Ellicott

The tortuous legislative road that led to construction of 106 rental apartments for limited-income residents ends Tuesday with a celebratory ribbon-cutting for Ellicott Gardens, the only residential property in Howard County with its own wind turbine to generate power. County Housing Director Stacy L. Spann said 41 tenants have been approved and 14 have moved in, though applications have been accepted only since late August. County workers, people displaced from mobile home parks and employees of nonprofits receive preference.

Jerome Hamilton Watts, a retired Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives inspector and former longtime Ruxton resident, died March 15 of liver failure at Stella Maris Hospice in Timonium. He was 65. Mr. Watts was born in Mineola, N.Y., and lived there for several years until moving to Greensboro, N.C., and then Towson. After graduating from Towson High School in 1961, he earned a bachelor's degree from Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C., in 1965. After serving in the Navy for several years, his ATFE career spanned nearly 40 years, where in addition to being an inspector, he conducted training sessions.

On December 27, 2008, Margaret (Peg) Clarke Dooley, a resident of Aigburth Vale, Baltimore, MD passed away at her daughter's home in Arlington, VA. Beloved mother of Karen M Leech of Ellicott City, Barbara A. Quinn of Baltimore, John Michael Dooley Family and friends may call at the Mitchell-Wiedefeld Funeral Home, 6500 York Road, on Friday, January 2nd from 2-4pm and 7-9pm. Funeral Services will be at St. Pius X Catholic Church on Saturday, January 3rd at 10AM. Private Internment will be in New Cathedral Cemetery.

On May 26, 2007, JACK EDWARD CEPKO of Simpsonville, MD (Columbia) Friends may call at the family owned Slack Funeral Home, P.A., 3871 Old Columbia Pike, Ellicott City, MD, 21043 on Wednesday from 6-8 p.m. Services from the above funeral home Thursday 11 A.M. Interment St. John's Cemetery, Ellicott City. Those who desire may direct memorials in Mr. Cepko's name to the Community Hospice of Baltimore, 9940 Franklin Square Drive; Suite K, Baltimore, MD, 21236. Please see www.slackfuneralhome.

On November 7, 2007, Bruce Richard PeTERSON Peterson and Kelly Moore. Mr. Peterson is the cherished grandfather of 12 and great grandfather of two. He is predeceased by a brother Ronald and a sister Joyce. The family will receive friends Tuesday 5-7 p.m. with a service taking place at 6 p.m. at the family owned Slack Funeral Home, P.A. 3871 Old Columbia Pike Ellicott City, MD 21043. Interment Private. Those who desire may direct memorials in Mr. Peterson's name to the American Heart Association, Mid-Atlantic Affiliate, P.O. Box 5216, Glen Allen, VA 23058-5216 or The Multiple Sclerosis Association at US Against MS, 201 W. Padonia Rd; Suite 300, Timonium, MD 21093.

Helping seniors learn new job skills Family and Children's Services of Central Maryland will offer a program to help senior citizens learn new job skills while working 20 hours a week with nonprofit organizations. The organization's Senior Community Service Employment Program is part of the Older Americans Act; participants must meet certain income requirements. Family and Children's Services has offices in Wilde Lake Village Center in Columbia and Whiskey Bottom Shopping Center in North Laurel, where it shares space with other agencies in the North Laurel-Savage Multiservice Center.

On November 10, 2007, GEORGE MANN DURRETT, retired Steel Company Executive; beloved husband of the late Ethel May Durrett (nee Smith); devoted father of Douglass M. Durrett and his wife, Patricia of Durham, NC, Roger W. Durrett of Charlotte, NC, Gary W. Durrett and his wife Daniela of Baltimore and Kyle Durrett McEntee and her husband Kevin of Del Mar, CA; dear brother of Shirley May Ashburn and her husband Warren of Baltimore and brother in law of...

THE ISSUE: The Carroll family is considering a proposal from Erickson Retirement Communities to develop about 150 acres of their historic Doughoregan Manor estate in western Ellicott City. The money would preserve most of the land and keep their 280-year-old manor house in family hands far into the future. But the project also would involve intense development and require bringing public water and sewer lines onto the property. Do you favor such a project? YOUR VIEW: Send e-mail responses by tomorrow to howard.

Barbara Marks of Ellicott City asks: "Has there ever been a blue moon in February?" Depends on your definition. The modern "blue moon" is the second full moon in any month. But since the lunar cycle takes at least 29.2 days, not even a leap year February has room for two. In 1999, February had no full moon at all. An older definition is the third full moon in a season with four. That occurs in seven out of 19 years, always in February, May, August or November.

