Driveway

Unfortunately, Tim Wheeler's front-page story, "'Greener' city bars woodchip driveway" (Jan. 18) has had the unintended consequence of creating a storm of misinformation around this issue. While wood chips are a "permeable surface" that allows water to drain into the soil rather than going straight into the storm drain system untreated, they do have their problems. From a sustainability perspective, driveways are designed to ultimately drain into our stream system, and you want to avoid putting additional organic material (such as wood chips)

It's hard to see how a land deal before the Harford County Council that would allow the county to swap 11 acres of public territory for about one acre of private land is a good one. The county is looking to clear up a dispute with the owner of a property adjacent to the 465-Swan Harbor Farm, the waterfront park on the Susquehanna Flats in Oakington between Havre de Grace and Aberdeen. At issue is a key piece of land through which the county park's driveway runs. The county has a survey that says the driveway is on county land; the owner of a neighboring farm, Griffith Davis, disputes the county's survey, and claims he has a more accurate one showing he owns the key access parcel.

The water that runs off streets, parking lots and other hard surfaces when it rains is a major contributor to water pollution. There's not much doubt about that. Just take a look at the floating debris in the Inner Harbor after a thunderstorm. Now imagine the road salt, chemicals, pet droppings and other pollutants contained in runoff that can't be observed so easily. Butchers Hill resident Maxine Taylor no doubt thought that she was striking a blow on behalf of the Chesapeake Bay when she chose to create a driveway of wood chips instead of concrete or asphalt in order to slow down the flow of runoff into local streams.

A 36-year-old man died at the Maryland Shock Trauma Center after being shot early Friday morning in his driveway in Laurel, Anne Arundel County police said. Officers from the county's Western District responded to the 8000 block of Ians Alley shortly before 2:30 a.m. Friday for the report of a shooting, police said. The victim, Gregory Robert Sears, told them he was shot after being approached by two men in his driveway, according to police. Officers searched the area for the men, but they were unable to locate them, police said.

Maxine Taylor thought she was being "green" by using wood chips instead of asphalt for a driveway on her woodsy front yard in Butchers Hill. The chips happen to let rainfall soak through into the ground, stopping a little of the storm-water pollution that's plaguing Baltimore's harbor. But instead of winning praise from a City Hall officially committed to a "cleaner, greener Baltimore," Taylor was cited for violating the city's building and zoning codes with her woody driveway. When she appealed the citation, she said, an administrative law judge informed her the only way she could keep vehicles on her property would be on asphalt or concrete.

A man stabbed his wife and himself while the woman's 13-year-old son sat nearby in a parked vehicle, Maryland State Police said in a statement Friday evening. Douglas Harvey, 50, died from self-inflicted stab wounds, police said. His wife, Lisa Harvey, 45, is in critical condition at Maryland Shock Trauma Center. Lisa, who had stopped living with Douglas about a month ago, arrived with her son to collect some belongings from the single-family home in the 1700 block of Strand Ave. in Westminster, police said.

I appreciate all the thoughtful dialogue on my dilemma ("'Greener' city bars wood chip driveway," Jan. 19). If nothing else, it made me realize that I am not alone in my frustration with city officials and their narrowly focused decision making. After 13 years in Baltimore, this citation is just an example of the numerous obstacles I have faced in trying to create a suitable space with enough interior and exterior room to inspire my art. Perhaps I was a bit naïve about city codes and politics, but I had no idea that I would be spending so much of my precious free time fighting city hall.

Ernest Kelly has a warning for fellow homeowners: Be wary of door-to-door solicitors offering to pave driveways. Kelly, 80, an Allegany County resident, said he was swindled out of more than $7,000 from unlicensed contractors who pressured him to pay for shoddy and incomplete work. He said the contractor followed him to his credit union to collect a check. "There was nothing I could do then. I thought I had to pay," Kelly said. "I should have called the law right there. " State officials are investigating an uptick in complaints by Maryland homeowners victimized by similar scams this year.

A 36-year-old man died at the Maryland Shock Trauma Center after being shot early Friday morning in his driveway in Laurel, Anne Arundel County police said. Officers from the county's Western District responded to the 8000 block of Ians Alley shortly before 2:30 a.m. Friday for the report of a shooting, police said. The victim, Gregory Robert Sears, told them he was shot after being approached by two men in his driveway, according to police. Officers searched the area for the men, but they were unable to locate them, police said.

The southern 1,250 feet of the driveway entry to North Carroll High School will be closed today for night roadwork. The driveway will be closed from 9 p.m. today to 6 a.m. tomorrow and 10 p.m. tomorrow to 6 a.m. Saturday. Vehicles may access the school and parking areas from Route 482. Residents of Shiloh Run and Brandywine Station should use Route 482 to enter and exit. Depending on construction progress and possible weather delays, the road should be closed for two days. Information: 410-239-7408.

