Elkridge

On December 4, 2007, ROBERT J. BLAIR of Finksburg, MD, formerly of Elkridge. He is survived by his wife Alice Blair; daughter, Alice "Bobbie" Maier-Thompson and husband Stephen, daughter Madeline "Midge" Tobin and husband David; three grandchildren, Chrissie Moore and husband Thomas, Robert Maier and Steven Maier; three great-grandchildren Samantha Maier, Carolyn Maier and Colin Moore and also a special great-niece, Jayme Nix and many other family members...

The Elkridge Volunteer Fire Department plans an all-you-can-eat breakfast with Santa Claus from 7:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. today at the fire hall, 6275 Old Washington Road, Elkridge. Adults pay $7; seniors ages 55 and older pay $6. Children ages 5 to 12 pay $5, and children younger than 5 get in free. Baked goods will be available to buy. Information: 410-313-4901. Santa and missus to visit Elkridge Santa and Mrs. Claus will visit Elkridge on a fire engine from Thursday through Dec. 17, weather permitting.

The Centennial High School Boosters will sponsor the Eagle Baseball School, a summer camp program for boys ages 7 to 14, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays, June 25-29 and July 30 through Aug. 3. The camp, to be directed by Centennial's boys varsity baseball coach Denis Ahearn, will offer instruction and drills in throwing, hitting, fielding, base running, catching and strategy. Area players and coaches will give lectures and demonstrations. The emphasis will be on fundamentals, sportsmanship and fun. The program includes contests, treats, a report card and certificates.

Fourteen families are getting ready to buy new, low-priced townhouses and condominiums, thanks to the latest Howard County moderate-income housing lottery. Thomas P. Carbo, deputy county housing director, said a lottery drawing last week awarded five new townhouses in Shipley's Grant on Route 108 near Snowden River Parkway, at $168,000 each; five Elkridge Crossing condominium apartments on U.S. 1, priced at $178,000 each; and four Elkridge Crossing garage townhouses at $204,000 each. Carbo said the housing winners were people employed by Howard County General Hospital, the county state's attorney's office, the National Institutes of Health, county schools, police, the state health department and Enterprise Community Partners.

The struggle to provide affordable housing for limited-income working families focused yesterday on a foggy hillside in tiny Lennox Park off Dorsey Road, as low-flying airplanes approached nearby Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and occasional passenger trains whizzed by on tracks just steps away. Howard County's Habitat for Humanity chapter held a groundbreaking for a new detached home it hopes to build next spring on the L-shaped Elkridge parcel in what was once an isolated hamlet populated mainly by railroad workers.

Glen Mar United Methodist Church will hold an evening worship service Nov. 11 to honor and thank those who have served in the military and to offer prayers for the men and women still in harm's way. The service will be held at 7:30 p.m. at the church, 8430 Glenmar Road, Ellicott City. An offering will be taken to support the Wounded Warrior and Coming Home projects, which provide assistance to veterans. Everyone is welcome. Information: 410-465-4995. Centennial to offer Shakespeare play Centennial High School will present its version of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream at 7 p.m. Nov. 14, 15, 16 and 17 in the school auditorium.

On November 8, 2007, DORIS M. ZUCCARINI; of Dorsey/Elkridge; beloved wife of Anthony Zuccarini. She is survived by her son, David and his wife Aimee. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Christy, Ethan and William. Her sister Johannah Zimmerman; her nephews, Ryan Zimmerman and Barry and Bruce Zuccarini and her niece, Connie Roderick. Relatives and friends are invited to call at GARY L. KAUFMAN FUNERAL HOME AT MEADOWRIDGE MEMORIAL PARK, INC., 7250 Washington Blvd., Elkridge, (exit 6 off RT. 100)

On May 10, 2007, ANNA MAE CARLE, passed peacefully at home; beloved wife of the late Henry J. Carle. She is survived by her children, Stephen J. Carle, Teresa and Daniel Baker and Linda and James Martin. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Lisa and Michael Baker. She will be missed by many other family members and friends. Relatives and friends are invited to call at the GARY L. KAUFMAN FUNERAL HOME AT MEADOWRIDGE MEMORIAL PARK, INC., 7250 Washington Blvd., Elkridge (exit 6 off Route 100)

With 108 preschool youngsters stuck at home and four staff layoffs looming, Howard County officials are rushing to find classroom space after a boiler failure at the old Elkridge Elementary School forced the building's closure.The emergency eliminated one of the three former schools used to house Head Start, a federally funded preschool program, and will force double sessions at another former school - the Rockland Arts Center on High Ridge Drive in Ellicott City. But that building doesn't have enough room for one class of 17 children, and officials are hoping to get a portable building from the county to house them next to the Rockland building.

The blotter is a sampling of crimes in Howard County compiled from police reports.ClarksvilleCherry Tree Drive: 7400 block. Someone entered a home about 5 p.m. Sept. 7 and stole thousands of dollars in jewelry.East ColumbiaStevens Forest Road: 5800 block, Oakland Mills. A man approached two people standing outside a store lot at 9 p.m. Sept. 4 and asked them for drugs. After they said they did not have any, the man forced them to the ground and stole $100 and a pager.Oakland Mills Road: 5500 block, Oakland Mills.

