Household Products

A year after its hit SnakeLight faded, Black & Decker Corp. is trying to recapture profits with new high-end kitchen appliances and more power tools for the professional and the do-it-yourself crowds.The entries will play a huge role in the Towson company's fourth quarter -- a period that includes the holiday season and traditionally accounts for about 40 percent of Black & Decker's annual earnings."New products are the lifeline of this business," said Ann Buivid, vice president of marketing and new business for Black & Decker's household products division.

In a sign of the growing problem of inhalant abuse in Howard County, three eighth-grade boys at Mount View Middle School in Marriottsville were taken to an area hospital yesterday after sniffing nail polish remover.Another eighth-grader apparently had brought the nail polish remover to school in a plastic container inside a plastic bag, said Patti Caplan, a school spokeswoman. The three boys were overcome while sniffing it shortly after 1 p.m., she said.One of the three was taken by ambulance to Howard County General Hospital; the other two were taken there by their parents, said Howard County police spokesman Sgt. Steven Keller.

Bird-banding demonstration The Audubon Society of Central Maryland will give a demonstration of bird banding from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Saturday, May 18, at the Audrey Carroll Audubon Sanctuary, 13030 Old Annapolis Road in Mount Airy. Birds will be captured, fitted with a numbered aluminum band and released unharmed. Birds banded last year might be part of the returning group. Information: 301-831-5660. Clarksville festival The Clarksville Elementary School PTA's annual Spring Fling, Carnival and Silent Auction featuring rides, midway games, laser tag, food and more begins at noon Saturday, May 18, at 12041 Clarksville Pike.

Farmers from Carroll and around the state are invited to the Maryland Department of Agriculture open house March 23.The event will begin with a 10-K "Maryland with Pride" run at 9 a.m.Visitors may take tours of the department's new wing and view laboratories where studies are done on animal feeds, household cleaning products, fertilizers and pesticides.Maryland food commodity groups will be giving cooking and other food demonstrations throughout the day.Events for children include a coloring contest, face painting and a petting zoo.Soda and hot dogs will be sold for 10 cents.

Michael N. Hammes, the No. 2 executive at Black & Decker Corp., resigned yesterday to take the top job at the Coleman Co. Inc., a camping-equipment maker in Wichita, Kan.Mr. Hammes, 51, will start Oct. 1 as vice chairman of Coleman. In January, he will take over as chairman and chief executive officer, the company said.In a statement announcing the move, Coleman's chairman, Lawrence M. Jones, who is 62, said he wanted to retire before age 65, and he praised the choice of Mr. Hammes as his successor.

Completing a divestiture plan aimed at focusing its energy on power tools and hardware, Black & Decker Corp. said yesterday that it will sell its glass container-making business to Bucher Holding A.G. of Switzerland for $194 million.The sale of Emhart Glass, which will yield $150 million for the Towson-based company, is Black & Decker's third major deal this year."This sale, combined with the sale of our household products business in North America and Latin America, and the recapitalization of True Temper Sports, will yield aggregate gross cash proceeds of $711 million and net proceeds of approximately $550 million," said Nolan D. Archibald, chairman and chief executive officer of Black & Decker.

MR. YUK has a new phone number. His sickly green grimace, seen by children in many central Maryland day care centers and emergency rooms, has long warned children away from toxic household products. Now, the face of the Maryland Poison Control Center has a toll-free number: 1-800-222-1222. And in moments of panic, it will be a boon to families, childcare providers and medical professionals. Memorize it. Post it by the telephone. Stick it in your wallet. This new hotline, a recent collaboration among the nation's 73 poison control centers, will unify poison prevention programs and connect callers from anywhere in the United States, U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico to the nearest information bank of toxicologists.

Griffith Byrd Dorn, a retired regional sales manager for Jewel Co. Inc., died of prostate cancer Sunday at his Columbia home. He was 92, and resided for many years in Baltimore's Ten Hills neighborhood. Mr. Dorn was born in Tatum, S.C., and raised in Greenwood, S.C. He earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Clemson University in 1933. He began his career that year in Frostburg with Jewel Co., manufacturer of household products. During World War II, he was commissioned in the Navy and stationed at the San Diego Naval Station as an instructor in chemical warfare.

Black & Decker Corp. stock hit a 52-week high yesterday on what analysts said was a reflection of the Towson-based company's improved outlook.The combination of better-than-expected second-quarter earnings, better market conditions in Europe and the potential sale of the company's information technology services unit have sparked Wall Street's interest.The stock closed up $1.125, at $22.50, after hitting $22.625 earlier in the day. Volume was 902,000 shares, more than triple the 90-day average.