Jacks

The ongoing Chesapeake Restaurant project, now under way near the Charles Theatre , has signed on a Belgian brasserie. De Kleine Duivel, which will be operated by Baltimore native Paul Kopchinski, will feature Belgian beers, boutique wines and spirits, and a select menu of traditional Flemish-French dishes in an Art Nouveau setting. After sitting empty for a quarter of a century, the buildings that once housed the historic Chesapeake Restaurant were purchased in October 2010 from the city by Michael Shecter and Ernst Valery of Station North Development Partners LLC for $2.5 million.

Desperate for a win in Saturday's opening game of the Konica Minolta Face-Off Classic, No. 12 North Carolina took the field at M&T Bank Stadium sporting a completely revamped starting attack. The results were anything but overwhelming, but still enough to help the Tar Heels emerge with a 9-8 win over No. 20 Princeton and avoid their first three-game losing streak since 2006. "When you lose two in a row, you've got to make some changes," Tar Heels coach Joe Breschi said. "Coming off two losses, these guys kept their composure and kept fighting.

At our monthly breakfast gathering at the big round table by the kitchen at Jimmy's, the Fells Point diner, someone remarked that Ron Matz, the affable WJZ-TV reporter who frequently reports from there, looked dapper as a pallbearer in a black wool topcoat and dark suit. "I'm practicing for my next job, after I retire," Mr. Matz said. "I'm going to be a greeter at Sol Levinson. " Someone went a step further and suggested that Mr. Matz, a longtime Baltimore broadcaster, might finally make his fortune in retirement by anchoring live cablecasts of funerals from the Sol Levinson & Bros.

Gov. Martin O'Malley is not exactly a stranger around the White House these days. He met with President Barack Obama along with other state leaders late last week to discuss the economy. On Sunday he sat at the same table as the president for an annual governors dinner at the White House. He is a frequent guest on the national Sunday talk shows, usually defending the Obama administration's policies. So it was a bit awkward to see Obama forget O'Malley's name at an education event Monday.

No. 1 McDonogh earned titles from Jack Clark (145 pounds) and Roman Braglio (285) and captured the team championship at the Maryland Independent Schools state wrestling tournament Saturday, claiming the A Division title for the first time since 2008 by beating No. 3 Archbishop Spalding, 270.5-228.5. But even Eagles coach Pete Welch said it felt like the night belonged to A Division fourth-place finisher St. Paul's, which saw four of its five finalists win championships at the tournament held at McDonogh.

John B. "Jack" Owens, who had been a principal in the family-owned Owens Yacht Co., the legendary Annapolis boat builder, and later established a real estate firm, died Saturday of heart failure at his Naples, Fla., home. He was 96. Mr. Owens was born in Detroit, where his father was a vice president of Westinghouse Electric Corp. and his mother was a homemaker. After his wife's death in 1918, the elder Mr. Owens moved his children to Spa Creek in Eastport, Annapolis, so relatives could help him raise his daughter and four sons.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said his parents are doing well despite just being two days away from watching their sons play for conference championships. Harbaugh and the Ravens travel to Foxborough, Mass., to meet the New England Patriots on Sunday at 3 p.m. Less than four hours later, Jim Harbaugh and the San Francisco 49ers are scheduled to play host to the New York Giants. John Harbaugh was asked after Friday's practice about the emotional state of his parents, Jack and Jackie Harbaugh.

Kudos to City Council President Jack Young for admitting that there are "so many other important programs and services which lack much needed support in the city" than the Baltimore Grand Prix ("Young urges mayor to end Grand Prix," Jan. 12). The city can start with the recreation centers that supply a safe haven for learning and recreational activities for our vulnerable youth. Youngsters need these outlets and exposure to better things than hanging out on the corners. The centers are supported by their communities, their schools, churches and local families.

Jack and Jackie Harbaugh would seem to have a dilemma on their hands this Sunday: travel to Foxborough, Mass., to watch eldest son John and the Ravens meet the New England Patriots for the AFC championship at 3 p.m. EST or travel to San Francisco to watch younger son Jim and the 49ers play host to the New York Giants for the NFC crown at 6:30 p.m. EST. John Harbaugh said he's not sure what their parents plan to do. “I think it's pretty neat,”...

Interesting reading about our City Council president suggesting we drop the Baltimore Grand Prix because it has (in his words) "large amounts of debt" and at the same time opining over the "outdated" facilities of the city's rec centers and the lack of commitment to bring them into the 21st century ("Drop the Grand Prix," Jan. 12). When Mr. Young was elected unanimously by his fellow council members in 2010, the Sun's Julie Scharper reported that Mr. Young was a 14-year member of the council who had chaired the budget and public safety committees.