Hope

The tone of civic discussion shifted noticeably this week in the aftermath of the tragic attack at the Boston Marathon, an attack that narrowly missed Harford County participants in the storied footrace. Discussions and name-calling relating to the usual public policy discussions has been taking a back seat to a shared sentiment across the American spectrum of viewpoints that such mindless and cowardly acts of violence have no place our society, be they the actions of intruders or violent homegrown terrorists.

Roland Park Country School graduate Jocelyn Young-Hyman, who is now a Peace Corps volunteer, has big plans for the money raised Thursday by her alma mater in its annual All-School Walk. Young-Hyman, a 2007graduate of the all-girls school on Roland Avenue, is assigned to work at Kichakamkwaju School For The Deaf, in Kenya. On April 1, she emailed Roland Park Country School Upper School Head Ereni Malfa, asking for help in raising money for art supplies and academic games. "My school is an extremely poor school with absolutely no resources or parents who can support their children," she wrote.

Navy ended a disappointing 2012 campaign with an invigorating 8-2 upset of Johns Hopkins to finish with a 6-6 record. With the Midshipmen at 3-9 before Saturday's season finale against the Blue Jays, could a similar outcome be in the cards? “We did it before, and hopefully that means we can do it again,” Navy coach Rick Sowell said Wednesday afternoon. “But it's obviously a different year, and we're playing at their place. So I'm not sure how much impact it's really going to have.

Washington College's 15-10 setback to Dickinson last Saturday was a double whammy of sorts. Not only were the Shoremen unable to avenge last year's loss to the Red Devils in the Centennial Conference tournament, but they also found out that they are likely frozen out of the top two seeds in the upcoming league tournament. With a 4-2 record in the Centennial, Washington (10-2) fell two games behind Dickinson (12-0) and Franklin & Marshall (9-3), which share identical 5-0 league records.

Clarksville resident Tatyana McFadden won the women's wheelchair division of the Boston Marathon on Monday, hours before the race was marred by deadly explosions near the finish line. Though McFadden added to her resume as one of the elite Paralympic athletes in the world, her achievement was rapidly overshadowed by scenes of blood and mayhem. She tweeted that she was unharmed, about an hour after the initial reports of the explosions. "I am okay my family and teammates are okay," she wrote.

NEW YORK -- After the Yankees turned one of the weirdest triple plays you'd ever see in the eighth inning of the Orioles' 5-2 loss Friday night, the Yankees' celebration was fitting for the act. Left-hander CC Sabathia pumped his fist in the air as he ran off the field. Third baseman Kevin Youkilis jumped into the dugout for a round of high fives. Second baseman Robinson Cano, who started and ended the play at second base, skipped off the field. By now, the Yankees know that this Orioles team is never out of a game.

Despite being the defending national champion and winning nine of 11 games this season, Loyola needs to make a statement in 2013. The Greyhounds have had other opportunities to do that this season, but they lost by two goals to No. 4 Maryland and one to No. 2 Duke. No. 8 Loyola gets another chance when No. 1 Denver (9-2) comes to the Ridley Athletic Complex on Saturday afternon, and this outcome will be heard around the college lacrosse world. "We don't have a win against a Top 5 ranked team on our resume.

Facing a third-and-long early in the third quarter against Duke, Dave Stinebaugh made the biggest play of his young career. The Maryland tight end hauled in a 19-yard pass from quarterback Danny O'Brien, keeping the Terps ' drive alive in an eventual 21-16 win. That was two years, six months and 11 days ago. And it was the last time Stinebaugh recorded a catch for the Terps . The Baltimore native tore his MCL not long after that...

The weapon used to kill a University of Maryland Eastern Shore student in February has a "unique orange and black camouflage handle" that investigators hope will "prompt the memory of someone who may have seen the knife before," Maryland State Police said Wednesday. Investigators released an image of the weapon, which has a three-and-a-half-inch serrated silver blade, for the first time at a news conference on the university campus Wednesday, and urged the public to contact them if they recognize it. They hope tips about the knife will help them identify three suspects they believe were involved in the killing of Edmond St. Clair, a 21-year-old junior biology major from Severn who graduated from Laurel High School in 2010.

BOSTON - The steady season that Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy had defensively in 2012 - which was capped by his first career Gold Glove Award - hid the pain that Hardy played through from spring training to the final game of the postseason. After nearly every throw he made, Hardy would feel a sharp pain in his shoulder. Often, he'd shake his arm to get the numbness out, and over the course of the season he needed two cortisone shots to help alleviate the pain. The injury - a muscle imbalance that he's dealt for years with with varying degrees of discomfort - hasn't completely gone away.