Fresh

It was an unforgettable journey to the West Coast last season for all of the wrong reasons for the Ravens, a series of embarrassing moments against the San Diego Chargers burned into their memory. During the Ravens' 34-14 debacle of a road loss last December at Qualcomm Stadium, strong-armed Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers was in full gunslinger mode with plenty of time to easily lob spirals over the flailing hands of the Baltimore defensive backs. Rivers' towering wide receivers dashed past the secondary as San Diego scored on its first five possessions, including four touchdowns.

The suspect in the abduction of Violet R. Ripken from her Aberdeen home stopped at a Middle River Walmart the day after the July incident and may have had a brief encounter with the driver of a dark green minivan, Aberdeen Police Lt. Fred Budnick said Monday. Police are asking the driver of the van, which appears to be a Dodge Caravan with stickers on the driver and passenger side back windows, to contact them with any information. Budnick said the driver is not a suspect but perhaps a witness.

Kristy Skocik and her husband, Chris, signed up for a community-supported agriculture plan last winter to ensure they would have farm-fresh fruits and vegetables in the spring for the baby they were expecting. Disappointed when that weekly plan was canceled, the Columbia couple searched for an alternative and found one, in Friends and Farms, that they say has exceeded their expectations. "We hardly ever have to go to the grocery store now because we also get dairy, meat, eggs and bread," said Skocik, a NASA engineer now working part time from home to care for 9-month-old Samantha.

Thanksgiving can be an overwhelming holiday. Even the most seasoned cooks can become agitated by the menu planning and trying to get all the details just perfect. Relax. Area farmers' markets have got you covered. Even as the growing season draws to a close, the markets' bustle increases with shoppers looking for ingredients for their Thanksgiving feast and farmers selling their last big crops of the year. The weekend before Thanksgiving is traditionally the markets' biggest weekend of the year (though many run until the week before Christmas)

Not even being arrested on federal fraud charges and placed under strict house arrest could keep Amiee Arora from cooking up new schemes. The Washington man pleaded guilty Tuesday to a pair of plots - including one that netted him and a partner $340,000 in Maryland unemployment benefits - and hatching another even after being indicted in connection with the first two. In the original scheme, Arora, 32, exploited a loophole in Maryland's unemployment...

So intent was Riccardo Migliori on his mission - observing the U.S. election and asking questions about the voting process in Baltimore - that he missed the statues of saints and the oil painting of Pope Leo XIII. So foreign was the idea that voting might take place in a house of worship that he apparently didn't notice the brass crucifix on the wall above him, either. In fact, it wasn't until he left the polling place in Little Italy and stepped onto chilly Exeter Street on Tuesday morning that Migliori, a senior member of Big Italy's parliament, realized he had just seen Americans voting in the basement of a Roman Catholic church.

As old photographs of local jazz musicians flashed on a screen, those gathered in the Pennsylvania Avenue branch of the Enoch Pratt Free Library in Druid Heights on Monday night shouted out names or furrowed their brows, racking their memories for old acquaintances and friends. About 50 people gathered for local historian Thomas Saunders' program "Revisiting Pennsylvania Avenue: A Trip Down Memory Lane" at the library branch and long-standing community landmark, which just completed a three-month renovation.

It's October, and for farms such as Baugher's Orchard, in Westminster, pumpkins and apples are ready to be harvested - and it seems many people are interested in that process. "This time of year is such a busy time," said Marjorie Baugher, owner of the orchard off Route 140. "So many people want to be out. We had eight wagons running constantly (last) weekend for people. " Those wagons run during the week, too, as the orchard hosts school groups from all around the area. An average of two or three tours are conducted each day during the week, according to Lynn Forman, a fourth-generation Baugher family member, and tour guide.

The Eleanor Roosevelt High School music program is holding its annual fruit sale each month October through March. Proceeds from the sale of freshly picked oranges and grapefruit are used to provide quality instrument and music for the band and orchestra program. To order fruit, call the ERHS Fruit Line, 301-345-5393.

When an entire home makeover is not in the budget, consider adding a pop of color to give your home a fun, fresh look. A coat of paint is one of the easiest - and cheapest - ways to make your home feel like new. But if you're afraid to commit to paint, a few accessories in your favorite shade can make a stylish statement. To help you figure out where to start, Howard Magazine talked to a few local interior designers to find out what's trendy this fall and how you can embrace color in your home.