Hankins

Hampstead officials have agreed to buy the abandoned historic train depot that graces the town seal, pending a routine environmental study.Mayor Christopher Nevin and CSX Transportation, which owns the depot, have negotiated a purchase price of $7,500, which was approved Feb. 11 by the Town Council.The sale comes with two conditions:The town wants to conduct an environmental study for possibly dangerous contaminants -- a standard condition in such sales, Nevin said.CSX wants the town to build a tall safety fence between the depot and the tracks.

Hampstead may soon be able to take possession of its abandoned train station if town officials accept an offer by CSX Transportation Inc. to lease the depot until a sales agreement is approved.The CSX proposal, under review by the town attorney, comes amid efforts by Hampstead resident Ken Hankins to organize a group of volunteers committed to preserving the Gill Avenue station.Hampstead Councilman Wayne Thomas announced the pending deal with CSX last week at the first meeting of "Friends of the Train Station," attended by about 10 people.

EAST ORANGE, N.J. -- Jason Henry hit E. J. Fuller with a 22-yard touchdown pass with 4: 49 remaining yesterday, then Frostburg State stopped Mike Hankins on fourth down from the 1-yard line in the final minute to defeat Wilkes (Pa.), 24-21, and win the Eastern Collegiate Athletic College Southeast Championship.The title was the second in four tries for the Bobcats, who finished the season with a 9-1 record, and their first since 1991.Henry, a freshman, was voted the game's most valuable player.

The latest effort to save Hampstead's abandoned train depot is chugging along with an "I think I can" attitude.Anyone who wants to climb aboard can attend a meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Town Hall.Meanwhile, holes in the roof funnel in rain. The floor could fall through any time. The once-white paint has baked and flaked off the gray wood panels. The windows long have been boarded.Still, this is one of the oldest and most historic buildings in Hampstead, and it is depicted in the town seal.

With a shrill squeal of what could pass for the delight of anticipated stardom, a 3-week-old piglet has answered the casting call for a part in Theatre on the Hill's production of "Big River."Mistersippi, a foot-long Hampshire named for the musical based on life on the Mississippi, left the competition in the mud and won his part hams down."Will we have to mike him?" asked the sound engineer."No, a pig knows how to project," said producer Ira Domser.Mistersippi, the male runt of a large litter, left his champion sow and siblings in Upperco last week and moved to the Hankins farm in Hampstead.

Steven R. Hankins, one of Harford's leading commercial developers inthe 1980s, was sentenced to six months in jail Friday on charges that he cashed a forged $68,700 mechanic's lien for one of his subcontractors.Hankins, a Bel Air resident who lives on a 283-acre farm, was sentenced in Circuit Court after filing a plea agreement in the case, which involves work on a 162-room Days Inn built in Ocean City three years ago."The message must be sent out that this won't be tolerated," Circuit Judge William O. Carr said while issuing his sentence.

A headline in last Sunday's Harford County Sun incorrectly listed the auction price of Steven R. Hankins' estate. Prospective buyers would have had to pay their bid plus $894,919.The 282-acre historic Bel Air estate of bankrupt developer Steven R. Hankins went unsold at a public auction Friday.About three dozen potential bidders and observers gathered outside the estate's vacant 200-year-old house near Bel Air for the afternoon auction.The buyer would have had to pay a bid plus the $894,919 that Mr. Hankins and his wife, Susan, owe on the estate's mortgage within 10 days of the auction.

The 282-acre historic Bel Air estate of bankrupt developer Steven R. Hankins goes on the auction block this week.Among the offerings of the spread: a 200-year-old stone house which the county's historical planner says is the "quintessential Harford County house."Alex Cooper Auctioneers Inc. of Towson is conducting the trustee's sale on the estate grounds. The auction is scheduled for Friday at 1 p.m.Mr. Hankins and R. Marc Goldberg, a Baltimore attorney serving as trustee for the sale, could not be reached for comment.

A Baltimore law firm has sued Bel Air developer Steven R. Hankins, claiming he has not paid more than $12,000 in legal fees owed the firm.The firm, Neuberger, Quinn and Gielen, filed suit in Harford Circuit Court July 19, asking the court to order Hankins to pay $12,035 the firm claims he owes, according to court documents.The complaint is one of at least 45 civil suits filed against Hankins, 38, his wife and his companies since 1989, according to court records. He also has criminal charges pending in Circuit Court.

Philip S. Bathon Jr. thought his contracting company was shifting into high gear when he signed on with Bel Air-based developer Steven R.Hankins.He was to install the electrical system at a hotel Hankins was building in Ocean City three years ago.But the 31-year-old contractor has hit rock bottom. He said he expects his 9-year-old company, Systems Electric Enterprises Inc., to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy within the next few weeks, meaning he'llhave to sell all his holdings.Bathon contends one man is responsible for his financial problems: Hankins.

