Hummer

ELDERSBURG -- When his mother enrolled him in Summer Science Camp, Michael Schofield, 5, heard mainly the "camp" part."I thought it would be like you could go outside and catch stuff," Michael said after his first day.That's what he does in his backyard. He and his sister Candace, 11, catch crawfish and frogs in the creek behind their home in Sykesville, watch them for a while, then let them go.That kind of observation of the natural world is what science instruction should be, say Hood College professors and Carroll County kindergarten teachers involved in the science camp at Carrolltowne Elementary School.

LIKE MANY investors in the 1990s, retiree Thomas Devlin got swept up in the stock market euphoria, riding technology and other growth stocks up and then back down. His portfolio lost 30 percent from the height of the market in 2000 to fall 2001, and he was dipping into principal. "After Sept. 11, I had no confidence of it rebounding," said Devlin, 72, who retired as a program manager with Westinghouse Electric Corp. in 1994. That's when the Kingsville investor changed course. He dumped the growth stocks that once made up half his holdings and built an income portfolio made up largely of preferred stocks that pay high dividends.

A former Westminster bank teller pleaded guilty yesterday to embezzling between $400,000 and $1 million from her bank over nine years and using the money to buy a Hummer, a Corvette and snowmobiles, according to the Maryland U.S. attorney's office. Karen L. Baer, 46, admitted committing bank fraud and faces a maximum prison sentence of 30 years and a $1 million fine, federal prosecutors said. She is scheduled to be sentenced Oct. 3 in U.S. District Court in Baltimore. Prosecutors said Baer worked as a teller from 1998 to Oct. 25 last year, when she was fired.

Don't follow Cinderella's example. True, the pumpkin coach was all the fairy-tale heroine could afford — and everyone lived happily ever after, despite the vehicle's obvious limitations. But if you're headed to a dance or need to get your bridesmaids and groomsmen to the altar on time, the last thing you want to worry about is unreliable transportation. With prom and wedding season fully under way, consumers can get some tips to help protect against unscrupulous vendors from the Maryland Public Service Commission, which regulates for-hire transportation companies, including limos.

Could chopping an athletic field into squares keep it green?Several football teams, led by the Ravens at PSINet Stadium, think so. They have adopted the latest in high-tech fields: real grass, cut into half-ton sections and assembled like a puzzle.The idea behind the "modular" system is replacing worn spots with fresh turf. Chunks in the center of the field, where football play is concentrated, are exchanged with greener sections from the sidelines. A team can even buy a second field and move pieces back and forth.

The Maryland Media All-State High School Football Teams were announced Thursday for the small and big school divisions. The consensus All-State team, coaches of the year and players of the year will be released Friday. Following are the Small School first teams, which include Class 1A and 2A public schools, as well as private schools not in the A Conferences in the MIAA or the WCAC. Check back in a little while for the Big School teams. 2012 Small School All-State Football Team Offense QB: Collin Nusbaum, Brunswick, Sr. RB: Coleman Blackston, Dunbar, Jr. RB: Avery Ezell, Walkersville, Sr. RB: Dale Harris, St. Paul's, Sr. RB: Rachid Ibrahim, Avalon School, Sr. OL: Alec Auwaerter, St. Paul's, Sr. OL: Nicholas Bonaparte, Dunbar, Sr. OL: Justin Falcinelli, Middletown, Jr. OL: Dariz Hill, Dunbar, Sr. OL: Na'Ty Rodgers, McDonough, Jr. WR: James Harrell, McDonough, Sr. WR: Paul Harris, Douglass-PG, Sr. WR: Blaine Price, Brunswick, Sr. AP: Zach Welch, Middletown, Sr. PK: Alex Gambrell, John Carroll, Sr. Defense DL: Peter Angeh, Bullis, Sr. DL: D'Sean Cummings, Douglass-PG, Sr. DL: Nik D'Avanzo, Archbishop Curley, Sr. DL Marvin Gross Jr., Dunbar, Sr. DL: Derrick Hayward, Wicomico, Sr. DL: Malik Jones, Dunbar, Sr. LB: Andrew Caskins, Georgetown Prep, Jr. LB: Christian Cole, McDonough, Sr. LB: Ben Hummer, St. Mary's-AA, Sr. LB: Sean Wenner, Middletown, Sr. DB: Elvis Dennah, Annapolis Christian,...

And he likes horses, too! That's what Lauren Mendelsohn thought when a Baltimore man messaged her in September 2005 on Jdate.com, an online service for Jewish singles. "I ride show jumpers," the divorced mother of two in Owings Mills said yesterday. "He supposedly bred racehorses. I say `supposedly' because almost everything he ever told me was a lie." So began Mendelsohn's anything-but-fruitful relationship with a mysterious man originally from Pikesville, who Illinois authorities say conned at least 10 women from eight states out of more than $1 million through elaborate schemes.

The Niece You think it would be easy to buy a 6-year-old girl a gift. Then you realize that the girl already has everything. Get her a handmade felted wool purse that's bright and playful, not to mention the perfect size to tote around her iPod, Starbucks card and her M.A.C. lip gloss. Samii felted wool purse in pink or aqua, $28, at www.garnethill.com, or by calling 800-870-3513. The Boss The Boss is always talking about money not growing on trees and informing you of the rising cost of paper clips.

GM to sell Hummer to Chinese company NEW YORK - : Bankrupt automobile maker General Motors said Tuesday it has reached a tentative deal to sell Hummer, its military-style-vehicle brand, to Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co. Tengzhong, based in the Chinese province of Sichuan, is a privately owned company that makes road, construction and energy-industry equipment. Final terms of the deal, expected to close in the third quarter, are under negotiation, the companies said in a joint statement.