Hamel

It was his house, his girlfriend who got the alcohol. The shotgun was his 2-day-old toy, and he was the one who, drunk and high, pumped a bullet into a friend's forehead. Within hours, he dumped the body in nearby woods, lied to the youth's mother, and cleaned the blood-splattered Odenton home so thoroughly that he recarpeted and patched the wall.That was Anne Arundel County Circuit Judge Philip T. Caroom's assessment yesterday of Jason K. Hamel, 19. When Hamel tearfully apologized for the first time moments before sentencing, Caroom said, "He, in court today, cries perhaps as much for himself as for his friend."

A Baltimore judge sentenced Jason K. Hamel to 50 years in prison for the Federal Hill murder of an alleged drug dealer who tricked him into paying $5,000 for a T-shirt he said was a package of cocaine. The shooting happened in 800 block of Battery Avenue on June 20, 2008 when Hamel, 33, went to meet his victim Keyva Bluitt and two other men to do the supposed drug deal. Hamel picked up the package at around 9:15 p.m. and soon realized the deception, according to the Baltimore state's attorney's office.

The husband-wife team that ran the Ron Thomas School of Cosmetology in Baltimore pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court to their roles in a fraud scheme that swindled the nation's student aid program out of $1.5 million.Von Thomas, portrayed by prosecutors as the mastermind of the scheme, apologized in U.S. District Court in Baltimore and said she wished she could turn back time."I am deeply sorry," Von Thomas, 60, president of the company, told U.S. District Judge Andre M. Davis. "I created a way to keep the business going, and it was wrong.

SAN FRANCISCO — The last time Cole Hamels was on the mound, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said he saw the Cole Hamels of old. The way Manuel was talking — "When he's really good, he's good the same way he was before" — he made Hamels sound like someone in his mid-30s. Or someone recovering from a major elbow operation. Hamels is 26. His left arm has never been cut open. But Hamels, who will face the Giants on Tuesday in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series, has already experienced enough in his relatively brief career to be enjoying a revival.

Mount Hebron's wrestling team isn't leaving itself much room for improvement.Coming off a 4-8 season with one win against a county opponent -- 33-30 over Atholton -- the Vikings have begun the 1992-1993 campaign either vacant or thin in six positions.They are forfeiting at 103 pounds and heavyweight, guaranteeing 12-point deficits entering every match. In addition, the Vikings have just one wrestler at 112, 160, 171 and 189.And five starters are lost from last season."We don't have any depth at 103, 112 and 160 and up, so if we have any injuries, we're in real bad shape," coach Bill Hamel said.

For severely ill people who are near death, dialysis treatment to replace the blood-cleaning function of kidneys appears to be an extraordinarily expensive procedure that does little to extend life, according to a new study.The study, led by a doctor at Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, found dialysis and related care cost on average $128,200 for each year of life it gained patients, more than twice a common -- but not universally accepted -- medical cost-effectiveness standard of $50,000 per year.

HOUSTON - Former Enron Corp. broadband division executives have reached a compromise with prosecutors who sought to freeze about $64 million of their assets pending a fraud trial scheduled to begin in October. Under the agreement, one former executive agreed not to sell or mortgage his house, and restrictions weren't placed on three other defendants' homes, defense lawyer Lee L. Hamel said yesterday. "It was an interim matter that had to be addressed because the government was seeking pre-trial restraints in disposition of assets," Hamel said.

A 19-year-old Odenton man has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of Billy Joe Ace, an 18-year-old Baltimore County man shot March 9 while he and two friends were drinking and playing with a loaded gun, police said.Jason Keith Hamel, who was renting a room in a townhouse in the 500 block of Realm Court where the shooting occurred, was arrested Aug. 7 and is being held at the Anne Arundel County Detention Center in lieu of $250,000 bail, police said.

Rhea Filion Hamel, 63, Columbia activistRhea Filion Hamel, one of Columbia's pioneering residents and community activists, died of cancer Thursday at her home there. She was 63.Born and raised in New Hampshire, Mrs. Hamel graduated in 1951 from Presentation of Mary, a Roman Catholic boarding school in Hudson, N.H. She married John E. Hamel in 1958 and moved with him in 1961 to Maryland, where he worked for a building company.In 1968, the Hamels moved to Columbia, the "new town" that developer James W. Rouse and the Rouse Co. had opened one year before.

William E. Reincke, a retired construction superintendent who worked on a number of notable building projects in the area, died Tuesday of cancer at his home in Granite. He was 69. After a career that spanned nearly 50 years, Mr. Reincke retired last year because of failing health from Hamel Commercial Inc., builders of apartment houses and commercial buildings. Earlier, he had worked for many years in a similar capacity for Harkins Builders and Madison Mechanical. He had been vice president for the Urban Development Corp.

