Dyson

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. When prying a den's sofa free from the wall behind, this grim summation of the human experience is fully understood. Here lies family history in all its multi-layered ignominy: kitty hair, petrified human skin cells, a less than sweet-smelling gym sock, and the still vibrant constellation of Froot Loops that little Andy spilled there last April. To err is human; to vacuum, divine. And soon enough, when the Dyson DC07 RootCyclone vacuum cleaner is launched in the United States, the job will be a whole lot holier.

A teen-age boy whom police found lying in the street with multiple gunshot wounds and a baby authorities say died of head injuries have joined the list of Baltimore's homicide victims. Despite efforts by Mayor Martin O'Malley and Police Commissioner Edward T. Norris to decrease homicides in the city, the number continues to climb, standing at 155 yesterday compared with 147 on July 31, 2001. Talon Joshua Branch, 18, of the 3800 block of W. Saratoga St., was found lying in the 3900 block of W. Mulberry St. just after midnight yesterday, according to Officer Troy Harris, a police spokesman.

Moves Baseball DODGERS: Placed P Kevin Brown on 15-day DL with posterior medial sprain in right elbow. Recalled P Bryan Corey from Triple-A Las Vegas. WESTERN BASEBALL LEAGUE: Suspended former NL MVP Kevin Mitchell, Sonoma County Crushers manager, for seven games for throwing a punch at opposing team's third-base coach. College VANDERBILT: Announced hiring of Xavier coach Melanie Balcomb as women's basketball coach. Football CFL: Suspended Winnipeg Blue Bombers OL Brandon Dyson for two preseason games and first regular-season games for an incident in last year's Grey Cup game.

Mae Elizabeth Dyson, former corporate secretary, member of the board and a trustee of the Afro-American Newspapers, died in her sleep Monday at her Ashburton home. She was 85. Born into a journalistic dynasty, Mrs. Dyson was a granddaughter of John H. Murphy Sr., who founded the Afro-American in 1892. Her father, D. Arnett Murphy, was advertising director and vice president of the Afro-American Newspapers from 1909 until his retirement in 1954. After earning a bachelor's degree in journalism from Ohio State University, she began her newspaper career in 1938, when she went to work for the Afro as a reporter.

Valentine M. Marziale, 80, owned Pastore's Grocery Valentine Michael Marziale, former owner of a popular Clifton Park Italian sub shop, died Thursday of kidney failure at Good Samaritan Hospital. He was 80. A longtime resident of the Bel Air-Edison neighborhood in Northeast Baltimore, he owned Pastore's Grocery Store in the 3200 block of Belair Road. He operated the business, known for its Italian submarine sandwiches and hot green olives, from 1956 until 1989, when he sold the business and retired.

ATLANTA -- If it wasn't the best Super Bowl ever, it certainly was the best Super Bowl finish. Tennessee quarterback Steve McNair hitting Kevin Dyson over the middle. St. Louis linebacker Mike Jones wrapping his right arm around Dyson's waist. Dyson lunging toward the end zone, only to be stopped one yard short of the tying touchdown as time expired. What can you say about McNair, who rallied the Titans from a 16-0 second-half deficit to tie the score with 2: 12 left? What can you say about Kurt Warner, who responded one play later with a 73-yard touchdown pass to cap his Super Bowl MVP performance?

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Seven years after the most ignominious defeat in franchise history, the Tennessee Titans got even with the Buffalo Bills. It took a tortured relocation, a stunning revival and one of the most controversial finishes in NFL playoff history, but the Titans finally exorcised the ghost of playoffs past. It took a 75-yard kickoff return by Kevin Dyson off a razzle-dazzle desperation play to knock the Bills out in the AFC wild-card round, 22-16, before a record crowd of 66,782 yesterday at Adelphia Coliseum.

Written in stone Here's a down-to-earth way to immortalize a simple sentiment, from "Peace" to "Hug a tree today" to "Shut up and listen:" An engraved rock from C/R Custom Engraving of Baltimore. C/R specializes in custom engraving in stone or glass. From pocket-size, desktop and garden stones, to plaques and paperweights, C/R uses graphic design and sand carving to create memorials of all kinds. Small stones with simple sayings are $10-$12, desktop stones are $18-$25 and garden stones are $45-$65.

In the past eight years, Barbara Dyson has logged more than 5,000 volunteer hours with the Rape Crisis Intervention Service of Carroll County.As a volunteer, she has been paged during Mass and in the middle of dinner.She has accompanied victims of sexual violence to the hospital, police station and court. Through it all, she has been a mainstay of support, empathy, patience and caring to those in need at a traumatic time in their lives.Last month, Dyson was selected from 13 nominees as Carroll County's Most Beautiful People award winner.

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court reinstated the drug trafficking conspiracy conviction of a St. Mary's County man yesterday, ruling that a Maryland appeals court had been "manifestly wrong" in ruling in his favor.In an unsigned three-page ruling, the court overturned a decision a year ago by the Maryland Court of Special Appeals nullifying the conviction of Kevin Darnell Dyson. The justices' action was a victory for the Maryland attorney general's office, which appealed the case late last year.