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Neither rain, nor mud, nor bolt of lightning could stop the Liberty High Marching Band in Saturday's Freestate Spectacular VII band competition at the University of Maryland's Byrd Stadium.Under the direction of first-year director Bryan Eber, the Lions captured their fifth title in the competition's seven-year history, including its third consecutive crown.Liberty compiled 87.7 points out of 100 possible in the 13-school Group III competition, which consisted of bands with 55 to 80 members.

IF PRACTICE MAKES perfect, the 75 musicians and 21 guard members of the Liberty High School marching band should be almost there.Under the watchful eye of band director Bryan Eber, the students have spent many hours this month perfecting their sound, as well as the precise marching steps that will take them through the competition season.Drum major Robyn McCormick, a senior, will lead the band as it performs music from Antonin Dvorak's Ninth Symphony, "From the New World." The orchestral style is a departure from the more symphonic band literature traditionally used by the band.

Lawyers for Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital and the family of Sharon Edwards -- the woman slain while working as a counselor at the hospital in 1995 -- have settled a $10 million negligence lawsuit against the Towson psychiatric institution in a confidential agreement."

Despite having to perform in a cold, driving rain, the Liberty High Lions Pride Marching Band continued its Group III winning streak with a 91.5 score at the 15th annual Showcase of Bands sponsored by the Francis Scott Key High School Instrumental Music Boosters Saturday.Liberty also won the Best Music, Best Percussion, Best Drum Major and Best Marching and Maneuvering specialty awards."The band did great," said Liberty band director Bryan Eber. "There was a problem with the footing because of the field and weather conditions, but we were prepared."

PASADENA -- A 92-year-old Glen Burnie man died yesterday of injuries when the car he was driving was struck broadside by another vehicle on Ritchie Highway, county police said.George John Eber of the 100 block of Chalmers Ave. drove a 1993 Oldsmobile from the parking lot of the Horizons Business Park about 8: 30 a.m. and attempted a prohibited crossover of the northbound lanes when his car was struck by a northbound 1993 Ford Explorer driven by Kimberly C. Mills, 32, of Glen Burnie.Eber died from internal injuries at 4: 45 p.m. at the Maryland Shock Trauma Center.

Baltimore police yesterday identified two people who were shot to death over the weekend. One was a Southern High School teen-ager, and the other lived in Harford County.No arrests had been made, and no motive is known.Homicide Detective Joseph Kleinota said Larry Knox, 15, of the 1700 block of Ensor St. in East Baltimore was gunned down about 11: 45 p.m. Saturday outside a senior citizen social club in the 500 block of N. Patterson Park Ave.Kleinota said Knox was shot once in the head and once in the chest and was pronounced dead at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Every chance he got, Val Eshleman took his boat onto the Chesapeake Bay to fish. He especially liked catching rockfish in the spring and fall. And every year, he and his brother and their friends traveled to Hatteras, N.C., to catch drum fish.Now, Mr. Eshleman's twin brother, Gregory, and his friends are organizing a fishing tournament to celebrate the life of the former marina manager who died in a boatyard accident last fall. This week they began accepting applications for the tournament, scheduled for Sept.

The Liberty High School Lions Pride marching band took first place and best percussion in Group III bands, with a score of 89.5, at the Freestate Spectacular VIII Maryland State Band Championship on Saturday at Towson State University.The South Carroll High School Cavaliers marching band placed second in Group III, with a score of 87.45, and won the best music category.The top two Carroll schools competed against 10 other bands in Group III, including the North Carroll Panthers, which placed 10th with a score of 73.5.

Los Angeles--Cynics say that Elizabeth Taylor planned her eighth wedding to coincide with the launch of her new perfume, White Diamonds. Others bet she wouldn't step to the altar with Larry Fortensky yesterday afternoon.But Liz is a woman who has never done anything by half-measures.She will be 60 years old, while her bridegroom is only 39, and when asked why she was getting married again, she mused, "Well, I've been single for 10 years. I always thought -- knowing my nature as a 'marrying kind of woman' -- that I would try, just one more time, before I die. And this is it."

The five Carroll County high school marching bands took the field Saturday night in what for many would be their last competition of the season.It was the final performance for Westminster and North Carroll, which placed fifth and seventh, respectively, in their divisions at the Chapter XIII Tournament of Bands at South Carroll High School.Francis Scott Key and South Carroll, both of which took second place in their respective groups, are hoping their scores were high enough to qualify them for the Atlantic Coast Championships next weekend in Scranton, Pa.Liberty High School received an automatic invitation to the contest because it took first place in its division for the sixth consecutive year.