I had a nice afternoon with Ron and June Smith and some of their friends and family members at the Smith family home in Shrewsbury Tuesday. No tape recorders today, but I wanted to share these pictures taken by June of Ron showing me the game ball Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh gave Smith Sunday night after the Cleveland game. I know, the second picture looks like I am trying to take the ball away from Smith. What can I say? My thanks to the Smiths for inviting me into their home again.

On a country lane in Howard County, the letterbox for Cathy and Steve Klein sits directly at the driveway's edge for easy mail delivery right off the carrier's truck. Its position is similar to others along the way, but the difference is that the Kleins' driveway is nine-tenths of a mile long, ambling past a deserted antebellum stone house and a barn, flanked by corn fields and fallow fields. By the time a visitor begins to wonder how a snow blower makes it up the narrow incline in winter, two chunky stone posts topped with concrete urns full of flowers herald the approach to the Klein home.

The following is compiled from police reports from the Cockeysville Precinct. Our policy is to include descriptions only when there is enough information to make identification possible. Parkton Masemore Road , 17200 block, between 10:30 p.m. Oct. 13 and 5 a.m. Oct. 14. Cell phone, Leatherman tool, gift cards and money stolen from three unlocked vehicles in driveway. Masemore Road , 17300 block, between 12:01 a.m. and 6:15 a.m. Oct. 14. Minivan stolen from Baltimore City driven to house, where contents of vehicle were dumped out. Then dirt bike and four-wheeler stolen from unlocked garage and loaded into minivan before fleeing.

On Monday, it will be eight years since people last gathered in the Arnold driveway where a mortally wounded Joanne Valentine was cradled in her husband's arms. For a decade, the annual vigil on the anniversary of her homicide drew Valentine's family and friends to the site where she was shot in 1993, a reminder that the killing remained unsolved. But the vigils ended in 2003, even though the 18-year-old case is still open. "It's too painful to do it," said Pam Bustard, one of Valentine's sisters, noting that Valentine's husband and one of the couple's sons still live in the home where the shooting occurred.

A man stabbed his wife and himself while the woman's 13-year-old son sat nearby in a parked vehicle, Maryland State Police said in a statement Friday evening. Douglas Harvey, 50, died from self-inflicted stab wounds, police said. His wife, Lisa Harvey, 45, is in critical condition at Maryland Shock Trauma Center. Lisa, who had stopped living with Douglas about a month ago, arrived with her son to collect some belongings from the single-family home in the 1700 block of Strand Ave. in Westminster, police said.

The following is compiled from police reports. The Howard County Times includes descriptions of perpetrators only when the description makes identification possible. Ellicott City Baltimore National Pike , 8600 block, between 5 p.m. July 15 and 3:05 p.m. July 16. Entry gained to trailer at Mr. Tire by cutting hole in it. Tires stolen. Ilchester Woods Way , 5100 block, between 8:30 a.m. and 10 p.m. July 13. Entry gained by prying window. Nothing stolen.

Q. I share a driveway, which is not working out very well. I would like to divide the drive by [installing parking-space barriers] ... on my side. ... Do I have to inform anyone first, and is it legal? A. Your rights may depend on whether the driveway-sharing arrangement is formalized by a written easement or maintenance agreement. Often, the owners of properties that share a common driveway record an agreement in the land records. The agreement spells out the right of each property to use the driveway and may require the owners to share the cost of repairs and snow removal.

Someone riding in a passing car fired at a Pasadena man but missed him as he stood in his driveway Thursday morning, county police said.The 35-year-old man told police a dirty, black Datsun 240 with damage near the driver's door drove by his house around 3:30 a.m., made a U-turn and returned. When the car reached his driveway, someone fired several shots from the passenger side, police said.No damage was done to the house or the surrounding area, police said. Officers found several 9 mm shell casings at the scene.

A Dundalk man was in critical condition Saturday morning after police said he was shot by a neighbor — allegedly after accidentally parking in the neighbor's driveway. At about 9:30 p.m. Friday, a 45-year-old man parked by mistake in a driveway along the 7800 block of Fairgreen Road, according to Baltimore County Police. Another man, 55, the apparent homeowner, came outside and confronted the man, pulled out a handgun and shot him multiple times, police said. "He just pulled up in the wrong driveway," said police spokesman Lt. Robert McCullough.

There might be as many beliefs about the proper way to shovel snow as there are snowflakes. The main camps seem to be the pushers, the lifters and the wheelers. On a snowy weekend like this one, you can spot them by the tools that they carry. The pushers employ shovels with long handles and curved, "C" shaped blades. They stand up as they work, placing their shovels on the pavement and propelling themselves and the curling snowpack toward the street. Pushers do their best work in light snowfalls, ones that measure 3 inches or less.