Head

For many folks headed to Preakness, the focus of the afternoon isn't the race. It's the fashion — and we don't just mean hats. If you're in the grandstands, the Jockey Club area or Corporate Village, you'll want to dress the part. Betsy Dugan, owner of Bettina Collections in Cross Keys and former co-owner of Octavia in Pikesville, has been dressing women for Preakness for years. "This is the time ... to dress up," she said. If there's one rule of thumb, it's that ladies and gentlemen at Preakness should look like ...well, ladies and gentlemen.

Tracy Balazs, the president and CEO of an Annapolis-based staffing firm, was named Entrepreneurial Success of the Year last month by the Baltimore district office of the U.S. Small Business Administration. She founded the company, Federal Staffing Resources LLC, in 2004. It now employs more than 300 people, has eight offices across the country and generates more than $30 million in revenue annually. The company mainly provides health professionals to government outfits, including the Army, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Federal Aviation Administration, though FSR recently expanded its operations to the staffing of private companies.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton recently received a gag gift of protective headgear after she suffered a concussion and blood clot near her brain after a fall. While Clinton can now make light of the injuries, a blood clot can be a serious health risk that can lead to death. Dr. James L. Frazier, III, a neurosurgeon at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, talks about the dangers. What causes a blood clot to form in the brain? A blood clot or thrombus can form in the arteries that supply blood to the brain.

Two young men were shot early Saturday in the Washington Village/Pigtown neighborhood of Southwest Baltimore, police said. About 12:40 a.m. police responded to the 1200 block of Glyndon Ave. following the report of a shooting, according to a police statement Saturday. Officers found two juveniles at the scene suffering from gunshot wounds, the statement said. Both were outside when they were shot, police said. One of the boys was shot in the leg and suffered a "graze wound to the face," police said.

If you're a big fan, you already knew what was coming in the season finale. But it didn't make it any easier -- or less heartbreaking -- to watch. The majority of the Season 3 "Downton" finale, or the "Christmas special" as its called in the U.K., took place in Scotland, where the whole family (minus Branson) visits the Highlands home of the Dowager's niece, Susan, and her husband, Shrimpy. Most of the trip included bagpipes, hunting, more bagpipes and Scottish reel dancing. But more on that later (and more on O'Brien meeting her Scottish lady's maid doppelganger)

It is well known that HPV (human papillomavirus) can lead to deadly cervical cancer in women, but the virus is causing cancer in men as well. Throat cancers caused by HPV are showing up typically in men with little or no history of smoking, said Dr. Kevin J. Cullen, an oncologist who specializes in treating head and neck cancers. Cullen, the director of the University of Maryland's Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center, talks about the growing cases of HPV-related throat cancers.

Maryland could become one of a handful of states that grant special driver's licenses to illegal immigrants under legislation garnering strong support in Annapolis. The bill, passed by the Senate on Monday, would expand and make permanent an existing two-tiered driver's license system to include more than 100,000 people whose immigration status currently prevents them from applying for a license. Gov. Martin O'Malley backs the plan, which now moves to the House of Delegates. "It's a safety issue," said Del. Jolene Ivey, a Prince George's County Democrat who introduced the House version.

Joan Munn , Eastern Technical High School; Andre Keyser , Overlea High School; Kathleen Crane , Parkville High School and Kristen O'Gorman , Perry Hall High School recieved college scholarships of $3,000 each from First Financial Federal Credit Union. Scholarship winners were selected based on their academic achievement and commitment to school and community. The following students earned medals at the Baltimore County NAACP Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological, and Scientific Olympics (ACT-SO)

A partly decomposed human head was found Monday in woods behind a shopping center in Pasadena, Anne Arundel County police said. Lieutenant Michael Brothers said police were called about 4 p.m. to the wooded area behind Jumpers Hole Road and Ritchie Highway. No identification was immediately made. Police said the head might be that of a woman, and was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. andrea.siegel@baltsun.com Text NEWS to 70701 to get Baltimore Sun local news text alerts

Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler has been elected president of the national association that represents his peers around the country, becoming the second Marylander to hold that post. Gansler, 49, was chosen Thursday by at the National Association of Attorneys General summer meeting in Anchorage, Alaska. The nonpartisan group brings together the chief legal officers of the states, territories and District of Columbia to deal with issues they face. Presidents of the group typically choose a particular issue to focus on during their yearlong terms.