CINCINNATI — When the end finally came — fittingly on a Cole Hamels strikeout — there were no wild celebrations on the field. No hugs, no dogpiles, just a few handshakes and high-fives. The Phillies, after all, have been here before. So after pushing aside the Reds 2-0 on Sunday to finish off a clinical three-game sweep of the National League Division Series, most everyone in a Philadelphia uniform was thinking about the road ahead and not the one they had just traveled.

Although their skinny legs barely reached the foot pedals, and the paddles stretched taller than the paddlers themselves, nothing could stop five young kayakers as they took to the water recently, navigating around blooming lily pad patches and concentrating on the perfect stroke. "I'm going to drop my oar," one small voice shouted. "It's a paddle. Not an oar," said patient Piney Run kayak instructor Jess Hall, for the third time. "Not. An. Oar." "And don't worry," she said. "Paddles float."

HOUSTON - Former Enron Corp. broadband division executives have reached a compromise with prosecutors who sought to freeze about $64 million of their assets pending a fraud trial scheduled to begin in October. Under the agreement, one former executive agreed not to sell or mortgage his house, and restrictions weren't placed on three other defendants' homes, defense lawyer Lee L. Hamel said yesterday. "It was an interim matter that had to be addressed because the government was seeking pre-trial restraints in disposition of assets," Hamel said.

William E. Reincke, a retired construction superintendent who worked on a number of notable building projects in the area, died Tuesday of cancer at his home in Granite. He was 69. After a career that spanned nearly 50 years, Mr. Reincke retired last year because of failing health from Hamel Commercial Inc., builders of apartment houses and commercial buildings. Earlier, he had worked for many years in a similar capacity for Harkins Builders and Madison Mechanical. He had been vice president for the Urban Development Corp.

It was his house, his girlfriend who got the alcohol. The shotgun was his 2-day-old toy, and he was the one who, drunk and high, pumped a bullet into a friend's forehead. Within hours, he dumped the body in nearby woods, lied to the youth's mother, and cleaned the blood-splattered Odenton home so thoroughly that he recarpeted and patched the wall.That was Anne Arundel County Circuit Judge Philip T. Caroom's assessment yesterday of Jason K. Hamel, 19. When Hamel tearfully apologized for the first time moments before sentencing, Caroom said, "He, in court today, cries perhaps as much for himself as for his friend."

Rhea Filion Hamel, 63, Columbia activistRhea Filion Hamel, one of Columbia's pioneering residents and community activists, died of cancer Thursday at her home there. She was 63.Born and raised in New Hampshire, Mrs. Hamel graduated in 1951 from Presentation of Mary, a Roman Catholic boarding school in Hudson, N.H. She married John E. Hamel in 1958 and moved with him in 1961 to Maryland, where he worked for a building company.In 1968, the Hamels moved to Columbia, the "new town" that developer James W. Rouse and the Rouse Co. had opened one year before.

HERNDON, Va. -- Considering how it happened, the multiple damage to Mark Rypien's left knee is not surprising.The Washington Redskins' quarterback is out of action for six to eight weeks after arthroscopic examination found two knee ligaments abused in Sunday's 19-15 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.That means Rypien will not be available for either of the Redskins' games against the Giants and at least one game against the Eagles.Stan Humphries, his experience limited to 23 NFL passes, will be the starter against the Cardinals in Phoenix Sunday evening.

Although their skinny legs barely reached the foot pedals, and the paddles stretched taller than the paddlers themselves, nothing could stop five young kayakers as they took to the water recently, navigating around blooming lily pad patches and concentrating on the perfect stroke. "I'm going to drop my oar," one small voice shouted. "It's a paddle. Not an oar," said patient Piney Run kayak instructor Jess Hall, for the third time. "Not. An. Oar." "And don't worry," she said. "Paddles float."

A 19-year-old Odenton man has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of Billy Joe Ace, an 18-year-old Baltimore County man shot March 9 while he and two friends were drinking and playing with a loaded gun, police said.Jason Keith Hamel, who was renting a room in a townhouse in the 500 block of Realm Court where the shooting occurred, was arrested Aug. 7 and is being held at the Anne Arundel County Detention Center in lieu of $250,000 bail, police said.

IF YOU live in Columbia, you have surely heard the comment, "That's an odd street name. You must live in Columbia!"If you live in Kings Contrivance, now is the time to show your pride in the unusual and often poetic names of our community's streets.Anne Dodd, Kings Contrivance village manager, is planning an exhibit called "The Story of Street Names in Kings Contrivance."Residents are urged to take a group picture of their neighbors around their street sign and bring it to Amherst House.Include the names of the people -- and pets -- in the photo, as well as the photographer's name and the date the photo was taken.