Hot Water

The Baltimore Health Department said late Wednesday that investigators believe a faulty hot water heater sickened 23 people at the Johns Hopkins at Keswick complex this week. An estimated 600 people were evacuated from the complex Tuesday afternoon after people reported difficulty breathing. Standard checks by emergency officials ruled out exposure to carbon monoxide, explosives, hydrogen sulfide and low oxygen. Investigators said they also were examining the possibility of food contamination.

Health officials continue to investigate how contaminated hot water sickened nearly two dozen people at the Johns Hopkins at Keswick complex Monday, but the case is similar to previous ones involving faulty water-heating systems that let chemicals mix into drinking water. Twenty-three people at the Hopkins facility - home to about 600 health system and university administrative workers - fell ill with headaches, breathing difficulty and dizziness. The investigation confirmed that chemicals known as nitrates and nitrites in the water supply were responsible for the illnesses, but officials still are exploring their origin.

Hot water began leaking from a pipe on the fifth floor of Mercy Medical Center in downtown Baltimore Saturday afternoon, causing a very brief evacuation of some medical staff, but had no effect on patients, according to officials. The Baltimore Fire Department received a call for a "pipe burst" on the fifth floor of the Mary Catherine Bunting Center in the 300 block of St. Paul Street about 2:30 p.m. Staff were evacuated for about 15 minutes while fire officials worked to shut off the water valve.

The Baltimore Health Department said late Wednesday that investigators believe a faulty hot water heater sickened 23 people at the Johns Hopkins at Keswick complex this week. An estimated 600 people were evacuated from the complex Tuesday afternoon after people reported difficulty breathing. Standard checks by emergency officials ruled out exposure to carbon monoxide, explosives, hydrogen sulfide and low oxygen. Investigators said they also were examining the possibility of food contamination.

MOSCOW -- Summer in Moscow: the season to crowd into flower-filled parks and public squares to soak up every minute of cherished daylight, under the gaze of statues of Russian poets and generals. The season to reveal the pale skin of arms, legs and - when men unbutton their shirts - bellies long hidden under winter clothes. Also, the season to take ice-cold showers. Not, mind you, by choice. Moscow is about two-thirds of the way through its hot water shut-off, an annual annoyance that leaves millions of Russians without the modern convenience of a hot shower for weeks at a time.

MOSCOW - In the imagination, he works in a steam-filled room of hissing pipes, a giant wrench in his hand, and he spends his days in fiendish enjoyment, turning off monster-size valves, depriving Muscovites of hot water for weeks at a time. In reality, Mikhail Lapir works in an enormous but quiet office in the center of the city, a telephone in hand, and he spends his days in quiet regret, depriving Muscovites of hot water for weeks at a time. "Of course, it would be much better if we could work faster," Lapir says, "but you cannot always live with a rainbow overhead."

The Barn Crab House, the longtime Carney destination for steamed crabs and live music, has closed.  The Facebook page for the venue was boiling over with concern on Tuesday morning, and later in the day, Paul Wisner, one of the Barn's current co-owners, sent out an email confirming the news: "I regret to inform everyone that due to circumstances beyond my control, management and extenuating circumstances over the past year that has just recently...

The Mount Royal Tavern closed temporarily Thursday night after it failed an inspection by the Baltimore City Health Department.  The failed inspection was a result of a lack of hot water running in the bathrooms and a fruit fly infestation, according to Brian Schleter, spokesman for the health department. Schleter confirmed the bar's owner addressed both of the issues Friday morning, which included installing a new hot water tank. He says the inspection came after the department received a complaint.

Mt. Royal Tavern fans, rest easy. MRT is open for business again. Owner Ron Carback re-opened the bar on Tuesday after shutting down for the weekend. Mt. Royal Tavern was ordered closed Thursday by the Baltimore City Health Department after it failed an inspection. A spokesman for the department said the bar lacked hot water in one of the bathrooms and had a fruit fly infestation. But by Friday, the health department's concerns had already been addressed. Carback installed a new hot water tank and the bathroom has running hot water again.

Health officials continue to investigate how contaminated hot water sickened nearly two dozen people at the Johns Hopkins at Keswick complex Monday, but the case is similar to previous ones involving faulty water-heating systems that let chemicals mix into drinking water. Twenty-three people at the Hopkins facility - home to about 600 health system and university administrative workers - fell ill with headaches, breathing difficulty and dizziness. The investigation confirmed that chemicals known as nitrates and nitrites in the water supply were responsible for the illnesses, but officials still are exploring their origin.

