Eldersburg

Pupils compete in contest on geographyCan you name the cultural region that includes Denmark, Norway and Sweden; the mountain range that is on the northern border of India; or the capital of the Philippines?That's a sample of the questions that 10 finalists faced in the FTC annual National Geographic Bee at Eldersburg Elementary School.Each contestant was asked 10 questions covering geographic areas throughout the world. Those competing in this year's bee were Russell Sharp, Keir Lauritzen, Beau Brooks, Julianna Sapp, Jay Lanigan, Jeff Crowe, Tim Feeser, Geoff Nordling, Steve Behan and Michael Markovic.

Home owners surrounding the new Liberty Exchange office, retail and warehouse development in Eldersburg are hoping to see the traffic light at the entrance of the center at Liberty Road become operational - and sooner than later. Currently, the signal at Exchange Drive and Liberty Road (Route 26) is a blinking yellow light, but residents are concerned about possible accidents as cars attempt to get through the heavily-traveled stretch of Liberty Road. "I have witnessed several close calls during the day, especially when the high school students are dismissed around 2:30 p.m.," said Jen Hoey, president of the nearby Sumner's Hollow home owner association.

Dante Liberatore works a room in a way that few restaurateurs care to, or dare to, these days. We saw him compel a sour patron to concede that her wait for a table had been exactly as long as he said it would be. She wasn't thrilled, but her husband was. Later we heard him tell a diner at a nearby table that if she still didn't like a pasta dish the kitchen remade for her, he would eat it himself. She didn't like it, and he ate it. That's part of the fun at Liberatore's of Eldersburg.

Century High School in Sykesville was evacuated Tuesday afternoon after threatening graffiti was written on a bathroom wall, Carroll County school officials said. An Alert Now electronic message sent out by the school system about 2 p.m. said that law enforcement officials conducted a "comprehensive" search of the school and found "no threat or danger. " Students and staff re-entered the building, the message said. The incident came a day after graffiti was found on a bathroom wall at Sykesville Middle School that indicated a threat to the building, according to another Alert Now electronic message from the school system.

State police are investigating an armed robbery Saturday night at a fast-food restaurant in Eldersburg. The Roy Rogers restaurant in the 1400 block of Liberty Road was robbed at 10:35 p.m. by three men, believed to be between ages 18 and 25, police said. One of the men, who was holding a black semiautomatic handgun, demanded money from three store employees, police said. After obtaining an undetermined amount of cash, the men put two of the employees in a walk-in freezer and a bathroom, police said.

The Sykesville town manager has made public a local group's interest in annexing several hundred Eldersburg residences into the town.At the council session Monday, Town Manager James L. Schumacher read a letter from the South Carroll Coalition acknowledging a recent meeting with town officials."

A water main break yesterday morning left about 35 homes on Emerald Drive in the Merryman Heights subdivision of Eldersburg without water for most of the day. Work crews from the Carroll County Bureau of Utilities were on the scene before noon but couldn't begin digging until Miss Utility crews marked other utility lines, said Frank Schaeffer, bureau administrator. Schaeffer said that the break was routine and that he expected water service to be restored by late afternoon. He said residents might experience some air in their water lines and discoloration for a couple hours once repairs were complete.