Degrange

Democrat James "Ed" DeGrange Sr. enjoys several advantages that make him the favorite to win the 2nd District seat on the Anne Arundel County Council. One is name recognition; the DeGrange family has been in Glen Burnie forever and their lumber and hardware business makes them well-known. Another is his place on state Sen. Michael J. Wagner's ticket.What makes Mr. DeGrange qualified to be a councilman, however, is his commitment to the community, his management and business experience and reputation for integrity.

  Comptroller Peter Franchot responded to a blistering letter from a Democratic state senator with cool disdain Monday -- delegating the task of replying to his chief of staff. Sen. James "Ed" DeGrange wrote a letter to Franchot last week suggesting that the comptroller was serving the interests of West Virginia rather than Maryland by openly opposing a ballot question that would allow expanded gambling in Maryland. DeGrange, an Anne Arundel County Democrat, accused Franchot of being deceitful by asserting that the gambling plan would not yield additional money for education.

F. Ward DeGrange Sr., retired president of an Anne Arundel County lumber company that has employed three generations of his family, died Friday of cancer at his home in Glen Burnie. He was 79.In 1948, Mr. DeGrange and his father founded the DeGrange Lumber Co., a family business that now employs Mr. DeGrange's four sons.The Glen Burnie company supplies lumber, hardware and other building supplies to contractors, individual builders and the public.Mr. DeGrange began working with his father in construction in the early 1940s.

Some Maryland lawmakers want to require the state prison system to notify federal authorities when an inmate may be in the country unlawfully - potentially resurrecting last year's debate about how the state is responding to an influx of illegal immigrants. The proposal, backed by a group of powerful Democratic senators that includes Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller, came before a committee Tuesday. Sen. James E. DeGrange Sr. of Anne Arundel County said the measure could save the state millions by shifting incarceration costs away from the state by deporting more illegal immigrants.

Joyce Lyons Terhes, the state Republican Party chairwoman, has accused Democrat James DeGrange, 32nd District Senate candidate, and a fund-raising committee set up by Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller of campaign financing irregularities.She charged yesterday that Miller's Maryland Democratic Senatorial Committee has transferred to DeGrange's campaign committee more than the $6,000 legally allowed and that none of the transfers shows up on DeGrange's campaign finance report.Terhes asked Secretary of State John T. Willis to seek a court order to stop the transfers.

Had it not been for a public gubernatorial snub, Terry R. Gilleland might be sitting on a county school board instead of challenging an incumbent state senator to represent Glen Burnie in District 32. During the summer, a community panel recommended Gilleland as a top candidate to fill an at-large seat on the Anne Arundel County Board of Education. But Gov. Parris N. Glendening passed over him and another candidate after County Executive Janet S. Owens insisted that builder Konrad M. Wayson get the seat.

ANNE ARUNDEL County Executive John G. Gary's promise to devise new ways to support "mom and pop" businesses comes too late for Glen Burnie's DeGrange Lumber Co., which has announced it will close by year's end. That's sad. DeGrange Lumber has been a Ritchie Highway landmark since 1947.Customers who've stayed loyal after the rise of "warehouse" outlets such as Hechinger Co. and Home Depot have done so partly because they get old-fashioned personal service from people they know, people who are their friends.

DeGrange Lumber Co., a familiar fixture on Ritchie Highway since 1947, is going out of business.James "Ed" DeGrange Sr., vice president of the family lumber company, said yesterday that the company will start a going-out-of-business sale when it opens at 8 a.m. today.He said he and his three brothers decided to close because the economy has been particularly rough on independent lumber companies for the past five years.Employees were told of the closing Friday. The family began mailing letters a week ago to regular customers, inviting them to a "sneak preview" sale today through Wednesday.

Setting off a political battle over northern Anne Arundel County, Democratic Councilman James "Ed" DeGrange Sr. announced yesterday that he plans to challenge state Sen. C. Edward Middlebrooks in November 1998.DeGrange is a 47-year-old homebuilder and former vice president of a family-owned Glen Burnie lumber store that closed in 1995 after being hurt, he said, by competition from national chains such as Wal-Mart.During a fund-raiser attended by 650 supporters at Michael's Eighth Avenue banquet hall in Glen Burnie yesterday afternoon, DeGrange said he hopes to push for state legislation that would help small businesses.

Glen Burnie Councilman James DeGrange toppled incumbent Sen. C. Edward Middlebrooks yesterday after a contentious fall campaign in which both candidates abandoned issues-oriented platforms to join in a volley of attacks.With 29 of 39 precincts in District 32 reporting last night, DeGrange, a Democrat, had 52 percent of the vote, with Middlebrooks holding 48 percent, a difference of 690 votes."I ran because I wanted to help my community and continue community service," DeGrange said in a victory speech at a Democratic celebration at Michael's 8th Avenue, a Glen Burnie banquet hall.

