Harford Community College

Though it's been in use for a few weeks, the new APG Federal Credit Union Arena at Harford Community College was officially dedicated Tuesday afternoon. Students, faculty, alumni and community members were given tours of the new, 100,000-plus-square-foot building following the ribbon-cutting and court dedication. The men's and women's basketball teams began play in the arena Nov. 21, while the finishing touches were still being added. But by Tuesday's ribbon-cutting, the $26 million gym was ready to be shown off. Construction of the APGFCU Arena, with 2,552 seats that could accommodate as many as 3,300, has the largest capacity of any indoor venue in Northeastern Maryland, HCC officials said.

A record 315 participants ran and walked in the fourth annual Heather L. Hurd 5K Run and 1 Mile Fun Walk at Harford Community College Saturday morning. The race, on a USA Track and Field Certified Course, honored the memory of Heather L. Hurd, a history major at Harford Community College from 1999 to 2003, who was killed in a 2008 car accident by a distracted driver who was texting. Kevin Frick was the overall men's winner, with a time of 19 minutes and 43 seconds. Nancy Hill captured the overall women's division, with a time of 23 minutes and 20 seconds.

The fourth annual Heather L. Hurd 5K Run and 1 Mile Fun Walk will take place at Harford Community College this Saturday, Nov. 10. The race, on a USA Track and Field certified course, honors the memory of Heather L. Hurd, a history major at Harford Community College from 1999 to 2003, who was killed in 2008 by a distracted driver who was texting. On-site race registration takes place in the newly renovated Susquehanna Center auxiliary gymnasium from 8 to 8:45 a.m., with the race starting at 9 a.m. Approximately 300 community members, from Ms. Hurd's family and friends to HCC students to general community members, plus Poe, the Ravens mascot; Ferrous, the IronBirds mascot; and Screech, the Harford Community College mascot; will be cheering on participants at the finish line.

On her second try for the title, a Harford County wife and working mother was crowned Mrs. Maryland and will represent the state in the national pageant this summer. Heather Ziehl of Bel Air, who founded the community service and networking group True Housewives, was crowned Mrs. Maryland 2013 this weekend, beating out four other contenders at Baltimore's Crowne Plaza. Ziehl, a 34-year-old who runs marketing and events for Arc of the Northern Chesapeake, who competed as Mrs. Northern Chesapeake, had been first runner-up last year, the first time she ever entered a pageant.

Members of the Harford Writers' Group come together for the joy of the written word. Others with a similar passion can join the Harford Writers' Group as they share their love of writing at the Abingdon branch of Harford County Public Library on Sunday, Nov. 18 at 2 p.m. The program will be moderated by Ted M. Zurinsky, the editor of the newly released and published HWG anthology, "Voices from the Susquehanna, Volume II: A Collection of New Fiction,...

The Harlem Globetrotters are bringing their world famous tradition of ball handling wizardry, basketball artistry, and one-of-a-kind, high-flying family entertainment to Harford County in late December. The hard court phenoms will be on display at Harford Community College's new APG Federal Credit Union Arena, Dec. 30 at 2 p.m., according to the college's website. Reserved seating is available from as low as $25 to $65. Upper baseline seats are $25 with upper courtside seats at $30. Lower baseline seats are $35 and lower courtside seats are $40. Magic Circle seating is $65. Tickets can be purchased through phone at 443-412-2211 or by visitng the HCC website at http://www.harford.edu .

On Nov. 14, Harford Community College will join forces with Maryland's other community colleges for The Big Give - the first online fundraising effort of its kind nationwide. Never before have all of the community colleges in one state collaborated for a 24-hour fundraising event. From midnight on Nov. 14 through midnight Nov. 15, the Harford Community College Foundation will use Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn to share the foundation's work to support the college and attract online supporters.

Harford Community College, in cooperation with the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development, is offering a course for certification as an International Code Council (ICC) residential energy inspector/plans examiner, the Harford County Department of Inspections, Licenses and Permits announced. The course will be held Wednesday evenings starting Sept. 19 through Nov. 7, from 7 to 9 p.m. at the college. The course addresses provisions in the 2012 International Residential Code (IRC)

Grace Colleen Richardson-Knopp, an AFCPE-certified (Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education) budgetary advisor at Aberdeen Proving Ground Federal Credit Union, was recognized June 13 as a graduate of the 2012 Harford Leadership Academy at an awards banquet. The challenging, 13-week program included on-the-job assignments, coursework and independent study accounting for more than 90 hours of instruction. It provides future leaders the opportunity to learn from today's leaders in Harford County governments, businesses and public safety.

It's been said it takes a village to raise a child, but in this scenario, it takes a community to build a home. For the past seven years, Habitat for HumanitySusquehanna and Harford Technical High School, a vocational school in Bel Air, have partnered to build homes for those in need. This summer, the students were able to give back to one of their own and help an alumna achieve the American dream of homeownership. “It's really nice,” says the new homeowner, Kimberly Johnson of Aberdeen.