Foot

Greg Cantori plans to downsize when he retires. Really, really downsize. His retirement home is 238 square feet — one-tenth the size of the average new American house — and sits in his Anne Arundel County yard. He and wife Renee can hitch it to a truck and take it with them wherever they go. "It's so cheap — that's what's so cool about this," said Cantori, 52, who envisions a surf-and-turf future, alternating between the house and a sailboat. "We bought the house for $19,000.

Recently I boarded an Amtrak train headed for New York City. But as we embarked on our journey I was struck by the trash and debris strewn along the route. The dilapidated houses, abandoned buildings, discarded furniture and graffiti were more than I could bear. I wondered what passengers from elsewhere must think of Baltimore as they ride this route. If I were them, I wouldn't see this as a place to live or raise a family, only a place with a lot of crime and poverty. If travelers never got off the train to visit the Inner Harbor or see the cleaner sections of the city they might think that this is all there was. Not only is the train route atrocious, the route the Bolt bus takes leaving the city is just as repulsive.

Orb's path to the finish line in the second leg of the Triple Crown remains uncrowded. Normandy Invasion, the fourth-place finisher in the Kentucky Derby, dropped from contention for Saturday's 138th running of the Preakness on Sunday. Trainer Chad Brown and owner Rick Porter decided to stick with their original plan and point the horse toward prestigous races for 3-year-olds later in the summer. That leaves Orb, the colt co-owned by Baltimore County resident Stuart Janney III and Ogden Mills "Dinny" Pipps' stable, with only seven confirmed challengers at this point.

Like American jurisprudence, the University of Baltimore's new $114 million law school is complicated and thoughtful. Staircases bridge across and spiral through the 12-story building's vibrant atrium, connecting a labyrinth of classrooms and study spaces with faculty offices, clinical facilities and a research wing. Sunlight is inescapable, reducing the need for artificial lighting, and the concrete slab floors encase heating elements that also cut down on energy use. Colors like "margarita" and "banana yellow" pop from walls and ceilings, the sounds of a waterfall echo throughout the glass edifice and square chandeliers are strung like falling confetti.

Inside Westminster Abbey, eight 20-foot-tall live trees lined the center aisle during the wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William. The trees transformed the space, doing what even the most elaborate floral arrangement could not — providing a natural, living sense of permanence and an air of drama. The move was unexpected, unpretentious and bold. A potted tree on your patio or deck can have the same effect. While not every tree is well-suited for a container, there are a surprising number of options, ranging from crape myrtles to hollies.

Pacers forward Danny Granger , the team's leading scorer, will be out for at least four weeks with a foot injury. The team said Tuesday that Granger would miss a minimum of four to six weeks with a torn right plantar fascia, the tissue across the bottom of the foot connecting the heel and toes. The Pacers say Granger won't need surgery and is starting rehabilitation. Granger left the floor in the third quarter of Saturday's game against the Clippers. Granger is averaging 24.4 points a game this season for the Pacers, who have lost nine of their last 10 games following a five-game winning streak.

A man was shot in the foot shortly before 8:30 p.m. Thursday in the 2800 block of Boarman Ave. in Northwest Baltimore, according to police. The location is in the Towanda-Grantley neighborhood, east of the West Coldspring Metro Station. The victim was transported to an area hospital, according to Det. Jeremy Silbert, a police spokesman. Detectives were still investigating the incident late Thursday, Silbert said. No further details were available. krector@tribune.com Twitter.com/rectorpatuxent

In response to Randall Miller's letter about the Baltimore Grand Prix, I feel I must defend The Sun ("Why is the Sun determined to kill the Grand Prix?" May 15). Baltimore is also my hometown of 56 years. For the past three years I have been a Delaware resident, but I still can't completely break ties, so I buy The Sun every day. Of course Mr. Miller may feel good about sitting back and watching the race on television for free. Who could possibly be against that? Except maybe the taxpayers of Baltimore, who are footing the bill.

