Haven

WASHINGTON -- After spending four years and $1.5 billion creating a haven for Kurds in northern Iraq, the United States stood by this week as the Kurdish territory again became a zone of danger.This time the attack came not from Iraq but from a U.S. ally, Turkey, and it was aimed not at opponents of Iraq President Saddam Hussein but at Kurdish guerrilla bases used to launch attacks against Turkey.But the result was the same: Kurdish civilians were again forced to flee their villages.U.S. acquiescence to the invasion by 35,000 Turkish troops raised questions about the purpose of a humanitarian operation that is already feeling the strains of age and weakening financial support, of fighting between rival Kurdish factions and of growing impatience in Congress for the mission to end."

When you set out to push 3,000 miles across the country in a racing wheelchair, you expect a few challenges along the way. Ryan Chalmers had his share, that's for sure. Hands that blistered and cracked and turned the color of eggplant from punishing 70-mile days? Check. Hairpin turn on an eight-mile descent in the Rocky Mountains that nearly caused him to wipe out into the side of a tunnel? Check. Enraged bull on the side of a road in Illinois giving him the evil eye?

All the jumpy, hopscotch-style editing in the world can't save Haven, a blow- and weed-scented drama written and directed by young Cayman Islands native Frank E. Flowers. It's one of those fragmented narratives, the curse of the success of Pulp Fiction and Crash, wherein we see in passing somebody throwing up on a lawn, and then a half-hour later in flashback it's revealed who the puker is and why he's upchucking. I don't know about you, but when I see someone hurling I want immediate identification.

Orioles rookie right-hander Kevin Gausman's stat line -- which showed him allowing seven runs over 4 1/3 innings in the Orioles' 8-0 loss to the Rays -- told just one side of the story of Saturday night's game. At times, Gausman was sparkling able to get hitters out with his changeup. He showed that his arsenal of pitches plays at the big-league level. At the same time, he elevated too many pitches up in the zone and the Rays capitalized. They didn't hit Gausman especially hard, but they found holes in timely spots.

If you were in a hurry, you could miss it.A small, dimly lighted sign no bolder that the one marking the card shop next door announces the New Haven Lounge. It's a humble setting for a serious jazz club and one of Baltimore's best-kept secrets. The kind of place that used to thrive on Manhattan's 52nd Street or Greenwich Village in the '40s and '50s, the Haven is a relaxed, racially mixed club packed with smoke, atmosphere and enthusiastic fans of modern jazz.Tucked away in Northwood Plaza, a generic strip mall that also offers a Hechinger's and Bill's Carpet, the place is anything but mundane inside.

The petite, curly haired young woman was busy hanging a shipment of sweat shirts at Caldor in Cranberry Mall.While hers is perhaps not the most glamorous job, she likes it.Kay Brown, a 26-year-old Westminster resident and daughter of Kenneth and Catherine Brown, works 6 to 11 a.m. four days a week, usually ticketing merchandise. She has worked part time at the store for almost 3 1/2 years.Brown, who is mentally retarded, has earned Carroll Haven's Achievement Award for continuous community employment.

The state Board of Public Works last week approved a $100,000 grant for Carroll Haven Inc., allowing the directors of the program for thedevelopmentally disabled to construct a new facility without being saddled with mortgage payments.The grant matched a $100,000 grant from the Mount Airy-based Ryan Family Foundation, which offered the money about one year ago contingent upon an equal state contribution. The Ryland Group, a homebuilding company, also agreed to contribute $50,000, based on the state grant, said Richard Murray, chairman of Carroll Haven's building committee and a member of the board of directors.

The sun has barely set, but a well-dressed crowd has already gathered outside the New Haven Lounge in Northeast Baltimore. In fact, the line snakes and stretches out the door this balmy Friday night. Folks are a tad restless, anxious even, because jazz sensation Roy Ayers is the show-stopping headliner. You hear a few people cajoling the doorman, telling him they have to, make that, must get inside. Hey, you really can't blame them. If you are a jazz enthusiast, if you enjoy the rush of live music, "The Haven" is definitely the place to be. For nearly four decades, the popular establishment has attracted top-notch jazz musicians and entertainers, along with standing-room-only audiences.

Now all they need is a building permit.Officials at Carroll Haven, the Westminster adult day-care center, have for the last three years been trying to raise $1.3 million for construction of their new, 16,000-square-foot building.And while the $100,000 state grant announced late last week puts them over the top, construction of the center will have to wait until the county issues a building permit."At this point, all we're waiting for is a permit," said Richard Glaser, executive director at Carroll Haven.

The MTA has scheduled the following changes in bus routes for this week. For more information, call 539-5000; TTY for the hearing-impaired, 539-3497.Temporary reroutingsBecause of the Highlandtown Festival today, Eastern Avenue will be closed between Highland Avenue and Haven Street from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. The following buses will be temporarily rerouted:* No. 10 -- Eastbound, via regular route to Eastern and Highland, then south on Highland, east on Fleet...