The Orioles have an interesting starting lineup in tonight's series opener against the Tampa Bay Rays, which includes Yamaico Navarro starting at second base. This could be the beginning of the Orioles taking an extended look at Navarro at the position, and it could signal that the team is about to option struggling second baseman Ryan Flaherty to Triple-A Norfolk. Navarro was hitting .303/.395/.434 with eight doubles, two homers and 13 RBIs at Triple-A Norfolk, so he definitely deserves a look.

Each week, The Baltimore Sun publishes a Q&A with a college lacrosse player or coach to get you more acquainted with the player and his/her team. Today's guest is Notre Dame junior midfielder Jim Marlatt , a Clarksville native and River Hill graduate who leads the team's midfielders in goals with 18 and assists with 10. The Fighting Irish (11-4), who are the second seed in the NCAA tournament, will meet seventh-seeded Duke (13-5) in a quarterfinal Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

The Orioles' top position player prospect, Jonathan Schoop, was placed on the seven-day minor league disabled list Thursday with a lower back strain. The 21-year-old Schoop, who raised his stock after strong offseason performances in the Arizona Fall League and the World Baseball Classic, is hitting .268/.331/.386 with three homers and 18 RBIs in 34 games at Triple-A Norfolk. The injury isn't expected to be serious. Schoop is the Orioles' No. 3 prospect according to Baseball America behind pitchers Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman.

Augustine H. "Humpy" Stump Jr., a retired Baltimore insurance executive who had been president of Stump, Harvey & Cook Co. Inc. and an active churchman and volunteer, died Sunday of complications from a fall and pneumonia at Springwell, a Mount Washington senior-living community. He was 87. "He was smart, worked hard and liked people," said his brother, Dawson Stump of Owings Mills, who had been vice president and secretary at Stump, Harvey & Cook. "He had a great outgoing personality and liked the job and worked hard at it. " Augustine Herman Stump Jr. was born in Baltimore and raised in Owings Mills.

In the top of the seventh inning at No. 6 Oakland Mills on Wednesday afternoon, Marriotts Ridge took a 3-2 lead on an RBI ground ball by leadoff man Jake Bender that sent home Matt Marinelli who had led off the inning with a single. At the time, Connor Delaney - the Mustangs' No. 5 hitter - thought the run would be enough for ace Eric Brown and the solid Marriotts Ridge defense. "I definitely trusted our defense ... but I knew any more runs we would get would be insurance runs," Delaney said.

Orb's reputation began growing at Churchill Downs the Monday before the Kentucky Derby, when the colt breezed four furlongs in 47.80. The run looked effortless and made Orb the talk of Louisville - and the morning-line favorite. Though there is no doubt he will be an overwhelming favorite for Saturday's 138 th running of the Preakness, Orb again turned in a promising breeze -- in which he's basically allowed to run without much guidance from the rider -- the Monday before the race.

A previously scheduled auction of the former Talking Head Club in downtown Baltimore was postponed Wednesday at the request of a lender that had initiated foreclosure proceedings against the owner. The three-story building at 203-205 Davis St. has housed a series of music clubs, including The Ottobar, Talking Head Club and Chambers, that gave local and national bands a place to perform. The auction, by Alex Cooper Auctioneers, was a foreclosure sale on behalf of PNC Bank.

Frances F. Trader, who worked in billing at Johns Hopkins Hospital, died Sept. 28 of pneumonia at Stella Maris Hospice. The longtime Rodgers Forge resident was 89. A daughter of Italian immigrants, Frances Fina was born in Baltimore and raised in Little Italy. After graduating from the Institute of Notre Dame in 1940, she was a war worker during World War II. She was married in 1952 to Hugh H. Trader Jr., who was a noted Baltimore News-Post sports reporter. He died in 1967.

Orioles left-hander Wei-Yin Chen is likely heading to the 15-day disabled list with a right oblique strain. Chen, who abruptly left Sunday's 6-0 win over Minnesota after five shutout innings with pain in his right side, was re-evaluated Monday and the initial tests indicated that he will need to be shelved. An MRI was performed Monday morning and team doctors are expected to read it later today. “It sounds like he's a candidate for the 15-day disabled list,” Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette said.

The argument could be heard first, neighbors said. Then the police lights began flashing through their windows. Residents in Baltimore's Upton neighborhood, not unfamiliar with police activity, said they peered outside. A man they recognized as a neighbor lay on the concrete in just his boxer shorts, not moving much and apparently wounded, they said. "I heard the argument, and I came down to the first floor to look and saw all the police and the man laying on the ground. I thought it was a dead body," said Sanyika Fitzpatrick, a 15-year resident of Walton Court, a residential box of homes northwest of downtown and across Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard from Maryland General Hospital.