Harbel

Tri-Churches Housing offers homebuying classesTri-Churches Housing is offering a free, three-part Homebuyer Education Class at 6: 30 p.m. Thursday and March 19 and 26 in the upper hall of St. Jerome's Head Start Center, 765 W. Hamburg St.The sessions are designed to give participants an opportunity to meet with industry professionals and receive information on the homebuying process.Topics include working with a Realtor, how to tell the condition of a home, getting grants for closing costs, qualifying for a loan, appraisals and settlements.

MRIS listings to add Dorchester, Talbot counties next monthReal estate listing information for Dorchester and Talbot counties will be included in the Metropolitan Regional Information System Inc. (MRIS) beginning in June, the Rockville firm announced.Kent, Queen Anne's and Caroline counties are already online with MRIS. The Mid-Shore MLS Inc. will end its current service in June to become part of the MRIS network, which is the multiple-listing service for the Greater Baltimore Board of Realtors.

Community Open House in Original Northwood todayThe Original Northwood Neighborhood Association will sponsor a Community Open House today from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.The neighborhood, in North Baltimore between Loch Raven Boulevard and The Alameda, is known for its tree-lined streets.Visitors can tour townhouses, semidetached and single-family homes ranging in price from $70,000 to $180,000.For more information, call 410-366-0997.Housing festival to focus on homeownershipThe Home Ownership Program of Catholic Charities will have an open house and housing festival next Sunday from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. at 4367 Hollins Ferry Road in the Hollins Ferry Professional Center.

One question seemed to be on the mind this past week of everyone who lives or works in Baltimore: Is the city safe?Last week the city was shocked by a spate of kidnappings from parking garages, allegedly committed by a group of four teen-agers. A 37-year-old Catonsville man, Vitalis V. Pilius, was slain and two other victims were stuffed into car trunks. The crimes have dominated radio talk shows and coffee-break conversations.Then on Tuesday, Bishop L. Robinson, public safety and correctional services secretary, said violent crime has so overloaded Maryland's law enforcement system that it is "close to gridlock."

When a congressman arrived at a city community service organization along with Baltimore's mayor and other officials last week, Quincy Lewis expected the worst. "I thought, with the economy, they were coming to close down our program," said Lewis, 37, a recovering drug addict. But instead of shutting it down, the officials announced a $225,000 federal grant that will allow Harbel Community Organization to expand jobs training. Lewis immediately made plans to enroll in that program, once he completes six months in rehabilitation and recovery.

Marshall Klein, fourth-generation scion of the Klein's grocery store family, is proud of the sweet potato pies stacked near the entrance to his newest supermarket, ShopRite of Perring Crossing in Parkville. "We steam the potatoes ourselves," and on a busy day 50 pies go through the check out aisles, Klein said Wednesday as he balanced his 6-foot-5-inch frame on a folding chair in the community room of the new store off Perring Parkway just north of the city. The pies — like the store's urban setting — are new for the Klein family, which has run grocery stores in Harford County for almost 90 years.

On Tuesday January 13, 2004, DOROTHY (nee Miklosy), passed away at her home. Beloved wife of Hugh M. Barnhardt; devoted mother of Joyce Gillespie, Carol Harbel, Sally Gabriele, Sarah Barnhardt and Linda Doll. Also survived by seven grandchildren. Friends may call at the Sterling-Ashton-Schwab Funeral Home Inc., 736 Edmondson Ave (1/2 mile west of beltway exit 14), on Friday 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. on Saturday at the St. Mark Roman Catholic Church Chapel.

James A. Pusateri, who headed a maritime division of a tire manufacturer, died of cancer Friday at his Fallston home. He was 63. Born in Baltimore and raised in Highlandtown, he was a 1964 graduate of Patterson High School, where he played football and wrestled. He earned a bachelor's degree in business from Oklahoma State University, where he was also on the football team. He was an estimator at the old Bethlehem Steel Key Highway Shipyard and worked briefly for Marine Transport in New York City before joining L&C Marine in Locust Point, a Bridgestone-Firestone division.

Flanked by family members and new colleagues, a pair of community activists became Baltimore City Council members last night, as more than 100 gleeful supporters applauded and snapped pictures.In a brief ceremony, Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke gave the oath of office to the Rev. Norman A. Handy Sr. and Lois A. Garey, commending both for "an outstanding job trying to strengthen their areas of the city and trying to strengthen the city overall."The pair were appointed unanimously by the council to fill vacant posts.

"Housing Festival" to hold tours of neighborhoodsBus tours of the neighborhoods of Northeast Baltimore will be offered when the Harbel Housing Partnership holds its second annual "Housing Festival" from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 21.The festival seeks to increase homeownership opportunities, especially for the first-time homebuyer, and to promote the neighborhoods of Northeast Baltimore.Homebuyers can begin their afternoon at the Harbel Community Center at 5807 Harford Road where they can view neighborhood displays, talk with area residents, receive information on local schools and ask lenders about mortgage programs.