Halethorpe

Charles Swann Roberts, an author and co-founder of publishing company Barnard, Roberts and Co. Inc. known for his extensive histories of the Pennsylvania Railroad, died Aug. 20 from complications of emphysema and pneumonia at St. Agnes Hospital. The Halethorpe resident was 80. Mr. Roberts was working in his Willow Avenue office in Halethorpe, which overlooks the former Pennsy mainline (now the Northeast Corridor) when he was stricken, said a daughter, Jean R. Schweitzer of Catonsville.

A 15-year-old runaway was so afraid that someone might be lurking near her makeshift bed outside a restroom at a Halethorpe recreation center last June that she asked a virtual stranger to inspect the place."

Three months after Stroh Brewing Co. bought G. Heileman Brewing Co. Inc., workers expect to be told today that the Halethorpe brewery in Baltimore County will be closed.Executives of Detroit-based Stroh, who are scheduled to be at the plant today, did not return calls Tuesday and yesterday.Stroh, the nation's fourth largest brewery, completed the acquisition in July.A closing of the 36-year-old brewery would be no surprise to many workers. "To a person, we're convinced that's what they're here to do," said Charles Stansburge, secretary treasurer of Teamsters Local 570, which represents about 330 of the brewery's roughly 400 workers.

A 17-year-old boy was charged Wednesday with first-degree murder in the Halloween shooting of another teenager in Halethorpe, the Baltimore County State's Attorney's Office said. Sterlin C. Matthews was being held at the Baltimore County Detention Center after his arrest in the killing of 16-year-old Daquan T. Burks, according to Garret Glennon, chief of the Circuit Court Division in the prosecutor's office. Burks was shot in the back on the night of Oct. 31 outside a rowhouse on Twin Circle Way. Glennon said two other people, Trekwan Woodard and Imean Shaheed, were also shot and were expected to survive.

Something's always cooking at Wilkins-Rogers Inc. The owners of the last flour mill in Ellicott City used to be known locally for the test-batch doughnuts it would sell cheaply. Today, employees are cooking up glazes, batters, dry mixes and marinades for corporate customers looking to bring a new kick to chicken wings, waffles and doughnuts. With a new headquarters and mill in Halethorpe - the Ellicott City location is strictly a mill now - the 90-year-old maker of Washington flour, Raga Muffins and Indian Head cornmeal brands is staking its future on flour with flavor.

Some Halethorpe residents who are clashing with Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. have signed five-year agreements with the utility company to permit the clearing of trees on their property. The agreement between BGE and residents states that the trees near the transmission lines, in which the company has a right of way, will be removed in "approximately five years" or when it is "deemed necessary" and owners will be offered $175 per tree. Even without the agreement, the utility can cut vegetation within 33 feet from both sides of its transmission lines.

A 23 r d suspect has been charged in an indictment against the Maryland-based prison gang Dead Man Inc., according to documents recently unsealed in federal court. Kevin Bales, whose age and address are not listed in court documents, was arrested and charged in a recent superseding indictment with participating in a racketeering conspiracy including murder for hire, extortion and drug dealing. Authorities say Dead Man Inc. is an offshoot of the Black Guerilla Family gang that was formed for white inmates in Maryland prisons, and later spread into the streets and other states.

The Korean manufacturer that bought the dormant Procter & Gamble Co. factory in Locust Point is negotiating to buy the Halethorpe brewery that was closed last year by Stroh Brewery Co.A&E International Ltd. is considering a purchase for about $25 million, but the deal is not complete, a source familiar with negotiations said.The company would use the brewery to manufacture Soju, a liquor popular in the Far East. It is not clear how many people the new owner would employ. The closing in December eliminated about 430 jobs.

Among 100 calls for medical and fire-rescue service received by the Arbutus Volunteer Fire Department during the period May 5-12, were the following: Johnnycake Road, 5700 block, 12:45 a.m. May 11. Crews from the Arbutus and Woodlawn volunteer stations and Catonsville, Westview, and Woodlawn career stations responded to the report of a residential fire in Westview and extinguished a basement fire. South Rolling Road, 900 block, 11:59 p.m. May 10. Crews from the Arbutus volunteer station and Catonsville career station responded to the report of a person injured after falling on the Brightview Assisted Living facility campus.