A former political operative for powerful Republican congressmen is seeking to unseat an influential Democratic incumbent in one of the most hotly contested districts in the state. With military base restructuring slated to add 20,000 jobs to Fort Meade over five years, controlling a development boom in District 32 - which includes Glen Burnie, Hanover, Linthicum, Odenton and Severn - is the most important issue for both candidates. Jon Vandenheuvel, a former aide to Rep. Pete Hoekstra of Michigan and former Rep. J.C. Watts of Oklahoma, said he will use the growth to create opportunity for African-Americans in the district and would be an agent of change in Annapolis.

Renaissance Festival Web site launched The Annapolis-based Web development company Vansant Creations has designed and launched a Web site for the Maryland Renaissance Festival that opens Saturday in Crownsville. The new site, www.renn fest.com, organizes all the information available on the festival and is more easily updated. Information: 410-266-0888. Coast Guard Auxiliary holds boating safety course The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary will hold a Boating Safety and Seamanship course from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays starting Sept.

The Big Glen Burnie Carnival finishes its run this week at the Glen Burnie Improvement Association, 19 Crain Highway. Hours are 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. today and 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. tomorrow. Organizers have no official count of the number of attendees because admission is free, but they estimate that more than 100,000 people will enjoy rides and games with their neighbors. About 1,000 carnival volunteers operate the games as well as raffles and food concessions. "I don't think we can get any more people on our few acres of property," said state Sen. James E. DeGrange Sr., who serves on the carnival's executive committee.

Had it not been for a public gubernatorial snub, Terry R. Gilleland might be sitting on a county school board instead of challenging an incumbent state senator to represent Glen Burnie in District 32. During the summer, a community panel recommended Gilleland as a top candidate to fill an at-large seat on the Anne Arundel County Board of Education. But Gov. Parris N. Glendening passed over him and another candidate after County Executive Janet S. Owens insisted that builder Konrad M. Wayson get the seat.

When Leo Harnen moved to Ferndale 35 years ago, he knew his big neighbor just to the east was Baltimore-Washington International Airport. And he expected the inconveniences - the noise and traffic. Still, for about as long as the airport has been growing, he's wanted a little something in return, maybe sidewalks along the main roads so people can walk without being in the path of traffic. "I think we should get some restitution," said Harnen, president of the Ferndale Improvement Association.

A volley of letters among state officials has set the wheels in motion for getting a crossing guard on Ritchie Highway near Glen Burnie High School, where a student was struck and seriously injured last month as he was crossing the road. State Sen. James E. DeGrange Sr. learned yesterday that Anne Arundel County Executive Janet S. Owens wrote to schools Superintendent Carol S. Parham, offering to pay for a crossing guard. In her letter copied to DeGrange, Owens said the intersection at Fifth Avenue poses a "significant danger" to student pedestrians, and referred to the efforts of DeGrange and Sen. Philip C. Jimeno to improve the intersection.

LAST ELECTION, C. Edward Middlebrooks, then an Anne Arundel County councilman, challenged and defeated Sen. Michael J. Wagner in the 32nd Legislative District. Four years later, Mr. Middlebrooks finds himself in the same position -- as an incumbent senator fending off a challenge from a county councilman, James E. DeGrange Sr.Mr. Middlebrooks, a Democrat turned Republican, reflects the sentiments of the conservative-leaning district. Residents want lower taxes, less-crowded schools and stronger laws against criminals of all ages.

Like lots of people, Katherine DeGrange used to see problems in her community and say, "Somebody ought to do something."Three and a half years ago, she stopped saying that.It was Nov. 11, 1988, a date she remembers well, when her daughter came home from Glen Burnie High School and said a student had been killed crossing Ritchie Highway at lunchtime.DeGrange, who was then a member of the school's Citizens Advisory Committee, said she had just talked about how unsafe it was for students to cross the busy thoroughfare.

Glen Burnie Councilman James DeGrange toppled incumbent Sen. C. Edward Middlebrooks yesterday after a contentious fall campaign in which both candidates abandoned issues-oriented platforms to join in a volley of attacks.With 29 of 39 precincts in District 32 reporting last night, DeGrange, a Democrat, had 52 percent of the vote, with Middlebrooks holding 48 percent, a difference of 690 votes."I ran because I wanted to help my community and continue community service," DeGrange said in a victory speech at a Democratic celebration at Michael's 8th Avenue, a Glen Burnie banquet hall.

Joyce Lyons Terhes, the state Republican Party chairwoman, has accused Democrat James DeGrange, 32nd District Senate candidate, and a fund-raising committee set up by Senate President Thomas V. Mike Miller of campaign financing irregularities.She charged yesterday that Miller's Maryland Democratic Senatorial Committee has transferred to DeGrange's campaign committee more than the $6,000 legally allowed and that none of the transfers shows up on DeGrange's campaign finance report.Terhes asked Secretary of State John T. Willis to seek a court order to stop the transfers.