There's a fireplace in the master bathroom, and the thread counts on the sheets is high enough to rival the Four Seasons. And only four people can get reservations to stay there right now - possibly because the coverlet bears the presidential seal, and there are accommodations for the Secret Service in the basement. The townhouse on West Jackson Place is the residence where Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and both George Bushes stay when they are in Washington on official business.