Dyson

On February 1, 2008, LUCILLE; beloved mother of Aaron S. Vick, Jr., Beverly L. Vick, Rosalind Dyson and Ponneice Vick and devoted grandmother of Donzell A. Canada, Vonneice Canada, Remy L. Dyson and Rashad L. Dyson. She is also survived by two brothers, Henry "Pete" and William "Bill" Jones; two devoted nieces, Barbara Reed and Joyce Richardson; a son-in-law, Ron L. Dyson; six sisters-in-law, Constantia Jones, Ponnie Jones, Odessa Todd, Edna Jones, Etta Jones and Pattie Vick. Friends may visit the JAMES A. MORTON & SONS FUNERAL HOMES, INC., 1701 Laurens Street, Wednesday 5 to 7 and Thursday 10 A.M. to 7 P.M. Funeral services Friday at First Mt. Calvary Baptist Church, 1142 Fulton Avenue.

A caseworker at the North Baltimore Center last saw George T. Dyson on a Thursday morning in May. Dyson, a diabetic and convicted robber with a history of mental illness, took his medications there, and a nurse checked his blood sugar and blood pressure every day. When he didn't show up at the mental health treatment facility the next day, caseworkers tried to locate him at home and then twice at his job at Wendy's. On Sunday, they reported him missing to the state Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the agency responsible for him. It was too late for Karen Harris.

On April 13, 2007, EMMA A. LEWIS (nee Dyson); loving wife of the late Joseph H. Lewis; dear sister of Joseph Arnold and the late Helen Otto, Doris Kerr, Earl A. Dyson, John W. Dyson. Also survived by many nieces and nephews. Friends may call at the family owned Leonard J. Ruck Funeral Home, Inc., 5305 Harford Road (at Echodale), on Sunday 2 to 4 and 6 to 8. Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Monday, 9 A.M. at St. Ursula Catholic Church. Interment Gardens of Faith Cemetery. Contributions may be made to the Humane Society of Baltimore County, 1601 Nicodemus Road, Reisterstown, MD 21136.

A bill designed to outlaw the trapping of Maryland's diamondback terrapin, which is threatened by a growing market in China, could be weakened by an exemption tentatively approved yesterday. The state Senate voted 27-19 to amend the proposed ban to allow the continued trapping and possession of the turtles for aquaculture. Supporters said the change was designed to protect a Preston waterman who has started breeding thousands of the turtles in tanks behind his home for sale to Asia for turtle soup.

The O'Malley administration plans to impose a moratorium on the trapping of diamondback terrapin, the Maryland mascot threatened by a growing market in China for turtle soup. "The governor is committed to protecting the terrapin," O'Malley spokesman Rick Abbruzzese said yesterday in announcing the moratorium. "He feels that the terrapin is a state treasure ... and a species in need of conservation." His comments came after a state Senate committee held a hearing on a bill, sponsored by Sen. Roy P. Dyson, a Southern Maryland Democrat, that would outlaw catching the turtles.

Rudy Gay plays half the game for the Memphis Grizzlies. In New Jersey, Marcus Williams is a reserve guard and Josh Boone gets mop-up duty. Hilton Armstrong's minutes are increasing for the New Orleans Hornets. Cut by the Seattle SuperSonics, Denham Brown is in the developmental league. Connecticut became the first team in the history of the NBA draft to see five of its players taken in the first two rounds, but it didn't get to the 2006 Final Four. In an NCAA regional final in Washington, the nation's most talented team was undone by George Mason's magic and the dollar signs that blurred the Huskies' focus.

Harford board votes to raze historic school despite pleas Despite strong opposition from town officials, preservationists and alumni of a 19th-century school in Bel Air, the Harford County Board of Education voted unanimously last night to demolish the building to make way for an expansion of the playground, parking lot and bus loop at nearby Bel Air Elementary School. Board members insisted they would need the property in the future and could not make it available to the town. "We can't surplus property if we foresee a need for it," said board member Ruth R. Rich.

Here's a scoop for you, America: Bill Cosby has a hard time getting his message out. "The media love to choose what they want to use," he said. "I can't go door to door to tell everyone what I really mean." But William H. Cosby Jr., Ed.D., did manage to get a hold of your humble scribe on my cell phone during my vacation, scoring some rare cool points for me in the process by saying hi to my teenage son. Mr. Cosby is like my 100-year-old Grandmother: You never know what to expect. My heart pounded.

PHILADELPHIA -- Like the start of baseball season and the end of the school year, Bill Cosby's rants against the black poor are becoming a perennial feature of the impending summer. On the most recent stops along his 18-city "Call Out" tour, Mr. Cosby has reignited controversy by publicly attacking young black men. While I don't question his love for black people, his recent actions have appeared more venomous than valuable, more condescending than caring and more hateful than helpful.

WASHINGTON -- Bill Cosby can be a very funny guy, but he does not suffer fools gladly. A heckler found that out the hard way after shouting at the actor-comedian last week during a forum at the University of the District of Columbia, the latest of about 20 cities to host a free "Call Out with Bill Cosby" symposium for black parents and community leaders. Two years had passed since Mr. Cosby caused a national uproar over his blunt statements in this town, on the 50th anniversary of Brown vs. Board of Education, about the problems low-income black folks bring upon themselves.