3 hurt in crash on U.S. 1 in Elkridge Three people were hurt Friday in a crash on U.S. 1 in Elkridge when a 16-year-old driver of a southbound Chevrolet Trailblazer lost control near Old Washington Road about 5 p.m. and hit a flatbed tow truck headed north, Howard County police said. The Trailblazer was then hit by a Chevrolet Cavalier. The Trailblazer driver, an Elkridge resident who was not identified, along with Pauline Lesane, 52, of Pikesville and her passenger in the Cavalier, Eric Lesane, 19, were taken to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center.

Eugene "Pete" Sherman, Relatives and friends may call at Donaldson Funeral Home, P.A., 313 Talbott Avenue, Laurel, MD on Monday 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 P.M. where service will be held on Tuesday, September 8 at 10 A.M. Interment private. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Elkridge Volunteer Fire Department, 6275 Old Washington Road, Elkridge, MD, 21075.

The recession has brought many development projects and accompanying political tensions to a halt in Howard County, but that doesn't mean that planning for new projects has stopped. While the idea for redeveloping Columbia's downtown is getting the most public attention, smaller projects are getting very little. One such project is Morris Place, a townhouse/office project that Ryan Homes wants to build where several commercial buildings now stand in the 7400 block of U.S. 1, south of Route 103. Former county planning director Joseph Rutter, now in private practice, held what the county calls a "pre-submission meeting" for the new Ryan project at the Elkridge Library on Aug. 12, but no citizens attended to hear about it. The meetings, listed on the county's Web site, are required by the county to provide information to the public before any formal plan submission to Howard government.

Susan B. Fritz, a longtime volunteer and sportswoman, died at her Ruxton home Sunday after an eight-month battle with lymphoma. She was 82. She was born Susan Baker in Baltimore and lived in Guilford until she was 12, when, because of her family's interest in fox hunting, they moved to Manor Hill Farm on My Lady's Manor in Monkton. Mrs. Fritz attended the Bryn Mawr School and graduated in 1945 from the Masters School in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. She made her debut at the Bachelors Cotillon and graduated in 1949 from Vassar College with a bachelor's degree in mathematics.

St. John Baptist Church will hold a free community forum on "Relationship Abuse" from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. April 29 in the church's sanctuary, 8910 Old Annapolis Road, Ellicott City. Speakers will discuss domestic and dating violence, healthy and unhealthy relationships, the spiritual perspective, and criminal and civil remedies. There will be opportunities for questions and comments. Information and reservations: 410-992-6977. Kid firefighters Three junior firefighters from the Elkridge Volunteer Fire Department have been selected as "America's Favorite Junior Firefighters."

Marjorie Farewell Tribute Viewing Sunday 1 to 3 P.M in the McGUINNESS FUNERAL HOME, 573 Egg Harbor Road, Washington Twp., (Sewell), NJ, 08080, and Monday 11A.M to 1 P.M in the Gary L. Kaufman at Meadowridge Memorial Park, Inc. (exit 6 south off Rt. 100), Elkridge, MD 21075. Funeral Service 1 P.M. Interment Meadowridge Memorial Park, Elkridge, MD. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The American Lung Association, 1600 Rt. 22 E., Union, NJ 07083. Tributes and memories may be shared at: www.mcgfuneral.

A private group's plans to finance construction of a regional tennis center in Elkridge could help advance county plans to develop the long-planned Troy Hill Regional Park into a community jewel on a historic site. The land has been used by Europeans since about 1695, historians say, and Revolutionary War figures are thought to have met at a house on the 106-acre tract's highest hill when the property was owned by Col. Thomas Dorsey. The shell of a stone house believed to date from the early 19th century that could become park headquarters now overlooks Interstate 95 at Route 100. Art Tollick, who leads the Howard County Tennis Patrons, said his group brings a deal any government would have trouble refusing.

The Elkridge Rotary Club will hold its 45th annual Bull & Oyster Roast fundraiser at La Fontaine Blue in Glen Burnie from 7 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. Jan. 24. Proceeds will support the club's community and international service projects. Last year the club distributed almost $20,000 to various projects including the Dictionary Project, the Food Pantry, the Rotary Youth Leadership Award program, five college scholarships, Susan B Komen Foundation, Elkridge Youth Organization, Foundation of Sustainable Development and well replacement in Ethiopia.

A social worker, a research biologist and a kindergarten teacher are excited about spending the holiday season preparing to buy a new home, thanks to a county program that put new homes within the reach of moderate-income residents. They were among eight people awarded the right to buy a new condominium apartment or townhouse at a reduced price under the Moderate Income Housing Unit program at a drawing Tuesday at the county's Gateway Building. Under the program, developers building in several county zones must include a small percentage of units at below-market prices.

Four more families are set to buy new homes at a discount under Howard County's housing program for middle-income families, but six additional residences are awaiting owners. The county requires developers to make a small percentage of units built in some areas available at below-retail prices under the Moderate Income Housing Unit program. Three Ryan Homes developments along U.S. 1 have units in the program about to go under construction. In the drawing held Wednesday in the county's Gateway Building, two townhouses were available at both the Belmont Station and Village Towns developments, while one townhouse and five two-bedroom condominiums were offered at Elkridge Crossing.