Zebra mussels have finally made their way down the Susquehanna River to the Chesapeake Bay, though it's unclear what if any harm the invasive aquatic species might do there. This month, state biologists found 20 of the non-native shellfish attached to three channel marker buoys off Havre de Grace as they were removing the buoys from the water for the winter, the Department of Natural Resources reported. Native to the Caspian and other seas in eastern Europe, zebra mussels were first discovered in the United States in the Great Lakes region in the 1980s, likely transported there in the ballast water of ships.

The housewives are still in the Bahamas. Karent, Joanna, Lisa and Lea sit around the breakfast table in their pajamas, pretending they just woke up, but wearing full faces of makeup. Except maybe Joanna, but she just pisses me off because she always looks beautiful. Lea's giving Karent advice about the Rodolfo situation. In case you missed the last episode, or my gripping recap, Alexia shared an article with the women that said Rodolfo was in a serious relationship with someone, and it wasn't Karent.

The Barn Crab House, the longtime Carney destination for steamed crabs and live music, has closed.  The Facebook page for the venue was boiling over with concern on Tuesday morning, and later in the day, Paul Wisner, one of the Barn's current co-owners, sent out an email confirming the news: "I regret to inform everyone that due to circumstances beyond my control, management and extenuating circumstances over the past year that has just recently...

The reviews are lukewarm at best for "What to Expect When You're Expecting," a movie loosely based on the hot-selling book series by Heidi Murkoff. Charming moms-to-be, including Anna Kendrick and Cameron Diaz, deal with the emotional and physical challenges of pregnancy, while their significant others, including Chris Rock, act boorish. Here are excerpts from reviews: -- Los Angeles Times: As Murkoff knew and mined so well, there is a lot of nature-made comedy to be found in the discomforts of distended bodies, raging hormones and altered relationships.

Hot water began leaking from a pipe on the fifth floor of Mercy Medical Center in downtown Baltimore Saturday afternoon, causing a very brief evacuation of some medical staff, but had no effect on patients, according to officials. The Baltimore Fire Department received a call for a "pipe burst" on the fifth floor of the Mary Catherine Bunting Center in the 300 block of St. Paul Street about 2:30 p.m. Staff were evacuated for about 15 minutes while fire officials worked to shut off the water valve.

Maryland's consumer protection division has filed complaints against two health clubs and their owners for not registering with the state. The state requires health clubs to be registered and bonded, which protects consumers from losing fees paid in advance if the club goes belly up. The state's targets: Body Talk, a Laurel club owned by Arnell Tunstall-Richardson; and Kassama's Okinawan Karate Studio in Baltimore owned by Ontagu-Ibrahima Kassama....

Q: I want to install a simple solar system to heat our hot water. Are there any new types of small solar systems that won't look ugly on my roof and are easy to install?A: There are new designs of solar systems that are simple to install and are not ugly. Installing one yourself can cut your annual water heating costs by as much as $200 and can easily pay back its cost several times over its lifetime.One of the simplest designs uses the coffee percolator concept. This eliminates the need for an electric pump to circulate the solar-heated water.

This weekend's expected 70-degree temperature is terrific news for those who love to rake leaves in the great outdoors and for those who hate to heat our vast indoors. As regular readers of this space know, every year I try to put off turning on the furnace in my Baltimore rowhome until Thanksgiving. It is a way to save money on heating bills, and over the years it has become, depending on which family member you ask, either a sign of character or proof of mental illness. This fall it has been so warm that I am considering delaying the fire-up date even longer.

In starless, predawn darkness, I was driving on the Beltway last January, and I was stinking. I'd woken to find my Dickeyville home had no hot water - and no option but to take my friend Carolyn to her appointment, as I'd promised, without showering. For Carolyn and me, hassles like broken water heaters are reminders that she and I are widows. With one hand, we dial the repairmen and write the checks, and with the other grope for an absent hand. Two years earlier, Carolyn - tall, blond and almost catatonic with grief for her beloved Johnny - had sat beside me in our bereavement group.

Mt. Royal Tavern fans, rest easy. MRT is open for business again. Owner Ron Carback re-opened the bar on Tuesday after shutting down for the weekend. Mt. Royal Tavern was ordered closed Thursday by the Baltimore City Health Department after it failed an inspection. A spokesman for the department said the bar lacked hot water in one of the bathrooms and had a fruit fly infestation. But by Friday, the health department's concerns had already been addressed. Carback installed a new hot water tank and the bathroom has running hot water again.