Gatton

An Odenton man was indicted yesterday on charges that he caused the death of an elderly man when he crashed his truck into three cars while escaping house arrest. An Anne Arundel County grand jury charged Michael T. Spears, 37, who has a lengthy criminal record, with manslaughter and 10 related counts stemming from the June 25 wreck near Crofton. Burkman Gatton Sr., 92, of Crofton was paralyzed from the accident and died of resulting pneumonia in October, said State's Attorney Frank R. Weathersbee.

On his way home from work recently, Rick Niles of Laurel stopped at a gas station to fill up and as usual pulled out his Shell credit card to pay. But this time, the card didn't work. "I thought it was a probably just a problem with the gas station," said Niles, 40, an aerospace engineer with Mitre Corp. in Northern Virginia. Days later he learned the truth. Citi, the card's issuer, had canceled his two-year-old account without advance notice, even though Niles says he pays the $200 or $300 balance each month and has a high credit rating.

In Baltimore CityDeportation hearing in Canada delayed for man sought in killingA fugitive from Baltimore who is seeking political asylum in Canada delayed his deportation hearing yesterday so he can get a new lawyer, said Haven H. Kodeck, deputy city state's attorney.David A. Gatton, 21, of Brooklyn is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting Feb. 18 of Anthony Henson, 20, during an argument. Gatton surrendered to police in Vancouver, British Columbia, on June 25. Noting Maryland's death penalty and crowded prisons, he has requested asylum in Canada as a United Nations political refugee.

On June 14, 2006, MARGARET D. SMITH-KIERNAN of Glen Burnie; devoted wife of the late George E. Smith, Jr. and the late Frank Kiernan; beloved mother of Kenneth Smith and the late George E. Smith III; loving sister of Rose Bruce, Sarah Horrigan, Dora Gatton and Frances Dalfonzo; preceded in death by three brothers and five sisters; dear grandmother of Cindy Palmer, Stacy Lawhorn and Susan Jens; loving great-grandmother of nine and great-great-grandmother of...

Professional musicians don't just take music lessons; some ZTC also give them, via instructional tapes.The price of taped lessons is about $50 for a videocassette that runs roughly an hour and $70 for a series of six audio cassettes. That compares to about $40 an hour for a private lesson in New York City. Tapes are often supplemented by written material, like fingering charts for guitar.The main advantages of taped lessons are convenience and celebrity teachers. An obvious drawback is that a tape won't correct your mistakes.

Region Logo with new name unveiled at airport Maryland officials on Tuesday unveiled the new logo for the newly minted Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. The name change for fast-growing BWI took effect yesterday. The General Assembly debated the cost and practicality of changing the airport name to honor the first African-American Supreme Court justice until the final hours of this year's legislative session, with the state Board of Public Works giving final approval for the measure in August.

Walter Snyder Jr., a retired telephone company worker who umpired baseball and refereed football in the Loch Raven recreation leagues, died of cancer Saturday at St. Joseph Medical Center. The 46-year resident of Loch Raven Village was 74. Mr. Snyder retired in 1984 from the Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Co., where he be gan work as a 16-year-old.In recent years, he volunteered at the Our Daily Bread soup kitchen and area nursing homes.Born and raised in East Baltimore, Mr. Snyder was a 1939 graduate of Polytechnic Institute.

After speeches that waxed philosophical about the "state of democracy" and "right to vote," members of the Glen Burnie Improvement Association voted down a proposal calling for mandatory meeting attendance to vote in elections."

Francis X. McSweeney Sr., a longtime automobile dealer in Baltimore who later worked for the State Department of Licensing and Regulation and retired in 1991, died Oct. 15 of cancer at his home on The Alameda. He was 72. A Mass of Christian burial was offered Oct. 19 at Immaculate Heart of Mary Roman Catholic Church.He was general sales manager of a Ford dealership before operating McSweeney Pontiac on West North Avenue between 1955 and 1958, when it was destroyed by fire. Later, for about 10 years, he operated K&M Auto Sales, a used-car business on Belair Road.

Charles Robert Willey, a hospital stationary engineer who was known for his artistry as a gunsmith, died of cancer Feb. 2 at his Highlandtown home. He was 60.For more than 40 years, Mr. Willey made pistols, rifles and shotguns on an array of lathes, sanders, chisels and grinders in his basement workshop. He also made knives with elaborately carved handles.He made nearly 37 Kentucky rifles over the years, many used in shooting competitions. Other weapons, such as a pair of dueling pistols he made in the mid-1980s for display at the Shot Tower, were intended for exhibition only.