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Maryland's thoroughbred horse racing tracks and the state's horsemen are close to agreement on a 10-year deal that would give the industry stability it has not seen in decades, those involved in the negotiations say. "We've had years of not knowing what the future would hold," said Alan Foreman, the lawyer for the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association. "But now we're running for historic levels of purse money and are on the cusp of an unprecedented revenue-sharing agreement with the track operator.

Shirtless, John Wall crouched and dribbled a basketball above his head with his right hand and another low to the ground with his left hand. Unable to keep the routine together as he reached half-court, Wall grunted as he lost control, started over, and tried the exercise once again. With Washington Wizards assistant coach Ryan Saunders looking on, Wall has concluded nearly every practice with ballhandling drills, something he had never done before a stress injury to his left knee produced his longest absence from playing the game he loves dearly.

The article "Dinosaur hunters know where to look in Laurel" in the Oct. 25 issue of the Laurel Leader begins, "It's true: Dinosaurs once roamed in Laurel. Of course, that was about 110 million years ago. ... " I wonder if anyone was there to see what the reporter confidently asserts. Or do dinosaur fossils come with little tags attached saying: "Hi, I am 110 millions years old"? Actually, the idea that fossils are millions of years old originated about 200 years ago among people such as James Hutton and Charles Lyell, who didn't like the Biblical account of Noah's flood.

Harford County school officials have announced the Bel Air Drama Company's (Bel Air High School) fall production dates and times for "13: The Musical" have changed, as a result of this week's storm-related school closings. Thursday's night performance has been canceled in order to allow the group to have a final dress rehearsal. As a result, the show will open Friday at 7 p.m. There will be two performances on Saturday, a 2 p.m. matinee and 7 p.m. In addition, a 2 p.m. matinee show has been added on Sunday.

Baltimore's fifth annual Winter Restaurant Week has been announced for Jan. 25 through Feb. 3, 2013. During the 10-day event, participating restaurants will offer three-course fixed-price dinner menus for $30.13 or $20.13. Some restaurants will also offer a two-course lunch, consisting of an appetizer and entree, priced at $15.13. The prices do not include liquor, tax and gratuity. Baltimore Winter Restaurant Week is presented by Visit Baltimore and Downtown Partnership of Baltimore.

Baltimore native Jason Winer signed a new deal with 20th Century as NBC announced a premiere date for his sitcom, "1600 Penn," according to the trade publication Variety . The deal will keep the Friends School graduate writing-producing and directing at 20th Century Fox where he's been since 2007. During that time, he won a Directors Guild Award for his work on the pilot of "Modern Family," while an executive producer on that series. Winer's new series, "1600 Penn," will premiere Jan. 10 on what is now the top-ranked prime time network.

Send sports notices a minimum of two weeks before the requested publication date to Patuxent Publishing/NC Sports Notices, Third floor, 501 N. Calvert St., Baltimore, MD 21278; e-mail tworgo@tribune.com . Include date, time, location, contact information and subsection. Competitive Baltimore Youth Hockey Club offers Try Hockey For Free, Nov. 3, at Mount Pleasant Ice Rink. Check-in begins at 4:00 pm, on-ice from 5:10-6:40 pm. http://www.tryhockeyforfree.com. Time Out Volleyball Club holds tryouts for girls USAV Juniors teams, Nov. 13, Park School.

James Padgett is scheduled to appear in Prince George's County Court on Friday to face charges of driving while impaired by alcohol. The Maryland senior power forward was pulled over June 16 at 3:28 a.m. by the University of Maryland Police Department. His court date is set for 1:15 p.m. Friday in Hyattsville. The Diamondback, Maryland's student newspaper, first reported the news of Padgett's legal issue . "We are aware of this situation and have no further comment as this is a pending legal matter," a Maryland athletic department official said in a statement.

Inside Lacrosse magazine announced Monday that the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic will be played on Saturday, March 23, 2013, at M&T Bank Stadium and the Konica Minolta Big City Classic is scheduled for Saturday, April 27, 2013 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The seventh annual Face-Off Classic will feature games between Colgate and Navy at 2 p.m. and Virginia and Johns Hopkins at 4:30 p.m. The fifth edition of the Big City Classic...

Baltimore's ethics board closed its monthly meeting Thursday without discussing publicly its probe into Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's use of free 1st Mariner Arena tickets. After discussing other matters publicly, the board voted to meet in closed session. Afterward, several board members and its director, Avery Aisenstark, a city employee, would not answer questions about what was discussed. "We're not authorized to discuss the reason for or topic of the closed meeting - let alone why something was or was not discussed," Aisenstark said in an email.