Certifications David R. Bogus of the accounting and consulting firm Ellin & Tucker has been certified as an accredited senior appraiser by the American Society of Appraisers. Contracts Vericom Technologies Inc., a Columbia-based firm, has been selected by Guardian Cos. of Delaware to provide mobile resource management solutions. New clients Warschawski has been named as the national agency of record for W.L. Gore & Associates, makers of Gore-Tex and Windstopper products. New name I4 Commerce, a Timonium-based alternative payment service, changed its name to Bill Me Later Inc. The service lets shoppers make purchases without using a credit card and be billed at a later date.

The Friendly Inn on Frederick Road in Ellicott City can have an outdoor patio despite opposition by some nearby residents, according to a decision by Howard County's hearing examiner. The owner of the once-rural bluegrass bar must wait to see whether appeals are filed and must obtain permission from the county liquor board, but Jason Cooke is hopeful that he will be able to proceed. The patio would likely open by next spring, he said. The decision prohibits outdoor music or a roof over the patio and would not allow patrons of an existing snowball stand to use it. Examiner Michele L. LeFaivre's decision requires either a 3-foot-high fence or 3-foot-high planters bordering the 1,128-square-foot patio and limits access to the outdoor seating to and from the restaurant.

The tortuous legislative road that led to construction of 106 rental apartments for limited-income residents ends Tuesday with a celebratory ribbon-cutting for Ellicott Gardens, the only residential property in Howard County with its own wind turbine to generate power. County Housing Director Stacy L. Spann said 41 tenants have been approved and 14 have moved in, though applications have been accepted only since late August. County workers, people displaced from mobile home parks and employees of nonprofits receive preference.

Vincenza Milazzo-Greco Memorial Mass to be held on Saturday, August 29, 2009 1:00 P.M. Church of The Resurrection, 3175 Paulskirk Road, Ellicott, MD 21042

Vincenza Milazzo-Greco Memorial Mass to be held on Saturday, August 29, 2009 1:00 P.M. Church of The Resurrection, 3175 Paulskirk Road, Ellicott, MD 21042

The Friendly Inn on Frederick Road in Howard County has been a rustic attraction since before zoning came to the increasingly suburban area, but the new owners of the bluegrass music bar have irked some newer "55 and better" residents of nearby age-restricted housing. Even its boosters agree that the Friendly doesn't fit the new upscale neighborhood image. "It was a pretty dilapidated, rough, tough place," said Jeff Marsh, an area resident who supports owner Jason Cooke's bid to draw more seasonal business with a small outdoor patio.

When Michael Johnson says he is "over-the-top passionate about beer," he is undeniably understating the case. And when the Ellicott City pub owner and home brewer says he can talk for hours about his beverage of choice, that estimate is on the low side. A plethora of beer trivia pours out of Johnson as effortlessly as his priciest brew glides down a customer's parched throat. He reminds a listener of what a computer search engine might sound like if it were able to read all of its facts aloud.

After all this rain, Greg Koppenhoeffer of Ellicott City wondered whether Baltimore's reservoirs were full yet. He looked for numbers online but found none. The city hopes to post reservoir data on a new Web site sometime this summer. Call Public Works, and they'll say Loch Raven and Prettyboy are full. Liberty is rising at 98.9 percent. Combined, they're at 99.4 percent. Plenty.

Barbara Jean Reiser-Dyer A memorial service will be held at the Church of the Resurrection, 3175 Paulskirk Road, Ellicott City, Maryland, on Thursday, June 18, 2009 at 3:00 P.M.

The Marriotts Ridge High School Dance Program is holding master hip-hop classes, featuring Honey Rockwell, Friday at the school, 12100 Woodford Drive, Marriottsville. Class for middle schoolers will held 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.; class for high schoolers will be held 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Cost is $25. RSVP to mrhsdance@yahoo.com for reservations. Master gardening advice Master gardeners will answer questions about plants and gardening from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Mondays and 10 a.m. to noon Saturdays at the Miller library, 9421 Frederick Road, Ellicott City.

The B&O Railroad Museum presents "A Visit From Isaac Ridgeway Trimble," 1 p.m. Saturday at 2711 Maryland Ave., Ellicott City. Alan Walden, journalist and broadcaster, portrays Gen. Isaac Ridgeway Trimble, who was born in Virginia, lived in Maryland and joined the Confederate Army. Program is about 45 minutes, followed by a question-and-answer session. Call 410-461-1945 for more information. Master gardening advice Master gardeners will answer questions about plants and gardening from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Mondays and 10 a.m. to noon Saturdays at the Miller library, 9421 Frederick Road, Ellicott City.