The Chesapeake Bayhawks' 15-14 overtime loss to the previously winless Boston Cannons on May 18 has lingered on Dave Cottle's mind for the past two weeks. And for the Bayhawks' coach, that's long enough. Because Major League Lacrosse teams don't play on Memorial Day weekend, Cottle's squad has waited 13 days between games after what he called a disappointing loss in Boston. So when the Bayhawks (3-1) host the Hamilton Nationals (4-0) Saturday night, not only will they get to test themselves against one of two undefeated teams left in the league, they'll also finally have the chance to erase the one-goal loss to the Cannons from their memory.

Months after trading veteran wide receiver Anquan Boldin to the San Francisco 49ers following a contract dispute, the Ravens waited until the seventh round to draft a wide receiver. Ravens assistant general manager Eric DeCosta attributed that to how their draft board stacked up with only a few elite receiver prospects like former Dunbar star Tavon Austin, but didn't rule out the possibility of acquiring an established receiver prior to the regular season. "I think the hunt goes on," DeCosta said Monday night during The Baltimore Sun Sports Forum.

If indecent exposure laws aren't enough to give adventurous Pimlico infield visitors pause, here's another disincentive: The famous race course lies inside of one of Baltimore's statistical hot spots for gonorrhea. Just in time for the end of national STI Awareness Month (and, unintentionally, in time for the start of the Triple Crown at the Kentucky Derby on Saturday), staff recently added a set of maps to the city's STD page, showing Baltimore ZIP codes' rates for chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis in 2012.

Reigning national champion Loyola boasts the 14th-most prolific offense in Division I despite not getting much production from its first midfield. Senior Chris Layne ranks fourth on the team in goals (12) and points (20), but senior Davis Butts is tied for sixth in points (12) and senior Sean O'Sullivan is eighth in points (11). Butts is on pace for just five goals, which would be the fewest of his career since his freshman year in 2010. Sullivan is on pace to finish the season with 14 points, which would his lowest since transferring from Army.

Things did not look appealing for St. Mary's when the team opened March with three losses in four contests to fall to 2-4. Since then, however, the program has strung together seven consecutive wins - a run it hasn't enjoyed since 2006. The Seahawks are 9-4 overall and 4-0 in the Capital Athletic Conference, but coach Chris Hasbrouck did his best to downplay any fervor as they prepare for No. 6 Salisbury (12-3, 5-0) this Saturday and York (11-3, 3-1) next Saturday. “We've just been plugging away,” he said Thursday morning.

The state has signed off on a proposal by a private group to run a 10k race across the Bay Bridge next year. The Maryland Transportation Authority agreed to allow the event, run by Bay Bridge Run LLC, on Nov. 9, 2014. The deal also includes 2015 and 2016. The tentative route runs from Sandy Point State Park, over the bridge to the finish line in Queen Anne's County. About 20,000 attended the first 4.3-mile walk across the bridge on April 27, 1975. The 10k run sponsored by the Annapolis Striders came a decade later.

On May 5, 2004, DONNA E. De Haven beloved wife of Micheal De Haven, loving mother of Theresa Stafford, and Juanita De Haven, cherished grandmother of Brent Stafford, loving sister of Dolly, Lucy, Clair, Gladys, Margaret, Herbert and Carl. Also survived by many loving nieces and nephews, cherished sister-in-law of Ben De Haven and Thomas De Haven. Friends and family may call at the Schimunek Funeral Home Inc., of Bel Air, 610 W. Mac Phail Road (Route 24) on Friday from 3 to 5 and 7 to 9 P.M. Funeral service to be held Saturday at 11 A.M. Interment Gardens of Faith Cemetery.

On July 13, 2004, GORDON DOUGLAS JONES, beloved husband of the late Evelyn Jones, devoted father of Wrenda De Haven, loving grandfather of Sharon Principe and her husband Brett, Jean De Haven and her husband Greg James, Michele Monico and her husband Angelo and William De Haven. Great-grandfather of Alison, Holly, Tyler Principe, Nicole Sichette, Adam, Francis and Leo Monico, great-great-grandfather of Angelica Sichette. Family will receive friends Thursday 7 to 9 P.M. at HARRY H. WITZKE'S FAMILY FUNERAL HOME, INC., 4112 Old Columbia Pike, Ellicott City where a Funeral Service will be held Friday 10 A.M. Entombment Gardens of Faith Cemetery

McDonogh's girls lacrosse players returned Saturday from spring break in Florida with smiles on their faces. Their winning streak remained intact. Wins over seven-time state champions from Florida and Georgia extended the Eagles' streak to 71 straight victories, dating back nearly four years. Tuesday's 12-7 win at No. 15 St. Paul's, in their Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference opener, made it 72 in a row. "It was a big test, and we responded really well," senior attacker Sammi Burgess said of the Florida trip in which a revamped team picked up where last year's Eagles left off. No other girls high school lacrosse team in the country has played the game better in recent years.

The Ravens almost lost another key player in free agency. Oh, ho-hum, another day, another top player gone. Who cares, and at this point, did anyone expect anything different? Despite the exodus of players, the Ravens haven't made any major mistakes in cutting players or not re-signing them. So far, the offseason has gone as expected with the Ravens losing six starters from last season's Super Bowl championship team. On Friday, future Hall of Fame safety Ed Reed almost became the latest before he left Houston without a contract.