Dr. John R. Hankins, a surgeon and Army veteran who spent much of his career performing and teaching surgery in Iran and Afghanistan, died Tuesday at Oak Crest Village Care Center in Parkville of a stroke. He was 83. Born in Charlottesville, Va., Dr. Hankins grew up in Orange, Va. He graduated from the University of Virginia in 1945 and the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1948. He was certified by the American Board of Surgery in 1954. Dr. Hankins served as a captain in the Medical Corps of the Army in Iran from 1954 to 1956.

Laurette Hankins has been named associate dean for development and alumni relations at the University of Maryland School of Nursing. In her new role as chief fundraising officer, Hankins is responsible for planning and implementing a development program that includes capital campaigns, major gifts, planned giving and annual gifts. She also oversees an alumni relations program for the nursing school's 16,000 graduates. Hankins, who lives in Annapolis, graduated from Duke University. She has 22 years' experience in development.

For St. Frances forward Mi-Khida Hankins, the waning seconds of last night's game presented the kind of moments you play for. Her No. 1 Panthers led No. 2 Towson Catholic by two points with nine seconds left, and she was on the free-throw line. Hit both free throws and the Panthers likely would win. Miss them and the Owls would have plenty of time to recover. Hankins, a two-time All-Metro senior, nailed both free throws to give the host Panthers a four-point cushion, enough to withstand a final three-pointer from Owls guard Candice Walker and ensure the Panthers a 61-60 win. "It was a little nerve-racking," said Hankins, "but I've been here before, so I just took that into consideration.

Boys Sean Mosley St. Frances, basketball The 6-foot-4, two-time All-Metro swingman scored seven of his game-high 23 points in the final quarter as the then-No. 5 Panthers upset former top-ranked and defending Baltimore Catholic League champion Mount St. Joseph on the road Friday, 67-63. He also had six rebounds in helping hand the Gaels their second loss in 46 games and their first setback to an area team since St. Frances defeated them on Feb. 27, 2005, in the BCL tournament semifinals.

By the time they could walk, Alison Hankins and Lindsey Puckett were big field hockey fans. On game days at Severna Park, Hankins was always there, dressed identically to the players in a little plaid skirt and blue sweater. Puckett couldn't get enough of Fallston games either, sporting an orange-and-white Cat in the Hat hat almost as big as she was. Neither girl ever doubted that she would grow up to play for her favorite team. Neither did the coaches -- Hankins' grandmother, Lil Shelton, and Puckett's mother, Alice Puckett.

Betty "Wish" Hankins, a retired registered nurse and former Timonium resident, died in her sleep Sunday at her home in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. She was 81. She was born and raised Betty Wishard in Waynesboro, Pa., and was a 1944 graduate of the Union Memorial Hospital School of Nursing. Mrs. Hankins joined the Army Nurse Corps and served for a year in Jackson, Miss., before returning to Baltimore and Union Memorial Hospital. She spent most of her career as a private duty nurse before retiring in the late 1970s.

By late in the third quarter yesterday at No. 1 Towson Catholic, the Seton Keough girls could feel the upset coming on. With just about every basket, the Gators celebrated with high-fives, leaps into each others arms or excited yells. The No. 4 Gators got more and more excited as they built a 10-point lead into a 72-48 victory in an Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference semifinal. Seton Keough (23-4) will meet No. 2 and three-time defending champion St. Frances in the A Conference championship tomorrow at 5 p.m. at Villa Julie College.

Last year as a sophomore at St. Frances Academy, Mi-Khida Hankins researched the meaning of her first name for a class project. She couldn't find an exact match for the name her mother, Mi-Anne Hankins, had created for her, but she came close with the Ethiopian version, Makeda. It means "the great one." Hankins laughs that the meaning gives her a lot to live up to, but she's well on her way as one of the area's best girls basketball players. A slim, 6-foot-1 forward for the No. 1 Panthers, Hankins combines aggressive inside play with the quickness of a guard.

St. Frances' Hankins making her point Sport Basketball GIRLS An All-Metro forward as a sophomore, St. Frances' Mi-Khida Hankins is a force to be reckoned with in the paint. The 6-foot-1 junior scored 51 points last week, including 20 as the No. 1 Panthers edged No. 4 Seton Keough, 45-42, Friday night in a key Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference matchup. Hankins hit two free throws with four seconds left to seal the win over Seton Keough. She grabbed 10 rebounds and had two steals as the Panthers (18-1)

Upper Marlboro -- No. 1 St. Frances came out firing at Riverdale Baptist yesterday, but as halftime drew near, the Crusaders used their inside game to spark a lead the Panthers would never close. The Crusaders opened a 19-point advantage and rode it to a 62-52 victory over the Panthers, who are ranked No. 24 nationally by USA Today. The Panthers (14-1) had a bit more pressure on them going into the game because No. 3 Western defeated the Crusaders, 39-35, on Jan. 10 in the Basketball Academy at Morgan State.