A 25-year-old man accidentally shot himself in the foot in Reisterstown Wednesday morning, according to Baltimore County Police. The man was shot at 5:13 a.m. at Nicodemus Road near Whispering Oaks Court, police said. He was taken to Northwest Medical Center for treatment. Preliminary reports suggested the man may have been hunting, but further investigation indicates that is not the case, according to a county police spokesman. Text BUSINESS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun Business text alerts

A man in his twenties was shot in the foot in Southeast Baltimore on Sunday afternoon, according to Baltimore Police. Officers responded to the 6200 block of Toone Street in the city's O'Donnell Heights neighborhood about 12:40 p.m. for a report of a shooting and located the wounded man, police said. The man was transported to an area hospital, police said. Southeastern District detectives are investigating the shooting. No further information was immediately available.

Baltimore City Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts is still relatively new on his job, so it's probably unfair to make too much of his unfortunate response to a question last week about the recent spate of gun violence that left nine people dead on the city's west side. "Though we're having a spike in homicides," Mr. Batts said, "our organization is working better, faster and smoother, and you can see it in the overall stats. " There was nothing factually wrong in Mr. Batts' answer; department statistics show an 8 percent drop in crimes of all types over this time last year.

Many Marylanders live on the water, but the owner of this contemporary townhouse in Baltimore can walk out on three balconies and be over the water. The five-level home, built in 2006, sold for $1,125,000, about $100,000 less than the asking price. "This home was fun to sell because it showed so well and had excellent views of Baltimore's Inner Harbor from every level," said real estate agent William J. Ganz III, who listed the townhouse at 647 Ponte Villas South. "Combined with the fact that it is located in the private, gated Pier Homes at Harborview community, it was just a matter of time before it sold.

Rounding up the usual suspects and putting officers on foot patrol for a few weeks are desperate moves by the Baltimore Police Department to temporarily shut down gun homicides before the nice weather arrives and street crime picks up with a vengeance ("6 killings continue violent 2013 start," March 5). Temporarily flooding the streets with foot patrols is feel-good initiative similar to gun buy-back programs. Violent crime in this town is gun driven, and officers on foot, unless they are jacking up every possible suspect they see while walking their beats, will probably just displace people with illegal guns to other parts of their district.

House hunters searching for an in-town, historic mansion in Mount Vernon, the heart of Baltimore's cultural center, need look no further than 514 Cathedral Street. The address is home to a 9,000-square-foot town house lovingly restored over the last eight years by its owner, Drew Rieger. Dating to 1847, the six-level, elegant home was once the residence of a commander of the Civil War. "It's the only house in Mount Vernon that has been restored back to its original 1840s floor plan," Rieger said.

Unlike Wednesday's snowstorm that failed to materialize amid forecasters' dire predictions, the Blizzard of '93 roared into Maryland the weekend of March 13-14 with a wallop, dumping a foot of snow on Baltimore while raking the state with almost hurricane-like winds before racing northward into New England. The cyclonic storm was born over the Gulf of Mexico on March 12, and at its maximum, it extended from Canada to Central America. It bore down on Cuba, where it killed 10, and then turned its ferocity on the East Coast.

Baltimore police moved Monday to increase foot patrols over the next month and conduct street sweeps of violent fugitives after a weekend that saw six people killed and continued a violent start to 2013. Baltimore has recorded 35 homicides this year, a 40 percent increase over the same period in 2012. The spike made for the deadliest January and February in the city in four years. The increase has been particularly alarming to residents of West Baltimore, which has been the scene of 11 killings since Jan. 1. Two men were killed within five blocks of each other there Saturday and Sunday.

The Washington Capitals signed free-agent defenseman Dustin Stevenson to a three-year entry-level contract. Stevenson, 20, is a 6-foot-5, 220-pound player for the La Ronge Ice Wolves of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League. - From Sun staff and news services

Cornell attackman Rob Pannell sustained a broken bone in his left foot and left during the third quarter against Army on Saturday. He won't play against Canisius tonight, sources close to the situation said. Pannell had surgery Monday to repair the damage and, while a timeline for his return has yet to be clarified, this type of repair typically sidelines athletes for at least six weeks, a source said. Perhaps most significantly, Pannell will not be lost for the season, contrary to widespread rumors.

C.J. Keyser, a 6-foot-3 sophomore small forward for the John Carroll boys basketball team, has transferred to Patterson Mill, but his playing status for the upcoming Class 2A state playoffs is still unclear.  Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association executive director Ned Sparks said Keyser's eligibility would be determined on whether he qualifies under Harford County Public Schools rules. Harford County supervisor of athletics Ken Zorbach could not immediately be reached for comment on Friday.